《My Secret, My Bully, My Mates. Series》 Chapter 0001 Chapter 0001 Skr just wants to be an asset to her pack. She''s the daughter of the Beta and her brother is set to take the title after graduation. Her father wants nothing to do with her and is constantly belittling the things she does aplish. She is the top of her ss and the top warrior, but no one knows because she hides in the shadows as much as possible. Her bullies torture her, but never get caught. She takes them on time and time again though to protect other innocent members of her pack. Her brother and his friends ignore her existance and all she wants to do is get out of a pack that doesn''t seem to want her and be an Elite Warrior for the Alpha King. She want''s to feel wanted and epted somewhere. Her whole world changes when a new girl shows up and decides to befriend Skr after an intense training session. She brings Skr out of the shadows and brings to light the darker side of pack members. Can Skr get past her past and live the life she wants? ****************** Skr 6th grade: I¡¯m walking into school behind my brother and Oliver, one of his best friends. They really don¡¯t pay any attention to me and only let me follow them to school because Mary makes them bring me. Mary is my nanny, she has been with me as long as I can remember. My dad is the beta of the pack and really busy, so Mary was brought on to teach me how to ¡®behave like ady,¡¯ which basically means teach me to be silent unless spoken to and out of the way of the men. She does nothing of the sort, but my dad doesn¡¯t know that, as long as I make a good show when he¡¯s around. My brother spends most of his time with the future Alphas, Cameron and Dakota, the future Delta, Sam and the future Gamma Oliver. They travel in a group wherever they go, they are almost worse than some of the girls here. Mary told him to make sure I got to and from school safely after I came homest week with a bruise under my eye and scrapes up my arm. I tried to tell her it was an ident and that I tripped, it was not a big deal, but she didn¡¯t believe me. She knows I have been having trouble with kids at the school. I live in a werewolf pack that feeds on hierarchy and dominance, of course at some point we are all going to start trying to showcase our dominance, we¡¯re middle schoolers. What I have seen though is it¡¯s more the non-ranked kids who are trying to show off for the ranked kids. They are trying to gain status by being noticed. It¡¯s funny to think that some kids are popr, just for the rank they were born into, not what they have actually done. Obviously, everybody wants to be the Alpha¡¯s kids friends. That¡¯s the height of all poprity. My brother, Sam and Oliver aren¡¯t far behind being rank born. I, however, don''t matter, even though I am the Beta¡¯s daughter and have Beta blood. I am the reason that my mother is dead, and that is reason enough to shun me to lower than an Omega. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. That is why Mary fears for me, she has seen how kids openly treat me and no adult does a thing to stop it, not even my father. ¡°Move it fatty. You¡¯re taking up the whole hallway and walking slower than a turtle. Are you sure you¡¯re a wolf?¡± Kaley sneers behind me. I just move to the side to try and get out of her way. She sticks her foot between my legs and I trip sideways head first into a locker not being able to catch myself with my armful of books. The crash brings everyone to a halt. All eyes are on me, but the only ones I care about are my brother¡¯s. He turned to look at the sound and when I made eye contact he just shook his head, rolled his eyes and turned to walk away, Oliver and Kaley following him. The rest of the kids in the hallway disperse too, someughing quietly, others not so quietly, but no one stops to help me up. 7th Grade: ¡°Don¡¯t you ever question my authority in front of another student again!¡± Kaley shoulder checks me into a door leading out to the courtyard in the middle of the school. ¡°I didn¡¯t question your authority, I told you that you can¡¯t hit kids just because they are in your way. If you werete, that is not their fault.¡± I shouldn¡¯t snap back at her, it only fuels her fire, but she¡¯s starting to get on my nerves. She waste because she skipped second period to go get coffee with her friends and waste getting back to third period, who happens to be a teacher that will report her to her father. Although nothing ever seems to happen when she is reported. I right myself, set my focus down the hallway and move to walk away from the door that was holding me up, but before I can get two steps, Marnie, one of Kaley¡¯s little minions steps out to trip me, then proceeds to dump her icedtte on my head. I hear cackles ofughter then others join in, meaning we attracted a crowd. I look up to see my brother and his friends joining in with theughter. ¡°Maybe if you trained a little harder and lost some of that baby fat, you wouldn¡¯t be so clumsy.¡± Kaley says not-so quietly to me then, ¡°Hey boys, are we up for hanging out at the fire pit tonight?¡± To my brother and his friends. Chapter 0002 Chapter 0002 Skr Fall of 8th grade ¡°Come back here you little b*tch.¡± A brte goes flying by me with Barbie number 2, Jeanie, stomping after her awkwardly in her wedges and skirt so short and tight I wonder how she managed to keep all her bits covered making the smallest of movements, let alone attempted running. She looks livid and I can see the other two Barbiesing up behind her, strutting, since running or normal walking is not possible in the sky high shoes they are wearing. I don¡¯t know what happened, but these three came back from their summer trip abroad and decided they were the queens of the school and normal rules of decency didn¡¯t apply to them. They were never what anyone would call nice, but they didn¡¯t outwardly harass people either. As the beta¡¯s daughter it was my job to make sure all pack members were protected, even from our own. My father may not want me or take me seriously, my older brother was the true beta, but I took my rank and status seriously anyway since that is the one thing he beat into our heads since birth. We were not to embarrass him in any way as the Beta, the image was the most important thing to him. I step in front of Jeanie, hands up hopefully in a sign of peace. ¡°Why are you chasing her? What did she do, Jeanie?¡± Jeanie almost falls over trying to stop her momentum in her sl*tty getup. ¡°She got me a D on my paper! That little b*tch was supposed to make me sound smart and get me an easy grade. She purposely got me a bad grade to embarrass me in front of the new teacher. Get out of my way, Skr.¡± She snarls at me and tries to push me out of the way looking at me like I am some piece of trash under her designer shoe. ¡°Did you pay her to do a good job, or did you just pick a smart kid in your ss and tell them they were doing your work?¡± ¡°What does that matter? I am a warrior and she is just an omega. She is beneath me and should be d I was talking to her in the first ce.¡± ¡°Her rank and yours have nothing to do with your school work, andst I checked you are no warrior. You arezy, and don¡¯t make time to train, let alone be consideredpetent. That¡¯s your fault, do your own work. Leave her alone. She didn¡¯t volunteer and you didn¡¯t pay her, she owes you nothing.¡± I refuse to move from her path. I don¡¯t have my beta aura yet, but I figure fake it until you make it right. I stand up as tall as I can, which is not much at my five foot nothing height, and keep stepping in her path as she tries to step around me, to keep her away from the girl. As a ¡®warrior¡¯ she should be more agile and be able to easily step around me, but training isn¡¯t on this ¡®warrior''s¡¯ agenda. ¡°You need to watch what you say to your betters, you murderer. You are not worth sharing breathing room with. Your dad thinks so, your brother thinks so. No one wants you around, so move.¡± Kaley sneers as she walks up and steps around Jeanie. Marnie, hot on her heels like the good little minion she is, forms the triangle they have decided makes them the most intimidating. I think they have seen Mean Girls too many times. ¡°No one cares about you or your worthless opinions. No one in this pack humiliates us and gets away with it.¡± With that she shoves past me and heads straight for my brother and his friends. I know they heard what she said to me, werewolves have above average hearing, but as the Future Alphas, Beta, Gamma and Delta, they all have extraordinary hearing. They don¡¯t even flinch at her hateful words. They believe if you can¡¯t take a little criticism, you¡¯re too weak to deal with in the first ce. It¡¯s not the first time she¡¯s said those words to me, but they don¡¯t hurt any less the longer I hear them. I blink back the tears burning my eyes, take a deep breath and head home. I hope the girl got away at least. I hope she can avoid those three, but I might have just prolonged the inevitable. I have a feeling this year is going to be a long one. I just need to keep my head down, keep my grades up and stay out of their way. Just a few more years and I can leave this hell hole. Fall of 9th Grade SLAM. Well, that hurt more than it normally does. A groan slips out of my mouth. I don¡¯t remember the lockers biting back so hard. That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking as I slide down to the floor with my eyes closed and feel the back of my head where it hit the locker, awaiting the next blow. ¡°Happy Monday to you too.¡± I mutter to no one in particr. ¡°You fat cow, stop getting in my way.¡± Kaley hisses at me before she ps me. I can feel a little bit of ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. blood trickle from the side of my mouth, she doesn¡¯t hit that hard, but her fake nails are as sharp as cat ws. I can hear a couple chuckles and one is a little deeper than the others, that would exin the hard blow into the locker. She had one of the boys throw me this time. I don¡¯t look around though, Kaley may skip all of our fight training, but she has proven she can provide torture in many other ways and there are plenty of people who want to be in her circle so bad that they will do anything to anyone to gain approval. ¡°What did I do this time, your highness?¡± I ask sarcastically, risking a look up at her. I¡¯m hoping to keep her attention long enough for the kid she was screaming at to run away. Kaley doesn¡¯t get her hands dirty anymore, she found out quickly when you are popr or just in evil, people will do just about anything to stay on your good side, in the hopes of vicarious status or to not be the next victim. Having her father on the school board helps too. None of her actions have ever been caught on camera, so there isn¡¯t proof of anything she does, except the marks all over me, and she has everyone believing I am a weak nobody, that can¡¯t take a hit or heal very quickly. A few kids have been suspended because of her. She harassed one so badly he moved away from our pack to go to school in a neighboring pack where his grandparents live. All because he wouldn¡¯t break up with his girlfriend for her. We were in the fifth grade. Who is thinking about that in the fifth grade? No one talks about that though. The line the pack members believe or at least spread about is he needed extra guidance that the other school provides. ¡°You do not stop me from disciplining a pup. That little toe rag purposely ruined my brand new designer shoes in front of the whole school. She deserves to be punished.¡± Kaley tosses her tinum bleached hair over her shoulder and rolls her crystal blue eyes at me like I am the dumbest person in the world for not understanding that. It wasn¡¯t the ¡®whole school¡¯ it was my brother, the future beta, along with the future alphas, gamma and delta. Those five boys are rarely separated. She was trying to gain the attention of Dakota and Cameron, our future alphas, like most of the girls in our school. Her little minions were focused on the other three, they didn¡¯t really care which one gave them attention as long as they were noticed. As Marnie and Jeanie were ogling the guys, Marnie tripped over this little fourth grader and dumped whatever frufru iced coffee drink all down Kaley¡¯s legs. Kaley will never admit when she and her friends are in the wrong though. The guys walk off chuckling, not even noticing the red tinge to Kaley¡¯s eyes, showing she¡¯s about to blow a gasket. Although, I don¡¯t think she has ever shown them that side of her. She¡¯s not dumb enough to show them her true colors. Her and her friends want to stay in the ranked circle. These boys rule the school like they think our parents rule this pack. They have no idea what they are actually doing, but they like the adoration, you can see it in their eyes. Acting tough and ¡®leading by example,¡¯ as they call it. If you want to be the best, act like it, until someone makes you prove it, then don¡¯t lose. Chapter 0003 Chapter 0003 I can¡¯t me Kaley and her friends for tripping over themselves around the future Alphas and their friends, really. The guys are a year ahead of us in school and just came back from summer training. Since they will all take over for their fathers when they graduate high school, they have been doing their respective rank training for thest two summers at apound the Alpha King has on his castle grounds. They will train one month each summer for the rest of their high school career. I think the training keeps them from getting into trouble while they are out of school for the summer, but I¡¯m sure they learn a lot too. They also get to build rtions with the other future ranked members in our alliances and in our Alpha King¡¯s territory. What could go wrong putting fifty or so high ranking teenage kids together for a whole month teaching them battle skills, strategy, pack maintenance? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a pissing match the first few days. The Alphas learn about caring for the pack financially and dealing with disputes amongst members. They are the strongest in the pack and usually at frontline of defense when attacks happen and must put the pack first. The Beta''s job is to take on any responsibilities from the Alpha or Alpha''s that don''t need direct influence from the Alpha. The Beta is second inmand and the Alpha''s right hand person. The Gamma''s job is simr to the Beta, but they are the Luna''s second inmand and her prime protector. The Delta is the lead warrior, incharge of the packs defense and safety. They each have a job that is way moreplicated and stressful than it sounds and many pack members, including the future ranked members, take for granted what goes on behind the scenes. I think that is why the ALpha King does his summer training, it pulls these ranked kids out of a childish setting like school and ces them in a more real world situation. Some adapt better than others. I Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. think the Alpha King also likes to know of friendships and rivalries early on, and what better way than to see them all in action, away from the influence of their parents. Our Alpha King does a good job of keeping the ridiculous pack leaders from causing trouble, but there is always someone trying to gain a better rank through alliances, treaties and forcing chosen mates on their children. Sometimes kids act better when the political aspirations are not a part of the training. There are several Alpha King¡¯s throughout the word and they have a direct connection to the moon goddess herself through their Luna Queens. They are the full governing body for all werewolves, but work together when disputes or wars get too big for just one to handle. This year when the guys came back they were all almost unrecognizable. Each of them had a massive growth spurt and put on muscles like it was their job. They were all good looking before, even my brother, but now they looked like men, very very, hot men. They all stood over six feet tall and were as wide as a standard doorway. As they get closer to 18, their auras are developing as well, which has many uses. Their aura lets you know you are in the presence of a stronger wolf, they use it to procreate with, the higher the rank, the stronger the wolf. All of the girls in the pack noticed and started throwing themselves at these guys. I think my brother has been out with a different girl every night since they have been back. Pretty sure the noises from his roomte at night are him entertaining a few as well. It¡¯s kind of gross to think of my brother like that, but all of them seem to have be manwh*res. They aren¡¯t the only ones, just the most notorious. Let¡¯s just say the janitor¡¯s closet gets a lot of use by the student poption. I guess, though, if you can¡¯t beat them, join them and these girls are willing participants. It was kind of sad really. We all have fated mates chosen for us by the moon goddess, I can¡¯t imagine messing around and possibly gaining feelings for someone who might not be mine, that would suck to have them be all like ¡®I love you, you''re the only person¡¯ and then have the mate bond kick in with someone else and be kicked to the curb. I¡¯ve seen it a few times here in the pack. It looks miserable. We can always take a chosen mate, and some packs do that for the higher ranking members, iming bloodlines make the pack stronger, but I think the moon goddess has other ns and we are strongest with our given mate. I¡¯m waiting around for mine. ¡°Are you even f*cking listening to me?¡± I shake my head of my random thoughts and look back at Kaley. ¡°Not really, just leave the little kids alone, they don¡¯t understand or care about your expensive shoes or that your friends can¡¯t walk in theirs and need to be given a wide berth.¡± I say with as bored a tone as I can. The more emotions I show the longer the beatingsst. ¡°Besides your clumsy friend is the reason that pup tripped in the first ce, but I don¡¯t see you beating her down. Pick on people your own size.¡± Was my retort which earned me another p. More blood runs from my lip. Just great, something I¡¯ll have to hide at home for the next couple hours until it heals. At least I have my wolf to help now,st year trying to hide the bruises and cuts I got from Kaley and her girls was really hard. My father doesn¡¯t pay much attention to me, he doesn''t even know I got my wolf at the end of 8th grade, right after my brother and all the guys, but he did notice the first time Kaley left marks on my arms and a small bruise on my cheek. He only noticed my arm when we had to make an appearance with the Alpha and I had a short sleeved dress on. He wasn¡¯t as concerned for my health as he was his reputation as the beta with his daughter getting into fights and causing trouble with pack members or worse, being too weak to defend myself in training. He wouldn¡¯t even listen to what happened. He sent me to my room without dinner and kept me home from school the following day until the bruise fadedpletely. It¡¯s not that my father hates me. That¡¯s a lie, I don¡¯t want him to hate me. But he mes me for my mother¡¯s death. He¡¯s never said it directly to my face, but he rarely says anything directly to me, I have heard him makements to others though. She died in childbirth with me and I don¡¯t think he ever gotpletely over the loss of his mate. ording to the nanny I had up untilst year, I look just like her and that probably makes him a little sad at the constant reminder. My brother was better with me, we used to be really close, we¡¯re not even a year apart, but ever since he started his training to be the next beta a couple years ago, he barely makes time for me, not even at school. They both put their duty to the pack and their Alphas above everything else including their personal lives. That, along with Kaley and her girls making sure everyone knows if they even talk to me, in what could be considered a friendly manner, she will find a way to punish them and me. Myst year of middle school and now high school is shaping up to be pretty lonely. I just have to keep my head down, my grades up and train hard to get into warrior training and out of this pack. This wasn¡¯t my first run in with Kaley this year and we have only been in school for two weeks, but this is where things really started to take a turn for me. Chapter 0004 Chapter 0004 Kaley, Jeanie and Marnie find some way to torture me every single day after that. Some days it¡¯s small things like taking a book out of my hands and shredding it all over the hallway while kids just stand around and watch or the time they pulled my ten page essay out of the pile we were handing forward in english and tearing it into small pieces and handing it back to me with a ¡®whoops.¡¯ I had it saved on my though she watched what happened. My father punished me for beingzy when he found out I handed in an assignmentte, again not wanting to even hear my side of the story. I spent the weekend locked in my room, with no meals. It''s times like that when I really miss Mary, she would have snuck me something, even a gran bar. My brother was nowhere in sight when my father was berating me in the kitchen after school that day. Since Mary left he no longer has to pretend to watch out for me, even with our father. Other times it was physical. Pulling my hair and shoving me into doors and walls is amon favorite. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. In ss, overly full backpack manage to knock me in the head at least once every ss, which is why i try to be thest in and the first out when I can help it. She made sure no one ever hit me where marks could be easily seen. I¡¯m pretty sure I have a couple ribs that have been broken so many times, a good sneeze would probably rebreak them. I won''t let my wolf waste energy on healing the small stuff, it''s not worth it, but she makes sure that I¡¯m not in pain for long though. She really is great, her running beat downs. Kaley knows I won¡¯t let her harm kids in the school, especially the younger ones, she uses this as a way to get to me daily. My wolf and I have both decided this is for the best though. Even when she has the strongest kids beat on me, my beta lineage can handle it and we heal faster than Kaley thinks. It seems to keep her and her friends pacified to take their frustrations out on me and from targeting other kids in the school. As long as she thinks I¡¯m isted from everyone and let her pawns target me, she is happy, which means her friends are happy and there is peace in the school. If you can call a calm raving lunatic ¡®peace.¡¯ Having my wolf made things less lonely. We figured out how to get out of my room without my father knowing, we hunt for food when he keeps it from me. It¡¯s not so bad, I know that I can survive on my own and in the wild, which sounds nice some days. That¡¯s what I thought until a new girl showed up mid November. She joined us at our mandatory 5am pack training. All kids in high school were required to train every morning before school to learn to protect themselves, even if you were not a warrior. As we got older the training was divided up into basic training for all pack members, intermediate training for patrols and advanced training for our elite warriors, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and their mates. The ranked members were the most targeted so they trained the most. They are also our strongest, so they tend to be on the frontlines of an attack. I loved training and went to every one I was allowed to attend, much to my brother¡¯s irritation I was allowed to go to everything being a beta by blood. He would always give me dirty looks when I made eye contact with him. I don¡¯t know why it bothered him and I didn¡¯t really care. I kept my distance from him and all the guys and just did my own thing. I was only one of two females who chose toe to the extra trainings, Carra was a senior and was only here because her father, one of our elite warriors, made her. She came, trained, didn¡¯t talk to anyone and left. The rest of the females were mates of our current leadership or warriors. The Luna was very nice and a great fighter, she always kept me on my toes and she and the other females would share stories and insights while we were sparring. I didn¡¯t usually get to spar with the males during the elite training, the dads, including mine, were more interested in teaching their proteges. My dad actually did not even acknowledge I was there. But the Luna and the female warriors had some great tips on how to use my small size to my advantage, because many guys underestimate a woman in a fight. It amazed me how short sighted the guys could be. They cherished their mates, praised our female warriors and were feircely protective but in the end their actions showed they thought their ideas were better than a female¡¯s and that they were the true protectors of the pack. Training was the only time I didn¡¯t have to worry about Kaley, Jeanie and Marnie or any of their other minions messing with me. They weren¡¯t dumb enough to cause the kind of scenes with me that they usually did with the future alphas, my brother and the rest of the future leaders watching. I could be free and be myself, in the back where no one could see me. I have often thought about doing warrior training following school. I even started running the patrol route around the territory in the mornings before training or after school if I need to avoid people or my house. We don¡¯t have a lot of rogue attacks, but they do happen and our border patrol keeps us in close contact with neighboring packs in times of need. I have enjoyed getting to know the patrol warriors and learning what they do as the first line of defense for our pack. I am a good student, but that is more due to the pressure my dad puts on me to act like my high rank, than actually being smart or caring about school. I also have a ton of free time since I don¡¯t hang out with anyone. Kaley has made sure that no one wants to associate with me on pain of social su*cide. I was pulled from my thoughts as the lead trainer brought us all in and exined what we were going to do today and then casually said we have a new member joining us. ¡°She is here with her uncle and aunt while her parents are working for the Alpha King.¡± That got everyone¡¯s attention, including Kaley, who somehow managed to sit on the sidelines in her short dress and heels, clearly not participating today, like every other day, but she actually showed up today. I still haven¡¯t figured out how she gets out of mandatory training. This tall girl walked in like she owned the ce, her confident stature was what caught my eye first. Her youthful, carefree face, long dark brown hair and bright golden honey eyes told me she couldn¡¯t be much older than me, but the way she held herself and how the eyes of every guy at training followed her very developed and toned body made me smile at the thought of how the Barbies were going to take havingpetition. I must have made a noise out loud, since she turned around and looked right at me. Delta Kyle told her she could join the group and we would get her up to speed on what we were working on. Oh no! She walked right up to me and held her hand out. ¡°Sierra, nice to meet you.¡± I just stared at her blinking. It took me a second to register what I was supposed to do. She raised her eyebrow at me for my hesitation orpleteck of manners before I caught on. ¡°Oh, sorry, Skr.¡± I shook her hand. ¡°I¡¯m not used to people talking to me.¡± I muttered out awkwardly and quickly let go of her hand, turning back to the front where Delta Kyle and the lead trainer were giving a few more instructions. Mentally smacking myself for sounding like an idiot. She looked at me questioningly, but before she could ask, our trainer divided us into pairs and had us start our warm-up and sparring. He must have decided I was as good a person as any to work with her since she chose me to talk to first and he knows I attend all the trainings we have. Delta Kyle is one of the few people who knows that I want to train to get out of here so he lets mee to the gym and training grounds whenever I want, he even gave me a key to the gate when I started showing up before him. Chapter 0005 Chapter 0005 Sierra was a really good fighter, but so was I. She is really tallpared to me. She has to be like 5''7" and my 5'' 1" stature can''tpare, but we are built simrly which helps with learning the new movements. Her ck sports bra and leggings entuate all the tan and defined muscles in her body, she could be a supermodel with her curves. I have muscles too, and am actually pretty defined, but I prefer to not show much skin, it helps hide the injuries, so I tend to appear overweight. Today I have baggy sweatpants and t-shirt on. I also have a tank top on under the t-shirt. I learned the hard way my N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. scars and bruising can be found in the heat of a match if I don''t haveyers. I don''t want anyone to see them and pity me or pretend to try to help. It sounds stupid and my wolf an I have gone around and around, but I don''t want help from people who couldn''t be bothered to help me when I was recieveing the scars in the first ce. It''s easy for them to make themselves feel better by offering help or assistance, saying I ''just have to ask,'' but in reality they are the same people who turn a blind eye because their own self preservation is more important than doing what''s right. So I keep my pain hidden. I like to stay as invisible as possible, but I love sparring. I typically stick to the back of the training group and only work with warriors that are here to help Delta Kyle train. He has seen my separation from the group and, I''m sure, has an idea why, so he makes sure there is a warrior there to partner with me. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s me or my beta blood but the thrill and adrenaline rush of a good fight always makes my day better. I am actually a really skilled fighter, even though I let Kaley and her minions beat me up. It¡¯s just better that she targets only me and not someone else who can¡¯t take the abuse. I don¡¯t fight back, I learned a long time ago that the beat down goes quick if they get bored. And I don¡¯t get in trouble if I don¡¯t throw any hits at all, since those do seem to show up on videos and leave marks for a long time. Kayley had a ck eye for a week once not long after I got my wolf, it was chalked up to my beta blood and a lucky swing, I didn¡¯t argue. But the punishment was terrible. I was suspended from school for the week and my dad locked me in my room and told Mary she wasn''t allowed to talk to me or feed me. She did neither of those things and she made sure I had all of my work and took my assignment''s to school for me so nothing waste. I wasn''t giving anyone any more reasons to punish me. Delta Kyle and a few of the advanced pack warriors are walking around correcting form and giving feedback. ¡°Nice jobdies, you both seem to be the first to grasp the concept I was trying to teach today.¡± Delta Kyle says then leans a little closer. ¡°Even the young alphas and beta didn¡¯t catch on as quickly and they are still struggling.¡± He whispers and winks at us. ¡°But don¡¯t tell them I said that.¡± We both giggle, setting up to run the move again. ¡°You got it, Delta.¡± I say. He knew the jab to my brother would make me smile. He¡¯s seen me work my tail off even if he doesn¡¯t get the chance to help me as much outside of the group training we do here. I think that is my father¡¯s doing, making my brother and the other future leaders the priority, but I¡¯m not actually sure. Delta Kyle acts more like my older brother than my actual older brother does. He¡¯s helped me hide a few of the more severe injuries I¡¯ve gotten from the constant bullying. And he doesn''t judge or ask too many questions. He and Luna Ava are the only people who know I got my wolf too. It''s rare to get your wolf this young. Sometimes ranked wolves will show up early if they are really strong. I think the Moon Goddess gave her to me to help me handle the trauma. As much as I love my wolf and appreciate her help. I wish the Moon Goddess would just make the bullying stop. Luna Ava has been helping me with shifting and working on the pack link. There is something to be said for being invisible. And just as I think that, Kyle smashes my thought process andpletely ignores my need to stay unnoticed with his next words. ¡°I think a demonstration is in order. Sierra, Skr, why don¡¯t you two show us how the new defensive move is supposed to look.¡± He loudly, getting the attention of the whole group, then he smiles at me and winks and I just want to punch him in his pearly white teeth. ¡°I really don¡¯t like you.¡± I say through the mindlink. ¡°I know, but someone other than me has to see what kind of fighter you are and your brother and the guys need a lesson in humility. They have been left alone for far too long. Humor me for five minutes.¡± ¡°You get two.¡± I huff and move to face Sierra. She is smiling like I just brought her to her favorite candy store and told her she can have anything she wants. Oh, goody, she enjoys the attention. ¡°Ready.¡± Delta Kyle¡¯s deep authoritative voice booms over the crowd now circling around us. We take our positions. ¡°Sierra, you are on the attack, Skr use the new defensive move and lets see if you can pin her in less than thirty seconds this time.¡± I hear mumbles of ¡®what?¡¯ ¡®30 seconds no way¡¯ and giggles. That sets me and my wolf off. F*ck trying to be invisible. Arrogant f*ckers think they are so great, when they can''t even submit eachother with basic moves. She grumbles. Shall we? I ask my wolf. Oh, kiddo, I thought you¡¯d never ask. She replies. I can feel just the smallest hint of her energy seeping into my muscles, I don¡¯t want to hurt Sierra, but if the boys need a lesson, they are going to get one. I hear augh and skeptical murmurs from somewhere in the crowd, but I am too focused on Sierra, my warrior instinct has kicked in and theughing jackass isn¡¯t a priority. ¡°No one couldplete that move in under thirty seconds, let alone her.¡± A snarky high pitched male voice says loud enough for everyone to hear and cause a low chorus of agreement. Now my blood is boiling as is my wolf¡¯s. We are taking her down in less than ten and I better not find out which pansy ass insulted us or he¡¯s going down too. She clips out. I can feel my muscels vibrate with anticipation now. ¡°Just watch.¡± Is Delta Kyle¡¯s only, very dry, response. ¡°Set¡­GO!¡± I move immediately on the word ¡®go¡¯ . I don''t even give Sierra time toe at me. She responds quickly though and tries to feign to the left then duck down to catch me with her shoulder. I¡¯m too quick for her and as she starts to duck down I send a knee up toward her chest and face, knocking the wind out of her. As her bodyes up from the momentum I make an elbow strike to her back and she reaches out to wrap her arms around my waist trying to force me down. Instead of fighting the momentum, I allow it, but twist so I fall on top of her and shift to pin her throat to the ground with one of my knees and have her arm in a lock she can¡¯t get out of. My eyes are locked on Sierra''s. Hers are wide in amazement, surprise maybe, I''m not really sure. The first thing I notice is silence, not even breathing can be heard. The next is a hand patting me on the back. I look up and see Delta Kyle beaming at me looking like he is fighting offughter. What is funny? I don''t understand. ¡°Less than ten seconds, damn, Sorry Sam, she beat your best take down time... by a lot!¡± Delta Kyle says loud and clear while he shrugs his shoulders at his son,ughing a bit now, not being able to hold it back. I stand up and help Sierra to her feet. ¡°Sh*t you¡¯re fast. You¡¯re going to have to help me learn how to react like that.¡± She says with a mischievous look in her eyes. I just nod, because what else is there to do? When she finds out where I fall in the high school pecking order, she will not want anything to do with me. I do notice the crowd is more subdued than usual at the end of training, but I also don¡¯t care so much, I took her down in under ten seconds. I had to fight a smile, that is something that would for sure get me beat up, I''m not supposed to be good at anything. I grab my things and notice a presence beside me, Sierra is just following my lead, without a word. It¡¯s kind of weird, but I don¡¯t say anything, I just turn around and start walking. We head towards the locker room together. It¡¯s so strange to have someone walking next to me by choice. Chapter 0006 Chapter 0006 ¡°I really do want to know how you got that fast. And your moves are better than I have seen at some of the warrior camps back home.¡± My eyes snap to hers, eyebrows furrowed, she¡¯s just being nice now. ¡°Umm, okay. I really just train a lot, that¡¯s all.¡± I didn¡¯t know her enough to tell her about getting my wolf so early, which is part of the reason I am so fast. Most kids get them sometime between Sophomore and Junior years. The young Alphas and my brother and the rest of the guys all got theirs in the middle of their freshman year, which is typical for powerful high ranking wolves. I got mine at the end of my 8th grade year though, which is rare and had me freaking out, since it wasn¡¯t that long after the guys and even though I have beta blood, I¡¯m not really a ranked member, nor am I likely to be one. When I told Delta Kyle he brought me to Luna Ava and she has been helping me ever since. ¡°Hey, Sky, here.¡± I look over to see Delta Kyle slow jogging toward us with something small in his hand. ¡°Your shirt rode up a bit in the back, I think you opened up one of your more recent injuries.¡± He looks at me expectantly and I give him the same look back. I¡¯m not having this conversation in front of the first non-adult to talk to me in years. The new girl doesn¡¯t know me and I don¡¯t want to freak her out. I take the small container. ¡°Thank you Delta, is there anything else?¡± His look tells me he doesn¡¯t appreciate my attitude and yes, he has plenty more he wants to say. He crosses his massive arms over his chest trying to look intimidating. The problem is, it works on everyone but me. ¡°Not now, okay? I promise I will exinter.¡± I mindlink. I have to give him something or he will keep hounding me. ¡°Fine, when I figure out who is doing this, there will be hell to pay.¡± ¡°Which is why you won¡¯t find out. You have bigger things to worry about than petty school bullies who are so weak they have to resort to silver powder to actually cause pain.¡± He lets out an audible growl and I can feel his Delta aura flow out from him. Everyone stops and looks at us. I should not have let that bit of information out. Everyone that is not an Alpha, Beta, Gamma or Delta rank tilts their heads down and to the side in submission. My wolf feels the power and recognizes that he, as an adult with full rank, is more powerful than me, but my Beta blood allows me to fight it. I do not break eye contact. He has no idea how strong my wolf makes me, but I can¡¯t submit. My wolf and my pride won¡¯t let me. I do notice that Sierra is also able to fight the full submission. Her chin is still raised, but her eyes are lowered in respect. I wonder what rank she is in her pack? ¡°What are high schoolers doing with silver powder? That is used as a more gruesome interrogation tactic and torture. You need to tell me who this is, Sky, NOW! This is no longer a game.¡± He is seething, I can feel it radiating off of him in waves. ¡°No! I handled it and I won¡¯t have you causing more trouble by stepping in. It makes me look weak and I am already a target, you¡¯ll just make it worse. Every time someone tries to help, it only makes things worse.¡± Before he could respond I turned around and headed into the locker rooms to shower and get ready for school. Sierra just followed me and said nothing about the staring contest I just had with our head trainer. I went to my locker and grabbed my shower stuff. I take all of my things to the furthest cubicle and close the outside curtain. I set my clothes and towel on the bench in the little changing area just outside the shower stall before turning on the water as warm as my body could handle it and step in closing the shower curtain. I like having the double barrier, I never change out in the open, I don¡¯t want anyone seeing the bruises and cuts on my body, especially now with theshes on my back that are taking forever to heal because Kaley rubbed silver powder in them after they whipped me. Kyle was right though, I could feel the sting of the hot water on the open wound and watched the blood flow down the Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. drain tinting the water pink. Once I was done showering I reached my hand out of the curtain to grab my towel, not taking any chances at being seen and wrapped myself up nice and tight. Once I felt like I waspletely covered I opened the curtain only to jump and yell ¡°Oh, damn! Don¡¯t do that!¡± Sierra justughed at me leaning against the wall like it was the most normal thing to invade someone¡¯s privacy in stealth mode. ¡°You forgot this, and you may need help putting it on, some of those cuts are in hard to reach ces.¡± She whispers at me and then twirls her finger motioning me to turn around as if the discussion is over. I don''t move, just stare at her. ¡°I am going to help you whether you cooperate or not, so it would save us some time, if you just willingly let me help you.¡± She just stares unblinkingly. ¡°I am not going to ask questions, yet.¡± Her determined look doesn''t waver. Okay, help it is then. I loosened my towel and exposed my back where there were fifteenshes. The oldest five were from the fifteen minutes of time I wasted asking a question in history ss, causing us to take extra notes and have a pop quiz. Even though our teacher mentioned the quiz the day before making it a ¡®known¡¯ quiz. There was no negotiating with a fuming Kaley. The newest ten happened at the end ofst year, right after the guys got their wolves. I guess that upped their celebrity factor and me asking my brother a question while standing next to the rest of them was too close a proximity. Apparently it is a punishable crime to be in the personal space of people that are better than you. If Sierra was surprised or grossed out she didn¡¯t say anything. She was super gentle, applying the cream to every cut on my back. ¡°There are a few here that are older, but the cream might help get rid of some of the scar tissue. I¡¯m sure my parents could give us something more powerful ¨C¡± ¡°No! I am handling it, I promise. You don¡¯t need to tell your parents. Thank you though.¡± I didn¡¯t want to be rude, she was just trying to help, but I was not going to give Kaley the idea that I was too weak to take her so-called punishments and if I let Sierra talk to her parents about this, the possibility it gets back to the Alpha and Luna and who knows who else. The less people who know the better it is for me. ¡°If you say so. Anyway, I need someone to show me around the school, you up for it?¡± She changed the subject so abruptly that I almost got whish. ¡°Uh sure, let me get dressed then we can head over and get your schedule.¡± She didn¡¯t take the hint to step out and I was forced to awkwardly get dressed under my towel. I''m pretty sure she knows she''s making me ufortable. We headed to the school which was just a block away from the training grounds. I took Sierra to the main office and introduced her to the secretary who got her all set up with her schedule, locker and the kids went home after training. I just found hanging with Delta Kyle or in the locker room kept me safe from Kaley for a little while longer. I found out Sierra and I were in a few sses together, she¡¯s a year older than me, like the guys, but I was taking some advanced sses, which in my school just meant ¡®the next grade up.¡¯ ¡°So our first two sses are together at least, that will make things way more fun.¡± She says with a little happy chirp in her voice. ¡°You¡¯ll have to point out all of the people to know and who to stay away from.¡± ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the person to do that. I tend to keep to myself and blend into the background as much as possible. I am not popr at all and avoid the social scene like it is my job.¡± I said as we made it to the first ss of the day and walked to the back of the room to take my usual seat. She just huffed in response, but didn¡¯t say anything and followed me back. Chapter 0007 Chapter 0007 The day actually went pretty smoothly, I didn¡¯t even have any run-ins with Kaley and her crew. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was because of the disy this morning at training or the new friend I seemed to have acquired. No one talked to me or really looked at me, but no one actively tried to do anything to me either. Either way the break was nice and I found myself smiling as I walked down the hallway to put my things in my locker at the end of the day. Of course good things onlyst for small moments for me. ¡°You think you¡¯re so tough, being Delta Kyle¡¯s favorite suck up. I bet that¡¯s not the only thing you suck, it¡¯s the only exnation for how you manage to gain his attention.¡± I ignore Kaley even though I am hoping she will get bored and walk away, now that she has thrown her insult. She ms my locker shut. I¡¯m just lucky my reflexes are fast otherwise I would have lost fingers. But, before she can spit whatever venom she has at me, Sierra walks up. ¡°Hey girl, I am so hungry and you promised me to hang out after school.¡± Sierrapletely ignores Kaley¡¯s presence and I catch the look of death Kaley is throwing her way. I had to stifle augh. ¡°I almost forgot, sorry, I was trying to make sure I had everything I needed to get my work done this weekend.¡± I turn my back on Kaley and we take about two steps before she shouts. ¡°Hey, new girl, you¡¯ll want to watch who you hang out with. Some people in this school will give you a bad reputation and only cause you problems.¡± We both look back at her. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Thanks for the tip.¡± Sierra links her arm into mine and starts to turn us away again. I hear clicks of heels approaching us. ¡°Listen here, you little¡­ Hey guys!¡± Kaley¡¯s voice goes from venom to bubble gum in a sh and I notice she is looking over our shoulders. A general bored mumble of ¡®hey¡¯es from the group of guys walking our way. Seriously? I just want to melt into a wall. ¡°Damn, they are even hotter up close.¡± Sierra says quietly to me, turning us around to face my brother and his friends as they walk up to us. I just roll my eyes at her. They have never approached me in school before, like ever. So I can only assume they are here for the beautiful brte friend I have acquired today. I can¡¯t deny these guys are gorgeous and unfortunately they all know it too. My brother, Mateo, and I look almost identical, with sandy blonde hair and gray blue eyes, getting most of our looks from our mother. The only difference is his build is exactly like my fathers¡¯, wide at the shoulders and narrow at the waist. He keeps his stick straight hair military short on the sides and in the back and longer on top. It looks like he ran his fingers through it a couple times to make it stick straight up, but somehow the look works for him. The future Delta, Sam, is Kyle''s son. And he looks like he just stepped out of a Hurley surfing ad with wavy sun-kissed light blonde hair that hangs just below his ears, dark blue eyes and lean muscles. He¡¯s tall but not as wide set as the other guys, but he is no less ripped and one of the fastest warriors I have ever seen. Oliver, our future Gamma, looks like your stereotypical biker. Medium length, dark brown, almost ck hair that falls forward obscuring his face and piercing brown eyes that are almost as dark give off a ¡®don¡¯t mess with me¡¯ vibe. He has tattoos on both forearms and one on his chest, just peeking out of the cor of his shirt. He is the most quiet of the group, lending to the mysteriousness. His expression is regrly bordering on resting b*tch face. Our future alphas are twins that could melt you with one nce, or maybe that was just me. They both had ck hair with a gentle wave to it. They both kept their hair short on the sides and back like my brother. Cameron was always perfectly groomed, no curl on top of his head was out of ce. His light green eyes softened his severely sharp features though. Dakota let his curls do whatever they wanted on the top of his head. I had often wondered what it would be like to run my fingers through those soft curls. Dakota¡¯s baby blue eyes were more yful than his brothers, he was definitely the troublemaker of the two. Somebody must have said something, because Sierra elbowed me in the ribs. Oh, Goddess, please let me not be drooling. I mentally facepalm myself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± I look around having no idea what we were supposed to be talking about. ¡°I was just saying, nice moves at training today. Hopefully we¡¯ll get a chance to work on those again at advanced training and you can give us some tips. Sam needs to redeem his top takedown time.¡± Cameron says to me, smiling, and Dakotaughs, pping Sam on the back. I just smile and nod, feeling a little dumbfounded. I have no idea how to respond. These guys have never talked to me more than a ¡®hi¡¯ in passing at my house before and never at school. Even though they have been friends with my brother for their whole lives and spend a ridiculous amount of time at my house. This is the longest interaction I have ever had with any of them. He, he, he. A weird forced, high pitched gigglees from my left. I looked over and didn¡¯t even realize Kaley was standing next to me. She reached out and put her hand on Cameron¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re so funny babe, Sam is one of the best warriors we have, I bet he could do that move with one hand tied behind his back. His dad was just being nice to Sierra and S-Skr.¡± Did she just choke on my name? She¡¯s never really used it before. I¡¯m normally just the b-word to her. ¡°It¡¯s not fair to wolves lower than you guys.¡± Who is she calling a lower wolf? I can feel my muscles shake with my wolf¡¯s irritation. I look down at the ground and blink a few times to make sure my eyes aren¡¯t changing color, giving away that I have my wolf. Cameron takes a slow breath in and takes an almost imperceptible step back as his twin chimes in. ¡°Nope, I¡¯m pretty sure Sam sucks and needs to start from the basics again. Maybe we should send him to train with the pups for the week.¡± Dakotaughs out and my brother joins him this time. So does Sierra and I allow myself a giggle. I can¡¯t help it, theirughs are infectious. This is the first time in a long time I have feltfortable around my brother and his friends and probably the first time ever in a public setting like school. I break eye contact and look away, taking a few deep breaths to settle my mind around that. I look back up at my brother. A sort of pained look shes in my brother¡¯s eyes I can¡¯t quite read, does he not want to be over here talking to me? The thought that he doesn¡¯t want me shouldn''t sting this bad, since it¡¯s really the only solid emotion I ever get from him, but my heart sinks into my stomach. I quickly break eye contact and look at the floor again. I don¡¯t want to earn more ps for someone¡¯s weird fetish over my brother. ¡°As much as I enjoy making fun of your boy Sam here.¡± She pats Sam¡¯s arm. ¡°Skr promised me some food, we were just heading out to eat, if you will excuse us gentlemen.¡± Sierra basically pushes us through the wall of six foot tall guys like it was no big deal and leads me toward the parking lot of the training grounds where she left her car this morning. I hear a huff behind us, but I¡¯m not sure who it was and can¡¯t wait to get out of here as soon as possible. ¡°How do you already have a car?¡± I ask, knowing she isn¡¯t 16 yet. ¡°I was able to get my license early, with special permission from the Alpha of course.¡± she winks at me. ¡°My parents were always so busy researching and working for the Alpha King that I needed a way to get around. As long as I don¡¯t go joyriding or do anything else stupid behind the wheel, I get to keep my license.¡± She shrugs like that is a totally normal thing. I have a feeling she can talk anyone into just about anything without putting much effort into it. ¡°Hey!¡± A shout from behind us has us both turning around just before we get in her car. ¡°I almost forgot, are you guysing to the bonfire tonight?¡± Sames jogging up to us. Chapter 0008 Chapter 0008 Sam¡¯s POV ¡°She is here with her uncle and aunt while her parents are working for the Alpha King.¡± That got my attention. She who? Dad didn¡¯t say anything about any girl visiting the pack. Just as that thought flitted across my mind the most drop dead gorgeous girl struts onto the training grounds just ahead of my father. She knew how to make an entrance. She casually nced around the crowd and then made her way to the opposite end as the guys and I. She was clearly talking to someone I couldn¡¯t see then turned around giving her full attention to my dad and the other warriors training us today. Dad had gone over this new move with us a few days ago so I wasn¡¯t really paying attention to the exnation, I was more interested in the new girl. ¡°Did you know a new girl wasing into the pack?¡± I asked Dakota who was closest to me. ¡°Dad and mom said something about her doing her sophomore year here with us. Her parents work for the Alpha King and are on some kind of mission, so she¡¯s here with family.¡± He just shrugs. ¡°I call dibs, the girls around here are needy and boring, I¡¯m over them. ¡°You call dibs, huh? What if she doesn¡¯t want your ugly ass? Then what?¡± Oliver shoves my shoulder. ¡°No way, I¡¯m the best looking out of all of us. If anyone is going to get her attention, it¡¯s me.¡± I reply, not taking my eyes off her. ¡°Wanna bet?¡± Mateo asks. ¡°Depends. What are the stakes?¡± ¡°Get her toe to the bonfire tonight, but it can¡¯t be a date¡­¡± Mateo starts. ¡°She has to show up on her own¡­¡± Dakota adds. ¡°And you have to be the first guy she talks to¡­¡± Oliver supplies. ¡°And you can¡¯t approach her until she does.¡± Cameron finished. That means I am going to have to keep the leeches busy, she¡¯ll nevere talk to me with our usual stalkers hanging around. Damn, they were not going to make this easy. ¡°Time¡¯s a wastin¡¯.¡± Dakota points to his wrist where a watch would be. ¡°Fine, I¡¯m in. But if I win, none of you can poach her.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± They all said in unison. Now I just have to get her attention. Well, she seems to be pretty fit, so maybe I can work my way over and get my dad to pair her with me. As I turn to move in that direction I see dad¡¯s second pair her with Mateo¡¯s sister. Man that girl is tiny, if they didn¡¯t look alike you wouldn¡¯t know they were rted. Mateo is outgoing and takes his job as the next beta very seriously, almost too seriously. Sky is super shy and keeps to herself. I bet being the second born, her beta blood just isn¡¯t as strong as Mateo¡¯s. I beat everyone of these clowns with this move yesterday, today is just going to be a repeat of their embarrassment. We each take it in turns to spar, really just going through the motions. We only show up to these training sessions to set a good example, as the Alpha tells us. ¡®If we don¡¯t show, why should anyone else?¡¯ Even though we do so much extra training outside of these, but no one knows about it really. So I guess I get the whole ¡®set an example¡¯ thing. We really just use this time to watch the trainers train and see how they lead arge group. My dad¡¯s loud voice breaks through my thoughts. ¡°I think a demonstration is in order. Sierra, Skr, why don¡¯t you two show us how the new defensive move is supposed to look.¡± What the hell? The guys and I move into the circle forming around Skr and Sierra. Now I know her name at least. What gets me is the very noticeable size difference between her and Skr. This can not be a fair fight, why would my dad use them as demonstrators? The guys and I have been working on this for a couple days now, why use two girls who probably just figured out the basic movements. Skr seems to be having a staring contest with my dad, she must be thinking the same thing, that she¡¯s going to be embarrassed in front of all these people and she¡¯s shy as it is. I can hear some of the kids in the crowd jeering stupidments. I feel Mateo stiffen next to me. He¡¯s sensitive and protective about his sister. Their mom died giving birth to her and their dad hasn¡¯t gotten over losing his mate. Mateo spends a lot of time keeping his dad busy so he will leave Skr alone. I think that is part of the reason she is introverted, but she just looks soft and fragile. Her baggy clothing makes her appear smaller than she is. I didn''t even realize she was at training. ¡°Ready.¡± My dad¡¯s deep authoritative voice booms over the crowd now circling around us. The girls take their positions and more chuckles and jeers can be heard. ¡°Sierra, you are on the attack, Skr, use the new defensive move and let''s see if you can pin her in less than thirty seconds this time.¡± Huh? This time, what does he mean this time? The kids around me clearly are on the same page as me. I look at Mateo and the guys, their confusion is just as apparent as mine is. I hear mumbles of ¡®what?¡¯ ¡®30 seconds no way¡¯ and giggles. ¡°No one couldplete that move in under thirty seconds, let alone her.¡± A snarky high pitched male voice says loud enough for everyone to hear and causes a low chorus of agreement. What this idiot doesn¡¯t know is I did that yesterday. Moron. I need to figure out who it is and pair with him. I can see both of the girls areser focused on each other, a determined look in their eyes. They both look like warriors on a mission. ¡°Just watch.¡± Is my dad¡¯s only, very dry, response. ¡°Set¡­GO!¡± Skr moves immediately on the word ¡®go¡¯. Where the f*ck did that speede from?! Sierra responds quickly though and tries to feign to the left then duck down to catch Skr with her shoulder. Skr sends a knee up toward her chest and face, knocking the wind out of her then makes an elbow strike to her back. Sierra wrapped her arms around Skr¡¯s waist trying to force her down. Instead of fighting the momentum, Skr does with the momentum and twists so she falls on top of Sierra and shifts to pin her throat to the ground with one of her knees and has her arm in a lock Sierra can¡¯t get out of. In the blink of an eye it¡¯s over and the crowd is silent. Skr is still in fight mode, focused on Sierra¡¯s face. My dad walks up to her and has to pat her on the shoulder a couple of times to get her attention. Once Skr lets go of Sierra and helps her up, my dad looks over to where the guys and I are standing, staring, probably with our jaws on the ground. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. He looks at his stopwatch, then back up to us, smiling. Why is he smiling like that? ¡°Less than ten seconds, damn, Sorry Sam, she beat your best take down time... by a lot!¡± He says loud and clear while he shrugs his shoulders at me,ughing a bit now, not being able to hold it back. ¡°The f*ck! What just happened?¡± Oliver says behind me. ¡°It was a blur. I think I blinked and missed half the fight.¡± Cameron says seriously. ¡°Sam¡¯s not the king of the hill anymore. That little bitty beta just took his crown.¡± Dakotaughs at me. I¡¯m still in shock, but I can¡¯t help joining him. I think I know my way in with Sierra. My dad walks over and pats me on the shoulder. ¡°Maybe you boys will take this training a bit more seriously, now. Those two are your biggestpetition and you didn¡¯t even know it. I may let Sky put all of you in your ce.¡± He chuckles, walking off. ¡°She¡¯s the best trainee I¡¯ve got, including you guys.¡± He throws over his shoulder. ¡°And Sierra¡¯s going to be a close second. ¡°That was the hottest thing I think I have seen since Summer training.¡± ¡°I think the girl from summer training was gay, and thought you were a pansy.¡± Dakotaughs at me. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make two girls grappling any less hot.¡± ¡°No, no, no! You are not going to put my little sister on your ¡°I¡¯d bang that¡¯ list.¡± Mateo growls at us. ¡°You¡¯re sister is growing up my friend. I don¡¯t think those baggy sweats are doing her any favors. And watching her rolling around with Sierra, Ah! I am going to have sweet, sweet dreams tonight.¡± Chapter 0009 Chapter 0009 Sam''s POV ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org. ¡°Come here you f*cker!¡± Mateo gets me in a head lock for a second before I wiggle free and take off running toward the truck. We all just ride together and get ready at the packhouse before school. Even though we are all neighbors, we¡¯ve been doing it so long now that it¡¯s just a habit. We all joke with Luna Ava about building an extension onto the twins'' floor and just letting us all move in since we spend so much time there anyway. I noticed that Sierra stuck to Skr like glue all day today, even when they didn¡¯t have sses together. I also realized that Skr took a bunch of sses with us even though she is a year younger than we are in school. How I did not notice she was there before baffles me. ¡°How long has Sky been taking advanced sses?¡± I asked Mateo as we walked into the lunchroom. It was really hard to just walk across the room without being gged down or stopped by people. Most of these kids just wanted something from us. It¡¯s kind of annoying to have people follow you everywhere just because of the family and rank you were born into. A lot of kids think that if they hang out with us that makes them better than others, so the five of us pretty much keep to ourselves here at school, it seems to be the only safe option. As we got older we noticed that people would eavesdrop on conversations and then start rumors. Girls would lie about being with us. It was kind of scary really. So we can¡¯t really be ourselves here. ¡°Umm, not sure, why?¡± ¡°She¡¯s in like half our sses and I didn¡¯t even notice until today. We¡¯ve been in school for a week, how did I miss that?¡± ¡°Seriously? I didn''t know she was in sses with us. Which ones?¡± ¡°Umm, all the standards I think. She¡¯s not in Leadership or Battle Strategies, but once I noticed her in English and Math with Sierra, I kinda noticed her everywhere. It was a little scary.¡± ¡°Please tell me you have not switched your focus to my sister? I don¡¯t think I could handle that. She¡¯s too innocent for any of that.¡± He groans at me. ¡°Umm, no.¡± I say pointedly. ¡°But I will keep telling you how hot she is, because she is hot. She does a good job of hiding it though.¡± Mateo groans as we grab our lunches and head out to a table at the back of the outdoor patio. It¡¯s still pretty nice out so we soak up as much outdoor time as we can. ¡°What¡¯s your n for Sierra? Clock¡¯s ticking, bro. Bonfire''s tonight.¡± Dakotaughs as he shoves a forkful of food into his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about me, I have the situation handled. What you need to worry about is how none of us noticed Sky is in most of our sses and not even her big, overprotective brother knew that until today.¡± We spent the rest of lunch trying to figure out not noticing Sky. I tried to get her attention in Science and in History, but she either really liked her notebook or was actively avoiding us. I was hoping to get Sierra in on the action since they seem to be friendly, but I have to find another tactic until I can figure Sky out. As luck would have it, Skr and Sierra were talking to the three people we dislike most in this whole school. All five of us groan, but this might be thest chance I get to invite Sierra so I suck it up and head in their direction. At least the guys came to back me up with the psycho leeches. ¡°Hey guys!¡± Of course Kaley sees us first. I think that girl might have tracking devices on us. We each sigh out a groan as we approach them. Chapter 0010 Chapter 0010 I¡¯m not sure what they were talking about, but Skr looks flustered and Sierra is trying to hide annoyance. I¡¯m just not sure if she is annoyed with us or Kaley. I choose to ignore the princess wannabe and look right at Sierra. ¡°You are a hard girl to keep track of. It¡¯s nice to finally get to meet you Sierra, I¡¯m Sam. This is Cameron, Dakota, Mateo and Oliver.¡± I point to the guys in turn. ¡°Wait. Are you Delta Kyle¡¯s Sam? The one with the record Skr broke?¡± She smiles at me and I am a goner. She could have asked me to kiss Oliver and I would if she kept smiling at me like that. ¡°The same. You two had nice moves this morning. Skr, I didn¡¯t know you were such a good fighter. Where have you been hiding all your skills?¡± Skr is just looking between all of us, not quite scared, but not focused on the conversation at all. Sierra bumps her in the ribs. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± She looks up at me, full confusion written on her face. Her cheeks tinge a cute shade of pink. Oh man, that is a dangerous thing. I¡¯m going to spend as much time as I can making her blush. She better watch out. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°I was just saying, nice moves at training today. Hopefully we¡¯ll get a chance to work on those again at advanced training and you can give us some tips. Sam needs to redeem his top takedown time.¡± Cameron says smiling, and Dakotaughs, pping me on the back. She just smiles and nods, why is she so shy around us? She has known us her whole life. He, he, he. A weird forced, high pitched gigglees from next to the girls. I looked over and didn¡¯t even realize Kaley was still standing there. She reached out and put her hand on Cameron¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re so funny babe, Sam is one of the best warriors we have, I bet he could do that move with one hand tied behind his back. His dad was just being nice to Sierra and S-Skr.¡± I don¡¯t know why she won¡¯t take the hint that she isn¡¯t part of this conversation. No one can be that dense can they? Cam steps back out of Kaley¡¯s reach, she¡¯s always petting him for some reason. It¡¯s just weird. ¡°Nope, I¡¯m pretty sure Sam sucks and needs to start from the basics again. Maybe we should send him to train with the pups for the week.¡± Dakotaughs out and Mateo joins him. So does Sierra and Skr lets out this adorable giggle. I catch Oliver in my peripherals and the faintest smile forms on his face at the little noise. I think we found the crack in my stoic friend¡¯s armor. ¡°As much as I enjoy making fun of your boy Sam here.¡± She pats my arm and I almost start hyperventting. ¡°Skr promised me some food, we were just heading out to eat, if you will excuse us gentlemen.¡± Sierra basically pushes us out of their way and we part like the red sea to let them pass. I¡¯m so lost watching Sierra walk away from me and letting my brain go to ces it really shouldn¡¯t in public when Dakota ps my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m so d you used that opportunity to your full advantage.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± My brain is still stuck on stupid while my eyes are stuck on her perfect ass. ¡°She¡¯s getting away without your invitation.¡± Oliver stage whispers in my ear. ¡°What? Wait! Oh sh*t!¡± I start jogging as my friends justugh behind me. We¡¯ll see who has thest laugh. ¡°Hey!¡± I shout from behind them. ¡°I almost forgot, are you guysing to the bonfire tonight?¡± I slow my jog towards them, to try and make it look more casual than frantic. Chapter 0011 Chapter 0011 Skr POV ¡°What bonfire?¡± Sierra looks at me usingly. I shrug my shoulders. ¡°I don¡¯t do parties because I don¡¯t have friends. So I don¡¯t usually pay attention to the social scene.¡± I look down at the ground after that word vomit confession. Taking a deep breath I look back up at Sierra. I wonder when she is going to figure out I am not someone to know and she''ll move on like everyone else. Sam looks at me and chuckles a bit but then quickly turns confused when I don¡¯t join inughing then looks between the two of us. He clears his throat. ¡°We have a bonfire the weekend following the first full week of sses. Which happens to be tonight, you should bothe. It¡¯s in the clearing in the woods behind the packhouse, nothing too crazy, but it is tradition. Will youe? Please say you¡¯ll be there.¡± He¡¯s looking at Sierra with big puppy dog eyes. Is he pouting?! ¡°Of course! We can¡¯t break tradition!¡± Her cheery personality shines through. ¡°Is there a dress code for this particr get-together or is ite as you are?¡± She smiles up at him. So, this is what flirting looks like up close, interesting. She definitely does it better than Kaley, I think I get the appeal now. He looks a little lost for a second before blinking anding back to his senses. ¡°Come as you are, but I would dress warm, it¡¯s already starting to cool off and the clearing is in a bit of a valley that holds the cooler air.¡± Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°What time?¡± ¡°We are going to start setting everything up now, so you cane whenever, but the bonfire is lit near dark, so like 9. But, really you cane whenever.¡± He smiles at Sierra. It¡¯s really cute to watch him flirt. I don¡¯t even know if he realizes that¡¯s what he¡¯s doing. She seems to have him under a spell. ¡°Well then, we will see youter Sam.¡± She smiles at him again and she gets into her car, I follow suit. Once we are both in and the doors are closed she looks over at me. ¡°Okay, I was just trying to get us away from the b*tch trio and the hot brigade, but after all of that I really am hungry, where¡¯s the best burger ce here?¡± ¡°The hot brigade? Really?¡± I question her, shaking my head. She justughs as she starts the car. Iugh and start giving her directions. We eat and head to her ce which just so happens to be at the end of our block. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize your aunt and uncle were some of our lead warriors. That would exin your fighting skills. I guess I never really asked about you today, sorry about that.¡± I look down at myp as I sit on her bed as she digs through her closet. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we have plenty of time to get to know each other. And what I want to know right now is what do you mean ¡®you don¡¯t do parties because you don¡¯t have friends¡¯? You¡¯re not going to just slide that into conversation and hope no one heard it.¡± I cringe. After I said it, I felt like I was whining. ¡°Exactly that, I do not have friends, I don¡¯t go to parties, no one chooses to hang out with me. They mostly choose to avoid me. It¡¯s been like that for a long time. You are the first person I have had more than one conversation in a row that wasn¡¯t in school about an assignment or at training.¡± I shrug. It¡¯s weird though when I used to think that stuff to myself it hurt, but I feel nothing now, like I am numb to the fact that I am avoided unless absolutely necessary by my peers. That can¡¯t be good. ¡°That¡¯s a lot to unpack and I have a feeling the silverced whip marks on your back fall into this same story too, right?¡± ¡°Wait, what? How did you know they were silverced whip marks?¡± I¡¯m stunned, that¡¯s oddly specific knowledge to just guess and I told Delta Kyle by ident over mindlink today. No one else knows. ¡°I will allow the topic to change, but we are going to circle back to the friends thing. My parents are chemists. I already told you they work for our Alpha King. Many of the things they work on are chemical weapons and antidotes for war.¡± I flinch at the thought that her parents make things to harm other wolves, things like the silver powder that was rubbed into my wounds. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. They aren¡¯t bad people, but they have seen bad things. It¡¯s their job to know the worst things that could be done to our Alphas and the Alpha king and be able to stop it or reverse it. Sometimes they have had to reverse engineer some of the things used in battles. That¡¯s one of the reasons I am here, my parents are on some mission I don¡¯t even have details about. It wasn¡¯t safe for me to be alone, but it would be odd if I stayed with people in my pack for too long since I normally stay by myself when they travel. So staying with family was the best cover for my protection.¡± She leans back out of her closet and attempts to re at me, but her happy features don¡¯t really do that look. ¡°This goes without saying, but keep that to yourself.¡± Chapter 0012 Chapter 0012 ¡°You just met me, why would you trust me with that information?¡± ¡°Because, you have been taking beatings for something you didn¡¯t do and clearly no one knows, and those who suspect can¡¯t get the truth out of you. You have integrity and loyalty, though your lack of self interest concerns me a bit.¡± She giggles. ¡°So tell me, why is someone using some of the worst forms of torture on you? You don¡¯t strike me as a boyfriend stealer, a cheater, or a liar. Which means you are a threat, and I think you don¡¯t even know it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what I did to gain the constant negative attention, but the ¡®who¡¯ isn¡¯t important. It started when I stepped in to protect another, younger, student from some bullying and it has just escted over time.¡± I shrug. ¡°Is that the same line Delta Kyle let you get away with too?¡± She raises an eyebrow, but she is still smiling at me. ¡°Maybe.¡± I shrug again and look at myp. I feel like she is just warming up and I am really going to have to choose my words carefully with her. She could be an interrogator. ¡°So, back to the no friends thing. Care to exin?¡± She tries on her third coat and is twirling in front of her full length mirror. ¡°From what I have seen you are great and genuine and I am an excellent judge of character.¡± She huffs and throws the coat into a pile on the chair of her vanity and goes back in her closet. ¡°It¡¯splicated. And it¡¯s just easier to not get close to people, with everything going on. I don¡¯t want anyone else as a target just because they decided to be friends with me. My brother will take the next beta title and I will take whatever rank my mate gives me. I¡¯m nothing special and don¡¯t have anything to offer. You¡¯ll see, the only reason yousted this long is because you are new and haven¡¯t figured out the teen hierarchy here. You are gorgeous and have already gotten the attention of my brother and his friends¡­¡± I let the ¡®and you¡¯ll move on and forget me¡¯ thought hang in the air.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°You have not met any real friends then. This b*tch won¡¯t scare me away and the way I saw you fight today, I¡¯m surprised you let anyone treat you poorly, let alone physically harm you.¡± She grabs a hat that matches the bright red peacoat she chose and does another twirl in the mirror. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that your alphas or even your brother haven¡¯t stepped in.¡± ¡°I told you it¡¯splicated. They don¡¯t know about stuff like the whipping and anything else is not worth their time. If I can¡¯t fight my own simple battles, I¡¯m not worth the time or the effort. I¡¯m a beta by blood and should be strong enough to handle my problems without running to them with every little problem. Some levels of minor bullying are tolerated by my brother and his friends. It¡¯s a survival of the fittest mentality.¡± ¡°Then they are all d*cks and not worthy of leading in my opinion. But, they probably don¡¯t know half of what you put up with based on the scars you carry on the outside. The inside scars, though, they wouldn¡¯t have a clue, they¡¯re guys, that¡¯s just stupid territory for them.¡± I couldn¡¯t help butugh, long and hard. She wasn¡¯t wrong. The emotional turmoil in my head was worse than anything that has been done to me physically. ¡°So let''s make you look and feel as hot as you are tonight and see what we can find out from these boys.¡± Chapter 0013 Chapter 0013 ¡°Wait, what are you talking about? I am not hot and what do you want to find out from which boys?¡± Now I was scared. She was looking at me like a predator looks at its prey. ¡°I saw how each of those boys looked at you today at training and again after school. You are not as invisible as you may think and I am going to prove it to you. Even your brother was impressed at training.¡± ¡°I doubt that. My brother, like my dad, only focuses on the position and job and I do not fall into that category, so I am not noticeable. But, you are cute for thinking that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still dressing you up hot tonight, there¡¯s no getting out of it.¡± I roll my eyes, this might be the worst of the torture yet. ¡°How hot can you be wearing a coat and hat? You are ridiculous.¡± I giggle at her as she drags me in her closet. Two hourster we are walking from Sierra¡¯s ce down our ¡®U¡¯ shaped block. I have a bright blue coat on, a t-shirt and dark washed jeans, my blonde hair tied on my head in a ponytail and ck combat boots. She added light make-up and insisted on this pale pink lip gloss. The block housed all of the ranked members of the pack. Our driveways all make the center of the ¡®U¡¯ and our well manicured backyards fan out to a forest line all the way around. It is great if you want to go for a quick run and part of the reason I have been able to hide my shifting from my brother and my dad. At the center was the main packhouse where Alpha Lucas, Luna Ava, Cameron and Dakota live. To the right of them is the Beta house where dad, Mateo and I live. To the left of the packhouse is the Gamma house where Gamma Brett and Oliver live. Next to the Gamma house is the Delta house where Delta Kyle, Gwen and Sam live. There is a house next to the delta¡¯s housing an Elite warrior named Ben and his young family and two houses next to mine also housing Elite warriors. One of which I now know is Sierra¡¯s aunt and uncle. I know them all on sight, but we don¡¯t interact much outside of training. I basically keep myself from everyone, just in case. Kaley has shown more than once seh will go after people who appear close to me and if I fight back she will harm a pack member in some way, and it tends to be the pups, and I just can¡¯t have that. No one¡¯s children need to get hurt because she is mad at me for whatever reason. Back in the spring, before I got my wolf and my fast reflexes, she was trying to get me to give her the answers to the history test she couldn¡¯t be bothered to study for because she was too busy chasing Cameron and Dakota. I refused, she got a terrible grade and she told me I would pay. I don¡¯t know if she chose Ben¡¯s daughter on purpose or at random, but her, her two friends and some random omega guy grabbed the girl, covered her head with some kind of bag and dragged her to the side of the school and the guy stomped on her leg and broke it. They sent me the video anonymously with the message ¡®next time choose better¡¯. They covered their tracks pretty well, no one spoke and nothing but the guy¡¯s lower leg, hands and the girl was in the video. I took it to my dad, but when he went to look at it, the message and video was gone. He used me of wanting to be mixed up in the drama of high schoolers and jealous of the attention the popr girls were getting with the boys amongst other insults to my intelligence. That¡¯s when I stopped going to him for my troubles or advice altogether. He only pretended to listen to me most of the time anyway, more focused on his files and paperwork and whatever else he did for the Alpha. I don¡¯t even eat in the dining room with him and my brother. When I had a nanny, I would eat with her in her suite unless we hadpany. It was always that way and I didn¡¯t question it until after 7th grade she was dismissed and I was deemed old enough to look after myself. Unfortunately, no one told me. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. I went to her suite to get food, but it was empty. I searched the house and found my father and brother in the formal dining room with a full spread of food. The only thing my father said was that she was needed for a more important child and I shouldn''t interrupt dinner again. Neither said anything or came to check on me after I ran from the room crying. I eat in the kitchen with our cook now and help her with the clean up when we are done. She doesn¡¯t question it, but I can see the pity in her eyes when she looks at me. I hate the pity more than I hate being alone. Chapter 0014 Chapter 0014 I didn¡¯t realize how lost in my thoughts I am until Sierra nudged me. ¡°Hey where have you been the last ten minutes?¡± I blink trying to shake the memory from my head and wrap it around what I¡¯m about to do. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do this.¡± I finally blurted out. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying before, I really have no friends and none of the people here like me, or want to interact with me. I should just go, you will have a better time without me.¡± I go to turn around. ¡°Not a chance. And you are wrong, you do have a friend, me.¡± She ces her hand dramatically on her chest. ¡°And I would have a terrible time fighting Kaley without you. You deserve to put that b*tch in her ce or at least witness someone doing it secretly on your behalf.¡± She winks at me. I just raise my eyebrows at her. How did she know Kaley was my problem? Not even Kyle has figured it out and he knows most of the stuff she¡¯s done to me. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know what you ¨C.¡± ¡°Mean? Really you¡¯re going to try and lie to me? You don¡¯t have to confirm it out loud, but I already told you I am an excellent judge of character, and she is a social climbing wannabe who couldn¡¯t fight her way out of a paper bag, with a map and GPS. I could give two sh*ts about her pretend status and influence. I¡¯m an exchange student only here for a year. What is she going to do, get me expelled? I¡¯d like to see her try. Technically speaking, I''m the Alpha King''s Gamma''s only child, no one here but the Alpha outranks me, she can kiss my ass.¡± My eyes went wide and I tried to open my mouth to say something, but nothing woulde out. How do you respond to something like that? ¡°Okay, you win, just know her dad is on the school board and several kids have gotten in trouble or suspended just for using her of things or being in my vicinity. People have also been hurt because of her hatred of me. I don¡¯t want you risking anything just to prove a point. I¡¯m not worth that, and I can handle what she throws at me, it feeds her superiorityplex and keeps her attention away from harming anyone else in the pack and protecting them is the most important thing.¡± I look her straight in the eyes to make sure she knows that I am serious. She grabs my shoulders. ¡°You are worth it. I don¡¯t know where you got that idea from, but for being as smart as you are, that is the dumbest thing you have said all day. Now let''s go! We have hot boys to flirt with and a b*tch to taunt.¡± I have a feeling I am going to regret this night so much. I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do this, but you cannot let me make a fool out of myself. This is not my scene at all. I have no idea what I am doing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got you. And from the looks your brother¡¯s friends were giving you, I don¡¯t think you could make a fool out of yourself.¡± She winks at me. ¡°Now lead the way, the sun is starting to go down. Boys ying with fire all man-like is something I can¡¯t miss." I couldn¡¯t help the eye roll this time. Sierra was legitimately crazy, boy crazy and there was no stopping this train now that I am on it. I led her along the path around the packhouse into the back yard. The Luna does such a great job making her garden so pretty. I wish we had flowers like this, but my dad thinks it is impractical and refuses to let me do it or pay someone to do it, but the Luna lets me sneak over and read in one of the many secluded areas back here whenever I want, she even keeps some of my favorite wild flowers in the nters and a hammock in one of the nooks. It¡¯s a great escape from my house when it feels too big and empty. Chapter 0015 Chapter 0015 ¡°Skr! It¡¯s so nice to see you! Are you joining the boys for their bonfire?¡± Speak of the devil. ¡°Hi Luna Ava, how are you? The guys did invite us if that¡¯s okay.¡± I was suddenly unsure of how all of this works. I¡¯ve never been invited to a party and certainly didn¡¯t expect the Luna to be sitting on her back patio when we got here. ¡°This is my friend Sierra, she is staying with warriors Robert and Stephanie for the year. She¡¯s in the same grade as Mateo and the twins.¡± Now I can¡¯t seem to stop talking, why am I nervous? This woman has been the closest thing to a mom I have ever known. ¡°Hello Sierra, it¡¯s nice to meet you. You must be the one that sparred with our Skr here this morning. You both are the talk of the warriors today, isn¡¯t that right dear?¡± She looks over her shoulder, with a smile that lets me know she is implying something, but I''m not sure what. I didn¡¯t even realize that the Alpha was out here too, man what happened to my observation skills all of a sudden. ¡°You got that right¡± He sits up from his reclined position, his gruffugh contrasts with his thick eyebrows and natural stern look. ¡°None of my warriors have been able to beat your take down time, including Delta Kyle and Gamma Brett.¡± Heughed to himself again. ¡°Trust me they tried for a solid three hours, changing up who they each fought and everything. We have a few bruised egos being nursed tonight.¡± He smiles as he rxes back in his chair like he is savoring the joke. Sierraughed next to me. ¡°That is amazing! And thank you again Alpha and Luna for letting me spend the school year here. I really do appreciate it.¡± ¡°Not a problem dear. Clearly it was the right choice.¡± The Luna winked at us. ¡°You had better be on your way or all the good seats next to the fire will be gone.¡± She wiggled her eyebrows at us and I have no idea what that was supposed to mean, but Sierra clearly did as she grabbed my arm and started to drag me away. We followed the path of little twinkling lights through the woods and walked about 10 minutes before we could hear voices and see the warm glow of the fire. We walked through a small crowd of people. I¡¯m not sure if it was invite only or just upperssmen or what, but there were only about 30 people milling about. Maybe it was just early still. I have no idea what to expect or what I am doing, so I just follow Sierra since she seems to have a destination in mind. When we walk a little further around the veryrge fire I can see where she is leading us. My brother and his friends are posted up on the far side of the clearing guarding what look like coolers. We barely stepped around the fire and as soon as we were visible, Sam shouted. ¡°You made it! Finally, we have been waiting forever.¡± The other four guys snapped their heads our way. That earned us some looks from the surrounding crowd. I am for sure out of ce here based on the looks we are getting and Sierra either doesn¡¯t notice or doesn¡¯t care. I¡¯m guessing, doesn¡¯t care. ¡°Hello boys, we are right on time. Don¡¯t be dramatic Sam.¡± She smiles at him as we walk closer. ¡°Wow! You both look great! Do you want a drink? We have water, soda, beer, take your pick.¡± He is far too eager and it¡¯s kind of cute. ¡°I¡¯ll start with water, Skr?¡± Sierra looks back at me. I think she took the safe option for me so I wouldn¡¯t feel so out of ce and I am grateful for it. She must know what I¡¯m thinking because she winks at me. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Water for me too, please.¡± I look at Sam as he trots away and kicks some kid off the furthest cooler he was using as a seat and grabs two bottles of water. We keep walking towards my brother and his friends, reaching them the same time Sam does with our bottles. ¡°Seriously though, what took so long? Your car was back the same time we were with supplies.¡± Neither of you live that far.¡± Was he pouting again? That little wounded boy look must work for him to keep trying that with us. We bothugh at him, but Sierraes in with a great response. She cups his face and runs her thumb along his lower lip. And if he were a cartoon, hearts would be shooting out of his eyeballs and his tongue would have dropped on the floor and rolled away into the forest. ¡°Tuck that lip in Sugar, save it for girls who fall for it. Perfection like this is not free, nor is it easy. It takes time and cannot be rushed.¡± She looks back at me and winks again, she definitely knows what she is doing. I feel like I should be taking notes. Chapter 0016 Chapter 0016 I giggle with her and take a sip of water, which draws the attention of Cameron and Dakota. ¡°She is right, it was definitely worth the wait.¡± Dakota says not taking his eyes off of me and I¡¯m not sure what to make of that, so I break eye contact only to lock eyes with Cameron who is nodding and then Oliver who is hiding a smile behind his beer bottle. I don¡¯t know if I have ever seen him smile, but I don¡¯t have time to ponder that as Cameron draws my attention again. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have ever seen your hair up like that, it looks nice Sky.¡± He says looking puzzeled, like he¡¯s trying to figure something out. ¡°Yeah, TIny, who¡¯d you get all dressed up for?¡± Dakota winks at me. ¡°Who are you calling Tiny?¡± I scoffed at him ¡°I had no control over what I look like, my look is that of a hostage situation by a very demanding friend.¡± I smile over at Sierra who isughing at something Sam was saying. Before Dakota could reply to me, Sierra jumped in. ¡°It was not a hostage situation, I was just being a good friend and highlighting all of your amazing assets.¡± I rolled my eyes at her. She wasn¡¯t wrong though. She found this amazing blue coat that entuated the grey of my eyes and the eye make-up she did made my eyes glow almost silver. She then pulled my blonde hair into a high ponytail and added soft curls to it making me look taller and more confident. I still had my jeans, t-shirt and ckbat boots on from school today. She didn¡¯t do a lot, but what she did made me look like a different person. I don¡¯t know how long we stood there talking to the guys, but we seemed to have their undivided attention. My brother and even Oliver joined in the conversation after a while. I found out Oliver was actually really smart and took a ton of extra math sses. He and I had a long discussion that went over the heads of everyone else, at least one of them likes school, it makes me feel less weird. Cameron and Dakota were talking about a few of the things their dad wants them to consider since they are bing co-Alphas and some of the other pressures they had to think about. My brother even talked about the pressure dad put on him to be the best beta. We found out all five of them were into sports and training. They have all tried almost every outdoor sport there is to try, several I would love to join them on. I think Sierra just has that charm about her, it draws you in and if she chooses to pull you in you can¡¯t resist. These guys have never had these kinds of conversations around me let alone with me. Dakota walked by me after getting another beer, stopped right next to me and looked straight down into my face. ¡°You really are tiny, Tiny. What happened? Was Mateo given all the height and nothing was left over for you?¡± He stood towering over me, his six foot and growing frame required me to tilt my head all the way back to look at his face. It should have intimidated or frightened me to have him this close, but I didn¡¯t feel anything but safe around any of these guys. ¡°I guess I never realized how small you are, Smalls.¡± Cameron added. My head was so far back, I only had to shift my gaze slightly to notice he was right behind me. Not touching, like Dakota, but close enough to feel the body heat radiating off of them. Still not intimidated, I responded the only way I could think of, like Sierra. ¡°I guess some of us needed less time to reach perfection. Some of you are still working out the rough edges.¡± They both smiled at me. ¡°Like a fine wine, Little Bit, we are only getting better with age.¡± Sam chimes in, his arm firmly grasped around Sierra where it¡¯s been for thest hour or so since she switched to beer. We all laughed at him. Chapter 0017 Chapter 0017 ¡°Do either of you have a variation on short you would like to throw in for good measure?¡± I look at Oliver and my brother. They both chuckle and I attempt to use the moment to get out of the twin sandwich I am in. But they just move as I move, so I stopped trying to get away and looked around to Oliver as he said, ¡°Let me get back to you, Bite Size, I¡¯lle up with something clever.¡± I rolled my eyes at him and Sierra justughed. ¡°And you?¡± I look at Mateo. ¡°Right now, Shorty, the only thing I get to call you is the take down champ. Dad is never gonna let any of us live that down.¡± Everyone chuckles at the memory. He reaches for me between the twins and wraps an arm around my neck and pulls me close in a gentle headlock type hug, a gesture he has never done before. I don¡¯t know if it is the beer slowing down his uptight faculties, although I didn¡¯t think beer really did much to werewolves, and he hasn¡¯t had a ton, but who knows, I¡¯ve never had any and he stopped the guys from giving me any tonight. They all offered multiple times as we mingled. Or was he ufortable with how close the twins were to me. He¡¯s never been protective before, but I guess I haven¡¯t given him a reason to be, we don¡¯t hang out. Hell, I don¡¯t hang out, with anyone, this is all new for me and he probably knows it. The moment seemed to go unnoticed by the others and they all started discussing this morning¡¯s training, while we all moved over closer to the fire and found seats on logs or the ground. Mateo didn¡¯t take his arm off my shoulder until I sat down and leaned against one of the logs. Sierra sat by me, but Sam sat on the log behind her, cing her in between his legs. My brother sat on my other side, leaving Oliver, Cameron and Dakota on the next log that was angled towards us. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. I was on the receiving end of that particr beatdown.¡± Sierra mumbles. I was worried for a minute that maybe she was irritated with me for the way I beat her during training, but when I look at her, she doesn¡¯t look upset. She actually looks amused. They allugh again and I take a deep breath and join them. Man, was that training only this morning? I feel like so much has happened since then. I did notice as we changed our location many more people had shown up too. I was so caught up in our own group, I didn¡¯t even notice. I guess Sam was right, everyone came whenever and just hung out as long as they wanted. The fire was really nice, It was more chilly than I had anticipated. I wasn¡¯t cold, but I would take warmth over cold weather any time. ¡°The Alpha told us that all the warriors tried to match or better her time using the takedown today and no one could do it.¡± Sierra supplies to our group. ¡°Including all your dads.¡± she added like an afterthought taking a pull from her beer, but I think she was rubbing salt in the wound. ¡°Really? Damn! Well I don¡¯t feel so bad then, if none of our dad¡¯s could beat it either.¡± Sam says. ¡°How many training sessions do you go to?¡± Oliver asks in his low growl, I can see his brain doing some kind of calction. ¡°I know you¡¯re at all the mandatory pack training and you train with Luna Ava at advanced training, but what else?¡± He seemed genuinely curious as he took a slow drink of his beer. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°All of them.¡± I shrug, keeping my focus on the fire. I don¡¯t know why, but I feel uneasy saying that outloud. Until today I didn¡¯t hang out with anyone, so outside of getting my homework done I trained. It was the only time I left the house and Kaley left me alone. I was not going to exin that to them though. I was just starting to feel a little normal. Oliver choked on his beer. ¡°All of them, what do you mean ¡®all of them¡¯?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how that was unclear, but whatever, maybe the beer was getting to him too. ¡±I attend all of the morning mandatory trainings for the high schoolers, the advance training for the warriors and ranked members three times a week and I help and work with Delta Kyle and the warriors who do the basic trainings, patrol training and work with the pups during beginner training.¡± I shrug again like it¡¯s no big deal, because to me it isn¡¯t, never has been. I look forward to working with the pups and with all of the crap Kaley pulls, I like knowing they are learning to deal with people like her so no one else has to go through this. It keeps my head clear too, the effort makes me happy. I also think that basics are undervalued and people don¡¯t focus on them enough. It¡¯s the best way to warm-up and stay sharp. In the middle of a fight, your muscle memory is what takes over and it¡¯s not the fancy sh*t these guys like to mess around with that saves you. Chapter 0018 Chapter 0018 ¡°That¡¯s almost 30 hours ofbat training a week. You do that on top of school and everything else.¡± He¡¯s looking at me like he¡¯s never seen me before and I look around at the rest of the group and their looks aren¡¯t much different. ¡°I¡¯ve never done the math before, so I¡¯ll take your word for it, but yeah, I guess.¡± I stammer out, looking back to the fire and start to feel ufortable with all of the attention. I shift a bit and try to look smaller, if that''s even possible. Like it will stop all their staring. ¡°Aren¡¯t you like the top student in your grade?¡± Cameron asks me. ¡°And in advanced sses and stuff too right? I know you¡¯re in my English ss for sure.¡± Dakota adds finishing his twin¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Okay, we get it, she¡¯s amazing. Now stop making it weird.¡± Sierra jumps to my aide aftering out of her own shock and pulling me in for a hug. I let her pull me to her side, but I keep my focus on the fire or the ground. I was doing so well fitting in, but now my oddities are starting to be revealed and I don''t really want to talk baout why I avoid people. ¡°I think we all just got an ego smackdown, and are feeling a bit inadequate right now, that¡¯s all.¡± Sam says, wrapping his arm back around my friend, sliding down behind her and pulling her back to his chest, but still staring at me. ¡°Speak for yourself, no inadequacies here.¡± Oliverughs and we all join in. ¡°Yeah right, you¡¯re sopetitive, I¡¯d put money on you attempting to hit 30 hours of training next week.¡± Samughs back at him. Oliver doesn¡¯t respond but takes arge gulp of beer, telling me Sam is probably right and I will see more of Oliver in theing week. I can¡¯t decide if I like the idea or not. Training was my oasis from all of the crap going on behind the scenes at school, which they are a part of. I am not going to pretend like this little show of friendship is going tost. They have never acknowledged me before today and Kaley made sure everyone at school stayed clear of me on the threat of physical punishment and my dad made sure I wasn¡¯t involved in any leadership training that he is aware of. The only reason I got to train with Luna Ava is because she requested me specifically as the only daughter of a ranked member and my dad wasn¡¯t going to deny his Luna. I think her and Delta Kyle said whatever they had to say to get me permission to work with her, especially after I got my wolf. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. We were sitting infortable silence after that. Small conversations here and there, but nothing major. I just listened in, but mostly stared at the fire, enjoying the warmth and the calm. This is not what I pictured a high school party to be like. I expected wild kids trashing the ce and loud music, kids dancing on tables super drunk. I¡¯m sure there are parties like that, but this was very nice. I should have known things were going too well and something bad was due to happen. Just as I had the thought ¡®I can¡¯t remember thest time I had this much fun¡¯ the sound of a fake high pitched voice cut through the crowd. ¡°OMG! Babes! Your favorite girls are here, now the real party can start!¡± Kaley squeals from the entrance to the clearing with Jeanie and Marnie in tow. Chapter 0019 Chapter 0019 The mood around me dropped palpably. I could actually feel the tension in the air, it was not pleasant. Each of the guys took a breath and blew it out, like they were preparing for battle as the trio walked over smiling like royalty. They each had on mini skirts that barely covered anything and cropped long sleeved shirts that looked to be a few sizes too small. Jeanie¡¯s boobs looked like they might fall out of the bottom and the top at the same time. To top it all off they all had on tall ck heels. It¡¯s cold and we were in the woods, these were not the outfits for the woods. They probably got here the same time we did and it just took several hours to navigate the soft forest floor. I had to try and fight my smile at the thought. I did not seed. I let out an involuntary giggle, which earned a death re from Kaley, then she turned back to the guys. ¡°I brought your favorite tequ, I thought we could do some shots to celebrate the new school year and another year closer to you both being Alphas!¡± She squeals again, trotting, is that a thing girls do, over to Cameron and Dakota. ¡°But I forgot shot sses.¡± She pouts and it is nothing like the endearing pout Sam used on us. It kind of made her look constipated. ¡°Just drink straight from the bottle, the alcohol actually makes it pretty hygienic.¡± Sierra supplies dryly. Kaley¡¯s lip curls as she slowly looks over at Sierra. I¡¯m sure noting how Sam has her wrapped up in hisp. ¡°Um, thanks new girl, but I figured my men could just take shots off of me. That would be more fun anyway, right? A little warm-up forter.¡± She flips her hair looking at Cameron and Dakota. Why does she keep calling them her men? And second thought, why do I care? ¡°I¡¯ll do one off Sierra. Sam volunteers.¡± Wiggling his eyebrows at her. She just rolls her eyes. I am clearly the only person who has no idea what is going on right now. I hope my face is as neutral as I am trying to keep it. ¡°You can take one off me Matty.¡± Jeanie looks at my brother. Matty? Since when was that a nickname? He hesitates, but doesn¡¯t outwardly disagree as she walks over and wraps both arms around his waist from behind, in what I¡¯m sure was supposed to be a loving gesture, but just looked ufortable. ¡°That leaves you and me Oliver.¡± Marnie strides over and sits on the ground between his legs, right before he stands up and she tips back awkwardly against the log I¡¯m sure shing someone with the right angle. ¡°What about Shorty? We can¡¯t leave one out.¡± Oliver exims looking at me. ¡°Who?¡± Kaley pretends not to notice the odd number since she seems to have imed both the twins. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Shorty, needs a shot partner.¡± He gestures his head towards me and my cheeks me. Now that she was forced to acknowledge my presence, an ugly scowl forms on Kaley¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t mind being the odd man out, or we could grab one of the other guys for her.¡± Kaley flips her hand in the air dismissively like it''s a minor inconvenience. ¡°NO!¡± All five guys speak together. I jump a little at the aggression in their tones and Kaley, Jeanie and Marnie are confused by the outburst. ¡°Well that was aggressive.¡± I smile trying to defuse some of the tension. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I do not feel left out. Do whatever.¡± I try to match Kaley¡¯s tone, hoping I got it right. I¡¯m still lost, but I don¡¯t want to stop any of them from enjoying things they usually do when they get together. This is clearly not something new for Sierra either based on her reaction. She gives me a sympathetic look. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I mouth to her.¡± She jumps up and grabs my hand. ¡°I have an idea.¡± ¡°She is not taking a shot, Sierra.¡± My brother looks at her with his best ¡®I mean business look.¡¯ ¡°Of course not.¡± She rolls her eyes and pulls me to sit on the log next to Sam. Then she is sitting across Sam¡¯sp andys back adjusting so she is lying across myp too and her shirt has pulled up exposing her torso. ¡°All right Mateo, set us up.¡± she giggles as Sam catches on. ¡°Yes! This is so much hotter!¡± Sam basically growls and it makes me really ufortable, but I hope it doesn¡¯t show on my face since most eyes are on us now. My brother takes the bottle of tequ from Kaley¡¯s hands and brings it over to Sierra, then meticulously pours it into her belly button. She squeals a bit and then giggles again. Sam leans down and drags his tongue across the waistband of her jeans and then up her stomach and around her belly button. He wraps his big hand around my backside and settles it on one of my butt cheeks with a firm grip and trails his other hand up my friends side and settles it on my knee beforetching his whole mouth on her belly button and taking a very long time to get such a small amount of liquid off of her. He never once took his eyes off my friend though and I began to rx in the situation considering how new this territory was for me. Sam and Sierra found another way to include me without my having to drink or be embarrassed. I smiled and let out a giggle as Sam squeezed my knee and found that perfect spot that tickles enought to make me squirm. Chapter 0020 Chapter 0020 ¡°Alright asshole, you made your point. Stop giving Sierra a hickey and groping my sister.¡± Mateo sounded stern, but also amused at his friends'' antics. The rest of the guys justughed along at his annoyance. He would have ripped Sam¡¯s arms off if he felt like I was in any kind of actual danger, so that made me feel better. He looked at Sierra and gave her a little head nod. I know he was thanking her for once again allowing me to be a part of this without feeling stupid or inexperienced. The rest of the guys took their shot off the girl that imed them, but none were as entertaining or excited about it as Sam. I now know how my brother felt watching me sit there. It was not pleasant and yet it wasical to watch him take a shot off of Jeanie, who insisted on grabbing his hair and keeping his lips on her at least as long as Sam did on Sierra making weird gasping sounds and moans. Marnie was a little more gracious, but by force. Oliver held her wrists together over her head, so she couldn¡¯t grab him. But she appeared to like the show of dominance, mentioning letting him tie her upter. Kaley of course insisted both twins take a shot off of her. It just felt ridiculous and forced by then. She went over the top grinding her butt in theirps, flipping her hair around and arching her back as sheid down. I¡¯m sure she thought it was enticing to them, but if she actually looked at everyone¡¯s faces, they were more grimaced than smiling or lust filled. Our whole group dynamic changed after they arrived and Sierra and I were ignored by the trio, clearly trying to maintain all of the attention, even thought the guys refused to leave us out of conversation. After about an hour I looked at Sierra. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to head out, you can stay if you want to.¡± She jumped up faster than I thought possible in her former sleepy state leaning on Sam¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Nope, I was actually thinking the same thing. We were both up early and some of us, non ckers, have training in the morning.¡± She said thest words loud enough to be heard over the trio¡¯s squabble of which couples were most likely to be mates after we all turned 18. ¡°Seriously? Saturdays too?¡± Oliver said,pletely walking away from the Barbie trio¡¯s conversation. I just stared at him, was he listening in? ¡°I will still put money on it.¡± Sam chimed in with a big old smile on his face. You could see the clear confusion on Kaley, Jeanie and Marnie¡¯s faces at the attention diverting from them so quickly and having no idea what the guys were talking about. Oliver groaned. ¡°I guess that means I¡¯m out too. I¡¯ll walk you guys home.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Called it.¡± Sam stood up too,ughing. ¡°But, I¡¯ll walk with you. I have to see you in action early on a Saturday.¡± ¡°I guess we should all be there, shouldn¡¯t we.¡± My brother stood up having a harder time extricating himself from Jeanie¡¯s tentacle-like grip. ¡°You¡¯re right, we should all go. Delta Kyle will appreciate that we are all there.¡± Cameron says as both he and Dakota stood up from the log they upied with Kaley. ¡°But we just got here and we haven¡¯t even started having fun yet.¡± Kaley whined. She grabbed the twins'' hands, stumbling a bit. ¡°I was hoping we could end with a little two on one time. It¡¯s been forever.¡± She looked up at them through her heavily mascaraed eyshes. Gross, was she talking about what I think she was talking about? Chapter 0021 Chapter 0021 ¡°Sorrydies, we got called into the weekend training, so it''s a light and early night for us. Maybe next time.¡± Dakota said as the five guys turned around and started ushering us up the lit pathway before anyone else could argue. ¡°Damn, that was brutal¡± Sam let out under his breath before we even made it through the path opening. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I loved the two-female body shot, we will definitely be revisiting that situation, but did anyone else feel like the whole night just tanked as soon as the party got too big?¡± ¡°First, over my dead body are taking a shot off my sister and second yes. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s ever been like that before.¡± Mateo says I realize they are talking in code and I am smart enough to know who is the reason for the code, but at the same time I don¡¯t know why. The twins say goodbye to us from the back patio and say they will drive us all to training in the morning. Also a new situation, because I¡¯m pretty sure I was included in that invitation, but we will seee morning. Once we get to the front Mateo, Sam, Sierra and I split off toward our side of the packhouse and Oliver starts walking to the other side towards his house. He shouts over his shoulder that we will leave at 6am sharp so none of us should bete, no matter how long it takes some of us to say goodnight. I started openlyughing at the insinuation and then again at the look on Sam¡¯s face. I hugged Sierra goodnight at the end of our sidewalk and she and Sam kept on walking to her house. When we finally get home Mateo stops to take his jacket off at the door, I just continue into the kitchen looking for a snack. All I had was soda and water and I was starving. I walk into the dimly lit kitchen, the light over the sink the only illumination in the room. ¡°Where the hell have you been!¡± I jumped about a mile into the air and screamed at the growling words. Mateo came running in and grabbed my shoulders pulling me behind him protectively looking around for what scared me. He rxed a little when he noticed my dad sitting at our rectangr kitchen table, a short empty ss in front of him. When my heart rate started to go back to a normal rhythm, I looked at my dad and had to force an eye roll back. I stepped around my brother to fully face my dad. ¡°After school I showed the new girl, Sierra, around and then we were hanging out with Mateo and the guys. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realize the time. When we noticed what time it was and that we have training in the morning we all went home to get some sleep.¡± ¡°Is that true son?¡± I could barely hold back the growl from my wolf at my brother being questioned to see if I was lying. My hands balling into fists at my sides to curb the anger. I never do anything out of line, always his perfect little beta daughter, but worth nothing to him other than an image he presents to the outside world. ¡°Yes, sir. She¡¯s been with us the whole time. It was the annual back to school bonfire.¡± Simple exnation that would have gotten me a smack to the face and grounded. ¡°And are you really going to training in the morning?¡± He asks looking at my brother only, as if I¡¯m not even here. ¡°I go to training every day. Delta Kyle reports my progress weekly to you, sir.¡± I snap at him, before walking out of the kitchen to the stairs, towards my room. I hear the loud scrape of the chair, knowing my father will rush to yell at me for my back talk, little girls don¡¯t back talk, they do what they are told and stay silent. But I don¡¯t get far when I hear my brother. ¡°Leave her alone. She convinced us all that we should invest more time training, especially after her disy this morning. All the guys and I decided it¡¯s time to invest more into pack training. Sky is going to show us the ropes since she is the most familiar with the set up.¡± ¡°We have been asking you boys to go to weekend trainings for years. Why the change now?¡± My dad asks. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I guess she¡¯s just more convincing than you. Now, It¡¯ste and I need to sleep if I am going to be able to function that early.¡± Then I heard Mateo¡¯s boots clomping up the stairs behind me. I let him catch up and he swung his arm around my shoulder again and kissed my temple. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t pretend like the way he treats you is okay anymore, it was never okay. I never should have let it get this far. I know why you work and train as hard as you do. You don¡¯t have to do it alone anymore.¡± He walks me to my door and kisses my forehead before turning around and walking to the door across the hall from mine. Chapter 0022 Chapter 0022 ¡°Thank you Mateo.¡± I whisper, but I know he can hear me. That was the first night in a long time that I cried. I never cried after getting beaten by Kaley and her friends, I wouldn¡¯t give them the satisfaction and I have never been close to my dad so there was never an emotional connection to feel sad about. But Mateo. Mateo was a loss that I didn¡¯t know hurt me until now when I got a glimpse of what we had before he started focusing on his duties as the next beta. I fell asleep hoping he and I could have the close rtionship we did when we were little. Today was just one day though, and they only noticed me after they found out I was better at something than they were. And the only reason they even noticed was because Sierra happened to partner with me. So, we¡¯ll see how long thissts The morning came quickly after that. I was actually too antsy to sleep much. At 4 I finally decided I needed to go for a jog, my wolf agreed. A run in the forest really early helped clear my mind and settle conflicting thoughts. It¡¯s like everything falls into ce out here. I was trying to gather my thoughts on my emotions. Was I more excited or scared that they were going to join me? I was nning to ask Sierra if she wanted toe anyway, but adding the guys was something I never thought of. They always had their own things going on and too busy to look in on how the rest of the pack fared or trained. I walked back into my house at 5 after running half the patrol border route and went to start breakfast. It''s the one thing I did on the weekends for my brother and dad. Neither acknowledged or thanked me, but there was never anything left, so it must be at least decent. I ted everything and left it on the ind then I went to knock on Mateo¡¯s door to make sure he was up and getting ready. ¡°Hey sleeping beauty, you up?¡± I sing in at him. ¡°We have to get moving or we will bete and I don¡¯t actually know what Oliver does to people who arete, nor do I want to find out the hard way.¡± ¡°I think I actually hate you. Why do you sound so chipper already?¡± He grumbles with his face still firmly nted in his pillow. ¡°Lies, you love me. Get in the shower, it helps and I made breakfast and coffee.¡± I smack him on the back and he groans again. ¡°How long have you been up exactly?¡± ¡°Little while, I went for a run and made breakfast, no big deal. I do it every weekend. This is my normal.¡± ¡°Wait, you run and make breakfast¡­before you go to training. Since when do you make breakfast?¡± ¡°I always make breakfast on the weekends, it¡¯s the only time Gretchen takes off.¡± ¡°Does dad know it¡¯s you and not her? Cause, I had no idea. I just thought she came in and made quick stuff before spending the day with her family. I am feeling more and more inferior the longer I talk to you.¡± He groans, finally stepping away from his bed toward the bathroom. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Whatever, Beta, get ready fast, you only have 15 minutes before we have to meet the guys.¡± I walk out of his room smiling. His subtlepliment gives me a little more hope that we can be friends. It¡¯s a bit strange. I haven¡¯t had this much conversation with my brother in years. My dad has had him so busy training for bing the next beta that he hasn¡¯t had any time for me since he was about 10. But, as strange as it is, I would be lying if I said that I didn¡¯t enjoy it. Even if it is only temporary. I know they are all onlying today because Oliver felt a slight to his male ego knowing that I train more than he does, even with the extra time they put in with their dads. He needs to know if he could handle it. The rest of the guys areing to either cheer him on when he does it, or have proof when he fails. What he doesn¡¯t know is that I don¡¯t do half the things they do. I don¡¯t go to parties, or hang out with friends. I don¡¯t go to study groups or hold meetings with our current leaders to understand how the pack functions. Physical training is my only escape from the hell that Kaley and her friends bring me. Chapter 0023 Chapter 0023 She has actually taken to searching for kids misbehaving, and letting me know what her punishment for those deeds are. The punishments are always way over the top and far more sadistic than they should be. But if I don¡¯t step in and take the punishment, she will really perform it on these kids. I found out at the end ofst year her father appointed her and a few others to ¡®monitor¡¯ the school for minor infractions that are beneath the administration''s interference, but need to be handled. Then hand out and fulfill punishments ordingly. A few have gone to the principal about the abusive tactics she uses, but our administrators either agree with what she is doing or something else is allowing her to get away with it. It doesn¡¯t matter, I won¡¯t allow her to torture our pack members and she knows it. So I am her personal punching bag. I don¡¯t talk about it and neither do the students I am taking the punishment for. We have all decided that nothing will be done to her and I refuse to look weak and keep tattling when shees up with the best stories for her actions and every adult has been lead to not believe me or fears siding with me. I do know the kids I take punishments for appreciate it, even if they can¡¯t say anything directly to me. It¡¯s in their eyes, when we pass in the halls. I know they would approach me if they could, and that is part of the reason I endure this, it doesn¡¯t go unnoticed by everyone. I just wish the people who could do something to stop it would open their eyes. Kids shouldn¡¯t be afraid of going to school. But training, she rarely attends training and manages to get out of most of our ¡®mandatory¡¯ trainings too. I will neverin about her not being at trainings, the peace is divine. The only reason I don¡¯t retaliate and fight back is my father. The one time I fought back and punched her in the nose which also fractured the bone around her right eye. She went straight to her dad with some sob story about me bullying her since I was a higher rank and therefore stronger than her. My father was called in and the verbalshing I received in front of Kaley, the principal, and her father is one I will never forget. I was called worthless, a cker, spoiled and so difficult that my mother¡¯s body couldn¡¯t survive having me. I should be working with other ranked members to make the pack better, not beating up on weaker members. That was the day I stopped talking to my father. If he didn¡¯t directly talk to me, I no longer made the effort. My only problem was I thought if I just did better, became stronger, tried harder and was able to hide the bullying, he would see that I am worthy. So like a crazy person I threw myself into everything he made me believe was important like being the top student. I¡¯m sure he knows, but he will never say anything to me about it. I also have made myself the best warrior in the pack. Just because I won¡¯t be the Beta here, doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t be a warrior here or even in a different pack if my mate happens to be from another. That would be my dream, to meet my mate and get to leave. I would miss Luna Ava and Delta Kyle, maybe even my brother a little bit, but being free to walk around and have friends, to not be looking over my shoulder all of the time or feel like a waste of someone¡¯s space. That would be heaven. Mateo and I walk out the door together and I start to turn, out of habit, walking away from the houses to my usual shortcut to get to the training grounds. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Where are you going? The packhouse is this way.¡± He calls over to me. ¡°Training, where else? It¡¯s faster to cut through the woods behind Oliver¡¯s house.¡± ¡°We are not walking.¡± He scoffs at me. ¡°Cam and Kota are going to drive us, remember?¡± ¡°Oh, I figured that was a you guys thing.¡± I mumbled out, looking down at my shoes. ¡°I didn¡¯t think I was included in that, I never have been before.¡± When he doesn''t answer I look up at him and he winces, just enough for me to notice before he schools his face. It was mean of me, but I couldn¡¯t help the little jab. Since the twins started driving all five of the guys have been riding to school together, and I was left walking. I didn¡¯t really mind, it¡¯s not actually that far, but there was never even an offer, like I was invisible to them. Which I guess I was until yesterday. That thought was the little reality check I needed to remember, things will not change once we are back at school Monday. They will go back to being the popr guys at school that everyone fights to talk to and I will go back to being invisible, unless Kaley says otherwise. Chapter 0024 Chapter 0024 ¡°Come on, you are not walking either.¡± he wraps me in that headlock hug and starts to drag me towards the massive truck in the packhouse driveway. ¡°It¡¯s about time, I was worried you were making up all that extra training crapst night.¡± Samughs before removing his arm from around Sierra''s shoulder and jumping in the truck¡¯s backseat. My brother climbs in and slides to the middle of the back and Oliver sits on his other side. I move to stand beside Sierra, the twins are in the front looking over at us. ¡°She¡¯s already been on a run and made breakfast.¡± Mateoughs out to the group, elbowing Oliver. Oliver groans and rolls his eyes. Sierra and I just look at each other. ¡°Do you expect us to sit in the truck bed?¡± Sheughs at them as they look around and realize we are not a normal part of their entourage. They really don¡¯t spend much time outside their bro bubble. ¡°We can just dops, it¡¯s not that far. Sierra, you can join me.¡± Sam pats his thigh and wiggles his eyebrows at her. ¡°Little bit you can ride on Oliver.¡± I did not miss the s*xual innuendo that time and my cheeks med. ¡°Tiny can ride up here in the front, she¡¯ll fit in between us.¡± Cameron says a little clipped from the driver''s seat. Dakota nods, but instead of getting out like I thought he would, he just says, ¡°Climb on up.¡± With an evil smirk on his face. He must know how weird this is for me, and I¡¯m sure my face is going an even brighter shade of red. I take a deep breath and slowly climb up the truck sideboard, but I must be going too slow for Dakota, because he grabs my waist and nts me on hisp before closing the door. I started to slide off hisp and In between the twins as Cameron pulled out of the driveway. Dakota¡¯s arm stays behind my back as I move and slowly drags his fingers across the back of my t-shirt. I gasp a bit as he nudges on of the fresh wounds from Kaley¡¯stest punishment, and I also realize my shirt is still a bit damp from my early morning run. ¡°How are you already sweaty, Smalls. We haven¡¯t done anything yet.¡± Dakota looks over at me again with that crooked grin. ¡°I told you, Miss Shorty overachiever here has already gotten a run in this morning along with cooking up a feast. That¡¯s why we were right on time, I was not letting any of that go to waste.¡± My brother spouts behind me. I can hear the smile in his voice though, so I think he¡¯s teasing me. ¡°Wait, you made food and didn¡¯t bring us any?¡± Sam asked. I couldn¡¯t help butugh at his expression when I looked over my shoulder. ¡°I would haveined less if I knew there was food involved.¡± Everyoneughed. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°There wasn¡¯t any extra to bring. I¡¯ll remember you are all easily bribed with food next time.¡± I laughed as we pulled up barely five minutester. We all piled out of the truck like it was our own personal clown car. Much to the surprise of Delta Kyle who was checking the pups in. He definitely did not expect to see us this morning. Did Sam not tell him they were joining me? ¡°Hey Delta, I brought some help, hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± I skipped up to him. Training with the pups was one of my favorite things to do. ¡°How in the hell did you manage that?¡± He points behind me, eyeballs wide, chin basically on the ground. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even get my son toe to training with me by force and he shows up with you looking kind of awake and happy about it. You need to teach me your secrets.¡± I justugh at him. ¡°No secret, Oliver asked how often I trained and I told them, now they are here.¡± I shrug my shoulders. It didn¡¯t seem that big a deal to me, but clearly it was based on his reaction. Chapter 0025 Chapter 0025 ¡°Will you get the pups warmed up, I have a couple more things to wrap up here.¡± He says to me but not looking at me. He is genuinely confused about the guy''s presence here. I grab Sierra¡¯s hand, ¡°Come on, you can help with warm-up.¡± We walk in the smaller arena. We have three so we can run multiple training sessions or training styles at a time. This arena also has an obstacle course at one end that we let the kids run on at the end of ss. All the pups start shouting their hello¡¯s to me and then I watch their eyes pop as they realize who is following behind me. It was really cute to see them starstruck with the future Alphas, Beta, Gamma and Delta. They are celebrities at school, but I don¡¯t think they understand what these little kids think of them. ¡°Why do they all look terrified?¡± Oliver asks in my ear. I almost jumped not realizing how close he was to me. ¡°You guys are idols to them. They¡¯ve never seen you up close before since you spend very little time with pack members younger than you.¡± Was that mean? The way the guys are looking at me makes me feel like I said something wrong. Sierra nudges me with a huge smile on her face and I shake off the thought and get started. ¡°These are our youngest pups, they range from five to seven. They are learning basic movements and body control, really.¡± I introduce the guys and exin that they are joining us today to see what we have been teaching and that they better make me look good. That earned a smallugh from the pups and broke the tension a bit. We go through our usual warm-ups and Sierra and the guys follow my lead walking around and giving corrections. The kids must have thought this was the best day ever, based on their faces every time someone stopped to talk to them. I looked around after an hour and noticed Delta Kyle never came back, so I just kept on going. We do a lot of games to teach the pups, it keeps them engaged and they do the conditioning with less groaning if they know we will do something fun after. Today is tag, but I have an idea to make it more fun for them and for me. ¡°Okay, today¡¯s game is tag!¡± An eruption of cheers follows. ¡°Wait though, we are going to y a little differently than normal.¡± A chorus of AWW¡¯s has me rolling my eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t even hear how we are changing it up.¡± I put my hands on my hips and look at them sternly. ¡°We are going to see which leader you can catch the fastest. You are all going to be chasers against one of our future leaders, work as a team to tag them. Let¡¯s see what you can do. Get together to make your strategy.¡± I turn around to the guys and they are looking at me like I have lost my mind. Sierra is openlyughing. ¡°What, all you have to do is not get tagged.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°But there¡¯s like a thousand of them.¡± Sam whines. ¡°It¡¯s only 50, you¡¯ll be fine. You can use any means except leaving the arena to steer clear of them for as long as possible, and just so you know. They take this game very seriously. Don¡¯t let their little cuteness distract you.¡± I wink at them. ¡°Who wants to go first?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go. It can¡¯t be that hard, can it?¡± Oliver volunteers. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. I turn around. ¡°Alright we have our first victim, I mean volunteer.¡± Iugh. ¡°Future Gamma Oliver is up. Remember he is going to try and evade you at all costs for as long as possible. Ready? Go!¡± The kids all charge at us and the momentary panic in Oliver¡¯s eyes has SIerra and I almost crying withughter. I don¡¯t think he expected them to be that fast and they work really well together due to the team building games we y. At two minutes and 40 seconds they finally cornered him. He walked back to the group panting. ¡°Should maybe work a bit on that cardio, less on the weights.¡± Sierra pats him on the back. "I really don''t like you." He says to the ground, but he could be talking to either Sierra or me at this point. ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± I ask, ignoring him. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Mateo grumbled good naturedly. Chapter 0026 Chapter 0026 ¡°We have Future Beta Mateo. Ready? GO!¡± Mateo has a better strategy at least, he runs a couple circles around the obstacle course and when they catch on he runs under it to cut off the two groups they formed, jumping to the rope climb, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s hoping they don¡¯t know how to use, but he underestimates my training or their abilities or both. A kid follows him up his rope and two jump on the ropes on either side of him, effectively blocking him in. ¡°That was done in two minutes thirty five seconds.¡± The kids scream at their aplishment. ¡°Damn, they are fast. What kind of training do you put them through?¡± Mateo asks, going to grab a bottle of water and stands next to Oliver. ¡°Let¡¯s do this. All I have to do is make it longer than two forty.¡± Sam chuckles. ¡°Willing to make a bet?¡± Oliver asks. Seriously these two and making bets. I¡¯m sure they bet on who can hold their pee the longest. I roll my eyes. ¡°You¡¯re on, winner buys lunch, for all seven of us.¡± Sam wiggles his eyebrows. This must be a very good wager. I¡¯m not sure if I will ever understand the dynamic of boys. ¡°Okay, Ready for Future Delta Sam?" I don''t even wait for their response before shouting, "GO!¡± trying not tough at their antics. Sam is actually really fast and seems to be just as sporadic in his movements as the kids. I hate to doubt Oliver, but Sam might actually win this bet. He¡¯sughing and dodging, spinning and jumping over the kids'' heads. He clearly has the movements of a natural born warrior. He¡¯s leaner than the rest of the guys, like a runner who just happens to lift a ton of weight. The kids eventually break into 5 groups, 4 of them covering an entrance to the obstacle course Sam decided to climb and the rest have made a perimeter around in case he decides to jump from somewhere random. Which of course he did. He made a running jump to the rope climb, but did not anticipate the kids being able to shimmy up and tag him. He climbs downughing with the kids, looking at me expectantly. ¡°Sorry¡­ Oliver, he made it, two minutes and 43 seconds.¡± I looked at Oliver apologetically, while Sam is hooting and hollering doing the do-se-do with some of the pups. ¡°Ugh! I¡¯m never going to hear the end of it now.¡± Oliver rolls his eyes, but has a smile on his face. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Both of the twins take their turns, but they are less serious about it. Opting to tease and taunt the kids before letting themselves be caught after only a minute or so. I¡¯m not sure if they were trying to give the kids a break or if they didn¡¯t want the added pressure of having to beat Sam. He would definitely gloat. ¡°Alright cadets, now it''s time to see if you can finally stop your biggest nemesis.¡± Delta Kyle calls from the seats near the center of the arena, only he isn¡¯t alone. For the first time in a long time he is apanied by the Alpha, Luna, Beta, Gamma and a couple of our Elite warriors. Some of the kids groaned and some cheered. I get why, though. This is the only challenge they haven¡¯t won yet. ¡°What¡¯s he talking about?¡± Sierra asked. ¡°They have to y capture the g against me.¡± I wink at her. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re their biggest nemesis?¡± Dakota asks. ¡°I guess, you could call it that. I think Delta Kyle is being dramatic, but they haven¡¯t beaten me yet.¡± I shrug my shoulders. ¡°What do you have to do?¡± Cameron asks. ¡°I have to capture the g.¡± I point to the g one of the pups is attaching to the top of the forty foot rope climb. ¡°And get back to this side of the stadium without being tagged in under a minute. ¡°WHAT? And they haven¡¯t beaten you? How many times have you yed this? Once or twice.¡± Oliver asks ¡°We have yed this at the end of every Saturday training for almost a year.¡± I say walking to my end of the field, not looking over my shoulder. I don¡¯t want to look at them and I also have to get my head in the game. I¡¯ve never had an audience before and the current and future leaders are here, including my dad. It¡¯s a little bit nerve wracking. Chapter 0027 Chapter 0027 ¡°You ready Sky?¡± Delta Kyle calls out to me. I nod my head without looking away from my target. ¡°Ready? GO!¡± A torrent of soundes from the kids. Several charge my way as I run towards them. Just before they reach me I break left towards the side walls of the arena and jump to the ledge continuing to run without a missed step. I go as far as I can and make arge broad jumpnding on the tips of my toes on the top of the curved climbing bars leading up to the main tform of the obstacle course. I continue running and make the same leap to the ropes that Sam did. The only thing I did differently is jump from the side collecting 2 of the three ropes in my legs while reaching for the third. I climb up taking the extra ropes with me so they can¡¯t follow. I get to the top and grab the g, stuffing it carefully in my sports bra. I look around to assess where the kids are. For the most part they are starting to swarm the ground where the ropes wouldnd if I let them go. I choose to pull them up over the support beam and walk across the support structure like a gymnast. Making it to the cargo before any of them can make it around, climbing only as low as I need to jump to the arena wall on the other side, almost missing my footing. As soon as I¡¯m sure, I take off as fast as I can. I know I have to be close to time. They made me run more than in the past. They are starting to learn to trust their instincts and learn my habits, weaknesses and strengths. Kyle and I decided to not let them win this without a fight to make them build their long term observation skills, anticipation, tracking and learning from past mistakes. I jump from the wall, the kids hot on my tail and run like my life depends on it over the finish line. I didn¡¯t get tagged, which sucks for the kids, but I want to know if I maintained my time. I look expectantly at Delta Kyle, my hands on my knees while I am bent over panting, trying desperately to ignore the looks on the faces surrounding him. He just stares at me nk faced. I am ready to cry from anticipation. He looks down at the stop watch and back up at me a couple times before taking a deep breath in. ¡°52 seconds.¡± His face breaks out into the biggest smile I have ever seen. I let out the breath I didn¡¯t realize I was holding and matched his smile and then it¡¯s like someone turned the volume on full st. Cheers and yelling surround me with all of the pupsing up to congratte me. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Sierra wades through the crowd of kids and gives me a hug. ¡°Why are they so excited, they lost?¡± ¡°That was my fastest time yet and they put the g as high as it could go. Today was hard, they put up a good fight.¡± I say patting a little boy on the back, while one of the girls is trying to hug my leg. There is just amotion of words. I catch bits and pieces, but you would have thought the kids had won the challenge the way they were retelling it. ¡°Did you see that jump? It was at least 20 feet.¡± ¡°No way, it was more like 30, we could totally do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to remember that rope trick, it was crazy good.¡± ¡°I think she¡¯s part cat not wolf, the way she ran on those walls.¡± ¡°I bet she¡¯s faster than a cheetah.¡± ¡°Nice work today.¡± A deep booming voicees up from behind me. I jump and the kids go silent. ¡°Alpha Lucas! Hi! Thank you. It¡¯s a game we have been working on for a while, so I¡¯ve had some practice.¡± I say blushing again. I don¡¯t think my cheeks are ever going to be normal color again. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about the game, although that was impressive. I will be having you show us some of the training you do to be able to move like that, I think you should join the trainers and help them n,e to think of it. No, I was talking about the fact that you got the entire future leadership team out of bed before 6am on a Saturday to teach a ss with you and they participated fully. That my dear is pretty close to a miracle.¡± My eyes just go wide and I am speechless as the rest of our leaders collectivelyugh at their sons. ¡°You are also a very skilled teacher for someone so young, you are a natural with these kids. No wonder Delta Kyle praises you so highly.¡± And there goes my cheeks again and I¡¯m pretty sure the blush is creeping down my neck too. Chapter 0028 Chapter 0028 ¡°Well, thank you for the absolute destruction of our fragile egos, but we have a date after all of that and Oliver has some lunch to buy us.¡± Sam walks up and puts his arm around my shoulder. ¡°Actually there''s another ss.¡± I say biting my lip, looking as apologetic as I can. ¡°But you guys can go, I¡¯ll catch upter.¡± I have no intention of chasing them down at all. I feel like this little friend bubble we have been in for thest 12 hours is about to break. ¡°How many more sses are we talking?¡± Sam leans back to look at me. ¡°I am slowly dying from lack of food here.¡± ¡°You should have eaten before we came, like a normal person.¡± Sierraughs at him. ¡°I was unaware of the team breakfast at the beta house to satisfy the ridiculous amount of exercise I would be subjected to today. How many more Little Bit? If you¡¯re here, then we¡¯re here so you can stop making us look pathetic.¡± Heughs. ¡°The next ss is a basics ss for beginners and non-warriors just to stay sharp and in shape. It¡¯s less intense than the rest of the training, but I think it¡¯s super important. It runs for 2 hours. Then we¡¯re done for the day.¡± ¡°Remind me to never, ever, ever rise to your challenge again. I¡¯m going to die.¡± Sam walks off to grab his water bottle as the rest of the guys, the Luna and Sierra allugh at him. "I''m pretty sure I didn''t challenge anyone." I say to no one in particr. Basic training goes better and as we all walk through correcting form and technique, I can see the current leaders watching us again with curious and hopeful expressions on their faces. They even come down to do some of the exercises with us, which is a rare thing. They don¡¯t normally have time to intermingle casually like this. I think it¡¯s great for the pack members that are here. If anything the looks on the pack members faces is totally worth the full interruption of having all of them here. The slow stretching and body weight exercises are great for our newer, younger fighters and our older fighters who want to stay in shape. We work on dynamic and functional movement, building up muscle memory so they don¡¯t hesitate in an unfriendly situation. Even though the training is light for us we are all still a sweaty mess when we are walking out of the arena. ¡°Should we go home and change before we eat?¡± I ask noting I probably look something close to a drowned rat that''s been run over a couple times. ¡°Not a chance Little Bit, get your sweaty ass in the truck and for the love of my sanity somebody feed me!¡± Sam growls out. ¡°Martha won¡¯t care, when she hands Oliver the bill. I¡¯m going to eat one of everything on that menu. You guys are going to have to roll me out the door.¡± Everyone is laughing now. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Mateo, Oliver and Sam jump in the back. Sam basically hauls Sierra in and on hisp with a lot of protesting on her part. Dakota picks me up from behind and slides me into the center of the front seat like I weigh nothing as Cameron jumps in and fires up the truck. Is it weird that after all of that working out and sweating, I am not at all bothered by the smell of these boys? Collectively, it''s a musky scent that is all male, but not bad by any means. I, however, am sure that I wreak. Another five minutester and we are pulling into the local diner. The guys must be regrs because they didn''t even wait to be seated, they walked straight back to an extrarge corner booth. I somehow ended up between Cameron and Oliver making me notice my small size. I look like a toddler next to all these guys and I can¡¯t help butugh. ¡°What?¡± Cameron asks. ¡°Some situations make myck of size very apparent.¡± Iugh again pointedly turning my natural line of sight to the middle of his bicep then looking up at his face, then doing the same to Oliver. Everyone else joins in. ¡°Would you like a booster seat, I¡¯m sure they have one around here somewhere?¡± Sam asks. ¡°Nope, I¡¯m good. It would be my luck to fall out of it.¡± I blush. Everyone chuckles at me again. Chapter 0029 Chapter 0029 An older womanes out with a tray full of drinks. ¡°Oh! You boys broughtpany. How did you manage to get these lovelydies to evene near you like this? You smell like a locker room that hasn¡¯t been cleaned in a year.¡± Oh Goddess, I love her already. I stifled my giggle. Sierra didn''t even try. ¡°Hey! I smell sexy!¡± Sam actually looks a little offended. ¡°All man here.¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°Martha, if you must know it was actually her fault we are like this, she is a ruthless trainer that made us train for four hours straight, early, on a saturday morning. So if you¡¯re going toin, talk to Tiny here., but only after you bring us something to eat, we''re dying here!¡± Dakotaughs and points at me. She looks at me and smiles like the rat that got the cheese. ¡°You did this deary?¡± I nod my head at her, slowly, not sure where this is going and her face is unreadable. ¡°You eat for free. Keep these boys on their toes. They have never oncee to see me on a Saturday after training, nor have they ever looked this ragged after their usual training. Keep up the good work.¡± She winks at me. Sierra and I bothugh at her description. ¡°Martha, babe. We have beening here forever and you have never let any of us eat for free. I thought we had something special.¡± Sam pouts at her. ¡°You are something special, sweetheart.¡± She pats his cheek. ¡°But us girls have to stick together, and she¡¯s probably the first girl, in your lives, that hasn¡¯t had her pants charmed off by one or more of the five of you. And, you certainly never bring those¡­bed warmers here.¡± I actually spit my drink out and began choking. Super attractive I¡¯m sure. WHAT?! I can¡¯t decide if I love this woman or am scared of her. Maybe a little of both. She just says it how it is without any regard to who¡¯s around and listening in. Cameron and Oliver are both patting my back as I cough up the rest of the water that went down my windpipe. When I finally calmed down Martha looked at me pointedly. ¡°Oh, did you not know? They don¡¯t bring girls in here to me, they know better, this is a known fact, so you two must be special.¡± My eyes are wide, but not as wide as the guys, and are they blushing? Like she just gave away their greatest secret. ¡°We bring girls in here Martha.¡± Oliver says looking confused. ¡°Yeah, all the time.¡± Sam follows up, sits up straight eyes wide and then looks at Sierra who¡¯s eyebrows shot up in question. He then sits back looking a little sheepish at the confession. ¡°We are always in here with groups of people, both guys and girls.¡± Cameron tries to calm the tension while contributing to the point. ¡°Yeah, but how many sit here, at this booth, with you? Hmmm? None, that¡¯s how many. Think about that while I grab your food. Ladies, are you just going to pick off the guys¡¯ tes or do you want to see the menu?¡± She abruptly changes the subject. ¡°Oh, I am definitely going to need a menu.¡± I say far too quickly. ¡°Same.¡± Says Sierra. She smiles brightly at us. ¡°Girls who eat and make decisions for themselves. See, special.¡± She says, pointing and winking at us then walking away. Marthaes back quickly with a tray full of waters and sodas. She clearly doesn''t need the guys to tell her what they want. Sierra and I order and once our foodes out, it looks like we are feeding a small army. I did not even hesitate to smash the te of waffles and fruit in front of me. Sierra followed suit and the guys looked at us with surprise in their eyes beforeing to their senses and digging into their own food. After we each polished off our first course quickly, we all settled into a slow graze of the rest of the food, passing tes and sharing biites. I couldn''t even tell you how long we had been sitting there. We are all enjoying a great time and most of the food is gone when again the moment is ruined by the condescendingly chipper voice of Kaley. ¡°Oh wow, we didn¡¯t know you boys would be here today, you should have called us and we would havee to keep youpany. We were just out doing some shopping. We have to look good for our future Alphas andpany.¡± She giggles and it sounds strained. ¡°We¡¯re good inpany, but thanks.¡± Oliver points out and I want to melt into the seat. He has no idea what kind of target he just put on Sierra and I. Although, Sierra doesn''t give a sh*t. Chapter 0030 Chapter 0030 Chapter 0030 "Oh, really?'' She just notices us sitting here. She looks daggers at me then at Sierra and there''s nothing can do or say. I''m stuck between these two giant guys and I just stuffed arge bite of burger into my mouth. ''You never have extras at your table. We are with you all the time and have never sat with you. Are you guys changing it up? I cant wait toe here with you next time." She pleads or whines, I''m not quite sure which. It takes me several minutes to chew and swallow without choking again. I don''t need to embarrass myself in front of these guys any more than I already have. She takes the time to assess the te in front of me and gets arge grin on her face. "l hope you have more sense than to eat that whole te of calories at least, you wouldn''t catch me eating any of this. It will destroy your figure and we all have to look our best for our mates, no one wants to be with someone who looks sloppy andzy." She looks straight at me and I ce the burger back on my te, feeling ashamed of the amount of food I have put down before she even got here. I have never cared before, I have always just eaten when I''m hungry, but she is the most popr girl in our school and always has boys looking at and talking to her, no one talks to me. I know I''m not fat, by any means, but the words don''t sting any less. She''s also got the attention of most of the people in the diner now, with her loud rambling. "Are you kidding?" Oliver asks, is he upset? He ces his arm across the chair back behind me as he turns toward her. It feels almost protective. "After the amount of calories we all burned training, I''m surprised she hasnt eaten more. She worked harder than the rest of us today." He wrapped his bulky, tattooed arm around me and pulled me a fraction closer. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Yeah, I like my girl with an appetite, it means she can hang with the big boys. Not trying to keep up with some stupid fad." Sam says, putting his arm around Sierra''s shoulder who is still happily eating her fries. He winks over at me, knowing I just smashed an omelet and hash browns before digging into the burger and fries. I smiled appreciatively at him and the rest of the guys mumbled that they agreed with him. You all trained together? Is that like the new guy code for gettingid? Is that why you left earlyst night and haven''t called me, because you''re cheating?" Her hand goes to her hip, but she looks hurt, actually hurt by the thought, looking between the twins. "NO! NO! Not at all. They really dide to training this morning. I teach with Delta-" I started to protest. Thest thing I need is her trying to murder me in my sleep for trying to ?steal'' the twins. She put her hand up at me to stop me talking. "Don''t speak, you little homewrecker, don''t defend them. They can exin it for themselves and I will decide if I want to forgive them or not. You will be dealt withter." Kaley snaps at me and close my mouth and look down at myp. This week is going to be one of the worst of my life if she thinks I am actively trying to steal the twins from her. At least it''s Oliver''s arm around me and not Cam''s. "First, we aren''t dating so there is no cheating?." Cameron starts, motioning between himself and Kaley. "Second, who we hang out with is none of your concern." Dakota finishes, doing the twin thing. "It is when we are going to be mated." She basically screams. "And you better figure that out quickly and stop trying to take mates that aren''t yours." She snarls, pointing at me before she flips her tinum blonde hair and struts out of the diner, her friends close behind, before any of us can say a thing. "What the hell was that mate stuff all about?'' Sam asks. " Please tell me she isnt going to be our Luna, I might shoot myself. We''re only 16, she''s younger, like Little Bits age, right? How would she know if you guys are mates or not?" He''s rambling now, almost panicky. Chapter 0031 Chapter 0031 Chapter 0031 There''s no way, just wishful thinking on her part probably. That''s what you get for giving into the crazy ones. Now that she''s had you two in the sheets, she thinks she''s got her ws in you permanently." Mateo supplies. My face goes beet red again. All this open, nonchnt talk is new for "You two actually slept with her?" Sierra sounds appalled. "It was a very drunk and terrible mistake." Kota supplies. "One she hopes you both will repeat. That''s why she keeps bringing the tequ.? Oliver mumbles next to me. I''m notpletely stupid when ites to six, but by what it sounds like these guys get up to, I am less than an amateur. And this is not the group I want to learn from, I am going to permanently be red from all the blushing. I sit up straight, she is going to try and kill me after this, I need to get home quickly and hide. I will not get away with just simple beatdowns after they defended me and rejected her so publicly. "l just realized, I need to go. I have a big project I need to start on." I am ready to climb over Dakota and Cameron''sps if I have to. I am seriously about to have a full blown panic attack and need to go before I make aplete scene. "Please let me out" I look at Cam and I don''t know what he sees in my eyes but he doesnt argue, just starts to shift and pushes Kota. I can feel my breath pick up. just a couple minutes and we can drop you at home." Cameron looks at me worriedly. "No, it''s okay, you guys are still eating. I was done I say as Cameron shifted to put his hand on me, I dodged to the side a bit, far enough out of his reach. "I''m just going to walk. It will help my food settle." I turn quickly and head out before anyoneThis material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. can argue with me. Once out the door, I look around to see if she is waiting for me before darting behind the diner to take my short cut through the woods. She doesn''t seem to ever want to look for me there, but she will corner me if I''m walking down the sidewalk, been there, done that, no thank you. I''ve gotten good at avoiding main roads as much as possible. Once I get to my backyard, I look everywhere and my wolf and I sniff for anyone hiding out before dashing to my backdoor. Once I am safely inside, I lock the back door and lean on it for a minute taking deep breaths. Once felt calm, I went straight to my room where I stayed the rest of the weekend. Mateo tried knocking once, but I ignored himpletely, so he didn''t try to bother me after that. I did every bit of homework I could and took a risk running at 4am Sunday morning. I figured I would be safe from Kaley and her minions and the guys. The trio would be working on their beauty sleep and I don''t think even they have the power to make someone watch me 24/7. It''s not that I''m afraid of them, I think. I just don''t want any more trouble than I usually have. She actually left me alone for two whole weeks. Which was weird, but that didn''t stop me from jumping every time I heard my name or when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I know something ising and it''s just a matter of time. It''s too much to hope that she would leave me alone for good because the guys have decided I am a part of their friend group and she clearly wants that status. I do think having one or more of them around in between sses has kept her away, for now. I did my best to stay away from all the guys too, but as they all slowly discovered, I''m in a few of their sses and they insisted that I sit near them and work with them. I wasn''t allowed to disappear into the background. Thank the goddess that Kaley wasn''t in any of those sses. I just wasn''t sure which people she had spying for her and I always made excuses to not walk with any of them for too long so she rarely saw us together in the hallway. I even avoided my brother, who shouldn''t have been an issue at all, but I don t know with her level of crazy, she may not have put together that we are rted and therefore he isn''t a romantic option for me. I''m sure Marnie sees me as a complication for Mateo and that would be enough for Kaley to retaliate. Chapter 0032 Chapter 0032 Chapter 0032 After two weeks, was pulled into a dark closet following school, arge hand covering my mouth and part of my nose making it hard to breathe, another gripping the back of my neck, squeezing the muscles tight enough to render me motionless. Then I felt punches to both sides of my ribs from the back. It was over almost before it began and no threats were made, but the message was clear. I''m a target again. I was shoved out of the closet quickly and tripped over myself hitting the ground. The sound of footsteps running away hit my ears as I sat there struggling to breathe and sit up straight. I didn''t even try to look to see who grabbed me, just know they were huge and I am for sure going to have bruises for a few hours. The mandatory trainings became hell as well. With the disy Sierra and I put on, many people wanted to train with us to genuinely get better, but several were trying to hurt me for Kaley or they were upset that I made them look bad. It was hard to tell some days, but I became a punching bag and could do nothing about it. I set myself up for that. Now that I took the time to show off my skills, the pool expanded from Kaley to anyone who was trying to climb thedder and get noticed by our leaders. was the one to knock down a peg and if I showed any weakness they all would eat it up, so I showed no weakness and took it all without making a sound. Most of them only got in really good shots when I was tired from previous fights, but I wouldni let Delta Kyle or any of the other guys step in to help. I can''t look like the favorite or like they are spoiling me, it would just make everything worse. I can guarantee she is fueling that fire too, I just can''t prove it. Ifs the littlements that are made when I''m close enough for them to whisper in my ear. The other problem is none of the guys could do anything either. They did finally catch on to the fact that my sparring partners were more than just training rough. But the discussion of them helping me was shut down quickly, but had to be done daily. If they stepped in, it made me look weak and like I can''t actually defend myself, making me a bigger target. They did help though, in their own way. They all managed to be ''randomly paired with some of the guys who were exceptionally aggressive with meter in the week by Delta Kyle and they returned the aggressiveness in kind. And none of them challenged me in front of the group. Sierra tried to get me to talk about my sudden introverted tendencies at school, when I clearly am not based on what she saw her first weekend here. I did my best to dodge the questions, but eventually I had to give her something. She wasn''t going to let myme excuses slide for much longer. She got pretty creative with her lines of questioning. Throwing in the oddballment while we were talking about homework or when she joined me on early morning runs, which she agreed with the guys, was ridiculous. They all t out refused when she asked them to join so the torture could be shared among the group. I have never been more thankful than when they said no. didn''t want to have to stop or find another thing to avoid doing with them. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. That early morning run and teaching the pups is all I have left that brings me any kind of joy now and I can''t avoid talking to them at the pups training. We seem to always have a future leaders fan group at extra training, they don''t train however, they sit in the stands and cheer. Even the one we have with the current leaders, which is starting to make the Alpha irritated, so hopefully he will ban spectators. can''t be myself with the guys with all of these people watching and I''m sure they notice even though none of them bring it up. Chapter 0033 Chapter 0033 Chapter 0033 About a month after the diner incident Sierra pulled me into an empty ssroom. She looks around to make sure we are alone. "Talk, or I am going to Delta Kyle and Luna Ava. They clearly know more than the rest of us. I saw the marks on your back and you have more and more bruises all the time. You can''t tell me it''s just from training. You don''t take that many bad hits. you''re too fast for that. You walk around this school like a paranoid nervous kitten, which you are not. So start talking or I will go to someone who will give me answers." She actually looked angry, and I know her threat is not an empty one. I huff knowing there''s no way out of this, but I have to make her understand that she can''t step in. It just gets worse when people do. "Fine, I will tell you what you need to know and that is all. First you need to understand that what is going on is actually a controlled version of the situation." She actually snorts at me, but doesn''t interrupt. ?No, we cannot go to anyone, no adults, no teachers and will not exin why." I looked around the room. I am convinced listening devices or cameras are nted. "There is one student who wants control of the school, and for the most part has it. I have gotten in the way on more than one asion and I am a problem to be handled. This person has converted several people to that line of thinking. They clearly take their dislike out on me physically. But better me Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. than any of our younger students, who used to be the main focus. I have made myself the target. on purpose. This is my choice and it is not so bad that I can''t handle it." I rush all of this out in a whisper, just loud enough for her to hear "What about the guys? They would be pissed if they knew what was going on. You have be one of their favorite people and, in case you haven''t noticed, they are a little on the protective side. It''s actually kind of weird to watch you with them from the outside. They each show their protective streak in a different way, but it''s there and unmistakable. They would rip someone''s arms off for laying a hand on you." She at least caught on to the whispering, but her voice was rising in a sort of panic. "NO! Do not tell them anything. They know bullying happens in the school, it has for years, and they have never done anything to help control it." "But, it''s not just anyone getting hurt, it''s YOU getting hurt. They would lose their minds!" does the fact that it is happening to me make the situation different?" I can feel my temper rising. ? I am not more important than anyone else. Anyone getting bullied is a problem, not just me because I''m the Beta''s little sister and friends with the rest ofthe guys. That is absolute bullsh* t!'' I take a few deep breaths to calm myself. Sierra goes to argue some more, but I hold up my hand to stop her. Besides, I will not look like a weakling that has to run to her big strong guy friends to protect her. No, absolutely not. And trust me that friendship hasn''t gone unnoticed, and is a current problem. I received a couple more love taps and a reminder to keep my distance very recently. Say nothing to them, I am trying to figure out how to make it stop, without putting anyone else in the crosshairs of my bully, but right now I have nothing and no one else could handle the level of brutality they dish out." "Huh." Sierra says looking at me like it''s a big decision. I don''t break eye contact though. She''s not going to win this argument. I was dealing with this long before she got here. Fine, I will keep this quiet, for now, but on one condition." Wiat?" I know I''m going to regret this, but it feels good to be able to tell someone other than Delta Kyle. I give him even less details, I thought his wolf was going to force itself out when I confided in him the first time he noticed whipshes on my back His reaction was on par with what I think my brother''s and possibly the rest of the guys'' reactions would be. "l want to know every time it happens." Chapter 0034 Chapter 0034 Chapter 0034 "Wait, what? No way! Didn''t I just say I wasn''t running to anyone for help?" "Not for help. You don''t have to give me details, I want to know so I can help you heal quickly. You won''t let anyone step in, but you at least let Delta Kyle give you stuff to treat the really bad injuries. Let me be a part of that, but I want to know immediately. The first time I see a new cut or bruise or whatever and you told me. I''m going to the guys." My eyes widened in shock. ''You wouldn''t?" "l would. Starting with your brother." She crosses her arms and stands to her full 57" height. Daring me to object. I roll my eyes, she knows I''m caught now, I can''t do anything but ept. If I don''t she''ll just go to the guys anyway. " Fine." I grumble out. "Fine what?" She raises her eyebrows not wavering from her demanding stance. "Fine. I will tell you anytime bullying happens so you can help me heal." "Great!" She chirps, her mood changing instantly and wraps me in a tight hug. "l, sort of, understand why you are doing this, but you really have to be alone, okay? And we need to get the guys on board with opening their minds and observation skills. They really do suck at noticing things happening right under their noses." I just nod and let her hold me while I force the tears down. will not cry here, not at school, not when anyone could be watching. They will not get to me. only have a little bit more time here and then hopefully we can all grow up. This is how the rest of my freshman year goes. The winter was brutal, but kept to the same training schedule I always did, no matter the weather or how much my frinedsined. Sierra, finally, convinces me that it is okay to let the guys in a little bit as friends, but I keep it to training and school as much as possible. No matter how many times they invited me to parties and to the diner again, I always found a way to get out of it I may be a little crazy for allowing the bullying to continue, but I''m not suicidal. I am not trying to earn jealousy punishments too. Other girls give me dirty looks when I am with the guys, they just dont go to the extremes that Kaley and he friends do. As the school year goes on, more and more rumors start flying about Kaley being the next Luna and no matter what Cam and Kota say or do to squash them, the rumors just keeping. I''m sure most of it has to do with Kaley cornenng one or both of the twins at every possible chance in and out of school with hands all over them. Social media N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. pictures have started popping up too. From what the guys say, the Alpha isnt going to do anything right now since everyone is underage and it''s ''harmless teenagers practicing marking their territory.'' She also shoots any girl who looks their way a death re, giving the universal girl sign for back the ''F'' up off my men. don''t know how much of her crazy behavior the guys see though. She can turn it on and off ike a switch. I''m sure the rumors are all started by her through Marnie and Jeanie. At least hanging out with all five guys together, she couldnt really use me of going after the ones she wants and what is she going to say about me hanging out with my brother? We are less than a year apart in age, making us almost as close as Cam and Kota. I was true to my word and went to Sierra every time an injury happened. She did a decent job of holding in her anger and never asked me questions, but she was right, I wasn? alone and her knowledge of healing solutions, powders and creams was seemingly endless. I recovered in no time with her help and my wolf didn''t have to work so hard to help me heal, allowing me to get stronger. I was also bing morefortable in the crazy ass clothing she is trying to get me into. I''m no longer allowed to wear all baggy long clothing that allows me to hide. ording to her, I have to show off the figure I have earned with all my over training. Chapter 0035 Chapter 0035 Chapter 0035 Crap really hits the fan in the spring when our annual mating ball happens. It was originally designed for any wolves who are 18 or older, who are unmated, to try and find their mate if they are in the pack. We can''t find our mate until the first full moon following our 18th birthday so if your mate is older or younger you just have to wait to find out. About a decade ago or so, the school council decided that any of the highschoolers could attend the ball too. This basically took the ce of our spring dance. I think it was a way for them to get out of having to host and chaperone a high school dance, but that''s just me. Elther way, it has be THE event of the year ande April, was all the girls could talk about. I honestly could care less. I never had any friends to go to things like this with and I really didn''t like dressing up. I have my dad to thank for that Any time we had to dress up for some event he was required to take both Mateo and l. He would have me dress a little closer to the queen of Ennd on a business trip than a young girl. The skirt suit felt like a straight jacket and was not comfortable in any form. So now when I hear ''formal'' that is all I can think of. Since I wanted nothing to do with naturally my best friend was obsessed. Sierra had drawings upon drawlngs of dresses she imagined for this dance. It didn''t even matter, Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. we couldn''t find our mates yet anyway. She did not like or care for my logic and ignored myck of enthusiasm at the idea of dressing to impress. One day at advanced training she threw me under the bus with Luna Ava, hoping to get an ally. color do you think would look best on Sky, Luna? " All the women had been casually taking about past mating balls and regalling us with their stories. The question was innocent enough, but it shocked me and I froze, allowing the female warrior I was sparring with to take me down. At least the Alpha finally made these training session private. No one saw me take the distracted hit or could eavesdrop on this conversation. "She could actually get away with several colors, I think. Blue in any shade would bring out her eyes and make her hair glow. But deep jewel tones would look amazing on her skin tone. What were you thinking?'' Luna Ava throws over without bslowing her movements down. Like to conversation was a part of the sparring she was doing. "I''m not sure, really. She refuses to dress shop with me and says she isn''t going to the dance, leaving me all alone with these crazy boys. And we have to go, this will be my only year here. I leave this summer to go back home and we can''t miss the ''biggest event of the year." She air quotes the overused tagline. Making a pathetic pouty face to go right along with it. I close my eyes and take a deep breath through my nose, adjusting the shoulder that took the brunt of the hit. Luna Ava stops to look at me now. "Oh, sweetheart, you have to go. You will have so much fun, we have so many things nned. I normally wouldn''t push a freshman to go, but you can''t miss going with your best friend and who would keep the boys out of trouble?" Her pout matches Sierra''s. "Lets get something straight, No one keeps the boys out of trouble." All the females on our end of the training arenaugh loudly. "And I don''t really see the point in prancing around in ufortable clothes and shoes like a ve for auction when I can''t even sense my mate, therefore getting nothing out of the torture." Luna Ava and the other females justugh again, they know I''m not wrong, but at the same time, I''m wavering. They are right too, I can''t miss Sierra''s only dance here in the pack. Ugh, can''t believe I am considering this. I rub my temples with my fingertips. "It''s not all bad and depending on the dress there are some remarkablyfortable undergarments that help you feel like you''re wearing regr clothes. How do you think I got through all the formal events with the Alpha? If you don''t want to buy a new dress, I''m sure I or any of thedies here have several things you could look at and we can have them altered. We could always do a dress day at the packhouse, it would be so much fun!" She ps her hands and is getting far too excited. I can see the wheels turning. Chapter 0036 Chapter 0036 Chapter 0036 "Fine, fine, l''ll go." They all squeal, getting the full attention of the guys. "But I have conditions." I say to no one listening to me at all anymore. *What''s got you all excited, Love?" Alpha Lucas walks up and asks, wrapping an arm around Luna Ava and kissing her softly on the cheek. He can''t seem to not touch her when he is within ten feet. It''s really cute. "We just talked Skr into going to the mating ball." She said happily as I winced and shielded my eyes trying to hide as best I could from watching eyes, waiting for someone to make fun of me. you weren''t nning on going?" Oliver asks, taking his usual defensive stance crossing his massive tattooed arms over his chest. Why would he care if I go? He''s got Marnie to entertain him anyway. There''s no way I''m going to be able to hang out with the guys much with the Barbie trio around. "Uh, no. Where have you been thest couple weeks? I hate all of this dress up stuff and I''m not old enough to find my mate, so it''s kind of pointless. But it''s Sierra''s one and only time to go, I can''t miss it, ording to her and the Luna." Dripping myst words with sarcasm just for her. "We have to go shopping this weekend." Sierra ps her hands, like the Luna, skipping right over mystment. are totally joining you, you know, for professional opinions." Sam adds, steppingfortably close behind Sierra and trying to wrap his sweaty arms around her shoulders. She squeals and jumps out of his grasp. "Gross, you are exceptionally nasty today, go shower before you touch me." She wipes her shoulders off with her own towel scowling at him as weugh. you just want to watch me make a fool of myself trying on stupid dresses." I roll my eyes at him and laugh at my friend. "It will actually be a nice change from your usual choice of baggy andfortable or workout clothes." Heughs and jumps out of the way as I aim a swift kick to his butt. "It will be interesting to see what you''re hiding. I''m sure you''re fit enough to make all the girls jealous." He wiggles hisProperty belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. eyebrows at me. I take a deep breath fighting the heat in my cheeks. "Fine you cane, but you are buying me food." I snap back, missing another kick as he dodges around my brother to hide from me. "Deal. Little Bit." He stays behind my brother, intelligently anticipating another attack from my foot, but he reaches around Mateo to shake on it and then he''s looking at me funny. ''What?'' ask, questioning if I really want to know. "l was just wondering if they made dresses in hobbit sizes." Heughs along with everyone else and takes off as I chase him across the field. I easily caught up to him and jumped on his back. He jogs back to the group like, I''m not even there, both of usughing. "Hey, Sam, let me help you out, you have a tiny little something on your back." Oliver chimes in and lifts me off Sam by my armpits and holds me out away from his body like someone who''s never held a baby before. Hisrge hands have a firm grip on my ribcage and I am painfully aware of how close he is to touching my boobs with his massive hands and I''m not sure what to think about that. My feet dangling off the ground. "Put me down a*shole_" I kicked my legs backward, trying to divert my embarrassment, earning more chuckles from everyone since it did absolutely nothing. "Let me help you with your baggage." I''m still squirming as Dakota grabs me bridal style. At least I feel less like a little kid now. I wrap my arms around his neck naturally, to try and hold some of my own weight. My brain kicks in at how close I am to him and feel embarrassed all over again. Before my cheeks can even me up. Cam steps up to us. "That''s not how you carry her properly." Cameron quickly scoops me up with one arm and throws me over his shoulder. I squeal and thenugh at the abrupt change in direction. His hand rests just above my knees, in between my legs. He gives me a yful squeeze while all the guys continue to laugh. "Is she the new toy you''re all trying to y with now?" Sierraughs at them and smacks my butt while I''m in apromising position and can''t do anything to stop her. The smack was hard enough that I could feel my butt wiggle with the impact and I let out a little squeak. Chapter 0037 Chapter 0037 Chapter 0037 That''s going to leave a handprint on my ass!" I shout at her trying to reach back and rub the sore spot _ Her and are stillughing and I''m trying to look around Cam''s back to see where she went when Cam puts me down slowly and Sierra and I realize they are no longerughing. have to run. See you guys at training tomorrow morning." Oliver says a little strained, before they all take off. Sam looks amused, Mateo angry and Oliver, Cam and Kota are, I don''t know, ufortable and blushing maybe. Weird. Wiat the hell was that all about? I ask watching the guys leave therge training grounds like they couldn''t move fast enough. You''re kidding right?'' Sierra asks, hands on her hips. I just stare nkly at her. Even for them, that was weird, but she is looking at me eyebrows raised, like I missed a punchline. " They all just realized you''re a girl, a hot girl, that''s what." Wiat does that even mean? When have I ever not ''been a girl?" Sarcasm dripping in my words. "l have my suspicions, but let''s just wait until we shop this weekend. You know they are all going to come to ''give opinions'' since you don''t normally dress up and your brother is probably going to try and smack at least one of them for making inappropriately uratements." "No way, my brother would never fight any of them. They all make inappropriatements all the time. Why would shopping make it any different?" bet?" *You sound like Oliver and Sam." Iugh. "But sure, I think you''re effing crazy. There is nothing different about me now versus this morning or in training gear versus a dress and they are not all going to want to dress shop with us, that would be torture. I know it will be for me. Sam is just coming to hang out with you and give me a hard time about being awkward as hell." n.Nell you sound like all of them with your new colorfulnguage and if they all show up and if your brother argues with any of them you owe me lunch at a ce of my choosing." Sheughs at me flipping her still sweaty dark hair. "Deal. What is it with me and making deals with everyone?" I shake my head andugh as we start to make our way out of the arena too. It''s just the two of us now. I''m not sure when the adults left, but it must have been before the guys took off randomly. "Another product of hanging out with verypetitive and idiotic guy friends." She stops and looks around the parking lot. "Those jack*sses left us. Man, you really messed them up, they must be scared of you now." Sheughs as we both start walking towards our street. I just roll my eyes. She is speaking in riddles and I normally think of myself as a pretty smart person, but I can''t figure out what in the ''F'' she is going on about. wave her off when we finally make it back to her house 20 minutester. The twins'' truck is in the packhouse driveway, but there is no sign of any of the guys. I keep on walking to my house and head straight for my room once I''m inside. The silence used tofort me. It let me know I was safe and no one was around to find something to correct or criticize, but now that I have been spending so much time with such loud people, it''s almost suffocating. I can hear soft music from my brothers room, letting me know he''s home. I would love to talk to him about what Sierra was saying. He usually will give me a straight answer when I don''t understand people''s behavior, then again he left us high and dry with the rest of them, which is just as weird. But I''m afraid to knock on his door, music can mean one of two things. He''s doing homework or a girl. I really don''t want to interrupt in case it''s a girl. My brother doing the horizontal tango is not something I want to imagine, let alone get a live picture of. Those boys seem to get around and I guess I understand the appeal. They are all tall, hot andpletely muscled out and I don''t even think they have hit their prime of good looks yet. They know how good looking they are, their egos are a testament to that. Combine that with the fact that they are future leaders of the pack, makesN?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. them celebrities. I keep this train of thought as I head into my room and straight to the shower. I just never understood thepleteck of self respect it takes to throw yourself at someone with status just for a little bit of attention. If you aren''t noticed without having to, sometimes literally, throw yourselves in their path, why bother? They aren''t worth the time. They have probably been with all of the Sophomore and Junior girls and are making their way through the Seniors now. Which also surprises me. Kaley doesn''t seem to make a big deal about them sleeping around with most of the upperss female poption of our school. She just has a problem with Sierra and l. Chapter 0038 Chapter 0038 Chapter 0038 It''s kind of nasty if you think about it too much. Thank the Goddess wolves don''t get STD''s or they would be in trouble. I''m not a prude, well not really. I get the appeal of six and have even done some self exploration, but I am one hundred percent inexperienced when ites to being with a guy. And yet, I have no desire to jump some rando strictly to say I did, that is less appealing than having zero game in the s*x department. I''m a little jealous of how easy it is for Sierra to flirt with any of the guys. She seems to only have eyes for Sam, but is yful with all of them. Just the thought of trying to flirt makes me sweat bullets. I am just that awkward, so I figure I will wait for my mate who will love my crazy, inexperienced awkwardness no matter what. On that note I step out of the shower and wrap up in a towel. As I brush out my sandy blonde hair I look at myself and really analyze my reflection for the first time. I don''t think I am ugly by any means, I just don''t think I am anything special either. My hair is mostly straight with a slight wave at the end and it is so long it goes past the middle of my back. I like it full and I think I would look like a baby doll if I ever cut it. My muscles are defined in my arms and legs and I know my back and abs have definition. I am putting on muscle now that I eat most of my meals with the guys and get the calories I need for all the training that I do. I wear sports bras and tank tops for training all the time, still covering the scars on my back, but being morefortanble in my skin. My figure is still on the smaller side with no real curves to speak of, even with the muscle definition. I''m only fourteen and I don''t really know what my mom looked like. My dad only keeps one picture of her in his office and I''m not allowed in there, I saw it once when was little, but I dont remember it at all. ording to everyone else who knew her, I look exactly like her, but that doesn''t help me predict what kind of woman bits I may end up with. I sigh and get dressed in some pajamas and get started on my homework. I have a feeling there will be no room for homework this weekend if Slerra has any say, so need to get ahead now. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Nothing out of the ordinary happened the rest of the week at school which is really only saying I didn''t bleed from my attackers. It''s almost like they knew what I was doing this weekend and were being courteous with their torture. Saturday morning came and I found I couldn''t sleep so I took my very early run alone today. I decided to take a chance and let my wolf out too. We ran the full border patrol route around the pack territory. I''m not on patrols, so I don''t have to really pay attention and can run as fast as want to so it only takes me a couple hours. usually wait until it''s dark so it''s easier to hide with her thick jet ck fur. It was dark and peaceful right now, the sun still not up yet, and allowed me to wrap my brain around all the crazy was about to be subjected to. When got home, I started breakfast and got out ingredients to make enough to feed everyone, since our house has been the new Saturday hangout before training. Even the Alpha and Luna join us sometimes too. I was worried the first time Mateo brought the guys over so early that dad would have a fit. But I guess when ites to my brother and the future Alphas he doesn''t really care what goes on. Dad went as far as to ask Mateo what needed to be on the grocery list specifically for the Saturday morning breakfasts the third time it happened. That conversation got tense really fast when Mateo said he didn''t know and to ask me which earned me a disapproving look and the reply. "I''ll have Gretchen follow up with you kids and make sure the kitchen is stocked." Before he abruptly walked out of the kitchen. Chapter 0039 Chapter 0039 Chapter 0039 His avoidance of me shouldn''t hurt, it''s been like this my whole life. He only talks to me when he absolutely has to in front of other high ranking wolves for appearance. But, every time he outwardly and tantly rejected me I felt that familiar jab in my heart and all of my insecurities would haunt me for days after. I became more obsessed with training and school work, avoiding people, including Sierra and my brother after that interaction shortly after the christmas holiday. Something they both noticed and questioned and I expertly avoided talking about. My room and anything I used in the house had to be spotless and metlculously put away. The sad part is am fully aware of what I''m doing and why, but I can''t help myself and I can''t go to anyone for help. How would that make my dad look in the eyes of his peers? The peers he''s been putting on a show for my whole existence. Ruining his reputation would make the emotional hell I have been going throughpletely worthless and I don''t need to feel anymore like an unwanted problem. And as much as I should be mad at him or hate him, I just can''t bring myself to make him look bad, hoping one day he will wake up and notice all the hard work and effort I put in to please him, to make him happy, proud of me. As long as there is that scrap of a chance, I will hold onto that hope. It took several days for Sierra to pull me, mostly, out of the obsessive behavior. Really, I think I just got better at hiding it from her. I shake my head out of the dark memories and keep working on the breakfast spread. I really do like having Sierra and all the guys here. I find I enjoy caring for the group as a whole. They make meugh and forget about all the things I normally focus on everyday. I actually feel like a teenager during this time and I find I have rxed into the friendships the longer I am around all of them. My dad''s demands don''t exist, Kaley and her bully patrol doesn''t exist, schoolwork doesn''t exist. It''s almost magical. The front door ms, I jump and I look at the time. It''s not quite Sam and I''m not even halfway intoN?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. prepping all the food. What the hell is going on? Themotion in the hallway tells me it''s at least a few of the guys. Their sounds are pretty distinct. I start to walk out to tell them to be quiet, I haven''t even gotten Mateo up yet and my dad will actually be pissed at the ruckus this early. I slowly walk down the hallway and into the entrp.''ay. "Guys? What ar-" "SURPRISE!" A whole group of people shout at me. "Oh I yelled and then pped my hand over my mouth as I''m trying not to fall on my butt in front of everyone. Sierra ran up to me first, catching me in a hug. "A little birdie told me It was your birthday today and we thought we would surprise you. We brought breakfast, I hope you haven''t already started cooking." She steps back and takes in my running clothes. I don''t usually shower or change since we go and workout with the pups, which leaves us disgusting. "Um, uh, I just started getting things together." I am super confused and disoriented. We don''t celebrate my birthday, never have. It''s the day my mom died, the day I killed her, and that is the only part my dad remembers about today. Mateo used to make me cards when we were little. He would never sign them or say anything about it, but I knew it was him. Once we hit about eleven though and he started focusing on his position, those stopped. "Um,e on in, we can set it up on the ind." I led the group down the hall and stood off to the side watching the paradee into the kitchen. Mateoes strolling in with the rest of the guys. He was a part of this? Did he tell them? I can feel my heart tighten at the thought. Then all the adultse through. Alpha Lucas and Luna Ava have 2rge tters of fruit and pastries, Cam and Dakota are each carrying a tray of food. Gamma Brett follows Oliver in with a veryrge pan that is steaming. Delta Kyle and Gwene in ahead of Sam and they are all carrying balloons and a vase of flowers. Sierra''s Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Robert bring up the rear with another steaming pan. Chapter 0040 Chapter 0040 Chapter 0040 All my friends were carrying gift bags too. I was so overwhelmed, but I couldn''t help myself and look at Mateo. He knew my question without me having to ask. He just shook his head once, almost imperceptibly. I couldn''t help the wave of sadness that rolled over me and I felt my heart breaz I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I was not going to let his absence detract from this amazing thing my friends and their families did for me. They can''t have any idea what this means to me. The first birthday I will celebrate outside of my bedroom and with other people is my 15th birthday. Even my nanny wasn''t allowed to celebrate my birthday. She always said ''happy birthday'' to me, but we couldnt do more than that. She tried once to bring me a cupcake and my father punched her in front of me, then kept her away from me for a week This will be one of the most special memories I have. But, cannot cry, I won''t cry. I take another deep breath. Not happy tears, not sad tears. Today is going to be an amazing day, even if it has to include dress shopping.e out of my daze and walk around to hug and thank everyone. Luna Ava hugs me longer than necessary, telling me she probably has a pretty good idea what this actually means to me. Like always she lets me have my silent moment and then moves on like it was nothing, not drawing attention where I don''t want it. She has always just understood me without exnation. A''Vhat about training?!" I suddenly ask, looking at Delta Kyle and noticing the time. Panic washed through me at the thought of the pups running a muck by themselves. canceled it today and told the pups you were not allowed to workout with anyone today on pain of having to y capture the g against you solo, afterpleting your entire, personal, daily workout. I can guarantee none of them are going to even look in your direction today." Delta Kyle laughs along with everyone else. I don''t know if I should be offended or smug. This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. "l guess it''s good I already went for my run today then, jeez." They all justugh again. Luna Ava helps me get dishes out and stack them on the ind and we all dig in. The food is amazing. Along with all of the fruit and pastries, the hot dishes had eggs, sausages, and fried potatoes. We go through most of it, these boys can put down some food. Sierra and I eat almost as much as the guys do, and Delta Kyle is quick to mention it. "l like that you girls eat a healthy amount I am always worried about some of the girls who don''t eat enough, getting hurt at training. They are worried about gaining weight, but it''s really hard to do even if they train the bare minimum." Thatunched a whole load of conversations about girls and eating and picky eaters. This thenunched apetition of the worst dinner dates. These boys spent far too much time on high maintenance girls from the sounds of it, but who am I to judge. Until I met Sierra I did the exact opposite and avoided people like it was my job. I''m standing at the center of the Ind. Cam, Kota and Mateo to my left. Oliver, Sierra and Sam to my right and their respective adults across from them. It was kind of a neat image, previous and future generation of leaders all at the table. The Beta is the only person missing. It makes me sad for a moment, not for myself, but for Mateo. Because of me, my dad refuses to share this moment with him. "Okay you have to open your presents." Sierra sings at me from the end of the ind. ''%at? Now? I thought I would just open themter. We are all having fun just hanging out and I really need to go shower, I probably smell." "You smell fine to me." Chorused from all of the boys, except my brother who looked at his friends with his eyebrows smashed together and letting out a little growl Wiat?" asked Oliver, looking around. "She smells fine, like the forest." He shrugs. ''l assume that''s where she was running this morning." Yeah, Tiny, you smell good, just open your presents." Cam smiles at me. The look that Luna Ava gave Alpha Lucas did not go unnoticed by me. What is going on? Chapter 0041 Chapter 0041 Chapter 0041 Naturally breaking the tension, Sam shoved a bag in my face. "These should help Little Bit" His Cheshire Cat smile made me a bit nervous to open this in front of the adults for some reason. "Should I be afraid?" I opened the bag slowly. It was heavy. When I got through the tissue paper I found a pair of ck tform converse high tops. "Awe, Thank you. I was actually expecting something to embarrass me. "Nope, but now you will at least be taller than our elbows." Heughs with everyone else, me included. Cam and Kota got me ck skinny jeans with a few tears in them to look worn, but not trashy and a ck belt with metallic thread woven into it. Oliver got me a cornflower blue cropped peasant top, that goes off the shoulder and has puffy long sleeves. Mateo got me a delicate white gold chain with a crescent moon pendant that had 2 little stars on the end. "Mineester, so you just have to be patient." Sierra wiggles her eyebrows at me and I am instantly afraid. "This is all great guys, Thank you! I really am going to go shower and change now. I''ll be right back." I grab all my stuff and turn to race out of the room. I am bing N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ufortable with all of the attention on me. "If you didn''t catch on, that''s the outfit you are wearing today." Sierra yells at my back. Followed by a boom ofughter. I just roll my eyes, of course she picked this out and not wear what the guys gave me. I have to watch out for her sneaky tactics. I have never showered so quickly in my life. I debated on having Sierrae up and help me do my hair and make up. I''ve never cared before, but for some reason having my birthday recognized by all of them made me want to care a little bit, at least today, Wrapped in my towel raced out to my room to grab my phone, just to get a shock from seeing her on my bed. "Oh Shit! Stop doing that." I ce a hand on my forehead. The other is still keeping my towel secure. She justughs. Will you help me do my hair and make- up please?" I''m still trying to steady my racing heart. "Oh, girl! I thought you would never ask! Let''s do this!" Way too excited, she looks way too excited about something as simple as hair and make-up. 30 minutester I have been brushed, curled, styled, mascaraed, and lip glossed. She didn''t actually put a ton of makeup on my face, but what she did brought out the blue gray of my eyes and made them stand out and my lips were just average in size , but now they look full and fit my face better. My hair is up in a high ponytail with big beach waves.BONUS I actually feel confident like this. "Do you like it?" She sounds unsure. Yes! I''m sorry. This is great. I''ve never really worn make-up before. I train too much to put the effort in and have it all sweat off. But, this is just right, Thank you. this really means a lot to me." I hug her tightly, hoping to put all of the emotions I am feeling into the hug. I can''t exin why to her now, I will just get sad and cry. But she needs to know, this was not some little thing she did for me today. "Okay, okay. Get dressed before these boys kill us. And I told you they would all go shopping with us." She giggled as she shooed me out of the bathroom. "Now for your brother to hit one of them." I put the outfit on and did a ittle twirl in my full length mirror. The outfit she picked was perfect. The pants hugged me in all the right ces, but I didn''t feel restricted and even though the top was cropped it still skimmed the waistband of my high waisted jeans and covered the worst of the bruises and scars on my torso. What wasn''t covered she applied ayer of tattoo concealer. She really did think of everything. She was trying to push me out of myfort zone, but knew what I needed to do that. I don''t know what I did to deserve a friend like her. "Oh, my ne! I must have left it down in the kitchen. I think we are ready, right?" I did one more twlrl for her approval. Chapter 0042 Chapter 0042 Chapter 0042 "Seriously, I need to make a bet on who says something first They won''tst ten seconds." She mumbles to herself. "What are you talking about? Let''s go get this over with." I open the door and we both head back down following the voices still in the kitchen, although it sounds like less than earlier. "Oh perfect, I wanted to see you before you all head off. You look beautiful, sweetheart. Have a fun day." Luna Ava stops us in the hallway and hugs me once more and then winks at us as she heads out the front door. The rest of the adults must have cleaned up and left while I was getting ready. Sierra and I headed back into the kitchen so I could find my ne and we could get going. "Damn, Little Bit, you clean up good. We are going to have our hands full today looking out for both of you beauties." "l knew it was going to be you." Sierra rolled her eyes at Sam. I just tried to ignore it _ He was always telling us we looked good in some way or another. Sometimes it came out creepy, sometimes s*xual to make me blush and other times it was sweet like now. "Did I leave my ne on the ind?'' asked the room atrge. "l have it here." Oliver dangled the thin chain from one finger to show me and smiled. "Oh thank you." I reach for it, but before I can get it Dakota has it in his hands. "Let me help." "Okay." Why did thate out as a whisper? These guys are acting strange and it''s starting to rub off on me. I hope something isn''t wrong. am finally starting to let them in, don t think I could handle losing friendships with any of them. I turn my back to him and pull the end of my ponytail out of the way. His hands are very gentle as they sp the chain. "Perfect, Smalls." Kota says quietly close to my ear and he lets a finger tip graze down the exposed part of my spine from my shoulder to the hem of my shirt before dropping his hand. My whole bodyN?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. breaks out in goosebumps at the sensation. "Alright, alright. She''s hot, we all just figured it out, let''s go before throw up." Mateo grumbles out and Sam startsughing loudly as we all head to the packhouse driveway, but we don''t stop at the truck like I thought we were. aren''t taking the truck?" "Nope, the mall is a little too far for Sierra to sit on Sam''sp or for you to be front and center. It''s not safe and we can''t have that We are taking Dad''s Denali. It has the third row." Cam ces his hand on the small of my back and guides me to the third garage door and types the code in to open it up, not once taking his hand off of me. A sleek ck monster sized truck is what I see. I know nothing about cars or trucks, but this thing is beautiful. Super shiny, no dirt anywhere, even the tires and the rims are shiny. The Alpha is particr about his truck. We all walk up to open doors, the twins get in the driver and passenger seats. Mateo and Sam climb back to the third row, this thing must be custom sized, because they didn''t seem to struggle at all. Sierra goes back to sandwich herself in between them and Oliver and I take the second row seats. Once everyone was in we were off. So far 1 5 is looking pretty good. Walking the mall was the worst possible torture that anyone could have ever designed, ever! I would rather condition for ten hours straight than spend the whole day shopping. We got here when the ce opened and have been slowly making our way to each and every store. I will admit though, Sierra has good taste. I now have several outfits that fit me better and really make me feel good, without pushing too far out of myfort zone. We stopped at a couple ces where the guys insisted on buying me little things. did have to stop them when we got to the lingerie store. I was not modeling anything for Sierra, let alone the guys. Mateo quickly seconded my opinion and ushered us away. My feet were killing me and I was dying to go outside. The stuffy mall air and fluorescent lights made me feel kind of ustrophobic. Chapter 0043 Chapter 0043 Chapter 0043 I don''t know what Mateo told them about my birthday, but it feels like he is personally trying to make up for thest 15 years all in one shot. I discovered quickly that I had to watch what I showed interest in. If he thought for even a second I liked something, he would ask if I wanted him to buy it for me. I was actually worried our father was going to be mad at him for spending unnecessary money on me. He actually found a little kiosk that sold customizable bracelets. He found one that had several layered straps, some leather, some chain links, some thread. He chose one with ck leather and stainless steel and paired it with a tiny charm that thedy engraved with ''sis.'' Not to be outdone, Cam chose one that had sea ss green leather, like his eyes. His charm said ''Tiny.'' Kota''s was sky blue, his charm saying ''Smalls.'' Oliver''s was orange, which I thought was odd at first, because he always just seems to be in varying shades of ck like a biker, but the more I thought about it, when he does wear a color, it is orange. like construction worker neon. His charm says ''Bite Size.'' Sam makes a big show of choosing his, but by this point have figured out they are all choosing their favorite color and adding the nickname they gave me. Almost like they are marking me, without marking me. It made me smile at the thought. He brought me the red leather bracelet and dropped to one knee holding his hands out in front of him disying the bracelet in his upturned palms, really causing a scene. "Little Bit, will you ept this humble gift and wear my friendship bracelet for ever and ever." I think he was going for Romeo, but he''s not subtle enough for that. I justughed and replied, "l would love to, good sir." With a curtsy for added effect and held out my wrist to him. He jumped up and squealed like a girl, pping his hands before finally cing it on my wrist. "Show off." I heard someone grumble behind me. Making all of usugh. "You''re just jealous, you didn''t think of it." Sam responds. Then Sierra walked up, ''Let''s finish your arm rainbow." She wraps her own yellow bracelet around my wrist, the charm having runes inscribed. One for warrior that looked like an arrow pointing up and next to it a three pronged pitchfork with a small circle just above the hilt, two squiggly lines across the handle and a semicircle at the top of the handle looking like a bowl. "It means warrior friend." She said before hugging me. I looked at my arm and a sense of warmth washed over me as I looked at the six inches of multicolored leather and metal wrapped halfway up my forearm. I realized I wasn''t lying when I told Sam I would wear them ''forever and ever.'' don''t think I could part with them. "Okay, sentimental stuff is all over, let''s feed the birthday girl so she cooperates while dress her up like my own personal doll. Sam, go find your Little Bit some food." Shemands like a dog trainer. He doesn''t even look offended, just turns and walks off, with all of us trailing behindughing. Once we are all good and fed, we start our second round of shopping. We hit the formal section of a trendy shop. All of my bags are collected and stored next to the five chairs the guys are posted in in front of the three way viewing mirror set up on a little tforrn. They each pulled out their phones settling in for the long wait. Sierra is rushing around the store grabbing things off the rack. without even seeming to look at them properly. I don''t even know if she is grabbing the right size, but, with clothes, I havee to trust her judgment today, so whatever, this is her show right now. I just stand patiently next to the guys and watch the tornado that is my friend running around the store. When her hands were full she ushered me, followed by a salesdy with equally full arms to the dressing room. She went all out for the first dress. It was full length and huge, have never seen so much material before. The top was strapless and cut straight across, it also had a bunch of sparkles on it and the skirt was miles and miles ofyered sheer fabric. It was a pretty gray/blue color that matched my eyes, not too deep or too bright but I wasn''t sure about it. This one was guaranteed to make me trip or get caughtProperty belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. on something and I had to put my tform converse back on just to be able to not get caught up in the skirt Chapter 0044 Chapter 0044 Chapter 0044 I walked out, stepped up onto the tform and all the guys looked up from their phones and just stared at me, frozen in their movements. "Yes!" This is a great color on you. Sierra cries. "Spin, slowly, please." She indicates by twirling her finger. "l like it, but you don''t look super excited. Next!" She didn''t even hesitate to move on. I would have felt bad for not liking something someone else spent so much time designing, even if they had no idea I rejected it. Sierra had no such qualms. I jump at her exmation to ''GO!'' and head back. She throws another dress at me when I give her the poofy one. This one is a bit more reserved on the excess skirt material. It has the same straight cut along my chest that extends to one inch wide straps hanging at the ends of my shoulders. have a feeling they are more for fashion than for actually holding up the dress. This one is a deep teal color and the satiny fabric feels great on my skim The slightly less poofy skirt also drags on the ground. I step out to the mirror and my waiting audience. "The Luna was right, jewel tones are great on you. Spin." She twirls her finger again. "Better, but there''s more, so much more." She taps the tips of her fingers together in front of her mouth like a cartoon viin. Oh Goddess, what have I gotten myself into? She did nn everything to a T though. My ponytail was long and full enought that none of my scars were seen over the top of the dresses and the tattoo concealer did not seem to be rubbing off at all. By the fifth dress I did catch on to a theme. She started with the most conservative dresses. Plenty of coverage and material to get me, and I''m sure the guys,fortable with the real dresses she wanted me in. The more I tried on the more daring the necklines and skirt slits were. They also got shorter too. She made sure to take pictures of all the dresses she deemed worthy of contention, so I wouldn''t have to keep going back and forth when we finally have to decide. By dress, I have lost effing count, I was in a short ck dress with a corsetedce top with a sweetheart neckline thatced up the back with a ck satin ribbon. Sierra had to help me with this one. She had me tied so tight, this b*tch wasn''t going anywhere. The corset was lined with a thick, soft, nude material so I waspletelyfortable and covered while at the same time lookingProperty belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. sexy. My shoulders and arms were tan and on full disy. My muscle definition looked great with the fit of this top. There was a wide satin panel that went around my torso, just above my hips dividing the top from the skirt. The ck satin skater skirt was long enough to touch the middle of my thighs and I could bend over without showing off the goods. I totally tested it before leaving the dressing room too. In front of the guys was not the time to realize that mistake. made my legs appear longer paired with my high top tforms and I loved the illusion. I stepped out smiling. There it is" she says in a low voice to me. That''s the look I have been waiting for." We both walk out smiling. The reactionse all at once when I step out. "Oh, shit." "Damn!" "Holy Hell." "Nope, not happening. Absolutely out of the question." Mateo growls out. ?Next!'' Sierra justughs and moves me to the three way mirror and has me twirl. I can''t tell if she''s taking a photo or a video, but at this point I am having fun modeling all these stupid dresses. Chapter 0045 Chapter 0045 Chapter 0045 "l think we have found it, my friends." She ps her hands. Go change so we can buy it and get shoes to match!" Her voice had gone a few octaves higher in her excitement. a minute. I said not happening. And stop drooling you f*ckers." Mateo looks over to his friends. Sam was the first to recover andugh. "Sorry bro, you said it before she''s hot. You are going to have to learn to deal with that. She''s about to be very popr! You will have every single guy banging down your door after the ball. There are about to be some very pissed and jealous girls." He shrugs and Mateo walks over and ps him up the back side of his head. "Told you. You owe me lunch!" Sierra whispers to me and pushes me into the dressing room while Mateo is yfully shoving the rest of his friends. At least I think it''s yful as they all continue to laugh at him. I just roll my eyes. It''s ike they have never seen a girl before. Which I know isn''t true. They are all well versed in the female species and anatomy on a pretty extensive level. Sierra unceremoniously shoves me back into my dressing room and I quickly get out of my dress and hand it to her. She takes the dress and heads back out to the guys while put my clothes back on. Once I have everything and do a double check to make sure I am fully covered, I head out of the dressing room to find everyone at the store entrance. "Where''s the dress? I need to go check out." I ask Sierra. "It''s all done. Happy Birthday Skr." She hands the bags she''s holding to Sam, one was a garment bag with this store''s logo on and hugs me. "Now let''s go get some sexy shoes to go with that sexy dress." She made a pointed look at my brother before hooking her arm in mine and dragging me away. We started walking toward a massive shoe store, but before we could get too far our little bubble was broken by a high pitched screech. "BABES! What are you doing here? I thought you hated the mall. You never want toe shopping with me." Kaley''s voice echoes across therge expanse of the stone mall hallways. Many people stopped to stare at her frantically, and not super gracefully, walking toward us in her dangerouslyThis material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. high heels. was kind of afraid of her hot pink tube skirt snapping off if she took too big of steps. The twins were in the middle of our group. So she had to push past Oliver, Sam and Mateo to get to them. They didn''t willingly get out of her way either. "Move you big fickers." She didn''t bother to keep her voice down with the insult. She has been getting more bold with her distaste of people in front of the twins. Their facial expressions were amazing at how she dared to talk to them and attempted to shove them out of her way, eyes locked on the twins. The look, a cross between outrage and annoyance, at being ordered around and then ignored by this stic Barbie. "You should have called me. totally would havee with you instead of them." She rolled her eyes and hooked her thumb over her shoulder at her friends who looked like they were struggling to manage all the bags they had in hand with the teeny, form fitting outfits and high heels that coordinated with hers. She must be using them as her pack mules. "l was going to stop byter, I got something special for the both of you." She tries for a giggle again, but it sounds forced and painful. I can''t see her face, but can only imagine the psychotic smile and wide eyes she uses towards them regrly. Cam and Kota just look at each other like they were having a silent conversation about how best to navigate this situation and get rid of her without her throwing a tantrum. Sierra and I are a few feet behind the twins and she hasn''t noticed us yet. I''m afraid to move for fear of gaining her attention. That is thest thing that I want, to add fuel to her alreadyrge fire of hatred for me. are actually on our way out, sorry." Kota shrugs his shoulders, the bags in his hands shuffling, and tries to turn away from her, I''m sure hoping that was enough to end the conversation. The rest of the guys start to move too, hoping to make a quick exit, their bags also making a rustling noise. The movement allows Sierra and I to just barely see her around the twins. Chapter 0046 Chapter 0046 Chapter 0046 "What did you get? Anything special for a special person maybe?" She points to the very feminine shopping bags the twins held then sps her hands in front of her twisting back and forth at the waist like an excited little kid. Maybe she thinks it''s cute and innocent looking. She really just looks a little unhinged. "Just some birthday gifts, no big deal." Cam says again trying to turn. She grabs his elbow, she seems to only touch him. At least when I see them interact. Interesting. "aut my birthday was months ago, silly..." She pats his arm and reaches for Dakota, but he moves away. Giving me a direct line of sight to her. She trails off finally noticing Sierra and I behind him. "WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HERE WITH YOU?'' Her fakely sweet voice changes to one of angry menace in a sh. Her manicured ws fly to her hips. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows looked strange, smashed down in a scowl, her whole face going red The guys all move faster than I thought possible surrounding me, which to an outsider might look strange With all of the bags they are holding. Cam and Kota are in front, between Kaley and the rest of the group. Oliver stands directly in front of me, Sierra stays at my side, her arm still linked with mine, and Mateo is on the other. Sam steps behind me sandwiching me between him and Oliver giving me only inches of space to breathe. On instinct I ce the palm of my free hand lightly on Oliver''s back at the same time Sam ces his on my right shoulder and Mateo touches my left shoulder and I instantly rx. I feel the taught muscles in Olivers back do the same with the contact. It took me a minute to realize what they did, though and I don''t know how I feel about it. I can protect myself and fight, but at the same time she is a different kind of threat We all recognized it and they naturally went into a protection stance. What I find interesting was there was no hesitation on whether it was me or Sierra that Kaley referred to. That is something Sierra and I will have to talkMaterial ? of N?velDrama.Org. aboutter. Now I have to focus. I''m too short to see around them, but don''t miss the rest of the conversation. "She has no business being anywhere with the two of you, am your girlfriend. I demand that you leave with me, you are just embarrassing yourselves with her." Kaley screams. Does she not understand she is the one causing a scene all by herself right now? This mall is not just werewolves, it has humans too and they don''t know about us, what the hell is she thinking having her meltdown here? I hope she can''t shift yet, we will be in trouble if she does out in public with humans, "Understand this. You do not demand anything from us, are we clear? Dakota asks with a hard edge to his voice, clearly a warning. That was a new sound to me. His usually jovial voice is only outdone by Sam''s. "No! What we do is our business. Who we choose to spend time with is our business. And where we choose to spend time is our business, not yours. You are not our girlfriend. Change your tone and watch how you address all of us. Disrespect will not be tolerated." Cameron finished, the same harsh demand in his voice. "Let''s go." Hemands our group, I assume, I still can''t see sh*t. Wow, Sierra was right, being around the guys has made mynguage more colorful. She spins me around, keeping me in the center of the group and I notice the guys don''t break formation around me although they at least spread out enough for me to movefortably, Sam leading us out. Sierra still has my arm though, ying with all of the straps of my new bracelets absentmindedly. It must make her rxed. Chapter 0047 Chapter 0047 Chapter 0047 "you got her?" Cam asks from behind me. It''s the first time any of them have spoken on the ten minute walk back to the truck. Before I can ask what he means, someone steps close to me. Yep." Oliver slides an arm around my waist from the back and pulls me close to him. My back is touching his stomach and I''m leaning against one of his legs. It''s kind of weird and personal, but oddly it doesn''t feel romantic and I don''t feel ufortable either. Just another thing to unpack with Sierrater. At least his arm around me was some kind of signal that everyone could move away from me. The bags were loaded in the back. Sam, Mateo and Sierra jumped in the third row. Oliver opened my door, lifted me and ced me in my seat. When he closed my door Dakota stood by it until Oliver got in on his side. The twins got inst, all while looking around as if there was a threat lurking in the shadows. It was natural movement from all five of them, like a well oiled machine that has done this thousands of times before. I wonder if this is something they do at whatever summer training they attend each year. It was fascinating if you sat back, really broke it down and analyzed it. It''s the first time noticed them all acting like the leaders they were supposed to be, not the teenage boys they are. A flutter of butterflies errupted in my stomach at the idea that they turned this machine one because of a threat to me. We drove in silence, but I think the guys were talking over the mindlink. Oliver wasn''t looking at me, but he was turned in my direction and had his extremely long leg stretched out across the center of the truck and his ca f touched my shin. I Ined to move to give him more space, but his leg followed my movements keeping contact. I could see him making eye contact with Dakota, but think they were trying to be subtle. I wish Sierra was in the pack and could ink with me. I have so many questions about the guy''s behavior today and I don''t think we would get away with texting right now. My thoughts are cut short as we pull into the packhouse garage and start unloading all the bags from today. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. "Thank you for today. It was so much fun. Sierra, will you help me get these to my room?'' I wanted to get her alone so we could talk. This seemed like the best excuse. "Oh, we aren''t even close to being done Shorty." My brother grabs my hand and starts dragging me into the packhouse following the twins, the rest of the crew behind us leaving all the shopping behind. Once we take off our shoes at the front door, we head straight for the kitchen where I can hear and smell the most delicious food cooking. The day must end with a tradition." Sam begins walking up next to me. "We always celebrate birthdays with a poolside barbeque, no matter the time of year. Now that you are one of us, you must adhere to the tradition. Noining or whining allowed." His loud voice echoes off the long cream colored hallway. The Luna has it decorated beautifully. Family pictures going back generations hung, galley style, on the walls. Little side tables had vases with fresh flowers that smelled amazing and were understated, not too perfumey and overwhelming. She always has fresh flowers everywhere. "But, you already did breakfast and shopping with me." I start to argue, but Dakota turns and puts his finger on my lips to stop me from talking. Another weird gesture. They have all been very touchy today. He keeps his finger there and walks backwards, while Sam pushes me forward. "Breakfast is also a part of the tradition, now don''t break the rules, protesting falls under the category ofining." He smiles a devilish smile at me as he turns around and I can''t force my smile to go away. Sierra is openlyughing at me. "Did you know about all of this?'' I waved my hand in the air looking at her like the secret keeping traitor I know she is. "Of course. It isn''t a surprise if you are told what is going to happen." She links her arm in mine again as Mateo lets me go, but Sam stays just behind me with his hand on my lower back. Come to think of it, someone had had physical contact with me since Kaley showed up. Man, my list of'' needs exining'' is getting dangerously long. Chapter 0048 Chapter 0048 Chapter 0048 We step into the industrial sized open concept kitchen. It is all stainless steel, ck countertops and white cabs. Very masculinepared to the rest of the house. But it is designed to be able to hostrge pack functions so fashion doesn''t really y a role here. Although the Luna has more vases full of flowers to tie it to the rest of the main level. The wall that attaches to the hallway we came out of is full of cabs and storage. To the left of us is therge Ind that could probably sit 20 grown wolvesfortably. The dark gray and ck granite countertop here was covered in tters of snacks and appetizers. The wall behind it housed two sets of dual wall ovens that were separated by a 20 foot long gas range. To the right of the hallway we exited were the industrial sized refrigerators and more storage going around the third wall. The wall overlooking the back patio was mostly ss and the view was amazing. The patio and pool were lit up with string lights and just beyond that you could see the woods as it took on thete afternoon glow. It was perfect. "Come on." Cam grabs my hand this time and drags me out back. Luna Ava and Delta Gwen are on lounge chairs each with a ss of wine. Alpha Lucas is manning the grill where I can smell burgers. My mouth starts to water. Delta Kyle and Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Gamma Brette walking out with coolers. "Underage cooler on the right, Legal''s on the Left." Gamma Brett shouts out to everyone "Seriously?" Oliver looks at his dad. "You aren''t going to share? "Nope, what you do when not in my presence is what you do and I don''t care as long as you don''t do anything stupid that harms someone or makes me a grandpa before you find your mate. But in my presence you are an underage teenager with rules that apply." We allugh and I think that is the first time I have seen Oliver blush. That''s three whole emotions out of him today. "l hope you like burgers, sweetheart." Alpha Lucas calls over to me as I am getting a soda out of the ?underage'' cooler. miey are actually my favorite, how did you know?" I walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He just stared at me for a minute with a goofy smile on his face before he cleared his throat, %rriors tend to be burger fans, and from what I''ve heard and seen you are one of our best." I smiled again and I turned to walk away. "Wait, are you blushing Dad?" Dakotaughs. That makes me smile a bit more, but I try to hide it. The Alpha is cute when he is in dad mode. "l don''t know what you''re talking about If my face is red, its due to the heat from the grill." Alpha Lucas clears his throat again. Cam walked over and both twins wereughing at him and talking too low for me to hear. "Skr, did you find a dress?" Luna Ava asked, diverting my attention from the alphas. And that was all the invitation Sierra needed tounch into descriptions of every dress I put on and showing her and Delta Gwen the carousel of photos she has. I didn''t realize how many she actually took. She finally got to the one of the dress we finally chose. "So this is the one and you will be able to see we all agreed unanimously." She slid to the next picture, only it wasn''t a picture it was a video of me walking out. I don''t even recognize myself. I look happy and healthy. My high curled ponytail and crescent ne and even my shoesplete the look in the corseted dress. You can hear the guys'' exmations, but I only just noticed their faces in the mirror. Eyes wide, mouths open, just in shock. Another warm feeling washes over me, their looks are of appreciation not scandal or even fake interest. don''t think I have ever seen them look at me like that before and we have been hanging out for months. She even caught the exchange between my brother and Sam and the four of us had a goodugh. "l am going to need a copy of that video, the boys reactions are priceless." Luna Ava said and Delta Gwen agreed. Chapter 0049 Chapter 0049 Chapter 0049 "Alright, burgers are all done, everyone go and fill a te." Alpha Lucas calls and ushers everyone into the kitchen with therge tter of grilled meat. We all filled up tes and went back out to take seats at an oversized table off to one side of the pool. Everything was so delicious. We were allughing and eating at therge patio table, conversation was effortless. The guys were talking about birthdays in the past and regaling Sierra and I with some of their antics. The adults filled in some more embarrassing details the guys ''forgot.'' knew my stomach was going to hurt tomorrow fromughing so hard. We sat there until the sun started to go down. As we all finished up and tes were all but licked clean, Mateo got up and grabbed my empty te. Sam did the same for Sierra. The rest of the boys got up and took tes from all the adults wordlessly. That was strange. The confusion must have shown on Sierra''s and my face. mlese boys eat well and have it easy when they are in the house, so it''s their job to clean up dinner when we all get together like this." Luna Ava exins. "They have done it their whole lives. They aren''t too important to help out with basic things around the house." Sierra and I look back over into the full ss windows showing the whole of the kitchen. Again, I think of a well oiled machine. They just move in sync with each other, allmunicating without saying words, getting the job done quickly. The whole kitchen is cleaned and put back to normal in less than thirty minutes. It really is a sight to see and I cant help the big smile that crosses my face. has you looking ike that?'' Sierra bumps me in the ribs and whispers to me. The way the boys move together, Ys fun to watch. I noticed it at the mall today too. They don''t even have to look at each other or say anything, like all the cogs in a well tuned machine." I shrugged like It was no big deal. Arge cake was set in front of me with fifteen burning candles. Where did thate from? I really had to get better at reading Sierra''s distraction techniques. I didn''t even notice them bringing it out. Singing starts as I look at the beautiful round cake with light blue frosting and dark blue piping spelling out ''Happy 15th Skr.'' I blew out the candles and everyone pped and cheered. The beautiful moment set me off and tears I have been holding back since this morning just spilled over. A warm arm wraps around the back of my shoulders and pulls me sideways into a tight hug. wrap my arms under his and bury my head into his neck and breathe in the familiar calming scent and just let my tears go. Mateo shifts and pulls me onto hisp and snuggles me closer. mlis is how it will always be from now on, baby sis. This is how it should have always been. Can you forgive me? " He''s whispering in my ear. ''l didn''t know, or really didn''t pay enough attention to notice that you never got anything on your birthday. No party, no presents, we didn''t even acknowledge it. I can''t imagine what that must have been like. am so sorry." Mateo pulls back and looks in my eyes, his are filled with unshed tears. I just nod, don''t even know if I could speak without crylng again. "l dont know if dad will ever be able to be around, since he also lost his mate today and that breaks something inside of you, but I have made my choice and I choose to spend it with the person still here, alive and kicking. Instead of spending it six feet above a person I don''t even remember." We both start crying and embrace again. I just let it all out and squeeze him as hard as I can, hope I don''t hurt him. I don''t know how long we sat like that, but the rest of our friends just eft us in peace. When we pulled back he rubbed his thumbs under my eyes, drying the tears and wiping away the smudged racoon eyes that I''m sure are there. "Did you tell them? The guys and Sierra, do they know this is a first for me?" "Yes, I had to exin a bit _ They know you''ve never had a party before and that I think you usually spend it alone because dad takes me with him to visit mom. I don''t think the Luna knew about that part, | have never seen her so pissed before. She had some choice words to say about dad¡¯s and my behavior, straight to our faces. | thought Alpha Lucas was going to have to step in to calm her down.¡± He grimaced at the memory.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Chapter 0050 Chapter 0050 Chapter 0050 "But what about dad, and his reputation? I tense up in Mateo''s hold. "He''s going to be so angry at me when he finds out people know he doesn''t really want me and he mes me for mom''s death. He''s going to lock me in my room for a week after this. Maybe worse if the Luna yelled at him." can feel my panic rise, shallow breathsing in fast but providing no oxygen, and I start to try and get off my brothersp to go back to the house and hide, waiting for the storm to hit. "Don''t you dare try and leave and he won''t be mad at you. He already knows what we have been doing all day. Luna Ava set him straight pretty fast, I have actually never seen her use her Luna aura before, but it was impressive. I am actually more scared of her than of the Alpha think. He was told if he couldn''t behave like a parent grateful for an amazing child, then he could make himself scarce for the day." "But¡ª" He got in trouble with the Luna and she used her aura on him. I was going to be in really big trouble, he might actually harm me this time. "No buts, this knowledge changes nothing. He has known for three days that we were going to do this. I thought Sierra was going to rip my arms off when I told her today was your birthday and we had nothing nned. She is also very scary, you have some fierce women who care about you." He gave me a little sideways smile, that I''m sure gets his way with any girl he wants. "You are going to enjoy the rest of the night with us. Like we told you, it''s tradition and you are a part of the crew now." you guys really do breakfast, shopping and a barbeque for all of your birthdays? I ask skeptically. There is no way they do this with just each other. They are all attention wh?res_ They probably have raging parties that they invite the whole school to. I wouldn''t actually know, I''ve never been included in Mateo''s birthday before. "On our actual birthdays, yes, this is what we do. We don''t get up nearly as early as we did for you, that was brutal by the way. But, with your training schedule it was hard to beat you out of the house this morning. I am going to sleep the whole day tomorrow to make up for theck of sleepst night." Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. "Don''t act like you don''t stay up all night with your extra curricr females and get up and function the next day." scoff at him yfully. "They don''t stay all night, we take care of needs and they leave." "AH! La La La La La! I don''t need details." I cover my ears. He pulls my hands downughing. "But I still get more sleep having than I did nning and executing your party with that crazy friend of yours and the Luna." I scrunch my nose, but at least he said his conquests leave when he''s done with them. I don''t know if I could handle facing any of his bed buddies the morning after. "Okay, enough is enough. You are done with sibling bonding. He''s a d*ck and he''s sorry. The rest of us are stupid and didn''t pay any attention to what was going on around us and we are sorry. You, being the gracious person you are, forgive us wholeheartedly. Now eat your damn cake, I ved for minutes choosing it at the bakery and getting the icing to match your eyes just right." Sam saunters through the back door with thergest slice of cake I have ever seen and sets it in front of me. les a twoyered cake with chocte on the bottom and vani on the top and some kind of caramel in between the two. I took a small bite, it was heaven on a fork. I close my eyes and moan a little bit as the vor explodes on my tongue. "If that''s all takes, Little Bit, we can continue this "Don''t you finish that sentence or you will be searching for missing teeth." Mateo growls out. I try to hide augh, but Sierra and the rest of the guys just roll their eyes andugh along with Sam''s antics as they join us. shift to sit next to Mateo on the bench and finish my cake. Chapter 0051 Chapter 0051 Chapter 0051 The parents must have decided to leave us alone after my emotional disy. So it''s just Sierra, the guys and sitting at the patio table now enjoying dessert. I can still hear the adults talking somewhere inside the house though. "So, you get to pick my birthday cake every year Sam! This was great!"ughed at his smug expression as he started to preen himself like the male peacock he is. "Okay, one more tradition before the night is over." Cam says standing up and taking his shirt off. I immediately look away, but I am met with the rest of the guys taking off their clothes too. What the hell is going on? am surrounded by the sexiest guys know, who are now down to their boxer briefs. There is nowhere safe to look. can feel my face burn with embarrassment at the idea of being caught ogling them. They don''t need that ego boost, but damn it was hard to look away. They are all 16 year old gods chiseled from head to toe. Every muscle was defined, no area receives more attention than another. Arms corded and ripped, moving with every small twist of the wrist of fingers. Biceps and shoulders taught, abs flexing as they pull the shirts over their heads and those devilish ''V'' muscles dipping into their barely hanging on shorts. Oh boy, did the temperature just "Like what you see Tiny?'' My eyes go wide at Cam catching me staring at all of them. "Umm.." I have literally been rendered stupid and speechless while also wanting the ground to swallow me "It''s okay, you can always share too, if it would make you feel morefortable." Sam winks at me and I feel my face burn brighter. "Knock it off, Sam, I''m serious." Mateo ps him upside the head again. n,Nho gets to do the honors? Except Sam!" are you talking about?" I ask standing up from my seat looking at each of them. I stop on SierraN?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. trying to catch a hint of what''s going on. She just shrugs, no ideas, but she''s willing to go with whatever the guys are going to do to me. At least I''m not the only one in the dark. I don''t feel unsafe though, and she''s probably thinking the same thing. Of all the emotions feel around them, fear has never been "Me!" Dakota shouts and before I know what''s happening I''m lifted up and instinctually wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, painfully aware of all the beautiful bare skin I am touching. Before could ask again what was going on we hit the warm water of the pool. My muscles involuntarily tighten around him as the bubbles from our plunge swirl around us. Kota swims for the surface and as we break free I can hear Sierra''s scream as I assume she is being thrown in as well. Then a torrent of sshes and noise happened around us. A''Vhat was that all about?" I question wiping water and hair from my face. ?rradition. Once we finish eating and celebrating, we swim until midnight when the birthday is officially over." "You really could have just said that. Was the aggressive dunk really necessary?" He looks down between us at my legs wrapped around him and then at my arms wrapped around his neck. "Absolutely." The little twitch of his lips, telling me he''s fighting his smile, makes me feel all warm again. Thank you for today, Kota. was fun." hugged him again. Cam swims up close behind me wrapping an arm around my waist, effectively pulling me off of Kota. "Did you have a good day?" "l did, Thank you." I lean back, tucking my face into his neck and smile up at him as he hugs me from behind. "My turn." Oliver swims over and I don''t even hesitate to wrap my arms around his neck,ughing. Cam releases me slowly. Thank you for today, you guys really made it special for me." The smile he gives me when I pull back from the hug, Chapter 0052 Chapter 0052 Chapter 0052 I know it will start a whole newpetition if I do, but I can''t help instigating his troublemaker tendencies. I slide a hand in his hair at the nape of his neck and ce the other on his opposite cheek and pull him to me pressing my lips softly against his stubbly cheek. I barely touched him with my lips wthen he gasped. His fingers flex into my side and leg where he''s holding me. ''IF*ck! Little Bit. That was hot! Now I get why Alpha was blushing." His voice is low and deeper than normal and he''s not quite looking at me. "Does that mean the rest of us get one too?" Kota asks expectantly. I pretend to think for a moment. "Of course." I wiggle out of Sam''s arms and swim to his waiting arrns_ He grabs my waist gently and I wrap both hands into his curly ck hair and pull his cheek to my lips. Turning in his arms I reach for Cam doing the same and then Oliver. I leave them all looking a little stunned and swim over to Sierra "Ooh! Is it my turn?" She bats her eyes at me. I grab her, wrap my legs around her waist like the guys and kiss her slowly on both cheeks before looking over my shoulder at them, smiling. I don''t know what made me so brave all of a sudden. Maybe having friends who actuallywant to know me. I felt light and really happy, off the training grounds, for the first time in a long time. "I think you broke them." Sheughs at them all standing in a line, mouths open, not blinking, staring at us. "They don''t know how to handle the Skr orgy, or the girl on girl action" I just cringe and try not to be embarrassed by her statement, thenugh and hug her tightly. "Thank you for being here today, this means a lot." I say into her ear. "Now, what are we going to do until midnight? These boys are being weird, and we need to lighten the mood." ''Let''s see how long it takes them to join a volleyball game." She looks at me and then over to them finally broken from their trance and milling about talking together at the opposite end of the pool. The pool is a beautifulrge rectangle edged inrge t stones so it resembles a naturalke rather than a modern pool. The concrete inside the pool is painted a light green with lights ced every few feet so it looks ethereal. It''s all one depth across, making poolMaterial ? of N?velDrama.Org. games more fun, although it''s designed for the average tall werewolf, so I can barely touch. Now, knowing these guys better, everything gets turned into apetition, so this should be easy. We pull the across and hook it to the support bar and startzily hitting it back and forth. It took all of three minutes for Sam to reach over Sierra''s head and return a volley for her. Then Oliver joins my side and we start ying two on two. Of course the twins and my brother couldn''t be left out for long. With the odd number we just kept rotating, the ys getting more and more wild and aggressive as we went and who knows what kind of point system they were using. I stopped trying to figure it out and just had fun. We started sshing as a distraction and once when I was close to the, Kota grabbed my legs from the other side and pulled me under to make me miss the ball. That turned into an all out dunking match and somehow Sierra and I became the main targets. I kept getting caught and tossed. It was too hard to swim away while still being fully dressed. The guys tried to talk me into going in my underwear, Sierra had finally conceded, but there was no way Iwas joining in. I was really good at keeping my injuries covered, even with all the activities. But swimming around half naked in a pool, nothing was going to make me expose myself like that. "I need a break" I finally call out to them and go to climb out of the side of the pool to grab a drink have barely stood to my full height, when I hear my brother. "WHAT THE F*CK IS THAT?!" Chapter 0053 Chapter 0053 Chapter 0053 I spin quickly, thinking there is some kind of threat, I''m on high alert. "What?" My wet ponytail whips around and wraps around my neck, hands at the ready for a fight. "What is on your back Skr?" He hasn ''t used my full name in months, since I started hanging out with him and the guys regrly. He looks like he is trying to hold in his temper and his eye color is swirling, letting me know his wolf is pissed and close to the surface. I reach back and realize my shirt has been pushed all the way up to my bra, exposing my whole torso. I didn''t even feel it move in the water. My eyes widen and I know what he can see, the bruising around my ribs in various shades of healing and the pink and mottled scars along my back from the whip and silver. The make-up Sierra put on the exposed parts must havee off too, not helping the case. "It''s nothing, just training injuries, that''s all." I ramble out a little too quickly to be believable, more concerned with getting my shirt down. "You''re lying. Why are you lying to us, Skr?" Cam N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. and Kota ask in the crazy twin unison that happens sometimes. Again using my full name, not the nickname they gave me as they climb out of the pool and begin to move closer to me. "It''s not a big deal. Some people go a little more rough since they know I can fight now, that''s all. That isn''t a total lie. My attackers have gotten more rough now that they-low I can actually fight. Trying to bait me into fighting them back And when I don''t they try to get paired with me during training so I have to. I have abandoned the idea of getting a drink and now just want to get out Of here and lock myself in my room for a few days. Pm disappointed, they should have never seen this and I was careless enough to let my guard down, and now they won''t let it go. Using my peripherals, I''m looking for the best way to escape. "You don''t fight anyone, but us and Sierra at group training and the Luna and a few warriors during advanced training. None of us have sparred with you in a way to leave marks like that and some of them are older, before we started training with you. You wanna try again, Skr?" Oliver''s deep voice and menacing look stalls my breathing as he stalks towards me, the rest of the guys have followed suit. He was built to be an interrogator. "It''s nothing really, let it go. I''m pleading now, not even trying toe up with another excuse. I move towards the side of the house closest to mine. I am just as fast as all of them, but getting into my house is what will slow me down for them. Think Sky, think. "Sky, we aren''t going to let it go. Who put their hands on you? We need to handle this and deal with them. Let them know they can''t mess with any of us and get away with it. The question from Sam came out growly and he had that same look as when we were at the mall talking to Kaley. Deal with them? What? I stop trying to walk away and look at all of them. These raging fuming boys who had no idea what they were even mad at. They all of a sudden noticed something was wrong and got protective. Well, they are toote, way toote. A hot boiling builds inside me and something snaps. Now I am pissed and my rage res the minute that one phrase falls from his lips. For years I have been dealing with this, years, because they believe in survival of the fittest and looking the other way when kids are being roughed up or pushed around. And my particr bully thinks she''s untouchable because of her dad and the rumors she''s spread about being the next Luna. They have heard all of them and just ignore it, do nothing, or at the very best not enough to stop it. Because when you ignore things they go away in their world. I see red and my wolf is fired up too, she knows what I have gone through, but we have kept her a secret, I am already a freak for the fighting skills I have that ''came out of nowhere'' and the grades and schedule I keep, I don''t need ''weirdo early shifter'' to be added to the list. I give them my own death re. "NO!" I roar, and they all stop wide eyed. "You. Will. Let. It. Go! You will let it go, because said so. You will let it go because wthile all of this has been going on," I gesture to myself, "I still did everything that was ever asked of me. I showed up, did the work, became the best at everything. The perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect warrior and no one took notice then. You never gave a sh*t before I was a part of your friend group, until you deemed me good enough." I looked at my brother pointedly. "Delta Kyle and the Luna noticed eventually," I looked at Sam and the twins with my best re. "and that was just as instructors. They respected my wishes and let it go. Sierra noticed the first day we met, she didn''t even know me, and she respected my wishes and let it go. You five have known me MYWHOLE F*CKING LIFE and didn''t notice or give two sh*ts until right now. You don''t get to be protective now, it''s toote. I don''t need you to step in now. I spit out, letting years of pent up anger flow from my mouth, not caring who I hurt with my words. I wanted someone to hurt as bad as me for once. TO understand the isting and suffocating pain. Chapter 0054 Chapter 0054 Chapter 0054 "A lot of this has gone on in your presence and you were too caught up in yourselves to notice, you nonverbally gave permission for this to happen to me and, more importantly, to others. So no, you don''t get to "handle this'' or ''deal with it''." I air quote. am handling it in my own way, and that''s the way it''s going to stay. LET. IT. GO!" I turned and started walking off before I got so angry I shifted in front of them. My muscles are shaking, and my wolf is wing to get out and beat all of them. Luna Ava POV I jumped off the couch when I started to hear shouting from the back yard. Lucas followed me to the balcony. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. I can see the boys gathered together just outside the pool and Skr at the edge of the patio soaking wet and looking ready to murder them. Sierra must be just out of sight, I can still smell her here though. Not all of their words travel up to me, but they must have really done a number on her for her to look like that. I can only see the backs of the boys heads, but they appear hesitant to move at all. "I still did everything that was ever asked of me. I showed up, did the work, became the best at everything. The perfect daughter, the perfect student, the perfect warrior and no one took notice then. You never gave a sh*t before I was a part of your friend group, until you deemed me good enough." I looked at my brother pointedly. "Delta Kyle and the Luna noticed eventually," I looked at Sam and the twins with my best re. "and that was just as instructors. They respected my wishes and let it go. Sierra noticed the first day we met, she didn''t even know me, and she respected my wishes and let it go. You five have known me MY WHOLE F*CKING LIFE and didn''t notice or give two sh*ts until right now. You don''t get to be protective now, it''s toote. I don''t need you to step in now." She turned to walk away and I turned to go into the house. Determined to find out what they were fighting about and fix it. Lucas grabbed me from behind and pulled me back to his chest. "Let her go and let them sit with this. Whatever they did to upset her, she set them straight and they need to figure out how to fix it on their own." He says low in my ear, reading my mind as usual. "My poor girl, did you see her face?" I turn to look at him. "She has already been through so much and we haven''t done much to help." "We can''t step in each time a pack member is a terrible parent or when kids are having trouble at school. No matter how close we are to them. We can''t show favoritism like that. And you know I am already doing what I can at school, but I have to keep it by the books. We can''t investigate properly if people think we are looking for something. They will figure this out, Love." Lucas turns me and pulls me into his chest. "She''s so special, you can already see the bond with the boys, I don''t know if I have heard it happening this early before. I don''t even think they have caught onto what is happening. "Are you kidding? Right now we would have to smack them upside the head with a smart stick to get them to notice. Even Skr told them, they pay no attention to details. They are still 16 year old boys." He chuckles into my hair. "She is going to be amazing though, did you see them stop in their tracks? She might be more intimidating than you are. Kyle says he''s never seen anything like her on the training field, even in the Alpha King''s ranks. The border patrol keeps an eye on her when she runs the border and says she is faster everytirne and her wolf is beautiful. She has never been left alone, not afterst year. Let these boys learn to grovel, I have a feeling they will have to do a lot of it. She has to learn to survive this and askfor help. She will be okay." "I hope so." I say into his chest. "She just has to survive high school first. Chapter 0055 Chapter 0055 Chapter 0055 Skr Choruses of ''Sky,'' ''Skr,'' and my various nicknames are being shouted behind me, but they don''t follow. I don''t know if they are respecting what I want or if Sierra is keeping them back, but I just need to walk away and cool off. I walk into my back door and through the kitchen straight to my room. I nce at the clock as I go to the bathroom. It''s after midnight, so at least the fight happened after my birthday, technically. I flip on the light and notice I look ridiculous in the mirror. All my make-up is gone, but streaks of ck remain under my eyes from my crying fit earlier, my ponytail is loose and drooping to one side as the ends are still wrapped around my neck like a noose. My shirt and jeans are a darker color and stered to my body and dripping from the pool. I quickly take everything off, dump my clothes in a pile to deal withter, my new jewelry is in a pile on the counter and jump into the shower, feeling really cold all of a sudden. I let the water get as hot as possible and once I have scrubbed my body until all of the skin is bright red I just let the steam enter my lungs and soothe my muscles and I cry. I just let out everything I have left. I will lose them, just like I knew I would. They will hate me for being weakand letting all of this go on for so long. For lying to them about the whole situation and then yelling at them. I haven''t been able to find a way to make the bullying stop and any one who has tried to help by going through the right channels, to the ''right people have been removed from the school. Either they transferred or they were suspended and not seen or heard from for weeks and when theye back, they are apletely different person treating me like the problem. It hurts and it sucks, it''s why I stopped trying to befriend people in the first ce. But the only ce I allow myself to feel the pity is here in the shower. No one will ever know that they got to me, but I''m not sure how much more I can take and all alone again. That hurts the most. It only took months, months for those guys to get close to me. To break down my emotional walls, the connections wrapping a tight web around my heart and tangle to a point where it might kill me to remove it. I have to let them go though. I do not want to tell this story and it will drive its wedge, secrets always do, and they will walk away from me like every other person who has tried to help. And, I won''t make Sierra choose. She is just as close to them as I arn_ It is easier for me to walk away, I have been doing it forever. I am just one person, easily reced. I climb out of the, now cold, stream of water, towel off and head to my room to find something to sleep in. Once Iyin bed, I just stare at the ceiling for hours. I can''t sleep going over the whole fight in my head. How mad at me they all were, the look of disgust at the marks on me, the imperfections. I''m just a weak little girl to them, damaged and broken. I can''t even take care of a simple bully or, I guess, bullies. I never knowwho it is who grabs me, but it is decidedly male. Their scent is masked somehow, even my wolf can''t find it if I bring her forward. I am positive about who instigates it, but I can''t prove anything, which is one of the main reasons I never go to anyone. It''s just my gut feeling and I can usually ce it with something she has said earlier in the day, or the previous day. She makes threats all the time, but nothing that would be considered more than teenage girl empty words trying to sound tough. She never trains, meaning most people probably think she''s weak, which in a one-on-one fight, I probably could kill her in a matter of seconds. But, I have no obvious reason to challenge her. I have even gone as far as sneaking in and looking at the camera footage at school to try and find me getting pulled into a closet and leaving bloody and bruised or her and I interacting at all. But she is so good the footage with the attacks on me are never there. They are either being erased or she is just that good at covering her tracks and knowing where the cameras are ced. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. The only time Kaley let herself be known was when she put the silver powder in the wounds from the She wanted me to know it was her that time. *FLASHBACK* Last spring, right before the summer break. I had been grabbed and pulled into a janitor''s closet, as usual. But, instead of getting smacked or punched, my hands and feet were bound with rope, a gag was wrapped around my mouth and something shoved over my head. I truly thought I was going to die, this was going to be thest memory I had. After my head was covered, we just stood there, I had no idea why. I tried to struggle, but that earned me a punch to the side of the head. We kept standing there until I heard it. The faint sound of the bell. They had timed this so I would miss thest ss of the day and since I didn''t talk to anyone, no one would miss me, including the teacher. They waited another few minutes after the shuffle of feet had died down, my head hurt and keeping trackwas hard, then I was shoved forward and heard the sound of the door open. Arge, painful hand was on each upper arm dragging me forward. The ck cloth didn''t let any light in and I didn''t think to try and keep track of which turns we were making as we went. Something I made note ofter, beat myself up for, and prompted me to really start working on individual senses and tracking. I have never been, nor will ever be, captured like that again. Chapter 0056 Chapter 0056 Chapter 0056 When we got to our destination, I was thrown to the ground. I heard whispering, which means these kids didn''t have their wolves yet to mindlink The Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta had the power to push a mindlink through to anyone, wolf or not. It made giving directions in a crisis easier. But, until you had your wolf you could not link back or talk to anyone else. That''s all I had to workwith though. Male and around my age. They were talking too low to recognize a voice and without a scent I couldn''t identify them. I had just gotten myself to a sitting position when my arms were yanked over my head and hooked to something, holding me off the ground so my toes barely touched. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. My shirt was ripped open in the back and I let out a strangled squeal through the gag. The first sharp sting registered as I heard the loud crack echo in the air. I screamed again, I wasn''t sure what I was expecting, but it wasn''t the white hot pain of a whip. The first time they whipped me I was draped over a bench in the girls locker room and the 5shes carne quickly before my attackers were caught. This time, there was more bite in the whip and there was several seconds between the first and the second. The second one didn''t disappoint, I screamed again and this time heard an amused huff behind me, sick f* cls. As they went on I started to go to my happy ce, counting theshes, but hiding in my mind trylng to turn the pain off, go numb, don ''t feel, control my breathing, stay awake. By number seven I stopped making noise, which pissed my attackers off. Thest three came in quick session from either side of my body, telling me two people wielded whips this time, then my legs were lifted behind me, but not to take weight off my arms, just to put me in more of a horizontal position. I thought this was one of the worst feelings ever, like both shoulders were trying to dislocate. I was so wrong, the most blinding, searing pain hit me like a rocket sting its engine across my back I instantly lost vision and couldn''t even breathe to scream. I could feel my skin bubbling and burning away. Then the sensation hit me again and my body convulsed and bucked up in my captors grip and my stomach tried to empty its contents into the gag and I started choking. "Take that f*cking thing out of her mouth, I want her to suffer, not die. She needs to suffer over and over again for all the sh*t she keeps causing me." That voice I do know. I''m still choking as one of my legs are dropped and I''m hanging awkwardly sideways. The tie is undone behind my head, roughly, taking some hair with it and thrown to the ground as I cough out everything from my stomach, lungs, wherever the vomit is. My dangling leg is lifted back up and the blinding white hot pain resumes. This time the pain is apanied by the smell of burnt flesh, my burnt flesh. My body convulses and tries to wretch again. I am struggling to take air in, my lungs don ''t want to function and I am pretty sure my dder relieved itself too. Tears were streaming from my eyes and I started mumbling incoherently in between the burning sensation and retching. The grips on my ankles are getting tighter, either getting hard to hold or they are having trouble with the different putrid smells now in the room. I hear a high nasally giggle, she is enjoying herself. How does someone enjoy watching another person go through pain like this? I still don''t know what I did to her this time to earn a punishment, let alone one that is in the form of torture. "Remember this, you little b*tch. Stay away from my men, stop trying to keep me from issuing discipline to the low lifes in this school, stop making me look bad in front of the teachers, by handing in perfect work and sucking up all the time. I am your future Luna and you will all bow to me, fall in line and follow orders or next time you will beg me to Idll you. Kaley says from across the room. "Now clean this sh*t up and dump her in the woods, let''s see if she ''s worthy of surviving." She says right before the door closes. *END FLASHBACK* Chapter 0057 Chapter 0057 Chapter 0057 Thatst part hit me the hardest. That stupid f*cking motto my brother and his friends lived by. They let people think that only the strongest should survive. It was actually the way that they yed when they did drills together. Last man standing and all that. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. They taunted and teased each other for being the ''weakest'' that day. The problem was they never exined that they were teasing and motivating each other to anyone. They just said the stupid line and went about their lives not realizing who''s listening and following their lead. They are oblivious to the influence they have without even trying. I throw my covers off, I can''t sleep. The memory just brings on more nightmares. I rub my eyes forcefully and look at the clock, it''s 3am. The only thing is to run off the nervous energy now. You want out tonight? I thought you would never ask It''s been a while. Hanging out with those boys hasn''t given you as much free time since we are still hiding that you are special. You Imowwhy we do, and it was your idea in the first ce. Let''s get a couple miles out and then I will turn it over to you. Maybe I can get a bit of rest that way. Whatever you need, I''m here for you. We got this, kiddo. My wolf feels like an old soul. Almost like a cool aunt that gives me advice when I ask, but also lets me totally figure things out the hard way after instigating a less than intelligent idea. That used to come in the form of broken bones or other self inflicted injuries when I was trying some new defensive move. I can at least say I haven''t injured myself in a long time. I get my running gear on and tiptoe to the back door, hoping to not make a sound going out. I don''t know if the guys went home or are still out partying. Maybe they each found a girl to entertain now that they didn''t have to babysit me. I spared one look at the twins'' backyard as I ran towards the forest. I didn''t hear any noises, but the garden lights were still on, who knows. I couldn''t dwell on it though, I have already decided to let them go. I''m not allowed to wonder what they are doing or who they''re with. I can''t want to be with them and keep my secret, that''s not fair to them. The pack members are more important, they need to stay safe. That''s the mission. I made it to the edge of the forest and sat to put on my shoes. I couldn''t risk tearing up my own feet and I can''t shift here, someone could see or hear me. The transformation was not pleasant to go through or to watch, especially for a new shifter. Once you get the hang of it, you and your wolf can interchange pretty easily and quickly, but it takes a lot of practice. We are pretty good, but the noise could still attract someone and I can ''t take that risk I tie my shoes tightly, check my ponytail to make sure it''s secure and wrap the straps of the little backpack I brought to store everything around my waist so it doesn''t bounce around while it''s empty. I start to jog, thinking, again, about everything that happened today. How does Kaley always seem to find me with the guys? Even if it''s not the twins, she manages to track me down and make things difficult and cause a scene, then I am attacked the next day. I wish they would at least get creative and find a way to hurt me at training. Then again, I would have their faces and be able to identify who is abusing their strength and assumed power. What is it about her dad that gives her so much power to not get in any kind of trouble? Just that thought makes me angry again. I run faster, pushing my legs. I need to feel the burn in my muscles before I turn over control. I start running the patrol route and let muscle memory take over letting the heat take all of the anger I have towards that one person and incinerate the emotion. I''ve been going for about an hour when my wolf lets me know there is another presence near us. I''m on alert now, letting her enhance my vision and hearing. To my left I can hearbored breathing, someone is trying to nkme, but at a distance. Then a twig crack to the right and a huff. I sniff the air, they are down wind, but not making an effort to be stealthy. Whoever is following me should have known I would figure them out quickly, so they either want their presence known or they are stupid. I''m hoping it''s the first one, I''m not close enough to the border''s edge for a rogue or neighboring pack member to be following me without patrol picking it up, but as I have that thought six faces pop into my head. Chapter 0058 Chapter 0058 Chapter 0058 As if I manifested them, all of my friends appeared from different ces behind me. Even Sierra is with them, looking worried. I keep running. I can''t stop. I don''t want them to try and understand. I don''t want them to talk me into working something out. It will hurt more than anything. I have to let them go, protect the pack at all costs, be worth the Beta blood running in my veins, prove myself a loyal pack member, and put my job as a warrior above all else. I can''t be distracted by the drama that having them as friends brings. I ran harder, I can hear them all struggling to keep up, but they are there, just as stubborn as me. There''s only one way to get away from them. Let''s shift. Full throttle from them. Are you sure you don''t want to talk to them? Maybe they could help if you exined a little bit more. No, you saw them before, they aren''t going to be reasonable and they don''t get to step in like white knights when they haven ''t paid enough attention to notice when things are wrong. This isn''t just about me, they don ''t notice when any kidse in with marks and injuries that didn''te from training. They don ''t know any of these kids, unless they are a popr female old enough to f*ck No, they don''t get easy exnations, they can do the work and find out the hard way. Now shift. I can feel she wants to talk to them and ising up with reasons to stop running. But you will destroy your stuff, are you sure? We''ve never done it moving. There''s only one wayto find out. I can''t keep this pace up forever, and they have been training with me long enough to know when my stamina will give. They are wearing us down and starting to corral us. There''s a reason they waited until we were an hour into our run. Worst case we crash and they catch up anyway. Alright. You got it. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. I let here forward and just focus on my legs moving continuously. We are on a pretty clear path, one I take regrly, so I don ''t have to think veW hard about where my feet need to go. I can feel my lungs starting to burn with the effort of maintaining the fast pace longer than usual. I put on a burst of speed to give us some distance. I''m ready, on the count of three, jump and I will take over. Let''s hope this works. One... Two...THREE As she says three, I jump as high as I can go, giving her as much time to change andnd as possible. We twist in the air and I can feel my bones dislocating and reforming, the hair on my body is growing thick, my nose and mouth lengthening. I hear the ripping of clothes. It''s too bad those were some of my favorites, and I will for sure need new running shoes now. We land on the ground on all fours. My jet ck tail fur is gleaming in the moonlight. But we don''t stop moving. Picking up speed we start to create Some distance. "What the f*ck? Since when can she shift?" Oliver, I think, yells. "And how has she managed to learn how to shift on the fly?" Cameron, the oldest, usually gets his panties in a wad when he isn''t first at something, which is "I have no f*cking idea. Clearly, she''s good at hiding sh*t from all of us." Mateo blurts angrily. Is he mad at me? He does not get to be mad at me when he hasn''t been there for me thest few years. Why would I tell him anything? We put on a burst of speed. Chapter 0059 Chapter 0059 Chapter 0059 We have put some distance between them and us, but I can feel my wolf''s hesitation. She doesn''t agree with running from them. She spins once to get a lookat my friends, then keeps moving forward, but more slowly. They all look shocked. At the fact that I can shift, how quickly I shifted, or at the realization that there is another thing they didn''t know about me I''m not sure. She looked back at them with sympathy coursing through us, slowing more, I have no control right now. She is going to force me to talk to them. She slowspletely and turns in their direction, but doesn''t let her guard down. I Imovv she wants to go to them, and rely on them to help. Wolves are pack animals, we are designed to work together, but I won''t budge on this. They need to act like leaders, not just wait for things to fall into theirps. They make a semicircle around us as we alle to a halt. Mateo tries to take a step forward and we bare our teeth to warn him not toe closer. At least she agrees with my decision to make them earn my trust fully. My wolf refuses to growl though, she will not show hostility or disrespect, just that we are upset and don''t want them near. Hey, Little Bit. I know you can hear me. You can shift so you can mindlink I don''t know what''s going on, but clearly there are things we don''t know and you seem to be really upset with us. We just want to help. Don''t shut us out. We can''t help if we don''t understand. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. As goofy as Sarn acts, he is the only one who even thought to mindlinkme, unless the rest of the guys were just listening, trying to keep me calm now that I have stopped running. I hear movement to my right and see Dakota moving to circle me. We bare Our teeth at him and he stops. I''m fighting the urge to yell at them through the mind link. Once Sam gets me to talk, he''ll be able to distract me long enough for the guys to catch me. We spread our front paws and lower our head just a little, looking like we are going to strike, but in reality, I see a breakin their formation I could use to get back to the house before them. They will never catch me in my wolf form, she is fast, especially when I let her go full throttle. If she will run away from them that is. Hey! Quit trying to run, we just want to talk to you. Oliver jumps in my line of sight, he''s quick to figure out my movements. They must have all been listening. I keep my head moving, I want all of them in my sights at all times. I still refuse to talkto them. My wolf says she canmunicate with their wolves and they are terrified of what they sawst night and what I said. They really want to be here for me, but I just can ''t. I don''t want to get close to them. It hurts too bad now just trying to keep my distance, and it''s only been a couple hours. We are only going to get hurt more. Whether it''s from Kaley, Jeanie and Marnie, or any other mate that doesn''t want them to be close to us. It''s just better for all of us if this whole thing ends now. Please, juste back and talk to us. You can stay in your wolf form if that would make you feel better. Cam takes a small step forward and then sits on the ground. Orwe can stay right here. This seems to be your favorite spot anyway. It smells like you no matter what time Of day I run through here. He smiles at me. My head snaps to him. What? He follows my trails? Does he know my favorite spots? Wait. No, I can''t let them distract me. I shook my head to clear it, look around and get a head count, keeping them all in my sights. Sierraes over slowly and lowers herself to the ground next to Cam. "Well I assume you are all having a riveting conversation without me, but it looks like we may be staying outside to talk Can we at least go to the fire pit so the rest of us, not wearing fur, Can get a little morefortable? Chapter 0060 Chapter 0060 Chapter 0060 My wolf stands up to her full height and starts to walk in the direction of the fire pit in the little valley behind the pack house. Clearly we are entertaining being around them for now. She seems to trust that they won''t do anything to us while we walk in front of them. Pm sure that has something to do with her secret communications with their wolves. I seem to be along for the ride right now. Just don''t tell them what''s going on. I know, it''s stupid and petty, but they really have never cared before and I don''t understand why they all of a sudden give a sh*t about me. I want them to fix things, and I know that giving them information would, ultimately, help. But I can''t prove what''s happening to me and the other kids or by whom and I don''t need them going on a rampage and making things Worse. I don ''t need anymore pack members thinking I am weak and need their protection. I was left out here to suffer and hopefully die, that is the leadership they have shown. Letting pack members harm and torture each other without punishment to try and gain power in the pack You got it kiddo. I understand your reasons, but you need to understand mine. We need our pack and they want to know. Why they have taken notice is only something they can answer, but in any case they do care now. Give them something to work with. Fine, but the minute they start asking about my injuries, I''m out. I don''t want to rehash those memories agaln_ Deal. We gather around the firepit, My wolf sits on one side watching as the rest of them sit on the logs across the pit from me, just staring. Dakota and Cam set up the fire pit and get it started. Now it is a waiting game. They followed me out here, they can break the silence. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. "Okay, so are we just going to sit here and stare at each other?" Sierra asks. "Or can I just ask one ofyou to trante, if you are talking to her already?" She rolls her eyes. "When did you first shift?" My brother asks quietly, looking sad and I can guess why. Shifting for the first time is painful and it takes a really long time. He''s probably worked it out that I did it all by myself, just me and my wolf tofort me through it. The guys all had each other and their parents to encourage and be supportive and of course a party to celebrate with everyone. It didn ''t have that, never had that. They are starting to put the pieces together. About a week after all of you did. The night of the celebration for all five of you shifting. My wolf made eye contact with each of them as their eyes all grew in astonishment _ My answer is short and to the point. Sam ryed the information to Sierra. "By yourself? Why didn''t youe to get me or anyone to help you? Do you know how dangerous it was to go by yourself?" Is he really offended right now? First you were all at a party I wasn''t invited or allowed to go to, very upied by all of your friends. Second, why would Ie to people who have avoided me for thest five or six years. I was not worth any of your time or effort, or dad''s for that matter. Why would Ie to people who made it very apparent that I was not wanted, just tolerated? Even if I wanted to, I wasn ''t in a position toe and get anyone. The shift was unexpected but necessary, at thirteen I certainly didn''t know what to do. He looked hurt, and the rest of the guys were looking at him as if they were the ones treated poorly. Even in my head it sounds like I am being b*tchy and asking for pity, which isn''tpletely true. I don''t want pity, and I don''t want them to tell me they would have been there for me when we all know that isn''t the truth, not then. They were all too caught up in their own lives and their own first shifts and being another step closer to being the pack leaders. Chapter 0061 Chapter 0061 Chapter 0061 Anything they say now to try and make me feel better is strictly to ease their own conscience. I didn''t trust them to take care of me in a real moment of need when they didn''t take care of me in day to day things. I know my ce, have always known it, and now they are blurring those lines making it hard to keep my distance and keep myself from getting hurt. I can handle the physical pain from my bullies and training, I knowhow to heal from that, but the emotional pain that has been going on my whole life, I don''t know how to deal with that, so I kept my distance. I want to continue to keep my distance, but my wolf is right, we need our pack, or a pack "Is that why you ran? You run away everytime the focus is on you." Oliver asks, leaning forward, elbows on his-lees. Sam is keeping a runningmentary for Sierra. I can tell she is upset that I won''t shift back to talk to them. My wolf is at least intimidating enough to keep them away. I don''t want anyone trying to come close or embrace me. They don''t get to be sorry for all the things they ignored in the past, because they feel bad now. My friend doesn''t deserve this treatment and I would talk to her directly if I could, but I am holding out. I still have no reason to show them any kind of emotion and I can stay stoic in my wolf''s form. She can choose to forgive meter or just keep the distance and let me go like everyone else. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. "Can we jump back really quick to the part where she shifted at thirteen? That''s incredible Skr! Your wolf must be really special for you to shift so young. I still haven''t shifted yet." Sierra looks at me. understand why the guys shifted early and at the same time too. You are all really close and have a tight knit group and to top it off you are all high ranking wolves taking on your positions and training to be the next leaders. It makes sense that your wolves woulde out and help you along with that. But, Skr wasn''t in line to be the next beta or in a position for her wolf to be needed like that. So why did shee early, why was it necessary, what happened?" She looks back at me, I''m pretty sure she set me up with that question. This is an answer that I want to give her, but ites with a nightmare I don''t want the guys to know. Something I have been avoiding telling her since the day we met. She knows it, too. She actually showed up when I received some of the scars on my back. I closed my eyes inside my wolf''s head. I didn''t want to see their expressions through her very clear vision at that revtion. "She showed up because you were being attacked didn''t she?" Cameron whispered, the first to catch on. He''s leaning forward, elbows on his knees. He looks up slowly waiting for my answer. It''s what I always thought, but my wolf and I never discussed it. She nods her head in agreement. "WHAT?!" My brother jumps up and shouts. "It was so bad your wolf had to show up early?! Damnit Skr, wily didn''t you say anything to anyone?" He''s shaking so bad and his eyes keep changing from gray to ck, showing his wolf is fighting toe out. He''s running his fingers in his hair and pulling at it so hard it''s standing up in certain ces. My wolf lets out a warning growl, nothing offensive, just a warning to his wolf to get him in check Oliver jumps up and ces a hand on his shoulder to try and help calm him down. "Dude, she doesn''t need this right now. She''s got her reasons for not going to anyone and you getting all angry and huffy is not going to get you the answers that you want. Mateo is breathing hard and struggling with his temper. I can feel the anger, worry and torment all rolling off of him in waves. We need to help or he''s going to rage and tear this ce apart and the rest of your friends are going to get hurt trying to stop him. His wolf is having a hard time controlling both of their emotions. My wolf is pleading for me to go to him. His wolf needs her, needs thefort of his little sister. I''m still angry, but I get what she is saying. His anger is because of my situation and only I can calm him. Chapter 0062 Chapter 0062 Chapter 0062 Fine, go to him. I take a deep breath and sigh. Once again their needs are greater than mine. We stand up slowly and walk over to him, rubbing up against his leg. I can feel his whole body shaking in anger. We just continue to circle him and nuzzle his legs. We corne around to the front of him and look up into his eyes. He takes a few deep breaths and looks down at us, tears in his eyes. He''s trying to hold in the sadness and anger he feels and slowly raises his hand to run it through our fur just behind my ear. My wolf purrs at the contact and she closes her eyes, letting the contact calm us both. I feel his weight shift and we open our eyes to see he has knelt in front of us, both hands on the sides of my wolf''s face, looking us directly in the eyes. "I''m so sorry, Sky. I know I can''t take anything back or even begin to make it up to you, but Pm going to try. I thought if I just did what dad asked and kept my distance, it would take his focus off of you. I guess that idea backfired. I never knew how bad it was, because I put blinders on and just hoped everything was okay since you neverined about anything. You never got sick or asked for anything. That wasn''t because everything was fine though, was it?" N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. My wolf just shakes her head. His tears are silently falling now. "I don''t need details, if you don''t want to share, but I need to know the worst Sky. Why do you have scars that never healed properly? Why does it seem like you are a different person at school than on the training field or when you''re just with us?" His intentions are true and real. Let them in a little. I understand why you don''t want to give them names. You are right, they do not get to have revenge for what has been done to you. That is for you only. But, let them understand the result of their neglect so they can begin to change their ways. They cannot grow without being taught. You are a teacher, teach them. My wolf advises. I grumble in her head. This is exactly what I didn''t want to do. I don''t want to talk about the things in my nightmares. Just the thought hurts. They need something to work with. You can make it as simple or as detailed as you want. Maybe some graphic descriptions will be good for them. Did she just make a joke out of my torture? Fine. I said to her, then to the guys, I need some clothes, this will be easier to exin in human form. Sierra deserves to hear this from me directly. Before I finished,rge t-shirts were dangling in front of me. My wolf had to blink a couple times at the fast movement. She grabbed one gently in her teeth. She took a big inhale, Dakota, the scent instantly calming me. We walked behind a tree and shifted, then I pulled on the oversized shirt. I know these guys are significantly bigger than me, but jeez, the shirt sleeves reached past my elbows and the hem almost touched my knees. I had to try really hard to not think about the fact that Dakota was now shirtless, again, and the guys were all quick to literally give me the shirts off their backs. I walked out and sat on the log across from my friends. I just stared into the fire. I wasn''t going to be able to look at them while I told this story. I don''t want to throw rne their way, this isn''t about making them feel bad, but they also need to know they are a part of the problem. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and steeling myself to relive this story out loud for the first time. Chapter 0063 Chapter 0063 I took another deep breath in and let it out slowly, stalling as long as I could before beginning. ¡°It really started a few years ago, nothing major, just getting pushed around for stepping in to stop other, younger, kids from getting pushed around. Bullies don¡¯t like to be told what to do, so, naturally, more and more bullying happened. As a beta, the damage to me wasn¡¯t that bad at first and I found out I healed pretty quickly from the physical stuff. Unfortunately so did my bully. That¡¯s when my homework would go missing and I started having trouble with my grades. It wasn¡¯t from ack of doing the work. It was literally being stolen or destroyed. Another thing my bully found out was the power they received from being known to beat up someone with beta blood, and with dad¡¯s very open dislike of me, it was like an open invitation to try and harm me in some way.¡± I paused to take a breath. I¡¯ve never put into words what being bullied was like. ¡°The few times I was called into the principal¡¯s office and dad was called in, he never listened to my side of the story and added to whatever beating I had taken before, also greenlighting my torture.¡± Oliver opened his mouth and made a sound, I¡¯m sure to ask the obvious question. I held my hand up to stop him. I was never going to get through this if they interrupted me. ¡°I did go to adults. Dad and the principal obviously didn¡¯t believe me. Dad told me if I was too weak to handle my problems, then I was no daughter of his and not to make excuses for missing or poor work. I went to the principal about the physical stuff with other kids, and he told me something simr. We have had kids leave suddenly due to this bully after going to the proper adults to handle it or to try and help me by backing up my story. Teachers have also been removed from the school for trying to help me. I have since learned that school board members and elders are biased and only care for their own interests and not the interests of the students in the school. So I don¡¯t want to hear anything about telling someone, there is no one to tell anymore. Anyone with power doesn¡¯t care and I will not risk someone¡¯s livelihood because I got smacked around a few times.¡± I can feel myself getting fired up at the injustice I always feel at theck of caring from the adults in my world. ¡°You could havee to us, we would have helped you.¡± Cameron says, pointing to all of the guys. ¡°Would you really?¡± I cocked an eyebrow looking at each one of them. They all nod emphatically. ¡°When? In the middle of your invite only circle of friends? While you were entertaining the entire senior ss¡¯ poption of girls learning the finer points of being men? At all the sporting events with those same people? Hanging out at the diner and wherever else you went? While you were all gone for the summer at training. None of you have ever been this essible.¡± I gestured wildly to them. I close my eyes and take another deep breath, I¡¯m getting worked up and they are not the enemy. They made plenty of mistakes, but that¡¯s not what is the focus. ¡°What about any of our interactions before Sierra showed up would suggest to me that you give two sh*ts about me? When you were told opnenly and, many times, in m y presence, that I was worthless and an unnecessary blight on the pack? Dad was never shy about his feelings for me and he never cared if I was in listening distance.¡± I looked at my brother, who¡¯s face went pale. ¡°Or when you were all spouting your ¡®survival of the fittest¡¯ mantra throughout the school. Telling everyone that they should handle their own issues and you were all only going to deal with ¡®really major problems¡¯ whatever that means.¡± I air quoted, trying not to sound hateful but failing. The guys started shifting ufortably and Sierra was shooting daggers at them. ¡°You gave everyone free reign to openly put down people deemed less, not build them up. You praised people for beating others in training without a second thought to the person who tried their best and put in effort. There can only be one winner, sure, but that doesn¡¯t mean the person who lost is less than the person that won, especially in training. Training is to get everyone better, to give pointers and tips to each person in a spar. You all promoted stepping on others to get ahead, and that alles back to me.¡± I¡¯m now clenching and unclenching my fists as the words are just tumbling out. I¡¯m saying all the things I have sworn never to say, reveal feelings I thought I would never tell them.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 0064 Chapter 0064 ¡°Beat the beta girl to prove you are better, her family supports the abuse. Beat her worse than the last person who beat her and you win the popr vote. Throw her into lockers, make her bleed at least once a week. Steal her clothes and things from the locker room, throw them in the shower and pee on them. Chain and whip her in the locker room for asking too many questions in ss and making you look stupid for not knowing the answers. Blindfold and chain her up in an old storage shed and whip her to the point of throwing up and almost being unconscious, but don¡¯t let her pass out, she should feel the pain all because she did better than you at something or gained positive attention over you. Then to make it more memorable, rub silver powder into the wounds making her flesh burn and scar and then drag her to the forest to bleed out and die a slow painful death unless she is worthy enough to survive.¡± My tears are flowing now, but I manage to look up at them all. Sierra has her hands over her mouth, tears shimmering in her eyes. They all look shocked and at a loss for words. I¡¯m angry again, but they asked for this, they wanted to know and as much as I was trying to keep this hidden, I can¡¯t seem to stop the word vomit. I can feel my confidence rising as I say each word, like a weight is being lifted from my shoulders. I maintain eye contact with them now. ¡°The spot you found me tonight, do you want to know why it is my favorite spot, why it smells so much like me?¡± None of them move, even the forest seems to be holding it''s breath waiting for me to speak. I feel a rush of morbid satisfaction at letting them in on my torture. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s where I survived, where I made the decision to live. I was left, bleeding out from theshes I received for having the audacity to get in the way of someone else. The silver was added, because the previous whipping I received, I healed too quickly from, the scarring wasn¡¯t gruesome enough. I go to that spot to remind myself that I am still here, I came out of that, without you or anyone else. My wolf stepped up when I had no one else. She forced me to shift and caused me a little more pain in order to help me heal and live. I was there for two days. No one came looking for me, and I was only a mile or so from the packhouse backyard. So forgive me when I call bullsh*t on the thought of any of you helping me. You didn¡¯t notice when I was right there in front of you and you didn¡¯t notice when I wasn¡¯t.¡± Mouths dropped. With all the things about these guys that are great and I aming to care for, this is their fatal w. They have been sheltered from the actual bad things that happen in a pack. They have never had to deal with real problems, they think they will just magically have people fear and respect them. They believe that they are untouchable, but at what cost? ¡°You all have been a part of the problem and don¡¯t think for a second you are going toe into school threatening people on my behalf. Even being friends with you and being seen in public regrly with you, the bullying hasn¡¯t stopped, just gotten more creative. I do not need protectors, I have survived everything on my own, just fine. So don¡¯t even think about it, I am not weak and you will not treat me like I am or make people believe I am. I know how strong I am, I know that every hit I take is one that no one else has to receive. With all your training and status, none of you have ever actually had to fight for your pack members. Had Sierra not joined us this year and for some reason I still don''t understand, chose to talk to me, none of you would be sitting here now, none of you would have looked twice in my direction. I was forced into your circle, she is the only reason any of you are paying attention to me now, listening to my story. But the problem is, have you even thought about any of the other kids going through what I am? You have pack members who are torturing other pack members without cause or consequence. So before you think about trying to save me or protect me, why don¡¯t you help someone else who actually needs it.¡± Chapter 0065 Chapter 0065 I got up and started walking away towards the pathway up to the packhouse yard. My eyes and head hurt from crying so much tonight. I need to sleep and then get back to my life, the way it was before the guys barged in and decided they all of a sudden needed to be a part of it. ¡°Sky wait.¡± Mateo calls, jogging after me. ¡°I¡¯m done for tonight, please just let me go.¡± I say weakly continuing my way up the path, but slowing down. My wolf is still holding me back for some reason and I am too worn out to be stubborn against her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop you, and I know it probably means nothing, but I am sorry. I had no idea and I know that¡¯s on me, but for what it¡¯s worth, I love you.¡± He wraps his big arms around me from behind and kisses the top of my head and he breathes in deep then sighs before letting me go. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. I take a few more steps forward when I smell Oliver right before he wraps his arms around me, same as Mateo, but he kisses the side of my head before taking a deep breath of my scent. I can feel his whole body rx before he lets go of me. Sam repeats the hug, kissing the other side of my head, also taking a deep breath of my scent and noticeably rxing. Sam releases me and I continue up the path. I¡¯m too drained to wonder what is going on with all of them taking in my scent. My tears are flowing again. I can feel their sincerity, their agony at being a reason for some of my torture. No one else approaches me so I continue walking, trying to steady my breathing. Even though I told them I don¡¯t want apologies, it stings that the twins didn¡¯t follow suit with the other three and I don¡¯t expect anything from Sierra. She noticed within minutes that something was wrong with me when these guys have known me my whole life. I made it to the packhouse backyard and feel like I have been walking for hours. The full out run and shifting like that took its toll, something I made note to work on. I can¡¯t have an energy drain just from shifting in a fight. Just as I start to turn towards my backyard, hands grab each of my upper arms to stop me. Kota and Cam¡¯s scent hits me at the same time and the warmth from their hands makes goosebumps rise up all over my body. ¡°Sky.¡± They whisper in unison. I don¡¯t say anything, but I let them stop my movement. I¡¯m still crying, but I can¡¯t open my mouth to speak. I¡¯ve said all I need to tonight. ¡°Tell us what to do Smalls.¡± Dakota says. ¡°We need to fix this, start making things right.¡± Cam follows up. I breathe in shakily a few times. Anger and sadness both consume me. They need to figure this out on their own. I don¡¯t know what I need from them. ¡°It¡¯s toote for me, I don¡¯t have much school left, then hopefully I can find my mate or go to Elite Warrior training and get away from the bullsh*t.¡± I just stare ahead of me, not really seeing anything. ¡°Just don¡¯t let it happen to anyone else. See people, notice your pack members. Show them you are here for them, don¡¯t just say pretty words. Show them you are leaders, nobody actually cares about what you say, if your actions don¡¯t match.¡± ¡°You want to leave.¡± Kota asks like he¡¯s been punched in the gut and out of breath. After all that I said, he picked up on me not wanting to be in a ce I¡¯m not wanted. What the hell? ¡°If you were me, would you want to stay?¡± I can only whisper. They have no response for me. With that I stepped out of their reach, continued walking home and went straight to bed. I can¡¯t handle any more emotions today. I stayed in my room all day Sunday. Even Sierra gave me my space, but she made sure I knew she was giving me space today and only today via text, which did make me smile. How does she know me so well already? She knows what I need without having to ask, and she sees through my BS and calls me on it too. I¡¯m sure she figured I was going to try and skip school tomorrow. There is just too much drama that I don¡¯t need and I have no idea what the guys are going to do with the information I gave them. I don¡¯t want to see that look in their eyes like I¡¯m fragile. And after the mall disy, Kaley will have something nned for me too. Chapter 0066 Chapter 0066 -Cameron POV- ¡°If you were me would you stay?¡± Sky asked before walking away. She hasn¡¯t looked at any of us since she finished her story and I can guarantee she will go back to avoiding us at school Monday. It felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I looked at my twin and I knew he felt the same. She¡¯s not wrong though. I wouldn¡¯t want to be in a ce where almost every interaction was with someone who told me or showed me I wasn¡¯t wanted. And to find out she was literally being tortured, right under our noses. Even to an extent by her own father. My wolf could tell she wasn¡¯t lying or even exaggerating. Alpha wolves can sense deceit. He was also pissed at hearing the ways we haven¡¯t been taking care of our pack from her point of view. ¡°What do we do? She can¡¯t leave, we can¡¯t let her leave.¡± Kota asks me, sounding almost panicked. ¡°Let¡¯s get the rest of the guys, I think we need to talk to dad and all of those guys. Somebody has to know something. With everything she said, it can¡¯t have all gone unnoticed, right?¡± I turn and head back to the edge of the forest where they were all waiting. ¡°What did she say?¡± Mateo asks. He looks so broken right now. I¡¯m sure we all do. I can¡¯t imagine the guilt he is feeling for not, at least, protecting her from their dad. ¡°She wants us to make the pack better for everyone else. She said it¡¯s toote for her, just to make sure nothing like this happens to anyone else. She wants to graduate, find her mate and leave.¡± Dakota barely got thest part out. It hurts to even think of her leaving. ¡°She can¡¯t leave!¡± Sam bursts out. ¡°She makes us all better, she keeps us calm, sane, all of us. I know you guys feel it too. We are all drawn to her. She¡¯s like our center of gravity.¡± This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°I agree, what I want to know is why all of a sudden there is this powerful draw to her, and for all five of us.¡± Oliver scratches his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a mate thing, because it affects Mateo and we are all too young for a mate bond to show anyway, but something is going on. Like she said we have been around her her whole life and never needed her around like we do now.¡± ¡°We need to talk to dad and the guys, maybe even mom.¡± I look at Kota. ¡°Mom spends extra time with her.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll want to start with Luna and Delta Kyle. They don¡¯t know much but they both have helped her heal from some of the worst beatings.¡± We all snap our heads to Sierra. I didn¡¯t even think to ask her. Sky has let her in more than the rest of us. ¡°I believe things at the school are being covered up too. Sky told me that she stopped going to teachers, because they can¡¯t do anything without being punished or fired. And the administration seems to find a way to put the me on her or there isn¡¯t any evidence to back her ims. She¡¯s been sent to the office plenty for being involved in disagreements and somehow she has been targeted as the bad kid, the spare beta looking for attention, so they stopped taking her seriously and just punish her if she¡¯s a part of an issue, without even taking a look into the incident. It would probably be a good idea to hack into the school computers and see if we can get security footage. There has to be some way to find out who is doing this and be able to prove it. Maybe talk to some of the kids she trains, they love her and she has always said most of the abuse she takes is in ce of someone else. I think she is protecting those kids. I think that¡¯s why she works so hard to train them, so when she leaves they can defend themselves. Because you''re right, she wants to leave. She''s going to graduate early and get out of here as fast as possible.¡± Chapter 0067 Chapter 0067 Cam ¡°We have to quit talking about her leaving.¡± Kota rubs his chest just over his heart. He looks like he is going to be sick. Sierrapletely ignores him and goes on. ¡°Whoever is doing this has a ton of control or hold over people in power, at least at the school. There¡¯s no way Sky getting jumped daily is not on record somewhere and goingpletely unnoticed. It¡¯s just easy to hide since it seems to be only her and she never reports anything.¡± ¡°So, she hasn¡¯t told you who¡¯s doing this then?¡± I ask, making a mental note about checking the security footage and understanding that Sierra might be more scary than she lets on. The observant ones are the ones to watch out for, they see things our mundane eyes miss. ¡°I think that is the one thing she is going to take to her grave. She doesn¡¯t believe sharing the info will help. She thinks it will actually make things worse, make her look weak, embarrassing her dad and brother, and make her bully retaliate. Which, I think, has happened in the past. ording to her, this is the best version of the situation. That she actually is in control of whatever is going on. She expects it, is mentally prepared for it, and already knows how to recover and go about her day like nothing is wrong. Something she is obviously really good at since no one, even me, sees her get hurt at school.¡± ¡°How can this be better? Why is she worried about embarrassing dad and I? Who gives a sh*t?¡± Mateo whisper-yells, running his fingers through his hair. ¡°Your dad gives a sh*t. That¡¯s who. I¡¯ve seen the way he talks to her and about her, we all have. No one can deny he¡¯s a d*ck to her and we have all just let it happen, including the Alpha and Luna, because she doesn¡¯tin. She goes to no one, because she trusts no one. Every person here, except Sierra, has given her a reason not to. Clearly it¡¯s worse than we thought.¡± Leave it to Oliver to analyze a situation to add another tally on our list of dumbass things. ¡°She thinks because the bully¡¯s focus is on her or she can put it on herself and keep others from getting harmed, it¡¯s better. She said, because she had beta blood, she can handle the beatings better and heal more quickly than any other lower ranked person. She truly believes she is doing the right thing protecting pack members as a beta should. She believes it¡¯s the only thing she can contribute since she isn¡¯t really wanted here. And unfortunately she¡¯s right, no other kids are ever bullied, solidifying her belief.¡± Sierra shrugs sadly. Sam goes to wrap her in a hug. I scrub my hands over my face then look at my watch, 6am. ¡°We have really f*cked up and we aren¡¯t even in charge yet. Let¡¯s get inside, dad should be in his office, we need to fix this, now, and we are going to need all the help we can get.¡± I turn and the others follow me. I can¡¯t wait for this conversation. We headed in through the back doors into the kitchen andpletely startled the omega that is making breakfast. It¡¯s kind of a known fact that none of us move much before noon on Sundays. We are definitely out of character right now. Marching straight to our dad¡¯s office, Kota and I don¡¯t even bother knocking as we all pile into therge space, filling every avable chair and my father and Beta Daniel just stare at us like we all grew three heads. ¡°Can we help you boys?¡± My dad asks, looking at us curiously. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. ¡°We really have a busy day, so whatever you are up to needs to be quick.¡± Beta Daniel says in a clipped voice. ¡°What we have to say is important, and it¡¯s going to take a while.¡± Kota shoots back at him. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for your teenage shenanigans today boys¡­¡± Beta Daniel starts. I wonder if he has always been this condescending to us. Either way, I really just want to break his nose. I turn my re on him. ¡°This meeting also requires Delta Kyle, Gamma Brett and mom. If you want this handled quickly, gather everyone and we can get started.¡± ¡°What is this about, boys? Clearly you are worked up and it¡¯s enough to have you out of bed at six on a Sunday morning.¡± My dad is trying to be sympathetic. He, at least, lets us have an opinion and then helps us work through it or correct it if we are wrong. Chapter 0068 Chapter 0068 ¡°We need your input on a situation and it¡¯s a story we don¡¯t n on telling more than once.¡± I say as my motheres into the room. ¡°What happened? Is everyone okay?¡± She does a quick scan of the group. ¡°Where¡¯s Skr? If Sierra is here, why is Sky missing?¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°We need everyone here first.¡± I say again. ¡°Now I¡¯m worried, you boys have never been secretive before.¡± Dad sneaks a look at my mom. They are having their own private conversation. I just sit, I¡¯m not saying it again. My wolf is getting angrier by the moment. Sky was right, we have never had to really deal with pack situations, even with all the ¡®training¡¯ we do. They don¡¯t trust us to handle anything and have never forced us to handle things. They are more concerned with the fact that we are out of bed early, than the fact we have requested a meeting with the whole leadership. Delta Kyle and Gamma Brett rush in. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kyle asks, taking in the same group assessment that my mom did. ¡°Where¡¯s Skr? Is she okay?¡± The two people who know she is going through things noticed she was the only one missing from our group. Neither my father or her own cared to notice. ¡°How long have you been helping Sky with her injuries from her bullies?¡± I look between the Delta and my mom, not wasting any time. ¡°Long enough, why do you ask?¡± Delta Kyle crosses his arms, making him look wider than he already is. ¡°Did you know about her being whipped?¡± I keep my eyes trained right on him. ¡°Yes, I have been giving her the salve to help the scars the silver powder made.¡± The delta keeps his faceposed, but I see the tick in his cheek from clenching his jaw. My mother gasps and covers her mouth. The silver powder was news to her, interesting. Gamma Brett moves closer to her, concern shing in his eyes briefly. ¡°Did you know that wasn¡¯t the first time she was whipped?¡± Olivers asks, catching on to what I was doing. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®wasn¡¯t the first time?¡¯¡± Gamma Brett tilts his head slightly. ¡°What silver powder?¡± My mom asks. I ignore her. ¡°She was whipped, to almost unconsciousness, silver powder was added to make the pain worse and the healing slower since she healed too fast the first time and then she was left in the forest behind the packhouse to fend for herself or die. The person or people who tortured her believed no one cared if she lived or died, and the point was hit home when she was out there for two f*cking days and NONE OF US NOTICED SHE WAS MISSING!¡± Mateo stands as he starts to shout. ¡°She had to rely on herself and her wolf to recover while we were having a party at the packhouse.¡± He¡¯s pacing now, making an attempt at pulling his hair out. Oliver stands ready to restrain him if needed. ¡°You need to rx, son. I don¡¯t know what stories your sister has been telling you, but she is being dramatic. She has never gone missing and I would know if she had her wolf.¡± Beta Daniel says too calmly, trying to take a step towards his son. ¡°How the f*ck would you know?! You don¡¯t even acknowledge her presence when she is in the room, you made her believe she is worthless and unwanted. That she will never be good enough. She believes it¡¯s her job to take this abuse.¡± Mateo sounds almost deranged as he spits the words out. ¡°Well maybe it is. She brings trouble wherever she goes.¡± The beta shrugs his shoulders and Mateo lunges at him, grabbing him around the neck and mming him against a wall using the other to punch any part of his father he can reach. We all jump up, but it''s Delta Kyle and Gamma Brett who get to them first and I must say I am proud of the fight Mateo is giving them. He is not going to let this go easily. They finally get Mateo off of him and start dragging him to the other side of the room, putting all of us in between. Chapter 0069 Chapter 0069 Cam POV ¡°Don¡¯t you talk about her like that, in fact never speak to her or about her again, you are not worthy to have her as a daughter. In fact I want her out of your house permanently.¡± Mateo spits, still breathing hard, his wolf is fighting to break free. "She can have my room here at the packhouse or stay with Sierra, anywhere but with you." ¡°We all need to calm down, clearly there is more going on here and we all want answers.¡± My dad looks at all of us, lingering a little longer on Beta Daniel. ¡°Kyle you seem to have information the rest of us don¡¯t, please fill us in, then I would like to hear what you kids know.¡± Kyle proceeds to tell us he noticed about four years ago that Skr starteding to additional training with the little pups. He didn¡¯t care much because they were always wild and help is help. It wasn¡¯t until a couple years ago, he noticed bruises and marks on her arms and legs, that were definitely not from training. She wouldn¡¯t say anything about how it was happening for a long time and he finally just started giving her a salve that would help the bruising heal more quickly because she was worried about getting in trouble at home for having bruises when she should be better at fighting as a beta. He looked shamelessly at Beta Daniel and told him the way she described her injuries at least confirmed that the abuse wasn¡¯t happening at home. I hadn¡¯t even thought of that. We all looked at Beta Daniel, silently letting him know what we all thought about his treatment of her. Beta Daniel did not waver in his stoic expression. Kyle let here to more and more training, as it seemed to make her happy and she had less injuries the more she trained. He thought she was getting better at defending herself. She was also a natural warrior, one of the quickest to learn and master skills he¡¯s ever seen. Which also made him wonder about the injuries she did show up with. She almost never got hit in training, so what was she doing to get injured? He then introduced her to the Luna and her warrior¡¯s training, hoping being around females would encourage her to confide in someone. He said there was a weekend My heart sank and every part of my body froze, he did notice, but brushed her off like the rest of us. When she did return, she was pale and noticeably thinner, but trained just as hard as always and avoided any questions on where she had been. He only found the scars on her back because he was teaching her something new and his hand got caught in the very baggy shirt she was wearing and brushed the wounds. She cried out in pain and blood started seeping into the shirt. She refused to go to the pack hospital and the only way he would agree to help was if she told him what happened. With a lot of prompting she gave every detail of the torture, which he was not willing to repeat in front of my mother, except for descriptions of the people. She said nothing was going to be done about the bullies, it¡¯s not their first time doing this and if they get in trouble, it would only make it worse on her in the end because they would retaliate. ¡°So, you see Daniel, she was not being dramatic.¡± Delta Kyle finishes.¡±What did she tell you guys? Clearly it was enough to light a fire under your asses this morning.¡± We all ryed what Sky told us. Filling in things we noticed about her as she told her story. By the end Sierra was sitting on Sam¡¯sp softly crying, Mateo was pacing again, Oliver had his head in his hands, elbows leaning on his knees taking very audible, deep slow breaths. Dakota and I are rigid in our seats looking at our dad. We know he¡¯s thinking the same thing that we are. She isn¡¯t the failure, we were. The current and future Alphas didn¡¯t notice the trauma happening to a ranked member of the pack. Someone who got so good at going unnoticed that we missed every sign for years. ¡°Oh my poor girl. How did none of us see this?¡± My mother is openly crying now. My father pulls her into hisp and holds her tight. "We knew it was not good, but this is so much worse, and she believes she deserves it." Chapter 0070 Chapter 0070 ¡°We were too busy being caught up in ourselves.¡± Mateo huffs. ¡°Training, bing the next leaders, the idea of being in power is all we focused on.¡± Oliver adds on, not raising his head. ¡°She has done more to protect pack members than we ever have.¡± Dakota whispers. ¡°She is making the tough choices and defending those who need it regardless of what happens to her.¡± I finished. ¡°She asked us not to do anything, said if we try to protect her now, it makes her look weak, but we can¡¯t just stand by and let this keep happening. She may not want help, but is there anything we can do to make this end? These bullies have to be stopped. No one should be able to openly harm pack members for no reason.¡± ¡°Well, as bad as this situation is, for the first time, you boys are thinking like the leaders you are meant to be. Let''s think through this and see what we alle up with. I do have a few things that I can¡¯t avoid today, but let¡¯s get back together tonight. And Mateo, we will discuss your request to have her moved, it has to be her choice though, I will not force her into anything she doesn¡¯t want.¡± My dad says ¡°Where is Sky now?¡± My mom sniffles out. ¡°Home probably, holed up in her room. She used a ton of energyst night. She¡¯s fast as f*ck and has the endurance to back it up and then she shifted on the fly, mid run. Did any of you know she could shift?¡± Mateo asks, he¡¯s taken to running his hands so aggressively through his hair it¡¯s standingpletely up like a blonde Einstein. He res at the adults who all look stunned except for my mom. Of course she knew about Sky shifting. ¡°We¡¯ve been working on a fast shift. Females, especially ranked females and female warriors, tend to be targeted and a slow shift can get you killed. I didn¡¯t know she could do it mid run though. That girl is something else.¡± Mom finishes in a whisper and smiles for the first time since she entered dad¡¯s office this morning. Beta Daniel just huffs. He will never see past his rage at losing his mate and it''s a shame, both of his kids are amazing. We all go our separate ways after that. The guys and I try to figure out what we can do to fix the situation. Even my dad said we were ¡®finally¡¯ starting to think like leaders. Have we really been that bad? ¨CSkr¨C I fell asleep quickly wearing Dakota¡¯s shirt. His scent made me feel calm and rxed. When I finally rolled over and looked at the clock it was after 2pm. I sat up quickly, I have never slept that long before without any nightmares waking me up. I actually felt really good, until I remembered why I had Kota¡¯s shirt on in the first ce, then the sadness took over me again. I moved to go get in the shower and started to feel antsy after not training for two days. So, once I was cleaned up, I changed into training gear and headed for the gym. Maybe lifting weights will burn off some of this energy. I took extra precautions leaving my house. I didn''t want to run into anyone. It was going to be exhausting avoiding all of them all of the time. I made it to the gym and only a few people were here this afternoon. I put my headphones, phone and water bottle down on a bench and begin setting up my weights for a warm-up. I can¡¯t help overhearing a couple of the guys talking about elite warrior training. ¡°Did you hear? There were so many applicants this year they are holding trials in each pack before they will ept anyone.¡± A tall guy I recognize from advanced training says. ¡°Yeah, someone told me the Alpha King himself is going toe to some of the trials.¡± Tall guy¡¯s friend responds. ¡°And they are letting juniors and seniors join the trials. I guess even if they don¡¯t get chosen, they get seen by the recruiters and if you¡¯re good enough, they will remember you the next year.¡± I feel my heart flutter. Maybe I won¡¯t have as long as I thought. If I only have to make it through next year at school I can get out of here sooner than I thought. Elite warrior training is year round, and most attend while doing college courses. I just have to be good enough. My head and heart feels lighter, I have a renewed sense of purpose. Something finally just for me. I will have to talk to Luna Ava and her warriors at training this week .Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Chapter 0071 Chapter 0071 I sted through my workout, not going too heavy since I was on my own, but I took all of my muscles toplete failure. I have to start pushing myself now. I need to be better, stronger. I have a year to get ready. I got home around 6:30 and went straight to the kitchen to fuel back up. I didn¡¯t have more than my protein shake before my workout, which was a mistake. I am starving and my grumbling stomach is agreeing with me. If I don''t eat, I''m going to be sore in the morning. ¡°Where have you been? We eat dinner at six.¡± A growles from the table making me jump and turn around gripping the edge of the counter. "Oh, sh*t!" I really wish people would stop that. I look over to see my dad and Mateo sitting together at the kitchen table, tes half empty. They never eat in here. Mateo is looking at me, but his face is nk, like he¡¯s trying to hide his emotions from me. ¡°You are never to bete for or miss a family dinner again. Do you understand?¡± My dad growls out. I look at him confused, I can''t even hide it. I have never been allowed to eat with them unless we hadpany. And as far as I can tell, there is or was nopany. I took a look around the kitchen to make sure I didn¡¯t miss anyone else in the room. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, sir.¡± I have nothing better to say. ¡°You will join us from now on, 6pm every night, family dinner, that is an order.¡± He¡¯s talking to his te now. He can¡¯t even look at me when he¡¯s giving me directions. My blood starts to boil. This has to be Mateo¡¯s doing after what I told himst night. I asked him not to try and fix things. I may want my dad to want me, but not by force. I can see in his eyes he¡¯s only doing this for Mateo¡¯s sake, not for me. To appease my brother, not because he suddenly feels affection for me. I take a deep breath to steady the anger that is now surging through me. ¡°Unfortunately, I have training every night during that time. I have had training during that time, seven days a week for thest two years. You have never wanted me to sit with you before and I don¡¯t believe that you actually want me around now. So, no offense, sir, but I must decline your invitation. I will continue my regr schedule.¡± I turn and walk out of the kitchen, my appetite long gone. I hear the screech of chair legs and the unmistakable sound of my brother¡¯s footsteps. I don¡¯t slow for him this time though. It is taking all I have to not turn around and rip him a new a*shole. It¡¯s been 12 hours and he¡¯s already gone against what I asked of him and the guys. ¡°Shorty, wait.¡± He tries for a yful tone and grabs my elbow when we reach thending. I let him stop me, but I didn''t turn towards him. ¡°He¡¯s trying, he even waited until 6:15 to start eating and sat at the kitchen table.¡± The plea in his voice almost does me in, but I can¡¯t let it. ¡°No.¡± I take a deep breath and blink back the tears forming. ¡°You are trying, do not force something that isn¡¯t there. He will never love me the way I want him to and need him to. I am finally wrapping my head and my heart around that. I am the daily, living, reminder of the fact that he lost the most precious gift the moon goddess gives us. He and I are both counting the days to when I can leave and neither of us has to face each other ever again. I asked you not to try and fix anything.¡± I take a deep shuddering breath and let a single tear fall before I walk to my door. ¡°Goodnight Mateo, I love you too.¡± I say, not looking at him. Then I step through my door and head straight for the shower, my one source of emotional release. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. I wake up feeling better than I thought afterst night¡¯s trainwreck ending. I made sure to get up extra early, eat really well and head to the training grounds an hour before the guys usually meet up to drive there. I have decided it will take too much energy to actively avoid them all of the time, so I am just going to put as much distance as possible between us. No more unnecessary rides to ces five minutes away. No lingering after sses with any of them, including Sierra. They will just try and use our friendship against me and it isn¡¯t fair to put her in the middle. Chapter 0072 Chapter 0072 I¡¯m at the training grounds so early, not even Delta Kyle or any of the other training warriors are there yet. I start runningps at a nice leisurely pace to keep my mind from wandering. ¡°Seriously?! Now you¡¯re beating me to morning training? Where are your extrarge shadows, still dragging themselves in?¡± Delta Kyleughs at his own joke and I just stare at him in disbelief. ¡°I actually wanted to ask you something before everyone else started showing up, I just guessed at what time you got in.¡± I lied on the spot, I couldn¡¯t tell if he believed me or not. ¡°I wanted to ask about the elite warrior training. Some rumors are flying around already and I am curious.¡± He crosses his giant arms over his chest and lifts an eyebrow at me. Definitely doesn¡¯t believe me, but now that I brought it up I really am curious. ¡°Is it true they are holding trials because of the amount of applications they are receiving?¡± He stares at me and takes a deep breath before nodding his head. ¡°And are they letting Juniors and Seniors join the trials for exposure? Will they choose any current students if they are good enough?¡± Both eyebrows shot up at that. ¡°Who did you get your information from, that was just a discussion we were having yesterday, nothing is set in stone about age restrictions.¡± My eyes go wide. I didn¡¯t want to get the two warriors in trouble for gossiping about something that wasn¡¯t confirmed yet. ¡°I was at the gym yesterday and heard a couple of guys in passing, that¡¯s all. I figured I would check the information with you. Is the Alpha King really going to attend some of the trials?¡± I cross my arms over my chest mirroring the Delta, trying to look calm and curious but I am sure looking like a pouting child next to him, instead of a hulking warrior. ¡°Maybe, we do have some guest trainers today, so it will be interesting to see what they think about all of you.¡± Before I could ask anything else people started filing in therge arena. We moved to the biggest space today because we were going to be fighting human to wolf. Not quite half the group could shift, but all the highschoolers were going to work in groups with a warrior. The warrior was going to be in wolf form, we were all staying human. Once we learn these basics and getfortable, then they will start letting those of us who can to shift and reverse the training. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. I didn¡¯t even have a chance to look around for a group to join when Sierra walked up behind me, linking my arm with hers and dragging me over to the guys who were in a back corner, looking disappointed. ¡°You didn¡¯t wait for us this morning.¡± Sam tries the pouty lip and I just look at the ground. ¡°Are you still mad at us? Cause I am running out of ways to apologize for the little stupid things and everything else is just going to take time. I don¡¯t think any of us can handle you avoiding us Bite Size, while we make up for literal years of stupidity.¡± Oliver taps my shoulder. I just shake my head, keeping my eyes down. ¡°I¡¯m not mad, but it doesn¡¯t just go away.¡± I sigh and rub my temples. ¡°You have to remember I have been in basic istion for most of my life, you guys are kind of a lot to handle all the time. Don¡¯t get your panties in a twist when I need to not be around you, and be okay if I don¡¯t tell you why.¡± I shrug, it¡¯s as honest as I can be right now. I am avoiding them and will continue to separate myself from them, but it¡¯s going to have to be slow so they don¡¯t notice the change I guess. Chapter 0073 Chapter 0073 Chapter 0073 "There you all are, I was wondering where the hottest and best fighters were hiding. The unmistakable peel of Kaley''s voice rings out across the grounds. "I am so excited for training today, it should be so much fun! This is my favorite thing ever! She doesn''t even notice the weird looks she''s getting from the crowd as they part like the sea to avoid her. She''s here in a hot pink sports bra that''s about two sizes too small, smashing her cleavage together and almost out the top with matching leggings. She looks like a highlighter. thought you boys could help me with some of my techniques. I really need help with submissions. n She giggles and winks. Everyone knows she doesn''t train, so Pm not sure who she''s trying to lie to right now. She really is stupid andpletely self absorbed. She is so focused on her own personal agenda that she has no idea that Delta Kyle has stopped talking while she made her entrance and the whole crowd heard her stupid s*xual innuendo, maybe that was her n, to be the center of attention and make an entrance. Prn sure she doesn''t even know or care what we are actually doing today. Delta Kyle coughs to gain our attention back and resumes introducing the guest trainers, but I can''t hear well over the conversation next to me. "Training really is the best. I love getting all sweaty and the closebat moves can be used for so many different applications." She ''s giggling again. Who is she talking to? What? Who is she trying to fool? She barely attends training, let alone participates. Her acting skills are terrible, she''s clearly putting on a show for someone. "Our group is actually full and we have different instructions from Delta Kyle, so you''ll have to work with another group today. " Mateo steps towards her, blocking her path to the twins, pointing to another group on the other side of the arena. "Awe,e on Matty, I''m sure you have room for me. You know I won''t be in the way." She runs a wed finger down his arm then tries that handssped swaying motion again. That little girl act must work for it to be her go-to movement. "It''s Mateo, and no, you can''t fight at our level so you would be very much in the way and you would probably get hurt. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. We are trainingwith wolves today. Go find another group." He says a bit more firmly at the end. "Why are those two here, if you don''t want girls in your group?" She pouts again, head tilting to one side quickly changing tactics. At least she''s not yelling at me. She either is trying to use a sweet demeanor to get what she wants, even if she has to pretend to be nice to me and Sierra Or she found Out quickly that threatening us is a very fast way to get on the guys sh *t list. "We didn''t say we didn''t want girls, Mateo said you don''t fight at our level, I''ve actually never seen you fight at all. These two are warriors, train with us every day and know how to keep up." Oliver supplies, ndly, clearly bored of having to exin this concept to her. "Go find another group so we can pay attention to Delta Kyle." Kaley turns towards the clearly about to appeal to them to allow her to stay. Both Cameron and Dakota just point their fingers to the side without making eye contact. She huffs and res at me as she walks past our group and to one only feet from us, pushing another girl out of her way. How she thinks that behavior is going to gain loyalty from anyone is beyond me. "It''s her, isn''t it?" Sierra whispers in my ear. I don''t respond, I can''t, she''ll see through any lie I tell her, it''s not the first time she''s asked me and if I confirm it here, now, she''s likely to rush over and rip Kaley''s hair off. I keep looking straight ahead, trying desperately to hear the instructors. "Fine, you ignoring me basically confirms it. "Let it go, let''s warm up." I say under my breath making a point to look at the guys, hoping they aren''t eavesdropping. One of the guest trainers walks overto us first, I''m sure because the future alphas are in our group. While Delta Kyle gets everyone else grouped up with pack warriors and starts their training, the guest trainer introduces himself to us. Chapter 0074 Chapter 0074 Chapter 0074 "Hello gentlemen,dies. I''m Nicks, one of the Elite Warrior trainers. I work closely with the Alpha King''s personal warriors. I have heard great things about all of you." He looks at each of us in turn. "I wanted to watch each of you spar in human form before we started with the wolf versus human portion to get an idea of how all of you move as humans yourselves. Delta Kyle says you all train daily as a group. Are you all prettyfortable being paired up at random?" "Yes." We all say in unison, thenugh a bit. Warrior Nicks just smiles. "Alright then, let''s see you and you together." He pointed to Sam and Mateo. They were pretty evenly matched. Mateo has more muscle than Sam, but Sam''s lean build is quicker. They both have advantages and disadvantages which they are quick to try and exploit from each other. We y a pinning game several times a week One of us is ''it'' and has to fight off the rest for a certain time limit. We change the length of time to keep us on our toes so we don''t getcent. The goal is to be the first to pin your opponent in a way that they can''t release themselves, without causing them to lose consciousness. It''s a great tactic for when you want to keep someone alive for questioning. It''s fun because we get to work as a team against the person who is ''it'' and that single person is fighting against six others at once. We have all agreed that it''s not considered an official win for the person who is ''it'' unless they have four or more submissions. And the group only gets a win if each person submits the person who is ''it'' in the time period. Mateo and Sam face off and waste no time fighting for dominance. Mateo leans down and tries to get Sam on the ground by taking out his legs, since he is weaker at grappling. Sam stands his ground and grabs Mateo by the waist from the back to steady himself andnds a few good punches to the kidneys, sending Mateo down to a knee. Mateo uses the downward motion to twist and pull Sam under him, essentially cushioning his fall. They go on for a fewmore minutes, until Warrior Nicks calls them to a stop. "I''m impressed, you both have a few things to work on, but your strength and speed is great. Who''s next? How about you two?" He points to Kota and Sierra. ''"Thank the goddess! I thought he was going to pair me with you since we are both girls. I don''t know if I could handle you today. Sheughed at me and I rolled my eyes, noticing Warrior Nicks watching our exchange curiously. "What am I? Chopped liver?" Kota tries and fails to 100k offended. "You know what I meant, She''s in rare form right now and super pissed at all of you. I don''t want to be on the receiving end of anything she''s dishing out today?'' The rest of the guys laugh. I just stare at all of them confused. I don''t get to dwell on it for very long though. Warrior Nicks starts their fight pretty quickly. He only let their fight go on for a few minutes as well. He really was just assessing our basic talents. It was fun watching him analyze. I wish I could hear the y-by-y going on in his head on all the corrections and what we were doing that really did impress him. "Alright, you two." He pointed to Oliver and I. "It was nice Imowing you man. Kota pats him on the shoulder. "Shut up, you pansy." We took our stance and I waited for Oliver to make the first move. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. He''s been getting faster with his reaction time since we all started training together. I try to take the time to read my opponent, study their stance and look for any initial weaknesses I can use early on. Pm not one for dragging out a fight if I can help it. I want a quick finish, which is something Oliver likes to push with me. He tries to wear me out, by keeping me moving and staying just out of reach for a full takedown with his long ass arms. I have to catch him off guard to get him to submit. We haven''t trained together all weekend and Oliver is the most adaptable of all the guys. He seems to read me the same way I read him. We almost move in sync, like the twins do. Chapter 0075 Chapter 0075 Chapter 0075 We start circling each other. Neither wanting to make the first move. "You have to sumb to her wrath sometime bro, might as well get it over with. Dakota shouts over at us. "Yeah, she''s been suppressing her anger at us all weekend, d it''s you and not me." Sam adds. I''m not sure who they are trying to distract more, me or Oliver, but I have to tune them out and focus. Oliver''s movements are more lithe today, like a panther stalking its prey. He''s got something in mind and I can''t spare any of my attention to anyone else. Just as I had the thought, he strikes. He lunges forward and I thought he was going to grab my waist, but he drops down and grabs one of my legs trying to sweep it backward, knocking me to my front. I let the momentum take me and tuck my chin to roll forward, twisting slightly and nting my hands on the ground to throw a kick to his back before following through and jumping on his back, trying to get my arms around his thickneck. He was too fast for me though, spinning to a crouching position and driving at my legs again. This time knocking me to the ground, I kept one of my legs in between his and one around his waist to keep him from pinning my legs down.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. I bucked my hips trying to use the force from our fall, cause once we stop moving he can use his large weight against me. He was thinking the same thing and trying to force me t on my back grabbing one of my arms and trying to hold it down, so I did what any rational girl would do, I nailed him in the junk, well the very high inner thigh, I not that mean. Oliver grunts and ckens his grip on me. Using the distraction, I roll us over and get out from under him, but he recovers too quickly and gets up before I can grab him or throw a punch. We both continue to move around each other throwing and taking hits pretty equally. He got me in the ribs really well and I can feel my lungs fighting for air. I got a good right hook to his cheek close to his ear, followed by a punch to the sr plexus. At least he''s having as much trouble as I am breathing now. so many punches and kicks trying to gain a leg up in this fight, 11m losing track of what is working and what isn ''t. I feel like this fight is going on far longer than the rest of our friends'' matches, but Pm not really sure, maybe it just feels longer since I can''t breathe. Maybe Warrior Nickloas must actually want to see who will win. After a few more minutes Oliver is behind me with his bulky forearm around my neck. I struggle to find an opening in his arm to pull myself out, but his grip is solid. I manage to wriggle my hand up between my neck and his arm as I''m starting to see spots and pull back under his armpit, we are both so sweaty I slip out from his arm easily. Once I get loose I bring his arm with me and effectively pinning his arm behind his back Before he can counter the movement. Warrior Nicks stops us. "That was a really well matched spar, but we have an odd man out. Skr, are you up for a back to back match?" "Sure, I guess." I''m panting and rolled my shoulders and my neck, at one point Oliver had got a lead on me and pulled me over his shoulder to body m me pretty hard. I''m lucky he didn''t dislocate anything. "Do you need a minute to recover?" Warrior Nicks looks at me with a strange look in his eye and for some reason it feels like a test. "No. I mean if we are going to be attacked, it''s not like the opponents are going toe at us one at a time or give us snacks and water breaks." I shrug my shoulders and get set in front of Cam, who looks like he''s going to enjoy this. I notice there is less noise around us now, but I can''t focus on that. Cam is great at spotting when you''re distracted or have a weakness, like an injury. I actually like sparring with him, because he seems to be more difficult each time, like he learns and retains new information with each interaction. He''s like the opposite of Oliver, who improves his own Cam''s not as fast as me, which is usually my saving grace, but he has had me pinned and submitted enough times to know how to break me quickly. But I have had him submitted too. His weakness is me, specifically. I''m not sure if it''s because I''m a friend, Mateo''s sister or just my gender in general, but he tends to let me get too far in my fight, causing him injuries, before he puts in effort to take me down and it''s a weakness I try to exploit. If I can wear him down a bit, he''s easier for me to dominate. Chapter 0076 Chapter 0076 Chapter 0076 "FIGHT! Warrior Nichs'' voice booms from somewhere on my right. I move straight toward Cam, aiming to jump over his shoulder and onto his back like a monkey. We have been practicing multiple on one for a while now, so my stamina is pretty good, but damn is he strong. I got as far as moving around him and using his shoulder like a vault. Inded a great kidney punch across his back when he elbowed me in the side, in the same ce Oliver hit me. Dirty fighter, well two can y that game. I was knocked to the ground behind him with the rib hit, I rolled out of the way, but I wasn''t fast enough and he grabbed one Of my legs dragging me along the dirt back to him. I rolled over and kicked up wildly with my free leg, making contact, but Pm not sure what I hit. Then I hear a loud gasp from a lot of people, like a lot, a lot of people as I roll back over my shoulder to a crouching position. I look up to see Cam holding his face and blood pouring out from his hands. I can''t tell if it''s from his nose or his mouth, but it''s a lot of blood. He makes eye contact with me and several emotions cross his face at once. Surprise, pride, and then something more primal. I am in deep sh*t. He lunges for me and I scramble back, knocking into a few people as I quickly stand and block a wide punching at me. He is throwing punch after punch, harder each time. I am able to block all of them for now, but they hurt and his speed is picking up and I won''t be able to hold him off for long. I can see he thinks he has me trapped against the wall Of people who have stopped to watch the spectacle. He lunges forward to try and grab me again and I use my shortness to my advantage and climb through his legs, turning to jump on his back and wrap my arm around his neck It''s almost hard to lock my arms with the thickness of his neck and the blood flowing from his face making his neck slick but I manage and after what seems like another eternity. Warrior Nicks calls us to a halt. I let go and dropped to the dirt behind Cam andy on my back breathing heavily. Cam sits next to me, not even having to look to see where I am. His butt is even with my shoulders and his outstretched legs are almost as long as my whole body. If I wasn''t so tired I would think it was funny. "How dare you hit one of our future alphas, you should be beaten and thrown out of the pack for your disrespect! Oh the dulcet tones of my favorite person.l just close my eyes and ignore her. "What are you talking about Kaley? They were sparring, like everyone else, bleeding and injuries happen. She makes us bleed all of the time actually. Sam cringes and I really do giggle this time from my prone position on the ground. "That actually sounded way more pathetic out loud." He sits next to me. Besides, did you see how many hits your future alpha got in before she submitted him? I think it''s safe to say they were pretty evenly matched. "That was actually one of the best matches I''ve seen in a while. Warrior Nicks walks over to us. His back to Kaley like she didn''t even speak "Now let''s see what you all have against a wolf." His smile is one of a person who enjoys putting people through their paces with just a little bit of torture to see where their breaking point is. I am really going to love this or hate itpletely, but I guess this is like a snapshot of what Elite Warrior training will be like if I make it, so I guess it won''t matter if it sucks, I''d better get used to it. Everyone back to your groups, your warrior will brief you on the basics of fighting against a wolf. You seven are with me." He points to us and starts to walk away to the farthest corner of the arena. Kota walks over and gives a hand to his brother to help him up, then reaches for me. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. We all turn to start walking slowly behind Warrior Nicks. "What about me a*shole?" Sam grumbles from the ground before helping himself up and following. None of us turn to him, but all of us are smiling andughing low at his dramatics. Chapter 0077 Chapter 0077 Chapter 0077 ''I would really like to train you all separately from the others, you all are a distraction to them." He laughs to himself. "But I need to help the other trainers keep an eye on your pack members for this. The biggest thing you need to know is any attackwille as an ambush as much as possible. They will want to attack you in your human form since it is more vulnerable to injury. It has nothing to do with weakness, just the difference in the hide of the wolf versus the skin of the human. Any attacker will want to identify you and your mates, when you find them. Because once they take out any of the leadership the bond to the pack is weakened and you are all more vulnerable. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Your Luna will be a major target, especially during the transition from one alpha to the next. The Alpha or Alphas in this case will gain their full strength wthen they have marked and mated with their goddess given Luna on the full moon following themitment ceremony. She will also gain full strength. That is why most packs have themitment ceremony on the full moon, but that is not always possible for a variety of reasons. The time between mating and the full moon is the Alpha and Luna''s weakest, which is why all the warriors and ranked members must be well trained. It is when packs are most often attacked. So, let''s begin. Nicks proceeds to tell us several weaknesses in the wolf''s form that can be used to subdue the wolf long enough to get away. My wolf was grumbling around in my head the whole time, saying she isn''t that weak and could never be taken out like that. She kept a runningmentary until Warrior Nicks stopped and said. can see many of your wolves are fighting against my teaching. Understand these are not tactics to kill a wolf, they are right, it is very difficult as a human without weapons to kill a wolf. The whole point is to get away, or give yourself time to shift and have a more evenly matched fight. 11m not trying to bruise any egos, but you need to know what can be used against you so your ego doesn ''t get you killed." "Thank you for that. My wolf was starting to give me a migraine. " Mateo said and I smiled, I was thinking the same thing. From there he would show us a maneuver, shift and have each of us try it, then shift back to give corrections. It would be helpful if he could just mindlink us, since every time he shifted back to human he was naked and I really had to work hard to not stare at his manhood, just hanging out for all to see. It didn''t bother the guys since they shifted together all of the time and Sierra clearly had no qualms with it, but I have just never seen one in real life and this was not the time to be curious. He was also a really well built man with defined muscles bulging everywhere. I had to shake my head a few times to keep my thoughts on track. This part Of the training was less greuling for us since we were all taking turns and watching and analyzing each other then taking time to ask questions and get answers. When Delta Kyle finally came over to check out our progress, I didn''t realize how much time had passed. The whole arena was already cleared out and the sun had passedpletely over the arena showingte afternoon. How long have we been here? Time went so fast, but Omegas brought water and snacks continuously so we never really stopped to look at the time. "You guys obviously missed meals and school today. You are all exempt from anything that was due today or assigned today. Go clean up and you can all meet at the packhouse, the Alpha wants you all over for an early dinner and to talk about today''s training. The minute he mentioned dinner my stomach growled, loudly. My eyes went wide in embarassment. "Let''s get the gremlin fed before she devours us all. Dakotaes at me and I start running. I can hear the rest of them followlng and to two adults just chuckling, watching our antics. "You know I ''ll catch you eventually, right Smalls?" Kota yells when I start zig zagging to stay out of his reach. "Or we can just herd you in." I make the mistake of looking over my shoulder to see how far away he is, when I run smack into a hard chest, bounce off and start to fall towards the ground when strong hands grab my upper arms and steady me before I am whipped around and thrown over a shoulder. Of course, they are allughing. I am fighting a smile as I realize this is the only way they can catch me. They have to work together as a group, not one of them can do it on their own and that gives me some kind of weird pride. I realize from the scent of citrus that Cam has me and he is clearly not putting me down as we head out of the arena. I think this is the only way he has ever carried me, it''s bing his signature move. Chapter 0078 Chapter 0078 Chapter 0078 "You are riding backwith us Tiny, don ''t argue." Cam''s low growl makes my tummy flutter. "And you are not avoiding us anymore, so knock it off. He stops walking suddenly and I feel myself beingunched, only tond in another pair ofrge hands. Instinctually I wrap my arms around a neck as hands grab under my knees and around my back "Urnpf! You guys do realize I''m not actually a doll to throw around right?!" I look up at Dakota who has this devilish grin on his face. "But, it''s too fun to resist." He gets dangerously close to my face before he opens the door with one hand and slides me between him and his brother. We make the short trip back to the packhouse. As we all jump out of the truck, I am once again thrown over a shoulder. "What now? I need to take a shower. I am covered in mud and sweat and Cam''s blood. I wish I would have known your nose is a geyser before I kicked you. I look over at Cam as I figure out who has me now. "I would have chosen better." Iugh at my own joke, the only one who joins in is Sierra. Stupid boys, it''s okay when it''s me they make fun of, but not when the tables have been turned. I open my mouth to say so, when Oliver stops abruptly and jars my stomach into his shoulder. "What the. He slides me down and ces me gently on the ground before stepping in front of me, but not in my line of sight. His arm is stretched Out across my waist, like he''s ready to shove me behind him if needed. "I ''m here!" Is she singing now? She''s like a cockroach, f*cking everywhere. heard there was dinner with the Alpha and Luna, so I dressed up special. Kaley giggles, motioning to her very short ck and purple dress with a deep v cut all the way to her belly button. I don''t know how she thinks that''s appropriate to wear to dinner with the Alpha and Luna. "You boys need to get cleaned up, why are you still all dirty from this morning''s training? You''re going to bete and you can ''t make the Alpha and Luna wait. Cam you can wear that nice ck button down shirt and your pinstripe pants and Dakota can wear his white button down with ck cks. I brought you both ties that will match my outfit perfectly." She giggles and ps like a toddler. "I think you misheard Kaley, we," Cam gestures to the group, "Are having dinner with our parents and the Alpha King''s warriors before they leave in the morning. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. It''s not a formal event and we did not invite additional guests." "What are you talking about? Daddy said that the Alpha was hosting the Elite warriors and I should be here to support you both since I will soon be leading this pack with you as Luna It''s the best time to learn all of my hosting duties as the next Luna and what better way to learn than to be here with the current Luna while she entertains the Alpha King''s warriors?" Man she is grasping at straws and how many times can you use the word ''Luna'' in a sentence? "No, we''ve gone over this. We aren''t eighteen yet and have no idea who our Luna will be, stop trying to force this, it''s not happening. We will only take our Goddess given mate and nothing else. You and your father need to figure this out?'' This is one of the rare times Dakota drops his fun personality. "We are runningte though, excuse us." Cameron, always the peacekeeper. They both push past her and Oliver shifts his arm, hisrge hand is on the small of my back and his large body is between her and I. Sarn does the same for Sierra. I don''t look her way hoping she won''t notice me, but that is wishful thinking. "WHAT THE F*CK? What is she doing here?!? You said no additional guests." Kaley has a pink w pointed right at me. "If she is here, then I demand, as your girlfriend, to be here too. How does it look with you parading around with another girl all the time?" Chapter 0079 Chapter 0079 Chapter 0079 Oliver moves me behind him so fast it took me a second to blinkand register it happened, Sam moved Sierra next to me and stood shoulder to shoulder with Oliver. The wall of male testosterone should piss me off and to some extent it does. But with Kaley, I will let them handle her as long as possible. I know one day she wille for me and I won''t let her hurt me anymore, I won''t have to. For now, they can have her. "Well, it''s about time you kids got here!" Luna Ava''s voice rings over to us, I peek around Oliver''s arm to take in the scene. Kaley''s psycho face switches back to the sweet mask she wears to get adults to give her her own way. "Luna! It''s so great to see you! The guys were just telling me about dinner tonight, I hope you don ''t mind an addition to the table." Cue folded hands and the little girl twist. I have to admit, she put a good spin on the situation and a weaker person would have given in to her. "Oh, I''m so sorry. I wish you would have called me boys, but I only made enough for the usual group. Maybe another time...umm "Kaley." She gives the Luna her name, but her smile falters a bit. "Right, Kaley. Maybe another time. Skr, Sierrae on, you can use my bathroom while the boys use the guest rooms, I want to hear all about training today. Lucas said it was amazing. Have a good evening Kaley. Luna Ava waves her off and moves into the doorway, clearly the conversation was over and we were all happy toply with the Luna''s wishes. Oliver turned around keeping me directly in front of him and pushed me toward the front door where Luna Ava stood waiting. Sam and Sierra right behind. Mateo and the twins bringing up the rear. I could see in the reflection of the windows that none of them spared a backward nce at Kaley and she looked murderous. As soon as we were all inside Luna Ava startedughing. "You should have seen your faces when she tried to say you invited her for dinner." She grabbed her stomach. "But her face when I said ''no'' was even better. The Cunningham''s have been trying since Kaley was born to find a way to force a chosen mate bond with the boys. It''s getting absurd. Kevin showed up earlier today, I''m sure with the same intention of getting an invite to dinner. Anyway, you all really do smell which I guess is to be expected when you train for almost ten hours. Girlse on, I''ll show you to my bathroom and we''ll get you something to wear." She says sweetly, then turns to the guys "Boys, move it! They all hustle up the stairs to the second and third floors. Sierra and I giggle at how she can get these boys, who are easily twice her size and strength, to move like she electrocuted them. The first floor houses the Alpha and Luna''s offices to the left of the massive central staircase, the formal living room that is set up for pack meetings and otherrge events to the right of the staircase and the massive kitchen at the back. The second floor of the packhouse is for guests. There are sixrge rooms, three to each side of the house. The main staircase stops at a beautiful walkway on the second floor where you have a great vantage point of the front door and living room. I''m sure many speeches and grand entrances have been made on this set of stairs. Alpha Lucas does as few unnecessary speeches as possible. From what I have heard, each guest room was individually decorated to perfection by the Luna herself. They arerge enough to make any neighboring Alpha feel wee andfortable with their own ensuite bathroom and minibar, but not obnoxiously overdone. The third floor is for the twins. I believe there are actually four bedrooms on their floor, for the four kids their ancestor had when he built it originally. I think I heard Mateo say that one room has been turned into a study of sorts and another into a game room, then each has their own room. The fourth floor is the Alpha and Luna''s floor. No one but the Alpha, Luna and their kids go up there. It''s the one ce they can just be. Away from all the pack business and responsibilities. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. LunaAva leads us to an elevator housed behind the staircase that goes up the center of the house to her floor. It''s hidden in in sight and can be locked down like the staircase that takes you from the second floor to the twins floor. It helps keep people from snooping around during parties. Chapter 0080 Chapter 0080 Chapter 0080 I am actually nervous going up to the top floor. It''s like being invited to the inner circle. We arrive at the top floor and the elevator opens to a small sitting room. We step out and directly across from us is a gorgeous firece that is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Two oversized armchairs sit facing the firece. It is so inviting, I want to just plop down and get lost in a book. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. The room is bright white with dark wood beams across the ceiling and a dark wood floor covered in a veryfy looking area rug. It''s such a contrast to the lower floors, which are more neutral. The walls and furniture are pure white, the floor is darkwood to match the beams. Little ents of forest greens and navy blue are around the room, but subtly done. I am totally blown away with just the entry, I have totally forgotten why we are here. "I thought you might like the sitting room." Luna Ava gave a smallugh as she ced her hand on my shoulder. "If you ever need an escape, my library downstairs is the same, you can alwayse over. She gives my shoulder a squeeze before letting go and walking ahead of us. The sitting room is separated from a small living room and kitchen to the left of the little sitting area, by a short white cab that houses books on the sitting room side and closed storage on the other. Arge white L shaped couch faced another firece that has arge framed abstract picture over the mantle. Just beyond that a small kitchen filled the end of the long rectangr room. The clean white theme extended here too. White cabs with a light gray countertop, with an ind in the center matching the rest of the kitchen. "The bathroom is just through there, she points to the right where you can see a massive King sized bed with fluffy whiteforter that makes it look like a cloud that Iwould really like toy on. Just beyond that double doors open to the bathroom. I will grab you both some clothes and put some snacks out. I''m sure you could use an energy boost after putting those boys in their ces." Sheughs as she points us through the open concept area. "Oh sh*t! I think this bathroom is as big as my whole room at home! Sierraughs as we walk in and just starts stripping in front of me. "What are you doing?!" I all but shout at her turning around. "What? We have the same parts and the Luna and I have both seen your scars. Stop being shy, this will go faster and there are four shower heads in this shower fit for 20. We can both shower on either side and get done more quickly, I am hungry and I want to hang out by that firece. When are we ever going to be in the alpha suite again?" She lifts an eyebrow at me as she steps to the far side of the shower. "Fine. This is really weird though." "What''s weird? It''s no different than amunal shower in the locker room. "You forget I use the stalls for obvious reasons. Thismunal thing is weird." I say stepping to the other side, keeping my back to her and showering faster than I ever have before. This is really ufortable, even with Sierra. "You won''t think it''s weird when it''s you and your mates. She giggles. "What? I have barely seen a guy naked, being around Warrior Nicks today was awkward enough. I am not even thinking about any of that right now. And what do you mean ''mates''? " She just steps around me and heads out of the bathroom, towel tied around her body, pretending like I didn''t say a thing. Chapter 0081 Chapter 0081 Chapter 0081 I wrap up in a fluffy white towel and walk out to see two sets Of clothes on the bed_ It looks like the boys'' clothes though. I figured she would have given us something of hers that would fit us better. Interesting. Sierra walks straight toward the set that smells like Sam ''s and starts getting dressed right away. I pulled on the other set of clothes. The shorts were Olivers, the tank top (that fits me like a dress is Dakota''s, sweatpants are my brother''s and the sweatshirt is Cam I''m not sure why she gave me a piece from each of them. That is a question forter. At least I gotyers, considering I have no underwear or a bra on now. We both sat at her ind eating off the snack tray she left us. I am more than happy to sit here and continue avoiding the guys for as long as everyone will let me. Cam called me out on my avoidance, but I can''t think Of anything else. I need to stay away from them. Kaley is still hurting kids and after being ignored and tantly left out today at training and now for dinner.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. This week is going to suck for anyone unluclg,'' enough to be in her path. "Alright girls, the boys are all done and setting up the back yard, the Alpha and Beta are on grill duty as usual. Let''s go rx by the pool." Luna Avaes strutting in just as we finished eating. don ''t know if I can eat anymore." Sierra rubs her belly. "Your snacks are too good, I couldn''t stop." She giggles. "If you train as hard as I think you do with these boys, you can put down plenty. Let''s go" She grabs me gently by the shoulder, basically telling me she is aware of my avoidance too and will not allow it anymore than Cam will. The patio surrounding the pool looked simr to my birthday, two days ago. They must do this a lot, because it took no effort for them to get everything set up. It makes me smile to know that I can be a part of this for now, even if it''s temporary, it feels good to be included and to let myself be included. The long table is filled with people. All the warriors that helped out with training are here, warrior Nicks and another of the Alpha King''s warriors are in conversation with Delta Kyle. Gamma Brett and Gwen are talking with the guys animatedly. Whatever the story is, it''s hrious to everyone but Gamma Brett. ''[We''re all here now." Luna Ava announces our presence as we walk over to the table. There aren''t any avable seats for Sierra or I. She walks up to stand by Sam and I move between my brother and Cam. "We just want to thank you all foring to our special training today. We wish you could stay longer, these kids looked amazing, tired and came homepletely disgusting, and I know that they enjoyed it immensely. She stands at the head of the table addressing everyone but not making it awkward. Now let''s enjoy some food!" She ps and everyone starts moving to the kitchen to get food and drinks beforeing back to the table. Sierra nts herself on Sam''sp. I know they both im it''s ''nothing'' but the way they move together is not ''nothing.'' Even I can see that. Maybe they are both just having fun before finding their mates in a couple years. They seem to get along really well and there isn''t any of the drama that I see with other couples at school. Some girls are offended by everything their boyfriends do. It''s like they live to be mad at someone, I don''t know how they go through life like that. Sierra and Sam make it look easy, more than friends, but nothing crazy or over dramatic. "Whatcha thinking about so hard Smalls?" Dakota says right next to my ear. "I can almost see the steaming out of your ears." I had stopped walking in my assessment of the seating. I didn''t realize I had stopped in anyone''s path as I was lost in my thoughts. I jumped a bit at his closeness. "Uh, nothing. Just thinking about where to sit." I lie quickly. "All the chairs seem to be taken. "Come with me. He takes my te so I can it argue and heads toward the table where Cam has pulled up a bench. They both sit down on it, effectively taking up the whole thing and I arn super confused until Kota pulls me around in the small space in front of him and Cam, then pulls me down so I am straddling one of each of their legs, officially making me look like a toddler on their knees. Chapter 0082 Chapter 0082 Chapter 0082 They each wrap an arm loosely across my legs and I can feel my cheeks burn at being so close to both of them like this. It''s one thing for them all to throw me around when we are at training or messing around. That feels like brotherly affection, but like this, it''s different. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. I can''t even touch the ground sitting on theirps like this. It''s the first time being small has made me flustered. I try to wiggle forward to try and put my feet on the ground so I can take a little weight off their legs, but someone grabs my knee. "Let''s not do that, Tiny. Otherwise we will have a problem you won ''t want to fix. Cam whispers low so only Kota and I hear. I freeze, Kota lets out a small huff of amusement. I''m not even sure if I can move at all now. Logically, I know he was just teasing me, but this is so ufortable. This is not a situation I have ever had to deal with before. My heart is racing and feels like it is going to pound out of my chest. I don''t even feel like this on a hard workout day. And I am sure they can hear my erratic heart, making me blush harder. "Breathe, Smalls. And rx" Kota whispers. I do my best to sit and join in the small conversations going around the table. There are so many people here, it''s almost overwhelming. As we ate and talked, Cam moved his left arm behind my back, but Kota adjusted so he could eat with his right hand. As soon as he took a bite though, he would put down his fork and drape his massive arm across my lap so I essentially had a twin seat belt. I had no idea what to do, I was afraid to move. I have never been this close to a boy like this, ever. "You feeling okay, Bite Size? You''ve barely touched your food." Oliver asks from next to Kota. Why do these guys notice stupid things like my eating habits, but can''t wrap their heads around sh*t going down at or around school? Before I can answer, Warrior Nichs looks over at us. "How long have you all been training together? You all move like a unit. Even when you were paired up the rest adjusted around the group. It takes years for most teams to gain that. "We have all been training since we were about five. All the guys have been doing the extra summer training at the Alpha King''s trainingpound since the eighth grade. Sierra and Smalls joined us back in November." Kota says after swallowing a mouthful of food. "Really?! I never would have thought they joined your training recently." Nicks replies. Sierra snorted. "We didn''t just start training. We both have been training independently as long as the guys have. We just allowed them to join the extra training that we do." Sierra chimed in and I''m d she did, I wasn''t quite sure how to take hisment. It could have been either apliment or an insult. Warrior Nicks eased my mind when he replied. "I wasn''t implying that you were untrained. Only that, to get that level of nonverbal understanding and have a natural trust and a connection to move the way you all do, usually takes years and a lot of real world experience. It''s impressive. More impressive knowing you all became a full group rougly six months ago." He thought for a minute and then carne back with; What do you mean you allowed them to join you?" He gestures to the guys when he says ''them.'' "Well, the crazy small girl here trains like she''s preparing for the next apocalypse. You saw her today. She''s the only one that went two rounds and she did it back to back against the future Gamma and a future Alpha and she handed both of them their asses, barely breaking a sweat. Then to wrap it all up nicely shepleted the human versus wolf training and the only one you yourself couldn''t submit. And we were with you for over six hours after the rest of the training group left_ She got there before all of us, meaning she probably did an hour of cardio before anyone else showed up. Today was a ''regr'' day for her. She air quotes. "She''s also the top student and helps Delta Kyle train all the juniors and pups. Yeah, we all train with her. Sierra giggles and the rest of the table follows suit. My eyes are wide and I can feel my cheeks flush at her words. I can''t look anyone in the eye, I hate having this much attention on me. Chapter 0083 Chapter 0083 Chapter 0083 I just want to crawl in a hole. I know my cheeks are ming and I focus very hard on the uneaten food on my te. I can''t make eye contact with anyone, I feel like such a freak No teenager acts the way I do. I didn''t realize I brought that much attention to myself today. Sierra isn''t one to exaggerate or embellish. If she noticed all of that, who else did? I really don''t like everyone staring at me either, I have to figure out a way to change the subject. I cleared my throat abruptly. "So I heard that you are doing trials for elite warrior training because there are so many applicants and you''re going to let high schoolers participate. Is that true? Are you going to start training high schoolers to be Elite Warriors? | blurted, hoping to get someone else to talk and take the conversation in a different direction. "Uh, yeah." Nicks looked a little taken aback. Many packs want their warriors trained well and going through the two year program allows us to fully train elite warriors and get them real life experience in peacekeeping , rescue and recovery, and battle strategy. We don''t just train for war and not all packs understand that, so they have been sending more and more warriors for the Elite program trying to get enforcers and we fail most of them out within the first two days, so we now have a trial that lets us evaluate if someone is right to train in the elite program. "You fail them in two days?" Mateo asks. "Damn, isn''t that harsh? It''s hard to get to know someone in just two days]'' "That''s the point though. To not know them, only to see them for the potential that they have to be an elite warrior. There are qualities we have to see that cannot necessarily be taught. It can''t be personal, we all have to detach, that''s the job. It''s an intense line of work and we train as such. There isn''t anything wrong with pack warriors, they are actually crucial to the safety and well being of each pack, and we have trainers for them as well, but the Elite Warriors are utilized differently so they are trained differently." He finishes off vaguely looking at all the warriors surrounding him. He has clearly had this debate before and wants to avoid a conflict. "Do you implement the same training tactics for the ranked training that you do in the Elite training?" Oliver, of course, wants to know if he''s missing out on something. "Some things, yes. You have to remember ranked members, like you guys have a pack to run. So while you need to Imow how to fight and protect your pack, the goal is to teach you how to not ever have the need for that. To teach you to always be ready for anything, but conflict resolution, pack growth and camaraderie are more important here on the home front_ You have and train warriors for a reason, to protect. The Elite Warriors are sent on some of the most dangerous missions. We would never send a future Gamma on a mission, for example, where the possibility of not coming home is high and that is almost the whole scope of an Elite Warrior''s job description. They are required to go undercover and sometimes go dark for months or years. A certain personality is needed to do that. "Damn, that sounds nuts and yet I have FOMO all at the same time." Sam shakes his head and everyoneughs, breaking the tension. I almost hate to admit it, but I agree with Sam. It sounds nuts and yet it''s exactly what I need to get out of this pack and away from Kaley and all of her bullsh* We all finished eating and the adults were conversing in their own little small groups. Original from N?velDrama.Org. Luna Ava made sure everyone had plenty to eat and drink, and I was able to finally scarf down my food when the guys got up and left to start their usual clean up routine. With so many people it tooka few trips, so I didn''t feel super weird since several other people were still picking at their tes. "Warrior Niks, how will the trails work? Obviously you are looking for recruits now, but are you also scouting for the future? Will you be doing the same two day elimination you have at your compound?" I can''t help but wonder if I could do it and get out of here sooner than I thought. Chapter 0084 Chapter 0084 Chapter 0084 "Why are you so caught up in this warrior training? It has nothing to do with you. As soon as you graduate, you''ll find your mate and give him pups right away. You have no need for all the training you do as it is." My father chimes in. I have sessfully avoided him all night. He''s not looking at me, but there is no doubt to anyone who knows our rtionship, who he is talking to. I keep my face as neutral as possible. "I am just curious, that''s all. Hearing how other packs do things is always fascinating. It helps to have knowledge of other pack''s customs and traditions, training is no different. It will be especially important if my mate happens to be in another pack CRASH! We all turn to look at the kitchen where Oliver and Mateo are scrambling to pick up broken pieces Of what I think was several tes. "Bite Size, you really have to stop talking about leaving. Oliver huff''s loud enough for everyone to hear and giving me the side eye. Original from N?velDrama.Org. The rest of the guys gave me a simr look How did he even hear me? They are like forty feet away, with water running and banging dishes around. I mean the ss door panels that make up the patio wall of the kitchen are openpletely today, since it''s nice out, so there is no barrier between the massive table by the pool and the kitchen, but still there are like 20 people between me and them and not everyone is listening to the conversation Nicks and I are having. Several are talking amongst themselves adding to the noise. "What''s wrong with them?" Gamma Brett asks, turning his attention back to me. "They are not dealing with the idea that Sky is a very strong beta and therefore probably going to be mated to a high ranking wolf, who is possibly NOT IN THIS PACK!" She shouts over her shoulder. "They are not liking the idea or taking the news well." She shrugs. The adults around us allugh a bit, but 1 don''t miss the look that passes amongst the Luna, Alpha, Gamma and Delta. Our parents are keeping something from us, or have information We don''t about mates and clearly not in the mood to share. "To answer your question, Skr, we will be allowing potential candidates to do some portions of the trials. We can''t give you everything because some aspects need to be done in the moment. We also adapt the training regrly so things may change or evolve. We don ''t usually take anyone under 17, but again we don''t work in absolutes. We also prefer mateless warriors. Having a mateplicates missions and puts a target on the mate, should someone want to use them as leverage as a hostage. No mate while a warrior, good to know. We have to head home this week, but will be back the following week to begin the trials here at Blue Crescent. We are bringing in potentials from the four surrounding packs as well. You should join us. It will be interesting to see you up against people you don''t train with everyday. In fact I insist that you join us, I think you would give a few of my team members a run for their money. Heughs and so does his partner. I can''t help but smile, I know he''s just stroking my ego. There is no way I would give any of those guys a run for their money, but I like that he''s trying to make me feel better after my father basically said Pm not good for anything but being a baby making machine. "Well, all of this training talk is fascinating, but we need our friends for some well deserved down time." Sarn slid my chair back and threw me over his shoulder before I knew what was happening. "You guys do realize that my legs work, right? I mean, the amount of takedowns should be proof enough." Iugh lifting my head up just as a crack sounds and my buttcheek is on fire. ''low! What the "No sass from you, Smalls. You would never leave a conversation about fighting willingly. Kota says low, but I know everyone heard. Iugh again as I hear Sierra squeal too, meaning someone pulled a caveman on her. I can see her brown hair bouncing to my right as I look around Sam''s back, Mateo has her and the rest of the adults areughing at us. Chapter 0085 Chapter 0085 Chapter 0085 They walk us inside and up the stairs, down the hallway to the hidden staircase that leads up to the third floor. Cam reaches a keypad and types in a code then presses his thumb down. I never realized how much security they had for their private areas. I don''t remember the Luna doing anything like this to get on the elevator to the fourth floor. "What''s with the James Bond security?" Sierra asked. I love that she says what I am thinking. "We have had a few incidents with people invading our space and the security that seems to work for our parents , doesn''t stop people from trying to get to us, so we improved it. Carn looked over his shoulder towards me as I am propping my upper body on Sam''s shoulders to try and look forward. "Trantion. They have had stalker girls trying to get up to their rooms, because one romp in the sheets wasn ''t enough. Sierraughs still hanging over Mateo''s shoulder, but she has her hands on his butt pushing herself up to look around to me. "Ding, ding, ding!" Kota says, touching his nose and opening the door to the staircase and we all head up. Sierra and I are still hanging from shoulders. "Gross, I was kind of kidding. I don''t want to go anywhere near where you guys bang your little tramps. I can''t see her anymore now that we are traveling single file up the steps, but I can imagine the difficulty she is giving my brother. "First, we don''t bring girls up here. Second, our rooms are cleaned regrly even if we did. Third, we are going to the media room anyway, so rx. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Cam says somewhere in front Of us as we hit theirnding. Sam finally sets me down and I am in a big open entryway. There is a sitting area and firece here, just like on the Alpha and Luna''s floor. The difference here is everything is earthy colors. Dark browns, greens and beiges. It feels more like a log cabin here. The dark brown leather couch in front of the firece lookspletely inviting, but I ignore it and keep looking around. There is a dimly lit hallway headed off either side of the firece wall_ I assume that''s where the four bedrooms are. Opposite the firece is a wall of ss and a small balcony. The balcony looks out at the forest behind the house. The view is incredible. The sun has already begun to set and the trees look like they are on fire. "Come on Shorty, you have plenty of time to enjoy the viewter. It''s movie night." Mateo wraps his arm around my neck pulling me into a headlock and dragging me down the hallway. He pulled me into a room that was probably bigger than my bedroom at home, but barely furnished. There was arge dark gray U-shaped couch in the center facing a long t wall. The walls were a shade of navy blue. The carpet was a marbled pattern of grays and whites. There were ck curtains hanging at four foot intervals along the wall. Clearly, this was designed for the best movie watching experience. Along the back wall there is a narrow bar top with four stools, behind looked like shelves fully stocked to entertain. Mateo marched me over to the couch and swept my legs out from under me, throwing me over the back of the couch right in the center. "Umpf! Seriously, did you need to throw me?" "If I would have left you out there any longer you would have noticed the bookshelves and started drooling, we never would have gotten you in here after that" Mateoughs at me. ''Whatever, I probably wouldn''t have turned around, the view was awesome.You would have lost me to the balcony and the sunset. Will you get me a water while you''re up?" I smiled as sweetly as I could at him. Chapter 0086 Chapter 0086 Chapter 0086 "Hey! No hogging the girls! Kota whines. "You snooze, you lose, sorry brother. n Sam chuckles up at him. Kota responds by smacking him in the back of the head. This starts an all out wrestling match on and over the couches. Sierra and I move to the corners to avoid being trampled, butughing hysterically. Are they really fighting over who sits next to us? How old are they? Five? Cam, Kota and Oliver all jump over the couch tackling Sarn together and all four fall to the floor. Mateo scoots back towards meughing, but they dont leave him out for long. Someone grabs for his foot and drags him to the floor making me squeal again. I have no idea what they are even trying to aplish with this type of wrestling. Clearly there won''t be a winner, but they seem to be enjoying themselves. Arms and legs are flying everywhere and all you can hear is ourughter. It is so great to feel like this, they make me feel so good just being here in their little inner circle. The one they don''t showto the rest of the world. It hits me that I don''t know if I ever would have been able to keep my distance from them for very long. They brighten my day and don''t even realize it. Eventually they slow down, all panting harder than they do at training. Cam isying on his side holding Mateo ''s legs, who isying face down across Sam''s chest. Sam has a hold of Oliver''s legs, who has Kota in a headlock This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. "You''re at a standstill, what are you all going to do?" I ask, truly wondering if they are going to just let go and call it a draw. Knowing them, there will need to be a winner. "Who do you want to sit by, Bite Size?" Oliver asks gripping Kota a little tighter, making himugh or cough, Pm not really sure. Oh, no! I am not the deciding factor here. "I''m going to sit by Sierra, where are the rest of you going to be?" That is about as neutral as l can be. Sierraughs loudly. "See, I arn better than all of youbined! "Nope, she''s mine." Sam lets go of Oliver, wriggles out from under Mateo and jumps up to grab her around the waist sitting in one of the corners of the couch. The rest of the guys figured out quickly to move and I was tackled and pulled around again. We finally settled with me in the center of the couch, sitting with my legs folded in front of me, Cam to my right with Sierra and Sam to his right, then Oliver to my left and Mateo on his other side. Kota sat on a cushion on the floor with his head tilted back on my knee. I wish I could tell you what the movie was even about, but I don ''t think I made it through the opening credits. I was sofortable surrounded by the guys. Original from N?velDrama.Org. The warmth radiating off all of them was enough to put me into afya. Add to that the restless night of non-sleep and the amount of effort we exerted today, my body and mind were toast. At one point I woke up andpletely forgot where I was and almost freaked out when I couldn''t move my legs. The familiar scents of the guys is what calmed me down. I looked around in the dim lighting from a little night light behind the bar, I wasying in Cam''s lap and Oliver was using my butt as a pillow and his arms had my lower legs locked together. There was no way I was getting out of that hold, so I adjusted my head and arms. I brushed hair in front of me and noticed Kota was still sitting in front of me on the floor, his head tilted back in the little spoon space next to my legs. I ran my hands through Kota''s hair. The silky feel sent a shiver up my arm causing me to take a deep breath in and I swear heard him purr and felt the rumble go through his whole body. Thest thing I remember is a huge smile on my face, that I had no control over then my eyes fluttered shut. Chapter 0087 Chapter 0087 When I woke up next I was in a bed and the room was still dark with just the light from the moon shining through the sheer curtains. I stretched and took a deep breath in. This smell was all Kota. That warm cinnamon smell just lulling me deeper into the cloudlike cushion of the mattress. I was sofortable, I didn''t want to leave, but curiosity got the better of me. I slowly sat up and looked around, curious at how he lived when no one was looking. I amying in the middle of a king sized bed with the softest light blueforter I have ever felt. The room itself has minimal furnishings. He either doesn''t spend a lot of time here or just doesn''t like excess stuff. I find that interesting for the more happy-go-lucky twin. The walls are a dark gray. There are double doors on either side of the bed probably leading to a closet and bathroom. The wall to the right of the bed is almost all windows. The cream curtains are sheer to let in light but keep privacy. It looks out over the front drive of the house. The wall opposite of the bed had a long deep cab with a marble top and three floating ss shelves above it. The wall to the left of the bed had a few framed photos of the twins together and them with the rest of the guys. I slowly climbed out of the bed wanting to get a closer look at what he thought of as things important enough to remember and disy. There were no pictures smaller than an 8x10. Thergest in the center was a copy of the same family picture that was down in the main hallway. One of him and Cam in sharp ck suits posing together in an unfamiliar garden. Probably the second biggest was a picture of the five boys together, maybe a year or so ago, all shirtless in swim trunks sitting on a log in front of ake. They look sunkissed, soaked and happy, like they are having the time of their lives. I wonder if this was their first summer away. The rest are other pictures of him and the guys, but as I turn to walk towards the door to see where everyone else is at, I notice a picture on the bedside table and my heart rate sped up. It was like my body had a mind of its own and moved me towards the photo. I picked it up and just stared. I don''t remember anyone taking pictures the night of my party, but it is one of all five boys, Sierra and Iughing at the table by the pool. We all had cake so it was after my embarrassing crying episode, but you wouldn''t be able to tell I had cried at all from this photo. There is a light in my eyes and I truly look rxed with them, like sitting there and having fun was something we do all the time. I set the photo down before I could dwell on why this one was by his bed and how fast that was printed and framed and headed toward the door. I stepped out into the hallway, I have no idea what time it is. With all the minimal stuff in Kota''s room there was no clock either. I''m sure he just uses his phone. The doors to Cam''s room and the office are closed. So I head to the media room to find Mateo and Oliver sprawled on the couch. Sam and Sierra must be on the guest bed, but where did Kota sleep? Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. I walked over to the ottoman where my phone isying and saw that it''s just after 4am. My body is just hardwired for this time of the morning. I am actually a little sore from the very long training from yesterday, but I can''t skip today, nor can I skip school. I''m sure my dad was pissed about yesterday, which is why he said nothing to mest night and I have a suspicion that''s why I am here at the packhouse rather than at home, but that won''t fly today. At least Luna Ava gave me leggings and a sports bra. I can get my morning training in without going home, then I can go home to change with Mateo. Being with him may lessen the fallout of missing school and not going home at allst night. Chapter 0088 Chapter 0088 I learned my lesson though, these boys wille find me and they will be pissed if they have to search. So I found a piece of paper in Kota¡¯s room and wrote a simple note telling them I had to run and would meet them at the training grounds and left it on my brother¡¯s phone. Let¡¯s hope this will be enough ¡®notice¡¯ for them. I say to my wolf. She justughs. You do realize how protective of you they really are, right? Yes, but is that normal? I mean, they have known me forever and have never been this ¡®in my personal space¡¯ before. They are all 16 now, maybe they are developing mate senses early. All of them? There is no way I am a mate to all of them, even Mateo is different and the thought of that is just weird. Okay, so maybe it¡¯s too early for mate talk, but I agree they are acting differently. There¡¯s something special about you, that much I can tell. They are still weird. Let¡¯s go run before training, I need to clear my head. Especially if the warriors are training us again today. It''s been a long time since I was this sore, so I need a slow warm-up today. ¨C Cam and Kota were annoyed at me for not waking anyone, but in the end decided that since I left a note and told them where I was going to be, and they actually found me there, I could be forgiven. I just rolled my eyes. Boys are stupid sometimes.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. We did get to train with the warriors today, but instead of leading they joined in our regr sessions. I was selected to work with Warrior Nicks and Warrior Thomas much to the guys annoyance. They must have thought I was hogging their attention. Although, after a while they seemed to work with everyone pretty equally, they did tend to wander towards our group more often to give tips and correct movements. It wasn¡¯t as intense of a training today, everyone was sore after going against wolves yesterday and we stuck to the standard two hour time. Sweaty andughing, Sierra and I beat the guys out to the truck. ¡°What is taking you so long? I have a test today and I¡¯m not a future alpha who can get away with walking into ss whenever I feel like it.¡± I whine at the top of my lungs. ¡°We¡¯reing, keep your shorts on!¡± Kota yells across the parking lot. ¡°Or don¡¯t. I¡¯d be okay with that too!¡± Samughs right before my brother knocks him in the back of the head. ¡°Knock it off, asshole.¡± ¡°What? This is not a new sentiment. They are both hot and you, my friend, are going to have to get over the fact that all these guys,¡± he twirls his hand over his head, ¡° fantasize about your beautiful sister and her equally beautiful friend. And after the ass whooping they both gave us, I¡¯m sure the wet dreams are going to be more intense.¡± Samughs as my brother chases him around the truck muttering unintelligible curses. We eventually get in the truck and drive toward the packhouse. Once Oliver and Cam round up my brother and Sam from the ground where they ended up wrestling. Samughing and continuing to egg on my brother and my brother getting progressively more irritated with his friend. We pull into the packhouse parking lot and I turn to walk toward my house when Cam stops me. ¡°Where are you going?¡± He asks, holding onto my elbow. ¡°Home, to change for school.¡± I raise an eyebrow at him and then look pointedly at his hand on my arm. ¡°I really can¡¯t bete, and I need clothes that are actually mine for school.¡± ¡°All your stuff is here. We had it brought over this morning.¡± ¡°Wait, what?! Why is my stuff here? And why is the first I am hearing about being moved into the packhouse? Mateo!¡± ¡°Yeah, we were supposed to talk to you about itst night, I guess we were just having such a good time, it slipped my mind.¡± My brother looks at me, shrugging his shoulders, not looking apologetic at all. Chapter 0089 Chapter 0089 ¡°It slipped your mind that I was going to be moved out of my home? Do the Luna and Alpha know? Does Dad know? Oh, Goddess he is going to be so pissed. Or maybe not. Did he kick me out? Is that what happened? He hates me so much that he doesn¡¯t even want me in his house now either?¡± I''m starting to spiral and can feel the tears start to sting behind my eyes. I start rubbing my temples with both of my hands and I blink them back as best I can, I cannot lose control here. I just want to run to my room and cry at the thought of not having a home anymore, but I¡¯m frozen, I don¡¯t even know where I would run to now. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Hey, hey, breathe. It¡¯s not like that.¡± Mateo pulls me into a hug. ¡°I wanted you out of his house, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m tired of the way he acts towards you. You are better off here, with Luna Ava. I didn¡¯t think it would be that big of a deal.¡± Mateo is rocking me and stroking my hair. I should be thankful that he finally sees me, sees what being around my father does to me, but I am pissed. It¡¯s just another decision that was made for me, about me but without me. I take a deep breath and I push him away. ¡°You didn¡¯t think it would be a big deal to pack up my things and rip me from the only ce I have ever known because now you don¡¯t like the way he treats me? Newssh a*shole, that man has never loved me, never wanted me and never will. He has tolerated my existence for fifteen years and I have tolerated the neglect. Stop trying to think for me. Ie and go as I please, thanks to that neglect. I eat where and when I want, thanks to that neglect. I have been on my own my entire life, you do not get toe in now and try to be the f*cking hero.¡± I stop and close my eyes, take a deep breath, then look at my brother and the rest of the guys and Sierra. ¡°I know you all want to help, and that you mean well, but don¡¯t presume there is an easy fix to what is going on. Thank you for bringing me closer to Luna Ava, but talk to me before you do anything else that drastically changes anything for me, make sure it¡¯s what I actually want and not what makes you feel better. Now show me my room.¡± I turn around and walk toward the packhouse front door where I see Luna Ava standing waiting for us. Why is she smiling like that? ¡°Well said my dear, teach those boys to think first reactter instead of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks.¡± Sheughs and Sierraes up behind me linking her arm with mine. ¡°But, seeing as they have already had all of your stuff moved and I anticipated you being angry with them, I will show you to your new room.¡± She walks us up the stairs to the second floor and to the right around the wall that houses the elevator. She punches in a code to the third floor staircase and leads me up. ¡°You put me on the third floor? With the twins?¡± I ask her back as we ascend. ¡°After some thought and your very colorful interaction with that girl yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to not have you on a floor that literally everybody has ess to. So I have your things in the boys¡¯ study.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to take over one of their spaces.¡± ¡°Nonsense, they don¡¯t really use it, they both have desks in their rooms where they do homework and if they are working on anything for pack business, they do it in the Alpha¡¯s office on the main level. They never actually use this room, it gets more used when the boys stay.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in the way of that either. This is messing with more than just me, I don¡¯t want to inconvenience anyone.¡± Chapter 0090 Chapter 0090 ¡°Trust me, you are not an inconvenience, and besides, this way you and Sierra have a bed here when you stay now and the boys just sleep wherever they are anyway, they don¡¯t actually need a bed as I¡¯m sure you figured outst night. Besides, your room is done now and I won¡¯t be returning anything.¡± She stopped at the door next to the media room, turned the handle and pushed it open. It was incredible. Theyout was the same as Kota¡¯s room. From the door to the right was an enormous white four poster king sized bed. Theforter was the same pale blue fluffy cloud that was on Kota¡¯s bed. There were double doors on either side of the bed, I could see the bathroom light on beyond one of the open doors. To the left of the bedroom door was the most eye-catching firece surrounded by stones of all shapes and sizes in varying shades of gray and blue. A sleek TV hung above it, but the best part was the floor to ceiling bookshelves that nked the firece and werepletely filled. Two very familiar oversized armchairs sat in front of the firece. A desk sat between the door and one of the bookshelves,plete with afy chair holding my backpack and the rest of my things from my desk at home. Everything was white and clean, even the floor was a white washed wood with area rugs to tie in the different spaces of the room. Two windows let in a decent amount of light with soft white sheer curtains. ¡°I hope you like it my dear. The boys really did mean well and they know now that your rtionship with your father is not as amicable as they thought. They want to see you happy and were hoping this may help that along, although they would never be able to put it into words.¡± All three of us laugh. ¡°Now get ready for school, all of your things are in the closet and Sierra, I had a few things in your size put in there as well, you know for time like these.¡± She winks at us. ¡°Then we have breakfast waiting.¡± We both shower and dress in record time. I organize my bag and we head downstairs to the rumble of noise I have be familiar with on Saturday mornings. I slip my bag off my shoulder and take a seat at therge ind next to Sierra not making eye contact with the guys even though they have stopped talking and are all looking pointedly at us. I have forgiven the guys and actually love my room, but we decided they needed to fester just a little bit longer. The Luna seems to approve as shees up and gives us tes filled with food while leaving them to fend for themselves. She starts asking on how I like my new room and anything else I may need and then moves into other mundane topics waiting to see who will crack first. It was not who I expected. ¡°Are you really still mad at us Bite Size, or just proving a point?¡± Oliver asks from across the room. ¡°Cause the silent treatment sucks.¡± I look right at him. ¡°I was never mad at any of you, I am mad that a major decision was made about me, without even a thought to consult me. I may let you all toss me around like a shared toy, but this was a big deal and as much as I am d that I have some separation now from a bad situation, you didn¡¯t even think to find out if I would have any reason to not go along with the idea.¡± They all nodded their heads. ¡°You don¡¯t know what goes on in here,¡± I point to my head, ¡°it¡¯s weird for me to be wanted somewhere, for people to want me to be around, wrap your heads around that. You need to give me time, and be okay if it takes me time to make decisions and process things. Now let''s get to school, we¡¯re going to bete.¡± I jump up and grab my bag before the conversation gets any deeper.Original from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 0091 Chapter 0091 Once we get to school, you can feel the energy in the air. Something is different today. All the kids are buzzing about something. What could have happened in thest hour since training ended? Kaley runs up to the twins who are leading our group up the wide path to school, and grabbing both by an arm. "Oh. My. Goddess! Did you hear?" She punctuates every word. "The trials for Elite Warrior training are going to be at the end of this week. Isn''t that so exciting? I heard the Alpha King himself is going toe down, since he heard so many great things about all of us from training yesterday." ¡°What did she mean by ''us?'' She didn''t actually do much of anything but parade around in her pink outfit.¡± Sierra whispers to me and we exchange an eye roll, but say nothing else. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. "You guys have done such a great job training everyone and leading. I bet that''s why he''s really coming. He wants to see all the high ranking wolves in action. I can¡¯t wait to sit next to you while our best warriors show off their skills.¡± She jumped up and kissed Cam on the cheek unexpectedly and turned toward Kota who stepped back knowing it wasing. Cam looks like someone pped him and he¡¯s pissed. Kaley doesn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°We¡¯ll see. Our parents usually have ns when we have guests. Not sure about what they will expect of us if the Alpha King is trulying. This is the first we are hearing these rumors.¡± Always the diplomat, Cam. ¡°I¡¯m sure they will expect the future alphas and their Luna as well as the rest of our future leaders to be present for all of it.¡± She looks around at the guys and giggles then yfully ps him in the arm. Oliver clears his throat. ¡°We don¡¯t know who our future Luna is, and I¡¯m sure if the Alpha King wants people present he will let us know who will be allowed in his presence, I¡¯m sure there are protocols for that. We¡¯re going to bete, let¡¯s go.¡± He didn¡¯t wait just stepped around Kaley and the rest of us followed without looking back. She didn''t try to approach them when Sierra and I were around, for the rest of the day Tuesday and Wednesday are a blur of activity. Training remains the same and the Elite Warriors end up sticking around because they are, in fact, running trials on Thursday and Friday. The school board decided to cancel regr sses after training Wednesday morning so our higher level students could spend time focusing on getting ready and the younger kids were just too wound up with excitement over the whole thing to focus. I trained like I normally do and the guys and Sierra grudgingly came along. No one has confirmed whether or not the Alpha King is going to actuallye, but the high school rumor mill spread that information like wildfire. The dance is also next Saturday night so there will be several things to celebrate. Which is our current topic of discussion. We are all sitting at the diner, Martha bringing our usual meals. She always throws extra fries on my te or brings me a milkshake, even when I don¡¯t order one. Sam is still trying to get her to give him extras. ¡°We have to go as a group, it¡¯s the only logical thing. No one takes a date to the spring dance because of the mating celebration, but I still want a reason to tell Marnie I can¡¯t go with her.¡± We all laugh at Mateo. ¡°She has told me twice a day, everyday, for two weeks what time to pick her up and what color shirt to wear so we match. This b*tch is crazy!¡± ¡°She¡¯s going to have a rude awakening when she¡¯s waiting and no one shows.¡± Samughs. ¡°Jeanie tried the same thing, but I shut her down and I blocked her, so if she¡¯s tried since I have no idea.¡± Oliver shrugs his shoulders and lets out a huff that I think might have been a rareugh. ¡°What about Kaley? Has she tried to rope the two of you into taking her?¡± Sierra asks the twins. ¡°She did, I told her we were taking Skr.¡± Kota shrugs his shoulders. My eyes went wide. ¡°You what!?!¡± Now she really is going to try and kill me. ¡°Rx, it wasn¡¯t a lie since we are all going together.¡± ¡°You know you need to put a protective detail on Sky now right?¡± Sierra looks between the two of them who look like they¡¯ve been hit with a stupid stick. ¡°I¡¯m kind of joking, but kind of not. Kaley is willing to do anything to get close to the two of you including harming people. We¡¯ve seen it.¡± Chapter 0092 Chapter 0092 ¡°Sky will be fine. She¡¯s taken down pretty much everyone in the pack who can actually fight. I¡¯m not worried about f*cking Kaley.¡± Kota finishes. He has no idea, it¡¯s never Kaley who gets her hands dirty and they nevere at me one at a time. At least we don¡¯t have school, that will help me avoid her. Although she has actually beening to training every morning and dressed in workout gear. She doesn¡¯t appear to do much, but she¡¯s good at looking busy. We all leave looking like something the cat dragged in while she looks exactly as she showed up. She won¡¯t fool people for long. She¡¯s trying to impress the Elite Warriors by pretending to be involved. We just need to keep our head down and make a good impression so they will take us next year. Then we can get away from her for a bit. I love that my wolf just gets me and knows what I need to hear. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡°I know, I just hope that she doesn¡¯t start bullying other kids while we are gone. She¡¯s starting to get worse with her bow-to-me Luna tirades.¡± ¡°Hey Shorty, where¡¯d you go?¡± Mateo looks at me, concern clouding his eyes. ¡°You know we won¡¯t let anything happen to you, right?¡± Thisment, of course, gets the attention of the others. ¡°It¡¯s not me who needs protection.¡± I move to get up, annoyed that they are so short sided still, even after what I told them about the bullying in school. I take the bullying so no one else has to. And I have told all the kids not to fight on school grounds since they are the ones most likely to get into trouble for it. So, they juste to me. I walk toward the door and start a slow jog back over to the training field. I need to hit the gym and punch something that won¡¯t actually get hurt if I put my full rage into it. I know they are following me, but at a distance. They have at least picked up on when I need some time to myself. It doesn¡¯t mean that they actually leave me alone, they just don¡¯t try to engage and I have stopped trying to run and hide from them when I am upset. I just kind of shut down verbally. It¡¯s only been about six months since we have been hanging out and I still find myself overwhelmed at all of them being around all of the time. There are times when I do miss the quiet and peace of being by myself. I make the effort not to rip the door open as I reach the entrance to the gym attached to the main training grounds. I¡¯m not here much since I prefer to train outdoors no matter the weather. But the weights and the punching bags are a great way to release pent up frustrations quickly. Also the guys can all be here with me without being in my way or in my space. It¡¯s the bestpromise I can give them. I walk over to the stereo and hook up my phone and st the loudest, most aggressive rock ylist I have. The guitar and drums fuel my irritation and help me channel the rage that has been slowly building up as the year has gone on. I walk to the wall and grab a spare set of wraps for my hands and begin the irritatingly long process of wrapping my knuckles. I prefer the MMA wraps to boxing gloves, it¡¯s closer to the real thing and I tend to not overdo it since the paines more quickly. I get one done and struggle with the other since it¡¯s my off hand. Without a wordrge hands grab the wrap and my hand and begin the process of securing my knuckles. I don¡¯t look up, I don¡¯t have to, each of these guys brings me comfort in their own ways. Oliver is the one who showed me how to wrap properly so I did less damage to my hands. He always makes sure I¡¯m safe, but never tries to stop me from letting out my anger in a constructive way. That¡¯s the part of me he seems to understand and can sympathize with. When he¡¯s finished, he just turns and walks away, leaving me to my thoughts. Chapter 0093 Chapter 0093 Chapter 0093 I begin a slow warm up keeping my back to them, I don ''t need to see worried gazes. Circling my arms and stretching, then shadow boxing before fully turning to the bag is all that I need, my body still pretty loose from the workout we finished only a couple hours ago. I go through a series of punches that Oliver taught me, then move on to kicks. I have no idea how long I have been at it, but I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn, seeing Dakota with a set of hand bags. He also says nothing, just holds up his covered hands. He''s trying to bring me back to the group, one person at a time. I follow his cues with the bags, punching and kicking as fast and hard as possible. I then feel another tap and see Cameron behind me with another set of hand bags. They are turning this into a two on one now. I don''t think, I just go with it. Pm learning to trust them more and more. I still don''t tell them everything, I don ''t think they will ever learn about all of the bullying, it''s been too much for too long. But, I''m not actively trying to shut them all out anymore. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Eventually Sam, Oliver and my brother all join so I''m surrounded, taking cues from each direction. They know that I need to burn out whatever emotions are coursing through me, even if they have no idea what or wthy. Finally, when I am a panting, sweaty mess I drop my arms and just look around at my friends. My ylist ran out long ago, so it is just silent other than the sound of our heavy breathing. I walk to my brother and put my forehead on his massive chest. He wraps me up in a tight hug and kisses the top of my head then lets me go. Sierra walks up to me and throws her arm around my shoulder. "Let''s go, we all need to shower and I need a serious meal after thest three hours. You sure know how to make me earn my meals girl. "Oh Goddess! I didn''t realize how long I kept you here. You didn''t have to stay with me." I groaned as I took off the, now soaked, hand wraps and threw them in theundry bin. "I know you all have other things you could be doing. You don''t have to babysit me, it''s not like I go far." I giggle at my own joke, but I seem to be the Only one who thinks it''s funny. "Little Bit, we aren''t babysitting you. We upset you. And I''m leaning more towards pissed you off based on the way my hands feel after that beating. You really hold back during training, don''t you?" I chuckle as Sam dramatically shakes his hands. I didn''t hit them that hard. "I''m sure everyone feels the same, but I worry about you when you go all silent treatment. You''re actually really scary." I just roll my eyes. "Kaley hates me, she wants to be Luna and she thinks I am a problem. She is actively trying to remove any problems to her goal." I shrug and leave it at that. They have been better about paying attention to the pack members and have shut down a lot of the unnecessary bullying that has been happening, but they have still never seen Kaley in action. "She still won''t do anything to you, she''s not that stupid. She knows that we care about you, she wouldn''t risk getting on our bad side by hurting you." Kota chimes in as we make our way to the truck. I share a look with Sierra, she''s guessed and tried to get me to admit that Kaley is behind the worst of my torture, but I still won ''t confirm or deny it. Climbing into our usual ces, Sierra mutters, You''d be surprised what some people will do for a position of power." Either the guys don''t hear, or they don''t know how to respond, they just stay silent. Just as we all get settled all of our phones go off. Luna Ava: Tell Skr to stop training you all to death and all of you get to the packhouse. Be showered and dressed nicely in 30 minutes. I have clothes for the girls, they can get ready with me. Chapter 0094 Chapter 0094 Chapter 0094 Oliver: Yes ma'' am Sam: Do you love the girls more than me now? Kota: *thumbs up* emoji Cam: We''ll see you soon Mateo: On our way "We are all together, why do you all respond?" Sierra asks, looking up from her phone. I was thinking the same thing. All the guys let out a littleugh. "What?" I askas our phones ping again. Luna Ava: Girls? "She wants confirmation from all of us. She found out the hard way that some of us pretend like we don''t get the message and im usible deniability. Camughs. "It was one time! And she won''t let it go." Sam exims. "And now we all suffer, if we don''t all respond. It''s her proof, so none of us can get out of anything with her." Oliver rolls his eyes next to me. Another ping. Luna Ava: GIRLS! Me: With the guys, on our way now. Sierra: See you! We are allughing as we pull into the garage not a minute after sending our responses. Sierra and I rush upstairs to the Luna''s floor and she is waiting for us outside the elevator. "Quickly, into the shower please. We have no time to lose." She ps her hands pushing both of us towards the bathroom. "And give me those things, you have been training most Of the day, they are disgusting. We bothugh at her. "You two are as bad as the "Don''t me me, Luna Ava, me the tyrant over here. She''s trying to get noticed by the warriors so she can get recruited and get out of here." Sierra blurts out as we both undress and drop our clothes in a pile, stepping into the already warm shower heads. I have definitely lost my shyness with these two. I still make sure my scars are covered at all times but the guys have seen them now, so I''m not as afraid if my shirt rides up. But, the looks they get when I catch them staring at my injuries, that guilt is something I don ''t enjoy. "What? Sky, you really want to leave? What about your mate and graduating school? n She leans against the sink, crossing her arms like she''s stealing herself for bad news. "They don ''t start taking trainees until junior year, so I won''t even qualify until next year at the earliest, since technically I''m ahead in school. I just want to get on their radar, Warrior Niks said that anyone in high school could do the trials. That it would give me a baseline for what the warriors might be looking for in the future. "But that training is two years, what would the boys do without you?" "They didn''t even notice me until this year and I have literally been around them my whole life. Truthfully, they will probably score more dates if they weren''t hanging out with me. I''ve been thinking about doing the warrior training for a long time. There really isn''t much avable to me as the beta''s second child and daughter. I can finish high school while training and even do college courses so I won''t be dying anything or holding myself back. There are a lot of reasons for me to go and do this." "Is your father one of those reasons?" I could hear the clip in her words. "He''s not NOT a reason. I want to go and do something with myself, use my skills to make other people better. And if I go now, then I will be back by the time I turn eighteen and am ready and able to find my mate." I try to sound cheerful at the prospect. I turn off the water and we step out to her holding towels, looking lost in thought. I wrap the towel around me and grab her hands making her look at me. "I promise, I''m not trying to run away, but I have to try this, I need to do something that makes me feel aplished and right now I don''t have that. I promise that I wille back" I look her straight in the eyes for a moment before she pulls me in for a tight hug.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Chapter 0095 Chapter 0095 Chapter 0095 She shakes her head as she releases me. "Okay, we have to get you both dolled up a bit, this is not our usual casual dinner. Let''s get started on your hair and make-up." She ps, changing the subject abruptly. We spend the next twenty minutes brushing, drying, curling, and applying to the Luna''s specifications. Then she put us both in light sleeveless maxi dresses. Mine was a navy blue with a deep ''V'' in the front and wide straps over my shoulders. She pulled the ribbon at the empire waist tight, entuating the small amount of curves I have. Sierra''s was a deep muted red, bringing out the color of her hair and eyes. The thin spaghetti straps looked like they would give with any wrong movement. We both hadfortable wedges that matched. As we are doing a final look in the mirror, Luna Ava walks out in a pristine white cocktail dress complete with dainty chandelier earrings and grecian sandals with straps wrapped around her ankles. "Wow! You look amazing." Sierra beamed at her. "What? This old thing?" Sheughs at us. "Actually this is my favorite dress, I have it in every color. It''s sofy and I can dress it up or down. "Speaking of, why are we dressing up? Your backyard barbecues have never been fancy before?" I look at her in the mirror. "We have some special guests tonight, and we are right on time to annoy all of the men! She giggled like a teenager. She leads us through the sitting room to the elevator. It dings and we all step in. "How are we annoying the guys?" Sierra asks, looking just as amused. "I told them to be ready in thirty minutes. It''s been an hour and a half. And they had all better be waiting with bated breath for our arrival." Weugh at her dramatics. "If I told them how long they really had, they would have taken their time to get you two back to me and I couldn''t have that. The elevator dings andes to a stop. The doors open to the hallway just off the kitchen and weMaterial ? of N?velDrama.Org. can hear lots of chatter. "Luna Ava, what''s going on? Who''s here?" I ask, a little worried I shouldn''t be here. "With the trials tomorrow we have a few guests, so I am hosting a little get together to introduce everyone." She is super vague. She''s never been purposefully vague with us before. What is going on? We follow the sounds of the voices into the kitchen and it is a sight. The Alpha is in a navy blue suit with a white button down shirt, no tie, and the top button undone. Looking business casual. The rest of the pack leaders are dressed simrly, all dark suits and white shirts. They looklike they just got done with a business meeting. Delta Gwen has a beautiful dark purple cocktail dress on. I don''t know if I have ever seen her dressed with heels on before. I always thought she was pretty, but she is gorgeous in this halter dress that shows off all her strong muscles, but she doesn''t look unfeminine. And don ''t get me started on her ckce up heels. They look like a soft material and go up tall past her ankle with thick strapscing the front. Once I stop drooling over Delta Gwen''s shoes, I notice all the guys are in dress cks and button down shirts. The twins, who don''t usually dress alike, are in matching silver gray shirts with ck pants that have a shine to them. The silver of the shirt highlights their very different eye colors, but makes them brighter somehow. Oliver is in all ck as usual, his sleeves rolled up showing off the corded muscles of his forearms and the tattoos that are slowly beginning to crawl down his arms. Sam is ina soft pink shirt, showing off his mboyant nature without being overwhelming. My brother is in a navy blue shirt that oddly seems to match my dress and te gray pants. Everything fits these guys to perfection. Man it just got hot in here. These boys are out of their usual attire so this must be really important. AsI finish my assessment of the people I know, I find three that are unfamiliar to me standing at the far end of the kitchen talking with Warrior Nickloas and Warrior Thomas. Before I can question the Luna, we are noticed by Alpha Lucas. Chapter 0096 Chapter 0096 Chapter 0096 "Ladies! Now I understand the wait, you all look beautiful." The Alphaes over to us and wraps his arm around Luna Ava, whispering something in her ear that makes her blush and Sierra and I giggle. "Let me introduce you to our guests for the next few days. Alpha King Reginald and Luna Queen Anne and their eldest son Prince Alexander. He motions to each as they are introduced. I could feel my pulse quicken. The Alpha King is here? And we are meeting him. What in the hell am I supposed to do? I have no idea how to behave with royalty, this is not what I train for. All this high and mighty, ssy stuff is not where I belong. I feel like I was set up and this is why the Luna said nothing about who we were meeting. I feel a hand wrap around my upper arm. "Breathe child, it''s okay." Luna Ava whispers in my ear. "They are here for the trials and since you all live here anyway we wanted to make introductions in a less public way. She finishes out to the group atrge before steering us over to the Luna Queen and the prince. ''Queen Anne, I want to introduce you to Sierra and Skr. They are some of our best fighters and brightest students. ''Oh my! Are these the two who gave you a run for your money Nicks?" Her sweet voice carries over the room and everyone goes quiet at her question, making me more nervous. "Yes ma''am. I''ve never had students with such natural talent and quick to pick up new skills. That little firecracker even left me with a couple bruises to help me remember her by." He and Warrior Thomasugh. My eyes go wide. I didn''t Imowl left bruises on him, he never said I was training too rough. My face is heating more than ever. If I get any more embarrassed, Pm going to look like a tomato. "Don''t look so shocked dear, It is apliment that you were able to fight him off let alone leave proof. He has been without a real opponent for a while now. I can''t wait to see what you''ll do when you are fully trained." The Alpha King chuckles at me. I give him a small smile, I have no other reply. How do you respond to apliment like that? At least I think it was aplement. "And Sierra, my dear, how have you been? I know spending the year here was not the most ideal Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. situation, but you seem to have made yourself right at home. have sir, thankyou." She just smiles backat him. I forgot that she actually lives in his pack and her parents work closely with him. That is why she isn''t nervous, this is nothing new for her. "Wait, you took on Nicks? And beat him?" The prince finally speaks up. He has a deeper voice, commanding, but unsure. Like he is still growing into it. He can''t be much older than us by the 100k Of his face, but he is already massive. Bigger than all the guys. That has to be the Alpha King genes at work I thought the twins were big guys, but he has to be pushing six and a half feet if not more and at least three of me wide. He has dark blonde hair with some natural highlights indicating he spends a good amount of time outside. His brown eyes are kind and searching, like he is looking into your soul. He had a toned face and sharp jawline. You can see the muscle he has packed on, even through his three piece forest green suit. He is very handsome. I''m sure like our guys, he has girls fawning all over him. I fight an eye roll at all of them and their good looks. I just nod my head at his question like an idiot, since I can''t seem to form words in their presence. I can feel his body heat radiating off of him and it isforting and intimidating all at the same time. ¡°My friend is just modest, she is the best warrior in the pack. She''s even better than our Delta and his current trainers.¡± Sierra looks at Delta Kyle and winks. Chapter 0097 Chapter 0097 Chapter 0097 "She''s not wrong." He confirms walking over to us. This girl puts me to shame as far as her training time each day goes and she does it all while maintaining her extremely high grades and helping me train our pups. "Really?" Prince Alexander asks. "I just like to train, that''s all. I shrug my shoulders. "It''s really not that big a deal. I don''t like a lot of down time." Original from N?velDrama.Org. Saved by LunaAva calling us to the formal dining room, we all head that way. The long rectangr table is set beautifully with a white linen table cloth and a gold runner down the middle. Low candle and flower arrangements are dispersed along the runner , low enough that conversation can be had across the table. The food smells delicious as always set in silver warmers on a buffet along a back wall with omegas waiting to serve us. I have never seen anything so fancy in my whole life. I grab Sierra''s hand silently pleading for her to stay close to me. She gives my hand a little squeeze and then smiles at me. As we make our way around the table a soft hand touches the small of my back. "Would you mind sitting next to me? I would love to hear more about what you and your pack does with training your young pups." Alexander is really close to my ear. I hear a huff, but when I look around Pm not sure who it came from. I nod my head. "Sure, I would love to hear more about the Elite Warrior training and some of the battle strategies you use." He does not remove his hand from my back, instead guiding me to the end of the table where the Alpha King and Luna Queen are standing. "Does everyone have a seat? Perfect! Let''s eat." Luna Ava moves around her chair as Alpha Lucas holds it for her. The Alpha King does the same for his queen. Alexander holds my chair for me and Sam has Sierra''s next to me. The rest of the guys wait until all thedies are seated before they take their own. It''s so strange to watch them in such a formal setting and to know the protocols like it''s second nature. Our first course is soup and I am so hungry I don''t really pay attention to anything around me, catching bits of different conversations here and there, but my focus is on slowly eating, so I don''t look like a barbarian, until I have finished my whole bowl. When 1 100k up, I notice the rest Of my friends have finished theirs as well. We are all famished after the extra training I made them do. I kind of feel bad now. "So how do you get your pups to train? Nichs says you start with them at five years old. Alexander looks at me from my right. I can see Nicks and Thomas across from me waiting for my answer too. "We turn everything into games mostly. They love the idea of challenges so we time everything or give them a number to hit and they have goals each week. We have also adapted a lot of normal games to fit with what we want for training like Tag, Capture the g, Hide and Seek, things like that. It seems to work for us." I shrug again like, it ''s nothing. "Let''s be clear, she adapts the games to fit what I want them to learn each week. They also seem to like that she is closer to them in age. She''s only ten years older than our youngest pup. They respond better to her than adult trainers most of the time." Delta Kyle adds to the conversation from next to Warrior Thomas. "We all have our strengths and weaknesses as trainers, hers is keeping the young ones engaged and wanting to return. would love to see that sometime. Alexander smiles at me. "Sure, the training is open for anyone toe watch. I smile back and I swear I hear a low rumble. Alexander''s eyes lift from mine to look over my shoulder at someone, but when I follow his line of sight no one is looking our way. Dinner continues with a sd course, then the main course with steak, asparagus, mashed potatoes and the most melt-in-your-mouth dinner rolls I have ever had. The conversation flows easily and I really like the Alpha King and Luna Queen, they seem so much more down to earth than I thought they would be. I hear a little more about Elite Warrior training and about the ranked training the boys go through. It was fun to hear stories from the Alpha King about all my guys and Prince Alexander from their time together. It was strange when I noticed how far away all my guys were though. It didn''t hit me right away since I was so interested in hearing from the prince and Warrior Nicks and Warrior Thomas about training. Chapter 0098 Chapter 0098 Chapter 0098 The Alpha King sat at the head of the table on our end, the Luna Queen to his left and Prince Alexander to his right. Warriors Nicks and Thomas sat next to the Luna Queen and Delta Kyle and Gwen next to them. Oliver, Kota and Luna Ava finished out their side of the table. I am next to prince Alexander, Sierra to my right, followed by Sam, Gamma Brett, Mateo, our father and Cam. At the other head of the table is Alpha Lucas. I have to wonder if we were purposely spread out. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. As we are being served dessert, a luscious chocte cake with chocte drizzle and vani ice cream on the side, Sierra addresses the prince next to me. ''[so, prince Alexander, are you done with school now? What are your next big ns since you don''t seem to be jumping at the throne right away?" I look at her wide-eyed. That was kind of a bold question to ask the prince. He justughs. "No, I don n to overthrow my father anytime soon, he''s doing just fine. And it''s Xander to my friends." He looks at her then at me before continuing. "I have graduated and I am eighteen, so my next big taskis to find my mate and the next Luna Queen." He looks at me again for a little too long. I look away then around the room and Oliver and Kota do not lookhappy, but are trying to hide it. Xander clears his throat, but I don''t look back at him when he continues. "I n to travel a bit, get to know the packs in our Idngdom and continue training with my father." "That''s the taskof all leaders isn''t it? Find the mate the Goddess designed for you, to make you the strongest and best you can be." The Alpha King says breaking the little tension that has developed in the room, pping his son on the shoulder. ''[Why don''t we have drinks on the patio?" Luna Ava asks the group atrge once we are all done with dessert. "I would Luna, but I have a series of trials to set up in the morning, I think we are going to call it a night." Delta Kyle stands and helps his mate up. "Sam, are you staying tonight?" "probably. We will head over to the trials together in the morning, and no Little Bit none of us are training in the morning, including you. We have done so much extra training, my clothes don''t fit." He holds up his arms and flexes in his dress shirt, which is threatening to shred any second. The rest of the guys, Sierra and Iugh. He''s not wrong though. For being the leanest he has probably added 20 more pounds of muscle since they have started keeping up with my training schedule. The rest of the guys have gained too, but it''s just more noticeable on Sam. We all start to get up and head toward the back patio. You made them all look like that?" Xander asks, surprised. "No, they made themselves look like that, by keeping a training schedule that just happens to match mine. "Don''t be modest, Bite Size. You kick our asses now and we have all improved. We had to get better if we didn''t want to be shown up by you at every turn. Oliver walks next to me and throws a possessive arm over my shoulder. "This is definitely your fault." He gives me a rare half smile. This one is less sweet and more like he''s up to something though. "You all seem to call her something different. How endearing, does that bother you at all?" Xander looks at me from my other side, Oliver''s arm still firmly nted on my shoulder as we make our way to the covered patio seating. Xander sounds a little like he''s trying to gaslight the guys. Chapter 0099 Chapter 0099 Chapter 0099 "Not really. It started as a joke and then just stuck. They aren ''t making fun of me, just stating the obvious size difference and now that all of them have put on more muscle it''s even worse and I don''t think any of them are done growing, but I''m pretty sure I am. I roll my eyes at Sierra who laughs. Once we catch up to everyone else Kota grabs me around the waist and pulls me onto hisp. Cam is on one side of him, Mateo takes the other. Sam sits next to Cam pulling Sierra into hisp and I can feel Olivere up behind Kota and I. There is no room for Xander to sit anywhere near me now. I can''t decide if the gesture is cute or frustrating. What is going on? I link all five of them. He''s just getting too close forfort. Kota responds. I chance a look at Sierra and see she is fighting a smile. This whole situation is totally funny to her, so it can''t be all bad right? Yours or mine? I''m feeling a little feisty right now and go with it based on her reaction. Both. Oliver''s clipped reply. I just roll my eyes. He just got toofortable too fast. And like he said, he''s looking for his mate, he''s going to snuggle up to any single female right now. If Cam is trying to cate me with logic, he just lost. So you are saying he''s doing to me what you guys do with every other female? I have no intentions of being led on, and it''s a good idea to be friends with the future Alpha King. And what guy says snuggle''? No response. I get up from Kota''sp. "Where are you going?" He jumps forward to try and grab my hand but I pull out of his reach before he can. "The bathroom. Is that okay with you? Oris my leash not that long? n I say calmly and raise my eyebrow at them, looking each of the six guys in the eye, challenging what they are doing openly. No one replies. I look at Sierra, silently asking for her to join She gets up smiling the biggest smile ever. Oliver moves to followus. I point at him, "Nope, you sitContent ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. down. And if any of you try to follow me I will throat punch you into the pool. As I start to turn Xander makes a move to get up. "You too, sit down. You all can finish your pissing match while we''re gone. I roll my eyes and Sierra openlyughs now and I think I heardughtere from the adults sitting on the other side of the patio. Sierra and I walk into the house and straight toward the stairs. I know there are bathrooms on the main floor, but I have to figure out what is going on and I can''t do that where everyone can hear me. We head straight up to my room. "What the hell was all of that?" I ask her as soon as my door is closed and locked for good measure. "Your boys are jealous. You have never talked to a guy outside of our group before." "What do you mean? I talk to guys at training all the time." I rub my forehead. "Not like this. This time it was a guy, your age, openly flirting with you and they got a rude awakening. They like you in this little bubble and you keep talking about wanting to leave, this was the first time that idea was something real for them and they went into possessive mode. Also, I don''t think any of them have ever been jealous before. It''s an amusing look on them." ''I don''t understand, we are all just friends. No guy has ever looked at me before because I am nothing to look at, this is so weird. I have no idea wthat I am doing. He was flirting?" My voice went up an octave asking the question and pacing around my room. "Oh, my poor sheltered girl. I don''t understand how you don''t see it. The guys are not the only ones who have changed. You just don''t lookin the mirror much. You are gorgeous and strong and smart and independent. You are probably the only girl who hasn ''t thrown yourself at any of them, the prince included. You treat them like normal people, you don''t fawn over them like celebrities. You don''t want anything from them, but their friendship. You aren''t afraid to publicly humiliate them, it''s refreshing for them. I''m sure, just now, was the first time someone, who isn ''t his mother, has put the prince in his ce in front of other people. Same for the guys. No one tells them ''no'' or to stay put. You are on fire tonight." She startsughing again. Chapter 0100 Chapter 0100 Chapter 0100 "Okay, but what do I do about it? And stopughing at rne_ This is so weird." I flop back on my bed, my long hair fanning out around me. have no experience with boys like this, give me training and beating the crap out of them any day. "Well, you can go down, sit back on Kota''sp, or whoever caveman''s you first and keep having awkward conversations or we can go talk to the adults and make the boys sweat and get their acts together. Eitherway, Pm going to enjoy myself." "Ugh! Let''s go." I have no idea what I am going to do with her suggestion, but once we get back outside, my decision is made for me. "Skr! Come here, kiddo, I have a question." We turn and walk towards the adults, leaving the boys watching out retreating backs. "What do you know about border security?" Warrior Nicks asks when we are close enough. "A little, I run our border every day and see patrols. I know some areas are more heavily monitored than others. I guess it all depends on the terrain, if the territory on the outside of the borders is open or belongs to a neighboring pack, things like that. Why? I know our territory is a bit different since we are surrounded by water on most sides. I sit in a chair next to him at their table, Slerra next to me. It''s almost strange to not be in someone''sp. "Let me put a hypothetical scenario out there and see what you think " He spends about ten minutes moving things from the table around giving me general topography. Furthest from me is a mountain range with ake at the base, what he called the packhouse is to the left of theke, butting up to the curved end of the range. He hesitated when he said ''packhouse'' so this is code for something important. From the packhouse he describes different structures that fan out towards a forest line, like a sun burst. Just beyond the forest line are small clearings, miles apart, each with a different function, but he didn ''t borate on that. ''[so the dilemma is rogue attacks are corning at different times and from different locations. How would you set up patrols to guard an area like this?" "That''s it?! That''s all the info and you want a full patrol schedule?" He just nods his head with a little smirk on his face. Alpha Lucas and the Alpha King are both watching intently givlng nothing away. Okay, I ''Il bite, it''s like a pop quizin battle strategy ss. I shift forward going into warrior mode. "How many are on patrol at any given time. "You can have as many as you think you would need to run rotations." Again, vague. Apparently I am being tested. Alright, let''s see. "Well, there are a lot of variables that I don''t have that would help in this situation." I look at him sternly. "For instance what is the mountain range like? Is it all forest and trees? Easy to climb? If that is the case then I would put up watch structures with motion sensors a minimum of a mile out and go up to five miles if the terrain is easy considering how close the pacmouse is to the base of the mountain. If it''s all rock and pretty open, less patrol would need to be done from the mountain itself since it could be monitored from the ground and extra resources could be used elsewhere, but motion sensors in both cases would be helpful. I would also run patrols around theke and have more or less depending on visibility, but it being at the base of the mountain would make it easy for an enemy to sit in the caves and crevices of the mountain and observe across theke without being seen and the water would dim or mask the scent. I grab a drink of water as I analyze the ''forest'' portion of his example. I am really getting into my territory dissection, this is way more my speed than all the flirting talk.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 0101 Chapter 0101 Chapter 0101 I stood up to get a better viewpoint. "The clearings are obviously serving some sort of purpose, meaning packmembers are here, but there is so much space that a trained person would probably be able to get past undetected. I would run patrol patterns in an arc and have two groups of two or four running the same path, just running opposite each other, that way no one area is unprotected for long. If you are having rogue attacks regrly, I would have patrol check in every hour, but from a different point in their path to keepmunication open and minds sharp, especially at night. If there are specific paths in or out of the territory, I would have those monitored too, it''s easy to keep your bearings if there is a road or river to follow. I would also use motion sensors that can be monitored at the packhouse or other central location. More than one set of eyes is always better." 1100k up to see Alpha Lucas smiling his gentle smile, the one he wears when he is in ''dad mode,'' Luna Ava and Luna Queen Anne look impressed, but not surprised. "Is that right? I feel like I arn being tested right now and you are all making me anxious. The Alpha King is the one who responds first. "Very impressive my dear. And you have no training in border security or patrols?" "No, sir. Only the little we have started studying in battle sses. "Bah! None of this ''sir'' stuff. Alpha Reggie to you. And you seem to have a natural eye and realistic notion for what is needed. Let me ask you this, what would you do if you were protecting the Luna in an attack on this territory?" "Where is the attacking from, sir?" He looks at me, eyebrows pressed together. My eyes go wide, unsure of what I did to earn that look for a moment, then it dawns on me. "Sorry, Alpha Reggie." "Let''s say multidirectional attack. One from the mountains , one from the east entrance and one from the west just beyond theke. "Does the packhouse have a safe room?" I ask without looking up from the ''map'' made of sses, bottles, napkins and phones on the table, making a mental picture for myself. "Let''s say no safe room." "I would have the Luna suppress her Aura and shift, we would run up the middle, trying to avoid the attacks from the East and West. Most Lunas would want to stay and fight or care for their pack, but keeping her safe keeps the pack fighting. She can keep morale boosted via the mind link as long as she is in range on the territory. If her aura is suppressed then it will take longer for the rogues to find her, giving warriors time to fend off the attack. More than likely, if the Luna is the target, the attackers will check the packhouse first and look for a safe room for her to be holed up in, that will also buy time if there is a rumor of a safe room nted. "What if there is an actual safe room?" "I would hope that it has two exits, like a rabbit hole, otherwise they can just sit on it, keeping her hostage and wait for her to need food and water. I would also hope it''s built into the mountain, giving you options for exits. If your architect was skilled it could be a tunnel system that needs to be navigated like a maze to find." Pm just letting my imagination run wild now. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. "You could also have more than one option for an exit with the maze system. It could also double to protect non-warriors of the pack in any type of emergency if food was stored and you could locate a source of clean water. It could be a ce to keep your pack safe or as an evacuation point. I look up smiling at all of the possibilities. ¡°Well now, I''m going to have to see how creative my architect can be.¡± Alpha Reggie chuckled at me. ¡°Wait, What?¡± ¡°This is the basic make up of the Royal territory and you, my dear, have picked apart our entire protective Strategy. Your fan club back there has spent thest two summers here at the training grounds.¡± He points to a clearing close to theke and I think of the picture in Kota¡¯s room. I take a breath and then my eyes go wide and I can¡¯t utter words. Did I offend him? Did I just embarass myself? Chapter 0102 Chapter 0102 Chapter 0102 "Don''t look like that. You didn''t say anything wrong, but as you said having a fresh set of eyes always brings new light. Sometimes we get so familiar with things we don ''t actually see them. Like you mentioning only one exit in the safe room. It seemsmon sense to have multiple exit points the way you said it, but no one else thought of it. We have always put focus on the outer border, and that has worked just fine. I''m not so full of myself as to think I have all the answers all Of the time. so thank you for your insight my dear." He smiles at me and I can''t help but smile back. "Well this has been a very enlightening evening, but we are off to bed. My patrols have joined yours, so just let someone know if you n oning or going in the wee hours of the night." He looks right at me and winks. "Nope," I jump at the voice behind me. "Tiny has no ns in the morning. Goodnight sir." Cam says, then reaches for my hand, something none of them have ever done. I take it and stand, saying a quick goodnight to everyone while letting Cam lead me and the rest of our group inside. Just before we cross into the kitchen I hear Alpha Reggie ask, "Do they always nkher like that?" "Uh, huh, and I don''t even think they realize that they are doing it..." I didn''t hear the rest of Alpha Lucas''ment as we made our way. We head up the main staircase, Cam is not letting go of my hand under any circumstances. "Hey, Skr." We stop just before the door to the third floor and turn around to see Prince Xander right behind our group. "Can I walk you to your room?" "She stays on the third floor." Kota responds a little curtly. "Oh, okay. Um, who are you sitting with during the trials tomorrow?" "Don''t." I whisper to the guys as Cam''s hand tightens around mine. To Prince Xander. "I''m not sitting with anyone tomorrow." He looked confused, so I decided to borate. Pm joining the trials, so I will be on the ground with the warriors. Pm not really the sit-in -the-stands-and-watch type." I just keep the conversation going as if we aren ''t being eavesdropped on by all of my friends. "We''ll see you tomorrow for breakfast. I smile at him and ce my hand on his forearm for a brief second. I do like him and had fun talking to someone other than my usual guys. He really is very handsome, but IMaterial ? of N?velDrama.Org. just don ''t have that same pull I have with the guys. It would be nice to be on friendly terms with the Alpha prince though. "Goodnight Prince Xander." I smile one more time and turn back to the door before anything else embarrassing happens tonight. Kota lets us in the stairwell and we all file up. "Man, I am beat. What time do we have to have Little Bit down to the training grounds?" Sam asks from somewhere behind me, breaking the silence. "Warriors arrive at 10 and the trials start at noon." Cam calls back "Oh and Tiny, Delta Kyle wanted me to tell you, that you are not allowed anywhere near the training grounds before 9:30, so you are hereby forced to sleep in andy around, no matter what time you get up." A soft chuckle runs through him. "So, what do I do when my body decides 4am is the time I need to be up? I will go nuts, just sitting around waiting for the rest of you toe out of youras." I ask a little flippantly. "Corne find one of us and we will snuggle you back to sleep. Oliver whispers in my ear and it gives me goosebumps, but I''m not sure if it ''s a good or a bad thing,¡°Alright, TIny has her room officially now, someone can crash in Kota¡¯s room, two of you on the couch and Sierra, you can decide who you''re spooning with tonight.¡± Camughs again. ¡°Where is Kota going to sleep?¡± I asked after doing the math in my head. ¡®We usually share.¡± The twins say in unison. ¡°We don¡¯t spend many nights apart, never have.¡± Kota exins. Now I know why I was able to sleep in his room then. ¡°Okay, goodnight boys, Sierra.¡± I say before turning towards my room. It''s so crazy to think I have a room in the packhouse. Chapter 0103 Chapter 0103 Chapter 0103 "Wait up there Shorty. Mateo pulls me into a hug from the back and kisses the crown Of my head like he did the other night. Sam and Oliver hug and kiss me on either temple too. Sierra just walks by meughing. "They can ''t even let you go long enough to sleep. I need to get out of this dress and into some pj''s, I''ll see you when they are done with you." She squeezes my arm gently before going into my room. Mateo, Sam and Oliver all walked away to wherever they were crashing for the night. I turn and see it''s just the twins and I left in the hallway. They both have their shirts untucked and hands in their pockets, standing side by side looking almost shy in their slightly messy hotness. I take a breath and wait just a moment to see what they will do. When they make no indication of moving, I decide to tease them a little. "What? NO goodnight kiss from my future Alphas? I''m a little disappointed. Neither move, but they do look at each other before bringing their focus back to me. Then they both stalk the measly four steps towards me, Cam stands in front of me, Kota at my back. They are pressed so close to me, I could probably pick my legs up off the ground and I wouldn''t fall. Ever so slowly they both bend down and touch an ear with their lips. My breath catches in my throat. "When we kiss you.. "It won ''t be on the forehead..." "In the middle of the hallway... They both run their noses from my ear , down my neck to my shoulder and back up, perfectly in sync. Then they both slowly stand, but don''t move away from me. "Breathe Skr." One says, I have no idea, I''m so disoriented. I take a deep breath in and realize I have been going without oxygen for a bit as my chest starts to heave like I have been jogging. "You also have to let go, if you want us to leave. A husky low sound sends chills down my body again. I focused my eyes and see at some point during that I grabbed a wrist in each hand, one in front of me and one behind. When did that happen? I don''t even remember moving. I slowly let go of my vice grip, clearly trying to keep myself upright. Once free they both slowly move away from meContent ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. towards Cam''s room, hands still in their pockets. They never once touched me. "If you have trouble sleeping, you know where to find us." Kota says and winks over his shoulder. I shook my head a little and turned back toward my room, where Sierra is staring at me through a crack in my door with the biggest smile on her face. When I get close enough she grabs my arm, drags me inside and ms the door. "That was THE hottest thing I have ever seen!" She squeals. ''[And they didn''t eveny a hand on you. What did they say?" "Umm, that when they Idss me it won ''t be on my forehead in the middle of the hallway." I''m still a little dazed. "Oh Goddess, do they have it bad for you. No wonder they all went possessive on you tonight. The Alphas are staking their im. "What? No. Why would they do that? We aren ''t mates, we are friends that would just be weird, if something happened. "But don''t act like that little interaction didn''t excite you. You are still in a haze. I don''t think I have seen them flirt like that with anyone. Chapter 0104 Chapter 0104 Chapter 0104 "Maybe a bit of both. We need to unpack this new development with the twins, then I for Sure cannot sleep without Sam, but he''s patient, he''ll wait all night if I want him to. She shrugs and we bothugh. We both crawl in my bed and under myforter and she teaches me the finer points of understanding boy behavior. I don''t really care, and I don''t really understand but it is fun to talk about something that isn''t training or homework for a change so I just listen. It''s the first time I''ve really ever just sat here and been a kid. It''s a mind blowing concept for me. It''s not long before I am dozing off in my cloud of a bed. She kisses me on the forehead and says good night as I drift off to sleep. I roll over and stretch, I have no idea what time it is, but there is no light in the sky, so I can only assume it''s my usual early wake-up. I get up, use the bathroom and then wander around my room. My room. I can ''t believe Mateo brought me here to get me away from our father, to give me some level of peace and eptance. I tried to read in my new lounge chair, but I was too antsy. I need to get up and move, but I believe Sam''s threat and I don''t dare try to leave to go for a run. I could go see the they said I ''know where to find them'' if I can''t sleep. Sierra confirmed they were definitely flirting with me and that made butterflies erupt in my stomach. I have never thought of them or any of the guys like that before. Sure they are all drop-dead gorgeous and they all have the egos to back up their looks, but I never even considered anything more than friendship with any of them. Untilst night, when they invaded my personal space in a way that left my brian fuzzy and my legs weak and neither of them even touched me. Original from N?velDrama.Org. Come to think of it, of all the guys the twins touch me the least. Mateo, Sam and Oliver always put an arm around my shoulder or hold my hand when we walk and Sierra and I are always sitting on someone ''sp. Someone seems to always have some type of physical contact with me, but the twins are just there in proximity unless I arn on one of theirps, then azy arm is around my back Huh. I moved to my door hesitating for only a moment so I couldn ''t talk myself out of this. I tiptoed towards Cam''s room, not wanting to be caught sneaking to them. I don''t know why it bothers me, we all cuddle together and basically sleep wherever, but now it seems different. I get to his door and hesitate. Do I knock? Just walk in? I have no idea what I am doing or how any of this works. I shake my hands out, take a deep breath and turn the handle. The door slowly opens, I peekin and in the dim light from the hallway I notice it is almost exactly the same as Kota''s, same color, set-up, everything, even the pictures on the walls. This twin thing is interesting. I look over at the massive bed in the middle of the room and saw the two most beautiful men I have ever seen. With their eyes closed, they are identical in almost everyway. If you didn''t really knowthem, there would be no way to tell them apart. Kota is in dark shorts,ying on his stomach, his right arm up over his head, left down by his side. His yful look is long gone, and he just looks sweet. The muscles in his back and shoulders are defined and show of his strength even in this rxed state. Cam is in dark shorts as well, but on his back One arm over his eyes, the other across his stomach, thumb tucked into his waistband. His usual serious look is rxed.And those abs, oh Goddess help me. Chapter 0105 Chapter 0105 The small space between them seemed to be calling to me. I padded toward the center of the foot of the bed and slowly crawled over theforter that was piled there. I could feel their body heat from here and theirbined scents of citrus and cinnamon is heavenly and my pulse instantly slows, like my body knows I¡¯m Safe. I move all the way up to the pillows andy down on my side, facing Cam. I take another deep breath in and my eyelids droop. At the same time, both Cam and Kota shift. Kota, against my back and he wraps his arm over my stomach and buries his nose in my hair. Cam turns to face me, glides his hand down my side and rests hisrge hand on my hip with his fingers extending toward my butt. His head leans towards me, lips grazing my forehead. That¡¯s thest thing I remember before I am dead to the world. ¡°WHERE IS SHE! IF SHE LEFT WITHOUT US I AM REALLY GOING TO KILL HER!¡± The door to the room banged open and my eyes flew open and took a sharp quick breath in, but I couldn''t move anything. What? Where am I? I took another deep breath and tried to look around. Then the familiar scent settled in and I remembered, I crawled in bed with the twins when I couldn¡¯t sleepst night. Oh jeez, I crawled in bed with the twins! What was I thinking? Before I could move or say anything, a gravelly voice spoke up. ¡°Are you sure you looked everywhere for her?¡± Cam asks from in front of me. His breath fanning over the top of my head and moved the baby hairs slightly. I can hear footsteps pacing the room. ¡°Yes. Her room is empty, she¡¯s not downstairs in the kitchen or in the Luna¡¯s office. We told her not to go without us, it¡¯s 8, where else would she be if she didn¡¯t leave?¡± I flinched hearing the time, I never sleep thiste. How did I manage that? I think, starting to get ufortable at how close and intimate this feels. Hands flexed on my hip and on my stomach. I stopped moving. ¡°I¡¯m sure if you took a deep breath and calmed down you would be able to find her.¡± Kota says behind me. I can feel him huff into my hair behind me and I know he is smiling. They are clearly enjoying my brother¡¯s torment and | have to admit, it is kind of funny. He hasn¡¯t noticed I¡¯m sandwiched between the two people he¡¯s freaking out to. ¡°Fine,¡± I could hear him taking a deep breath. ¡° Wait!¡± Both twins areughing now, but they haven''t moved from the position we started in. ¡°Okay, you have had your fun with him, but I need to pee, so let me go.¡± I tell them, pushing up from Cam''s well defined chest, not doing a good job of holding in my ownugh. Original from N?velDrama.Org. I climbed down between them and walked past my brother, not looking at anyone. I keep my gaze down as I walk past the rest of our friends. I can imagine what Sierra''s knowing grin looks like, Oliver is probably confused or still just waking up and Sam is probably ready to throw a party. I don¡¯t want to know, I just move past all of them, into my room and straight to the bathroom to do what I need to do to get ready. I¡¯m ready in 20 minutes, I couldn''t stall any longer than that. I pull on ck leggings, a ck sports bra and ck tank top that has a high neck. I don¡¯t know what the trials are going to consist of, but I¡¯m sure the more of my skin that is protected the better. I pull my hair up into a high ponytail and throw on my new tennis shoes. Somehow the Luna knew I busted through myst pair. I walk out of my room to see all my friends waiting for me on the couches in the sitting area and ready to go. No one says anything about where they found me this morning. We just walk to the stairwell and head down to the kitchen for breakfast. ¡°You seven really do travel as a pack, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Good morning Alpha Reggie.¡± I say walking to the ind covered in food. ¡®Good morning Luna Anne, Prince Xander.¡± I acknowledge them as I get closer. The rest of my friends form a line behind me to get food and I follow Cam and Kota to therge kitchen table set near the patio windows. We all slide into our own chairs and dig in. Chapter 0106 Chapter 0106 ¡°Are you really going to go through the trials today?¡± Prince Xander asks. ¡°They are really brutal.¡± ¡°Yep. I¡¯m too young to join, but the more experience the better for when I am able to fully participate.¡± ¡°T don¡¯t know if I¡¯m going to be able to watch that.¡±¡¯ He looks like he might be sick. He barely knows me, why would he be this emotional about it? ¡®¡®Now, son, don¡¯t go giving anything away. No advantages to our young friend here. We can¡¯t be showing any favoritism.¡± Alpha Reggie winks at me and I smile, but start to feel an unease set in. I have to force food down after that little interaction. Who knows how long the trials will be and if we will get food or water during it, but Iam not hungry at all. That¡¯s new. I¡¯m actually nervous for something. I don¡¯t know how to feel about that. At 9, I stand up from my chair and I look at everyone. ¡°Okay, I have held off as long as possible, I need to go or I am going to go crazy. Delta Kyle can deal with me being 30 minutes early.¡± Everyone smiles at me and I turn towards the door before they canugh at me. I am already nervous, I can¡¯t handle the yful teasing this morning. I just need to get there and get my head in the zone. Just when I think they are all going to let me have my space, I¡¯m scooped up and thrown over a shoulder. The thick honey scent tells me it''s Oliver. ¡°You didn¡¯t think we were going to let you head to the trials alone, did you? You are about to do something massive without us. We are going to go with you as far as we can.¡± ¡°Can I at least be cavemaned in an upright position?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. I giggle at him. ¡°Fine, you can climb on my back, but you are staying with me. The twins got you all night.¡± Was that jealousy? Without putting me on the ground, I scramble to his back. My legs are too short to lock around his waist, so he locks his hands together under my butt for me to sit on. 1 wrap my arms around his neck and rest my chin on his shoulder. ¡°Are you jealous?¡± I tilt my face to his to see his reaction. Nothing on his face changes, but he turns just enough to look me in the eye. ¡°Maybe.¡± He keeps walking forward. We are clearly not taking the truck. I take a moment to notice where everyone else is. They are all loosely walking, but seem to be giving Oliver and I space. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t know what is going on, but we are all drawn to you for some reason. We all feel it. I just know that I like being near you, I like having physical contact with you, but I also know it isn¡¯t something romantic or s*xual. It¡¯s hard to exin. It is definitely more intense than brotherly affection, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the same as the way Cam and Kota feel. You keep me calm, keep my head on straight. When we thought you left this morning, I thought I was going to have a panic attack, then we found you and the first thought in my head was, ¡®I wish they found you with me.¡¯ I don¡¯t know what to do with that, but I just wanted you to know, we all need you. You have your reasons for wanting to leave and I hope someday you''ll trust us enough to tell us the whole truth, but the idea of you leaving is making us all a little crazy, so you are going to have to deal with us being clingy and possessive.¡± | Then he just turns his head forward and keeps walking. Holy sh*t! First, that is the most words at one time he has ever said to me, but it is also the most truth I have gotten from any of them. At least it exins their weird behavior recently and why they went all Alpha malest night. I do the only thing I can think of in the moment and hug his neck tighter burying my nose in the crook between his shoulder and neck taking in his honey scent, calming my nerves as we get closer to the training grounds they are holding the trials at for the next two days. ¡°Thank you for exining.¡± I whisper into his neck and goosebumps ripple down his arms, but he has no other reaction than that. Chapter 0107 Chapter 0107 ¡°Okay, my little love doves, we have to go and join the rest of the crowd and cheer on our favorite girl.¡± Sames bounding up to Oliver and I. I jump down from Oliver¡¯s back and wrap my arms around Sam''s waist and he kisses the top of my head, Mateo steps up and I do the same thing. I turn to Oliver and wrap my arms around his neck, he squeezes me tight for just a second before letting me go. Sierra wraps her arms round my neck and pulls me close. ¡°T want to know what that is all about, butter. Now focus and kick everyone¡¯s ass like always.¡± She pulls back and we bothugh. I step up to the twins and they do their usual sandwich, Cam in front and Kota behind. They both have their hands in their pockets again, like they are actively trying not to touch me. Cam leans down to my ear. ¡®Do yourself proud, Tiny, we will be cheering you on.¡± He brushes his cheek next to mine, his nose running along my ear. Then he pulls back and I tum to Kota. ¡°Kick some ass Smalls. I can¡¯t wait to watch you put someone else through the wringer.¡± I can feel him smile as he rubs his cheek on mine the same as Cam. It¡¯s like they are both trying to leave their scent on me before I go. They leave me at the gate of the arena where the Royal guards are waiting for the crowd of candidates to begin lining up. I am getting my head in the game and focused on unknown physical and mental tests they will put us through. When the only thing that could possibly break my concentration did. ¡°HEY Boys!! I¡¯m so d you waited for me, thank you so much, it¡¯s so sweet of you.¡± The grating high pitched, nails on a chalkboard sound breaks every ounce of calm demeanor the guys left me with. ¡°Kaley, not now. Run along and find your little minions. We have no ns to put up with you or your antics today, it¡¯s too important. You have not been invited to the Alpha¡¯s box and we wouldn¡¯t have room for you if you were.¡± Sierra states matter of factly. I chanced a look over my shoulder to see they really didn¡¯t go far from me and Sierra made her ims loud enough for all the patrol guards to hear, she knew exactly what she was doing, putting them on alert. My best friend is her own force to be reckoned with. ¡®How dare you speak to your future Luna like that, you lowly little b*tch. Cam, Kota, tell her I am sitting with you, as your future mate we should be seen at functions like these as a united front.¡± She flips her hair over her shoulder dramatically. ¡°Just so we are clear,¡± Sierra¡¯s voice get dangerously low, but still loud enough to be heard by the growing crowd, ¡°I outrank you on so many levels and you only want to be seen, you could care less who you are with so long as you feel special in the Alpha''s box. You bring no value to any of us, go away before I have the guards remove you.¡± She spares me a quick look and wink over Kaley¡¯s shoulder and I just smile back. She¡¯s not going to let that waste of space anywhere near my guys. It instantly puts me at ease. | Huh. I wonder when I actively started to think of them as ¡®my guys¡¯? But they are, aren''t they? The twins said as muchst night, Oliver said so on the way here. Ugh! Boys are soplicated. But before I can get lost in my thoughts. Delta Kylees out of the gates that have been strategically covered so you can¡¯t see into the arena. ¡°I¡¯m impressed. I didn¡¯t think you would be able to hold off. I was ready to fight with you at 5am.¡± He laughs at me. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. I roll my eyes. ¡°Haha, very funny. I wasn¡¯t given a choice really. I was threatened by the guys and they made sure the Alpha King¡¯s patrol knew I wasn¡¯t supposed to leave early, so here I am, almost not early.¡± ¡°Well, let''s get your name on the register and wait for the rest of the ckers to show up.¡± He hands mea clipboard that asks for basic information, like my name, contact info and pack affiliation. At 10 all thepetitors start to show up. I have no idea what the actual number is, but there are about a hundred people here of all ages. Once everyone is signed in, they divide us into groups. The high schoolers who are just here for exhibition purposes, those 20-30 and then anyone over 30. Since we age more slowly than humans do, our fighters continue until well into their seventies without issue. They don''t divide male and female though, which I appreciate. There are a fair amount of females here, but we are far outnumbered by the men. Chapter 0108 Chapter 0108 ¡°Now that you are all in your groups¡± Warrior Nickloas calls out, ¡°We will send you to your designated area. Once there we will pair you at random to spare one on one, two on one and wolf to human. Listen for instructions, the pace will go quickly. You will be ranked on many different aspects, but most of all your ability to not get submitted by your opponent. From there we will combine the groups, put you in order of rank and spar again, once that round isplete we will make our first round of cuts, then the gauntlet. Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± A hand shoots up from the crowd over in the 20-30 year old group. ¡°When will we break for meals during all of this?¡± A high male voice asks and I have to fight an eye roll. ¡°You won''t, this is not a leisure training, you are about to fight for your life. If you are not prepared to do that, the gate to the spectators is that way.¡± Warrior Nicks turns and walks away without another word or to see if Wimpy sticks around or not. A low murmures over all the contestants. I figured as much, you don¡¯t get breaks and days off as an Elite Warrior. This is what he meant by packs sending whoever and them not even being ready to train. Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. We all file to our respective designated areas. The crowd is loud and someone has clearly fired them up. I chanced a look at the Alpha¡¯s box which has low walls blocking them from the rest of the crowd. The Alpha, Luna, Alpha King and Luna Queen are sitting in the top row, with two soldiers sitting behind the ALpha King. The rest of our pack''s ranked members are sitting in the row in front of them along with, I assume, more warriors or ranked members of the Alpha King. In the very front row is my crew all pping and cheering me on, and in Sam¡¯s case obnoxiously loudly. I also notice Kaley found a way to sit right in front of where the twins are to make it appear that she is close to them, the only thing separating them is the three foot wall behind her. | just roll my eyes and tune everything out. Each group has two Elite Warriors giving out instructions and pairing us off. My first opponent is a guy I have never seen before, but about Oliver''s size. He smiles and says ¡®hi¡¯ and tries to tell me his name. I just nod in response and move to my side of our fighting circle. I¡¯m not here to make friends, just to see what I am actually capable of. A horn blows from somewhere and everything bes a blur. Arms are flying, legs kicking, bodies being thrown in every direction. No one is screaming or shouting in pain, no true warrior would do that, but there are lots of grunts and groans and muffled sounds of difort. I have no idea how long I fight with my first opponent, who is big and very strong, but not fast enough to get any real hitson me, when the two warriors walk up, tap us on the shoulder and point us each in another direction. I have anew target and don¡¯t hesitate. This goes on for so long, fight, tap, change opponent, I have lost track of how many opponents I have had, but I do notice the field is bing more and more open, like we are gaining space. I shove that thought to the back of my mind for now and will ask the guyster. When I feel like I am going to pass out from exhaustion, dehydration, hunger or maybe all three at the same time, someone runs by me and tosses a bag and then disappears in the crowd before I even catch it. The two people I was fighting have disappeared too. 1 look around to make sure another person hasn¡¯t been sent to attack me before I look down at the bag. It contains a bright yellow shirt, food rations, a bottle of water and a first aid kit. Most of it makes sense, the shirt I¡¯m not sure about though. ¡°Find your respective colors¡¯ corner and follow the instructions while you refuel.¡± Warrior Nicks¡¯voice booms over a bull horn. Chapter 0109 Chapter 0109 I head to the corner of the arena that has a yellow g. Three other people joined me. My first sparring partner who seems to have done well for himself, he doesn¡¯t look like he sustained many injuries. A poor guy who looks like he has been a human punching bag for everyone stumbles over. He has acut across his right eyebrow that is bleeding into his eye, his nose is for sure broken and his lip is split and bleeding. His whole face is going to be bruised soon, I hope his eyes don¡¯t swell shut while we are trying to complete this course. The girl is one of thest opponents I had and she was giving me a run for my money. None of them look to be current students so maybe in the 20-30 group. I start to wonder why I was put with a group of people actuallypeting for a training spot when Warrior Nicks announces, ¡°You have five minutes to strategize and tend to wounds, then the horn will blow. From then you will have 30 minutes toplete your task.¡± ¡°What task?¡± The girl asks as we all do the obvious and put on our team shirts.I dump my bag and so does my first fighter. Where I have a first aid kit he has rope. ¡°Check your bags, we all have different things ande here,¡± I gestured to the injured guy, ¡° Let me reset your nose so it can at least start to heal.¡± The girl dumps her bag and a card falls out. The only thing on it is ¡®Capture The g.¡¯ My eyes light up, yes! ¡°What''s got you looking so happy?¡± First guy asks. ¡°It¡¯s my favorite game. Looks like this is a team effort. You are the tallest, can you see where they may have hung the yellow g?¡± I ask while I am still tending to injured guy. ¡°My name is Sky.¡± Injured guy looks at me, ¡°I¡¯m Jeff, how¡¯d you learn to do this?¡± ¡°You can flirt with herter, I see it, I''m Lillian, can he move yet?¡± The girl rapidly fires at me. ¡°He should be good, everyone eat and sip water so you don¡¯t get acramp or throw up, it will slow us down.¡± I turn to see where Lillian is pointing. ¡°I see it too, he should be good to go. Let¡¯s assume that we have to get it and return it as ateam. Who¡¯s the best scout?¡± I look at Lilian and First Guy. I don¡¯t even bother with Jeff for now, once I see him move I''l decide if I trust him to help. ¡°I''m a good scout, once we get over there I can keep anyone away who may try to intercept you guys.¡± First guy shrugs. ¡°Name¡¯s Wyatt.¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯re pretty fast so we should work together to get to our g.¡± I look at Lilian and she nods. ¡°Jeff, can you be on the lookout for other team gs as we move?¡± ¡°Sure can, then I can help Wyatt with scouting.¡± ¡°Alright, Lilian lead us out, I''ll cover your back, Jeff, follow me and Wyatt can bring up the rear. Our g is on top of the rope climb, but it looks like they took the ropes offpletely, so we are going to have to scale the obstacle course.¡± Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. I point out to Lilian, ¡°the best spot is there to the right. The cargo bracing is the most direct route and we should be able to jump from there, as long as we aren¡¯t intercepted. I do have a couple back up ideas, but let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t have to use them.¡± I smile at her, and surprisingly she smiles back. Perfect someone else just as crazy as me. We line up and the horn blows. The four of us take off behind Lilian and she follows the path I gave her perfectly. There is so much debris on this portion of the arena, it looks like a paintball field. I can hear others shouting directions to each other, but we stay as quiet as possible. I figure we can rest up a bit if we don¡¯t have to fight our way to the g. She follows a path that takes us around the outer edge, Poor Wyatt is so big he barely fits, but he squeezes through and wee around to one side of the cargo. ¡°Alright, this is where we let go of our cover, Wyatt, Jeff? You guys ready?¡± I whisper over my shoulder. ¡°Yes.¡± They replied together. ¡°Keep track of the other teams, we don¡¯t know how big they are, assume we are outnumbered and fight like we are. Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 0110 Chapter 0110 Lilian and I do a running crouch to the other edge of the cargo. It would be stupid to scale it and then have to climb across. I head up first and can hear Lilian right behind me, she struggles a bit as the swings and shakes below me, but she keeps up. Once we are halfway up six people run out from various ces along the ground. Wyatt is able to stop two with swift hits to the head, they go down hard. Jeff is fighting with one, and I have to say is putting up a good fight even with his injuries. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I shout to Lilian and hear a string of curse words with every movement. It actually makes me smile. Once we get to the top, I help Lilian onto the beam. ¡°It¡¯s aten foot jump, you have to take a running start.¡± ¡°You act like you¡¯ve done something this stupid before.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Is all I say before I take off across the support beam andunch myself onto the rope climb support. ¡°That¡¯s all you girl, I''ll catch you when youe back.¡± Sheughs. I grab the g and go to put it in my bag, but as Iam, I have a thought and move it to my sports bra then make a show of closing and securing the bag on my back before running and jumping back. ¡°You were right we are surrounded, how are we going to get out of here with the guys? Wyatt isn¡¯t fast enough to get up here and Jeff can only handle one person at a time.¡± ¡°T can handle several at a time, here, you take the bag and wait until we clear a path, then we can all run together.¡± Let¡¯s see who takes the bait. We move down and Lilian stays out of reach with both my backpack and hers on her. I jump in and start helping Wyatt clear out a path, there are only about ten people left and he¡¯s knocked a few of them out. Once we get a couple more subdued, I call up to Lilian. ¡°Get ready! Jeff nk her right, I will take her left then Wyatt can watch our backs. 3. 2.1. Go!¡± Lilian drops down and starts to run, Jeff runs to position on her right side, I follow up on her left. Wyatt grunts like he got hit and I risk a look back and see someone barreling at Lilian¡¯s back. I move to intercept him, but his momentum is too much and all three of us go toppling head over feet. The guy grabs both backpacks and takes off hooting and hollering to his friends. Lilian moves to get up and chase him, so does Wyatt. ¡°Let it go, let''s just get back to our side before time runs out, we only have 2 minutes.¡± ¡°But, it doesn¡¯t matter if we don¡¯t have our g.¡± She whines as she stops moving. I open my eyes wide and say again, ¡°We should get back to our side before time runs out.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Jeff says and jumps up to wrap a sympathetic arm around her gently guiding us to our corner, but she starts to dig her heels in. Then Jeff looks over his shoulder, ¡°Would you please?¡± The next thing I know Wyatt has Lilian in a fireman¡¯s carry and we are slowly jogging back to our side while the other team is still having a party in the center. | don¡¯t even think they checked the bags yet. We all step over our line, just as the buzzer goes off. There are cheers and boos from the crowd. Warrior Nicks walks to the group holding our bags, while medical staff goes to tend to the injured people. He held out his hand to the leader of the group. The leader opened one of the bags and rummaged around in it. Then he flips it over and dumps it out, no g. He moves to the second bag, and you can see the looks on the faces of his teammates change to worry. He wastes no time dumping the bag and finding no g. Warrior Nicks looks over at us and Jeff looks right at me smiling as does Wyatt who caught on. Lilian looks confused, then I pull the g out of my sports bra and wave it around. My team and the crowd goes nuts. I have never heard it this loud in the arena before. The vibrations of all of the voices are rumbling the ground we are standing on. My team all hugs and we areughing, Lilian is pissed I didn''t tell her, but I had no way to and not give it away.Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. Chapter 0111 Chapter 0111 The medical team came to check on all of us and bring more water and food. Once everyone is cleared. We are all brought back to the sparring side of the arena and allowed to sit while we listen for instructions for tomorrow. I sit with my team and lose track of how many protein bars I smash as Nicks talks, I''m so hungry. We have to be back again at 10am. That is the only information we really got, that and " everyone did well today.¡¯ Whatever the hell that is supposed to mean. I move to get up to go find the guys and get real food. ¡°I thought they were going to do cuts today.¡± Jeff mutters out. ¡®¡®Me too.¡± Wyatt says, looking around. ¡°Maybe they will still announce thatter or individually.¡± Lilian shrugs. ¡°Or maybe anyone who didn¡¯t make it to the capture the g round is out.¡± I say. ¡°There weren¡¯t many in the game, but I¡¯m not sure if that was an injury thing oracut thing. We¡¯ll find out tomorrow. I need to go get food, before I pass out from starvation.¡± I wave to them as I turn and see my guys walking up to me, grinning from ear to ear. I run straight at my brother and jump into his arms. " Material ? of N?velDrama.Org. You were incredible Shorty, I can¡¯t believe you just did all that.¡± He puts me down and I go to hug Sam who is giggling. ¡°Of course you got Capture the g as a test. That jump was epic!" ¡°The g in the bra thing, seems¡¯ to be your go-to. You¡¯re going to have to change it up now or people are going to figure you out and start digging in your clothes.¡± Oliver teases me. I hugged him around the neck again. ¡°...And I won¡¯t be having any of that, you hear?¡± He whispers in my ear and I''m sure I am blushing again. I step in between the twins and smile up at them. ¡°I need to eat and then! need to sleep, it took me too long to figure out what I needed to make mefortable enough to sleepst night in my new home." ¡°Whatever you want, TIny.¡±¡¯ Cam says, smiling at me. ¡®Mom is waiting for us.¡± Kota holds out his hand to me and I take it without hesitation. ¡°She thought five hours was enough and will probably try to fuss over you for a little while.¡± Cam says, Sliding his hand onto my lower back. ¡®Let me know if you need another piggy back ride Bite Size, you took a few good hits today.¡± Oliver says directly behind me. ¡°I''m good, I¡¯m not fragile guys, just tired. The walk will help my muscles cool down anyway. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to suck just as much." They allugh with me, but no one argues. We all walk into the pack house and Luna Ava greets us at the door. She moves straight to me cupping my face in both hands. ¡°That was harder to watch than I thought it would be. I¡¯ve seen you fight and I know that you can, but it is different knowing you are with the boys and they don¡¯t mean you any real harm. And you are going to do this again tomorrow.¡± She sighs and I do the only thing I think I can in this moment. I wrap my arms around her and let her wrap me ina hug. A hug that a parent gives a child to lend them strength and tell them it will be okay without using words. As much as she doesn¡¯t want to see me do this, she won¡¯t stop me either. Nor will she stay away, she will be there to support me, because this is something that I want for myself and she knows how badly I want it. ¡°I need to shower, I am so gross.¡± I say muffled into her shoulder. ¡°Okay, hun. Do you want dinner down here, or do you want to eat upstairs?" ¡°Would it be okay if I ate upstairs? I don¡¯t want to be rude, with the Alpha King here.¡± I pull back and look up at her. I¡¯m worried about appearances. I don¡¯t want to offend the royalty that they are hosting, just because I am here and too tired to socialize. ¡°Of course you can. He will not be offended at all. He saw what you did today and willpletely understand. Would you mind if I send Xander up? I think he is bored hanging with all of the adults and would probably like some time with kids his own age.¡± Chapter 0112 Chapter 0112 ¡°Yes!¡± I almost shout and I feel more than hear alow rumble behind me. I look over my shoulder with a scowl, I don¡¯t know who it was, but this pissing match is stupid. ¡°That would be great, we can set up in the media room.¡± I smile at her and start for the stairs. ¡°I''ll send Xander up when I send food up. That should give you plenty of time to shower and change. That will give the boys time to put their protective cavemen away as well." ¡°Mom!" ¡®What Dakota?¡± Damn she used his whole name. " You five have been acting crazy, she is not a tree for you to pee on every time another male your agees around. Save that for your mate, Goddess help her.¡± And with that she went around the stairs, presumably to the kitchen to get us food ready. I justugh and head up the stairs not waiting for the guys who seem to be a little dumbstruck at what she said. Sierra followed me and weughed all the way to my room. ¡®You really did kick ass today girl. You should have seen how fast some of the other contenders went down. I get what Warrior Nicks was talking about though. People want the best or want to be the best, but most of them haven¡¯t put in the work and it¡¯s a joke.¡± Sierra says as Ie out of the bathroom, having showered in record time. I was afraid I would fall asleep if I stayed under the warm stream too long. ¡°You''ll have to tell me more from the stands, it was so crazy on the field, I didn¡¯t always know what was going on, and they just tapped us to point out our new target.¡± I told her my version of the whole training and she filled in the gaps from her vantage point from the stands as I got dressed and we settled on my bed. ¡°T can¡¯t believe it went on for five hours. I have trained that long before, but this was different. I had to rely on others I¡¯ve never met before and just had to trust that we were all on the same page, without any kind of introduction or anything. This was all business, and I think! really like it. I liked the rush of adrenaline I got when the horn blew and all hell broke loose.¡± Sierra justughed at me when I confessed my feelings. ¡°Of course, you enjoyed that. You got to finally bepletely you, no holding back." Knock. Knock. Knock. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Youdies decent? I¡¯ming in either way, just to warn you.¡± As my door flies open and Sam walks in flopping on my bed, then rolling to his side propping his head in one of his hands. ¡°So, what are we gossiping about? It¡¯s me, right? Tell me it¡¯s me, even if it¡¯s not.¡±¡¯ We both burst outughing. ¡°All jokes aside, your fan club is here and we need a mediator. I don¡¯t know what you did, but territorial doesn¡¯t even begin to describe the vibe.¡± Iugh again letting him pull me to my feet and lead us to the media room. The ¡®U¡¯ shaped couch has been moved and adjusted to line the two side walls with arge table set in the middle with a spread made for the King. ¡°It is official, you are her favorite.¡± Mateoughs at me. ¡°I don¡¯t think we exist anymore." ¡®Stop, this is not all for me, this is for all of us.¡± I plop into the middle of the far couch and start digging in. I am too hungry to wait for anyone. ¡®Umm, no. Had we done double what you did today, she would have sent a te of sandwiches and water and called it a night if we couldn¡¯t be bothered toe down to the kitchen and eat with everyone.¡± Dakotaughs from the bar where he Is standing with Xander, who¡¯s looking awkward. ¡°Xander,e sit by me, you have to tell me what you thought of the trials today and give me any inside tips for tomorrow.¡± I looked over at him and caught Sierra¡¯s eye, she winked at me knowing what I was doing. Chapter 0113 Chapter 0113 Sierra moves to sit on my right side and he slowly moves to my left while the rest of the guys look dumbfounded at my request. They don¡¯t get to be rude and treat me like a toy they don''t want to share, so they can learn to act like decent people or suffer. Xander flops next to me, but wisely keeps a visible distance between us. We eat and talk, Sierra joining in the conversation. Eventually the guys resign themselves to the fact that I am going to include Xander and join us. Once we all started talking and rxing it was actually fun. Xander is a mix of Dakota and Sam, but has Cam¡¯s responsible oldest child vibe. I really need to ask about his younger siblings. Once the food was done the guys cleared the tables and put everything into the hallway for the house staff to get and we all moved the couch back to its ¡®U¡¯ position. This time Kota was not missing out, he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me to the center of the couch, my brother flops next to me and the rest of our group, including Xander settle in for a movie. I didn¡¯t even get past the opening credits before I was asleep on Dakota''s shoulder. I got up earlier than expected considering how tired I was from yesterday, although Luna Ava did come to wake me up with a soft knock on my door, beforeing in with a full tray of steaming breakfast foods. ¡°This looks amazing. Thank you!¡± I beamed at her. Sierra stirred next to me. It was then that I realized I was in my room, in my own bed. I think this might be the first time I have actually slept in here overnight. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, sweet girl. Now eat before the boys smell food ande running. I don¡¯t usually bring food up here for them." ¡°They may have mentioned that once or twicest night when they saw what you sent up for dinner." Sierra yawned by me. ¡°They did call Sky your favorite and pouted about it." Luna Ava justughed before turning around and walking towards my door. ¡°You have about an hour before you need to leave, I know you like to get to the training grounds early. It¡¯s about 7am." It¡¯s so strange to be sofortable in this house that I sleep in sote, no matter where I end up actually sleeping. ¡°How did we get in here? Thest thing I remember was starting a movie and leaning on Dakota¡¯s shoulder.¡± I look over at Slerra as I crawl to the end of the bed and start digging into the te with pancakes. She giggles and follows me to the food. ¡°Well, you made it all of five minutes before you were snuggled into Dakota and snoring." ¡°I do not snore!¡± I can¡¯t snore, how embarrassing would that be? I¡¯m looking at her with a forkful of pancake halfway to my mouth. ¡°You do, but it¡¯s cute. What was more cute was how much gloating Kota did while you were holding on tight to his arm. There was even a little scuffle about who was going to carry you to bed and then, where you were going to sleep. Your brother eventually won and put you here, then asked me to stay with you to keep the rest of them out so you could get enough sleep for today." She shoved her mouth full of whipped cream covered pancakes and smiled at me. ¡®¡°¡®That¡¯s the dumbest thing I have ever heard. There¡¯s no way they fought over carrying me.¡± I rolled my eyes and stuffed my own face. She just shrugged her shoulders at me. It wasn''t long until we were joined by all the guys, including Xandar, and they polished off everything that we didn¡¯t eat. And even though she said it was for us, she made plenty for the boys too. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. It took some convincing, and threatening on Sierra¡¯s part, to get them to leave so I could change. I decided on more grubby clothes today, knowing we were going to be in wolf form. I wasn¡¯t sure if we would have to shift unexpectedly and tear through clothes and I can¡¯t risk tearing through my favorite stuff. Again. Just like yesterday, I got a piggy back ride from Oliver. He and Sam yed rock, paper, scissors for it. My brother and the twins just shook their heads and smiled at the antics. Xandar, however, looked confused, but said nothing and joined us on the short walk over to the training grounds. I was the first to arrive again, but not by much. Wyatt, Jeff and Lillian all walked over to say hello and I introduced the groups. There were a lot of titles to throw around. I now know I take for granted the fact that I get to call all of these friends by only their first names. Chapter 0114 Chapter 0114 The guys and Sierra leave me to go and sit in the Alpha¡¯s box to watch. As soon as they walked away I could feel my anticipation start to rise again. We were going to be in wolf form today. Only a handful of people even know I have a wolf let alone seen her. I find myself wondering if my dad is going to be angry that I didn¡¯t say anything about it to him or if he will be pleased that I was strong enough to shift so early. I didn¡¯t get a chance to fall too deep into those thoughts though as Delta Kyle walked up and got our attention. ¡°Alright, today we will begin simr to yesterday. You will all be broken down to fight one on one in your wolf forms. Our instructors will give you your opponents as you go. We will divide you into males and females at first then mix you up ording to your fighting skills and styles. There are changing tents lined up along the edges of the arena. This will give you the chance to change and our instructors a chance to get to know your wolf form without having to strip awkwardly in front of hundreds of people." Our whole crowd lets out a little chuckle, but you can feel the collective sigh of relief too. I know I will breathe easier without having to get naked in front of everyone. That was my biggest fear this morning. I don''t want to have to exin my scars to anyone, especially not right now. I came prepared to just shift and tear through my clothes, though. Sierra has a backpack with backups for me. Delta Kyle gives a few more instructions then leads us in and shows us our respective tents. While we are walking, I can see Lillian looking at me every couple seconds from the corner of my eye. She follows me back toward the furthest corner from the tent opening. ¡°Why do you keep looking at me like that?¡± I question her as I sit down on a bench and slowly work my shoes off. ¡°How are you even going to do this? You¡¯ re only like fifteen/sixteen, right? You can¡¯t go human against wolf. Especially those Elite wolves." ¡°Umm, I actually got my wolf a year ago.¡± I shrug trying to make it seem like it¡¯s not a big deal. ¡°That¡¯s why Delta Kyle was given permission to let me join trials. And, we train human versus wolf, so that¡¯s not really new either.¡± I skipped over confirming how old I was, hoping she doesn¡¯t notice or doesn¡¯t bring it up again. Her eyes got wide and I thought I was going to have to help her pick her jaw up off the floor. ¡°You have had your wolf for a year already?! Holy sh*t!" ¡°I''m a beta and my brother and his friends got their wolves around the same time. I just figured that was normal.¡± I shrug again, hoping she believes the flimsy lie. I figure if I y innocent she¡¯ll drop it. I was rewarded with one more quizzical look. Then she began to focus on her own changing. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. There were only about 50 or so people left in the trial, and of those about 20 women. It was nice to know that female warriors are appreciated and not as few and far between as I had thought. The female warriors have the girls change and shift a few at a time and make note of the wolf¡¯s color, scent and other markings. I hang at the back, not really having to act nervous. I tell Lillian to go before me, that I need a minute before I head out. Once everyone is out of the entrance, I head forward, still clothed , toward the warriors taking notes. ¡°Can you not shift yet, sweetheart? I thought you looked a little young.¡± The taller of the two said. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Can I ask a favor? Can you only make note of the markings on my wolf?¡± I asked quickly, not wanting to miss anything. Chapter 0115 Chapter 0115 ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean, honey, but we can do that, I guess.¡± She''s still looking at me funny. With that I nodded and began to undress, trying to keep my back to them as much as possible, but I won¡¯t have much control when my wolf starts to take over to shift. My shift was quick, but I didn¡¯t miss the intake of breath before it wasplete. I know they saw my back and the ugly scars I get to carry around. I just hope they don¡¯t ask about themter or mention them to anyone. Thest thing I need is for them to start asking questions. ¡°You are beautiful!¡± The shorter warrior exims. ¡°I don¡¯t thinkI have ever seen a pure ck wolf before. It¡¯s so rare to not have any other markings." I told you we are special. My wolf gloats to me. Whatever, let''s go before they send a search party in here for us. We trot out and take the position given to us by the warriors who are helping with the trials. We square up to a beautiful brown wolf with red tinting the ends of the fur. As soon as the whistle is blown we are in full focus. Because the fighting was so fierce, the warriors had to jump into the fray to get our attention and then direct us to another opponent. Sparring in wolf form was exhrating. I have never had this much fun or felt this powerful in my life. I lost track of how many opponents they put me against. They never let anyone get to the point of being pinned. I¡¯m not sure if that was because all of the fighters were just that good and we were all having trouble submitting eachother or if they wanted to preserve energy to see us against a bunch of different opponents. After the individual rounds we were told to simply ''" get past the line of warriors.¡¯ I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of task that was until I saw all of the Elite Warriors saunter out in their wolf forms looking intimidating and ready for battle. They took up a defensive stance in a semicircle around the obstacle course. Simr to yesterday, there were barriers and other things added to give us cover, but I had a feeling we were all royally screwed. Delta Kyle blew a whistle and we all ran toward the hostile wolves, ready to prove we were not worthy to join their ranks. I focused on the line. They all seemed to be hyper aware of their surroundings, all taking on more than one wolf at a time and at lightning speed. I had to remind myself I was a part of this whole show and I couldn¡¯t sit here and watch in awe at the graceful and deadly movements of these highly trained machines. I couldn¡¯t ignore it either. It was almost magical. Some wolves just ran forward head on into the line, tyring the most obvious way to get your ass beat. Others tried to dart between the things piled up, but not really looking at their surroundings for the best ways to move and getting caught up by an Elite warrior before getting too far. I belly crawled from one hiding spot to another, keeping myself as small as possible. There are benefits to being my size. I made it to a low woodpile about 20 feet from the ropes course side of the obstacle. The Elite warriors were pinning wolves left and right like it didn¡¯t cost them any energy or effort at all. My n was to find a gap when two were focused elsewhere, but they never strayed from their general positions. If one wolf moved, the whole unit shifted. I have no idea how long I stood there and just observed their movements, it was like a dance, so mesmerizing. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. A loud snarl broke me from my trance and I sawa huge gray wolf with ck markings barreling towards me. My wolf scrambled back and tried to get around the other side of the woodpile only to be met with three other wolves, I had been corralled. How did that happen? They were all just engaged with other people not a minute ago. Damn they work fast. Now the question is, do I fight and try to keep going or surrender? Before I can answer my own question with some form of action, a whistle is blown. ¡°You all did a great job today. The warriors have a lot to discuss. Please go and change and meet at the pack house to celebrate a sessful trial session. You all deserve it.¡± Chapter 0116 Chapter 0116 All of the wolves dispersed back to the changing tents and I vaguely heard the crowd cheering. I completely forgot we were being observed. I was so engrossed in the fighting, it felt like a normal training day, just with really well trained adversaries. We walked back towards the tent and were stopped by Delta Kyle. ¡°Good job today kid. I¡¯m not gonna lie, I was a little worried about today. I know you have been training in your wolf form, but clearly more than I even knew." My wolf nods her head epting thepliment for me. Thank you. I appreciate all your help. I just hope it was enough to get me on their radar for when I can actually be epted into the program. ¡°T don¡¯t think that is anything you will ever have to worry about. I don¡¯t think I am supposed to tell you this but, you went up against the most opponents yesterday and today and got the closest to the target as a wolf today." There¡¯s no way! I was watching some of these guys fight. It was crazy. And there has to be people that got just as close today, I was so far from the target and I didn¡¯t even engage until the very end when they cornered me. He just shook his head. ¡°Nope, but I think your tent is clear and you have some friends who want to celebrate your sess with you. Go change. I¡¯ll see you at the pack house." I turned around to see that almost everyone had cleared out of the arena and I had an even bigger appreciation for Delta Kyle. He knows I keep my scars to myself and gave me the excuse to not have to change in the excited tent with others, where I would more than likely be cornered and asked a ton of questions. He does it all without pushing for more information, even though I know it bothers him to not know what is really going on. I change quickly and head out the gates of the arena and get immediately thrown into the air. I have no idea what is going on, but I am weightless with my hair wrapped around my face so I can¡¯t see up from down. Then a pair of warm, calloused hands grab me and a familiar salty ocean scent wraps around me. Sam. ¡°Holy sh*t, Little Bit! I thought yesterday was amazing, but I don¡¯t think I have ever seen you move that fast. You¡¯ve been holding out on us.¡± He pouts a little at me. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Alright, put her down so we can share her.¡± Sierra giggles. Sam ces me on my feet and she wraps me in a tight hug. ¡°There were a couple times there I was actually afraid for your safety. That was harder to watch than yesterday. I don''t like being on the sidelines at all." She lets out an amused huff, but there is something else there I can¡¯t quite ce. I don''t have time to dwell on her meaning as my brother grabs me up in a hug. ¡°You should have heard dad¡¯s reaction when I exined which wolf was you. I don¡¯t know if I have heard him cuss that much in my life and most of it was at me and Delta Kyle. I don¡¯t think he believed that you could shift." He ces me down in front of Oliver, who says nothing, but hugs me tightly and buries his nose in my neck inhaling deeply. He steps back and the twins do the same. Again, actions I don¡¯t totally understand, but I don¡¯t get the chance to think about them when Xander walks up. ¡°That was amazing!¡± he grabs each of my shoulders in his massive hands and stares down at me. ¡°I have never seen our top warriors have realpetition outside their own circle. You were incredible!¡± He pulls me in for a quick hug, then pushes me out toa safe arm¡¯s length distance when a low growl sounds behind me. ¡°You went against each warrior that travels with my dad and mom personally! They heard about you yesterday and asked to join in." That was news none of us expected to hear. It was all such a blur though, I couldn''t pick the wolves I fought out of a line up if I tried. Still in Xander¡¯s hands I turned to look at the guys, ¡°Can we go eat please? I am starving!" Chapter 0117 Chapter 0117 ¡°Of course, Smalls, but this time you¡¯re mine!¡± Kota swings me on his back and starts running. The rest of the guys areughing and running to catch up. It took us no time to run to the packhouse which waspletely overflowing with people. The front doors were thrown wide open and groups of people were milling around the frontwn and porch all talking and enjoying themselves. I could hear the musicing from the back yard and could smell the delicious scent of barbeque billowing from the Alpha¡¯s pride and joy grill. ¡®Kota, can you run me upstairs for a quick shower and change of clothes?" ¡°Sure Smalls, I would love to get you all cleaned up." He says low, in a tone I¡¯ve never heard from him before. Then he looks over his shoulder and winks at me before I even caught on to what he was implying. ¡°Ugh! NO! Get your head out of the gutter. Just take me to our floor.¡± I roll my eyes back at him. ¡°You said it not me, Smalls. I can keep it quick though so no one suspects.¡± He chuckles again. ¡°Will you stop! I''ll just go myself, you are being weird.¡± I tried to jump off his back as he reached the porch, but he had a death grip on my thighs. I was not going anywhere without a scene, and we both know I won¡¯t cause a scene at Luna Ava¡¯s party. Stupid boys. ¡°Fine, just move it, [ don¡¯t want to keep your mom waiting. She''s probably expecting you and the guys to y your parts as hosts and is not happy it took us this long to get back." ¡°¡®Mom knows where we are, it¡¯s fine. Besides, she wants you, not the rest of us. You are the jewel of the pack right now, from what I overheard in the stands." He nonchntly throws that out as we make it to the door to their floor and starts punching in the code. ¡°You are full of sh*t.¡± I scoff. ¡°I can''t evenpete for a real spot yet, no one was even looking at me with so many real candidates." He turns to respond, but is interrupted by my favorite sound on the. ¡°Oh, my goddess! Babe, there you are, I¡¯ve been waiting forever. You totally need to get downstairs. The Alpha King is waiting to talk to you and your brother, you really can¡¯t keep him waiting any longer. He probably wants to hear about all the great ns we have to make this pack even better when we are Alpha and Luna. Where is your brother?" Kota puts his hand up to stop her rambling. She either hasn¡¯t noticed me on his back or is choosing to pretend that I¡¯m not here. My guess is thetter. " Kaley, who am I?" ¡°What?¡± She opens her eyes wide and tries to look innocent. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Who. Am. I? It¡¯s not a hard question. Or at least it shouldn¡¯t be." ¡°You are a future Alpha, silly. That''s such a weird question.¡± She giggles. ¡°My name. Say my name. Which future Alpha am I?" It hit me then. She can¡¯t tell them apart. I never thought of it until now, but she never calls them by their names initially. It''s not funny but at the same time, it isto me. I bury my face in the back of Kota¡¯s neck to stifle a giggle of my own. Can''t she just tell by their scents who they are? She can¡¯t be that stupid. Kota lets out a purr-like sound from his chest and I pop back up looking at him with my eyebrows furrowed. ¡®Smalls, you probably shouldn¡¯t do that, unless you want our previous conversation to be a reality.¡± My eyes go wide again. Kaley raises her eyes to me, " I¡¯m sure you¡¯re capable of walking on your own, stop ying the victim and making him ve over you. It isn¡¯t appropriate for a future Alpha to be schlepping the help around." ¡°Kaley, you never answered my question. Who am I?¡± Kota gains her attention again, and for once she looks nervous. ¡°Uh, well...¡± Kaley starts to stutter out and takes time to smooth and adjust her livid pink dress before our hurricane of friendses sting up the stairs and saves her from answering the question. ¡°Would you quit hogging my sister? Where are you guys going anyway? The party¡¯s downstairs.¡± Mateo looks at Kota and I suspiciously. ¡°I was trying to go upstairs and clean up a bit before I went down. I am disgusting from the trials today, but all of you think I am not capable of walking, so I¡¯m stuck here while Kota finishes up his conversation.¡± Chapter 0118 Chapter 0118 ¡®See Dakota, even she thinks you need to put her down ande with me to talk to the Alpha King." Original from N?velDrama.Org. Kaley jumped into the conversation and twisted my words to her advantage. ¡®We''ll be down in a bit, you should go and rejoin the party.¡± Kota says turning, still holding my thigh tight with one hand while punches in the code to the door with the other. I didn¡¯t miss the way he turned to block Kaley¡¯s view of the keypad. If she noticed too, she wisely didn¡¯t say anything. ¡®Well, I guess I could walk down with her and we could wait for you guys together.¡± She pointed to Sierra. She¡¯s grasping at straws now. Kota has the door open, and we all turn to look at her, the guys just as confused as me. ¡°Sky needs to go to her room and change first, and Sierra needs to check her for injuries that might need to be dealt with. She took a couple of hard hits today. We''ll see you in a little bit Kaley.¡± My brother''s words were polite and about as final as you can get and Kota took the out, turning back towards the doorway and the stairs leading to our floor. We started the walk up and I could feel the rest of my friends behind us, moving in a bit of arush. I heard Oliver at the back, ¡°No, you are not allowed on the third floor.¡± A growl rumbles from him that sets my stomach buzzing, but not in a bad way. ¡°Move your fingers so they don¡¯t get crushed. Mateo said we''ll see youter.¡± Then the distinct click of the door and lock engaging. ¡°She¡¯s getting more and more desperate and bold, you two are going to have to watch yourselves.¡± Sam says somewhere behind me. ¡°Yeah, but she still has no idea which one of us is which, and doesn¡¯t give ash*t. Even if we wanted to take a chosen mate, why would we choose someone who can¡¯t and doesn¡¯t even try to tell us apart?¡± Kota says over his shoulder. ¡°She just likes the idea of status and thinks being Luna is just throwing parties, spending money she hasn¡¯t earned and parading around in front of people. She has no idea how much work our mom does on top of everything she does with dad." ¡°Wait! She can¡¯t tell you two apart? Like, at all?¡± I ask from my perch. ¡®No, most people can¡¯t. They tend to just see us as one collective unit.¡± Cam sighs behind me. ¡°Even we have a hard time when they dress the same.¡± Mateo says. ¡°How is that possible?¡± We made it to our floor and Kota finally put me down. I wiggled my legs a little to wake them up from having to straddle Kota¡¯s wide back for so long. ¡°There are so many things about you both that are different." ¡°Like what?¡± Cam asks, crossing his arms, almost in a challenge. ¡°Well for one, you both have different colored eyes. That¡¯s a dead giveaway, if anyone pays attention.¡± I rolled my own eyes as if it was obvious. ¡°Our eyes are teal, the exact same shade.¡± Kota says with his eyebrow raised. ¡°What? No they aren¡¯t!¡± They have to be trying to mess with me now. ¡°Cam¡¯s eyes are green. It¡¯s a really pretty bright emerald shade and Kota¡¯s are blue, like the Caribbean ocean. I could see how, if you mixed the colors, that it would look teal though.¡± I said thest part more to myself than anyone else. " And your scents are different, just to name a few. How could anyone mix you guys up?¡± I shrug my shoulders and turn towards my room to go get cleaned up and changed. ¡°Wait, wait, wait! They smell different to you?!¡± Sam almost shouts. ¡°How is that even possible, when they smell the exact same to the rest of us?" ¡°Huh?¡± T turn back around. ¡°What do you mean they smell exactly the same to all of you? Cam smells like a mix of oranges and lemons. It''s a really clean citrus smell and Kota smells like sweet cinnamon. When they stand together they smell like fall.¡± I can¡¯t help myself, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Their scents are actually really calming. When I open my eyes, everyone is staring at me like I have lost my mind and I''m starting to feel self conscious. Chapter 0119 Chapter 0119 ¡°So you''re telling me, you would know who was standing next to you based on our scent and eye color alone? Even if we were dressed exactly the same?" Kota asks. ¡°Yeah, probably.¡± I shrug. ¡°Our parents can¡¯t even do that.¡± Cam says. His tone is strange, like disbelief. ¡°Okay, you guys are being weird. I¡¯m going to jump in the shower quick and change. Give me five minutes.¡± I turn around again and head to my room. I can hear them muttering, but I tune it out. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. They are being so weird about this whole telling them apart thing. Of course they smell different, they are two separate people. Just like they have different features like eye color and their builds are a bit different, even if it is subtle. Their hair isn¡¯t even cut and styled the same. If people are too dense to notice those kinds of differences and see them as individuals, they don¡¯t deserve to be considered friends. I get in and out of the shower in record time and notice an outfit ced on my bed. I¡¯m sure Sierra is responsible. Making sure I dress the part of a non- awkward pack member instead of recluse. I had to let out augh when I noticed two full outfits as I walked closer to my bed. One is a subtle but statement- making yellow halter dress that is far too short for myfort level. The other is a pair of dark washed skinny jeans and a white sweater with an off the shoulder cut neckline. It looks amazingly soft and feminine. She at least left a cutecey bralette. These cute tan ankle boots were left on the floor. Apparently she thought they went with either outfit. I obviously chose the jeans. She lost her mind thinking I was going to voluntarily wear a dress toa backyard party. But, I¡¯m sure she knew that andid the dress out to keep me fromining about the dressy sweater and heels. It¡¯s sad she knows me so well. ¡°You ready yet?¡± The devil herself calls from the door. ¡°Almost, just need to get dressed and throw my hair up.¡± I don¡¯t need to do anything fancy, it¡¯s a bunch of warriors, not diplomats from other packs. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± She scoffs. ¡°Get dressed, I''m doing your hair.¡± ¡®We can''t take forever, the guys wille barging in here and carry us down the stairs. I would like to walk back down on my own two feet thank you very much." ¡°It will only take a second. You don¡¯t even need make -up, you¡¯re already so tan from training, but I want you to get a little of your hair out of your face.¡± She gives me a deep side part, then finger combs my hair. Instead of tucking my hair behind my ear on the part side, she whips two jeweled clips out of nowhere and pins the loose strands back. It¡¯s super simple, but looks like I put effort in. I can''t help smiling at my reflection. She always knows how to dress me up, but keeps mefortable. ¡°They are literally about to bang on the door, let¡¯s go." ¡°What? How do you know that?¡± She looks at me funny again. ¡°T can smell them from here.¡± We are at the vanity just outside my bathroom, on the other side of the room. ¡°Kota and Oliver are right behind my door, Cam is further away behind Kota and Mateo and Sam are behind all of them.¡± I shrug, heading to the door and throwing it open. Kota had his hand raised to knock, but they all had varying looks of surprise. ¡°Holy sh*t! How did you do that?¡± Sierra breathes out behind me. ¡°I couldn¡¯t smell them til we were halfway across the room. And you got the order correct. Or at least I think you did. Did you guys change?¡± She asks the twins. They both nod. ¡°Call it a social experiment.¡± Cam says, looking straight at me. ¡®What are you trying to prove Cam?¡± I ask, really intrigued. ¡°That, so far, you are the only person who has been able to say who is who while we are dressed the same, without hints." ¡°T told you, you both have different scents and eye color. That alone should be enough if people pay attention. Your hair is usually done differently and your builds are slightly different. There are so many things that make you each unique, I don¡¯t understand." ¡°And I really want to unpack the fact that you are the only one who sees those differences, but mom is starting to get impatient, we have to go.¡± Cam smiles at me and reaches for my hand. I take it and let him lead me down the stairs, but let go when we get to the second floornding as we are osted by people. There are so many more people now than when we went up not even fifteen minutes ago and everyone wants to talk to the guys and Sierra and surprisingly, me. We all kind of spread out mingling with the crowd, but I can still see all of them. Thank the goddess all my friends are tall. A guy I know I have seen around gets close to me and starts going on and on about something in the trials. I¡¯m not really sure what he''s talking about though, he¡¯s talking too fast to keep up. I don''t really notice how close he is until I feel something brush my hand, I look down and see him stroking the outside of my hand with one finger. When I look up he¡¯s only a couple of inches from me and I freeze. Chapter 0120 Chapter 0120 ¡°Why don''t we go take a walk.¡± Rando says in a low voice, that, I¡¯m sure, was meant to be inviting, but I am just stuck having never been flirted with by anyone other than the guys, who I don¡¯t take seriously at all. He slowly starts to trail his hand up my statue-like arm and gently wraps his hand around my bicep. ¡°You seem like the type who likes a good rough time.¡± My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline and I try to step back, but his grip tightens. ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m good.¡± Is all 1 could sputter out. ¡°T was promised a really good time with you and I don¡¯t intend on missing out on all the fun everyone else has been having. Watching you fight today makes me even more excited. I wonder how much you could handle before you break.¡± = ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Of course the insult brings me out of my scared state. ¡°Let go of me.¡± I say strong and stern, trying to keep my composure. I won''t start a fight in the packhouse while the Luna is hosting, but this guy is giving me the creeps and has clearly been misinformed. ¡°Not a chance, I want what I was promised.¡± He goes to pull my arm again and clearly thinks he can overpower me. He must not have really been paying attention to my fighting today. I pull my arm back, but he doesn¡¯t release his hold, just lets me pull him in closer. ¡°See, I knew you couldn¡¯t resist me.¡± He says close to my ear, then a low growl rumbles directly behind me. I can feel Oliver¡¯s body heat warming my back. ¡°T suggest you keep your hands to yourself, Micah, if you value the use of them.¡± Oliver¡¯s arm wraps around my waist and pulls my backpletely against him. ¡°She said no, hear the rejection, get over yourself and move on.¡± He¡¯s still looking directly at Micah, but talking to me, ¡°Come on, the Luna will be looking for her favorite girl.¡± A threat was clearly implied here. I could feel the menacing auraing off of Oliver. He moves to my side, but doesn¡¯t take his arm off of me as we move down the big staircase to the first floor and on through the kitchen to the back patio. He doesn¡¯t release me until we get next to the Luna and Alpha and the rest of the guys. He more or less ces me between Luna Ava and Sierra and then steps back by Mateo. Based on the dark look that crosses my brother¡¯s face, he was told of what just happened with Micah over their mindlink. A low rumblees from Cam and Kota on the other side of the Alpha. Oh, goody they are having a conversation about me and mypletelyme situation upstairs Whatever you guys are talking about knock it off. People are staring. I hope that is the end of it, but that would be wishful thinking. Someone put their hands on you Sky without your permission and after you told them to back off. Cam says inly. I didn¡¯t miss the use of my name. We¡¯ve been through this, it¡¯s not the first time and Oliver did step in before there was a problem. Now stop, your mom and dad look like they want to speak. ¡°T had better get a full exnation of what that was." Sierra says in my ear. I roll my eyes slightly. ¡°Was it that obvious? Just boys being overprotective." Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. ¡®Well you did kind of challenge them to pay attention, now you have five bodyguards. And that was more than just being protective, their auras are in full force right now. If they were full leaders everyone would be in submission right now.¡± She huffs out in a whisper and I have to fight a smile, it¡¯s not that bad. Luna Ava clears her throat as she and Alpha Lucas Stand, stopping all conversations. Chapter 0121 Chapter 0121 ¡°We first want to thank Alpha King Reginald and Luna Queen Anne and their son Prince Alexander for joining us this week for Elite Warrior trials. It truly is an honor to be a host pack and I know all of our young trainees have had an amazing time with your warriors. I know they are all excited to put their new knowledge to use. It was also nice to have some friendly neighboring pack training, everyone involved learned a great deal and I wish you all luck in your cements with the Elite Warriors.¡± A polite amount of pping follows. Alpha Reggie follows up with congrattions to all who participated in the trials, stating his trainers have been left with some tough decisions to make. " We are also excited to see the young leaders at the training grounds here in a few weeks. Now that I have seen how much they have grown and what they are capable of here on their home turf, I can¡¯t wait to see them challenged again this summer. I may have to rethink some of our strategies seeing your young warriors train.¡± He chuckles and everyone else follows suit before Alpha Lucas finishes. ¡°We are here to not only celebrate the end of the trials and their sess, we are celebrating the end of the year, with many of our graduating pack members moving onto great and sessful careers and our own future leaders heading into the next phase of their training. With their departure following the mating ball next weekend we want to wish them well and good luck on their journey this summer. And from the sounds of it, they will need all the luck they can get.¡± More laughter follows. ¡°Please eat and enjoy yourselves, our pack has much to be thankful for." With that, both Alphas sit down and look, relieved maybe, that the formalities are all over. I look around at the crowd milling about. This is what I imagine parties for the guys to be like, people crawling everywhere, standing room only and a constant humm of conversation. The buzz is almost palpable. It¡¯s a weird sensation and I find myself smiling again for no reason other than I¡¯m included this time. ¡°Sky,e sit with us.¡± Luna Ava calls me over. ¡°We are all dying to hear about the trials. I was so excited to see your wolf out, she is so beautiful and she has definitely gotten stronger since thest time I saw her." I moved into the chair she offered me and just smiled at thepliment. I didn¡¯t know what else to say. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. My wolf is just purring in my head at being called beautiful and strong. ¡°She has grown since I¡¯ve gotten her. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was normal, or if she still needs to grow since I got her so early. I have meant to ask Doc T in anatomy or maybe Mr. Lyons in history what they think." ¡°T don¡¯t know if I have ever heard of a wolf growing after they show up, but maybe you¡¯re right, you got her very young. You are going to be a force when you are fully trained, based on what I have seen over thest two days.¡± Alpha Reggie says. I just smile again. I don¡¯t really know what to do with all of thesepliments. Before I have to reallye up with anything though, a te is ced in front of me and Kota kisses the side of my head before sitting down next to me. Another te is ced next to that and Cam kisses the other side of my head then moves to sit across from me. I I look to my left. ¡°Dakota, what is all of this?¡± I figure I would make a point of naming them while they are on this social experiment thing. ¡°We didn¡¯t think you would ever get a chance to eat, so we brought a little of all of your favorites.¡± Then he looks at his brother. ¡°She¡¯s still the only one.¡± Cam says across from me. ¡°Only one, what?¡± Luna Ava asks with an eyebrow raised. ¡®¡®She¡¯s the only person who can tell us apart, when we look exactly the same, don¡¯t speak and give no hints." Kota Says. ¡®¡®She¡¯s the first person to call us by name since we came downstairs dressed the same. It¡¯s actually kind of funny.¡± Cam adds. ¡°You can tell them apart like this?¡± Luna Ava looks impressed, gesturing to the twins. ¡°Even I have trouble sometimes. Especially when they are purposely trying to be difficult." ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t believe you two are still on this topic, but to be fair there are a bunch of things that set them apart, if people pay attention. I keep telling them that. And thank you for the food, I am starving.¡± I say, bing a little annoyed that they don¡¯t believe me. Chapter 0122 Chapter 0122 ¡°You seem to be the only person aware of those differences though. For example, mom, what color are our eyes?¡± Kota looks pointedly at Luna Ava. ¡°You both have that beautiful teal color, why?" ¡°Sky, tell her what you see.¡± He looks at me. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Now I¡¯m nervous about being put on the spot. I take my time swallowing therge mouthful of food I just shoved, udylike, in my face. ¡°To me Cam¡¯s eyes are emerald green and Kota¡¯s are ocean blue. They aren¡¯t the same shade, but I can see how blended they would be a teal color." ¡®Now, mom, what is our scent?¡± Cam asks, in full investigation mode now. It makes us both smile. She gives me a wink and I know that she is just cating them. ¡°You both smell like the holidays, like citrus and spice. It is actually one of my favorite smells.¡± She giggles a little and I think they both blush. Interesting. ¡°Skr?¡± He doesn¡¯t even finish the question. ¡°Cameron is the one who smells like citrus and Dakota smells like cinnamon.¡± I roll my eyes as I smile at them, using their full names, like they are using mine. ¡°Just to finish my observations, so I can eat, Cam is slightly taller while Dakota is set wider in the shoulders. Their hair is different, even now when they have tried tob it the same, Dakota¡¯s has more waves and Cam¡¯s is a shade darker. There are a few more subtle differences but you get the idea, they find novelty in the fact that I can tell them apart." I look away from the twins at the Alphas and Lunas who all look surprised. ¡°Now I¡¯m curious if you could tell them apart in a ck and white photo. We¡¯ll have to test that sometime.¡± Alpha Lucas says. ¡°But, right now, leave the poor girl alone and let her eat. She took out like 20 wolves today.¡± He winks at me and I give him an appreciative smile. ¡®Speaking of kicking ass and taking names, I¡¯ve got my eye on you little one. You gave some of my best personal warriors a run for their money and even put Xander in his ce." ¡°WHAT! He never said he went up against me!¡± I look around for Xander, but he¡¯s nowhere to be found. " Did you guys know?¡± I look at the twins, who at least look sheepish. ¡°Seriously?! Why didn¡¯t you guys say anything? Which one was he?¡± ¡°That, we are not telling you, TIny. If he feels like telling you which royally beaten wolf was his, he can do that. If I was him, I would take that info to the grave.¡± Camughs and so does everyone else. We all break into smaller conversations and I just enjoy listening and watching all that is happening around me while I dly eat all of the food that Cam and Kota brought me. I was having such a good time, I didn¡¯t even notice that the sun had set and the patio lights were on and the soft music was slowly turning to more upbeat dance music. All of a sudden my chair spins around and I am being dragged to my feet. ¡°Come on Little Bit, this is my jam.¡± Sam pulls me onto the ss cover over the pool that has been made into a makeshift dance floor to an old hip hop song where the only required dance move is jumping around. I couldn¡¯t help butugh and join in, this I could do, normal dancing was not my thing. Every song after that was probably from thete 90¡¯s or early 2000¡¯s intermixed with every possible song that could tempt the girls present to act like strippers thrown in. I tried to leave the floor everytime one of those songs came on, but there was always one of the guys to hold me there and keep me from looking like a total fool. When ¡®Don¡¯t Cha¡¯ came on Sierra came running up to me and I finally just let go and we sang it together giving the guys a show andughing hysterically. I think every girl ever knows this song, and eventually all the guys left the dance floor to thedies, making a huge circle to watch our antics. It¡¯s the most fun I have ever had with this many people, ever. I was pretty impressed with Sierra''s knowledge of all the rap parts too. Chapter 0123 Chapter 0123 I finally had to step away to get some water and take a break. I was standing at the ind in the kitchen, chugging a bottle of water and heard voices from the back hallway that leads to the garage. ¡°I just don¡¯t know why she wants to keep it a secret. If I was her, I would tell everyone." ¡°I know, right? There must be something else going on. We''ll have to pay really close attention." Definitely Marnie and Jeanie. I hear footstepsing towards me, so 1 scramble back towards the fridge and act like I¡¯m getting something out. They don''t even notice me and just keep walking and talking. ¡®¡®She¡¯s probably lying, everyone knows they want their mate. I have heard that all the rumors about them sleeping around are bullsh*t too. That they are actually waiting to give up their V card to their goddess given mate. Which is totally romantic! Who knows. They wouldn¡¯t all of a sudden decide to hook up with her randomly at a party with the Alpha King here either. No one is dumb enough to believe that" Marnie says. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She likes to exaggerate, but would she lie about mates? She''s been talking about them being her mates for years.¡± Jeanie asks. ¡°She can¡¯t even tell who her mate is for three more years, there¡¯s no way.¡± Marnie scoffs. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to stop her fromying im to them, let her live her fantasy for as long as she can. Cause there is no way she¡¯s going to be Luna, she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the job. The Moon Goddess wouldn¡¯t make us all suffer like that, she¡¯s awful now, can you imagine if she had any real authority?¡± She giggles and Jeanie joins in. ¡°We just need to stay on her good side for a few more years, then the truth wille out. She¡¯s probably actually mated to some worthless Omega who''s abusive. That would be karma, wouldn¡¯t it?" That left me feeling, I¡¯m not sure actually. I can¡¯t believe the people closest to her would talk about her like that, but at the same time, Kaley is a horrible person and clearly still trying toy im to the Luna title. I walk outside back to my friends, but I¡¯m not really in the party mood anymore. Every time I hear her mention being with the twins or being Luna, I get an uneasy sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I go to find the guys to tell them that I am going up to bed, but Sam has other ideas as Just the Way You Arees on. He grabs Sierra and I and starts serenading the two of us, and all I can do isugh with her. The rest of the guys join in our little group and start singing, terribly, to both of us and taking turns to dance with us, very closely and slowly. No one breaks into our little circle, it¡¯s sweet and for the first time it leaves me feelingfortable and safe doing normal teenage things, even in this crowd." Once the song is over, I break away from Kota and hug each of them, ¡°TI need to sleep, I will see you guys in the morning.¡± I hug Sierra a little longer than the rest of them. ¡°Have fun.¡± I wink at her. ¡°If you need to stay tonight you cane cuddle with me." ¡°Wait. Does that invitation extend to all of us?¡± Sam asks. I just roll my eyes. ¡°Hey, wait up, I¡¯ll walk you up." ¡°I battled with about a hundred different people in thest two days, I think I can walk up to my room alone, but thank you Oliver." ¡°I¡¯m aware of your capabilities, Bite Size, but my wolf is running circles in my head and giving mea headache at the fact that you are going somewhere without one of us. Especially after the thing with Micah. Can I please just walk with you to shut him up?¡± He almost begs. ¡°Sure, I guess. Does that happen a lot, your wolf being territorial like that?¡± We start our way to the Staircase leading to the second floor. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Only with you Bite Size, only with you. And it¡¯s crazy, because I feel like Mateo, like I need to protect you, like my wolf¡¯s whole mission is to keep you safe. We haven¡¯t even been this protective over a girl we want to hook up with, no offense.¡± He adds quickly at the end, eyes wide looking terrified that he offended me. ¡°None taken, and to be honest, I feel the same. You seem to make me calm and centered, like my best friend or my other half, but not in a mate way. Is that weird?¡± I look up at him and he is smiling, like actually smiling. It is blinding, and jaw dropping. ¡°Oh man! Your mate is in trouble!¡± I giggle at him. Chapter 0124 Chapter 0124 ¡°What, why?¡± His smile falls and he almost looks like Sam pouting. ¡°That smile is going to knock her on her ass. I take that back, you are going to be in trouble when you find your mate. She is going to lock you up after you throw that smile her way. I thought you were good looking before, but that smile is a whole other level. She''s screwed.¡± Iugh again as his grin lights up his whole moody face and he tries to fight it. I take a look around to make sure no one, mainly Kaley, is looking when I go to punch in the code on the third floor door. Once Oliver makes sure it is secured behind us we head up. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Knock it off, Bite Size, or my ego won¡¯t fit through the door.¡± He shoves me in the shoulder with his elbow. ¡°I''m serious though. I mean you¡¯re hot just as your broody silent self, but that smile could probably get you anything you wanted. You should try it on Luna Ava and see what happens.¡± Iugh out loud this time as we make it to my door. ¡°Thank you for seeing me safely to my door Oliver, you have done a fabulous job of watching out for me, I hope your wolf calms a bit." I leaned in to give him a tight hug around the waist. " You are a great friend and big brother.¡± I rest my cheek on his chest. He squeezed me back, ¡®Thanks Sky, that means a lot. Night.¡± He let me go and stepped back waiting for me to close the door I guess. ¡°Night.¡± I close my door and barely get changed and fall into my bed before I am fast asleep. I woke up to the bright sun streaming through my window and sweating my ass off. What is going on? I try to roll over but there is a weight behind me. I shift forward and that is definitely not a pillow in front of me. I crack my eyes open more to adjust to the light and take a deep breath. Citrus and Cinnamon overwhelm my senses. I move to sit up, I really need to go to the bathroom and my legs arepletely entwined, I wiggle alittle more. I ¡°Tiny, I thought we talked about this, you do not want to move like that in the morning. Go back to sleep, you have earned a sleep in day.¡± Cam mumbles in front of me. ¡°I need to pee and you both make that really hard.¡± Iugh at him. ¡°I''ll show you something hard.¡± Kota says low and gravelly into my hair. ¡°Stop, crazy. Let me up, please.¡± I whine at him. ¡°I promise I wille back and sleep in, just let me pee." ¡®Fine, you have three minutes before one of uses in to get you.¡± Iugh and quickly get up. I¡¯m not dumb enough to test whether or not he would reallye and get me off the toilet. As I climb over Cam¡¯s gigantic body and move to the floor, I step on something that is definitely not hardwood. I jump, stumble, fall forward ande face to face with Oliver as I belly flop onto his chest. " What the hell?!¡± He coughs out as he stops me from scrambling around on him. ¡°What happened? Are you okay Sky?¡± He¡¯s on full alert, eyes wide open and body tense as he grabs me by my upper arms, but doesn¡¯t move any more than that. ¡°What are you doing on my floor?" ¡°Couldn''t sleep. I just kept getting a weird vibe. This is the only ce that made it go away.¡± He closes his eyes andys his head back down, but not releasing me. ¡°Huh?!¡± He ignores me, ¡°Is there something you needed? Or did you decide you are done snuggling the twins and are ready to share the love?¡± He wraps his arms around me and starts to turn on his side. ¡°Oh no, I have to pee. Let me up before you are the reason I have an ident.¡± I scramble away from him and almost trip on my brother''s feet at the foot of my bed. ¡°What is going on? What happenedst night that made you guys think you all needed to be in here?¡± I whisper yell at them. Which of course gets no reply. They are all happily snoring, with no care in the world. I go to the bathroom and on my way back I notice a pile of nkets next to the firece. " There¡¯s no way.¡± I whisper to myself. I tiptoed over and noticed sandy blonde waves and brown straight locks all messed together anding out of the top of the nket burrito Sam and Sierra were In. Chapter 0125 Chapter 0125 What in the hell is going on? Why are all my friends in my room? This cannot befortable and I don¡¯t smell alcohol on them, so! don¡¯t think it is a drunken thing, but who knows. I¡¯m too wide awake now to try and wiggle my way between the twins, so I grab Cam''s sweatshirt from the floor and head down to see what¡¯s for breakfast. As I head out I notice the doors to all the rooms on our floor are closed, even the media room. Weird. The guys never close them unless they are in there. I head down to the second floor and all the guest rooms are closed as well, but I figure there are probably still visiting warriors here. I keep heading down towards the first floor intent on hitting the kitchen and checking in with Luna Ava about the sleeping arrangements. I didn¡¯t eat as much as I should have yesterday after the trials. I was too busy talking to everyone. As soon as I hit thending, I¡¯m stopped by a warrior. ¡°We are still on lockdown, you need to return to your room.¡± I recognize this guy as one of the warriors from the final phase of trials. He¡¯s a big guy, bigger than the Alpha King, my neck hurts from having to look up at him, and I am three steps above him. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, I just came down for breakfast, what happened?¡± I don¡¯t move from my spot, my curiosity getting the better of me. ¡°We are still on lockdown, you need to return to your room.¡± He repeats. ¡°Can you tell me when we went on lockdown? I went to bed earlyst night. The party was still going on when I went up to my room." ¡°You live here? You¡¯re not a guest we detained?¡± He looks at me with his eyebrow raised. ¡®Yes, I live on the third floor.¡± He wants to give me vague answers, I will do the same. I cross my arms, not really to be intimidating, but more standing my ground. I wasn¡¯t going to be intimidated. ¡°Is anyone else awake? Can I talk to Luna Ava or Alpha Lucas? I don''t want to mindlink them if they are sleeping" ¡°The Alpha King has ordered everyone to stay in their rooms or in their homes for the time being. Please go back to your room." ¡°Can I at least get some food? You guys did a number on me at trials yesterday and I am starving.¡± ¡°I will see what I can do, please go upstairs.¡± He growls low and squints his eyes at me like he is trying to remember which wolf I was. Which makes sense considering my size, I don¡¯t look like someone who should have been in the trials at all, and I don¡¯t remember him at the celebrationst night. ¡°Thank you Warrior...¡± I let the question hang, raising my eyebrows, hoping to get a tidbit of information out of him. ¡°Osiston. Go upstairs little one, it¡¯s not safe right now.¡± Again, low and growly, like he doesn¡¯t want to be heard. ¡®Why is she walking around and the rest of us are locked in rooms all over the house.?¡± My favorite screeching soundes from above me on the stairs. I¡¯m still looking at Osiston and we both take a visible calming breath. He has clearly been dealing with her already this morning. Considering how early it probably is, he has been dealing with her all night. I can¡¯t help but smile at him as he rolls his eyes almost imperceptibly. ¡°You have already been told, child, the Alpha King¡¯s orders are to remain where you have been ced. We hope to have everyone on their way shortly. The Alpha King, Alpha Lucas, Luna Queen Anne and Luna Ava will let you know when you can move freely again." ¡°Well, if she¡¯s here, then I can be too.¡± She whines like a four year old and begins her stomp down the stairs. ¡°Nope! I just had a question, warrior to warrior, about the trials yesterday and since I can¡¯t mindlink my buddy Osiston here, I came down to ask. Now I¡¯m headed back up to wake the guys up. They were all dead to the world when I left them. The party must have gotten wild after I left.¡± I wink at the Warrior who looks a little dumbstruck at my lie, but goes with it. ¡°Skr,e find me before we leave, I would love to finish our conversation.¡± His cheek twitches like he wanted to smile, but the act was foreign to him. And how did he know my name? He wasn''t a part of the wolves who checked us in and none of the rest of the trainers used our names during the trials.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Chapter 0126 Chapter 0126 I nod and turn to walk back up the stairs. ¡°You were put up with Cameron and Dakota?¡± She takes a deep deliberate inhale. Obviously catching the scent off the sweatshirt to answer her own question. ¡°How did you manage that? I was told no one but warriors were being added to that floor, even when all of the beds had been given out. I know, I was thest to be assigned a spot, and some moron tried to put me on the floor in the formal living room. I had to exin who I was and then move a lesser pack member myself.¡± She sounds almost shocked, not like her usual high pitched voice. For sure still that entitled elitist attitude though. ¡®Seeing as Skr is both a warrior and lives in the Packhouse, I see no reason for her to exin the arrangements she has with your Alpha and Luna." Osiston answered before I could. I took another couple of slow steps up the stairs trying to make some distance between her and I before she decided to use her ws against me. But her attention was no longer on me. Kaley turns to face him fully, throwing a hand on her hip. ¡°And how do you know her name so well, when you Call the rest of us child or children? I am going to be the next Luna, you would do well to learn my name warrior.¡± There¡¯s the condescending tone I know. Osiston stands to his full height, his chest looks even wider like this. ¡°Let¡¯s be clear, Luna or not I would still outrank you, so knowing your name is of no priority to me until such time as the Moon Goddess herself decides you are worthy of being a Luna. And even then you would do well to speak with respect. Next, everyone of significance knows Skr¡¯s name because of her efforts in the trials. She has made a name amongst the King¡¯s warriors and guards because of her fighting skills, which are unmatched by anyone else in this pack and her respectful nature towards everyone in her pack and visiting packs. You, child, must earn the right to have your name known and more importantly remembered.¡± He stares at Kaley for a moment before his eyes ze over briefly. ¡°Skr, your Luna would like to see you in her room, it will be faster for you to take the elevator from this floor. Nicks is waiting for you.¡± He moves to step more in front of Kaley to give me space to pass. Once I have rounded the banister and started walking toward the back of the staircase I hear him finish, ¡°You, child, will be put into the cells if you cannot follow an instruction as simple as ¡®stay in your room until you are called.¡¯ This is yourst warning. Move.¡± He didn¡¯t yell the last word, but the growl that apanied it sent a shiver down my spine, there was no denying the menace and power that was rolling off of him. I got to the elevator and smiled at Nicks. ¡°Are you going to give me answers, or are you going to be vague like Warrior Osiston? I went to bed earlyst night, what¡¯s going on? I woke up with five boys and my best friend in my room." ¡°I can¡¯t say much, not here anyway. There was a threat and we went on lockdown. Anyone that lives inside a mile of the packhouse was escorted home, which was most of the pack members that were still herest night. The rest of the warriors who were still here were divided up into the guest rooms and, as you saw, throughout the packhouse. The guys volunteered to stay in your room and give up their space to the elite warriors taking shifts to run extra patrols." ¡°Okay. Well that is at least more than I got from Warrior Osiston.¡± I shrugged my shoulders and let it go. I figured we were ying it safe for security. I¡¯ll get my answers, whatever the Alpha thinks is necessary, in time. ¡°Someday you''re going to have to tell me how you got him to soften up to you so quickly." ¡°Huhu"Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Warrior Brogan. He doesn¡¯t usually give his name so quickly, let alone his first name.¡± That was all, no other exnation. Chapter 0127 Chapter 0127 We stand in silence as the elevator rides up to the fourth floor. It¡¯s tense, but not ufortable. Even my wolf knows something important is going on and is taking in every detail she can. I try to steady my breathing, just like waiting for an opponent to strike in a fight. Finally, the elevator reaches the top floor and it opens slowly. I feel like time is messing with me, with how long it is taking just to get to the Luna and Alpha. All of asudden I am engulfed in a hug and blinded by the softest sweater ever. If I could breathe, I would let the Luna keep me wrapped up like this for longer, but I have to tap her shoulder to let her know I need her to loosen her grip on my neck. ¡°My sweet girl, you''re alright!¡± She whispers out. ¡°Why wouldn''t I be alright? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The threat we came acrossst night was not specific, but it was implied that a powerful female was the target. That could be a few different people, the Luna Queen and myself included, but there have been several high ranking females here over thest few days with the trials and several in the trials. The Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Alpha King¡¯s guards are running patrols to try and find the trail of the messenger, but we haven¡¯t heard a thing.¡± She hugs me again. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what that has to do with me.¡± ¡°Honey, the threat came right after the warrior trials, and you were the top female. The rest of the ranking females left shortly after the trials were finished yesterday, most can¡¯t spend too much time away from their packs. So if the threat wasn¡¯t against the Luna queen or myself, we have to assume you would be the next target.¡± ¡°Is that why Oliver said he got a weird feelingst night? He was on my floor sleeping, said being close was the only thing that made his wolf settle down. She pulled back from our hug and looked at me, a question in her eyes, that she didn¡¯t voice out loud. " The rest of the guys were sleeping when I left toe down, I didn¡¯t get to talk to them.¡± I look around the room taking in the amount of people here. ¡°Where is the Luna Queen? Shouldn¡¯t she be up here guarded too?¡± ¡®King Reggie felt better keeping her close, his wolf almost took over yesterday after the threat. If Lucas wasn¡¯t leading the patrol trying to track the messenger, I would probably be by his side too. He hasn¡¯t gone out of mindlink range though.¡± She smiles at the thought. ¡°He¡¯s been checking in every 30 minutes or so.¡± ¡°What was the threat?¡± I¡¯m super curious about what has these guys running around in the middle of the night like crazy people. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, like she¡¯s deciding how much information to give me.I can see how tense her body is and it¡¯s making my wolf and! a little anxious. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say if it bothers you to talk about.¡±¡¯ I spit out quickly, I don¡¯t want to upset her anymore than she already is. ¡°No, sweet girl, it¡¯s not that it will upset me, I think it will upset you.¡± ¡°Huh?! What could have been said in a threat to you or the Luna Queen that would affect me?¡± She takes one more deep breath and grabs my hand. I can¡¯t tell if she is supporting herself or me with the gesture. ¡°Someone broke through the western border. It''s not a far distance over the water to the maind, but our patrols should have heard a boating. The messenger slipped in undetected about 5 miles, left us a package that was clearly supposed to be found quickly and disappeared, with no scent or any of the usual signs a tracker would notice left behind. There seems to be no trace of the person or people who left it.¡± She pauses again. She¡¯s stalling, but I don¡¯t know why and it¡¯s making me sick to my stomach. ¡°There was a full search of our territory and while the border patrols are going over every possibility of entry we are also doing a full investigation on everyone who is here to verify their location at the time of the threat. That is what is taking so long and why everyone is still on lockdown.¡± ¡°Luna, you are really freaking me out now. I went to bed early, Oliver walked me to my room, but | left early. Am I asuspect? Cause you know I would never do anything to you or Luna Anne...¡± She grips my hand tighter. ¡°Shh. Sweet girl.¡± She lifts a hand to cup my face. " It¡¯s nothing like that. We know where you were, you are not in trouble, but I do think you might be in danger.¡± My eyebrows shoot up and the tears pooling behind my eyes slip down my cheeks. ¡°What?!¡± Another inhale and then a squeeze of my hand and a soft rub of my cheek with her thumb. ¡°Sweet girl, our warriors found two fingers in a box. They had been frozen and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any blood left to use for identification, but we have everyone who could possibly give us answers working on that.¡± Chapter 0128 Chapter 0128 ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what this has to do with me.¡± As gruesome as it would be to get cut off fingers delivered, it doesn¡¯t sound like something that should have the whole pack in an uproar. ¡°Both fingers have the mark of a Luna, the one she receives when she epts her title during the Luna ceremony. Which leads our doctors to believe two Lunas were harmed or killed. The flesh of the fingers appears to have been severed from the body with silver powder. It was burned down to the bone, where there are saw marks. The damage to the skin is the exact same as on your back.¡± I drop her hand as both of mine fly to my mouth. Someone, maybe two people were tortured to the point of having fingers removed, slowly, by the burning of silver powder. How long would something like that even take? Hours or days? What would make someone want to hurt another person like that? And why was it brought here? Does someone know about what Kaley has done to me? Is it some kind of sick joke from her? At the thought of her, my mind takes me back to that day and the smell of burning flesh fills my nostrils, the searing pain hits my back like the silver was just applied. My whole body remembers those moments, and everything hurts. I can¡¯t move, I¡¯m locked in that memory and can¡¯t escape. I nce around and can vaguely see the Luna¡¯s mouth moving, but I can¡¯t hear a thing she is saying from the blood pounding in my ears. My whole body feels cold and limp, but I am frozen to my spot. I do register a loud noise and then warm hands wrapping around me and tucking my face into arge chest. The warmth surrounds me and feels good, but I can¡¯t move, the pain won¡¯t leave. My body won¡¯t respond to anymand I try to give it, I¡¯m a prisoner. ¡°Bite Size, I need you to breathe for me, please breathe Bitty. I will punch you if I have too. You are scaring the sh*t out of us, Skr. SKY! BREATHE!¡± Two hands grab my face and cradle it firmly, but gentle at the same time. Dark chocte brown eyes look into mine and the absolute panic there is what catches my attention. Why is he panicked? What did I do to put that look on his face? Oh, Goddess! I put that look on his face! I am the cause of this feeling, this hopelessness and deep bone numbing sorrow. I can¡¯t even blink or look away, I¡¯m just lost in the deep warm brown sadness of his eyes. ¡°Dammit, Bitty!¡± He shouts and I''m confused why he¡¯s angry now, but I don¡¯t get the chance to think about it before he smashes his lips to mine. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. It¡¯s like someone turned on all of my senses at once sending an electric shock to jumpstart my lungs. I push back and take a deep, gasping breath in. I look around the room, still confused, but I can actually focus on the things around me the more air I take in. There is a low rumbling growling from somewhere near me, and I fee! hot all over, like I have been working outside in the middle of a summer day. I remember talking to Luna Ava, then time sort of stopped. I keep turning my head to try and focus on who is in the room with me, then the smell of honey hits my nose and I turn to face the boy in front of me, still holding my face between his hands, eyes wide and cheeks tear streaked. I let go of his wrists and wiped the tears away. As I do his hands fall and I notice I am sitting across hisp, his hands are by his sides not touching me at all anymore. When I look back up he is still staring at me and all I can do is wrap my arms around his shoulders and bury my face in his neck. The growling around me gets louder, but I just ignore it. Oliver saved me from myself, he got to me first and I can feel the panic still resonating in him, but I don¡¯t think it''s worry for me anymore. He¡¯s worried about my reaction to what he had to do to snap me out of my shock, about the reaction from the others. Wait, how do I know what he is feeling? I don¡¯t have time for my squirrel thoughts right now. Oliver is still sitting here like a statue, I can feel the rapid pace of his heart and the tense set of his muscles everywhere I have contact with him. Chapter 0129 Chapter 0129 ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m okay, we''re okay.¡±¡¯ I just keep whispering the mantra into his neck until he finally wraps his arms around my waist and hugs me back. I have no idea how long we sat like that. Both of us just let thest couple of minutes set in and process. ¡°That was so f*cking scary, Bitty. I have never felt anything like that before.¡± He¡¯s talking into my hair and it¡¯s so low, it¡¯s less than a whisper, but the silence of the room lets me know others are listening in. His arms tighten around me. ¡®How did you get to me so fast? How did you find me? I haven¡¯t even been up here that long.¡± I ask, not moving my face from his neck. ¡®We were actually looking for you, when you never came back from the bathroom and I got this sharp pain in my chest. It hurt so much I almost copsed. Then my wolf shouted your name and basically took over my body and brought me up here. Your lips were blue when I got to you, I panicked and didn''t know what else to do. I¡¯m sorry.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. He took another deep breath, his nose buried in my hair. His body is calming down, but his mind and his emotions are still holding tension I don¡¯t understand. He felt my pain. How could he feel my pain? It was the pain of a memory, nothing real. And how did his wolf know where to find me? Too many questions for my brain right now. ¡°That was scary for more than just the two of you.¡± I notice a voice very close to my back. ¡°What happened?¡± Cam''s deep voice rumbles as he wraps an arm around my waist and tries to pull me into hisp, Oliver loosens his grip, but doesn¡¯t let me go right away, a small whimper escaping his lips. ¡°I squeezed his hand. ¡°I¡¯m okay, not going far.¡± I slide back into Cam¡¯sp, but keep my legs across Oliver''s and he instinctively wraps his hand around my ankle, like it will keep me from disappearing. The rumbling in Cam¡¯s chest calms down a little as I get closer to him. That¡¯s where the growling sound has beening from. But, why? Why would he be mad at Oliver for saving me? It''s a question for another time. So many questions forter. ¡°Mom, what happened?¡± Kota asks as calmly as he possibly can. I can feel the fear radiating off of him too. Hees to sit in front of Cam on the floor. I reach out to y with his hair, knowing he needs contact just like Oliver and Cam. She ryed what she was telling me, this obviously wasn''t new news to any of the guys and Sierra. They had all been up when everything started to go crazy. She looked in my direction every few seconds like she was waiting for another episode. When she got to the part about the silver, which was news to the guys, I scrambled back into Oliver¡¯sp, like he was the only one who could battle that demon with me. My arms locked around him and my face buried in his neck again, his scent seems to be the only thing that is helping me battle the torment of what happened to another wolf and the fact that it might have something to do with me. He just gently rubs my back, not saying anything, conveying everything in his light touches. ¡°What¡¯s the n, mom? You and Luna Anne can¡¯t just stay holed up forever. And it doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ve made much progress with finding the asshole who did this.¡± Kota asks, I don¡¯t look up from Oliver¡¯s shoulder, I¡¯m really tired all of a sudden. ¡°I think Lucas and Reggie have what they need for now. Patrols will be increased and a higher security protocol will be in ce. Now, please remember, none of the details I have given you have been told to pack members. We have more questions than answers and don¡¯t want to incite panic. If you have thoughts about the situation or want to discuss it further, this is the only safe space in the packhouse.¡± ¡°But, not even our...¡± Kota starts. ¡®No, not even your floor can be considered safe yet, and based on Oliver¡¯s instinctsst night and today the target of the threat is still unclear, and we have to assume all ranked members and future leaders are in danger. Trust his Gamma instincts, they are designed to keep the Luna safe. Just as the Beta¡¯s instincts are to keep the Alpha Safe. Brett was a little crazyst night too, he didn¡¯t leave my side until I came up here with a full guard. Stick together and none of you are to go anywhere alone. Not even the bathroom at school. Now we are stuck here until Lucas and Reggie return, which will beter this evening. I¡¯m going to bring Xander up and we can all get something to eat, then I imagine all of you could use a nap.¡± Chapter 0130 Chapter 0130 Some of the Omegas bring up food and everything is thoroughly checked before anyone is allowed to eat. I have wanted to be a warrior for as long as I can remember, but this Is the first time it has really hit me what that would look like. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Fighting is one thing, it¡¯s actually the easy part, but the unknown threats, the things that can mess with your mind if you think about them too long. That is something I didn¡¯t consider. This invisible threat, no one knows who¡¯s the viin, and there is always a viin. Some are just more extreme than others, but you have to watch out for them all, especially when you are responsible for the protection of some of the most important people in your pack. We all sit on or around the Luna¡¯s bed and watch TV, or at least pretend to. She is constantly up walking around checking in with pack members and giving directions from her own little prison. The warriors watching us are walking around the suite, constantly checking the windows and doors. They are trying to be discreet, but it is really just making me antsy. I don¡¯t know how many times I changed positions, but I felt the need to be close to each of my friends. I had to have physical contact with them all, but I can''t do that with all of them at the same time. So I let my instincts drive me and shifted towards the person I was being drawn to. The intuition was kind of weird and exhausting. Eventually, I got tired enough and crawled in between Kota and Cam first, in our usual sandwich position, and I fell asleep immediately. Their cocoon of warmth and safety allowed thest of my anxiety from the Luna¡¯s story to fade and I was able to rest properly. I¡¯m not sure how long I was there, but all of asudden my body heat kicked in and I had to move before I sweat to death. It was like someone kicked on a space heater in my chest and I was suffocating. I carefully crawled out from their limbs, each wrapped around me like octopus tentacles, and slid to the floor at the end of the bed with Sierra and Sam who were in the middle of some action movie. The sky was growing darker outside, but it couldn¡¯t be more thante afternoon. She was sitting in between his legs, so I justid on my side using their right thighs as a pillow. Sam casually draped his arm on my side and Sierra started ying with my hair, lulling me back to sleep. Like before, my body heat raged waking me up from a deep dreamless sleep, but as I tried to move, I realized my body was being trapped by something. Trying not to panic, with everything else going on, I look around and notice I have turned into Sierra with my face buried in her hip. I can still smell Sam, but there is something else, vani and spices. Mateo. His strong arm is wrapped around me and has my back pulled tight to his chest. He''s using Sierra¡¯s leg as a pillow as well. I take another deep breath of theirbined scents and feel calmness wash over me, but the heat is going to kill me. I have to move. I dislodge his heavy arm from around me and look around to find Oliver''s legs sticking out from the side of the Luna¡¯s bed. I crawl over in the darkness, the sliver of moonlight the only thing allowing me to make out their shapes in the still room, to see him lying on his back with his left arm draped over his eyes. This must be his go-to spot for sleeping. I move to his right side, with my head propped on the edge of his pillow, face pressed into his bicep as I wrap both arms around his massive arm, like a child hugging their favorite toy. And again, I drift off. ¡°Not until she does.¡± The gruff mumble from Oliver alerts me to people talking around me. I pam groggy and keep my eyes closed as I try to figure out what I''m hearing as thest dreggs of sleep lift away from me. ¡°Well, then wake her up, I¡¯m not leaving without her, and by now she¡¯s probably starving.¡± Cam¡¯s whisper is stern and matter of fact, but at the mention of eating my stomach makes itself known with a loud garbled prowl. ¡®See, starving.¡± Chapter 0131 Chapter 0131 ¡°Still, not moving until she does.¡± Oliver''s low warming timber makes me smile. ¡°She''s probably never slept this long before and needs it.¡± ¡°You jealous she spent more time with him than you two?¡± Sam is teasing Cam, but what are they talking about? My brain is still sleep foggy and I¡¯m having trouble following their line of conversation. ¡°No!¡± He said defensively, and a little high pitched, very unlike his usual calm nature, and not in a way that had anyone believing him. ¡°But my wolf won¡¯t let me leave without her and we all need to go downstairs and meet with the Alpha King before they all leave.¡± Original from N?velDrama.Org. I take a deep breath and open my eyes curious enough to want to know what they are talking about. ¡°The Alpha King is leaving, now? Is Xander going with him?¡± I push up from the floor and feel the tingling pins and needles from my arms waking up. Oliver¡¯s arm is heavier than I thought and must have cut off the cirction to my own while I was holding on. I shake them out and wince, trying to speed up the process. ¡°Of course you get up when we mention Xander! Kota sounds irritated too. What happened while I was sleeping? ¡°It¡¯s hard to sleep when you guys are arguing right above my head. Are we free to move around the packhouse now? Osiston said they would let us know when we coulde out of the lockdown.¡± I stood and stretched. That was some of the best and longest sleep I''ve had in forever. ¡°He told you his name?! The rest of us get to call him Warrior or Sir. And, yes, I do have to leave with my father, but we will be in touch. This situation Is unusual and until we figure out who the target is or who the intruder is, we will have to keep working together. The castle is only a couple hours from here by car and 45 minutes by boat, so we could be here quickly if you need us.¡± ¡°You are the second person to ask me about Warrior Osiston¡¯s name.¡± I yawn. ¡°Does he really not allow anyone to use it?¡± Skipping right past the jealousy in Kota¡¯s voice. ¡°Do you know when you will be back this way? Or, well, I guess the guys areing to you this summer for training. So it will probably be after that at the earliest with all of the things going on now. That will be weird to not have any of you around.¡± It finally dawned on me that, at some point they will all be leaving, Sierra included. ¡°Warrior Brogan, usually goes by hisst name, if he lets you call him by aname that is. My father asionally calls him by his first name, which is the only reason I know it. He really introduced himself with his first name?¡± He sounds shocked. I just rolled my eyes and headed toward the elevators. ¡°Can we really go eat? You were right Cam, I am starving.¡± Cam gives me alittle smile at the acknowledgement when I pass him. Everyone shuffles to join me, the elevators ding and we all pile in. Kota pulls me back towards one of the corners and ces me directly in front of him, wraps an arm around my waist and locks my back to his chest. Cam stands next to me and grabs my hand, interlocking our fingers. Oliver stands in front of me and Mateo in front of Cam so I ampletely boxed in. I¡¯m d I¡¯m not ustrophobic since I am barely taller than their elbows. I can¡¯t see a thing. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and huff, it¡¯s a real struggle though. I am fully capable of protecting myself. The Luna¡¯s, who are probably just as equally skilled at fighting, should be the main focus, not me. When we get to the first floor there is a steady hum ofmotion. Clearly everyone has been released from the lockdown and is in need of a quick meal and to get outside. Our wolves don¡¯t like to be cooped up like this. At least we all got to be together, I feel bad for mates who were separated or parents and kids who were separated overnight. We all grabbed food and headed out back, but instead of going to one of the patio tables, I headed straight towards the Luna¡¯s garden maze. There aren¡¯t any tables back here, but most people won¡¯t go back here and we can get a little freedom from themotion of the packhouse while still getting to be outside. | head straight toward my shady spot, with the hammock. I¡¯m not dumb enough to sit in the hammock though, knowing the guys are going to want to sit with me and I will not tolerate them breaking my favorite reading spot. Chapter 0132 Chapter 0132 Chapter 0132 "How long have you been hiding this spot?" Sierra sits next to me. We all dig in like we haven''t eaten in weeks. This might be the equivalent for the guys who are used to full meals all of the time. The never ending supply of PB and J sandwiches we lived on yesterday were not enough. "Luna Ava has had it forever, she put the hammock up a few years ago when she kept finding me back here reading." I shrug at her. "It was always a quick ce to get away from dad when he was in a mood. I turned my attention to Xander who followed us in and quickly changed the subject. "When are you guys taking off I have to make sure I find Warrior Nicks and Osiston before you all leave." "Once everyone is done eating, I think. The guys are packing everything up now. Warrior Brogan was asking about you earlier, said you had a conversation to finish. Xander cocked an eyebrow at me and I justughed and rolled my eyes. "Are you going to exin, or just leave us all hanging?" ''I can''t here, the walls might have ears, but he can tell you on your ride back" I wiggle my own eyebrows at him conspiratorially. His eyes ze over for a brief second. "And, on that note, it is time for me to go. Walk me out?" He looks right at me. "Yeah." I move to stand up and everyone else does the same. I fight another eye roll and move forward to walk by Xander, wondering if they will ever let me be alone with him. "We are going to have to find a way for you toe out, even if it''s with with the guys. I know my mother would love to have you and you could see the torture we all go through each summer." He smiles at "That would be amazing, considering you are stealing all of my friends this summer. Even Sierra has to go home at some point." I pretend to pout, trying to give my best Sam impression. "Well then, we have to make it happen, since we will be the cause for that look" He smiles at me again and it lights up his whole face. I return it easily. I feel like we could be really good friends, if the guys stopped with their interfering jealousy. I''ll have to figure out how to give him my information before they leave. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. "Little One, you are going to have to exin how you make such good friends and such annoying enemies." Osiston''s voice booms at me from the driveway. ''I will when you exin why everyone keeps asking how and why I know your first name. "Wait! He gave you a nickname too?! Xander almost shouts. "That is a good question, and I can only tell you that my wolf decides Osistonpletely ignores Xander. "What?! What does that even mean?" I''m right in front of him now, straining my neck to look up at him. "And can you squat or sit or something? This is ridiculous." He chuckles and squats in front of me and we are eye level. "You are special Little One, I will be seeing you agaln soon. "Can I give you something?" I ask and he looks at me skeptically. "Just give me your phone. | say exasperated, holding out my hand. He gives it over slowly. I plug in my information, save it and then flip to Xander''s contact and forward him the info. "There now we canmunicate." I''m lookin at Osiston, but I''m speaking to Xander as his phone goes off. He looks at the notification and thergest grin splits his face, like a little boy on Christmas morning getting the first glimpse of presents. Alpha Reggie walks over with LunaAnne, "You really are something special. I can''t wait to see what you aplish.¡± He grips my shoulder in a manly way and then Luna Anne gives me a hug. ¡°Keep in touch, sweet girl.¡± She looks over my shoulder and smiles, hugging me one more time and then moving on to the guys, then Alpha Lucas and Luna Ava. Once everyone is packed up and on their way we start heading back into the packhouse and an unease sets in my stomach. Chapter 0133 Chapter 0133 Chapter 0133 really need to run guys, can we just go to the arena for a little bit? please? I need a couple Of hours, we slept for a whole day." I look at each of them. "You don''t all have toe, but I can''t go by myself even if you would allow it. Luna Ava said not to do anything alone right now. please?" I shake my hands out to try and get rid of some of the jittery feeling. The closed in feeling is making me anxious. I don''t like feeling trapped, even if it''s for my own safety. "Why don''t the rest of you run along and Cam and Kota can help me, since she doesn''t need all of you to tag along with her. I left a few things up in my room and could use a couple of strong men to help me." Kaley''s high pitched voice cuts through like a dull knife. She''s strutting up in what should be a shirt, but she has pulled down to act as a very short dress. "You can both help me gather my things and then escort me to my house?'' She''s smiling at them like a stalker looks at a celebrity. "It will give us some quality time together too." She simpers. "What could you have possibly brought to the party that would require help from two guys?" Sam asks, not hiding his absolute distaste for her suggestion. ''IA girl just needs a strong hand or two, that''s all_ And I would really appreciate the help." She flips her hair and flexes her eyes at Sam daring him to contradict her again. The problem is, she doesn''t seem to know Sam very well and he absolutely loves that Idnd of challenge. "Oh no, I totally understand, you need a schlep. Micah!! Hey, Micah, Come here a second!" Sam shouts over the crowd of people hanging outside the packhouse, I''m sure to catch a glimpse of the Alpha King leaving. Micah walks over slowly, eyeing us suspiciously. What''s up Sam)" "Kaley here needs some assistance with her things and you are a perfect man for the job. You know, always wanting to step in and put a hand on... I mean, lend a hand to Our female pack members. You can follow her up, grab her stuff and get her settled back at her house, right? Thanks man! Appreciate the help. We have our own assignments to get done. Sam turns with Sierra and starts to walk away, not even looking over his shoulder to see who is following. But none of us are dumb enough to stick around and let her try and wiggle her way into our group again. I told all the guys they didn''t have to do any training, but knew they wouldn''t be able to sit out either. We did basic cardio, some stretching, which the guys hated, and then strength training in the weight room. I needed to feel like I put my body through something today to get stronger, but I also had two hard days of full battle and I am still recovering from those beat downs. There''s nothing like the feeling when your endorphins hit during exercise though It''s the best Idnd of high ever. "Okay guys we can go now, we will be back to our regr schedule tomorrow, so let''s not overdo it." Iugh at their sweaty faces, look at Sierra then grab her hand and run for it. I have no idea what I was thinking, but for once in my life I went with an instinct to just y and a game of cat and mouse seems like fun. We areughing through the streets, making sure to keep the guys in our sights, but not close enough to catch us. As I run up the steps to the packhouse front door ready to dere myself the winner, I am looking back over my shoulder to make sure I can still see the guys who are kind of running behind us, they have clearly given up on the chase and could have easily caught up a long time ago, when I run smack into N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. someone and and we both go toppling down inside the entryway. "WHAT THE HELL?! Could you at least watch where you are going? There is no reason to run through the door like a wild animal. This is a formal packhouse and should be treated with respect and dignity."I am so sorry, I didn''t realize the door was open when..." My words fall short when I look up into the hateful eyes of Kaley. She had already popped back up to her feet elegantly, while I am slowly scraping my heap of a body off the porch. "What are you still doing here? I thought everyone went home. "Don''t be ridiculous, of course I came back You don''t think you can hog Cam and Kota as well as the Alpha Prince do you, you little skank? You need to get out of the way, there is no reason for them to even entertain the idea of being friends with you, let alone anything more, which is clearly what you are trying to do by leading them all on. She''s talking extremely loudly and I''m not sure why. "Won''t your boyfriend be upset at all the time you spend with other guys? You must be an expert at all forms of s*x to keep them all upied at the same time. Or maybe you get extra perks with the Alpha by keeping his sons satisfied. Chapter 0134 Chapter 0134 Chapter 0134 "Huh?! What are you talking about?" "Why haven''t we heard about a boyfriend?" Oliver asks behind me. Kaley looks at me with a triumphant gleam in her eye. "That''s somethingwe should probably know about there, Bitty, don''t you think? "What?! NO, 1..." thinkwe need to discuss this and make sure we approve of this guy, you know standards and all Of that. Thank you Kaley for bringing this to our attention. I''m sure you can see yourself out since you should have left hours ago anyway. Sam chimes in and pushes me past her and further into the packhouse followed by the rest of the guys and Sierra, who shuts the door in her bewildered face. "We need to find something to upy that girl, she is exhausting to try and get rid of all the time." Sierra smiles at me. "You okay, she was kind of harsh. "You don''t really have a boyfriend right?" Kota asks. "Really? That''s what you''re worried about? When none of you leave her alone for longer than twenty minutes at a time. Kaley was a b*tch to one of your best friends, and continues to tell people she''s the future Luna, that she''s sleeping with the exclusively and who knows what else and you''re worried about a boyfriend she fabricated to make Skr sound like a sl*t? Sky should be allowed to punch you in the balls as hard as she can for that. "I''m not punching anyone, right now. And, no, I don''t have a boyfriend. Are you kidding? I wouldn''t even know what to do in that situation. I barely talk to you guys, let alone any other guy in the pack I''m grabbing some food and heading to my room. I need to get back on track, we still have school and training this week I need to get caught up." I turned and walked to the kitchen, not caring if any of them followed me. This whole week has thrown me off my usual track. We''ve been out of school and I haven''t had to deal with Kaley and her minions, everyone visiting has pulled my focus, but now that they are all gone and the dust is settling, my old routine of ''hide from the b *tches'' will return and I can only hope I did enough to have the Elite Warriors want me next year. It''s almost as if the kitchen omegas knew I wasing. A te was ready for me with a sandwich, chips, veggies, sliced fruit and a bottle ofwater. One looked over at me as I came through, nodded her head to the te and then winked before going backto her chores. "Thank you, Lenny! How did you know? This looks amazing! "You always eat a full meal after training. Gotta keep you well fed since you keep those boys of ours in line. She shrugs like it''smon knowledge and not a big deal. ''''Well, I appreciate it. Thank you so much." I hug her before I grab my things and start to head back out and toward the stairs as the rest of my friends file into the kitchen. "Hey, Lenny! Can we possibly get a snack too? Smalls totally worked us over and we burned through your amazing cooking from earlier." Kota asks excitedly after seeing my te. "All the supplies are right there on the counter for you boys, Sierra, your te is right there. Miss Skr went up with hers already. "Wait! You made them tes and not us? I thought we were tight Lenny!" Sam whines. "We are, which is why you have ess to food right after I just fed half the pack and guests and just finished cleaning everything up. Those two youngdies of yours, however, clean up after themselves and never make mee find my dishes." I giggle at her response. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. These boys may help with parties, but they clearly don''t with the daily chores. She may be an elderly omega, but she''s like a grandma you don''t cross at the best of times. I stood waiting for Sierra at the bottom of the stairs, still smiling as they all whined and she scolds them yfully. Sierra meets me at the base of the stairs with her te giggling as we hear the boys protest Lenny''s ims. We head to my room and get started on the work for the next few weeks. I know Pm not behind, but it feels weird to not have a month''s worth Of assignments basicallyplete. For the first time in what feels like forever, but has only actually been about a week, the guys leave us alone. It actually felt weird to not have their auras and voices filling the room. Once we were done with all of the work we couldplete, we headed outside. The day was so nice and I wanted to soakup thest rays of sun sitting in the hammock and reading quietly. Sierra justid beside me and dozed. Chapter 0135 Chapter 0135 Chapter 0135 We onlyst a few minutes before I look over at her lying next to me in the massive hammock "When do you leave? I actually didn''t think about you only being here this year until Xander left today." "I actually don''t know, my parents didn''t have an exact return date. Who knows, maybe I can stick around a little while longer." She smiles over at me. This year has been a st, and very eventful." She giggles. "I was actually afraid of being bored away from the never ending business of the Royal pack. There is always something going on, something that needs attention, some person or pack that needs something. And don''t get me started on the morons who think it''s a good idea to try and attack and overthrow the Alpha King. But you, my friend, have kept me just as on my toes as any of those people. You are deceiving in your tiny little package." She squints over at me. "Well, maybe I will get epted into the Elite Warrior program and I can get out of here ande see your world. That would actually be a fun trade." "You really have to stop talking about leaving, Bitty. Oliveres around the corner of the little hedge hiding my hammock holding his chest as he sits down on my side effectively scooching me to the center and almost sending us flying off with the unbnced weight. "WHOA SH*T! sorry! He yelps. Thankfully he''s quick on his feet literally, and stops the hammock frompletely capsizing. He shifts us around so he''s lying in between us. ''(Why did you change your nickname for Sky? I noticed, earlier." Sierra trails off, we are all thinking about how they found me this morning in the Luna''s room. "You called her ''Bitty'' then too." ''[I don''t know really. ''Bite Size'' was just part of the joke, but we just kept it up and since we allN?velDrama.Org owns ? this. started training with her and we all started getting bigger, it dawned on me how little bitty she really ispared to us. So it''s something that I have just been thinking in my head, and it came out at that moment." He shrugged. "As much as I want to sit here and chill with you two, we actually can''t stay, the Alpha sent me to find you, Bitty. He wants to talk to you about something. Let''s go." He moves to get up and almost topples us again. "How do you manage to not look like an idiot getting in and out of this thing?" "Well, I am about the size Of your left leg, so there''s that. I''m also just better." I giggle at him, jumping off the hammock sending him and Sierra swinging the other way. She uses the momentum to jump to her feet and the whole thing spins and almost dumps him in the grass. I jump away before he can grab me, trying to think of something to distract him. "Wait what about Sierra, Luna Ava said not to be alone." "Never fear her wolf in shining armor is here!" Sam jumps out from the bushes, causing us all to laugh. "How long have you had that line in your pocket?" She scoffs at him. "Long enough fair maiden. Can I keep youpany while youy majestically in the hammock?" He clicks his heels together and bows deeply before grabbing her hand and kissing the back of her knuckles. "Of course, good sir." Sierra giggles. "Come on, let''s go before they start making out in front of us." Oliver puts his arm around me and leads me out of the little garden. "Hey! No on my hammock!! I shout over my shoulder only to hearughter in response. And then Sam''s "I make no promises." faintly followed. Please remind me to sanitize that thing." I lookup at Oliver. "They are probably not the first to bang on the hammock, Bitty." He lifts and eyebrow at me. "Ugh! I know, but now the thought is in my head and that''s not an image I really want when I want to lay there to rx." I scrub my hands over my face. Oliver justughs at me again. We make it into the Alpha''s office and he''s the only person here. I don''t know what I expected, but I figured at least LunaAva would be here. "Ah, Skr, grab a seat. Oliver, can you wait outside please, this won''t take long. I watch him leave really unsure of what is going on now. "Did...did I do something wrong sir?" I''m starting to panic a little. I have never been called to see the Alpha before and with everything going on, I hope that I''m not a suspect. I wasn''t around when they found the severed fingers and had to lock everyone down. And with no unfamiliar scent leaving the territory they have to think it is someone from this pack There is no other exnation. Maybe the Luna was just being nice to me yesterday while they eliminated all other options, seeing if I would slip and say something incriminating. Maybe I am the only option left. I can feel my chest starting to heave as I try to control my breathing. Chapter 0136 Chapter 0136 Chapter 0136 "Child. If you don''t shut down your thoughts I will Alphamand you. I bring my unfocused gaze back to him and force myself to look into his face. He is rubbing his temples like he has a migraine. "You are not a suspect, you are not in trouble, but yes I do think you may have information or might be able to help us with this situation. I have now been given limited details of your situation. I wish you would havee to me, but I also understand vthy you didn''t. As a father, it hurts me to know that''s how little you think of all of us fathers because of your personal experience. I will not force you to tell me, but know this, I can and will help you when you are ready to give me your whole story. It does not make you weak to speak out against people who are taking advantage of you or harming you to better their situation." He takes a deep breath before continuing. "As for our most recent incident, you are correct, I think it is someone who is in our pack or on our territory with permission based on theck of unfamiliar scent. The problem is there was no recent scent to go with. The strongest scent was the patrol wolves that had run in that area about an hour before we found the package. Meaning they are masking it somehow. It didn''t ur to me until toote that your unique sense of smell with regards to my sons might be helpful to us in our investigation. I am also aware that my mate and my sons would probably skin me alive for asking you to help since they are all convinced you might have been a target. But, since I am Alpha, I will do what I need to do to protect this pack as I believe you will. So here is my proposition for you. I will bring you into this investigation as I see fit. I will not hide it from the Luna and I will only inform my sons if they ask I will not lie about your involvement, it just won it be a publicized thing. I will leave it to you if you want to tell boys of your involvement yourself. Second, I want to-low the next time you are harmed at school, no matter how big or little the injury. And before you argue, I have been watching from a distance and knew something was going on, but I couldn''t gather enough evidence to do any formal investigation. I still can''t, and my wolf and I are not happy about your situation in the slightest." Original from N?velDrama.Org. "I am not tattling every time someone shoves me in the hallway. That does make me look weak, like I can ''t handle myself. "Currently you are not handling yourself. You may be stepping in for lesser or weaker pack members, but you are a punching bag for those who are weak minded. If you were handling yourself you would treat those bullies the same as you treated your opponents during trials. He squares a look at me, that makes me want to shrink back, but I won''t, I won''t look weak now that pressure is being put on me. "I just get in trouble. Even when I only use words to defend myself. The headmaster never believes me and told me if I was in any more fights I would be expelled or at the very least suspended, and I have never actually been caught in a fight." I¡¯m raising my voice, something I normally would never do, especially to our Alpha, but if he is in father mode then I feel justified in reacting like his teenage child. "I can ''t prove anything and I can''t afford to miss school, especially not now with Elite Warrior training camp on the line. I won it jeopardize my spot, because someone got handsy with me. I will not let anyone take that away from me, I have put up with too much to get to where 11m at." My breathing has picked up and I can feel my chest tightening, tears threatening. "I have to get out of here, I need to find my purpose, my own way. I won''t let mindless bullies get in the way of that, they have already taken so many things. I am on the verge of tears and it just makes me more angry. Knock, knock The door cracks open. "Bitty, you okay? I''m dying out here, it feels like an asthma attack Oliver calls in. I turn to see him grasping the door handle, knuckles white, his other hand on his chest and pain in his eyes. "I''m fine, sorry Oliver." I take a deep calming breath. I have to remember he is sensitive to my emotions all of a sudden for some reason, especially extreme ones. I take another breath and scrub my hands over my face, just another reason to keep my emotions in check When I look back at the Alpha, he has a curious expression on his face. "How long has he been able to pick up on your emotions like that?" Chapter 0137 Chapter 0137 Chapter 0137 "Uh, I''m not really sure, he was able to find me yesterday when the Luna told me about what was in the package and I was... afraid." I couldn''t tell him what really went through my head. "He said he felt'' it in his chest. And he couldn''t sleep the other night after the celebration, that he had a weird vibe and the only thing that made him feel betterwas sleeping on my floor next to my bed. I mean all the guys were in my room, but the twins were with me in the bed and he was on the floor next to me. Is that weird?" "I''m actually not sure, I don''t know if I''ve ever heard anything like it. But another thing and the real reason I brought you in here is the Alpha King, Warrior Nicks and Warrior Brogan want you to train with the Elite Warriors. They want you, soon too. I haven''t told anyone except the Luna, Kyle and Brett about this either. Not even your father." He stops and just stares at me, letting that information sink in as I just stare at him. "WHAT!! ARE YOU SERIOUS? WHEN? HOW? WHAT?! I can ''t even form a coherent sentence. I am so excited! "AHHH!" I jump up and run around his desk to jump in his arms. He''s quick and saw me N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. He''s an Alpha King, the strongest wolf around. He didn''t say anything to me yesterday or today.¡± "Well, I should say not. I would take that secret to my grave if it were me. But, unfortunately, he chose to challenge you in front of all his trainers, his father, our whole pack and visiting packs. He''s just lucky that no one really knows what his wolf looks like yet, so he can stay somewhat anonymous. His trainers have been giving him a hard time though and will never let him live down getting beat by a female warrior who just learned to shift, is a quarter his size and weight and three years younger. And you, my dear, beat him, submitted his ass, and now you can choose to let him thinkyou have no idea or rub it in at the perfect moment. ¡°I really have to process all of that, but when do I get to go for training? I thought they don''t take anyone until they''ve graduated school. "You are a special case, my dear, not only are you a year ahead on your studies but they have never seen anyone like you and don ''t want to waste any time. You are correct though, they want to give you a little more time here, so they will corne out at the end Of the next school year and decide then when you will go, but you will go to training." He smiles ear to ear. I am so proud of you, we all are, I hope you know that." My eyes fill up with tears and I hug him tight around the waist again. I didn''t know how much I really needed to hear that, but the weight that lifts from me as I sob into his shirt tells me and him how much that one little phrase means to me. They are proud of me. The Alpha and Luna, Gamma Brett and Delta Kyle are proud of me. They see me, my efforts, my aplishments, my drive. I made someone proud. The door flies open and bangs on the opposite wall. Okay, Bitty, I can''t handle it anymore, what happened? Cam and Kota are out here asking what''s wrong too. You are on some kind of emotional roller coaster, and I''m gonna throw up.'' "You aren''t the only one, I have a massive headache. What did you do to her dad?" Cam asks, moving into the room, and close behind me. I can smell the citrus wrap around me like a soft nket on a chilly night. Tiny,e here please, my wolf needs a hug from you to knowyou''re okay so he can settle down." smile into Alpha Lucas'' shirt and sniffle in. I turn and hug Cam around the waist and feel his body rx into mine, then I turn to Oliver who seems to have been on this ride with me the whole time. I rest my forehead on his chest and let him wrap me in a gentle hug. And finally I moved to Kota sitting in the chair I vacated. I sit in hisp and hug him around the neck Do they know? I ask Alpha Lucas over the mindlink, unsure of whether or not I can say anything. Chapter 0138 Chapter 0138 Chapter 0138 No, they don''t, but you can choose to tell them or not. It''s not a secret you have to keep, but can if you want. They clearly know something is going on with you. I look up at all of them. This is exciting news for me. Something I have wanted for myself for so long, I don''t remember a time not dreaming of this day. I am so excited I don''t want to keep it from them. I finally have people to share things like this with, aplishments that have been in the works for years. I beam at the Alpha then each of my friends. The Alpha King, Warrior Nicks and Warrior Osiston want me to train to be an Elite Warrior." I basically squeal. Kota stiffens under me. Cam grips the edge of his fathers desk, knuckles going instantly wthite and Oliver''s face drops and he sinks to his knees, breathing heavily. "Bitty, I thought we talked about this. He breathes in deep like it''s difficult. "You can''t leave. We need you, can''t you see that?" Why is he pleading with me? This is good news. I move to get up, but Kota''s iron grip won''t let me move an inch. I try again, pushing with my hands this time. He''s not looking at me, but at his father, with a re that would bring a lesser man crumbling down. I reach out to Oliver, wanting to ease his obvious pain. He doesn''t move, just stares at me in disbelief. ''[I''m not leaving now and it''s not forever." I try and reason with them, "It''s just training. You guys all know I want to train to be an elite warrior, this shouldn ''t be a shock They won''t even let me start for another year at the earliest, but I didn''t want to keep it from you. This is exciting news!" I try to sound cheerful, but their reactions are not what I expected and it''s tough to keep up my enthusiasm. "Besides, you are all leaving in a few weeks, even Sierra, you can''t be upset that I want to go train to be my best self too." When none of them rx and their sad and angry expressions stay the same slump against Kota''s chest, feeling angry as my own revtion sinks in. They are all leaving and leaving me behind. And they are totally okay with that. What hypocrites, they are all going to leave me here alone while they go off and learn how to do a job that the moon goddess designed for them, but they want to keep me here under lock and key like a fragile flower and go off to have fun and adventures. They are no better than my dad with his baby factory thoughts. 2 I can feel the tears burning the back of my eyes and normally I would blink them away or run and hide so they won''t see them, but the more I think about the injustice of their motives the more the angry tears build and I eventually just let them fall. I don''t sob, Pm not wracked with heartbreak, I''m furious. Angry tears just fall at the revtion that they want me stuck here too, with no ambitions of my own, only what they allow. Just continue on the well worn path that they arefortable with, caged like a pretty bird only for disy, never allowed to spread her wings and see what she is capable of. I am the trophy to show off as a party trick when other high ranking wolvese to visit. The freakshowthat they can use to make the pack look better. I stare at the window, letting my dark thoughts spiral, a strong longing to be in the forest outside hitting me, feeling the walls closing in on me suddenly. My body starts to shake with the anger coursing through me, boiling in my veins. I push at Kota''s arms again, the steel embrace keeping me firmly in ce. "Move your arms Dakota and let me up before I break them." I say it as calmly as possible, but the anger is definitely there. He hesitates for just a moment before he snaps out Of whatever trance he ''s locked in with his father and slowly loosens his arms. "We need to talk about this Smalls, you can''t just leave us to go off on your own, it''s not safe." "No!" I stood up, breaking his hold on me with more force than was probably necessary. I kind of hope I leave a mark for at least a little while. Alphas tend to heal quickly. I backed toward the door like a caged animal ready to strike. "You all can talk about this. Talk about how to wrap your tiny minds around this. I point at the three of them. ''[When the Alpha King calls for me I will go. Until then keep your distance, all of you. No more nicknames, no more slumber parties and hanging out. I am not your y-toy or your property. I am a warrior of this pack and will be treated as such. My name is Skr and you will use only that. You are all leaving for training, leaving me behind, it''s bullsh*t to think that I can''t do the same. You are no friends of mine if you can''t see what I truly want for my life and be supportive. You are a bunch of hypocrites. I don''t raise my voice or yell at them, just state the facts.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Chapter 0139 Chapter 0139 Chapter 0139 "I will not stay here, caged and restricted. I will leave at the first opportunity and you may or may not be told about it if this is how you are going to react." I changed my focus to the Alpha. "Alpha, may I use your gym? The Luna does not want us to go out alone, and I respect that, but I don''t want any of these guys near me right now and I have some anger to work out." My whole body is still shaking in anger and I need to desperately release the energy before I shift in the middle Of this office. My wolf is just as pissed as I am. She''s ready to bang their heads together. "Yes sweetheart, use it as long as you need, I will send Brett and Kyle down to check in in a little while, you may need sparring partners. | nod my head and turn to leave. "Stay put, all three of you." The Alpha aura was strong and suffocating, it had me stutter in my steps until I realized he Was giving me the Space from them that I needed. "Would you like me to send Sierra down in a little while as well?" "That''s fine, thank you Alpha." I say over my shoulder. I can''t bear to look any of them in the eye. I won''t feel bad about this. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. As soon as I am through the door the explosion Of arguments from all three of them make me flinch. They can''t be that angry about me leaving. It''s not their decision, it''s mine. And just the thought of them feeling so entitled makes theva in my veins run even hotter. Gamma Brett is waiting for me in the hallway, his nk expression tells me, he has been told of the situation and he turns as soon as he sees me and walks to the stairway that leads down the the cells and the Alpha''s personal weight room. He can''t always get to the gym that is attached to the main arena, and frankly, probably can''t get a workout in if he does go. There is always someone who wants to talk to him or aska favor of him, so he had a portion of the cells turned into a gym with weights, hanging bags and arge area for sparring. Gamma Brett lets me in with his code. "Do you want me to wrap your hands? The Alpha had a brand new bag hung that could use some breaking in." Like father, like son I guess. That thought just adds fuel to my mes. He gives me a little smirk. Now I know he''s aware of the whole situation and wants me to burn some of the energy before offering himself as a partner to spar with. At least he appreciates my strength and skill level. "Yes please." Is all I say as he walks me over to the storage rack that seems to have everything I might need to burn off the negative energy I have aimed at my friends right now. He takes my hands like Oliver has done so many times and gently wraps each of my fingers making sure the straps are secure. Once he is done he steps back towards the door and takes the position of a sentinel on guard. No words or eye contact needed, just my protector so I can disengage and fully let loose without having to spare energy on the world falling apart around me. I let the world fall away. No friends, no limitations, no bullies, no one to answer to, just me and the bag in front of me. Every possible emotion I have pent up inside goes into each and every hit, every kick more lethal than thest. I lose all sense of time and feeling. All the negative thoughts swirling in my head are released into the bag. Everything my father has ever spit out at me, every insult and false usation from Kaley and her minions, all the self doubt that has pushed me to be better each and every day. I heard a crack a while ago, but I don ''t stop to check for breaks in my hand. The pain just fuels the anger more. Pain is a weakness and I am tired of feeling weak, being treated like I am weak, seen as being weak Even my wolf is giving me space. She hates that we are fighting with the guys, she wants her pack, needs them, but she has always understood what I want and need. She hates being stifled by them too. She will not fight me when I choose to leave and further my training. Whether my mate is here or not this is a decision I have to be able to make. Training has really been the only thing I have ever had control over, that will not change now. I will never let anyone take this physical release from me. It''s my bliss, my Zen, the happy ce that is attributed to no one other than me. I want to push and see what I am really made of. I know I''m not the best based on how I did in the trials. I want to be THE best, not just the best here in this pack I want to be tried and tested, battle-worn with experiences I will never get being stuck here, so I can come home and pass on the knowledge to future generations. Chapter 0140 Chapter 0140 Chapter 0140 When all of my limbs are numb, and I can''t even lift my arms to throw punches, I sit in front Of the new bag and just stare at the hole I produced. The bowels of stuffing and sand spilling out onto the floor in front of me. I don''t even know when it broke. I just stare and cry, let the emotional exhaustion take over, and a sick, twisted part of me hopes they feel it. Feel it to their core and it brings them to their knees. I want them to feel the pain and heartache that they have contributed to, unconscious or not. At some point the weariness must have taken over, because the next thing I know, my eyes are fluttering open to the sounds of voices. Angry, but whispering voices. I strain to listen while I take in my surroundings. "She has broken every bone in both her hands.. White walls, my bedroom walls are white right? "How is that even possible, she wasn''t down there that long?" These sheets are scratchy, definitely not mine. "She punched a hole straight through the brand new bag! It''s one hundred percent possible. I don''t recognize the smell, I''m not in one of the guys rooms either. I wish these people would shut up, I''m exhausted. There are stress fractures in both forearms and in her lower legs that have already begun to heal. She is severely malnourished too, but that is probably a result of her level of training and participating in the trials and not replenishing properly. And don''t get me started on the list of old injuries that were never treated properly before she got her wolf. I try to move my arms to sit up. "Ugh!" Everything hurts, what the hell happened? Even my hair hurts. "I hear her, please can I go in?" I know that voice. Luna Ava. "Yes, Luna, but only you. We don''t want to overwhelm herwith too many people, she clearly has had plenty to deal with. It took 2 of us over an hour to catalog all of her previous injuries. What are they talking about? Who are they talking about? Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. "What the hell is beeping? Can someone turn that off?" Is what mumbles out of my mouth as my eyes focus. "Oh, sweet girl. You''re awake. You have no idea how happy I am to see those gray eyes." I blink again as I focus on Luna Ava walking over and grabbing my hand. I wince at the gentle touch. "What happened? Where am I?" "We had to bring you in when you passed out in the gym and Brett couldn''t get you to wake up." ''[Where is here?" I can feel my heart rate rising at the thought. "You''re in the pack hospital sweetheart. Why didn''t you tell me how bad it was?" She''s whispering, tears filling her eyes. "Howbad what was?" I try to y dumb but my slow brain is starting to connect the dots of the conversation that was going on out in the hall. "You said the bullying wasn''t that bad and you could handle it. "The beatings? The torture? Who cares? No one gives a sh*t or it would have stopped. No one in our school cares about helping anyone else, they only care about their own status and personal well being. They all just keep their heads down and don ''t make waves, because being an inconvenience is punishable anyway the principal sees fit and anyone else paid off. People look the other way when students are missing from sses, they don''t bat an eye when injuries that have nothing to do with training show up. Why would anyone tell, when there is no one to tell?" I know she means well and she is not the real target for my anger, but she is here and she asked. I hope my voice was loud enough for the jack *sses in the hall to hear through the crack in the door. ''We do care, there is just..." "Nothing to go on? No proof? Concrete evidence? I raise my eyebrows at her, trying to keep my voice level, and she at least looks ashamed. "Those excuses are just more proof that not every voice is listened to with the same level of interest, if you aren''t deemed important, then no one takes a second look The only important people are the future ranked leaders, just so you are aware." I sit up and start to pull the IV out of my arm, wincing at the pain from the needle and all the bones still healing in my hands, and then peeling all the sticky pads off the various parts of my body as the monitors stac strong. Pleasee sit back down, we will make arrangements for you to be moved back to your room at the packhouse if you don ''t want to stay here. Luna Ava reaches for me looking like she wants to cry. Chapter 0141 Chapter 0141 Chapter 0141 She flinches back and I briefly feel bad for being so nasty to her, when she only wants to help, but I shake it off. I walk to the chair that has my dirty, bloodstained clothes. I drop the hospital gown, not caring who sees my scars anymore. If they want to care for me they can look at me as I am, and learn to do it without looking at me like I arn broken or with pity. I despise pity. I dress slowly , keeping every sound of pain stuffed deep in my chest. I know it ''s punishing me to not ask for help, but this is howit has always been for me and they should see that too. going to the Beta house, to my isted room where no one bothers me or cares about what I am doing. I''m going back to having freedom and control without having to checkin every three seconds with someone or having people follow me and force me to do things differently without a second thought or even just asking if I''m alright with the change, assuming they know what''s best for me. You think you can make me healthy? I wouldn''t even know what that is. I seeth, on a roll now, directing all my unfiltered anger out into the hallway to the guys, Sierra, the Alpha, Gamma and Deltas. "I am broken beyond repair and I have been surviving that way for as long as I can remember. You heard the doc, irreparable damage has been done. There is nothing you can fix, cause even on my worst day I still perform better than everyone in that hallway pretending to care about me, while overlooking everything that has ever been wrong with me. I will heal myself, by myself, it just works better that way. I''m sorry Luna, I just can''t do this anymore, it hurts too much. My voice is raspy and my throat hurts but I continue to speak. "Maybe somewhere everyone has a soft spot for the small, spare beta The one her father can''t even stand to look at Or be around, who TOLD the principal to punish her more because she is unworthy and could use the lesson in humility. I do not want pity love. I don''t want love thates from feeling bad for my situation. This is me, damaged and messed up, love me like this or not at all. I can''t change for everyone else anymore. I turn my back on her and walk toward the treatment room door and find all of my so- called friends and family huddled red -eyed and grief stricken. Their eyes widened at the gruesomeN?velDrama.Org owns ? this. sight of me. Even my dad had the decency to show up and feign a look of shame. I just rolled my eyes and walked past everyone down the hallway and out the door. I ran all the way back to my house, pain shooting up my legs, not noticing or caring if people were staring at me. I let myself in the back door like always and walked the silent halls to the staircase leading to my former prison. I ascend slowly, everything about this feels wrong, but so does the thought of going to my room at the packhouse_ I don''t belong here, it doesn''t fit anymore. Like clothes that are just too small, no longerfortable and easy, but suffocating and tight. I agree with my wolf, the packhouse is home now, but I just can ''t be around the guys or even Sierra right now. I make it into my room and head straight for the shower to get rid of the evidence Of my self destruction. I don''t cry though, which is something new forme- I''m not sure if I am just all cried out or if the anger has finally taken over the sadness. I climb out, dry off and get dressed. The first thing I need to do is figure out how long I have been at the hospital and see if I have missed any school. All my stuff is in my room at the packhouse. Just another thing I''m going to have to deal withter. I leave my door locked and head out the window, just like old times. I can''t believe it''s been almost a year since I have had to sneak out. I don''t need anyone scenting mee and go. I head straight for school taking the well worn long way through the woods. Sneaking in a back entrance that I broke a couple years ago so I had a quick escape in or out if I needed it. And I needed it on a regr basis. Now, who to talk to to get caught up on the day? Doc T. is a no go. The pack doctor is just going to send me back to the hospital and almost guaranteed to call Luna Ava. The only other person who doesn ''tpletely hate me is Mr. Lyons the history teacher. He is old and could care less about pack drama. The hallways are empty and I think it''s too early for lunches. I take all the paths that I know are blindspots for the security cameras. That will be one of the first things I fix when I get back from training, but for now I''m going to use them to my advantage. I peak around corners like a criminal just trying to make it to his ssroom and not get caught sneaking into school. Chapter 0142 Chapter 0142 Chapter 0142 I get about five feet from his door when a hand grabs my wrist. I instinctively twist and take a defensive stance ready for an attack "Rx! It''s just me. Sierra whisper yells, dodging my fist as ites flying at her face. ''Il told the guys you would show up here, they didn''t believe me. They are all still camped at your house trying to figure out how to get you toe out and reason with you. I go to open my mouth to argue, but she puts her whole hand on my mouth. "Stop! I don''t want to hear it and I''m not here to fight. I am not your enemy and no matter how stupid the guys are, neither are they. That''s all I am going to say about it now though. You are not going to avoid me and I will not force you to be around the guys, cause whatever this is," she gestures at all of me, It''s bigger than any of us thought. Your trauma runs deep and you are the only person who can get yourself past that since you won''t let anyone in that far. Now, it''s Monday and we have about eight minutes before the bell will ring for second period. I already went to the packhouse and grabbed your stuff and to your locker and got everything you usually have for all sses before lunch. I talked to the school counselor and I have been moved into all of your sses, that way neither of us are alone per Luna Ava''s request. The guys might catch on by then, so I will switch everything out for you and we can make a better n for tomorrow, cause this hiding sh*t isn ''t going to fly past today." With that she handed me my overly stuffed backpack and started to walk off. "Sierra, Pm not going toe between you and the guys, I won''t make you choose. But I just can''t..." "Stop. I told you Pm not talking about them today. You are my concern right now. I had to watch your basically dead body, covered in blood, being carried out of the basement. I watched Gamma Brett run with you to the pack hospital, barely breathing. I can''t feel your emotions like Oliver and apparently the twins, I don''t know where your mind is at, but that was the scariest f*cking thing I have ever had to go through. And we do care, I care, but I can''t help if you keep things from me. I didn''t realize getting out of here was life or death for you, but that''s how bad it is, isn''t it? You will dieProperty belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. if you don''t get out of here." Tears are rolling down her cheeks. I just step up to her and pull her in for a hug. This is what I didn''t want, my needs are affecting others. This is wthy I feel stuck Like her, I''m not going to think about it though. We are here, right now, and she is on my side, apparently, no matter what I do or say. We both took a big breath in and sighed out, silently agreeing to just get through today. We walked off to second period and she filled me in on how long I was in the hospital, which was only overnight. We made it through the day uneventfully, the guys never showed up. She even helped mee up with a reasonable excuse for missing the first ss. I was at the pack hospital for a training injury. Mostly the truth so I don''t feel bad about the lie and it could be verified by Doc. T. She then helped me sneak food into my room so I don''t have to leave, but only on the promise that I wouldn''t shut her out and I would meet her for breakfast at the diner tomorrow. She only stayed for a little while after that. Sam started blowing up her phone and I kept reminding her that I wasn''t going toe between her friendships with the guys even though mine were imploding around "What do you want me to say to them? You know they are going to smell you on me and ask questions." "Just tell them that you were right and I did show up at school. You understand me better than they do." I shrug. She just rolls her eyes, but doesn''t argue either. "DO I really have to go out the window?" "I don ''t want them to know I cane and go even if they are ying at being guards at my door. They can''t Imow you were here. So yes, out the window it is." I sat on my bed in the quiet and got the little homework I had left done and thenid down to read a book in the silence of my childhood bedroom. All pack members 15 and older, with their wolf, will begin running patrol shifts effective immediately. We have a potential threat on our hands and our leadership council has decided training for all is vital for pack safety. You will get your schedule at your regrly scheduled training session tomorrow. Any students, this will not affect your studies. Alpha Lucas mindlinks the pack Chapter 0143 Chapter 0143 Chapter 0143 That''s strange, I thought he wasn''t going to say anything to the pack until he actually had something to tell. My wolf questions. Maybe news from the Alpha King set him off. We aren''t in the pack house so we aren''t privileged to that info anymore. Or he just thinks it''s a good idea to be prepared. I mean, it''s the reason we train pups so early, isn''t it? She has a point. I guess we''ll find out tomorrow. Are you sure you''re okay with this? Being away from the guys and all. You are getting so strong, I don ''t want the separation to harm you too. I have a feeling it will be alright and we are still close enough that I can talk to their wolves, they really aren''t that far away. That''s enough for now. When you all are done being emotional humans let me know and we''ll set things right. I just roll my eyes. Goodnight. Goodnight. Luna Ava said to tell you goodnight as well and your room will always be avable and waiting for you. I just smiled. We got up early the next day feeling a little better. My stomach is still in knots at the thought of staying away from the guys, like I''m physically not well, but I push past that so I can focus on getting out of here. I force myself to eat a few of the protein bars I stashed along with a bottle of water. Mateo and Oliver stayed by my doorst night. They might have even slept against it with how strong their scents were wafting under it. I will say the scent was calming and I had a calm dreamless sleep. They get points for perseverance that''s for sure, but I have to keep my mind on my goal. My goal is to get trained to be the best warrior I can be for my pack I can ''t let my, as my wolf calls them, ''human emotions get in the way of that. I can feel it in my bones, that I need to go do this, more than I need them by my side at this moment. I packa bag with a change of clothes so I don''t have to leave the training arena after we are done. I will just shower and change there, again like old times. As soon as I have everything I will need for the day, I head out my trusty window, making sure to take a good look around to make sure theN?velDrama.Org owns ? this. coast is clear. They aren''t stupid and will figure out what Pm doing sooner rather thanter. But I will use my advantage for now. I know Sierra said I was her priority, but she may think telling the guys I can sneak out would be helping me. So I am treating everything as if I can only trust myself and my wolf implicitly. We make it out okay and head toward the diner, Sierra met me outside and we headed to a table in the complete opposite corner of where the guys normally go. A fact Martha was quick to point out. "We just needed some girl time and didn ''t want them hounding us about being here without them. So we''d rather leave our scents way over here and hope they don ''t notice if they doe in. Sierra says easily and I don''t know if Martha buys it or just decides to go with it. She brings everything out in to go containers and a wink "Luna Ava gave me a heads up and you have about three minutes to clear out. Enjoy your day ladies!" She is way too cheerful about this sneaking around thing than she should be. "Wait! How much do we owe you?" I ask, confused. "I told you. You eat for free! I haven''t had this much fun in so long. The looks on those boys'' faces when they think they know wthat''s what and either of you put them in their ces is so entertaining, it''s worth it. Now go out the back I think" She winks again and weugh as we take off. When we get to the training arena a note on the outside gate says training has been postponed today while the warriors are in nning meetings so we head off to find a ce to eat our breakfast in peace while we wait for school to start. We were not as lucky in our avoidance tactics at school. The guys came and were in all their broody glory, snapping at anyone who got in their way. They caught up with us and walked wordlessly to each ss we had together and managed, somehow, to be even angrier when they realized that Sierra was no longer in their sses if I wasn''t. We didn''t approach the subject of why none of us were talking and I only interacted if and when absolutely required for ss. Sierra and I were leaving English, one of the few sses the guys aren''t in. "I officially hate you for how smart you are, just so you are aware. How do you even understand what she is saying? It''s English, it''s not supposed to be that hard." Sierra groans. "You are going to have to do my homework for the rest of the year if I stay in that ss. I''m pretty sure that one is for seniors.¡± I giggle at her, but my amusement doesn¡¯tst long as We walk into the lunchroom. Sam walks straight to us, but doesn¡¯t make eye contact with me. Chapter 0144 Chapter 0144 Chapter 0144 "We all need to report to dad after school, all warriors fifteen and older are going to start running patrols. He wants to pair underage warriors with seasoned warriors so we can all learn the routes and procedures. Ride with us or don''t, it''s up to you, but we''re all going to the same ce." Sam huffs at both of us, still not looking at me, before heading off to get lunch. The rest of the guys stand in the hallway a little longer just staring at us, then they all walk away as well. "Well they must really be pissed at me if Sam is the one giving the cold shoulder. You should go sit with them, you both do not deserve to be caught up in the BS between the twins, Oliver and I. I swear I will be okay on my own for a little bit. I promise I will even sit close enough for you to keep an eye on me. I look at Sierra, who''s staring longingly at Sam''s retreating back I walk away, not waiting for her to respond, to a corner table no one is upying, my appetite is lost after realizing what my behavior is doing to my friends'' rtionship. This time I can''t just give in when they say sorry though. Their opinion won ''t change, but neither will mine. It''s nice and quiet over here. Most people don''t like it because it is tucked into a corner, you cannot see a portion of the lunch room and, more importantly, you can''t be seen. I can keep Sierra in my sights, which means she can see me, so Pm technically not alone. I pull out a book from our strategies ss. We are working through wars that have happened in thest hundred years and analyzing why they started in the first ce, what ultimately ended them and how each side was either sessful or failed. Our teacher also posed the question of should they have started in the first ce? I was so caught up in a war that Alpha King Reggie''s grandfather fought in, I didn''t see my brother sneak up on me. Another downside to this corner is the AC unit blowing across my head making me upwind, I didn''t smell himing up behind me either. "You need to see this from our side, Shorty. Wecan''t protect you if you go away and we don''t know who you''ll be with or what they are going to do with you and that scares the sh*t out of all of us." I didn ''t look up from my book. "I will ept your position..." He took a deep breath in, sighed it out loudly and rxed next to me, but I wasn''t finished. When you all ept my position. You do not NEED to protect me. Pm sure in our short time together you have all at least figured that out. As far as who I will be hanging around with, get over yourselves. Do I need to remind you that until Sierra came, none of you gave two sh*ts what happened to me, or who I was with. So find a new excuse for your behavior. Just because you care now doesn''t change that. I am doing my best to not hold that against you, but it''s hard when your archaic misogynistic sidese out in all their flying colors." "That''s not fair, you never said anything, never asked for help, neverined. Had you said something we would have stepped in sooner." I take a deep calming breath, I cannot lose my temper here. "Did you just say it''s my fault that dad treated me the way he did? Pawned me off on a nanny who wasn''t allowed to do more than feed me and get me to school. Or that getting bullied was my fault? What happens to me now, I will fully own, it is my choice to take the burdens of those younger and weaker than me, but not originally. You did not take notice and I won''t let you put that me on rne_ I am full on ring at him now. "I''m not going to let you make me feel guilty for how you feel now. "That''s not what I said., and you know it." "That''s exactly what you just said! At least I know how you really feel. It won''t matter howmany times I beat you and the guys, you all think you are better than me and that I need you and can''t survive life without you. Thank you for rifying Mateo, excuse me, I have ss to get to." I shoved everything in my bag and got up to leave. I wasn''t waiting for anyone to catch up with me. I got to our Health and healing ss and made my way to the backof the room in the corner, hoping that people would sit around me and none of them coulde near me. I was not lucky enough though, no one was going to mess with the guys looking the way they did when they came in the room. Sierra sat next to me, Oliver in front of me, Mateo diagonal, and Sam, Kota and Cam finished out the back row next to Sierra. Again we all only speak when necessary, but you could cut the tension in the room with a knife. If this keeps up, I may go to the Luna and see if I can just finish my sses remotely. This is ridiculous.Original from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 0145 Chapter 0145 Chapter 0145 We y the rest of our day the same. Slerra and I trying to hold awkward, mundane conversations while the guys listened in, but pretended not to pay any attention to us. As I was putting my books away at the end of this mind-numbingly long day while Sierra waited on me so we could head over to check in with Delta Kyle, Kaley walks up and goes to m my locker shut. This time I don''t let her. My reactions are fast and I''m done with her bullsh*t as much as the guys''. I catch the edge Of the locker and push it back open, then re at her. I won''t do anything here at school, my conditioning still won''t let me retaliate against her here, but I''m not going to let her walk all over me anymore either. She lets out a little squeak before sheposes herself again. "Whatever you did to piss off our future Alphas, you need to fix now! Your stupid childish games are making life hard for the rest of us. Apologize, grovel, kiss their feet or whatever they want and make this better. They have been yelling and growling at people all day. You even have them raising their voices at me, which is uneptable. "I don ''t see how my rtionship with any of them is any of your business. And I will not take responsibility for whatever stupidity of yours that got you yelled at. I said without looking at her and finished what I was doing, then closed my locker and turned to walkin the opposite direction, Sierra close behind. ''How dare you turn your back on your future Luna and speak to her like that! She grabs my shoulder to spin me around. But before I can do anything a shout from down the hallway stops everyone. "TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" Oh goody, just another incident where Mateo thinks he needs to step in for me. "And stop talking in third person, it''s weird." Sierra adds under her breath. Kaley either doesn''t hear or chooses to ignore it, but doesn ''t take her hand off my shoulder and it takes all my patience to not rip her fingers off me. "I was just exining that she needs to be more kind to her future Luna. Her childish behavior is going to get her into more trouble, and I think there has been enough of that, don''t you, Skr? I mean you have spent more time in the principal''s office than in ss. And she is constantly distracting you all which is uneptable as well. The guys all 100k at me. It''s actually not true, but Ie and go from sses as I need to because I am so far ahead and I am only in one ss with her, so she wouldn''t actually know if Pm in ss or not. I spent a ton of time therest year though, due to her antics, but she conveniently left that part out. I choose not to answer, they want to think and act for me, I''m not going to stop them. They can prove how well they know me by choosing to believe her usations or not. I cross my arms and look defiantly at everyone daring the guys to choose, Kaley or me. As predicted, none of them say anything. They are not supporting me or her, which hurts just as bad as if they would have taken her side. At least then I would know where I stand. Based on the look on her face, she thinks that they agree with her. They just showed both of us they think of us as equals or at the very least are chickensh*t and don''t want to look like they are taking sides which solidified my belief in my true ce in their life. I roll my eyes and turn to walk away.N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Chapter 0146 Chapter 0146 Chapter 0146 "We''re going to bete to meet Delta Kyle." I say over my shoulder to no one in particr. "Are we walking together or not?" I don''t get an answer as Kaley grabs their attention again. "Should Marnie, Jeanie and I meet you at the packhouse Saturday for the ball or are you boys going toe and pick us up? I''m sure Daddy can arrange a car to take us all, that probably would be best to really showcase our arrival. I roll my eyes again and start walking faster. As often as they have told Sierra and I that they have shut those three down, clearly they aren''t doing a good enough job. I don''t want to hear their lameass answers, diplomatic and vague replies are clearly not working, not if there is any opening for interpretation. Those three girls only hear what they want, I''m over the back and forth and passive aggressive tiptoeing around her. They are going to have to learn to make solid decisions, even if they make some people mad. That''s part of being a leader, do what''s right and best for the majority, not everyone will be happy about it. Make decisions and deal with the oue that ys out. Sierra and I walk into the training grounds surrounded by a bunch of our peers. Delta Kyle is at the front of the group ready to give instructions. "We are going to be pairing you up with a current patrol warrior. This will allow us to give our warriors much needed rest and you all a chance to learn tracking and surveince skills. For those of you still in school, we have done our best to not interfere with that, but you may need to arrive late or leave early. We have already spoken to your teachers if that is the case and only those who are excelling in their studies will get that privilege. Patrol is not an excuse to bezy, your homework and sswork is still expected to beplete and on time. As we are almost into the summer, we will rotate the patrols and your partners on a monthly basis. That will also allow us to ount for those of you traveling for training and school outside the pack. If you have questions, ask your warrior partner first thene find me. The list will be on the training announcement board. Take a good look, some of you start training tonight. There was no direct dismissal from him, but we all took our cue to line up and see when our shift was. Waiting infortable silence, the guys roll in looking, if it was possible, more irritated than they have been all day. They head over to Delta Kyle and talk to him briefly before turning around to leave again, with no notice of Sierra or I. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Sierra huffs. "Just go with them." I say trying not to sound defeated. "You need to spend time with Sam. This whole situation is stupid and neither of you should be caught up in it. I will have Delta Kyle take me back to my house. " Knowing the argument that is about toe out of her mouth. "They will kill me once they find out I left you here alone, even if it is with the Delta. I''m not dealing with that. I will just meet up with him in a little bit... After I make sure you get home and can tell them that honestly did. I rolled my eyes at her, but I''m done arguing, this protection detail is getting tiresome. "Fine, let''s get our assignments and then you can go console your suddenly moody boyfriend." I try to lighten the mood. "Not my boyfriend, my mate is the only one that will get any Idnd of title. She smiles and winks at me. Chapter 0147 Chapter 0147 Chapter 0147 "Whatever you say. I smile back at her. It doesn''t take long for us to get to the front of the line. "They split us up, how dare they?" Sierra lets out mock indignation. "At least I don''t have to get up in the middle Of the night. You have fun with that." "You act like I don''t do that already. I have to report at 4 which is my usual time to get up, the only problem is I will miss morning training." "I''m sure that was by design, based on thest couple of days with the guys. Don''t thinkany of this has gone unnoticed by all your parents. I think they are hoping the separation will be beneficial for you all to at least concentrate on what you are supposed to be doing. I don''t know if you noticed, but none of us are in your group time. I had noticed and unfortunately I felt a surge of excitement to do something without them, followed by a sense of sadness followed by guilt at not being disappointed. I didn''t say any of that though. "Let''s go to the Beta house, so you can give your notboyfriend some attention. We start walking. "Not home?" She asks cautiously. "No, it''s never been home, it''s the Beta''s house, which is currently my father and then will be my brother and his family. The woods are my home, even the room Luna Ava gave me at the packhouse is more home than what I grew up in. It just doesn''t feel right to go to the packhouse right now. I need that separation. I have to figure out what to do with myself when all six of you leave this summer anyway, might as well get used to it now." "So this might get me in trouble, but what about the dance this weekend?" She cringes at me. "What about it?" "You''re stilling right? You promised to go with me since it will be my first and probably myst. But I wasn''t sure how you felt now that things are also strained.. She trailed off, but I understand what she is asking me. "I will go with you and for you. You have been an amazing friend to me and don''t deserve all the crap you''ve been thrown in the middle of. I will be on my best behavior with the guys and I promise to not start any fights with them. I will not hesitate to finish a fight or leave if they start sh*t though. I giggle at her, and just to make her day I add, "I will even let you do whatever you want with my hair and makeup." "YES! This is why I love you! We made it to my father''s house in record time and headed towards the back after checking thoroughly that the guys weren''t lingering. Once I was safely inside I waved Sierra off to go meet up with Sam at the packhouse. I did all my usual things, homework, shower, read and theny on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Not being able to train alone was awful. Sometime after the sun went down, there was a knock on my door. As usual, I didn''t answer. "Skr? Sky, I have food out here. I know you didn''t eat lunch and I have no idea if you''ve eaten today or not. I have to go run my patrol shift. I guess I''ll see you at school tomorrow when you''re done with yours. I love you. I hope you know that." I heard Mateo sigh then retreating footsteps.Original from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 0148 Chapter 0148 Chapter 0148 A single tear escaped. Deep down I know they all care and this is punishing everyone, but I can ''t back down, I need to get out of here and the sooner the better. I-low I am not weak or useless, but that little voice in the back of my head that sounds suspiciously like Kaley likes to tell me otherwise. I just feel the absolute need to prove myself and my worth. No amount of words from them will make me believe I am good enough until I do. I finally conceded and went to the door and grabbed the food he brought up after I waspletely sure he and everyone else was out of my house. I eat slowly, not hungry, but I am tired of hearing how small I am from too much training and not eating enough. I leave the empty dishes outside my door, to show him I took the offering and appreciate the gesture. After the most fitful sleep, I got up groggily and dressed half asleep. I was so tired I forgot to use the window and headed to my patrol spot out the front door. It shocked me for a minute when I bumped into a solid mass as I was walking down the sidewalk lost in my thoughts. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. "Whoa there Smalls, I mean Skr. Cam cleared his throat and let go of me as quickly as he grabbed me. He tried for a smile, but it didn''t reach his eyes. "You headed for patrol." I just nodded my head and looked away. I couldn''t take the lookin his sad green eyes. Do you want me to walk..." He gestured back over his shoulder. "Uh, nevermind. Okay, I''ll see you at schoolter. Training isn''t going to be the same without you, you know. "I agree." I gave him a small smile, but couldn''t look him in the eye. "I''ll see youter." I move around him and do my best to hold it together, I miss them. I knew I would, but this sucks so much more than I thought. I hurry faster to meet up with Gamma Brett, I really need a distraction now. Breaking out into a run I took in the different shades of greens and browns of the forest and the earthy smell that always calms my nerves. I arrived too quickly at the patrol cabin, where everyone checks in before their patrol starts, a full ten minutes before Gamma Brett did, which gave me time to school my emotions. "I should have known you''d get here before us." He smiles at me and I return it before it hits me. ''[Who '' s us? "1100k at him confused. "We came across an issue yesterday and had to reorganize some of the groups. We figured with your background and level of training it wouldn''t be a problem to double up." He shifts and Marnie is behind him looking worse for wear. Her hair is in a tangled mess on top of her head, her eye make- up is smeared and her well chosen outfit looks like she put it on in a hurry and maybe in the dark The bright colors sh with the muted tones Of the forest and aren''t something you want to wear out in the woods like this, unless you want to be spotted...by the enemy. What the f*ck? I say to my wolf You''re asking me? I was going to say the same thing. Watch your back, we don''t know why she was put with you. It could be an honest pairing and Gamma Brett thinks you won''t need as much or any help so he can focus on her. Or it''s a set up to spy on you for Kaley. She''s not supposed to be here, she doesn''t have her wolf yet. I thought that''s what the Alpha said the other day. She must be here to spy, or cause problems. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "So what do you want us to do first?" I ask Gamma Brett,pletely ignoring Marnie¡¯s presence. ¡®We are going to run the perimeter, in human form since Marnie can¡¯t shift yet, and that will give mea chance to show youdies the things we are looking for while we are on patrol. The pattern we run is simr to what you were talking about with the Alpha King the other night, Skr...¡± Chapter 0149 Chapter 0149 Chapter 0149 Marnie lets out a little squeak interrupting him. "You got to talk to the Alpha King?" Eyes wide at the thought. "Uh, yeah. He stayed at the pack house so we had a couple interactions I kept my information brief and Gamma Brett looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I usually like to talk about strategy, what he doesn''t understand is I like talking with people who understand what I ''m talking about. Marnie is not one of those people. I can at least say she shows up to training and does parts of the workouts, mostly stretching to get attention from the guys when she''s bent over suggestively, but there is no reason for her to be out here with us, she doesn ''t like training, she doesn''t like to get dirty and she can''t shift yet. Maybe that''s why she is with Gamma Brett and I. If something happens we can protect her and defend together, rather than her being a liability that would get everyone killed. "Like I was saying, we will run one of seven different patterns that surround and cross the territory. It keeps the patrol schedules less predictable and we focus on the pack territory as a whole, not just the perimeter." We start jogging our portion of the perimeter, passing other teams on the way. Gamma Brett is keeping up a hushedmentary of what to look for without stopping our movement, giving us insights to basic tracking. Things I''ve studied in strategy and battle sses, but it is nice to put it to practical use. "We are aplishing a few things by patrolling. One is to scent the area so outside wolves know where the territory begins. Our situation is unique because we are surrounded by water on three sides. Land based packs define their territory by scenting. There are several small inds between us and the maind and the mountains that run through the center of our area give us a good vantage point, but you can never be too careful. The maind is only about a thirty to forty minute boat ride away on this side of our territory and not all the inds from here to there are inhabited, several are considered part of the National park our territory is on and can''t be built on. That doesn''t stop people from using them as pit stops on the way to us. The second reason is having teamsProperty belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ovep doesn''t give intruders much opportunity to pass through our patrol lines undetected. We are also looking for any disturbance in the foliage. There aren''t many small animals that stay here since wolves are predators and they naturally steer clear, so broken branches and leaves could mean a wolf passed through. Pups also can smell the stronger scent here and know that this is the end of the territory and their boundary, it helps keep them safe if they wander off." We made it a whole 45 minutes before Marnie started asking when we are done and whining about leg cramps and being hungry and thirsty. It''s not even five in the morning yet and we all run a five hour shift. We have four hours to go. I will strangle her myself if she whines the rest of the time. "I didn''t thinkwe would be running the whole time or I would never have signed up to do this. And when I was told the Gamma would be my partner, I thought they meant Oliver." She pouted with her lip out, not looking at Gamma Brett, knowing she probably offended him. "What exactly did you think was? What did you think you were going to be doing Out here with Oliver? We''re here to protect our pack from unwanted intruders, what did you expect?" I couldn''t help asking. Gamma Brett had to stifle augh. "For sure not this. I thought we would be cuddled up monitoring some screens attached to security cameras or something. Kaley''s dad said Jeanie and I would be safer with Mateo or Oliver and he would make sure we were all paired up with the best and the men would do the real work, we were just here to observe.¡± Then I turned to Gamma Brett, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize we signed up for this, I thought everyone had to run patrols. And since when can we make requests on assignments?¡± I look back at Marnie. ¡°And what is this crap about the men doing the real work? You just weren¡¯t nning to be helpful at all?¡± She winced a little and I looked back at Gamma Brett. Chapter 0150 Chapter 0150 Chapter 0150 He gave me that dad look that said I was really close to crossing some line, but I also wasn''t too far off the mark of annoying situations. Which means one of the twins was probably going to have to deal with Kaley in their group and my brother probably got Jeanie in his. I''m going to have to ask Sierra about that. I can''t believe they are putting our packin danger just to try and spend time with the guys. Don''t they know how serious this actually is? "At least you know you are paired up with the literal best. Skr has beaten out all the guys in every test we have done so far, so Cunningham wasn''t wrong. We still have time, quite a bit actually, so you are going to have to figure out how to suck it up today, because we are in the middle of a shift and can''t take you back. None of us can be out here on our own, not even me. We always team up just in case. I will mention to the Delta, who is coordinating the rotations, of your misinformation. With that he turned around and continued jogging. I guess it was a good enough answer for her, she didn ''t bring it up the rest of the time. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. That was the second most torturous experience Of my life. Marnie even kind of tried, and it was terrible. She stoppedining after Gamma Brett told her to suck it up, but she progressively got slower as the time went on and Gamma Brett had to call for another team toe in early to pickup the ck. I was actually embarrassed that, as a team, we couldn''t get her to move faster without literally carrying her the whole time. And that was never going to happen. I headed straight to the Beta house after to take a quick shower and get to school. I know Luna Ava said not to be alone, but the walk to and from patrol was pleasantly quiet and drama free. I walked up to my house and Sam was on my porch, just casually waiting. At least the scowl was gone, hopefully meaning that he was able to spend some quality time with Sierra and therefore less angry and short tempered. He stood when he noticed me, walked straight over and gave me a huge hug, locking my arms to my sides. "I''m sorry, I didn ''t know how bad it was here for you. Don''t be mad at Sierra for telling me, she needed to vent as much as I did. I won ''t stop you from leaving or tell you you can''t go. You''re not wrong, we all get toe and go as we please and you feel stuck and we made you feel more trapped. You do make us better though and we are afraid you won''t evere home once you get away. He word vomited all over me. Then as an afterthought asked, "How was your training?" He gave me a knowing look before letting a huge smile break out over his face. "It sucked as much as you think it did. What happened? How did they weasel their way into rotations? Who got stuckwith the other two?" There was no need to specify who we were talking about. "Sierra got Jeanie and I got Kaley. Neither were happy with the pairings and I''m sure my dad will hear about it from my uncle. But my uncle also can ''te right out and say he''s trying to force Kaley on Cam and Kota, even though everyone sees that''s what he''s doing. My dad isn''t stupid and this is actually a serious situation that my uncle thinks is a game he can use to y matchmaker by forced proximity." Chapter 0151 Chapter 0151 Chapter 0151 ''I forget that you and Kaley are cousins. That''s so weird to process. Hold that thought though, I need to shower and I assume you are my escort to school? Give me ten minutes. "Here, Luna Ava wanted me to bring you this and said ''corne home as soon as you''re ready.'' She probably figures you don''t have anything left here. He holds out a bag I didn''t even notice before. She''s not wrong. My hasty escape to my childhood prison did not involve bringing supplies, like a change of clothes. I take the bag and just nod my head before running up the stairs two at a time. I am done in record time and had tough at what Luna Ava packed. She knew who I would forgive or at least talk to first and who I would need more convincing to give another chance. She must have alsoe into my room and taken everything else I had so I had no choice but to wear what she packed me. Although, there is no other scent but mine. Sneaky, meddling woman. I''ll have to ask her about that. At least she packed me my own underwear, bra and jeans, but she gave me Oliver''s tank top, a t- shirt of Kota''s and Cam''s sweatshirt. And they all smell like they had worn them just before she packed them. I roll my eyes while I roll up the sleeves on the sweatshirt and head outside. I had to tuck the hem of the shirt into my pants too since it goes all the way to my knees, this takes the fashion term ''oversized'' way too far. I give Sam a serious look "Hey, don''t shoot the messenger. You will notice your brother and I didn''t contribute to the cause." He waves up and down my outfit. "That doesn ''t mean you didn''t help with the removal of my other options." I say as we start heading toward the school, clearly neither of us are in a hurry to get there, we''re alreadyte, I''m so far ahead in my sses the teachers stopped caring when Ie and go. They also probably notice there are less incidents with Kaley when I''m not there. And he''s the future Delta, primary schooling is just a formality. He hands me a gran bar and water bottle, and I just roll my eyes andugh. He and Mateo are taking the malnutrition diagnosis to heart. What they don''t know, is I''ve gone longer on less food. But that is not something I am going to tell them after all of this crap. ''[so while we are talking about being your escort..." "How did you make that jump from Luna Ava''s choice of my outfit?" "Don''t change the subject! You are still going to the ball with us right? You can''t go alone, none of us can, it''s not safe for so many reasons." Heughs darkly. Plus now that you have been officially recruited by the Alpha King you may not get to go to another one." Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. "I guess, this is just a lot. With everything else going on, the Mating Ball just seems stupid, especially for me. I''m only fifteen, still super awkward around anyone who isn''t you guys and Sierra and I can''t dance. I can''t even find my mate for three more years. Our elders arezy and it seems like many of them are just using the ball to try and force chosen mates to heighten status or as political strategy to connect packs. I wouldn''t want to be in any of your positions, at all, basically paraded around like cattle at an auction. "You''re no different really, are you?" He looks at me sideways "What do you mean?" "They way your dad talks, that''s basically what you are being paraded around for too. So a guy can level up his rank or you can get chosen by an Alpha or, I guess now, some higher rank from the Alpha King''s guys since you clearly have ALL of their attention now." He wiggles his eyebrows at me. I roll my eyes back at him. "I guess I never really saw myself in that position before, my brother is the Beta, not me. I''m just a warrior. It''s all I have ever wanted to be, it''s all I''m good at." "You have never been just a warrior, but that is why you need to stick with us and maybe give us a little ck when we have a less than pleasant reaction to other guys around you. You honestly have no idea how others see you and that is great, because your ego will never be your downfall. But, it''s also dangerous because it makes it too easy for someone to take advantage of you. And yes jealousy is a part of that, but none of the other guys will ever admit that to your face." He gives me a sheepish grin and I giggle a realugh for the first time in days. Chapter 0152 Chapter 0152 Chapter 0152 "Even Xander, the Alpha prince?" "Especially him. He probably has more girls thrown at him in an hour than the twins do weekly." He shutters. "That sounds awful. But, here, he sought you out, not the other way around. And, you didn''t fawn over him like every other girl here, you treated him like a person not a prize or trophy. You alsopletely kicked his ass. He probably fell in love with you the minute you knocked him out." "You guys don''t like it when girls throw themselves at you?" I was not touching thement about Xander. "Don''t get me wrong the s*x is always fun, but they all want more, the status, the money, they want to be trophy mates, and our jobs, including our mates'', is a ton of work None of them want the work or even know there is work involved in the job that is associated with the title. We keep to ourselves for a reason. It''s not an elitist thing, it''s a self preservation thing, but no one gets that if they don''t have to live it. And it''s not just the girls, their parents throwthem at us as well, whether the girl is willing or not. Simr to your situation, I think. ''I guess. Speaking of my dad, let''s get into ss before the principal tells him I''m skipping or something else that will get me punished." "I don ''t think that is anything you have to worry about after you called every single one of us out in the hospital." I cringed. probably not my finest moment and I could have been more tactful in my delivery, but the words needed to be said and more importantly heard. We don''t even get further than my locker before Kaleyes up to me with Jeanie and Marnie in tow. "What took you so long to get back? And why are you dressed like that? Where did you get Cam''s shirt? He never lets me wear his sweatshirts. I demand you hand over my boyfriend ''s shirt now! And I will be letting my father know that you aren''t taking the responsibility of getting back to school in a timely manner seriously after your shift." I look at the hand she has held out to me like I really would pull off Cam''s shirt and give it to her. "The Luna chose her outfit after her patrols this morning. If you have a problem, you can take it directly to her. As for arrival times, we are well within our allotted return times, I should know. Speaking of, how were your shiftsdies? I hope all of your requests were met and satisfactory since you were all so eager to join even though you weren ''t qualified yet and don ''t participate regrly in training that would prepare you for a situation like patrolling." Sam finishes sweetly over my shoulder. Something is brewing in his eyes. Both Marnie and Jeanie mumble unintelligible things, not looking at either of us. Marnie still looks as tired as she did when she got to us this morning. But at least she looks slightly more put together. I bet she isn''t allowed in Kaley''s presence without checking off certain boxes on her personal ''must look this way'' list. Early doesn''t suit her at all, I almost feel bad she was forced into this with false advertising and promises. Maybe she''ll drop it and put me out of my rmsery. "There was a misunderstanding with our shifts. Daddy will fixit before the end of the day today. Kaley flips her hair over her shoulder. "We won ''t need to actually learn any of that stuff anyway, I don''t know why we were lumped in with the rest of the help. "I don''t really consider myself fhe help.'' And your schedules are set for the rest of the month. There is no changing them, regardless of what my uncle thinks he can get away with. The task of arranging them has been left to me and considering you couldn''t be bothered to show up for your assigned shift on time orplete the whole thing you will not be given any special favors. I suggest you start wrapping your head around having to actually work for a change. Your daddy''s time of fixing things for you ising to an end." Sam looks Kaley dead in the eyes and for a brief second I saw a sh of something like fear cross her features.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. "Oh and Sky, I will need your report on Marnie by the end of the day, we are evaluating all of the new patrol recruits, remind me to tell Sierra when we get to ss. She has to do Jeanie''s report as well. They at least showed up." He nces at them, then at me, then he wraps an arm around my shoulder and guides me away from that potential trainwreck. Chapter 0153 Chapter 0153 ¡°You do realize the target you put on our backs right? I don¡¯t know how the family stuff works, but they are going to make Sierra''s and my life a living hell." ¡°Let¡¯s be honest, you can take them all blindfolded with one arm tied behind your back, but at least you would have a reason to fight back. I also believe you are currently working your way through hell, I don¡¯t think any of them could actually make what you are going through worse. She can''t get to you, and she knows, or at least grasps, what you mean to us. She¡¯s not dumb enough to go after you again.¡± He raises his eyebrows letting me know he and Sierra discussed me at length. I found that making up with, or I guess, acknowledging Mateo and Sam was more punishment for the other three than ignoring them all. I have never heard more growls and incoherent mumbling from any of them before. I still wasn¡¯t saying much to anyone, they all still have to figure out I¡¯m nota china doll, but that won¡¯t be a reality until we are all in an actual situation that involves me saving myself and not needing them in the slightest. I still chose the corner table at lunch to just have some breathing room. I have to figure out this bnce between socializing and having personal space. It feels like | went from one end of the spectrum to the other and then back again. It gives me a headache. I¡¯mpletely lost in my own thoughts when a sh of yellow sits down beside me, Marnie, followed by Jeanie in bright blue and they both lean into me, but looking around skittish like they don¡¯t want to get caught talking to me. Which is probably true. ¡°We cannot fail the patrol thingy. What do we need to do? Today was awful, but I can''t have a bad report and if Kaley¡¯s dad can¡¯t rig it for us, you have to help us.¡± Marnie¡¯''s eyes look almost wild in her real panic. And they keep looking around to see who¡¯s watching us, not actually making eye contact with me. ¡°Umm." ¡°Please? We know we are terrible and we are thest people that you should help, but we can¡¯t fail again." Jeanie pants at me. ¡°We don¡¯t even care about Kaley, she set us up." ¡°I guess, I could give you some pointers, but it¡¯s really hard since you guys don¡¯t actually participate in regr training. Your conditioning isn¡¯t where it should be." ¡°We will literally do anything.¡± Marnie shes her hopeful crazy- looking smile at me. ¡°Like show dress to get guys to notice you or how to get them excited or you the best way to go down on..." ¡°NOPE! Nope, nope, nope. Stop right there. I have no idea what your skills are, but I want none of that. Make sure you get a good night''s rest, drink water and eat well today. That should help with the fatigue I saw in Marnie this morning. Wear dark colors, the idea is to not be seen in that situation. And show up and participate in training every day. After that it¡¯s about being consistent in your training. You need your cardio and strength to get through this.¡± This is so weird, I have no idea what to make of this situation at all. I¡¯m talking fast, I just want them to get away from me. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°Okay, Thanks!¡± They say together, popping up from the seats next to me and leaving just as quickly as they came. ¡°What was that all about?¡± Oliver¡¯s timber growled behind me. I stiffen, but don¡¯t look up. I can¡¯t deny the calm that washed over me as he came closer, and of course the irritation that followed at the realization. I took a deep breath, taking in the honey scent, resisting the urge to roll my eyes and turned to him. It¡¯s so strange that such a sweet smelles from such a menacing person. If I didn¡¯t know him, I wouldn¡¯t want to cross his path on a good day with the way school his face into an indifferent mask that borderlines hostility. Chapter 0154 Chapter 0154 ¡°Sam told them that Sierra and I were evaluating their performances during patrols and they came to ask for help. I guess they are worried about failing if Kaley¡¯s dad can''t rig anything in their favor. They¡¯ve probably never had to truly work for something before¡± I shrug, turning to put my book back in my bag. ¡°Huh. You need to eat something, you are not gaining weight fast enough and you are tiny enough as it is." Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. He slides a tray with a sandwich, chips, veggies, fruit and water on it towards me, then turns and just leaves. I just blink and take another deep breath and try to remember that he is taking care of me in his own caveman way. It¡¯s a sign of him trying to mend fences that he came over in the first ce and as much as I want to throw it away to show 1 am still angry with them and I don¡¯t want to prove he is right. But I am hungry and the doc said I wasn¡¯t eating enough for my activity level, so I eat everything, quickly, then get up to throw my stuff out and head to our next ss without a backward nce. The presence of six bodies behind me tells me I have a full escort this time. The next couple days are more of the same mundane routine, but I really don¡¯t mind routine. Sometimes with all the chaos, having expected things happen the way they are supposed to is calming and reassuring. Marnie took my advice and while she wasn¡¯t any better, she wasn''t as big of a pain as she was on day one and she seems to be really trying. Sierra said something simr about Jeanie Friday morning. ¡°So after training tomorrow morning we are getting ready in the Luna''s suite for the mating ball. You have zero choices in this matter and I don¡¯t want to hear about it. We also have to be ready by 7pm because Martha wants to see us at the diner first before we head over to the ball.¡± Sierra looks over at me like I might explode at her for telling me what our ns are for this stupid dance. The casual way she just throws more things we have to do before actually attending the ball is wearing my nerves though. She has talked of nothing else all day and I don¡¯t think we have discussed the same thing about the ball twice as we walk between sses. I am also doing the mental math and do not understand the amount of time she has allotted to get ready either. I have made my peace with going with her and the guys and I have determined myself to have a good time, even if it is for Sierra¡¯s sake alone. I can see her almost vibrating with excitement about the whole ordeal. We have one more ss for the day and then I can get to the gym. Sam, Mateo and Sierra have been taking turns ¡®hanging¡¯ out with me there. After what happenedst time no one, including Luna Ava and Delta Kyle trust me in there by myself. None of us really talk, just work. The twins and Oliver have yet to take their turn though and I can¡¯t decide if I am more happy or disappointed in the amount of space they are giving me. | Tonight was Sierra¡¯s turn, she asked if we could use the packhouse gym for convenience, and the topic returned to the ball. This time we are discussing the after party that seems to be happening at the packhouse. We apparently have to have a different outfit for this party than the dresses we are wearing to the dance. ¡°The Luna has us covered though. She told me this morning that our ¡®after- dresses¡¯ will be hanging in your room and we should be able to quickly doa wardrobe change before anyone notices we¡¯re missing.¡± She keeps rambling as my eyebrows rise farther into my hairline and | am momentarily stuck mid squat. ¡°Are you serious? I am already wearing one dress that you chose for me. Why does there have to bea second monkey suit?" ¡°First, monkey suits are for the boys. Second, I don¡¯t argue with the Luna.¡± She giggles at me and I can¡¯t help but crack a smile, knowing full well there wasn¡¯t a fight at all. I just roll my eyes and get back to my leg workout. An hourter, Sierra and I emerge from the dungeon of the packhouse to find all the guys conveniently hanging around the ind of the kitchen as wee out. Sam and Mateo make eye contact and give mea half smile, the other three just stare, no expression on their faces. Oliver slides a shaker to me full of a dense brownish concoction without a word or a second nce then heads out of the room. A few minutester I hear the soft whoosh and snick of the front door opening and closing. ¡®He had to get to his patrol shift.¡± Sam says by way of an exnation. ¡°He said you still need to put some meat on your bones." I take the shake rolling my eyes and head upstairs. I don¡¯t bother going back to the Beta house tonight, I have an early morning, and I am going to need plenty of rest to deal with these as*holes all day tomorrow. For the first time in a long time, Sierra doesn¡¯t follow me. Maybe she thinks I¡¯m safe here in the confines of the packhouse. And since there is no other babysitter following me, everyone else is in agreement that I¡¯m not a flight risk and need to be monitored. Chapter 0155 Chapter 0155 I showered and spread out my books to make sure that I am as far ahead as I can be on my work, since I know I won¡¯t be getting anything done this weekend. I woke up early, well, my usual time and was both relieved and lonely finding my roompletely empty of my friends. The revolving door of protectors thest few weeks with everything going on meant there was a constant presence, whether outside my door at the Beta house or camped on the sizable couch that showed up in my packhouse bedroom after the threat was deliveredst week and everyone stayed with me. I¡¯m still trying to wrap my emotions around my friend''s behavior. They know very well that I ama great fighter, but treat me like a porcin doll. They im to trust me, but have secret conversations without me over their mindlink. I know they care for me, but the looks of fear and uncertainty thrown my way make me anxious. I shower quickly and head down to grab a bite to eat before my patrol shift starts. I''m met with Gamma Brett and Oliver standing at the ind having alow conversation that quickly stops once they notice my presence. Oliver hands me another shake but walks away. I reach for his arms as he walks by me. He stops but doesn¡¯t turn his head. ¡°Thank you.¡± I whisper, indicating the shake. He takes a deep shuddering breath, then steps out of my grasp and heads for the stairs, clearly just off his shift. 1 take my own calming breath before turning to Gamma Brett who just watched the whole situation in silence. ¡°Ready?¡± Is all he asks. And I nod in response. If that interaction is any indication of how tonight is going to be, then I may skip out on the ball all together. Sierra would understand, hopefully. Especially if the twins are simr. | Patrols were the same. We have found nothing out of the ordinary along the coastlines and the doubled up patrols across the isthmus that connects our territory to the maind. Everything and everyone thates and goes is now thoroughly checked and vetted beforeing onto our territory. I think best when I run, and I have found that even actively participating in patrols and concentrating on what we are being taught, my brain processes information so much better and I havee up with a theory as to why we haven¡¯t found anything yet, but the threat wasn¡¯t clear and there wasn''t any indication that whoever sent it would even be back. I just don¡¯t understand what the severed fingers mean and what is the significance of the silver? What are you thinking so hard about over there? Gamma Brett asks, a little amusement in his tone. Theories. Really? Care to share? Not sure they are worth sharing, honestly. Just jumbled thoughts. Probably things everyone else has already thought of and nned for. I don¡¯t know why I am being so vague. It¡¯s weird talking to him when normally I would be hashing my ideas out with the guys. They are my equals, I¡¯m just a kid to Gamma Brett. He¡¯s more than likely just asking to help me learn a lesson of some kind, like any trainer. You know you can talk to me right? Or Kyle or Gwen or Ava. You seem to have shut everyone out, not just the boys. I take a deep breath, knowing he''s right, but too stubborn to admit it out loud. I don''t think we are going to get anything until after the guys leave for training. Even with all the extra training and patrols, we are losing five of our best fighters when they head to the Royal Pack. Whoever is behind this has to be waiting for something. That¡¯s the next big transition for the pack, it¡¯s logical. But I also feel like it¡¯s too obvious at the same time. Maybe tonight at the mating ball? There are a ton of people from other packs that are here, maybe then? But¡¯ I¡¯m sure that you have all thought that through and taken precautions, otherwise we wouldn''t be having the mating ball. Unless you¡¯re using the ball as bait to get the culprits out into the open. Which is sketchy by the way. And what is so special about the two fingers that were sent and the silver powder that was clearly the weapon. It kind of makes my brain hurt. Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024. I snort an unamusedugh and get a strange look from Marnie. She must have just realized she¡¯s being left out of the conversation. ¡°You know it¡¯s not fair to give inside information to her just because she¡¯s the favorite and can shift and mindlink right?¡± Chapter 0156 Chapter 0156 ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of doing that, besides...¡± I have the ability to link both of you even though you cannot respond Marnie. Please be careful of your usations before you start letting them fly out of your mouth without any real thought. Gamma Brett links both of us. Her eyes go wide. I don¡¯t think she has ever been called out like that before, so used to getting away with flippantments like that. He was far more calm than I would have been after days of her holding us back. She''s trying, but it¡¯s not any less frustrating. ¡®Sky to answer your question, we have started to think of those possibilities and work through them, and no, we would not use anyone as bait unknowingly. Marnie¡¯s eyes go wide at the mention of people being used as ¡®bait.¡¯ I nod and we continue. Marnie makes no morements or even asks what my question was. The only good thing is her and Jeanie at least took my notes seriously and they have actually started participating in training, but they are years behind, which is painful for everyone involved. The five hour shifts are only slightly less painful than the first day with her, and to think, I have three more weeks of this rotation. I¡¯m so overjoyed. We head back to the patrol cabin and check in before we all go our separate ways. I head off to Saturday morning training with the pups. They should actually be close to wrapping the first session up with the younger kids when I get there. It feels like forever since I have seen these kids, with the trials and the lockdown and can¡¯t wait to catch up with them. I didn¡¯t realize how much I would miss training with them. Getting to see their excited faces when they finally master something they have been working on forever. When I walk into the arena, training is in full effect and for the first time ever, I just stop to watch the beauty that is my pack. Each of the guys and Sierra have taken a group and they appear to be teaching release techniques for closebat. Everyone is sweaty and red-faced, but happy and engaged. ¡°Sky! Sky! Come look. I did it!!¡± Brandon, a very hyper eight year old that reminds me of Sam when he was little, shouts at me as he barrels into the side of my leg, breaking me out of my thoughts. ¡°What did you do?!¡± I ask excitedly as he grabs my hand and I can¡¯t help but be drawn in by his enthusiasm. I let him drag me across the field, we are both smiling andughing and I am so caught up I don¡¯t realize who he is dragging me to. Until I''m thrown straight into a solid wall of muscle. I bounce and strong hands keep me from embarrassing myself by falling on my butt in front of all these kids. A sharp intake of Citrus lets me know exactly who saved my dignity. I look up at Cam¡¯s face and give him a small smile. This is only the second one on one contact we¡¯ve had in days and I have to admit, it¡¯s also the first time I have felt any sense of calm since our fight. I shamelessly take another deep inhale of his scent closing my eyes to savor the peace that washes over me. The rumbling chuckle in his chest lets me know the action didn''t go unnoticed. ¡°The feeling is mutual, Tiny, I mean Skr." Every fiber of my being wants to tell him it¡¯s okay to call me by the pet name, but thank the Goddess that my brain is in charge. I just nod and then clear my throat. ¡°Umm, Brandon said he had something to show me." I look down at the boy still attached to my hand, looking up at us,pletely oblivious to the moment that just passed. ¡°Yes! I totally took Alpha Cam down! It was the greatest thing EVER!¡± Brandon has a crazed look, pumping his fists and his whole body is vibrating with excitement. 1 am fighting to hold back my laugh.Original from N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 0157 Chapter 0157 ¡°Oh, really? I would like to see that. It¡¯s not everyday you get achance to beat an Alpha.¡± I giggle and wink at Cam who has an unreadable expression on his face. ¡°Alright little man, it sounds like you want a challenge and I don¡¯t know how I feel about you taking my girl''s attention or holding her hand. I might not y fair now. Brandon''s eyes go wide and he looks at his hand in mine and jumps back like I electrocuted him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Alpha, that¡¯s not what I meant at all. I just wanted Sky to watch, you know, since she¡¯s been teaching us and all, and..." ¡°Brandon, rx, he was just teasing.¡± I try to calm the rambling boy down. Was I though? If I¡¯m not allowed to touch you, no one else is. Cam mindlinks me. My jaw drops open, but Cam just turns around winking at me. ¡°Come on Brandon, let''s show your fearless leader what you can do.¡± Cam walks off with Brandon, and I am speechless. As soon as my brain checks in and I realize I should be moving, a Massive arm wraps around my shoulder. It¡¯s only fair that I get to be close too, even if it¡¯sa minute. Yes I¡¯m jealous that an eight year old was holding your hand and from watching my brother hold you. Dakota mindlinks me, but doesn¡¯t look at me, just propels us forward where Cam and Brandon are setting up to spar. He doesn''t release me like I thought he would though, just leaves his arm loosely draped over my shoulder. ¡°Alright little man, let''s see what you got.¡± Cam taunts Brandon who doesn''t seem phased at all. He¡¯s bouncing around like a heavy weight boxer getting ready to start a fight.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org They get into position and Cam grabs Brandon like they were practicing before, but instead of letting Brandon with the fight quickly, Cam puts more resistance on him and makes it more difficult for Brandon to break the hold. Brando tries the release again and again, finally on the fourth attempt Cam lets him break the hold. ¡°Awe man, that was way harder this time. Did you just go easy on me to make me feel better the first time?¡± Brandon almost looks defeated. I move to go to him and try to help him understand that Cam is making him better this way, but Kota grabs my arm,holding me in ce. ¡°I would never do that to you little man. The first time was to show you how getting out of the hold works, then we keep working on it so the move is in your muscle memory no matter the situation, then as you get better, we make it harder and harder to break so you¡¯re always learning. Besides, I couldn¡¯t let you make me look weak in front of the girls.¡± He winks at Brandon whose smile lights up his whole face, making me smile too. A low rumbling huffes from the other side of the sparring circle. I look up sharply to see Oliver staring daggers at me with a scowl on his face. He rolls his eyes and turns to walk away. He doesn¡¯t get far before we hear, ¡°Oh Goddess there you are! I have been looking for you everywhere. The Luna wasn¡¯t sure where all of you were. Of course you are working with these sweet little pups, it¡¯s so great how you spend your spare time with them. I just wanted to make sure that you boys left on time to get ready to take us to the mating ball. We have to be right on time for the grand entrance. I heard that Alpha Prince Alexander wasing too since he became such good friends with you all during the trial, so we for sure can¡¯t bete.¡± Kaley¡¯s high-pitched tone came at us from the entrance of the arena. She is talking animatedly with her hands like a fairy in a movie. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Sam asksing up next to me. ¡°We have plenty of time, two more training sessions and none of us are taking you anywhere. I know that we all made that perfectly clear. We are going as a group.¡± He points generally to the guys, Sierra and I. ¡°And just to be one hundred percent clear that does not include yourself, Marnie or Jeanie. Please stop trying to force the issue or change our minds.¡± Chapter 0158 Chapter 0158 Kaley¡¯s face went more crimson than I have ever seen it before, but I¡¯m not sure if it was from anger or embarrassment at this going down with an audience. ¡®¡°¡®My father said Cameron and Dakota will be escorting me, Mateo will be escorting Jeanie and Oliver will be escorting Marnie. I have no reason to think otherwise. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. He set everything up and I expect you all to pick us up on time so we can make our entrance properly as the future leaders of this pack.¡± She raises her chin to Sam as if she is giving a command. ¡°T suggest you watch your tone to your future leaders.¡± Oliver emphasizes the word ¡®leaders.¡¯ ¡°Your father is not a leader in any way shape or form, and therefore has no control over us or really anything in this pack. As you have been told on more than enough asions, we are going as a group.¡± He gestures to the guys around the sparring circle again for emphasis. ¡°The future Alphas, Betas, Gammas and Delta. You are none of those things. Do not expect any of us to show up to escort you anywhere. None of us can sense our mate, so this ball is nothing more than an end of year dance and formality for any of us. There is no reason to make such a big deal out of it. If you choose to attend we might see you later.¡± He turns and heads towards the entrance to the arena without a nce back at any of us. I did not miss the plurals of ¡®Beta¡¯ and ¡®Gamma" including Sierra and I by our ranks. My heart stings watching him go, he¡¯s still angry at me for wanting to leave and not listening to his pleas to stay. I take a deep breath and roll my eyes inwardly. He has to let me go. I can''t be stifled here. Before Kaley can say anything else Delta Kylees up and ps his hands. ¡°You all did very well today, we will see you next weekend. Make sure you work on everything that you learned today so you cane back stronger next week. The Luna would like a word with you all so I am going to take the rest of the training for today.¡± He doesn¡¯t even spare Kaley a nce. ¡°Awe man! I was totally going to whoop you this time too.¡± Brandon stomps the ground. ¡®There''s always next time, little man.¡± Cam pats him on the shoulder. I turn out of Dakota¡¯s grasp. ¡°I¡¯m just going to grab my things then I will be on my way, you guys don¡¯t have to wait, I¡¯ll catch up.¡± I head swiftly towards the locker area. I don¡¯t really have anything to grab, I just really don¡¯t want to walk with them. There¡¯s still a huge tension between all of us and I¡¯m not sure how to get past it. I guess I''ll have to figure it out soon if I want to hang out with all of them for the rest of the night though. I fiddle around in the girls locker room for about ten minutes and figure they should be gone by now and if they aren''t I will just have to deal with them walking me to the packhouse. As I go to grab the door ites flying open and the momentum I wasn¡¯t expecting knocks me on my butt. Before I know what is happening I see a fist flying towards my head and then everything goes ck. Chapter 0159 Chapter 0159 Plink Drip. Plink Drip. Plink Drip. Plink Drip. ¡°Ugh.¡± What is that sound? And why does my head hurt so badly? Where am I? I try to open my eyes, but they feel like they are being weighed down by something. I move my eyeballs around behind my eyelids really slowly and then try opening again. This time I get light through just a sliver of an opening in my eyelids, but everything is fuzzy. I blink some more willing something toe into focus. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Plink Drip. Plink Drip. Plink Drip. Plink Drip. I squeeze my eyes shut, which actually hurts, then crack them open again and get enough body awareness to shift my head toward the sound that is like nails on a chalkboard in this otherwise silent space. Finally I can see it. One of the faucets in themunal showers is dripping, I¡¯m still in the locker room. Why was I in the locker room? The obnoxious sound ising from the water hitting the metal soap shelf and then the drain and sending chills up my spine. I slowly move my head back forward, why am I so slow and groggy? Even thinking is hard. I don¡¯t think I am standing, but I don''t think I¡¯m on the floor either. Huh. I can¡¯t see and I don¡¯t think I can move, what can I do? I can smell, maybe. I try to inhale. "Umph, uhh." Sh*t that hurts. My chest is on fire now, for sure broken ribs. I try again more slowly this time, expecting the pain. Blood. All 1 smell is blood. My blood to be exact, and a lot of it. What the f*ck is going on? ¡°It¡¯s about time you stupid weak b*tch. It took far too long for you toe out of that. You weren¡¯t even hit that hard or given that much sedative.¡± A sh of light goes off near me and makes me flinch. I didn¡¯t realize there was anyone here with me. I wonder if my nose is broken, maybe that¡¯s why I can only smell my own blood. Kaley. This cannot be good. I do a physical check while she yammers on about me being weak and useless. Nothing original in her string of insults. I can¡¯t move my toes, but I think I can feel them. My knees hurt which unfortunately is a good and bad sign, I have some sort of use of my legs, but not much. I can¡¯t tell if my shirt is wet or if I am bleeding, maybe both, but something is for sure not right on my torso and I can¡¯t feel my fingers and my shoulders are burning. Probably from being tied up or dragged around, but I don¡¯t have the body control to even look at myself yet. This may be worse than the whipping from a year ago. I try to say something, but it feels like someone dumped a bucket of sand into my mouth and throat and as I flex the muscles in my face I know there must be some spectacr bruising and broken bones. ¡°Don''t bother with your smart*ss remarks. I¡¯m just here to tell you to stay away from the twins, permanently. They are mine and I will not have you getting in the way any longer.¡± A kick to my stomach makes me choke on the little air I can take in. 1 am for sure notying down. ¡°Stop annoying them.¡± Kick to my side. ¡°Stop distracting them.¡± Kick to my other side. At least two people are helping her. ¡°And stop trying to force yourself on them.¡± p. A warm sensation flows down my lips. ¡°They. Are. Mine.¡± I try to focus on where I hear her voice. She isn¡¯t close enough to be the one inflicting my torture. Punch. This one right across my face including the broken cheekbone. I think lost a tooth with that one. ¡°UGH! Watch where you are flicking her nasty skank blood. I have to be presentable for Cameron and Dakota at the mating ball. I¡¯m tired of you getting attention you don¡¯t deserve.¡± Punch. ¡°Having ess and time with the Alpha and Luna that should be mine.¡± Kick. ¡°You should not be the favorite, you worthless spare beta, I should be. They are all just taking pity on you since not even your dad wants you.¡± p. ¡°Get it through your head now. I. Will. Be. Luna. And there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop me.¡± A sharp pain pierces my thigh. I felt it again and again in both legs and then dragged up my arms. I can barely breathe, I can¡¯t scream, the searing pain is so bad I want to throw up, just like when... When she used the silver powder on me. Oh sh*t, she¡¯s going to really kill me this time. Chapter 0160 Chapter 0160 I can¡¯t call for help, or even beg her to stop, I am weak. I would beg for her to stop if I could. I can¡¯t feel my wolf because of the silver and whatever else has me disoriented. I just keep shouting in my head hoping someone can hear my stifled cry for help. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. I don¡¯t focus on one person, I shout out to the whole pack, praying someone can hear me. Maybe Oliver and the twins can feel my agony, anything to stop this. But, maybe they can¡¯t since there is wolfsbane blocking my connection. Maybe my wolf is the only connection I have to them. Maybe she¡¯s the reason we connect with them. It¡¯s not because of me. I am still just the unwanted spare. I can hear muffled conversation around me, but I can¡¯t make anything out through the blinding pain. My head is whipped back and someone has a firm grip on my hair. My body makes an involuntary noise of agony. I still can¡¯t see anyone, but I can feel several of the tiny baby hairs pulling from my scalp, making my eyes water. Then the unmistakable sound of scissors cutting slowly, deliberately slowly. Snip, snip, snip, snip, before my head falls forward unexpectedly lighter, and freshly cut short, loose strands fall into my eyes and poke at my face. She cut off my hair. What is wrong with her? I¡¯m already beaten to the point of not being recognizable. ¡°There, now even when you heal, you will look terrible and none of the guys will want to look at you or to be seen with you. Make sure she¡¯s out until after the ball is over, preferably for a day or two. That should give me plenty of time with the Alphas. And if I see you anywhere near them after this, Skank, I will make sure you don¡¯t survive the next round. There are plenty of wolves willing to help me get rid of worthless trash like you.¡± The unmistakable sound of heels clicking on the tile floor of the locker room retreated behind me. Punches and kicks rain all over my body again. A few more to my face tell me this is probably why I can¡¯t see, my eyes are swollen and almost shut. I just keep chanting ¡®please help me¡± in my head over and over again as my cries of pain go ignored. I can¡¯t move my arms or legs. Maybe I''m bound, maybe they''re broken, who knows. I knew that there was a target on my back when the guys said they were taking Sierra and I to this stupid ball and hanging out with us, but I didn¡¯t think this was going to be the result. I hope Sierra isn¡¯t locked somewhere going through the same torture. I can feel the warm stream of tears running down my deformed face. I can¡¯t believe this is how I am going to leave this world, there¡¯s no way I will make it to a next time. Drugged and beaten in the locker room of my favorite ce. The arena, my true home. The ce that allowed me to feel normal and a part of this pack, with a purpose. This is where I am going to take myst breath. I guess it could be worse. I am home. I just wish I would have been able to fight for my life, not trussed up like a pig for sl*ughter. The light is starting to fade and it has gotten more quiet, but maybe I just can¡¯t hear anymore. I¡¯m making out less and less colors in front of me. I didn¡¯t even get to say goodbye to the kids, that would have been nice. And Brandon really wanted to show off with Cam. I bet it would have been really cute watching him go up against the future Alpha again, so serious and determined he could win. And Cam would have yed along, even just for a bit. Dakota would have been standing by to give Brandon pointers on how to beat his brother. I can picture the sparkle in his eye. Sam would have been talking smack to Cam about having to go up against a kid to look good and Mateo and Oliver would be standing watch to make sure nothing went wrong. Always the protectors. Chapter 0161 Chapter 0161 I wish I would have been able to see Oliver¡¯s smile one more time. I hate that myst thought of him is going to be that moody scowl of his walking away from me angry. My brother finally got to see the real me and was proud. I wish I could have been more for him. Stronger, by his side. Not weak, needing his protection all of the time. I take a deep, slow breath, it hurts so bad. I guess I really don¡¯t need to anymore do I? Breathing makes my whole chest sear right now. It really would just be better to stop. I¡¯m so tired. BANG! It''s so noisy. What happened to the quiet crushing me? Can¡¯t I just die in peace? Firms hands. My head is floppy. I don¡¯t like all the moving, it hurts so bad. But my mouth won''t say anything. What¡¯s happening? My whole body is throbbing. I think someone is talking, but it sounds like we¡¯re under water. ¡°Oh...Don¡¯t. Wake Up. Keep... Open." What? Don¡¯t do what? Keep what open? I can¡¯t open anything. I¡¯m so confused, is someone talking to me? I just want to die in peace. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Breathe, Skr! I need you to open your eyes sweetheart. Let me know you can hear me. I know it¡¯s hard, there¡¯s a lot of silver and wolfsbane in your system, but I need you to keep fighting it.¡± I know that voice, it¡¯s deep and stern, butforting. Who¡¯s voice is that? Why do they want me to fight? I just want to go to the Moon Goddess in peace. ¡°Mmmm.¡± It¡¯s all I can manage and my eyelids don''t want to move from this kind of open position. ¡°She¡¯s still with us! We have to move fast. Sky try and stay with me, keep trying to talk to me." ¡°Who y..?¡± I think that was a whole thought, did I say it or think it? My mouth is swollen and puffy. I think I am floating now, cold air hits my skin and a breeze is blowing over me, cooling me down. I didn¡¯t know I was hot until right this second. ¡°Mmm hod." ¡°Your body is trying to burn off the silver in your bloodstream. Don''t worry we¡¯ll get you fixed up. You were right, it is her, she was left to die down there, but why? There was no scent but hers and there¡¯s no way only one person pulled this off in the time they had to get to her.¡± I still can¡¯t ce that deep voice, but I should knowit. It¡¯s familiar and makes me feel safe. I don¡¯t want to feel safe though. My head starts to hurt, like a blinding migraineing on. I groan out the pain, but my body can''t move to curl in on itself or wrap my arms over my head to try and soothe it. Iampletely numb, but everything hurts at the same time. A squeal of pain leaves my lips and I can feel tears fall down my deformed face. ¡°T know, I¡¯m sorry." ¡°Let me die.¡± I whisper. ¡°Never.¡± A growles out. This time the voice that was soforting was scary, menacing. The next thing I know is darkness. Chapter 0162 The End of Act 1 Chapter 0162 The End of Act 1 I''m sorry for the cliffhanger...Kind of ;) I am currently editing and scheduling out Act 2 chapters. The goal is to have no gap in time for publishing, but I also want to make sure the quality and story get told in the best possible way. Thank you for all who have stayed with me up to this point, it has been an incredible journey. This is the first time I am not writing from a contest prompt, but from my own imagination. These chapters are also far more dense than anything I have written before. I am not a professional writer, but I have enjoyed studying the craft as I develop this book and get more confident each day. The story has been broken down into three main parts following Skr''s life: Act 1 - Skr''s early life experiences Act 2 - Skr''s evolution once she leaves her pack for the first time. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Act 3 - Coming home, Skr as a woman returning to a life she left as a child. For any writers out there reading through with me. Please give me any and all feedback that you have. I love to learn and grow as I go through this process. For avid readers, please let me know how I can enhance the experience. I have an inspiration board on P*******t and a ylist on Spotify. If I can get my life organized enough to get ahead. I will post links to enhance the experience and you can see where my crazy brain is at. :D I have also started a F* group for discussions.@MissLWrites It is easier for me to interact there than here. Chapter 0163 Act 2-1 Chapter 0163 Act 2-1 I blink away the crap gluing my eyes shut. Then take a slow look around trying not to move much. I am really getting tired of waking up feeling like I got hit by a truck and not recognizing where I¡¯m at. This has be an all too familiar situation and it¡¯s pissing me off. ¡°You¡¯re awake Little One. It¡¯s nice to see you moving around again. You gave everyone quite a scare. You don¡¯t seem to do anything halfway though, do you?¡± I tilt my head sideways on the scratchy pillow. ¡°Where am I this time? And why does it hurt to talk?¡± That hurt far more than it should have. I must be really messed up. I blink over at Warrior Osiston standing next to a door that, I assume, leads to the hallway. I take a good look around and assess my situation, my eyes seeming to be the only thing that work without pain, still moving slowly through the stiffness. I¡¯m covered in IV¡¯s and wires, but none of the awful beeping sounds areing from the machines. ¡°I turned all the damn sounds off.¡± Osiston says, noticing where my focus is. ¡°Eight days of that sh*t is torture in itself. Speaking of torture, when you regain the full ability to speak, I want to know who put their hands on you.¡± The absolute menace in his voice made me gulp. He was terrifying without trying, this was a whole new side for me. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. ¡°I¡­I¡­d-d-don¡± ¡°If you finish that lie I will have Doc Sylvia dose you with something that will help you loosen your tongue. I prefer you just tell me the truth though.¡± I took a deep breath, deciding what I was going to do. He was going to get the answers he wanted whether I was willing to give them or not. Which made me angry. I let the anger melt away the pain in my face and stared him in the eyes, challenging his authority openly. ¡°You want the truth? The truth is, I have had a bully for far too long.¡± I take a second to scootch up in my bed and clear my throat then carefully grab a water cup that is next to my bed. I take small slow sips, my teeth hurt and moving my jaw reminds me how many hits I took to the face. Osiston just waits. ¡°The story is long and painful, I don¡¯t really want to go into it, but my bully is rarely the one who puts her hands on me or anyone else. She has people for that. She directs her ¡®punishments¡¯ and supervises to make sure they are carried out. As for this time, I didn¡¯t see who tortured me and they broke my nose early so there wasn¡¯t a way for me to catch their scent. She did speak to me though and informed me that ¡®I will stay away from the twins permanently, they are hers and I am just in the way.¡¯ As for her, no one believed me when I brought it up originally, it¡¯s been going on for years, it¡¯s allowed behavior that actually gets rewarded when I get punished based on the maniptive lies she tells. She preys on the weak and I tend to step in, no one should have to go through this, especially innocent children. I won¡¯t allow it. So that is all the information you will be getting on that subject. Next question?¡± I continue to look him dead in the eyes. ¡°The scars on your back. They are not from this round of torture. Was this done by the same ¡®she¡¯ you were speaking of? When was this?¡± I take in a deep breath struggling not to wince at the pain in my ribs and let it out slowly, trying to rid myself of my irritation. I choose to ignore his question and ask one of my own. He didn¡¯t answer me when I woke up and I want to know who is waiting beyond that door. I take another slow drink to stall for time. I don¡¯t recognize this room, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything, I never stayed long in the pack hospital the few times I did actually go and I was usually too angry or disoriented to pay much attention when I was leaving. ¡°How about an answer for an answer? I answered your question, I have some too. Where am I and why are you guarding me? Has it really been eight days?¡± I try to keep my face neutral and as nk as his. Chapter 0164 Chapter 0164 ¡°That is three questions, but I will let it slide due to mental exhaustion. You are in the hospital of the Royal Pack. It was decided that this would be the best ce for your healing. I turned the sound of the machines off eight days ago, you have been here for 14. Your turn.¡± He raises an eyebrow at me. My eyes go wide, two weeks, my injuries were so bad I was out for two weeks? This is going to be a long ass interview if I have to work this hard to get basic answers out of him. And I didn¡¯t miss the omission of him guarding me. ¡°Both sets of scars are from an interaction with her, but I don¡¯t think she did the whipping herself. The silver powder on the second set, I believe, she did herself. I have no proof and was strung up in a way that I could not see anyone behind me. I only knew her from her voice, I could not detect any scents. Not even hers and my nose wasn¡¯t broken that time. Your turn. Who decided this was the best ce for me?¡± ¡°Several people were involved in that decision. You were going toe to us eventually and given the situation, it was deemed necessary for you toe sooner than nned. Your turn.¡± ¡°You know that isn''t a real answer to my question right?¡± ¡°And yet, still an answer.¡± His face does not change from the emotionless mask he¡¯s had the whole time we¡¯ve been talking. I sigh again. ¡°You are giving me a headache.¡± He lets out a huff that might be considered augh. ¡°What happens now? I am technically too young to do warrior training, I still have a couple years left of school. What has everyone else decided is best for me?¡± I let my irritation show. ¡°That is three questions in a row. It is my turn to ask a question, Little One.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± I groan and roll my eyes. He raises his eyebrows at me. ¡°Fine, shoot.¡± ¡°If Doc Sylvia can get rid of your scars, would you want her to?¡± I still for a moment and then shift ufortably in bed, looking down at my hands folded in myp. I¡¯m sore, but not nearly as much as I should be after that beating. I guess that makes sense if I¡¯ve been unconscious for 14 days though. Do I want to get rid of Kaley¡¯s daily reminders that she thinks I¡¯m worthless and just someone in the way? Proof that the truth doesn¡¯t always win out and really ambitious and resourceful people can get away with multiple attempts at m*rder. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never thought about that. Scars are just something that stay with you forever. I do know that sometimes the ones that have silver in them will open up if I take a hit too hard, like they are fresh. I never understood that, they are a year old now, they shouldn¡¯t still open up, but maybe that¡¯s the silver, maybe I am too weak to heal from them properly. They are a reminder of one of the worst situations of my life, but at the same time, I am still here with them so they also show that I survived. I don¡¯t know if I want them to go away, but I would love for them to not be a weakness.¡± I look him straight in the eye. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Spoken like a true warrior.¡± He nods. ¡°As for what happens next, it is actually up to you in a way. You will not go back home, that is not an option. But, you may join our school here and finish out your high school career, then join the warrior training, but I think that might be a little too mundane for you, Little One. That is what is expected of you by the people who truly care about you. Warrior to warrior my suggestion is join the Warrior training while you take sses. We will make sure your schedule allows for it. Looking at your transcripts, which took far too long to get urate reports on you by the way, you only need about 5 credits to graduate high school. Something you could probably aplish this summer. I would allow you to join the warrior training in a limited capacity, as you said you are too young for some of what we do. You will not receive the official Elite Warrior brand, which I will exinter when it applies to you, and you will not be allowed to go on missions until you are at least 16, but you can get a head start on what it is we do here and get out of whatever box you seem to have been ced in by people who think they know what¡¯s best for you.¡± Chapter 0165 Chapter 0165 ¡°That sounds like my best option. Going home would just cause more problems and I have nowhere else to go. And I am done with most of my school credits. It would be a waste of time to have to sit through sses when I could be doing something more productive.¡± I try really hard to hide my excitement, but I don¡¯t know how well I do. ¡°You will be held to the same standard as all the Elite Warriors. While you are in training, no contact with anyone outside the training program while you are here. We have designated family visits, but you are bound by the Alpha King to secrecy of the details of our program.¡± ¡°I understand. Speaking of family. Does my brother know I am here?¡± C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°He has been brought up to speed on your current situation and is aware of your living arrangements.¡± I just nod my head. ¡®Up to speed on my current situation¡¯ means he knows how bad this beating was and probably agreed to send me here. ¡°I know you have some more questions for me, but Doc Sylvia and Doc Ganon would like toe in and check on you now that you are awake. We can continue talking if you don¡¯t mind additional ears.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, there isn¡¯t much point in hiding now.¡± I barely got the words out when the door opens and I about jump out of my bed. If Osiston hadn¡¯t told me her name I would have thought it was Sierraing to see me. ¡°Oh my dear, I am so d to see those beautiful eyes! Sierra has been so worried, she will be so excited to hear that you are finally awake. Now we are going to be running lots of tests on you. There are so many fascinating things that I want to know. Please don¡¯t think that I am trying to pry but someone your age should not have been able to withstand the levels of torture that you have undergone. I can¡¯t wait to see what makes you tick.¡± She is practically jumping up and down and I don¡¯t know if I should be more intrigued or scared of her excitement of my many levels of tortuous adventures. ¡°Sylvia, settle down, you are going to give the poor girl a heart attack. I am sorry for my mate, she loves studying remarkable things and you dear girl are nothing short of remarkable. I am Doctor Ganon Malcia and this is my mate Doctor Sylvia Malcia, we are Sierra parents, if you didn¡¯t figure that out already. Since we¡¯re both here, everyone just calls us Doc Sylvia and Doc Ganon.¡± I nod and look between them. ¡°Nice to meet you. Can I see Sierra? Is she here?¡± It would be nice to see a familiar face so far from home while I am apparently being turned into ab rat. ¡°Now that you are awake, I think we can arrange something. I would like to take some more samples. Some of your wounds are in various stages of healing and you were given quite the cocktail of sedatives. I have a few theories, but I need to run a few more tests before I can make any clear hypothesis. Do you mind?¡± Doc Sylvia holds out a few test tubes in her hand. ¡°Also, have you talked to your wolf yet? I have a few questions for her too, when shees back around.¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t heard from her. Not since the attack, whatever they gave me cut off our connection. Right now this is the only useful thing I can do and it can¡¯t hurt more than what happened to me, have at it.¡± I shrug. ¡°I would like some samples from the scarring on your back too if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Doc Ganon asks and I just nod. ¡°Hopefully we will have answers for you soon. And we will talk to Alpha King Reggie and Warrior Brogen about letting Sierra visit.¡± I nod again and just let them get on with their sample taking. Doc Ganon gives me a warm smile and Doc Sylvia gives me a gentle hug before they go. Chapter 0166 Chapter 0166 ¡°We will be taking samples every hour until your wolf reappears and we will send up some food. I¡¯m sure your body could do with more than the nutrients we are giving you through your IV. When you are ready we will also send up a hairdresser to fix the butcher¡¯s job they did on those beautiful blonde locks.¡± Doc Ganon says with a smile that is so like Sierra¡¯s knowing look. I give asmall smile back. The muscles in my face are still sore, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s from the beating orck of use. Ipletely forgot about Kaley cutting off my hair. I can only imagine what I look like right now. It¡¯s going to be strange to not have my waist length hair. I reach up and run my hands through the jagged locks and I want to cry, but I won¡¯t. Even if she can¡¯t see me, I won¡¯t give Kaley the satisfaction of having me cry over my looks. That is something she believes makes you important, and I couldn''t agree less. My hair will grow back, this is not a big thing. Deep breath, I made it to the Royal Pack and Elite Warrior training. I look over to Warrior Osiston while Doc Sylvia and Doc Ganon do their thing. ¡°So back to my questions, when can I get out of here and get back to school and start training?¡± I¡¯m not beating around the bush any more. He said I can train and finish school at the same time, so that is exactly what I am going to do. I need to focus on moving forward with my life, not dwell on past things I can¡¯t change. ¡°As soon as the docs clear you to leave the hospital, which I assume will involve you connecting with your wolf again, we will move you to a room on the training property. Will you ever tell me the whole truth about your enemy?" ¡°Probably not. It¡¯s not worth talking about her over and over and over again. I didn¡¯t choose to be her target at first, but I also wasn¡¯t going to stand by and let her beat on younger kids just because it made her feel better. I chose my ce between her and them. She will get her karma eventually and I hope I am around to see it, but other than that, she¡¯s not worth the mental space. Can you tell me more about what I can expect out of Elite training?¡± : We went on like that for a really long time. Doc Ganon chuckled at my more bold questions and Doc Sylvia patted my arm when they had to ask about more personal things surrounding my injuries. My food came and it was actually really delicious. I was given a burger, fruit, veggies, chips, three different vors of water and then my choice of dessert. Definitely not what I expected hospital food to be like. My throat was a little sore, but 1 wasn''t going to let that get in the way of a full meal. Warrior Osiston left me for an hour so I could get up and shower off the two weeks of grime that had developed on my body. I''ve never enjoyed showering as much as ! did then. ] kept trying to communicate with my wolf. I wanted to talk to her so badly and see if she remembered anything from my attack. but I also really wanted to talk to her so we could get out of this hospital and get on with our lives. We are finally free and I can''t help but think that the sooner I get started the better my life will be. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. The docs were not kidding when they said they were going toe take samples every hour until I got my wolf back It actually became kind of a fun game to see if I could predict when they would come into my room. Doc Sylvia always had some little anecdote about Sierra when she was little, and Doc Gannon was always very professional and a little uptight, but not in a bad way, just like his sense of humor was something only another scientist would understand. Over the next few days we followed the same routine. I did get to learn about their adventure, as they called it, which is the reason they sent Sierra to my pack. They were overseas looking into a rare herb that they thought was included in a poison that was given to and wiped out a pack not far from here. The herb they studied ended up not being what they thought it was but they discovered more Alchemy with a coven of witches that they met over there. They decided to extend their trip which is why Sierra was able to stay the whole year with me and had been nning to stay part of the summer. They would have stayed but the Alpha King called them back on an emergency case. I assume that was me. Which made me feel bad, it sounds like they were on the verge of learning and discovering something new and he brought them back to tend to my battle wounds. Chapter 0167 Chapter 0167 When I apologized for being a burden and the reason their trip was cut short, Doc Ganon put a firm stop to it. ¡°You have nothing to apologize for." ¡°My dear, you are not a burden, do not apologize. You are one of the most fascinating cases we have ever had. We wouldn¡¯t miss being a part of your journey for anything.¡± Doc Sylvia says with that hint of manic excitement I havee to associate with her. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. How is tending to my attack injuries fascinating? I''m sure you see stuff like this all the time with the Elite Warriors." ¡°You really don¡¯t know what happened to you or how special you are, do you?¡± Doc Sylvia asks over my shoulder, taking another sample from my back scar. ¡°There is nothing special about being held down and beat into unconsciousness." ¡°Is that what you think happened to you? If that was the case you would have died long before anyone ever found you." ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± I look at Doc Ganon who Is taking his fourth test tube of blood from me. ¡°The amount of wolfbane, silver and poison we found in your system should have killed you almost instantly. Not to mention the amount of physical abuse your body took on top of that. Your body and mind arepletely intact as if you just have a few minor bruises from everyday training. Not to mention the extent of your previous attacks.¡± Doc Ganon says as if that ismon knowledge. ¡°Your body dispelled most of the poison within a few hours of your attack. The only reason we know how much was there originally was from samples we took from your clothes. Either your attackers had no idea what they were doing and just gave you a bunch of things to weaken you or they were testing you to see how much your body could take.¡± Doc Sylvia finishes his thought. Doc Sylvia did take advantage of when I tooka shower. She came in to assess all of my wounds before I got fully dressed. Some of them needed stitches and she wanted to make sure that I didn''t pull anything with all of the moving around I have been attempting in the small space of my room. I am beginning to get antsy being stuck inside, especially when I found out how long I was out. So I have been stretching as much as my body will allow and doing some light workout movements. It''s hard being attached to so many machines, but I had to do something. Neither of the Docs or Warrior Osiston have made an attempt at stopping me, so I assume everything I am doing is alright or someone would have tried to stop me by now. She wanted an unobstructed view of all my scars and wounds without the hospital gown being in the way. She did exin to me what some of my injuries look like and how soon she thought I would be able to leave. She also alluded to having an idea for the reason that the scars that had the silver are healing differently than every other injury. She said it¡¯s sti theory and she doesn¡¯t want to change the results if it has something to do with the way I view the injury so she isn¡¯t going to exin it to me yet, but soon, whatever that means. Which left me thinking that more happened to me than even I know, and maybe I don''t want to know. I get the feeling that there are things about my situation she wants to tell me, but she isn¡¯t sure and she is using her ¡®skewed results¡¯ line to keep me from asking too many questions. Maybe she''s not allowed to tell me, and her theories and assumptions are not something that are to be said out loudProperty belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. until she has proof. But that might just be who she is. She doesn''t want to give me any false hopes or false fears based on her theories. It also took some convincing but she did allow me to put ona pair of shorts and a t-shirt as long as she was able to cut it up the back and safety pin it together. It made me a little bit morefortable with Dr Ganon and Warrior Osistoning and going. I''m bing more and morefortable showing off my scars and injuries to people though, not like I have a choice here. Doc Sylvia and Doc Ganon both seem to find all of my injuries and my scars very intriguing. They take lots of notes and discuss over their mindlink what their theories are. It''s a little weird to be comfortable in my skin. Chapter 0168 Chapter 0168 I did not get to see Sierra for two more days. The doctors wanted all of the silver and the wolfsbane out of my system. they still wouldn''t tell me what else was in the ¡®cocktail,¡¯ but I assume it''s other types of poisons or sedatives because of the way that my body reacted to them. They also took out most of the wires and monitors when I was able to eat and put ona couple pounds, which made moving better. I thought I was going to cry when Sierra walked through my door and I had a pang of guilt when my instincts made me look behind her to see if the guys were there too. I didn''t realize how much I missed them all. Sierra told me that the guys are all here at the Royal Pack doing their training. She''s not allowed to speak to them either, which makes me feel a little better. I thought I was being kept from them because of something Kaley might have said or because they were mad at me for leaving. They need to stay focused on their work with the other ranked leaders in their training. But if they are allowed to leave theirpound, she said they''re going to try toe and see her and possibly me. Which leads me to believe they all know that I''m here with them. I don''t know if I am more excited or scared of the idea of theming to see me right now. I''m not ready to talk to them about the night of the attack and I don¡¯t know what they know or were told. Sierra doesn''t say much about the night of my attack, she avoids it whenever I ask questions. So I don''t know if she doesn''t know, if she''s not allowed to say, or if it was so traumatic that she just does not want to talk about it.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. She is very interested in me getting to start my Elite Training early though and we spend a lot of time specting about what will happen when I do. She asked if I would get to take sses with her or if my training and sses would all be done on the elitepound. I made a mental note to ask Warrior Osiston about that. She also helped me figure out what I am going to do with my new shoulder length hair. It wasn''t as bad as I had originally thought, but this is her department and it brought me a sense of normalcy to have her ying with my hair and talking about all the different ways I could wear it. I did not mention that I would never be able to do anything she suggested on my own and I would probably just go with my standard ponytail. Speaking of the warrior he has tantly stopped answering my questions about training at this point. He said everything that I will need to know will be taught in training and I don''t get to know anything before I have been released from the hospital. I think he''s purposely trying to frustrate me. It took another full week before my wolf started to wake up. I could feel her stirring in the back of my mind but I couldn''t hear her talk to me if she was trying to and I don¡¯t know if she could hear me but I could feel her which gave me hope and Doc Sylvia was very excited. When I told her she ran into the room with a notepad, out of the room, back into the room with the notepad and her pen, back out of the room, back into the room with a vial to take a blood sample and then right back out of the room again. Her antics made meugh, at least I know where Sierra gets it from, the excitement is almost contagious. She might have been more excited than I was. Chapter 0169 Chapter 0169 The first time I heard my wolf sinceing to the hospital made me almost fall out of my bed. Oh my sweet girl, there you are, I''ve been trying to talk to you for days. I was lost in a kind of foggy haze for a really long time. I''m not really sure what happened. We were attacked. That''s what happened. Kaley got to us right before the Mating Ball. How much do you remember before you disappeared? I remember being in the locker room and you were being chickensh*t about going to this dance with the boys, and I remember heading towards the door. That''s thest thing that I remember. Did you scent anyone before you disappeared? You don''t remember detecting anybodying anywhere near us? That''s one thing that we are really good at and I can¡¯t figure out how we missed it. Neither of us had any warning. No, I didn''t scent anyoneing near us. That''s why I was taken off guard. That''s what I figured. Doc Sylvia is going to have a field day with that information. Somehow somebody has been moving around our pack masking their scent. I think that''s how the first threat was able to leave those Luna¡¯s fingers and nobody was able to figure out who it was. And I think that''s what happened every time I got jumped in the hallway, I never saw iting. I never thought of it until now but that''s the only way that I would have been attacked and not been able to at least react. I think you''re right my dear girl, you''re going to have to fill me in on what has been going on for the last... how long have I been out? I filled my wolf in on everything that had happened since the day in the locker room. I can''t believe it''s been almost a month already. She was appalled by what had happened to us and the few things that I can remember. She is very amused by Sierra¡¯s parents and keeps trying to push me to talk more about Kaley and everything that has happened with them, saying they would understand and just listen. She also said it would help them with healing me to know all the details of all of my attacks. I wasn¡¯t buying it and told her the same thing I told Warrior Osiston, Kaley isn¡¯t worth the irritation of bringing her up over and over again. Warrior Osiston and Alpha King Reggie both came in to talk to me two days after she came back and started having conversations with me about what happens next. "Little One, you certainly know how to put on a show, I know you wanted to be in the Elite Warrior training. I just didn''t know how badly you really wanted it." N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. Alpha King Reggie tries to make a joke. I could only give him a half smile, it¡¯s still too soon for any of that. ¡°I''ll keep that in mind for next time.¡° I smile at him. ¡°Are you up for a little tour? I would love to show you around this portion of my territory before we get you settled into the trainingpound. Then you will be starting training immediately tomorrow morning." "I would love that! I can''t wait to get started. being locked up in this little tiny room for 3 weeks has been torture!¡± | sit up excitedly. ¡°You have a long list of things that qualify as torture, Little One." ¡°I think that joke might be a little too soon, Warrior Brogen.¡± Alpha Reggie tries to scold him, even though he made his own joke not a minute ago. | ¡°Well she''s going to have to get used to it, those kinds of jokes are never going to go away and she''s going to get sick of them very quickly! None of our warriors are going to give you any ck because you are younger, and they have been made aware of the basics of your particr situation. Just be ready." ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Oh, goody, I am already the freak of the warriors, this should be interesting. Doc Sylvia got me all checked out and told me she would be dropping by the trainingpound to check in on me and to continue to take samples as | get stronger. I didn¡¯t have many belongings since they cut off all my clothes to tend to my injures. I packed up the few outfits Sierra had brought me ina small bag and followed Alpha Reggie and Warrior Osiston out of the hospital. The Alpha King¡¯s territory was amazing. The minute we walked out of the hospital it was like stepping into an old time fantasy wondend. I didn''t even imagine this when he was describing it to me when we were talking about all of the different ways to protect his pack. Chapter 0170 Chapter 0170 The inside of the hospital was just like any moderm- day hospital, full of bright fluorescent lights, white walls and white tile. Everything was clean and modern and had that disinfectant smell. But when you stepped outside the entire exterior was a dark gray brick with wood framing the windows and the top had turrets like in an old English country manor home. There were nter boxes full of different types of flowers and vining leaves ced along the border of the building. The walkway was gravel not paved and everything was manicured to perfection. N?velDrama.Org owns ? this. The mountain air smelled clean and I could feel my energy lift just from being outside, having the sun on my body and this view is breathtaking. My wolf agreed, training here is going to be amazing. We walked just along the path to the right of the hospital entrance, and from this vantage point I could see a majority of the territory. The hospital was set near the base of the mountain, but still higher than most of the other buildings I could see. It was not built into the mountain like the King¡¯s castle though. My eyes bugged out of my head and my jaw hit the floor. This is the most beautiful ce that I''ve ever seen. Off in the distance to the left was the Alpha King''s Castle. There were severalyers of white and light gray stone built up into the side of the mountain. It looks like they''ve addedyers and floors over time and the hodgepodge doesn''t make it look clunky or bad at all; it''s actually majestic and very peaceful, like the mountain grew the castle out of its side. Further to the right of the castle is theke that they mentioned with a massive waterfall that I could hear from here. No wonder that was something they talked about being a security risk. I couldn''t wait to get free time to go swim in thatke. Just beyond that, you can see the extent of the massive forest. Every now and then you could see little pirs of smoke, as if somebody had a firece or a fire pit going. Even from this high up, you couldn''t tell where the little clearings were that they described to me back at Alpha Lucas''s pool party. It was a very well set up, well thought out n. You can see how vast the territory is, but with the trees dispersed the way they are you wouldn¡¯t know where people, houses or important buildings are concentrated. It forces an enemy to enter the territory to do any kind of recon. I''m going to have a lot of fun exploring this territory. We walked around to the right of the hospital and a path took us down a sloped hill on the southwestern side of the territory and into some dense evergreen trees. It got so thick at one point, that we would not have been able to see had we not had our werewolf site. After walking about 30 minutes we finally came across what I can only describe as the biggest house I have ever seen in my whole life. It¡¯s bigger than the packhouse back home. : ¡°Wee to the Elite Trainingpound, Little One.¡± Warrior Osiston says over his shoulder, giving me a small sideways nce. ¡°This is where I get to train? There''s no way this is a trainingpound! It looks more like a country club on steroids." Alpha King Reggie just chuckles under his breath then looks at me. ¡°Don¡¯t let the exterior fool you, our warriors take their training very seriously." ¡°Oh, I believe you. I remember the way some of them hit.¡± I wince and roll my shoulders remembering being thrown like a ragdoll, by a female not much bigger than me. ¡°I think I actually expected more minimalist wood barracks, that¡¯s all.¡± They both shared a look and a smile, then headed on forward without another word. The enormous white stone building is clean and pristine. The roof and shutters were ck and looked brand new, nothing was out of ce. Osiston led us up the u-shaped gravel drive, under a covered walkway held up by two massive columns and led us through heavy looking, carved wood double doors that had to be at least 20 ft tall that stood in the direct center of the building. Walking into the entryway I was no less stunned, on either side of me were two grand staircases leading up to the second floor and off to I assume where rooms or offices would be. We bypassed the stairs and headed straight forward into a massive living room. Just like in the packhouse back home, the back wall was a Wall of windows overlooking the backside of the property. The only thing hindering the view is a massive firece that I could probably stand inside and not have to duck and fit four of me side by side. The sitting area facing the firece is made up of fiverge couches that even Alpha Prince Xander could probablyy onfortably. They were made with extrarge warrior¡¯sfort in mind. Chapter 171 Chapter 171 Chapter 0171 We walk to the left of the living room and into one of my favorite ces, the kitchen. Just like the kitchen at Blue Crescent, there were multiple gas cooktops and at least six ovens, four refrigerators that I could see, and 11m sure there''s a pantry probably as big as my bedroom hidden in here somewhere. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. "What do you thinkso far, Little One? Do you think you could handle living here?" Alpha Reggie asks, like I might be disappointed in something. "Are you kidding?! This ce is amazing and I''ve only seen the living room and the kitchen! This is actually where you guys train and live?" I can''t help letting my excitement show. "Our warriors spend a lot of time out on the property doing practical training within the territory or out on missions. So when they doe back to ourpound, we like to make sure that our warriors are veryfortable. They don''t get a lot of downtime but when they do we like to take care of them." He lets out a little chuckle. "What else is here?" ''Well my dear, let me show you to your room and then I will let Warrior Osiston give you the rest of the Grand Tour. "Oh! 11m so sorry Alpha Reggie, I didn''t realize I was interrupting your day. You didn''t have to stay with me so long." It didn''t even ur to me that he probably has pack business to attend to, instead of babysitting me. "No, no, none of that child. I wanted to see your reaction to your new living space. But, as I do not live here, I am not the best one to give you the tour itself. I did want to talk to you a little bit before you got too deep into your admiration for our Warrior facilities, though." He smiles a genuine smile at me, that proud dad look, like he got confirmation he did a good job. "Okay then, let''s go. I didn''t want to take any more time from his busy schedule than I already had. We walked to a set Of stairs that is hidden on the far side of the kitchen and headed straight up. "Just so you know this end of the dorms is for females. The other side is for males. Once you have your Elite Warrior brand it won''t really matter as all of those male and female hormones will be suppressed, your orientation ss will exin how all of that works. The separation is more for thefort level of all involved. Before getting here, not everyone is as ustomed to being underdressed in front of the opposite sex. That is not to say that males will note to this side or you cannot go to theirs. It is just the best way to organize everyone." I nod my head in understanding. We eventually all getfortable being in various states of undress the morefortable we are with shifting. You just kind of have to be really. I only shied away from it because of my injuries. I didn''t want people asking too many questions. I follow Osiston down the hallway, Alpha Reggie behind me. "Each of our Warriors has their own room. We do not force you to share with somebody that you may or may not get along with. Unfortunately, the warrior brand does not hinder your personality and not everyone will always get along. All of our Warriors are highlypetitive and some tend to take winning and losing very seriously, while others see it more as a game and for fun. You''ll figure out who the hotheads are and who is moreid back pretty quickly." Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Chapter 0172 We walk past a few doors in the gray and white hallway. Stopping at a room near the middle. Osiston opens the door and motions for me to enter. "Everything has been provided for you, since none of your personal effects were brought from your pack If there is anything that you need please let your floor leader know and she will make sure that you get everything that might be missing. We will introduce you to her a littleter, she''s out on a training mission now. My room is about as I expected from what I''ve seen in the pack so far. The walls are bright white the trim is ck which I did not know that I would like but it actually suits the room very well_ The bed is a queen size bed with veryfortable light blue linens andforter. There''s a desk in the corner that has a stack of books and supplies that I assume are for school, and a door to either the bathroom or closet but I''m not really sure yet. It''s elegant, but simple. Only practical things are here, but what is here is top of the line and designed forfort. "You will share a bathroom with the rest of your floor mates." It''s like he can read my mind. "There are shower stalls and toilets and all of those amenities there. We have Omegas whoe in and clean every single day. Please be respectful with all of your belongings and help them take care of the space. They are here to make sure the Compound is well kept, not to clean up after sloppywarriors. You aren''t assigned a time for hygiene, but there are a lot of you, so keep that in mind and be respectful of your floor mates. "Yes sir." "All right Skyler, grab a seat. Alpha Reggie motions toward my bed and I sit on the cushyforter. "1 know you''ve been talking to Warrior Osiston over thest few weeks and you ''ve given very little details about what happened in your attack. But, I need you to be straight with me. Alpha Reggie towers over me, this must be an interrogation tactic. "There are too many things that are very simr between your attack and the threat that came across to Luna Queen Anne and Luna Ava for it to be a coincidence. Is there anything else that you or your wolf can remember about that night or that situation? Any little detail will be helpful. We are still investigating that breach and have corne up with nothing. and I''m afraid the Rogues are getting more and more bold with their statements to most packs in our kingdom and trying to harm our pack way of life. They may be getting more bold thinking they can get away with their actions and these two incidents are proof of that. Usually there is some form of demand that is made, but we haven ''t heard anything. "No sir, I''m sorry, I don''t remember anything and my wolf doesn''t remember anything after they came into the room. I do know it was at least three people based on the way that I was being held down and the way that punches came at me. The person running the show did noty a hand on me this time, that I''m aware of anyway, except for one p to the face but my eyes were so swollen at that point, I''m not sure if it was her who hit me or the ones who were holding me. Original from N?velDrama.Org. Her voice just happened to be extremely close at that point. I believe the two that were holding me were male and obviously very, veryrge. Based on the bruising on my arms that Dr Sylvia documented they had to be at least as big as Cameron and Dakota. They didn''t say anything though so I wouldn ''t be able to recognize or identify them with a voice. And just like the breach there Were no scents at all, even the ring leader had no scent, I only know who it was by her voice. She wanted me to know, I think. Her way of showing she''s untouchable. Chapter 0173 Chapter 0173 Alpha Reggie sat in my desk chair and looked at me with sympathy. ¡°What about this third person who you Say is in charge of your attacks? Are you ever going to reveal her identity to us? It would be helpful in getting the justice that you deserve.¡± ¡ª ¡°No sir, I can''t prove anything that she has ever done to me with no room for doubt, so there is no point in starting a he said, she said argument. And like I told Warrior Osiston, she''s very good at manipting information. She''s gotten away with all of my attacks for as long as they''ve been happening and many of them under the noses of adults who should be better at reading situations. She has a lot of cards stacked against me, she¡¯s done a good job of setting me up. I''m done fighting her and I''m done getting in trouble because people think that I''m falsely using her out of spite or jealousy. Karma wille back to get her and I just hope that I''m there to see it.¡± : ¡°But what if now that you''re gone she starts honing in on somebody else? Or what if she was a part of the breach that threatened your Queen and your Luna?¡± - ¡°I don''t think that will happen. Everyone was too afraid of her to do anything to help me. They should steer clear of her, and as long as no one interferes with her pursuit of the Alpha twins she won''t do anything to them. That is also one of the reasons I was so heavily involved in the pups training, I wanted them to be able to at least defend themselves to get away. I believe I was a threat to her because of my rank and my association with the Future Leaders of our pack. I''m convinced that she was just trying to get me out of the way because she thought that I could be a threat to her status and nothing more. if she really wants that status she''s going to have to fight very, very hard, and if she does win it then that''s on the idiot who chooses her. I do not believe that the Moon Goddess will willingly give her a position as Luna. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. As for the Luna Queen and Luna Ava, I don¡¯t think she is that smart, but if you can find evidence suggesting one of our teenagers was helping rogues enter and threaten our pack, I will bring forward all the information I have on her of my attacks. Until then, I will keep it to myself so your investigation isn¡¯t skewed in favor of me.¡± + ¡°Are you nning on pursuing packw? You are almost as good as Warrior Brogen at withholding information, under the guise of staying neutral.¡± We bothugh. ¡°Very well, I will not ask you again until we have more information, but if you do need to talk to somebody we have many warriors here who would be willing to listen and would probably better understand your story. I hope you learn to trust again.¡± - ¡°Thank you sir, and I really do appreciate you taking me on when you did not have to at all. You don''t know how much this means to me." ¡°None of that dear girl. 1 think Xander would have had my head if I hadn''t helped you out. He has been beside himself for weeks. He was hoping to get special visiting rights as the Alpha Prince, but we kept him away, just like the future Blue Crescent leadership. As for the rest of your young gentleman, they haven''t been allowed anywhere near you for fear of causing you more distress. That doesn''t stop them from asking their supervisors about your status every single day though.¡± He chuckles and my mouth drops open. There¡¯s no way they asked every day, they have more important things to do than worry about me locked up in a hospital. ¡°They are here on the grounds doing their leadership training, but their focus has definitely been torn. I think it will do them all good to know that you are out of the hospital and finally moved into our warriorpound. The six of them have bonded over the loss of you. Also, Lucas and I decided that it was probably a good idea to get some separation. Based on everything that you seem to continually go through. I will allow Luna Ava to visit you on amonthly basis since you are in a unique situation, but no one else is allowed to visit you while you are in training, no distractions. You are a very strong little wolf, I can''t wait to see what you do. While you are in training the only contact you will have to the outside world is the two days we will afford you to attend school.¡± Chapter 0174 Chapter 0174 ¡°Thank you again sir." ¡°Well, I will leave you to it. Warrior Osiston will get you limated with thepound facilities. and he will get you your training and school schedule. I believe your friend Sierra will be very excited to know that the sses you will be attending will be at our local school. Our schools run year round, so there will be no break from studies for you this summer. I want to give you a little bit of normalcy with the strange circumstance that you find yourself in.¡± Alpha King Reggie pats me on the shoulder and gives me a small little smile that reminds me of Alpha Lucas and Delta Kyle when they are letting me try something new all on my own and they are more nervous about it than I am. Then he nods at Warrior Osiston before leaving. ¡°All right little one, head into your closet there, your uniforms are all set up for you. You will wear a uniform everyday, anytime that you are out of your room. When you are in your room feel free to wear whatever you want but considering you came with nothing you''re stuck with the uniform.¡± Warrior Osiston shes a ghost of a smile. ¡°Did you just make a joke? I didn¡¯t know that was possible.¡± Iugh and he fights a smile. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°We will get some of your personal things from Luna Ava. You can write a letter to her requesting items you may want or need from home. I will give you exactly 3 minutes to change and to be out in this hallway so we can finish the rest of our tour.¡± With that he steps out and closes the door. Oh sh*t! This is for real now. I changed in record time into the ck leggings, ck sports bra, and cored zip-up jacket that had the royal crest on the left side. ck socks and running shoes finish the outfit. I let myself wonder at them having everything in my size considering myck of size. I don¡¯t dwell on it much though, I scramble to the bathroom finding stics to pull my hair back into a ponytail, and I''m out the door right at 3 minutes. Warrior Osiston doesn''t even look at me, he just turns and continues down the hallway. He pointed to the room located near the main staircase that I saw when we first walked in. ¡°This is your floor leader''s room, if there''s anything that you need you will let her know. Her name is Audrina and she will drive you to be your best. She has been here for 3 years and I will make sure you get to know her tonight before dinner. Now, down that end of the hallway is the male section, all the rooms are equipped the same. Let''s go see the rest of the living quarters, then we will head out to the grounds." ¡®¡®We head down the main set of stairs back into the open foyer. The look is deceiving. These stairs look like something out of a Cindere movie where the girl makes her grand entrance to the ball, not a functional set of stairs leading to warrior bedrooms. I don¡¯t get much time to dwell on that as I follow Warrior Osiston back into the massive living room but this time head off to the right. Chapter 0175 Chapter 0175 ¡°Over here are offices and study rooms if you do not feel like studying in your own bedroom or if you have a group project, this is as far as outsiders can go. Make sure you get permission from me before bringing anyone here though. There is a library down here as well. If there''s any materials that you need that you don''t find in there, again let Audrina know and she will make sure that you receive what you need. The rest of the warriors use these rooms for strategy sessions. Sometimes for mock missions, other times for real missions. We treat them with the same level of seriousness. Any time you are sent out aS a warrior, we want you to have as much nning and knowledge as possible. What we do for the kingdom is usually the most life threatening job, which is why we train the way we do. Being prepared with contingency ns is part of that training." I nod and let that sink In as we continue to walk down the white and gray hallway to another set of double doors; these are only slightly smaller than the entrance doors that we came through originally, but just as ornate. ¡°Now, out here is your Recreation space.¡± He stopped and turned to me, looking for my reaction. I actually stumbled at the sight behind the bunk house. ¡°We have an olympic sized swimming pool over there, we have a hot tub and sauna, which you will use on a regr basis when you first start your training. It will help you recover much more quickly than anything else. There is an outdoor workout areaplete with all weights and equipment that you would need, if you don''t find something that you need or want please let us know, we''ll make sure that you get it. On the other side of the barrier there is an assortment of climbing and rock wall equipment, something simr to your obstacle course back at Blue Crescent. I''m sure that you will feel quite at home here. This is not much different than what you are used to." I take a look around and I still get the country club vibe from everything. The pool is crystal clear with no leaves or bugs or anything floating around it. There are no lounge chairs surrounding it for rxation though. The hot tub looks like it was custom built into the ground to hold at least 20 veryrge werewolves in it. The steamzily rising from the surface is inviting. I can see a huge hedge where he pointed to the workout space and just beyond that I can see the top of a wooden structure that must be the climbing equipment he was talking about. Warrior Osiston breaks me from my thoughts.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°We eat dinner every night at 8:00 p.m. Sharp. if you miss dinner then you missed dinner, the kitchen is closed promptly at 9:00. and lights out at 10:00 p.m. there is a wake up call every day at 4:00 a.m. You are expected to be down at breakfast by 5:00 a.m. and we are out on the training fields by 6:00 a.m. The rules are strict and there are punishments for missing time. We do not train our warriors to bezy or make excuses. We train them to be the best of the best and the best are notte. our lunches are staggered so you will get your schedule on a daily basis. By the time you get up to your room tonight you will have your training schedule as well as your school schedule. You will be assigned one of our newer recruits to escort you around for the first day. After the first day you are expected to understand your way around and be fully capable of making it to your sses and to your training times on time and prepared. Do you understand? ¡°Yes sir. Do we train on Saturdays and Sundays as well? Is the schedule the same?" ¡°We train 7 days a week. Saturdays and Sundays are a little bit different but there is still training. You do get free time on one of those two days to do as you please here on the grounds. You must earn your right to free time off the grounds, and you are in what we ca probationary period. Just know that our trainingpound is about as remote as you can get from every other training facility on the territory. It is also heavily monitored so do not think that you will be getting in or out of thepound unchecked. Others have tried and failed miserably. And if you are caught just know that your discretions will be put on public disy." ¡°Yes sir.¡± I gulp, that must be a warning to not try and sneak out to see Sierra or the guys. Which was actually something that hadn¡¯t crossed my mind until he said it. I could have Sierra here to study though, that will be nice. I take another deep breath and have a thought. ¡°While I am here, what do I call you? Obviously, not many people get to call you Warrior Osiston. Should I just stick with ¡®sir?¡¯ I don¡¯t want to look like I have special privileges. I¡¯m already here too young, get to leave thepound for sses and have Alpha Reggie personally escorting me. I know I haven''t seen anyone yet, but that doesn¡¯t mean people aren''t watching me right now. I spend enough of my time being the freak, so anything that doesn¡¯t make me stand out would be helpful.¡± Warrior Osiston stops and turns to mepletely with an eyebrow raised. ¡°Little One, you do realize you stand out just by entering a room, right? You are a warrior and your presence alone lets the whole room know that you are a leader and someone to look to. Do not get caught up in semantics. | told you what I prefer you to call me. That is not dependent on the audience. There should be no question.¡± Chapter 0176 Chapter 0176 He turns and continues walking across the training grounds toward the hedge he pointed out at that weight area. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. I let out a sigh. That really wasn''t helpful information and yet the most fatherly ¡®don''t care what others think¡¯ advice I¡¯ve ever gotten. Now, that¡¯s not going to stop me from looking over my shoulder to see who''s staring at the freak. I keep following silently behind him, not wanting to miss anything. ¡°Also, in two weeks, Queen Luna Anne has requested your presence at the castle. You have been excused from training that day to prepare and she will send over your wardrobe." ¡°Wait, What?¡± He just threw that out like he was telling me the grass was green. ¡°You said ¡®requested¡¯, but it sounds like I don¡¯t get a choice in going.¡± Iugh a little. ¡°Do you know what she wants with me?" ¡°I was not given that information. I was just told to let you know you will be spending most of the day and evening with her." I nod wondering if she wants to check up on me for Luna Ava. I hope being excused from training for the Luna Queen or the Alpha King is a thing that regrly happens around here. I don¡¯t need another reason for the rest of the warriors to look at me like a freak. And why in the hell do I need a ¡®wardrobe¡¯? Is there a dress code for being in the castle? Ugh, too many questions. ¡°This is our weight center. As I said you will get your schedule by the end of the night. We have all of our warriors staggered around the grounds during training, this allows us to constantly evaluate skills in asmaller, more concentrated group. Your groups will rotate as well so you don¡¯t getfortable with certain people. We want you to be versatile and able to join any warrior group for any type of mission. You will eventually have specialties that you will focus on as you move up through the program and you will notice some of our seasoned warriors are more focused in their skills. We have recon teams, extraction teams,puter and tech specialists, and weapons experts on top of our very skilled fighters. You can start to specialize once we have turned you into an amazing warrior." I just keep nodding, this is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I must look like an over excited bobblehead at this point. Everything he just said has me almost jumping out of my skin. I can¡¯t wait to get started. We continue walking through the hedged weight area and back to the ropes course. ¡°Oh hell yes! I can¡¯t wait to get on this thing! It¡¯s gotta be at least three times the size of what we have at Blue Crescent.¡± I walk past him, I can¡¯t help myself. This is going to be my new yground. This course has to be at least two football fields long and runs in a big oval around the perimeter so you make the trek down and back. It is full of your basic climbing ropes and cargos, except nothing seems to be closer than ten feet off the ground and there aren¡¯t safetys to catch you if you fall. There are also various sized wood nks and pirs to climb across or over. There is a rope bridge that has to be 40 feet in the air and it is a makeshift bridge so there is only a signal one inch thick rope to walk on and a rope above to hang on to while you climb across. The distance between these obstacles tells me it''s set up for guys like Warrior Osiston to struggle. I¡¯m going to have to get creative with some of them to get through, considering I''m barely tall enough toe up to his elbow. ¡°¡¯I''m d you¡¯re so excited Little One, because this is your first test. Your training starts now. We will gain a baseline for where your body is at after being in the hospital for a month. This will also determine how your training schedule will start. Over there please.¡±¡¯ He points to a set of three logs lying parallel to each other. The end at the starting line is in the ground, the opposite end is elevated to about ten feet in the air making them look likeplicated, rounded ramps. Getting closer to the course the obstacles are spread out too, so there is a fair amount of running in between. ¡°Is there an objective or a goal I¡¯m trying to reach with this test?" ¡°For now, just run the course andplete it, once I have a baseline we will talk objectives." I fight an eye roll, he must get some weird satisfaction at not giving straight answers. It bugs me to not know what I¡¯m working for. ¡®Completion¡¯ isn¡¯t really a goal, that''s the idea with any course. Once I am set up where the startline has been worn into the dirt, I look over my shoulder to let him know that I am ready and then back at my target, I can¡¯t let him catch me off guard with anything. I have to assume every interaction is some kind of test here. ¡°Go!¡± Was all I got. Chapter 0177 Chapter 0177 I run towards the log and take as big a step as my legs can go and continue running to the top. I takea running leap off the end over a ditch that is so murky, I don¡¯t want to know what is in there, and then ontoa rope to climb down. I hit the dirt running, sprinting toward a cargo that leads up to a tform that looks more like a treehouse fort than a training center with its green shingled roof and tree branch railings. The cargo was hard to get through, it was hung loosely to make it more challenging and the netting was set wide so my legs kept slipping through the holes. It felt like it took forever to climb. Once I reach the tform, I take a second to look at what is next and to catch my breath. This one is going to suck. It¡¯s a single rope bridge, like the one I noticed before further down the course, only this one has wooden poles hung vertically every 5 feet or so keeping the two parallel ropes at a certain distance apart and something you have to get around without falling. I do the logical thing first and try to jump and reach the top rope. Of course it¡¯s set at 7 or 8 feet, so even stretched tiptoe to finger tips, I can¡¯t reach both. It¡¯s too wobbly to just attempt to run soI sit on the edge of the treehouse tform, wrap my legs and arms around the rope and free hang under the foot rope like a sloth. I start shimmying across before I waste any energy just hanging out. When I get to the first pole, I have to adjust my hands and then my feet to get around it so it breaks up my climbing rhythm, which is probably the idea. The other side is just more logs set like adder for a giant, but the next part of the course starts on the rung down from where I''m standing and it¡¯s probably another eight to ten foot drop to that rung and the cargo attached to it is hung like a basket. At least this ¡®bridge¡¯ is another cargo, so! could trust fall into it, but that drop is at least two stories and I¡¯m not sure what that would do to my newly healed injuries. - So far, I just feel stiff, there hasn¡¯t been any pain and I''d like to keep it that way. I scoot as close to one of thedder uprights as I can and sit on the cross piece. I wrap my arms around the pir as much as possible and ko climb down the pir slowly. I for sure have some splinters and scrapes, but made it down far enough to jump to the,nding in a ball so my legs don¡¯t go through. I scurry on my hands and knees through the swinging to the next tform. Now to get down, this so-called tform is no more than a nk of wood a few feet wide. I have to jump to a tform that is about 20 feet away and about ten feet down from the level I¡¯m at now. This is going to take a running jump, notice the sarcasm, I will have about three steps, but there isn¡¯t a wall to stop me if I over shoot. I take a deep breath and just go for it. Ind and tuck and roll, almost falling over the edge. At least this tform is a little wider than the one I started on. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. One arm and one leg hung off when I starfished my body out to stop the momentum. I blew out a breath and hung on for dear life for a second before belly crawling back to the center of the tform. Once I stand up I turn and see another tform under the one I just left. Here we go again. I at least have arger tform to work with, they seem to get bigger as I go down, so! run and jump, tucking and rolling a little more gracefully this time. When I stand up this time, I see ropes hanging from the tform above it. I run and jump, just like back home and climb to the ground. I run around barriers to a series of logs propped up at different levels perpendicr to the ground. I¡¯m going over, under and through this portion of the course that will bring me full circle. That doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s going to be any easier for me though. Here goes nothing. There was log after log and then a ten foot wall for good measure, followed by another set of logs at varying heights. This might actually be worse than all of the climbing I just did. When I finally crossed the finish line I thought I was going to fall over and pass out. A month of not training was not good for me at all. I feel awful and want to throw up alittle bit, but I won''t because it is just the beginning. Chapter 0178 Chapter 0178 ¡°Not terrible.¡± A brte woman standing next to Warrior Osiston says. ¡°At least you didn¡¯t die or throw -up newbie." I hobble over to them looking at Warrior Osiston for feedback on how I did. The soreness is settling into my body now that the adrenaline is draining. The only thing he says is, ¡°I can work with that.¡± As he writes some notes on a clipboard that I have no idea where it came from. He didn''t have it on our tour. Still not looking at either of us, he starts talking to his clipboard, ¡°Skr, this is Audrina, your floor leader. Anything you need, go to her and she will get it sorted out for you." I nod at him, still waiting for any kind of corrections or things to improve on, but I don¡¯t think he is going to say anything unless I ask and I don¡¯t know if I am allowed. He¡¯s let me be fairly open with all of my questions, but in front of one of the leaders here on the compound I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s eptable. Those are the kind of mistakes I don¡¯t want to make. I don¡¯t want to look insubordinate to Audrina, who will be my superior for the foreseeable future. But, the thought of getting no information on how I really did is eating me alive. I take a deep breath and let out a little sigh. ¡°Warrior Osiston, what can I do better on the course? What are my goals and objectives? I need something to work towards, but I¡¯m not sure where I can improve if I don¡¯t know what to fix.¡± I¡¯m looking straight at him, but I don¡¯t miss the audible sharp intake of breath from Audrina. ¡°All good questions Little One.¡± Audrina¡¯s head snaps to him, but I don¡¯t change my focus. ¡°This time I just wanted to see if you couldplete the course. I needed to see the extent of the damage that still remains from your injuries. Original from N?velDrama.Org. That is not something that can be assessed from a hospital bed and some modifications will need to be made in your early training." I nod when he doesn''t go on. Still not an answer. I fight the eye roll. ¡°There is alittle more than an hour before dinner. Audrina, introduce her to her escort for tomorrow and I would suggest about ten to twenty minutes in the hot tub for those ribs, you¡¯re going to feel that jump into the cargo in the morning." ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I say, hearing the dismissal, then turn to Audrina looking at her expectantly waiting for her to lead the way. ¡°Let¡¯s go, newbie. Everyone should be back from training missions now.¡± She starts walking back toward the weight area and the pool. I try to take in as much of my surroundings as possible. I know I am going to miss something, but I want as few issues as possible getting around the compound. I don¡¯t know any of these warriors right now, so I don¡¯t know if they will try to help me as a fellow warrior or if we are allpeting. I have to assume I''m on my own until I can make some friends here. We walk towards the massive hot tub that is now full of men and women and | actually have a jolt of fear run through me for just asecond. All of these people are significantly bigger than me and for sure older than me. At least now I can appreciate Luna Ava and Luna Queen Anne¡¯s hesitation in sending me here too early. ¡°Reade!¡± Audrina shouts suddenly next to me and I try to hide the little jump at the sudden shout. ¡° Here¡¯s your shadow. Come get her and show her the ropes." Perfect, my floor leader wants nothing to do with me. This is going to be fun. I just need to figure out if it¡¯s a newbie thing or a female thing. Hopefully it¡¯s a newbie thing and we can at least get past it and she won¡¯t cause problems, cause I have a feeling she can cause problems. ¡°Hey!! Mighty Midget!! It¡¯s you! How the hell did you manage to get here? Aren''t you, like 12?¡± He jumps out of the hot tub and runs over to me and wraps me in a quick hug. Chapter 0179 Chapter 0179 Chapter 0179 "First Guy Wyatt! You ''re my tour guide? You better be good, I have expectations." He sets me down and my whole front is now soaked from the water dripping off him and we bothugh. We walk over to the group, away from Audrina, who no one spares a second nce at, and First Guy Wyatt starts introductions. It''s going to take me some time to remember names as he is rapid firing them off to me without making sure I even heard him. Typical guy. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. I do recognize Lillian though and she waves me over to sit by her. I clumsily pull my leggings up to my knees and stick my legs in. Definitely need a swimsuit here, but from the looks of it some of the warriors forgo clothes altogether. I try not to look ufortable and focus on Lillian and Wyatt. "Alright First Guy, what are the biggest do''s and don''ts here? I''m not trying to get in trouble for stupid sh*t in my first week "What''s this ''First Guy'' sh*t?" Another blonde guy asks and Wyatt, Lillian and Iugh. ''At the trials, this guy was the first person I went up against. We didn''t exactly have time to introduce ourselves going from opponent to opponent. It''s what I called him in my head, until he finally had the chance to tell me his name. I shrugged. "So you both have nicknames for each other after one fight, I call bullsh*t." "This little beast was in our group when we had to team up." Lillian starts. "She figured out the challenge, came up with a n, fixed the other guy''s broken nose and gave out orders all at the same time. Wyatt added, smiling at the blonde guy. "Her and I scaled this big ass cargo and then she made a ten foot jump and back while we were forty feet in the air. The nickname was earned." Lillian finished. "Holy sh*t! That was you?" A guy, I think his name is Nathaniel, asks. "You dislocated my shoulder, that b* tch hurt! "Wait, I thought you said some big ass dude messed up your shoulder. This, The blonde guy, who reminds me a little of Sam, points at me. "Is your ''big ass dude?¡¯ She¡¯s as big as my left leg, there¡¯s no way!¡± Nathaniel managed to look a little ashamed at the exaggeration of who gave him his injury. ¡°Believe it, she took on almost everyone from the squad who went.¡± Wyatt says. ¡°So, Mighty Midget, how is this going to work exactly? I know you''re still in high school, warriors don¡¯t usually get to start until after they graduate. Warrior Brogen must have had some reason to bring you here now.¡± I froze for asecond. I didn¡¯t really want to bring up Kaley and a situation that should be in my past. These guys don¡¯t need to know any of that. I can have a fresh start here, be anew me, free of weaknesses and stupid bullies. Chapter 0180 Chapter 0180 Chapter 0180 "Urnrn, I wasn''t going toe originally. I was allowed to do the trials so the Elite trainers could see my skills and because our pack was hosting them. Warrior Osiston and Alpha Reggie decided I should be here, so here I am." I try to shrug it off and put it on them. No one will question the decision of the Alpha King or his lead warrior, I hope. "It''s bold of you to use their names so casually." Audrina speaks up for the first time from the other side of the hot tub. I hadn''t even noticed her join us. "It''s what they personally told me to call them. I shrug again. This was what I was worried about, but I won''t show that in front of her. "It''s still disrespectful. You should know your ce in the hierarchy here and use titles appropriately. You aren''t in your pack anymore. You aren''t the best or the favorite. You should get used to not being coddled quickly. I can''t tell if her tone is for my supposedck of respect or jealousy at being new but having privileges already. "Yes, ma''am." I try not to let sarcasm enter my voice, but Pm not sure if it worked. She just narrows her eyes at me, but says nothing. She''s going to be difficult and she''s my direct supervisor, super. We didn ''t have much more time to talk after that fun little interaction. A chime sounded around the grounds and I looked at Wyatt. "What''s that?" "Warning bell for dinner, we have ten minutes to Wrap up and clean up whatever we have going on and get down to the canteen. Trust me, you do not want to best. Heughs as he jumps out and grabs a towel, drying off as he is walking in. I follow quickly, Lillian right behind me. "What floor is your room on?" She asks as we move towards the side door that leads to the study hallway. "Second, I''m right in the middle. Where are you?" "Third, but I''ll change quick ande get you. Put on the ck sweat pants and long sleeved shirt and there should be some slides too. "There''s a uniform for dinner? Isn''t that a little overkill? "It''s an unstated uniform. We are all supposed tohave the training uniform on any time we are down on the main level, but if we are here for dinner, there is no training after that, unless you are doing something specialized, and we don''t usually have visitors either. Original from N?velDrama.Org. So, we all wear the mostfortable thing and since we all look the same, no one says anything. Audrina, won''t tell you that though." She gives me a side nce as we walk up the stairs together. "What''s her deal anyway? I''ve been here for a few hours and haven''t done anything but the ropes course to get my baseline for training. "That would be it then. But we can talk about it downstairs, Wyatt wasn ''t kidding, you do not want to bete for dinner. These as*holes won''t leave you anything, food is the one time it''s survival of the fittest around here. I''ll be backin 3 minutes, be ready." She drops me at my door and runs off back toward the stairs. I head into my room and run for the closet, not wanting to be the reason Lillian gets to dinnerte. I can ''t help but wonder what my doing the ropes course for a baseline test has to do with Audrina''s bad mood toward me. I barely get my feet in my slides when there is a knock on my door. Lillian doesn''t wait for me to open it, she just follows her knock in. Her and Sierra would get along. "Let''s go! You are going to love the food here. We have a whole team of cooks and they can make anything and all of it is to die for! She is almost drooling at the thought of eating and I let out a little giggle. "Hey, Midget. What has you giggling like that?" Wyattes up behind us on the central stairs, Nathaniel next to him. "Lillian''s drooling just talking about the food. Is it really that good? Is that why we can''t bete to dinner? Everything is so good, there''s nothing left?" Chapter 0181 Chapter 0181 ¡°Basically.¡± Nathaniel shrugs. A man of few words, I like it. As we round the corner from the foyer to the living room, the low rumble of noise lets me know just how many warriors live here. We walk towards the ss wall at the back of the room and I can already see the line forming. When the Alpha King and Warrior Osiston showed me around earlier we didn¡¯t go further than the kitchen. I didn¡¯t even think about theck of usable seating in that space. We must be heading to a dining room. When I get around the corner and through the door, the roar of conversation is almost deafening, and I love it. You can feel the excitement and energy radiating off of everyone in the room. The buzz is almost overwhelming. I get goosebumps and my wolf is even purring. It is just five after 8 and the room is already almost filled. The line around the buffet styled counter is moving faster than anything I have ever seen before. These wolves know what they want and understand the time crunch. ¡°See, we told you, you have to be right on time. This ce is a madhouse. Especially when everyone is here.¡± Wyatt says in my ear and all 1 can do is smile. I love it! We got through the line and I think every type of food was avable. I remember what Oliver said about me being too small and losing weight, so I piled my te up not wanting to have to deal with being malnourished if training is going to be as intense as everyone makes it seem. ¡°I think there is enough room for all of us over there.¡± Lillian points out at the far corner of the room. We walk through the long rectangr room. This seems to be more like the kitchen, industrial and functional. No decoration or frills here. Made to house the hundred or so warriors that live in the bunkhouse. We sat at the end of a long wooden table that looked antique, but sturdy, with grooves and nicks and stains all over it. This table would have thousands of stories to tell if it could talk. ¡®So you need to tell me what I am in for with Audrina. I need to know how not to piss her off any more than I already have apparently. What does doing my baseline today with Warrior Osiston have to do with her issue with me today?¡± I ask the three of them, taking a huge bite of a burger that just melts in my mouth. Alpha Lucas could take lessons. They all look at eachother and muste to some kind of agreement. Lillian takes a deep breath then starts. ¡°So normally, new recruits do their baselines in front of the whole warrior training camp. It¡¯s like a right of passage to get heckled and basically suck at the thing. Almost nobody finishes, because there is no kind of preparation for it, it''s long and no one helps each other. When we all got epted after the trials, we were housed in a shack overnight, then given a set of training clothes and brought here, straight to the gauntlet. No directions were given, we were just told to ¡®go.¡¯ There were about 50 of us to start, after the gauntlet, when we came to lunch there were about 30 of us. By the end of training our first day 20 were given room assignments. So there¡¯s that.¡± I just looked at her confused. I did all of those things, just maybe not in that order and not with an audience. ¡°Drina is the only other person Warrior Brogen has ever personally evaluated. I think that made her feel special. She was also the youngest recruit, at 17, until you.¡± Nathaniel supplies around a mouthful of spaghetti. Original from N?velDrama.Org. ¡®¡®My situation is different though, I wasn¡¯t supposed to be here for two more years and it¡¯s more than a month after the trials. Surely she understands that it would be a waste of time to stop everyone¡¯s training, just to give me a hard time, now that the new session has already started.¡± I try to reason. ¡°We get that, but he also told you to call him by his first name. That is a rare thing, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been told that. Not even Drina gets that liberty. And he has a pet name for you, something she also doesn''t have.¡± Wyatt looks at me seriously. Chapter 0182 Chapter 0182 ¡°Okay, so she might be under the impression that I am here to overshadow her or take her ce in some way. I just need to stay under the radar enough to stay out of her way. I don¡¯t want to be ¡®the favorite¡¯ or whatever she thinks. And the Alpha King calls me '' Little One'' too, it''s not a unique nickname. Almost all of my friends back home call me some synonym of short. Even Wyatt calls me ¡®Mighty Midget.¡¯ It''s just a thing.¡± I shrug. "She doesn''t know that though. She was only at trials for the second day and she left on assignment almost immediately after. She didn''t see any of the interactions you had with other people socially." Nathaniel says matter of factly. ¡®Midge, you just turned 15 and were personally brought here by the Alpha King and his lead warrior, you are on everyone¡¯s radar.¡± I can feel the color drain from my face and I feel sick. Wyatt must notice, he hurries to amend his statement. ¡°I think she¡¯s the only negative one though. You have been the talk of thepound since we got here. Lillian and I have been asked nonstop questions about you since we got to work with you in a team. I think that¡¯s why they assigned me as your guide for the day tomorrow. I¡¯m kind of interested in following you around at school. I graduated two years ago, I wonder if anything has changed much?¡± He looks a little thoughtful, like he is remembering something pleasant about his high school experience. ¡°T think your brain might explode following her around to sses.¡± Nathanieles up from his food again. ¡°Has it urred to you that at 15, a technical sophomore, she is going to qualify to graduate by the end of the summer? She¡¯s two and a half years ahead of all her peers, you barely made it out on time.¡± He and Lillian areughing as the idea settles on Wyatt. The look on his face was priceless. ¡°Okay, so really, what do I need to look out for? I don¡¯t think I can do anything about Audrina right now. What other newbie hazing mistakes can I at least avoid?¡± I am pleading with them, but I need to transition in quickly. Like I told Warrior Osiston and Nathaniel pointed out I am on people¡¯s radar and I can¡¯t afford to make mistakes. This probationary thing must be serious if they got rid of thirty people on just the first day. ¡°It¡¯s not so much avoidance of things, Everything we do is designed for us to f*ck up. It¡¯s the way we learn best, from our own failures. Make sure you are on time and are prepared. Listen to the little instructions, read between the lines and you should be fine. Like you said, it¡¯s only been a month, you aren''t that far behind us. And based on what everyone was going on about after trials, I think you will pick up quickly.¡± Nathaniel gives me a warm smile and goes back to eating. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. I have at least figured out, if I want a straight answer, he¡¯s my guy. It seems like I made a good enough impression on Wyatt and Lillian that they will help me if I really need it too. We¡¯ll see. I¡¯m not sure if they y us against each other at all here, since they seem to do eliminations during the probation period. ¡°Oh! How long is the probation period and what happens after that?¡± I have to move away from the topic of Audrina and people trying to get rid of me. ¡°We have three levels of probation. The first 30 days we are probies or newbies, depending on who¡¯s talking to you. No one is outwardly hostile, but not helpful either. They all want to see what you are made of, but understand if they are too mean or try to sabotage you and you end up on their teamter, you could cause them problems if you hold a grudge.¡± Lillian points at me with her fork, like I am the one causing problems. Chapter 0183 Chapter 0183 Chapter 0183 "After that we are in preliminary, or prelims. Again thissts 30 days. If you make it that far you get to be inducted and get a temporary warrior brand and can start going on smaller missions. Wyatt says around a mouthful of taco. "What is this brand that everyone keeps talking about? Why is it so special?" This is like the fourth time I have heard about that today." "The brand is what links you to the warriors. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Think about it like a pack link, but just with us. We alle from different packs and we don''t want to renounce our pack connection just to do training, so we are given this brand that is applied to the inside of our right wrist. Nathaniel indicates the spot. "It doesn''t sever your pack link, it just brings you into the warrior link You canmunicate with the warriors on your team while out on missions and you have ess to the lead warriors no matter how far away you are, whiches in handy from what I have heard from some of the veteran warriors. "I wonder how that will work for me then? Warrior Osiston said that I won''t be able to join missions untilm 16, that''s just under a year from now. I hope my probationary period doesn''tst a year, that would suck! I let out a little whine. "Who knows. The Alpha King and Warrior Brogen already seem to have ns for you or you wouldn''t be here." Nathaniel deadpans. Yep, he''s a keeper, I think right before he starts talking again. "The other thing the brand does is shut down your mating hormones. I choke on my water and almost spit it across the table. "It what?" "It shuts down all the hormones that make you want to mate, at all. You won''t be able to find your mate while you are branded, I think that is the most obvious thing. But, you also won''t have any s*xual desires or any kind of attractions either. At any given time there are about a hundred warriors in this building, both male and female. We are all very active and fit, even for werewolves, which usually corrtes with our drive. By shutting this down, there is no rtionship drama or other distractions thate from sleeping around. It allows us to focus on the task at hand keeping those emotions in check" "Who gives us this brand and what happens if someone wants the chance to find their mate?" I ask, a little horrified. I can''t find my mate for another three years, but I don''t know how I feel about the option to find them taken away from me. "The brand is applied by the warrior elders and a coven of witches. It is temporary and wears off after a while. I don''t have many more details about it than that. I do know that every five years the Alpha King requires warriors to remove the brand for a full year and travel to try and find their mate. So, mates have been considered. "Nathaniel, how do you know so much about this? It seems like a lot of detail, that isn ''tmon Imowledge." I ask, truly curious. He must be a sponge. The quiet observant guy that no one thinks twice about talking in front of, but he gathers every piece of info hees across. Clearly this isn''t something either of the other two thought to ask as their heads whip towards him looking expectant. He stares at me for a moment, clearly deciding something. I don''t feel any animositying from him and I hope he doesn''t find any from me. He really is just a fascinating person and I have only known him a couple hours. "My dad was a warrior. He found my morn on one of his sabbaticals. She died when rogues attacked our pack, it almost killed my dad to lose her. He brought me here and joined the warriors again to remove the pain of the broken bond. He looked back into my eyes, a kindred spirit in a way. Somehow he knows what my family, what I, went through. I just nod, confirming his unasked question. Chapter 0184 Chapter 0184 Chapter 0184 Before things get too heavy another chime rings and everyone starts getting up and clearing the space. Warrior Osiston wasn''t kidding when he said it''s our job to take care of this ce. There was not a single crumb left on any of the tables. It was incredible. "What do we do now?" I ask after we all disposed of our garbage and organized our dirty dishes into bins for the omegas. ''We actually have free time until lights out. Most shower and head to their rooms for some quiet time, especially when they have been out on the territory all day. Some hang out in themon room, it''s really the only down time we get here." Lillian links her arm into mine, "Come on, let''s see what''s going We spent the rest of the hour mingling around with the other warriors. We didn''t spend too long with anyone though and I couldn''t tell you any of their names yet. It was interesting to see the dynamic of the older warriors and the younger generation. There was a distinct difference in the interactions. The warning chime for bed time went off sooner than Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. I wanted, I was enjoying listening and talking to the warriors here. It already feels like home, but not the same way the Blue Crescent pack house feels like home. It''s strange and I don''t know what to make of it. "Is it the chimes that wake us up each day too?" I ask Lillian as we walk up the stairs together. "No, that''s the floor leader''s job." "Oh, great. I say sarcastically. "Will you do me a favor and check on me in the morning? My routine is off from thest month and I don''t trust myself to get up when I usually do and I don''t thinkmy floor leader likes me enough to show me that courtesy. can, but she really should. It makes her 100k bad if anyone on her floor iste, unprepared or out of uniform. "That''s good to know I guess. I think I have sses tomorrow, so I don''t knowwhen I will see you. Thank you for helping me today. I appreciate a friendly face. " I smile at her as I step onto the landing of my floor and she ascends to hers. "You are a team yer and so am I, we got this." She winks at me and heads up. With the exception Of Audrina, my first day here wasn ''t so bad. I head to my room and find more books and a folder on my desk I opened the folder first. It has my schedule for this week on the top of the small stack of papers. It looks like tomorrow will be at the school. At least I get to see Sierra and check in with her, but it would be nice to see the warriors in action now that I have gotten to know them. I toss and turn all night, but not because I was ufortable or scared. I am excited to get started and only wish my first day could be on the training grounds and not at the school, I have so much energy to burn after being cooped up in the hospital. I have to stay positive though, I will be able to graduate earlier than I thought and I will get to train. This is like a dreame true. There is a wall clock next to the door, but no rm clock or any outlets actually. They take this separation from the outside world seriously. I''rn sure there is a ce downstairs to charge and use phones in a designated space and at designated times. Once the sun starts to rise and the dirn yellow light peeks through my curtains, I get up and get dressed, assuming I have to wear the uniform no matter where I am at on the territory, including school. I flip to the second page of the folder that was left for me which has my ss schedule. All core sses, nothing unnecessary and no battle sses. This might actually be boring. On the other hand all of the sses say ''advanced'' so they might all be really hard and suck. Chapter 0185 Chapter 0185 Chapter 0185 I''m flipping through my pack history book when Lillianes rushing in. "I am so sorry, I totally forgot toe get you." She looks horrified and I look up at the clock, it''s 5:45. Probably no time for breakfast. I grab all my things and shove them quickly into my bag following her down the hall to the main stairs. "I only realized you weren ''t there when Wyatt asked if I had seen you so he could get you to school." "It''s okay, I was up, I should have paid more attention. I was just trying to get ahead on the reading so I could understand what was going on. This is not your fault. I didn''t hear a wake up call at all." I hug her and she apologizes again before jumping down thest few stairs and running off to join training. "You probably didn''t get one." Wyatt says as I join him in the foyer. "Audrina''s group is usually first in and first out and she was saying something about certain people not being able to handle being here.'' She is making a point of separating you from the rest of the floor mates. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org "perfect. Well, let''s get this show on the road, tour guide. Am Ite to school? My schedule didn''t have times on it. "Really? It should have. Well, that doesn''t shock me, your floor leader was responsible for getting you everything you needed for today." He rolls his eyes and leads me out the door to some kind of two person four wheeler I have never seen before, but really want to learn how to drive. "And if she screwed with my daily schedule, Pm screwed. Who can I go to to confirm that it''s right? I''ll double check with the office at school, that will be easy enough to do, but if she sets my training schedule she''s going to mess with me until I get kicked out, isn''t she?" "Maybe. I''ve never had a problem with her so this is all new to me. I can''t understand acting this childish over a new recruit though. He shrugs and steps on the gas and I almost fly off the four- wheeler. Iugh all the way to the school building, Audrina forgotten for now. We pulled up to a building about ten minutester. I use the word ''building'' loosely. Like every other structure I have seen in the Royal pack this building is old and weathered, but impably well kept. It might have been inspired by cathedrals with its ornate design, dark wood and stained ss. "This is the high school?" I can''t help the squeak in my volce. "Yes...correction, this is the high school for the ranked members of the King and the Elders and their families." "Ugh, seriously? I know Sierra is amazing, but are the rest of them stuck up elitists? I had enough of that in my own pack and all ranks went to school together, so it really sucked." "Aren''t you a Beta? I''m sure everything was just fine for you being the second''s kid. He snaps back at me a little. "Yeah, I am the Beta''s second child and his daughter, but no it wasn''t all that great. Being the spare Beta and a female made me no better than an Omega to some people in my pack. I turned around and walked to the door. I need to walk away from this conversation, now, before I say something I will regret to a person who has actually been kind to me. "Wait up Midge. I didn''t mean to pigs you off. I just meant that as Beta kids we don''t really have it all that rough, you know. "You may not have, as the first born male, like my brother, but it was not that same experience for me. Maybe someday I will tell you about it, but right now I need to figure out what I am doing here and how badly Audrina messed with me, so I need my head on straight, okay? He just nods at me and we walk into the building. Chapter 0186 Chapter 0186 Chapter 0186 Wyatt walks me to the office. At least we aren''tte here. We approach a big ornate desk with a little woman sitting behind it. When I say little, I mean little,pared to me which is saying something. She has graying hair cut short and styled like a punk rock pixie. She has a form fitting navy blue top and chunky gold jewelry hanging from her ears, neck and wrists. "Excuse me." I say sweetly. I figure I will start with soft and sweet and go from there. She looks up at us giving me a full body appraisal, then lifts an eyebrow in question. "My name is Skr and Pm new. I was going over my schedule this morning at breakfast and in my rush to get here on time I left it behind. Could I get another copy, please. I want to make sure I don''t inconvenience the teachers, by having to guess my next lesson. I smile hoping this is a simple transaction. Of course, it wasn ''t going to be that easy. "Skr, is it? The way the Alpha King spoke of you, I figured you would be intelligent enough to remember your schedule. What makes you think I would give you a duplicate schedule?" I am so tired of the attitudes from everyone. No one here knows me and yet I keep getting treated like I am the scum of the earth not worthy to be here. I let my temper get the better of me and respond. "Honestly?" She raises an eyebrow again. "I don''t fully trust the person who gave it to me and I want to check I don''t like getting my information secondhand. If you really don''t want to print another schedule for me, can I at least look to confirm what I was given?" I look her in the eye, not wavering. "That''s better. Start with the truth next time, you aren''t great at getting out the cute and innocent story. I huffed and smiled at her. Wyatt let out a quietugh behind me. "My name is Theresa, and if you need anything else while you''re here, just let me know. I got a look at your transcripts and set your schedule myself. You are a rare one." She winks at me and jumps up to pull a paper off the printer behind her. "This is your correct schedule, you must be someone to look out for if Drina is trying to hold you back after being on site for less than a day." She reminds me of Martha and I have a feeling we are going to be great friends. I thanked her and Wyatt and I set out for my first ss. The day was like any other high school day. Wyatt kept me entertained by trying to see if he could distract me during every single lesson. Everything from flicking my ponytail like he''s the one who''s 15 not me, to knocking my pencils and notebooks on the floor while Pm taking notes. I was ready to punch him. He only stopped when the science teacher called him out about not paying attention the first time around and maybe the second time he would be able toprehend the information and pass all the tests. All of the girls seemed to like having an ''older'' hot guy to stare at though, but thankfully no one approached us. They were either too intimidated by him or maybe thought we were together. That didn''t stop him from basking in the attention. I had to remind him that they were minors and he physically couldn ''t do anything about any attraction they felt for him anyway. Only when I told him that he would embarrass himself by not even being able to please them with his warrior brand in ce and that he would be the height of all the worst rumors did he stop trying to flirt back. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. I didn''t find Sierra until lunch, when she ran up and almost tackled me. "Oh, man! I have been trying to find you all day, but you aren''t in any of my sses since they have you on a fast track and you get to skip all the unnecessary stuff." Chapter 0187 Chapter 0187 Chapter 0187 It''s just like the first day met her all over again. She is a force and I love it. She grabs my arm and drags me along to her table of friends, Wyatt following, a little bewildered, in her wake. We eat lunch and she asks me a thousand questions about living at the trainingpound. Her friends keep sneaking nces at Wyatt and he is eating up the attention. The rest of my day is the same. Nothing exciting. I get everything need to get caught up with the rest of the kids in my sses, which thankfully is only a month''s worth of work and I don''t have to do any of the projects. It should take me a week. Wyatt and arrive back to the bunk house around 6. I made sure I had everything needed to get started on all my assignments and checked in with Theresa to get any books she thought might not be here at the bunkhouse, since high school students don''t normally participate in warrior training. Unfortunately that''s where my good day ended. AS soon as we walked in the front door Audrina was in my face and livid. "Where the hell do you get off, not showing up for your mandatory training? If you can''t handle being here, fetus, maybe you should take your sorry ass back to whatever pathetic pack you came from." For a moment just stood there. What was she talking about? I don''t have training today. Before I could say anything, Wyatt spoke up for me. "Back off, it''s her first day, she barely has her schedule read, let alone memorized." ''That is no excuse, she is in warrior training now and should act like a responsible warrior, not the spoiled little child she is." She doesn''t even look at him when she is speaking, she only has daggered eyes for me. I can actually feel the hate radiating off of her. Wyatt goes to speak again, but I put my hand up to stop him. She can be angry and petty with whatever issue she has with me, call me names, I could care less, but she questioned my loyalty and responsibility and that I won''t stand for. "Enough! Whatever problem you have with me is exactly that, your problem. Get over yourself. I have direct orders, thate from above you, and I won''t allow you or anyone else to fick with that do you hear me? You don''t have to like me or even be nice to me, but you try and f*ck with my schedule again and we will have real problems." hissed. I take a step forward and get into her space. She doesn''t back down, but I see the hesitation cross her green eyes. " You want me at a training? Inform me, and not after the fact or at thest minute. You want me to be responsible for my own wake up call, just let me know. Act like the leader you are instead of the petnt child you seem to think I am. Now, unless you have a reasonable request for me, I have homework to get through before dinner." I cross my arms and stand there staring at her. I will not let another ''Kaley'' run my life. I''m here with a fresh start, and I n to live my life to the best of my ability. "l don''t care what your orders are, you are to report to training every morning at 5 am and evening training at 5 pm. No exceptions. Is that understood?" She lowers her voice, trying to sound intimidating, but justing of bratty. I decide to end this stupid power trip conversation. We can have a pissing matchter. I have things to do. "Yes, ma''am. May I go? I have to get started on my homework and Wyatt needs to report in." "Go. Be on time for dinner and you are to sit with me tonight." I just nod. She thinks separating me from the couple of people I have managed to make friends with is a punishment. I will let her keep thinking that. I walk off towards the hallway with the study rooms and library, Wyatt hot on my heels.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. Chapter 0188 Chapter 0188 Chapter 0188 "Okay, so not what you want to hear right now, but that was hot!" He chuckles behind me. "You are an idiot, you know that right? "Hey, not everyone can be a child genius. Some of us get by on our phenomenal looks." I just shake my head at him. " What the hell are you studying anyway? I don''t think I had this many books in the whole time I was in high school, let alone one semester." "l am a freshman taking junior and senior sses and I missed a month of them. I have to make up for the time I missed. I wish I would have been able to get started while I was sitting on my ass recovering in the hospital for a month." "What the hell took a month to recover from?! My eyes go wide, I don''t even know why I said that. I am usually so careful with my word choices, We walk into the library and I literally am at a loss for words. I don''t want to talk about Kaley or what she did to me, but I cant seem to shake her either, not even this far away. "It''s not important, it was just really boring and I could have gotten all of this done in that time." I roll my eyes trying to move past his question. "You don''t have to say now, but you really should talk about what happened to you. If it was that bad, you need to make sure your head is on straight. They make all the warriors whoe back from missions go through a mental evaluation, every time. It''s mandatory. We seethe worst of the worst and sometimes that messes with your mind. I know how good you are, you kicked my ass without breaking a sweat, but I also know that you wouldn''t be here yet unless you needed to be. If you need to talk, we''re all here." I look at him skeptically. "Okay, maybe not all of us, but you get the idea." I just nodded my head, Sierra said the same thing, so did her parents and even the guys before I really got hurt. I''m just not ready yet. hate how weak I feel just thinking about what happened to me, talking about it makes it that much more real and not just a nightmare. "l really do have to study, but thank you Wyatt, for everything today." He took the dismissal and turned to go. "I''lle get you for dinner okay? At least you can stand in line with us since you have to sit next to the hardass." I nod again. "Sounds good. I''ll take all the relief I can get." He stepped out and closed the door. I got everything that is currently due mostly done and made a schedule for getting all the back work done. I''m hoping can get caught up in a week, but adding in early morning and after school training with Audrina is going to cut into my time. I also decide to ask Lillian, Wyatt and Nathaniel about getting an rm clock so I don''t have to rely on Audrina to get me up until my body clock gets used to being here, Once get a feel for the training schedule and how tired I will be after I can make a better study schedule. It feels like only minutes have gone by, but Wyatt knocks on the door and sticks his head in before I can even reply. "Alright bookworm, enough of that. Pack up your sh*t and get your ass out here and you are not allowed to ditch us after dinner either. You need a break." I justugh as Nathaniel and Lillian both walk in behind him. They helped me gather everything up and I was going to store my school books here, but after a very short discussion, he convinced me it was probably a better idea to keep everything in my room so it can''t be sabotaged by Audrina, since this is a common space.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Chapter 0189 Chapter 0189 Chapter 0189 We dump all of my stuff on my desk and head down to the canteen for dinner. As requested I am early enough to be close to the front of the line, and here before Audrina. That wasn''t good enough of course. "You were asked to be with me for dinner tonight, that includes standing in line. Can''t you follow a simple instruction? How did you even convince Warrior Brogen to allow you toe here? Move. Now!" Audrina snarls from about ten people behind us. Lillian moves to do or say something, but just like Wyatt, I stop her. This has to be my fight. She is clearly trying to find a weakness to exploit and she won''t use my new friends as one. "Actually what you said was to be early to the line and that I have to sit with you during dinner, which I am more than happy toply with. You did not mention in your instructions where in the line I needed to stand, so I will remain here and wait for you to show us to our seats." I just turn around and face the front of the ine again. This is going to get real old, real fast. We make it through the line doing our best to ignore Audrina and her friends, who are all making littlements under their breath. I love the variety of food we get. Everything from Steak and mashed potatoes to tacos to sushi. There is something for everyone and a TON of it. There is rarely much left over too. The kitchen Omegas are miracle workers. I get the basic idea of what a day full of training is like in a rapid fire from Nathaniel while in line. Wyatt must have exined what Drina tried to do to my school schedule and wanted to make sure I knew what was really going on before she tried to set me up again. "Basically, we all start together first thing. We get announcements, find out about any missions that are up for grabs, things like that." "Wait, we get to volunteer for missions?" "Sometimes. If they want to train people in a certain skill or have simple recon or protection details they will let us sign up. For the more intense missions specific people with specific skill sets are assigned and it''s not an option." "Have any of you been on missions yet?" "No, we are all still on probation, just like you." Wyatt bumps my shoulder. "But we do get to start going out into themunity soon and helping around the Royal Pack territory. We will also start doing patrols soon too. It''s all decided by the warrior leaders and the elder council." "Ah, well hopefully I can do the territory missions and patrols with you guys. I hate missing out on stuff." Lillian justughs at me. "You''re here three years sooner than you should be, we figured that out." I just smile back at her. We get to the end of the line and I decide to stop pushing my luck with Audrina and wait with my te while my friends, slowly, walk away. Lillian said they would try and stay close, just in case, but if they sit anywhere near her usual table she''ll probably steer us in another direction. This is so stupid, it''s worse than the petty high school interactions I used to watch from a distance back home. "Let''s go, newbie." I follow Audrina and two other girls who are wearing the same look of distaste on their faces as she is. This should be super fun. We walked over to the table Lillian had pointed out before as ''their'' table in the middle of the canteen. This is clearly a ce given a wide berth from the rest of the warriors. There''s enough space to fit ten wolves here and it''s just the three of them, now four including me. I make a move to sit on one of the benches. "Not there, that''s my seat." The darker brte says to me. So I go to slide over on the bench.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Chapter 0190 Chapter 0190 Chapter 0190 "That''s my spot." The ighter brte whines. I have to fight augh. Are they serious? It''s bench seating, there really aren''t ''seats '' to have. This time I do roll my eyes. "You all realize it would go faster and be far less irritating if you just used your big girl words and told me where you wanted me to sit, right? You are wasting my time and missing out on your own dinner time just trying to be difficult. You can be mean to me when we are all sitting and eating. Where do you want me?" I gesture at the table. Hopefully I can use logic and nonchnce to get through this dinner. I try to channel my inner Nathaniel. "Over there." Audrina points to the opposite side of the ong table. There are so many people in here now and the table is so big I have to walk half the length of the room to get to the end and walk back to the center of the table on the other side. Center of the center table, yep she likes the attention and wants to be in the middle of everything. I finally get to my seat, sit, and start eating without looking at them. They are going to try and keep me from eating and I cant afford that. I still have Olive(s voice in my head telling me I need more food so I don''t be malnourished again. "What pack did you say you were from again?" The dark brte asks. "l didn''t, but I''m from Blue Crescent" I responded without looking up. "And how is it you managed to get here at 15, when none of the rest of us were allowed until we turned 18? I mean I am the best warrior toe out of my pack in 30 years." The lighter brte asked. "l dorfi actually know. After the trials I was told that I could join when I graduated high school. That was the n, but the n clearly changed." I continued shoveling food into my mouth. "What makes you so special that you know the Alpha King?'' Audrina asks. "I''m sure plenty of people know him. I''m sure my age and early entrance to the warrior program were the reason he was here yesterday." just have to keep my answers short and sweet. These girls strike me as the gossips and they will use any info they learn to their advantage, including altering what they hear. "No one else got a personal escort by the Alpha King though. Not even Audrina, who got here the day after her 18th birthday. That''s how good her training scores were." The dark brte raises her eyebrow at me. I really should learn their names, but they aren''t offering them up and none of them have bothered to say mine so I just let it go. I shrug in answer to her non-question. I have no control over who the Alpha King pays attention to. "Do you think you''re better than us? That you don''t have to respect us since you have been noticed by the Alpha King and personally trained by Warrior Osiston." The light brte asks, letting her attitude slip in now, not bothering to pretend to be nice. "No, I don''t. I''m a warrior in training just like you, no better no worse, just new. I don''t know what did to you, but I''m not the bad guy and I''m not a threat. From what understand we are supposed to train like a team. I just want to train, be a warrior and move forward with my life. As for respect, I give it when it''s been earned." I figure I''ll try to be the bigger person and slow down the hostility a little. But I''m also not going to let them walk all over me. I came here to get away from that. These three like a scene and I refuse to give them one. "We are your superiors, you''d better learn to respect and obey Bridget, Chelsea and l. I''m done hearing how great you are and you haven''t even had to prove yourself yet. You''re probably just a sl*t who slept around so much you had to be sent here before you were discovered as a stain to your pack. I bet your Alpha wanted you to have the warrior brand so you would be forced to keep your legs shut." Audrina is talking loud now and has the attention of the people surrounding us, but it won''t be long before she has the whole room listening in.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Chapter 0191 Chapter 0191 ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re talking about and you for sure don¡¯t deserve respect or any kind of obedience. What time is training in the morning, 5am? I believe you wanted me there early. Is that still the case or is 5am satisfactory for you, ma¡¯am?¡± I ask standing up with my half empty tray. I¡¯m done sitting here listening to this b*tch try and sabotage me by insinuating stuff. No one knows why I¡¯m here and she isn¡¯t going to bait me into talking about it. And she¡¯s lost her mind if she thinks that I¡¯m just going to blindly follow her. I just stand there staring at her. The ball is in her court, she can either back down on her ridiculous need to feel in power by giving memands or be a decent team leader and lead. ¡°5 am, outside at the ropes course. Do not bete.¡± ¡°I wouldn''t dream of it.¡± I walk off to dump my trash and see if I can find one of the kitchen omegas to see if I will be able to get some food or a snack early tomorrow morning. Lillian, Nathaniel and Wyatt all get up to follow me. We head into themon area, but I cut back towards the kitchen. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Lillian asks. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to bug them while they are cleaning.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°I have to ask about getting something for breakfast, even if it¡¯s leftovers. Otherwise Audrina is going to make sure I can¡¯tst during training tomorrow and I can¡¯t have her starting or spreading any more rumors about me. She¡¯s already telling people that I slept my way here. My fighting needs to speak for itself and I can¡¯t do that if she keeps messing with my meal time. I¡¯ll be back in just a couple minutes.¡± I head into the kitchen which is bustling with about ten people moving quickly but not in a rush, just a well oiled machine that is on the move. I look around and spot an older man and woman deep in conversation over a few sheets of paper on the central prepping ind. I walk to them. ¡°Excuse me, I just have a question when someone has a minute.¡± I say loud enough to be heard over the din of all the pots, pans and utensils being moved around the room and put back into their respectful ces. ¡°Oh dear, you know you shouldn¡¯t be in here. You really should put in meal requests with your floor leader.¡± The woman looks at me sternly. Of course that¡¯s who I would have to go to. ¡°Oh, I am so sorry, I didn¡¯t know. My name is Skr. Today is only my first full day and I am still learning.¡± I try ying the young and innocent card. ¡°My floor leader actually wanted to meet with me early tomorrow and I think I might miss breakfast. I was hoping to n ahead a little and maybe have something set aside, even just a small container of any leftovers would be perfect to get me started. I didn¡¯t want to wait until after everything was all cleaned up before I asked. I can even mix my own protein shake if we have the ingredients, I don¡¯t want to trouble anyone.¡± I look between her and the man. Chapter 0192 Chapter 0192 ¡°Not to worry Skr, we will make sure there is something for you. What time do you have to meet with your leader?¡± ¡°She wants me outside at 5am and I know we don¡¯t start breakfast until 5. I didn¡¯t want to get in the way of your prep for the rest of the warriors.¡± I really don¡¯t want to get in the way or make things difficult for them. It can¡¯t be easy feeding this many people, let alone warriors who need to eat more than the average wolf. ¡°This is what we are going to do. Come on down at 4:30 and you ask for me, Ste, or Jack here and we will make sure you get what you need, alright?¡± Ste pats me on the shoulder. I just nod and smile feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. ¡°Thank you so much, you are a lifesaver!¡± I wanted to jump over and give her a hug like I would with Lenny in the kitchen of the Packhouse back home. Especially when she would sneak me extras when the guys weren¡¯t looking. She must read my thoughts. ¡°Come here sweet girl.¡± She opens her arms and I don¡¯t hesitate, I step right into them, savoring the feeling. I didn¡¯t realize how much I would miss little things like this being here. Sierra and the guys would hug me, but it¡¯s not the same as what it feels like to get that motherly hug like from Luna Ave, Martha or Lenny. I take a deep breath in and just let the stress of the evening go when I let it out. ¡°Let me know if there is anything I can do to help out. I don¡¯t want to be a burden.¡± I look up at her, ready to earn my ce here. ¡°Scoot! I will see you in the morning.¡± Ste smiles and then turns back to Jack, who has a funny look on his face. Maybe confusion or disbelief, but with a touch of humor in his eyes. I¡¯ll have to figure that outter. I step back out to find Lillian, Wyatt and Nathaniel waiting for me. I need to get to bed, but I also need to figure out this rm situation. I lead my friends up the stairs towards my room. ¡°So what am I going to do about the wake-up call? I didn¡¯t see any outlets in my room to plug anything in and I didn¡¯t get the impression that we would have much in the way of electronics.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. All the phones are kept down in the media room. We can actually have them at any time, but they only get charged there, no outlets outside that room are to be used for portable electronics and the charging station is cubbies on a wall with two foot cords, so most people choose to charge them overnight. You may want to do the opposite though and charge during the day so you have an rm in the morning.¡± Lillian rambles. ¡°I really just need to get my hands on an rm that is battery powered. Maybe Sierra can help me out.¡± I¡¯m thinking out loud. ¡°Technically, you are supposed to get approval from your floor leader for anything ¡®frivolous¡¯ that you bring in your room.¡± Nathaniel rolls his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not frivolous, and I¡¯m going to feign deafness during yourstment. I can y innocent for a couple more days and I may need to get up early to get some studying in on my non-school days, so it¡¯s not frivolous. ¡°Can you two stop saying frivolous?¡± Wyattughs. ¡°It¡¯s starting to sound weird.¡± We sat in my room for a little while longer just talking about how the training has been going since the trials and whatI can expect from the regr training tomorrow when I finally join them after whatever Audrina has in store for me. When the chime goes off for us to head to our rooms for lights out, my friends all get up and start to file out. Nathaniel stops at the door and turns back to me.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Here.¡± He hands me a phone and I raise an eyebrow at him, taking it tentatively. ¡°It¡¯s for tomorrow. I just set the password to 111111. Use it as an rm, we¡¯ll figure something out. There isn¡¯t anything on it that I¡¯m worried about you seeing. I¡¯m actually pretty boring.¡± He smiles at me. Chapter 0193 Chapter 0193 ¡°Should I put something not boring on here?¡± I tease him. ¡°Preferably not. I may be 18, but my mom still checks the thing like she thinks I¡¯m a drug dealer.¡± We bothugh. ¡°Actually, pictures of girls who aren¡¯t my sister, might be helpful though, now that you mention it.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°I¡¯ll work on that, thanks for this,¡± I waved the phone. ¡°Not many people seem to be ready to jump in and be helpful.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re new and they don¡¯t know you yet. Not gonna lie, the sh*t Audrina is spreading my make it a little tougher, but I''ve seen you fight and you seem to be a decent person. They¡¯ll see that too ande around eventually. Your whole situation is crazy, and some people here don¡¯t like change. We¡¯ll get through it.¡± ¡°Thanks, Nathaniel. I appreciate it. I¡¯ll see you in the morning. I¡¯ll bring your phone with me so you can have it during the day. I wouldn¡¯t want your mom to get mad at you for not responding.¡± I tease again. ¡°NO!¡± I jump a little at his forcefulness. He¡¯s not one to raise his voice. ¡°Sorry, no. Just no. Drina will have your head if she thinks you brought a phone to training with you tomorrow. And I wouldn¡¯t put it past her to check you for one. I¡¯ll just get it at lunch, or whenever. My mom actually might not mind if she knows I was helping out a pretty girl.¡± He winks at me, effectively breaking the tension and making me giggle. ¡°If you¡¯re sure. I¡¯ll leave it in the top drawer on my desk if she separates us for rotations and we aren¡¯t back at the same time. Night Nathaniel, and thanks again.¡± He waves me off as he closes the door. I set the rm for 3:30, so I have plenty of time to actually wake-up. It¡¯s been over a month since I¡¯ve gotten up at my usual time and I¡¯m not sure if my brain and body are consistent. I got up early today, but I think that was more out of excitement than anything. I was not wrong, my brain does not like this time of the morning. I think as I stop the rm and drag myself out of bed. I fell asleep almost immediately after Nathaniel leftst night, but it still feels like I just went to bed. This adjustment is going to suck, I just hope it onlysts a couple days and I can get back to my usual routine. I get dressed in my training gear and for good measure pack an extra set in a bag. I don¡¯t trust Audrina at all right now. I grab my things and pad downstairs carrying my shoes, there¡¯s no reason to get everyone else up if they can have a few more minutes of sleep. It¡¯s super important for us to get rest, especially if we have been shifting, it takes a ton of energy to shift to and from our wolf form and we have to build a stamina for it during a fight. Lillian and the guys said that one of their early training experiences was having to shift and fight as a wolf then shift back to human and keep fighting. The trainers just blew a whistle and were taking notes on how long it took you to shift from one form to another and if you were able to avoid attack while doing it. I guess they did that for hours and then let the new recruits sleep it off for the rest of the day, because they were so tired. I make it to the kitchen and it is already bustling with life. Steam ising from pots and I can hear sizzling from the pans on the stove top. Dozens of metal pans have been lined up on the prep ind and are being filled with various hot breakfast items by the kitchen Omegas. ¡°Excuse me.¡± I g down one of the Omegas who isn¡¯t carrying arge hot pan. ¡°Is Ste or Jack around?¡± ¡°Are you Skr?¡± I nod. ¡°Perfect. I just got this done for you.¡± She hands me a protein shake and a large paper bag. Chapter 0194 Chapter 0194 ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± ¡°Ste thought you may need more than just a shake, so she had me pack a few things for after your early morning training that would be fast to eat.¡± She winks at me and gives me a knowing look. ¡°Just let me know when you run low and I can get you more and put the bottle in with the lunch dishes today and I ¡®ll have another ready for you tomorrow, okay?¡± ¡°You are seriously a lifesaver!¡± I take the Shaker bottle and bag, giving her a big smile. ¡°Thank you so much! Please let me know if I can help you all out here, I mean it.¡± She smiles, but waves me off. I head out back, ready to meet Audrina. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°You¡¯rete. I know Warrior Brogen told you we do not tolerateteness here. That¡¯s your second strike and you¡¯ve only been here for a day. And what are you carrying? I didn¡¯t tell you to bring anything.¡± ¡°What was my first strike?¡± I try to keep the b*tchiness out of my voice, but it is very difficult. This girl is going to try and get me kicked out for infractions. She¡¯s got another thinging if she thinks it¡¯s going to be that easy. ¡°And I came prepared. You didn¡¯t expect me to go through an entire morning of training on an empty stomach did you?¡± ¡°You werete yesterday and missed sses. And no one gets into the kitchens early. Did you steal food?¡± Ah, that was her n. To have the school report me for skipping. ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t miss a thing. My schedule was inurate, but thank the Goddess I had a question for the secretary anyway and double checked my lessons. I¡¯m so thankful that you were looking out for me and made sure I started training right by having to use my observation skills. That was really helpful. Wyatt enjoyed his time amongst the high school girls too. He was the perfect tour guide. You are great at pairing people up.¡± I walk up to her side. ¡°You wanted to assess me yourself, I assume. Where to?¡± I¡¯m not even going to grace her ¡®stolen food¡¯ment. I¡¯m sure if she was nice and actually asked, the kitchen Omegas would help her too, but she acts like they are her servants and below her because they aren¡¯t warriors like her. I have no idea who is watching, I have to assume she is no better than Kaley and has someone recording our interactions and I will give them no reason to think that I instigated anything. Two of us can y this game. ¡°To the gauntlet. I want to see youplete it myself. I think Warrior Brogen allowed you to get in without a real assessment or discussion. The leaders of thepound were not even aware that you were joining until you showed up on my floor. I want to see what I have to deal with before we get to team training.¡± She¡¯s mad she didn¡¯t get a say in whether I was allied to be here or not, got it. I wonder if that is all this is, or if it goes deeper? I guess I¡¯ll know after this morning. We walk over to the gauntlet again. AT least this time I have an idea of what I¡¯m doing. The difference here is there are no lights and the sun hasn¡¯t started to rise. My werewolf sight helps, but working in the dark isn¡¯t ideal for anyone, enhanced senses or not. ¡°Do I have a goal or time limit? Anything I need to keep in mind while I¡¯m doing this?¡± I ask the same thing I asked Warrior Osiston. ¡°Just get through the course, like your first day.¡± She rolls her eyes. Okay, she doesn¡¯t believe I did that either. Same as when I was here with Warrior Osiston, I lined up at the end of the poles stuck into the ground and waited for her signal to start. Chapter 0195 Chapter 0195 I knew this wasn¡¯t going to be a cakewalk, but I thought I would at least have some kind of advantage having done this once already. But, Audrina knew what she was doing bringing me out here this early in the morning. The dew had settled on everything and without the sun to evaporate it, everything was slick as sh*t and the course had to be navigatedpletely differently than the first time. ¡°Get your scrawny ass moving. I thought you did this once already or was that made up bullsh*t too?¡± Audrina taunts. I just keep moving. I wouldn¡¯t let her distract me on a normal day, let alone when I really need all my brain cells toplete this course. I finally make it through to the end, covered in mud from thest section of the course climbing over and under beams. I know my hands are shredded from some of the ropes and we haven¡¯t even started real training yet. ¡°Stand up straight. At least act like a warrior who has some basic training.¡± She snarls at my bent over form. I have my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath, but my pride wins out and I straighten to look her in the eye. ¡°At least I can say you actuallypleted the course now. Let¡¯s go.¡± My retort dies as she takes off like lightning through the trees. I don¡¯t know this area at all so I have to keep her in my sights. I have no idea what her n is, but losing me in the woods off-trail is not something I¡¯m going to let happen. We run for what feels like forever. It is exhrating! I didn¡¯t realize how much time has gone by since I have actually let loose and just run, full tilt, to my body¡¯s limits. My wolf is purring in my head and hoping we get to shift and run soon too. She hasn¡¯t been out longer than me and is starting to go stir crazy in my head. Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure we will be shifting a ton now and you don¡¯t have to be a secret anymore. I didn¡¯t mind being your secret. As long as I get to be out once in a while. It was for your protection more than anything. We begin to slow down and I can see the lights of thepounding up ahead. We run by the ropes course and pick up our bags. I¡¯m trying to control my breathing, I don¡¯t want her to know how out of shape I am and feel right now. I pull out the shake and Audrina looks at me incredulously. ¡°Where did thate from? There¡¯s no food in the dorm rooms.¡± ¡°I stopped by the kitchen on my way out.¡± I shrug. I don¡¯t owe her an exnation of any kind. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°The kitchen¡¯s are closed outside of meal times, you are not to be in there. That¡¯s grounds for punishment. You are just racking them up left and right.¡± She¡¯s starting to look smug but angry. ¡°I n ahead, I assumed we would miss breakfast. Ste and Jack set me up.¡± I keep my eyes forward. We walk around the back of the house where I hear a low din of voices when I am wrapped up in a tight hug. ¡°You survived!¡± Wyatt¡¯s whisper-yelles from somewhere above my head, but I can¡¯t see through all his bulky arm muscles. ¡°Not yet. I have to make it through the rest of the day, then we can celebrate.¡± I say as I finish off my shake and put the bottle back in my bag. At least now, no matter how brief the moment is, I can be out of Audrina¡¯s orbit. Warriors Osisten and Nicks are at the front of our group in quiet conversation when we walk towards the front. I don¡¯t want to miss any instructions and Audrina is less likely to mess with me this close to the leadership. Chapter 0196 Chapter 0196 ¡°There she is! I was hoping to see you today.¡± Warrior Nicks walks over and gives me a tight side hug. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re finally here, I wish the reason for it was better though. Let me know if you need anything.¡± He whispers thest part and gives me a pointed look. I figured he would, but it still bugs me a little that he knows why I¡¯m really here too and had probably been given all the details. ¡°Alright folks, let''s get started. Skr here is new to the ranks, Nicks and I will be catching her up this week, then she will be added into regr rotations.¡± A chorus of ¡®yes, sir¡¯es from therge group. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He points at me and I follow. We start with a light jog and soon the path bes familiar. At least running like this, at a normal pace, I can notice my surroundings and start to learn the territory. We ran the loop twice which took almost an hour. My lungs are burning from the exertion andck of use, but I refuse to look like it on the outside. Especially after everything that Audrina implied. I am out of shape and going to have my ass handed to me today, but I won¡¯t look weak. After the group run we broke into three smaller groups and true to their word, Warriors Osiston and Nickloas kept me with them, but I was by no means separated from the group. We were sparring one-on-one in human form for the first rotation. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Alright Little One, I want to see the extent of your injury recovery. You haven¡¯t grappled in over a month and we need to see what muscles are still healing. I want you to start slow. Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± Clearly my face isn¡¯t doing a good job of hiding my irritation of being told to take it easy. ¡°This is a body and movement assessment. Once I see how everything moves, I will let you know what you are allowed to do at full force and what we need to get stronger before I allow that. I will not have you reinjuring yourself just for your pride. If you are out with a serious injury you are useless to us. At least working slowly you can actually train and be an asset. Got it?¡± I fight an eye roll. He¡¯s right, but I don¡¯t want to go slow. I¡¯m tired of not being able to move and work, it¡¯s bing frustrating and I didn¡¯t realize how much I rely on the release from the workout. ¡°Got it.¡± I grumble moving into position. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with arm blocks, holds and releases. Then we will move into leg work. From there we will start to grapple full body.¡± I just nod. I want to talk less and move more. For the next three hours Nicks pushes my body to the limits. I hate to admit that he was right, even in my own head. I needed to go slow, I have lost so much muscle and flexibility, but the muscle memory is there, I know what each move is supposed to feel like which is helpful. This time, I think we have been going for at least five minutes. He has finally let me start to use my full body and he is trying to pin me on the ground. I was just told I have to hold him off until Warrior Osiston calls time and who knows how long they are going to let me go. Finally a whistle blows and Warrior Nicks stands from his attack position. ¡°Great work, we have a few things to work on, but far better than I expected. We¡¯ll do this again at your next training session, then I think we can start to mix you into the rest of the group.¡± He pats me on the shoulder as we walk over to where the water station is. ¡°Thanks. Is there anything I can do on my own to make this recovery crap go faster. I hate that my training is broken up.¡± I look over at him before I basically start chugging water. Chapter 0197 Chapter 0197 ¡°There¡¯s a lot she needs to work on. I evaluated her ropes course this morning, and she barely survived it. Are we sure she should even be here?¡± Audrina chimes in. I notice Warrior Osiston is nowhere near hearing distance. ¡°Why did you assess her? Her ropes course was already documented and I don¡¯t recall assigning that task to you or anyone else.¡± He looks sternly at her and I want nothing to do with this conversation. ¡°None of the warriors saw her assessment. How was I supposed to know that it had been completed? Usually the floor leaders run the assessments and the wholepound witnesses.¡± She shrugs. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°So you chose to assess me at five in the morning with no witnesses to right that wrong? Good to know.¡± I look at her and Warrior Nicks raises his eyebrows and looks between the two of us. ¡°Really Audrina?¡± He just stares at her. ¡°She isn¡¯t at all of the training, so I utilized the time I had. She¡¯s too young and green to be here, so young her training load had to be lightened. I needed to know what I was going to be forced to work with. She¡¯s on my floor and a part of my team and I don¡¯t need anyone holding us back.¡± A low grumblees from his chest. He clearly doesn¡¯t like being told what to do by a trainee. His eyes go vacant for a minute while he mindlinks with someone. ¡°Gather up!¡± Warrior Osiston¡¯s deep gravelly voice thundered around the group. I can tell this is not something normally done as everyone is looking around while they are tentatively moving as a mass towards him. ¡°Apparently some of you like to run your mouths and question authority. You are given the information you need to go about your business and be a better warrior that the Alpha King can rely on. You are not privy to all information at all times and you do not have the right to all information at all times. At any given time a third of you have orders that do not coincide with the rest of the team. Get over yourselves, do what is asked or you can go back to wherever you came from if you really need to be nosy nellies. Now get to your next session. Skr you stay with me, apparently you¡¯ve already done your ropes course for the day.¡± Warrior Osiston starts to walk off and there is a whole lot of murmuring of what that was about. So much for not gossiping. I caught up to Warrior Osiston. ¡°I can do the course again. I don¡¯t want anyone else thinking I¡¯m getting special treatment. That seems to be the consensus. That and I apparently had to sleep with people to get here.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to prove anything to anyone, Little One. You¡¯re new and it¡¯s rare that anyonees in thiste to training. You will be of interest to most of them for a couple weeks, then you will just be one of the trainees.¡± ¡°I want to train with my group, if that¡¯s an option. I have to learn to trust these people, even the less than helpful ones, and they have to learn to work with me. I¡¯m not trying to prove anything, not really, not like that. I have to prove myself to be epted here, it¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°If you say so, let¡¯s go.¡± He changes direction and heads towards the ropes course. Once we get there he looks over at me. ¡°So, normally, we break down the ropes obstacles and do different team building exercises. Today we are working the bridges.¡± Chapter 0198 Chapter 0198 ¡°So do I work by myself or pick a group?¡± ¡°You work with the people on your floor.¡± I snap my head to him. ¡°It¡¯s both men and women. This is arge group exercise for when we dorger evacuations. And unfortunately there have been far too many of those in recent history. Yes, the floor leaders are in charge of the exercise.¡± He answers my unasked question. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Perfect. I walk over to where Audrina and the rest of our floor is standing waiting to get on the course. In the light of day and not in the middle of running the course I can see different ropedders and ess points to each part of the course. So I can actuallye out here and take the time to figure out each course piece, that is when I get the time. I look forward to that. ¡°Hey Newbie, up here with me.¡± A veryrge guy standing next to Wyatt calls over to me. ¡°Put her in the back where she belongs. Then she can¡¯t hold us up.¡± Audrina throws over her shoulder at him. ¡°That¡¯s the dumbest thing I have ever heard. First, we don¡¯t put newbies in the back especially when we don¡¯t know all of their skills. Second, this newbie happens to be the most agile person on ropes I have ever seen and should be one of the first people to go. You weren¡¯t at trials, you didn¡¯t see what her skills were at all, be petty and judgyter. We need toplete this course in record time, I¡¯m done losing to Jack and his crew by seconds.¡± He must be the male lead on our floor for Audrina to not have a snarky response to him informing her I¡¯m good at something. ¡°Whatever, if we lose this challenge because she¡¯s here, I¡¯m going to me you and you both can do the punishment together for the whole team.¡± ¡°Suits me.¡± Tall guy says. ¡°Name¡¯s John, but everyone calls me ¡®Tracker.¡¯ We have to get all 20 of us across and down in the shortest amount of time. We have been doing training drills for a few weeks, stick close to me, you seem to read the room pretty well. Any suggestions, I¡¯ll take them, but watch first to gather intel.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± I ignore Audrina, the best I can. She¡¯s on my team and eventually we are going to be forced to work together, but at least for now, there are so many people and she is in her element of being in charge and verbalizing her game n. I do not matter enough for her attention since Tracker seems to have taken me under his wing. Unfortunately, listening to her, I understand why she¡¯s in her position. She¡¯s at least smart and knows what she¡¯s doing. As a group we scale these small metal pegs hammered into the uprights. The pegs are so tiny, even my feet are going to have a hard time fitting quickly. I don¡¯t know how Wyatt, Tracker and some of these other guys are going to manage to move up quickly. From there we are scaling across the rope bridge that has a single rope for feet and single rope for hands and the bars in between to keep them about seven feet apart. If we had children with us on the evacuation, there is no way any of us would choose this bridge style. I say as much to Tracker. ¡°Do we assume we have children or elderly in these exercises? Or so we assume everyone can traverse this setup since it wouldn¡¯t be practical for those demographics?¡± I ask the back of Tracker¡¯s head while our group moves forward. ¡°We should always assume the worst case scenario, that means children, elderly, sick, injured, every type of person we coulde across. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°In a real life situation, there is no way one of us is going to set a bridge like this, even in the worst situation, if we have children or injured people, they are going to need to be carried across. I am the smallest person here and I have done this alone twice this week and I can barely touch both ropes at the same time, that makes me slower. An untrained person would be worse and whatever we were evacuating from would probably capture or kill us. Do we go single file or can the rope handle more than one at a time?¡± Chapter 0199 Chapter 0199 ¡°So far Jack¡¯s team and ours are the fastest and both teams go single file and send people every two feet give or take. The rope can hold a significant amount of weight if it is tied properly like this one is.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Is the rope tying something we train as well? I would love to learn that?¡± ¡°It is, but focus, what are you suggesting?¡± He gives an amused smirk at my excitement over tying rope. ¡°That we double up. There¡¯s twenty of us, we could go across in pairs, instead of sending each across one at a time. We¡¯ve all made it to training, so I have to assume everyone here is strong enough and coordinated enough to do that. It will be a huge test of trust for the person piggy backing. It is the most realistic scenario though. If you have a small child who is scared, they are going to be difficult enough to get moving, let alone adding a huge height to the mix.¡± ¡°You might be onto something, let me talk to Audrina.¡± I grab his arm before he can get away. ¡°Don¡¯t tell her it was my idea, for whatever reason she hates me and will shut it down if she thinks I suggested it.¡± He huffs and rolls his eyes. ¡°Sounds about right, no worries.¡± Then he walks away to give Audrina my n. Within five minutes of them talking she shouts, ¡°Gather round, new n.¡± Once we are all together she squats in the middle and we huddle around listening to her give us the n in a hushed voice. ¡°We are going to pair up once we get to the top. We have done this single file plenty of times and it hasn¡¯t made us any faster. Pair off one male one female. This isn¡¯t a men are stronger thing, so don¡¯tin. The guys are statistically taller than the women and this will work in our favor. Ladies, we are going to ride piggyback and go across in pairs. Since this hasn¡¯t been tested, give just a bit more space between partners to stay safe. Alsodies, work as lookouts, make sure the trainers don¡¯t have any ns to strike at us. We need to knock Jack¡¯s team off their pedestal.¡± Everyone is nodding their head in agreement and starting to pair off. ¡°I¡¯ve got the Midget.¡± Wyatt wraps his arm around my neck as Tracker points at me. ¡°Are you sure you can handle her?¡± Trackers rolls his eyes, but gives a yful smirk. ¡°Alright as*holes, don¡¯t fight over the new toy.¡± A woman in her mid twenties says to them both. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll both have plenty of time to work with her.¡± She smiles at me and moves close and whispers, ¡°Nice n, she may or may not give you any credit, but several of us heard youe up with it.¡± She winks and moves off to another guy in our group. I just smile, I don¡¯t really care about credit as long as we win. ¡°We¡¯re next.¡± Audrina shouts to us. ¡°Get ready.¡± No sooner does she say that than the horn sounds. We have to scramble up the littledder spokes, but as soon as each pair reaches the top the female partnerunches onto her male partner and they start to shimmy across the rope. It dips with thebined weight, but the guys are more than capable of hanging on. If it was me, I would have been hanging by just my hands. There¡¯s no way I was going to be able to reach both with therge guys on here too. ¡°You ready Midge?¡± Wyatt asks. We are the second tost pair to go, but it seems to be working. Our team is flowing up and across like ants on a mission. ¡°You head up first, that way I can keep pace with you.¡± I don¡¯t argue and start the ascent. Once we are both at the top he reaches out a hand, I take it and use his thigh as a step up onto his massive back. My arms just barely connect around his neck, but his waist narrows out just enough for me to wrap my legs around and cross my ankles. Chapter 0200 Chapter 0200 He grabs the upper rope and takes a tentative step forward letting the lower rope dip with our weight before he starts stepping one foot in front of the other. As soon as we reach the first upright pole and he has to let go, I hear a click echo around us. I look below and see each of the trainers aiming what looks like guns at us. What the hell? ¡°Wyatt, we¡¯ve got trouble. I think they are going to try and shoot at us, move your ass!¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± ¡°One at twelve o¡¯clock, two at three o''clock, one at six o¡¯clock and three at nine o¡¯clock, but I don¡¯t know if they would aim at us or the other team. Would they really shoot us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably just paintballs, but they turn the guns up to full velocity. Yes they will really try and hit us, and those f*ckers hurt.¡± He picks up the pace, but we can only go so fast without making the whole bridge start to sway. I rte the info to the pair behind us and then to the pair in front of us. Everyone on piggy back is on the lookout to see who is going to strike first. The pair in front of us makes it to the tform just as they start to open fire. We are just crossing the halfway point and still have about twenty feet to go. I feel the first st of paint hit my arm and Wyatt wasn¡¯t wrong, this sh*t stings. I take a few more to each arm and then I hear the consistent sts and can feel the paint ssh over Wyatt¡¯s shoulder at me. ¡°Ahh! I can¡¯t see!¡± Wyatt shouts. They tried and failed to get me to let go so they started going for Wyatt¡¯s face. ¡°Hold on tigh for just a second, I¡¯m going to adjust.¡± I let go with one hand and reach under his arm.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°What the f*ck are you doing? Don¡¯t let go, you¡¯re going to fall!¡± ¡°We are both going to fall if you can¡¯t see or if the rope gets too slippery to move, just trust me.¡± I shimmy under his arm, moving my legs as little as possible, but reaching both arms underneath and grabbing his biceps and using them to pull myself to his front. I take the hem of my shirt and wipe his face. ¡°Blink. Can you see better?¡± I ask as I start to take a volley of hits to my back. He does what I say. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good, but you are getting pummeled, move back.¡± ¡°Not a chance, focus on the rope and I will keep them from hitting you in the face, now get us off this ride.¡± ¡°You got it boss.¡± I take a look behind him and thest pair did the same. She is protecting his face too, but she looks like a Jackson Pollock painting. I¡¯m sure I look no better. Chapter 0201 Chapter 0201 As I take another shot to the head I risk moving to look Wyatt in the eye. ¡°Any day now big guy.¡± He huffed augh and started to move again. ¡°Whoa! This sh*t is slippery.¡± he shouts in my ear as his foot almost slips off the rope in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t try and step, slide your feet like ice skating, same with your hands. Move quickly, they¡¯ve stopped shooting, probably to reload.¡± I say to the pair behind us as much as to Wyatt. We finally make it to the tform, but the trainers have reloaded and now we have to make it down among the new wave of paintballs. As Wyatt sets me down I notice more than half our team is still up here. ¡°What are you guys waiting for, an invitation? Get down thedder!¡± I shout at them. They all jump likeing out of a trance and start to scramble down one at a time. It¡¯s still slow going now that the trainers have targeted the rungs of thedder making it slick with the oily paint. We get to the bottom followed by thest pair and then we take off running. I keep up with Wyatt, not really sure where to go, but figure we must be trying to cross some sort of finish line. ¡°Time!¡± Warrior Nicks shouts. ¡°Not bad. Circle up everyone, let¡¯s talk this out.¡± All the teams that just ran the course ran over. The people in the front took a knee so the rest of us can all see and hear clearly. ¡°Team one, you sessfully made it across with all of your team members today with the ropes expanded to eight feet apart. Team two, you alsopleted the course, and faster than team one. Both teams used the one-by-one method all of you have been practicing for thest few weeks. Team three, you chose to try a different method, which earned you an additional phase of attack.¡± There were grumbles around me, but I don¡¯t really understand why. ¡°Can anyone tell us why the additional attack was needed?¡± Warrior Nicks asked as if no one was making a sound.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Audrina raises her hand, then starts to speak. ¡°As a team the buddy system was getting us across faster than the one-by-one method, but that also made the human backpacks vulnerable to other outside attacks. The paintballs were used to slow us down on several different fronts. The people carrying had to fight the slippery rope and those riding unfortunate enough to get shot had to hang onto their slippery partner.¡± ¡°Correct, good observation. How did team three adjust to the attack? What was done right?¡± ¡°The two that were riding shifted to the front to protect the partners crossing the bridge, which lowered the risk of falling, but the riders took an onught of hits.¡± The woman who called me the ¡®new toy¡¯ earlier answered. ¡°Uh huh. What could have been fixed? Skr, I¡¯ll let you answer this since you took the brunt of the attack.¡± My eyes went wide, I was not prepared for the attention. I make eye contact with Audrina who gives me a squinted look, probably trying to say ¡®don¡¯t f*ck this up Newbie.¡¯ ¡°I think having more of our team on the ground neutralizing the attackers would have helped and we may have suffered less hits and would have cut our time down some. The paintball attack was clearly something that no one was expecting and it caught everyone off guard. Maintaining awareness in the chaos and staying focused on the objective until the assignment isplete is probably the biggest lesson here.¡± I finish, not looking around since the whole group has gone completely silent. Nicks gives me a smirk and then looks over to Warrior Osiston. ¡°Why did no one try to stop the trainers from firing on your team?¡± Warrior Osiston asks. ¡°You all stopped to gawk at the two pairs that were being pulverized by thousands of paintballs. And we each unloaded about a thousand rounds.¡± He looks pleased with himself and I had to fight an eye roll as I noticed the blue color that is the most prominent color dripping from me happens to match the paint in his gun. He had far too much fun shooting me the jackass. Chapter 0202 Chapter 0202 ¡°Who decided to pair up team three?¡± Warrior Nicks asks. ¡°The team leaders of course.¡± Audrina speaks up. The ¡®new toy¡¯ girl was right; she would take credit if it was being praised. ¡°It was a team coboration.¡± Tracker supplies. ¡°A fresh set of eyes and a new perspective allowed us to adjust our game n and for the most part it did work in our favor. Now we have something new to work through.¡± ¡°Spoken like a true leader Tracker. All of you who were hit with paint go shower quickly and clean up, we will make sure you get lunch. The rest of you grab your thing and head on in to eat.¡± Warrior Osiston says and a chorus of ¡®yes, sir¡¯ follows before we all disperse. ¡°That was awesome!¡± Lillian runs over to Wyatt and I,ughing. ¡°I think I might have peed my pants if I would have had to climb around from back to front like that, though.¡± ¡°What was I supposed to do? Wyatt couldn¡¯t see and the ropes were getting more and more slippery with every shot. I was able to protect his face better too since he needed his hands to get the both of us across. There was no other way that was going to work.¡± We got to our things behind the bunkhouse and Wyatt and I headed to the side entrance with the other people who got hit with paint so we didn¡¯t track it through the main level. Lillian told us she would save us a seat and said she wanted details about climbing Wyatt like a tree. I think even with the warrior brand that girl might be boy crazy. We head up and Wyatt leaves me on mynding saying he¡¯ll meet me at the main stairs in ten minutes. I rush to my room and grab my things to shower quickly. I tried my best, but I took most of the shots to the back of my head and that greasy paint was noting out in the spit shower I had time for. I can¡¯t wait to go back downstairs and have Audrina give me a hard time for it, but there¡¯s nothing I can do about her attitude towards me and I really need to eat after all of that and we still have afternoon training to do. I take a deep breath ans head towards the stairs as I finish adjusting my shirt. ¡°Where¡¯s the fire? We have time, Midge.¡± ¡°I am starving and we have more trainingter.¡± I whine at him and he justughs at me. ¡°Stop laughing. I still have homework too. Let¡¯s Go!¡± I start running down the stairs as he startsughing at me again. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°I see you tried really hard to get all that paint out of your hair.¡± Nathaniel smiles as we meet up with him in the line. ¡°Shut up! This sh*t is going to take a few washes toe out, but keep making fun of me and we¡¯ll see if I protect you from shots being fired.¡± I raise my eyebrows at him. ¡°Good point, you took a lot of hits.¡± He coughs a little beforeughing again and we join in with him. ¡°I¡¯m d you did though, we never would have made it across otherwise. Whatever is in those paintballs sucked to have in my eyes, I couldn¡¯t see a thing. Midge had to use her shirt to clean my face while holding on like a little monkey, it was pretty impressive.¡± We make it over to a table Lillian has for us. ¡°Yes, that move was definitely hot and something I will store away for the right moment when I find my mate.¡± She says like she¡¯s been a part of the conversation the whole time. ¡°Make sure you get enough protein in, we are shiftingter and your wolf will need the energy.¡± ¡°More food, got it, you don¡¯t have to tell me twice! And I didn¡¯t even think about that, I¡¯m sorry Wyatt.¡± Chapter 0203 Chapter 0203 ¡°Sorry? Why are you sorry?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even think about being up in your personal space or if that would even bother you, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Umm, Midge, you saved us from falling, don¡¯t ever be sorry for that. And no one who has looked at you or been around you would ever be mad about you crawling all over them, brand or not.¡± He winks at me. ¡°I just didn¡¯t even think about anyone not beingfortable with being that close to someone else. My friends and I back home were just really tight like that. Just tell me if I do something that bothers you, alright?¡± ¡°Uh, you helped us win, even with the rest of our teampletely distracted and not being helpful at all, we won. You could tell me to wear a dress and I probably would if you could guarantee that we achieve our goal.¡± Wyattughs and we all join in. ¡°You like to wear dresses huh? Just another piece of information to store away forter.¡± Lillian wiggles her eyebrows at him. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Shut up.¡± He tries looking angrily at her, but it doesn¡¯tst and we all end upughing at him. We are wrapping up when a very official looking guy walks into the canteen and everyone goes quiet. The three piece gray suit is very out of ce here with everyone in training gear. He looks stern, like he¡¯s on a mission and takes everything way too seriously. I wonder who¡¯s in trouble now. ¡°I need to speak with Skr.¡± He looks around the room, clearly not knowing who he¡¯s looking for. ¡°I have a message from Luna Queen Anne.¡± He continues to look around. I stand up slowly and move towards him. What could the Luna Queen have for me? I¡¯ve only been here two days. I make it to him by the door, hoping that he will walk out into the hallway to talk to me. No such luck, figures. ¡°I¡¯m Skr, sir.¡± I shift a little closer to the door to hint at wanting to step out, but he basically blocks my way with hisrge frame. ¡°Luna Queen Anne would like you to be at the Royal packhouse Saturday morning at 6am for your fitting. Someone will be here to pick you up at 5:30 and you will have breakfast with the Luna Queen before. She also wanted me to give you this.¡± He hands me a very fancy looking thick envelope. ¡°We will see you this weekend Miss Skr.¡± With that he turns and leaves me just standing there a little stunned. I walk back to the table with my friends. ¡°What did he want?¡± Lillian doesn¡¯t hesitate to ask. ¡°To give me a message from Luna Queen Anne.¡± I sh the envelope at them. ¡°Well?¡± She looks at me expectantly. ¡°Well, what?¡± ¡°Oh, for Goddess sake, what does it say? The suspense is killing me. The Luna Queen really doesn¡¯t have much to do with warriors in training.¡± ¡°Oh, uh, I haven¡¯t opened the envelope yet, but I have to go to the Royal packhouse Saturday morning to meet with her.¡± ¡°Seriously, open the damn thing!¡± I smile at her excitement and open the steel gray envelope and pull out a thick card folded in two. It has the royal seal embossed on the front and the edges have a fancy frey making it look handmade. Actually, it probably ise to think of it. When I open it the first thing I notice is the scrolling elegant handwriting. This woman obviously puts a lot of thought and effort into her notes. Chapter 0204 Chapter 0204 ¡®Skr you are formally invited to the Alpha King¡¯s Annual Elder¡¯s Conference and Ball as Prince Alexander¡¯s escort. A car will pick you up promptly at seven in the morning to bring you to the royal packhouse to begin preparations for the day. You will be excused from training Saturday and Sunday as the ball will runte and your presence is needed for the full duration. I look forward to seeing you for your dress fitting this Saturday. I hope all is going well with your training and you are settling into our pack. I look forward to catching up with you. Luna Anne.¡¯ I read through the letter and then read it out to my friends. ¡°What does she mean by catching up with you?¡± Audrina snarks over my shoulder and I jump a little. I didn¡¯t even notice hering up behind me. ¡°Is that really any of your business?¡± Lillian asks and I raise my eyebrows at her. That was either a really brave question or really stupid. ¡°It is if one of my team members is going to be missing training.¡± ¡°Missing training has nothing to do with Skr catching up with the Luna Queen. You were obviously eavesdropping enough to hear that the Luna Queen has invited Skr to the Royal packhouse this Saturday and next so she will be missing training. That¡¯s really all the information you need, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lillian is ying with fire, but she¡¯s not wrong. Audrina looks at Lillian for a brief second and clearly makes a decision. ¡°If Skr is going to be a part of my team, she needs to be present for all of the required training. I am already forced to put up with her frequent absences since she hasn¡¯t had the capacity to even finish school yet.¡± ¡°Are you serious? She¡¯s ahead by two years and probably smarter than the rest of usbined¡­¡± Wyatt adds in. ¡°Let¡¯s not get carried away. Audrina, the Luna Queen has requested my presence, there¡¯s not really anything you or I can do about that, is there?¡± ¡°What does she mean you¡¯ll be Prince Alexander¡¯s escort?¡± I think she¡¯s whining now. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that part is the most self-exnatory.¡± Nathaniel responds. I cut them off with my hand as all my friends seem to want to keep stepping in to defend me. They won¡¯t always be there to buffer the animosity she seems to radiate around me. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Prince Xander and I are friends and she clearly wants me at this event. Since he hasn¡¯t found his mate yet he is vulnerable to all of the social climbing people in attendance. By having an escort it allows him a level of protection from them and anyone else who may want to cause trouble or harm. The protection bes two fold since I am also a warrior.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t an Elite Warrior yet, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say ¡®elite warrior¡¯ just warrior, which I am and plenty of people here can attest to that. Having a warrior assigned as his escort allows other warriors to focus on the King and Queen¡¯s protection if they aren¡¯t in the same social groups all evening. It¡¯s a strategic move and less conspicuous having someone closer to his age attend with him than having a guard nking him all night.¡± ¡°I still want to know what you did to get all of this special treatment from everyone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not special treatment. I worked my ass off to get here just like everyone else. My circumstances are not normal, but if it was necessary for you to know more than you do, Warrior Osiston would have given it to you. Like he said yesterday, at any given time a third of us have orders that may conflict with what the group is doing. Do you trust him? ¡°Of course I do, he is my mentor. Warrior Brogen saved me after my pack was attacked and brought me here. What I want to know is how you got him to tell you his first name and let you use it? How did you be friends with the Alpha Prince so quickly? You talk about social climbing people wanting to get to him. How do we know you¡¯re not one of those people?¡± Chapter 0205 Chapter 0205 My friends are just watching the conversation like a tennis match. If I was on the outside looking in, I would probably find it very funny. ¡°In all honesty, you don¡¯t know. But, I have clearly been looked into by Warrior Osisten, the Alpha King and whoever else handles all of that and been found to be trustworthy for this job. If you don¡¯t agree with the decision, I suggest you take it up with that team. I will continue to follow orders.¡± I stood up and grabbed what¡¯s left of my food. I know I need to finish it, but I¡¯m done talking to her and she won¡¯t leave so I have to. I grab the shaker bottle from my bag too so I can take it into the kitchens to Ste and Jack and take up just a little more time. When I get back to the table Lillian has my bag and all my friends are waiting for me, Lillian has a big sh*t eating grin on her face. ¡°You should have seen her after you walked off and basically dismissed her. She isn¡¯t done trying to imply that you shouldn¡¯t be here. She¡¯s just mad because she isn¡¯t the favorite she thought she was. She¡¯s had a bit of a hero worship problem with Warrior Brogen and sticks to him like a shadow. He has never treated her any differently, even as a team leader, she¡¯s treated the same as the rest of them, I just don¡¯t think she sees it.¡± ¡°It is a little weird though,¡± Nathaniel says as we start walking back out to the open space behind the bunkhouse. ¡°It¡¯s almost like she has a crush on him, but that¡¯s impossible with the brand. We don¡¯t get any of those emotions. Love, lust, infatuation, desire of any kind is overridden by the warrior brand. No one dates here, no secret hook-ups. We just don¡¯t get those desires at all. We can¡¯t afford to have the drama that rtionships can cause, especially being with each other twenty four seven.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s from before she got her brand. She remembers him saving her, it could be just that, hero-worship.¡± I say. ¡°Does anyone know anything about her pack or what happened? Maybe she lost her mate. If she was eighteen, it could have been shortly after finding him and she transferred her feelings in her grief and that¡¯s thest of that type of emotion she remembers.¡± ¡°It still doesn¡¯t excuse the way she keeps treating you, so stop trying to make me feel bad for her.¡± Lillian snaps yfully at me. ¡°I¡¯m not. I just want to get to the bottom of it. I can¡¯t control how she acts, but if I understand why she acts that way I can control my reactions and responses.¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re only fifteen? That sounds like something my mom would say.¡± Nathaniel laughs. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°When you spend a lot of time teaching pups, you learn to look at the bigger picture and not react emotionally, no matter how bad you want to. I won¡¯t give anyone control over my emotions. It¡¯s the one thing that no one can take from me, my control on how I react.¡± He¡¯s saved the necessity of responding when Warrior Nicks steps in front of us. ¡°We are sparring as wolves today, so we won¡¯t divide like we normally do. We are working on evasion and submissions today. There should be no injuries. The goal is to capture your opponent with no way for them to escape or need medical attention from you. You should always have at least one person to interrogate, especially when they are attacking. Head to the green and Warrior Brogen and I will divide you up.¡± We all start moving and I can feel myself start to get anxious. This means I will have to change in front of these people and I don¡¯t want to have to answer any questions. I can feel my breathing pick up as we move closer to the open space he called the green. Chapter 0206 Chapter 0206 ¡°Hey Midge, you alright? You look a little pale.¡± Wyatt asks, getting Lillian and Nathaniel¡¯s attention too. ¡°No. I mean yeah, I¡¯m good.¡± I can¡¯t look him in the eye though. ¡°You can shift, right? I mean, I guess you wouldn¡¯t be here if you couldn¡¯t yet.¡± Nathaniel says to himself more than to me. ¡°Yeah, no, I¡¯m okay, I can shift. I just don¡¯t really like changing in front of people. I¡¯ll be fine, I just wasn¡¯t expecting it, that¡¯s all.¡± I take a deep breath trying to control my breathing. I can get through this, I have to get through this. I chose to keep the scars when I was given the chance to get rid of them, now I have to live with my decision. One more big deep breath as we all set our bags down and turn to get instructions. ¡°Alright, those of you that were at trials got a glimpse of this technique. Those of you who were unable to go this is what we are trying to aplish, Skr, step up.¡± Nathaniel calls out and looks directly at me. I stop breathing and freeze. ¡°I did not stutter, move!¡± I jump like my ass was bit and move forward. ¡°Lose the shirt, you¡¯re going to shift mid fight. THe less clothes we have to rece the better.¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. I turn and slowly take my shirt off with shaky hands. I keep my eyes closed as I turn back towards him , take another deep breath, open my eyes and move to the center of the circle towards Warrior Nicks. I can hear murmurs, but nothing any of them are saying. I keep my focus on Nicks in case he ns on throwing some kind of surprise attack after obviously getting me emotionally disoriented. ¡°We are going to spar for 5 minutes, you must stay in the circle the entire time. When I shift you do. Your one goal is to evade capture. Do you understand your assignment?¡± I nod, it¡¯s all I¡¯ve got to give at this moment. He doesn¡¯t spare me much more than that moment before he starts to circle me like a predator does his prey. His eyes are calcting, he¡¯s sizing me up even though we have fought a few times now. I have changed a bit since the locker room and haven¡¯t actually done any kind of sparring for over a month now. As the thought hits me, I realize I am nervous for the first time in a very long time. But I can''t decide if it is a good thing or a bad thing. I¡¯m weak and out of shape, but I have enough training that muscle memory should kick in and help me out. Don¡¯t worry sweet girl, we will do this together. My wolf reminds me she¡¯s here with me. I¡¯m not alone. Save your energy as much as possible. We have no idea when he¡¯s going to shift and that is the one thing we arecking experience in, shifting and fighting immediately following. No sooner did I say that than Warrior Nickloas charged at me. I blocked his arms but wasn¡¯t quick enough to stop the leg sweep that followed and I started to fall towards my back. I used the momentum to grab at his arm and pull him back with me throwing him back over my shoulder as I rolled backwards, he was forced to release his grip and tuck and roll forward. I was quicker to my feet and stepped back. I wasn¡¯t going to charge at him yet. I need to get him to use up some of his energy first, especially before he forces us to shift. Chapter 0207 Chapter 0207 He jumps up, turns and starts moving forward in a fluid motion someone his size shouldn¡¯t be able to do, but he made it look like nothing. He reaches me and grabs for my arm and I turn out of his grasp only to be caught by his other arm. I take a swing of my own making an attempt to free myself from his massive hand. He didn¡¯t let go, but I know the contact affected him by the look on his face. We keep this dance up for a little while. Closebat is something I am good at. My size usually requires it, but it is difficult for myrger friends. I will take any advantage I can get. He grabs my wrist and spins me, aiming for a headlock, but he overestimates my height and I slip back under his arm, pulling him with me. He aims a punch at my rib cage which knocks all of my breath out of my body and I see a sh of white for a brief second with the pain. He pulls down on my wrist trying to get me to the ground again. I roll and hit him in the chest with as strong a kick as I can muster at this point, but it was enough. He stumbles back, looks at me and smiles. It is the most wickedly yful smile I have ever seen. The fire in his eyes let¡¯s me know I am in deep sh*t. He takes two running steps and jumps shifting in mid air. I don¡¯t even hesitate to run forward, slide under his shifting form and shift to my wolf as I stand to all fours and hends facing me. His massive rust colored wolf has his head tipped low to the ground, both amber eyes locked on me, muscles rippling, tensed and ready to pounce on me. My wolf shifts her chest low to the ground ready for anything. We can jump head on or dodge either right or left. The benefit to being small is I am always close to the ground and I know how to brace my center of gravity. He charges at me and my wolf dodges right and aims a bite at his front left leg. He¡¯s too quick for us though and pivots just out of reach and whips his hind legs around to barrel into our side. We take the hit and absorb it in a roll, back to our feet before he can pounce. We charge at him this time taking the offense, he lowers his head anticipating a head on attack. Instead we jump up and over his headnding on his back, another benefit to being smaller. We sink our teeth into the scruff of his neck and mp down like our life depends on it. He ils around trying to knock us off, but we extend our ws and hang on for the ride. When I look back on this I mayugh at the idea of me riding on his back like a horse. But, right now, I¡¯m determined to win this battle and survive. He whips his head down trying to throw me forward, but my ws are doing me proud right now. As I have the thought though I feel a ripple under his skin and he shifts below me and drops to the ground in human form. My weight follows him down, but he tosses me sideways and I shit to match him, shoving the thought of beingpletely naked to the very back of my mind so it can¡¯t distract me. He runs at me and drops low, shoving his shoulder into my hips and lifting me off the ground. We are both so sweaty at this point he can¡¯t get a good hold on me and I go up and over his shoulder. Whipping my arm over his shoulder and putting him in a headlock. My height gives me an advantage since he has to bend backward almost in half in this position. ¡°TIME!¡± Another trainer shouts. I let go of Warrior Nicks and step back, my friends are pping andughing behind me. ¡°Here.¡± A veryrge shirt is thrust in front of me. I look over to see Wyatt. ¡°Thank you.¡± I mumble through the shirt while I pull it on. ¡°I figured this would be easier than trying to get back in your teeny tiny stuff, just to have to shift again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what a fight should look like.¡± Nicks shouts, still breathing heavily from the fight. ¡°She didn¡¯t just do the bare minimum and stay out of range. You will almost never find a fight like that. She found opportunities to go on the offensive and take control of the fight instead of waiting for things to happen. She used her size to her advantage, was quick to observe my movements and learned throughout the fight. She has clearly seen a lot, experience makes us wiser and better not age, many of you would do well to remember that.¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Chapter 0208 Chapter 0208 He stepped over to the trainer who was keeping time and grabbed a water and a towel before turning back to the group and dividing us up into pairs. I am pulled over to Warrior Osiston. ¡°When can I train with the group, this seems like a punishment now. Did I do something wrong that you keep separating me from them?¡± I look at him, needing answers. They brought me here, I didn¡¯t request it. I was perfectly fine waiting until I was old enough, but now something feels off like they are regretting bringing me here, but can¡¯t send me away either. So they are just tolerating me, waiting to figure out what to do with me. ¡°Not punishment, just limating.¡± He says cryptically. ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s the best you coulde up with? I can handle the truth. If you don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready just say so. I know you don¡¯t want to send me back to my pack, and I¡¯m not sure I want to be there right now anyway. But, I could just do school here, I don¡¯t have to be in training if you all have decided you don¡¯t want me here or I¡¯m not ready or whatever.¡± I try to keep the hurt out of my voice, but I don¡¯t think I did a very good job. I¡¯ve only been here a couple days, but this feels right. Even with Audrina breathing her clear dislike down my neck every possible chance, this is where I¡¯m supposed to be. The old sting of not being wanted or good enough slices through my heart though. I wanted toe here to get away from that. I have been working so hard thest year on being epted for me. The guys and Sierra really helped too. Being seen and wanted felt good and now the idea of going back to being the girl that was just kept for image¡¯s sake, but not really wanted or needed around chaffed. Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s not that we think you are not ready, and we are not actually limating you, we are limating the rest of the warriors. You are a force Little One, and make an impression wherever you go. Your intelligence, fighting skills, and general demeanor are well above your age, but you are still very young in some ways and I don¡¯t want to interfere with experiences that you, as a teenager, are supposed to have either. You have seen the extreme reactions people have around you. The negative interactions have not gone unnoticed by the trainers, but we will not step in unless you request it. We know not everyone will get along here, we want you all to handle your own business, but I will not tolerate you letting it get as far as you did back in your pack. They have all seen you fight now and they have seen your scars and injuries that are still on the mend. They know you¡¯ve seen real battle and dealt with real trauma. Some may outright ask and others will beat around the bush to find out what happened. They are trainees as well and have just as much to learn as you do, but there are also things that you have trained regrly that they have never been taught. So, until I see fit, you train with me. Understood?¡¯ ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± We train for the rest of the day. Sometimes in human form, sometimes as wolves. I am bing morefortable with being around all of these naked people. Not like I really have a choice. I think I am the only one here that hasn¡¯t been given a warrior brand yet, so the trainers are forced to shift so I can be given instructions. I kind of feel bad to being an inconvenience, but Warrior Ossiton and Alpha Reggie won¡¯t let me have it yet, so I really don¡¯t have any control over that. By the time we are done, everyone is covered in a thickyer of dirt and sweat. It¡¯s kind of gross, but I feel very satisfied and thoroughly tired. It feels so good to train hard and with people who are at my level. I am learning from them, not just teaching. I can¡¯t wait for school tomorrow so I can tell Sierra all about it. Dinner was uneventful, thank the Goddess. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s because Of my session with Warrior Nicks or if everyone is tired from the hours of shifting and fighting, but I won¡¯tin either way. ¡°When you are ready, I really want to hear the story behind the scars on your back. That¡¯s not something that just happens and you ignore. I am actually curious if you are so good because of the scars or if you got the scars because you are so good.¡± Lillian muses like this is the most normal dinner conversation ever. Chapter 0209 Chapter 0209 I wake up feeling just a bit lighter and I want to talk to Sierra about what Lillian said at dinner. I¡¯ve never actually talked about my scars to anyone or what they could possibly mean. I race to get ready and head down to the kitchen to grab a snack from Ste. I¡¯m actually excited for school, which is a first. I normally would take training over sitting in a ssroom any day, but I really want to see her. It feels like forever and I need to talk to someone about anything other than training, but especially about yesterday and everything with Audrina. I skip the golf cart and just walk to the school. I left with plenty of time not wanting to run into Audrina in the morning. School gave me almost an entire day without her and I would take advantage of that wholeheartedly. I walk up to the old building, still in awe of the structure, head in and toward my locker. Before I can even finish getting my things together Sierra runs up behind me and hugs me around the neck. ¡°Man, I miss seeing you everyday! There has got to be a way that I can see you more often, this is terrible.¡± ¡°I am allowed to have people over to study. I just have to get the days and times cleared first, but that would be great though.¡± I turn and hug her back. ¡°And I have news for you.¡± I gave her the quick version of Luna Anne¡¯s letter and told her I would send her pictures of all the dresses I tried on so she could help me choose. We debated whether I would see Xander at the dress fitting or not since all of the guys were supposed to be at training. She said she hasn¡¯t heard from Sam since I was released from the hospital and the Luna Queen let her call the guys and let them know that I was okay. That is my only reservation about being here, the istion from my friends. Even though I would have been kept from them anyway while they were training, there''s onlysted through the end of the summer, mine was going to be years. ¡°I wonder if you could write to them?¡± Sierra muses as we reach her ssroom. ¡°At the very least you should be able to write to your brother. That way you could check in, I¡¯m sure they miss you too and are worried. You had just barely started talking to them again when you were attacked.¡± ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me. I feel terrible about the way I treated them and then we were all just separated.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you feel bad about that! They deserved it and karma decided to give them a real kick when you were attacked and then whisked away in the middle of the night. None of us even got to see you. You were just gone.¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t remember any of that. I remember the beating loud and clear and then I woke up in the Royal Pack hospital. Nothing in between. Osiston had to tell me how long I was unconscious. Your parents did a ton of tests on me, but wouldn¡¯t really say what they were doing or why. I really should talk to them about what they were looking for.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t say anything to me. It was all really quiet actually, now that you say something. But we aren¡¯t talking about that right now. Tell me more about your meeting with the Luna Queen, what do you think she will have for you?¡± We spent the rest of lunch talking about dresses and what happens at the conference. I could care less about dresses and was trying to formte a n to get Sierra to this dress fitting with me, her and Luna Anne could go nuts and I would just stand there like their life sized Barbie doll. I also wanted to just hang out with my friend. We aren¡¯t in any sses together and I just see her in passing. I bet Luna Anne would be alright with it though, I just don¡¯t know how to reach out to her. Can I just write a letter and hand it to someone? That seems weird, but probably my best bet. I¡¯ll have to remember to ask Nicks today when I get back to the bunk house. ¡°She should put you in burgundy.¡± I am pulled out of my thoughts back to Sierra¡¯s dress musings. ¡°Why burgundy?¡± ¡°Jewel tones are your friend, girl.¡± Sierra¡¯s friend Renee says as if that should bemon knowledge. I guess stuff like that is to them. ¡°You could actually get away with wearing just about any color. Your blonde hair picks up every tone and you are so tan, I¡¯m jealous by the way, every color would just be highlighted.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe you get to escort Alpha Prince Xander. I heard he has refused to take a date to any function for like thest three years.¡± Molly chimes in. I have learned that she is good for urate gossip. She loves the drama, but does her homework and digs down to the root of all the things being spread around. It doesn¡¯t hurt that her doll face just invites you in and she genuinely listens to everything people say to her. ¡°How did you get so lucky?¡± ¡°Not sure really. We are friends and I¡¯m here in the pack now so it would be convenient. I¡¯m also a warrior so it¡¯s an addedyer of protection for him since he is starting to train and learn the Alpha King¡¯s role. I¡¯m sure there are plenty of vipers out there trying to get his attention or force a chosen mate connection. It¡¯s kind of sad really. He doesn¡¯t always know who his real friends are and who just wants to be near him because of his title.¡± ¡°And you just want to be his friend?¡± Renee asks, skeptical. ¡°Of course. I have never been the boy crazy type, so anyone who isn¡¯t my mate really doesn¡¯t interest me like that.¡± ¡°Are you kidding? Have you seen that boy, er, man? He is huge and drop dead gorgeous. Are you telling me you have never thought about what it would be like to be with him?¡± Molly sputters. ¡°No, not really. I mean he is very handsome, anyone with eyeballs can see that. He is actually fun to talk to and just hang out with though. I have had the opportunity to do that, but I don¡¯t think I could be his mate. She would have to be someone impressive to handle all the different packs in their needs and wants. The Luna Queen¡¯s job is so hard, I don¡¯t think I would be cut out for that. So nothing else really matters, right?¡± ¡°You are far better than I ever could be. If he gave me the chance I would jump him in a heartbeat and not regret a second.¡± Renee has us allughing now and we finish the rest of lunch specting on all things Prince Xander. It has been so long since I have felt this light and free of worry or anxiety. I am d that Alpha Reggie made me continue with school. Nicks was right, there are just teenage things I need to experience before Imit to adulthood.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Chapter 0210 Chapter 0210 I walk back to the bunkhouse with a n to ask Osiston if I can have regr study time with Sierra on the weekends. I don¡¯t know what training looks like, but I have to have some time set aside to get the work done if they want me to actually finish school. I really like my sses in this ¡®fast track¡¯ they have me on. Battle strategies has got to be my favorite. I have never had better conversations with teachers before and so far all of them encourage different ideas and perspectives. I spend more time debating the validity of battles and wars in our history than I do paperwork and I feel like I retain so much more of the information having to dive deep like this. We also talk about what we would do to protect our pack as a warrior in each given situation or how we would change a strategy to make it more effective. The kids in my sses are mostly Juniors and Seniors and they are really smart. They don¡¯t treat me like a little kid, even though I am three years younger than some of them. They trust the judgment of the people who ced me here and just ept it. It¡¯s the craziest concept I have ever encountered. Dinner was uneventful, thank the Goddess and Lillian fully agrees with Sierra and Renee¡¯s thoughts on burgundy dresses, They all really need to meet. The boys chose to ignore us, dressing up was probably as high on their priority list as it was mine. I have no choice though, if the Luna Queen asked me to wear a paper sack that¡¯s what I would do. Audrina didn¡¯t bother me during training Friday, in fact she acted like I was not even there which made a few of the team challenges difficult and we lost all of them, not by much, but we lost which I aming to understand is something that rarely happens. She is taking whatever grudge too far and I have no idea what I can do about it, since I have no idea what I did to her. Maybe it is the hero worship thing she has for Warrior Osiston, but the other trainers talk to me just as much as he does, since I am still in an ¡®observation period¡¯ ording to them. I still don¡¯t knowN?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. what they could be observing on day three. We are doing simr things each day, there isn¡¯t much more to observe. But I do all of the team training now, so I¡¯m lost as to what I can do to make the team dynamic better. If it was just her and me I wouldn¡¯t give a sh*t, but this is affecting the whole team and at some point they are going to retaliate on her or me or both of us and I don¡¯t want to be part of that responsibility. I will just add that to the list of things I need to ask about when I finally get a chance to talk to Warrior Osiston. I haven¡¯t actually seen him all day today, but working with warriors it¡¯s like a revolving door of assignments, so who knows, maybe he¡¯s working for the Alpha King. Thinking that makes me feel stupid for wanting to sit and gossip with the guy. There is no way he wants to chit chat with a fifteen year old girl about school and the drama of a teammate not liking her. Ugh, now I don¡¯t want to say anything, but I was also specifically told to speak up about things happening to me. What the hell am I supposed to do? It¡¯s been a long time since I had a terrible sleep. Especially with the way that we train. I am usually out like a light as soon as my head touches the pillow and a little groggy in the morning while I¡¯m still getting used to the schedule. I really hope I limate a little faster, this sleep deprivation feeling is terrible. But I can¡¯t stop thinking about what to do about Audrina and her behavior towards me and meeting with Luna Anne. I¡¯m not nervous about going to the Royal Packhouse, not really, Luna Anne is great, but I also don¡¯t want to do or say anything to embarrass her either. I was not brought up to do all of the political schmoozing, that was my brother¡¯s job as the next Beta. What if there are other people there that I have to impress? Or if this is some kind of test to see if I can blend in while protecting the Luna Queen? The thoughts just kept spinning in my head and made it hard to get to sleep and then stay asleep. When I finally got out of bed, I changed quickly and went downstairs to try and grab an early breakfast. I didn¡¯t establish Saturdays with Ste and Jack, but I figured checking it out wouldn¡¯t be a terrible thing. When I walk into the canteen a couple other people are here, no one has food yet, but clearly they either just came off a shift or are getting ready to head out and want to be first to get food. No sooner did I think of it then the kitchen Omegas starteding out with trays on trays of food to set on the buffet. We get ate start on Saturdays and Sundays, because the trainers aren¡¯tplete barbarians. We get to start at 7am, breakfast is served at 5:30 to give us a little more time to eat and digest before we start. It was so generous of the trainers, I think sarcastically andugh a little to myself before I remember that this is why we are all here, to train. The rest of these warriors have no other responsibilities, so I guess it makes sense. They need to keep warriors busy otherwise they get into and cause trouble. I should know, I spent thest year with the guys. That thought makes me smile too. Chapter 0211 Chapter 0211 I grab a te and start eating. Luna Anne¡¯s note said that a car would be by to pick me up, but no time or other direction was given. It did say I would have breakfast, but I don¡¯t want to impose and I don''t know what she¡¯ll have. I don¡¯t want to be rude and scarf down all of her food, warrior training has definitely increased my appetite. Oliver would be proud of me. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org My heart clenches a bit thinking about him. I can¡¯t wish away the fight or what was said. I said it and I meant it, but things went so wrong before we could work through anything ande to some kind of understanding. He took his role as my protector so seriously and even furious with my decision to leave he still watched over me and made sure I had what I needed, even from a distance. I have to get a message to them, even if they couldn¡¯t respond I would feel better knowing I, at the very least, tried reaching out and letting them know I¡¯m okay. Maybe Luna Anne can help me get a message to them, or even Xander. Around seven thirty the same guy in a fancy gray suit came into themon room where I took up residence with a book trying to get some school reading done, since my weekend time was going to be cut short. ¡°Are you ready Miss Skr?¡± ¡°Yes! Lead the way¡­ umm, I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know your name.¡± ¡°You can call me Barty, Miss Skr.¡± ¡°Thank you Barty. You don¡¯t have to call me ¡®Miss¡¯. I don''t have any kind of title.¡± ¡°Any friend of the Luna deserves a title, Miss Skr.¡± He winks at me as we walk out the door where a very fancy ck car sits waiting. It¡¯s not a limo, but not your standard sized car either. I¡¯m sure the Luna Queen, Alpha King and Xander could all ridefortably in the back. Barty opens the door for me and I slide into the soft gray leather seats. I could easily take a nap here. Once I am settled and stop gawking at the inside of the car, Barty slides in next to me, his phone up to his ear, letting someone know we are on the way. Interesting. ¡°Why do you use a phone Barty? Is it too far to mindlink?¡± ¡°Actually, I can¡¯t mindlink any longer. When my mate passed away, my wolf could not handle the separation and he got sick. I barely survived the loss of him. The Luna Queen and Alpha King have been very generous to me and I work as a kind of assistant to the Luna Queen. So, I do communicate like a human, but I am still as strong as I was when I had my wolf, so don¡¯t get any ideas.¡± He smiles and winks again. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you and your skills. You will be an asset, to whichever pack you are a part of.¡± ¡°Whichever pack? Do you think I won¡¯t go home then? That my mate is not in my pack?¡± ¡°I think you are very special based on the way the royal family describes you and any wolf would be lucky to be mated with you.¡± I just nod my head. There really isn¡¯t a response to that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your mate. I have never heard of someone losing their wolf and surviving. How did that work?¡± ¡°It was actually Doc Ganon who figured it out. His research and experimentation extends very far and wide. He and his wife were able to help me through the transition. It was the most painful experience I have ever had, including losing my mate.¡± ¡°Wow! Doc Ganon and Doc Sylvia are my best friends'' parents. They helped me recover when I got here.¡± I froze for a second. I never openly share any story having to do with my trauma from Kaley. ¡°Umm, yeah, my arrival was not under the best circumstances. The docs were great though, I got back to training pretty quickly with their help.¡± ¡°Just so you know, I am privy to lots of information. Ites with the job. I am aware of your situation here. I kept the Luna Queen updated when she couldn¡¯t visit you.¡± ¡°Oh, man. Thank you, I guess, for keeping tabs on me.¡± I just feel awkward now. I don¡¯t really know what to say. He has seen me at my weakest. Not something I want anyone seeing. Chapter 0212 Chapter 0212 ¡°Hey, don''t do that. You are not weak.¡± ¡°Are you a mind reader too?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my job to anticipate what the Luna Queen needs, which has me interacting with a lot of different people, including warriors. You all have a look when you feel inadequate in some way.¡± He gives me a look like when Alpha Lucas is trying to get a point across without giving a direct answer. ¡°I have seen warriorse back looking far worse than you from battle. It is just part of the dynamic here.¡± I nod and try to change the subject. ¡°How old is the Royal Pack? Some of the buildings look like they grew out of the mountain.¡± We spend the next thirty minutes talking about all the different histories of the Royal Pack that Barty knew of. It was really fascinating. Alpha Reggie¡¯s Great Great Grandfather was the first Alpha King of the Royal Pack. Which doesn¡¯t sound like that long ago, but as wolves we age more slowly than humans, so many Kings, who didn¡¯t die in battle, made it to close to a hundred before they even considered retiring. It sounds like they were all well loved and respected Kings too. Meaning Xander has some big shoes to fill. ¡°So, since you are so well informed. What is my role exactly? Everyone at the warrior camp seems very confused that I would be invited to protect Prince Xander, but I can¡¯t think of any other reason anyone would want me there.¡± ¡°Well, first, it is rare for the Alpha Prince to make friends as fast as he did in your pack. He talked of nothing but the couple of days he spent with you and all of your friends. It was a wee break from all of the parading around he usually does. Second, you are a gorgeous female that any guy would probably cut his left arm off to have the chance to call his date for the evening. Third, you can handle yourself. These pompous assholes seem to think that because they have been elected as an elder, they are entitled to a piece of the royal family, among other luxuries. Those with daughters will not appreciate the Alpha Prince having you on his arm all night, and that is where the Prince will keep you. You are a trusted friend, so he might actually enjoy himself. You can help protect him as a warrior, but also as a woman, blocking unwanted advances.¡± ¡°Politics sound awful. I¡¯m kind of d my brother, Cmeron and Dakota have to deal with all of that and not me.¡± We bothugh. Before I can ask any more we pull up to the castle I saw from a distance on the hospital drive and my jaw hits the floor. The castle is a whitewashed looking stone that extends from the side of the mountain. Another structure that looks as if it just grew out of the side of the mountain. The circr drive pulls up to a set of double doors made of thick dark wood with ck metal ents and handles. This seems to be a theme on all of the older buildings I have seen on the territory. There is nothing else but the entrance doors on this lever of the castle. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Above that is a balcony with a stone railing, maybe for greeting guests who are really important. The wall of ss behind the balcony is either tinted to not be able to see in or the re is just to strong for me to see anything in the morning light. From here the castle extends left and right with many windows and doors attached to various outdoor stone staircases. Going up there are at least five levels, but its kind of hard to count since they stagger upward toward the sky, several ending in tall turrets and towers. ¡°This way Miss Skr, I will let the Alpha Prince give you the grand tour.¡± He smiles at me from a bent position at the door of the car. I didn¡¯t even realize I had stopped midway of getting out. "Wait, Xander is here? I thought he was at training." "He, like you, has to fufill other responsibilities. So he is missing training too." Chapter 0213 Hey Guys!N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Sorry I disappeared. This summer has been crazy as I¡¯m sure it is for most parents. I coach 2 sports and both my kids y sports (that I don¡¯t coach). Just when I thought I was catching up I caught the worst case of the Rona I have ever had. I have been down with a blinding migraine for a week. I don¡¯t know how many of you have experienced full on symptoms, but I never had this was ridiculous and mad respect goes out to people who have had this over and over again. I can actually look at aputer screen now, so give me a couple days to catch up and edit the next chapter. I should have something up by the end of the week. As Always, Thank you so much for your support and your feedback. Chapter 0214 Chapter 0214 We walk inside to a grand entrance and I am immediately wrapped in a hug. I can¡¯t see anything around the soft material covering my whole head, burying my face in a chest. ¡°You have no idea how good it is to see you. I thought we were all going to go crazy not being able to check in or see you at all this summer.¡± Xander releases me from the stranglehold he has on me and holds me out at arms distance, giving me a once over clearly checking forsting damage. ¡°Xander, I''m okay.¡± I pat his arm awkwardly, his tight grip on my shoulders making it difficult to do anything. ¡°I promise Doc Sylvia and Doc Ganon patched me up and cleared me for training.¡± He doesn¡¯t say anything, he just grabs my hand and drags me off without a word to anyone around us. I guess he¡¯s my tour guide now. We traipse through the main halfway that could easily fit hundreds of people, like a banquet hall. But got no better look at it before he had me flying up the grand set of stairs to the balcony overlook. Just when I thought he was going to stop and show me something exciting he turned another corner and started down a hallway that was dimmer than the entryway. We flew past doors and I thanked the Goddess for my endurance, no mere mortal would have been able to keep up with his pace. ¡°Where are we going, Xander? Are you trying to rip my arm off?¡± I went for a joke to see if I could get him to respond. Nothing. We just kept moving. Like he was trying to get away from someone, he dodged in and out of hallways and doorways, up stairways and every other kind of ¡®ways¡¯ you could think of in the humongous maze. We finally came to a stop in a little alcove in who knows what part of the castle. Then he spins me around and grabs my shoulders again.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Who hurt you, Skr? We want to know, now!¡± He looked a little deranged at the moment. ¡°Excuse you!¡± I shrugged him off. ¡°Who is ¡®we?¡¯ And what makes you think I will answer to a demand like that? No friend asks a question like that. You have been hanging around Cameron, Dakota and Oliver a little too long, I think.¡± I¡¯m angry now. I was so excited to see my friend and the first thing he thought to ask me is who attacked me over a month ago, he¡¯s just as bad as the guys. I shake out of his grasp and turn to the window, wrapping my arms around myself to stifle the chill that just ran through me. It felt like the same wall of separation that was between me and the guys before I left shot up between Xander and I at that moment. I don¡¯t want to do this here. I¡¯m a new me, I¡¯m away from all of that for just a little while. I want to pretend that the whole situation doesn¡¯t exist. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my nerves and bring back my patience. He has been with the guys this whole time, I¡¯m sure they have asked about me or if he can get any info on me from his parents. I don¡¯t want to be ¡®checked-up¡¯ on for my brother and his friends'' benefits. I want someone to check in on me because they want to see me. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be like that. We have all been terrified and no one would tell us anything, but that you were alive. You have no idea how excited we all were to hear that you were going to be here today. All the guys tried to get a pass, but¡­well¡­¡± ¡°Your title got you special privileges.¡± I supplied his answer without looking at him. He walked over in front of me and just shrugged. ¡°It has its advantages sometimes. I really am d to see you, though. And I really appreciate you doing this for me. You have no idea what some of these vipers can be like, if they set their fangs they don¡¯t let go the whole night, no matter what I do. Usually my parents can get me away from them, but it takes no time for another totch on. The Elders have this wild idea about choosing my mate for me, which is ridiculous to even entertain the idea of a chosen mate, let alone someone I don¡¯t even get to choose.¡± He enunciated thest part. Chapter 0215 Chapter 0215 ¡°So I am your arm candy for the evening then?¡± I ask, trying to lighten the mood and move on from my attack. ¡°Should I be warned of anyone in particr?¡± ¡°There are several, but right now we seem to have a lot of avable females that are directly rted to the Elders, like daughters, nieces and granddaughters.¡± He rolls his eyes. ¡°Many of them have no type of rank. And before you yell at me about the rank thing.¡± He holds his hands up in surrender, ¡°I mean, no title, obviously, but also no other skills, like at all. Many of them seem to have been schooled in how to look good standing by me and that¡¯s all. No training physically, politically, or as a humanitarian. They literally want to stand next to me and pose for photos. Manners are a big thing, and I don¡¯t even want to know what that training looks like. But, they aren¡¯t intelligent enough to hold a conversation. So you are here for several reasons.¡± He has steered us down another hallway as he exins. ¡°You can obviously protect yourself and me discreetly.¡± He rolls his eyes like this is unnecessary, but I see the appeal immediately. ¡°You can engage with other Alphas and Lunas present, again setting a good example. You can also defend yourself against the almost certain social attack of these handful of women who have been set upon me. And to top it off you are my friend and will greatly increase my personal evening experience rather than just having any warrior with me.¡± Before I can respond though, we stop at a door. ¡°This is my mother¡¯s office, she will be anxious to see you too. Thank you for doing this, I mean it, you are a lifesaver.¡± He leans down and kisses me on the cheek, then knocks on the door. Before I can say anything, it opens and I am draped in another cloth filled hug. ¡°Umph!¡± I giggle a little into Luna Anne¡¯s arms. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too.¡± I mumble awkwardly into her very soft jacket.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Oh, sweet girl, you have no idea how hard it has been to stay away, but Reggie said it would be worse for you if I came in and showed any type of favoritism toward you. This has been torture and Warrior Brogen and Warrior Nicks won¡¯t say anything about your training either. I don¡¯t know if that is my husband¡¯s doing to force me to separate or if those boys really do take their warrior code that far.¡± She¡¯s like a tornado walking around the room, waving her hands and talking. I¡¯ve never seen her this animated and it must show on my face. ¡°Oh, stop looking at me like that, I can be myself here. I don¡¯t have to worry about who¡¯s listening or looking. I don¡¯t have to be poised and dutiful like the Elders believe a ¡®good queen¡¯ should.¡± She used air quotes. ¡°I¡¯m starting to get the feeling this assignment to Xander is going to be way less fun than I anticipated. Xander mentioned me basically cock-blocking some of the potential chosen mates they have lined up for him. I¡¯m about to be a target aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not far off.¡± She chuckles. ¡°Come sit, we¡¯ll eat and I will exin a little before we get the fun stuff started.¡± She pulls me over to a tableid out with a ton of food. Meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables of every variety were at my fingertips. I could feel my mouth watering at the sight. Well, she at least knew I would be hungry training the way that I did. ¡°How much do you know about the Luna Queen¡¯s role in this whole situation?¡± ¡°Not much, really. Like any other Luna, but somehow you have a connection to the Moon Goddess. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard anything else that is unique to being the Luna Queen.¡± Chapter 0216 Chapter 0216 ¡°You¡¯re right, I do have a connection to the Moon Goddess.¡± My eyes went wide. ¡°Can you just have conversations with her? Or how does that even work? I have so many questions!¡± I blurted, leaving the bite I was about to take hanging in the air and thinking of all the things I would want to know having that kind of ess. ¡°Hold on , hold on. It¡¯s not that easy.¡± She giggles at my excitement. ¡°I can talk to her, or rather make requests to talk to her, she¡¯s a bit busy.¡± Luna Anne winks at me. ¡°But mostly shees to me with things that I need to know or things that need immediate intervention. She mostly lets us handle ourselves, but asionally she needs our help. She told me about you actually, it was the reason we chose to visit your pack.¡± ¡°Wait, what? What do I have to do with anything?¡± I was afraid I had done something so bad that I needed to be watched. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Rx, child, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but the people who could help you had their hands tied, and that is all that I am allowed to say about your situation. The Moon Goddess knows you well and has special ns for you. We needed to get you out of your pack before anything else escted.¡± My jaw was on the floor and I¡¯m sure the look on my face was hrious. I wonder if the Moon Goddess told her about all the things I went through with Kaley. I wonder if she knows who attacked me in the locker room after training? ¡°Close your mouth, you look like a fish. Don¡¯t be surprised when people take notice of you. You work hard for it. It¡¯s okay to be seen for the amazing things that you do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how to respond to that, I literally have no words.¡± I mumbled at her and she just laughed again. ¡°So say nothing and just listen. You need to be trained for whatever ising. ThRogue King is trying his best to take over. He wants total control over all of the territories and our is the biggest in our region, so he¡¯s starting here. There have been smaller attacks going on for a while, and that usually isn¡¯t cause for rm. Packs have feuds and disputes all the time that lead to fighting before it¡¯s resolved. But many reports that we are getting are of attacks that seem to be unprovoked and upon further inspection is not the work of a neighboring pack, but an outside group. This is what most of our warriors are researching and gathering information on for us when they go outside the territory.¡± ¡°What does all of this have to do with me though? I¡¯m only 15, barely old enough to be a warrior let alone make any kind of impact.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where you''re wrong. You are so much more and you started blooming so early no one knew what to do with you, so the Goddess let you keep yourself hidden until the time was right to reveal your talents. When she thought you were ready, she came to me and we brought the trials to you. You have no idea what kind of impact you had at those trials do you?¡± Chapter 0217 Chapter 0217 | just shook my head, this was so much information and nothing | expected. ¡°Well, you confirmed what your Alpha and Luna have suspected for a while. You came out, just this tiny little thing, amongst all of these warriors who have probably trained for longer than you have been alive, and took on everyone and won. No contest, no bias, nothing but you and your instinct to survive. Then you did it again with your wolf, who you got so early. That''s when Reg and | knew you were special. He has some theories and wants to see you today before you go, but we are done talking about your amazing Trial run, let''s get your armor for the battle that is the Elder¡¯s Conference.¡± She ps her hands and Omegase from all over moving trays and rearranging the room. Soon the big food is gone, reced with little snacks and three racks of dresses have been set up with a privacy wall for changing, a full length gilded mirror, that looks like it weighs a ton, and a pedestal just like the one in the dress shop Sierra dragged me to with the guys. With that thought my heart squeezes a bit. | wish | could have said goodbye to them all and hugged them, and just gotten that closure instead of being ripped away unconscious. ¡°What has that look on your face?¡± Luna Anne asked. ¡°Um, this just reminds me of my birthday when Sierra dragged me to a dress shop and forced me into anything and everything while my brother and his friends just waited and watched.¡± | looked down, it was silly when I said it out loud like that. I¡¯m a warrior, | can''t be sentimental, that kind of sh*t was what would get me killed. | shook the thought from my head and looked back at her and she was smiling. ¡°| thought you may want something familiar and a second opinion." Just then the door burst open and wild brte hair was flying at me. ¡°I told you that you will never wardrobe shop without me ever again!" ¡°Sierra!¡± | squealed. ¡°| am so d to see you! | got to see Xander too, did he catch you on the way in?" C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Nope, you are the only one special enough to get the Prince to greet you at the door.¡± Sheughs at me. ¡°Now, let''s get this party started, shall we? Luna Queen Anne, you have amazing taste, I¡¯m not worried at all, but | hear there are some people we need to impress, so the dress has to be perfect.¡± She is iling her arms dramatically as she talks. And just like that | was swept up in all kinds of material, lengths, cuts, styles of dress you can imagine. | let Sierra and Luna Anne have their way with me and we giggled andughed the hours away. We finally settled on this light blue dress, that was so pale it was almost white. The color brought out my eyes and my tan from training outside. It was a silky, flowy material, but not shiny. The waist was form fitting and entuated all the curves | was developing from proper food to go along with my heavy training schedule. The top was a sweetheart cut with a deep V cut down the middle to my belly button. The V all the way up to my vicle was covered in different sized beads and crystals over a skin toned mesh material. There were little peeks of skin through the beading, but nothing that could be viewed as scandalous or make me ufortable. The beading went up over my shoulders, giving me a sleeveless look, and across the top part of my back where it was attached. The beading flowed down my sides and along the seam at my low back bringing it all together and leaving the majority of my back bare. There was a slit up the front of my left leg, but hidden within the soft pleats of the fabric, so it could only be seen when | walked. It went all the way to the top of my thigh, which made me a bit nervous, but Sierra assured me was exactly right. We chose thin strappy silver shoes to match and Luna Anne said she would have jewelry and hair and make-up taken care of for me as well. Chapter 0218 Chapter 0218 Just as we were getting settled into ate lunch, there was a knock at the door. ¡°Is everyone decent, before | enter?¡± Alpha Reggie¡¯s deep baritone voice called out from the crack in the door. ¡°| already told you we were done and cleaned up dear. Come on in. Silly man.¡± She muttered thest part under her breath. ¡°Hey now, no making fun of the old man. | don''t have daughters and | don''t know the protocol for entering the room after a clothing session.¡± His cheeks were a little pink as he said this walking up next to his mate. He was just as cute as Alpha Lucas in dad mode. He kissed her on the top of the head and then looked at me. ¡°| was wondering if | could steal you away for a bit before you go?" | nodded, what else was | going to do? If the King wants to see you it¡¯s not exactly a request. | wiped my face and thanked Luna Anne. | turned to Sierra and told her | still had to ask about study times at the bunkhouse, but | would let her know Tuesday at school, then followed Alpha Reggie out. Once the door was closed we took a right and headed down a long hallway, walking in silence for a very long time. We made it to arge set of ss doors that looked over a patio. A couple of Omegas | hadn''t even noticed opened the doors for us and we continued outside. This ¡®patio¡¯ wasn''t just a patio. It was a hugending that spanned the whole length of this side of the castle. To my left, it extended to the rocky surface of the mountain the castle was built into and to my right it curved around in arge arc, almost disappearing to the front of the castle. Still we kept walking. Alpha Reggie led me to a set of stairs that was so well designed, you wouldn''t notice them unless you walked over here to look over the railing. We descended to thewn that was lush and green and so well maintained. And still we kept walking. | was getting nervous, he hadn''t said anything to me since we left Luna Anne and we have been together for almost ten minutes. | think | could see our destination now though, in front of us is a hedge, simr to what Luna Ava has in her backyard at home. Having a maze in your yard must be an Alpha thing. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. My suspicions were confirmed when we headed straight towards it and took a quick right into the large, squared off bushes. Alpha Reggie was tall enough to see over the top of the hedgerow, but my height made that impossible unless | jumped, which was not happening in front of the Alpha King. ¡°Sorry, for all of the secrecy, but | never really know who is listening. These hedges are grown in a way that the wolfsbane nt is grafted into it so it muffles the sounds of our voices, even for me with the best hearing as the Alpha King. We cannot be overheard here." ¡°Ah! | thought | was in trouble. That is so cool though, who thought of grafting the nts together?" ¡°I''m pretty sure you can guess the crazy genius behind this." He smiles over at me. ¡°Doc Ganon and Doc Sylvia are scary sometimes.¡± |ugh back to him. ¡°| believe on one of their expeditions they found something simr and brought it back here. It''s almost better than the soundproofing we have in the conference rooms and it¡¯s hard to ce listening devices here, because the maze is so big and people tend to naturally wander while they talk." ¡°I''m not gonna lie, I''m still a bit nervous, now that | know you brought me to basically a soundproof, remote location on your grounds. Am | in trouble?¡± He chuckles a bit under his breath, ¡°No, child you are notin trouble, but | didn''t want anyone listening in on our conversation. | have a few questions for you and then | think | have some answers too.¡± Chapter 0219 Chapter 0219 ¡°Okay, shoot." ¡°| obviously know your father, he was born in your pack and we have his lineage on record, but what do you know of your mother?" My heart seized and | stopped walking. | just stood there and stared at him. Of all the wounds to rip open, this is not the one | expected. | could feel the tears pool behind my eyes, but | was not going to cry. | am a warrior, | had to remain in control of my emotions. ¡°| don''t know anything about her actually, | was never allowed to know or to ask.¡± | took a deep shuddering breath and started moving forward, hoping to move past this and onto another topic. | was not so lucky. ¡°This has a lot to do with your mother, but the story starts further back. | think it¡¯s time you know where youe from Little One." | just look at him confused. ¡°I''m just a Beta¡¯s daughter and second born. There really isn¡¯t much more to it than that." ¡°There¡¯s actually a whole lot more where you are concerned. Do you remember all of the extra testing and blood samples the Docs took from you while you were recovering?¡± | nodded. ¡°Il had my theories then, just based on all of your natural physical skills and leadership qualities. Everything that | observed during my time at your trials." ¡°What do you mean ¡®my¡¯ trials? Those were for everyone, | had to get permission to participate." ¡°| needed a reason to test your skills without you knowing what was happening. | wanted your natural reactions to various situations. Osiston, Nicks and | came up with the trials to be able to put you in the situations we needed while simultaneously testing other warrior candidates. Side note, now that we have done it that way and seen the quality we got in this round, we will probably continue to run trials like that from now on, so thank you for that.¡± He winked at me. ¡°I knew Alpha Lucas wasn''t exaggerating your skills after the first day, but the second day, in your wolf form, when you took out Xander without even breaking a sweat, | knew you were who | have been looking for for a very, very long time. Even though he is not a full Alpha King yet, Xander should have been able to hold you off. The only people who can truly best him have Royal Alpha blood. Even Osiston struggles in a match with him. What saves Osiston usually is experience and patience and his royal blood." ¡°Wait, what are you saying? | don''t understand. Are you suggesting | have Royal Alpha blood?" m not suggesting it.¡± | take a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°I¡¯m confirming it.¡± | choke on the breath | was letting out. ¡°How is that possible? | have no rtions attached to the Royal line.¡± | ask through my coughs. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°It ispletely possible and took me some time to confirm, and | didn''t want to give you any false information before, but | have confirmed, without a doubt, that you are my second cousin¡¯s granddaughter. For the ease of my mind though, I¡¯m not doing all the second, third, twice removed crap. You are my niece for all intents and purposes and Xander''s cousin." Chapter 0220 Chapter 0220 My eyes bug out of my head, and | think | forgot how to breathe. | am only still walking on auto-pilot following Alpha Reggie around the maze. ¡°That makes Mateo your..." ¡°Nephew, naturally, but in the Royal bloodline, it''s the first born female that is special." My heart rate has skyrocketed and it feels like my heart is trying to physically leave my chest. Can he actually tell me something about my mom? No one, not even Luna Ava, has ever told me anything about my mom out of fear of my dad''s reaction. The only thing | have ever heard is that | look exactly like her and my brother has her hair color too. Nothing more than that. ¡°Come here, this may be better digested sitting down." He leads us over to a small ornate concrete bench. Where did this thing evene from? | was so distracted by his information, | stopped observing my surroundings. | couldn''t let that be a thing. | mentally shook myself and took a look around as he led me over to sit down. We seem to havee into the center of the maze with at least six exit points. The hedge size didn''t seem to change here, but there were little manicured areas with flowers and shepherds hooks holding small wind chimes, crystals catching the light or other little wind catchers, giving a whimsical fairytale vibe to the ce. The concrete benches were set in a circle surrounding the clearing. | could see my six year old self sitting here with Mary having a tea party and giggling the day away. ~ ¡°| thought you might like this ce, my mother and my aunt spent a lot of time here.¡± He smiled at me. ¡°Let me start at the beginning, but jump in with any questions you have. It will help you to understand if you have the whole of our lineage as far back as we can trace it." | nodded, vibrating with the idea that | was going to hear about my mom and a part of my family | didn¡¯t even know existed. | gasped and sat up straight. "Does Xander know? N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. That we are cousins, or I''m family, or whatever is going on here?" ¡°Yes, he knows, so does Anne and Alpha Lucas and Luna Ava. But, no one beyond that knows and | want to keep it that way for a little while. You''ll understand why when | finish my story.¡± He tells me softly watching my face fall. | wanted to run and tell Sierra and we could process the whole thing together, but something in his voice made me understand there is a vital reason for the secrecy, now | just had to be patient enough to hear it. ¡°Okay, let me hear it. How do | fit into your world?" He chuckles, takes a deep breath and begins. ¡°When the Moon Goddess decided our poption on earth was getting too vast for her to manage on her own. She chose Alphas to rule areas, the idea was that we were all responsible together for the packs as a whole. She knew with our human half came certainplications and ws, so she also instilled our Lunas with the ability tomunicate with her and to help control the possessive and aggressive natures of the Alpha males. It was a way to have checks and bnces. No Alpha King could rule properly without his Goddess given mate and we were all evenly matched so it was less likely for us to go to war with another kingdom. Over time we evolved and got better for the most part. I can only speak to my line, so this may not be urate for all, but my great-great grandfather noticed that the first born females had special abilities. Things like the ability to heal injuries while in wolf form. Some had additional strength or speed, even by Royal blooded standards. Others had power over the mind and could control others differently than what an Alpha aura would do. Things like that. He also discovered that every generation alternate between having a pure ck or pure white wolf.¡± Chapter 0221 Chapter 0221 | gasped again, my wolf and | had been taking on all the information we were receiving, but the one thing we both locked on was the fact that she was pure ck. ¡°You''ve caught on then? It¡¯s another reason | wanted you tested. It¡¯s rare that a wolf is one solid color, there are always other colors mixed in. But not our first born females. My great-great grandfather began cataloging all the information he had learned about his family line before him, but your story starts with him. He had two sons and like most Alpha lines the first born is the heir to the title. It is the way the Goddess wants it and the way we have done it for generations. With no one power hungry or abusing the power, there seems to be no reason to change it. Until his second son decided he wanted to fight for the title. It had never been done in our history. I¡¯m not fool enough to think other kingdoms haven''t gone through this at some point in their history, but this was unique for us." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. | pped my hand over my mouth, having a feeling | knew what wasing. ¡°The oldest son, my great grandfather, agreed to a duel, half in human form and half in wolf form. He knew he was stronger than the second son, and that the second son let his emotions cloud his judgment in a fight. The second son wanted a show, and audience to watch his rise to power, this was actually how our warrior trails were born. The training grounds were filled with the entire pack there to watch. The duel happened and the second son lost, as predicted by my great-great grandfather, and the oldest took the throne when it was time. ¡ã The second son was bitter and hateful from the day he lost onward. He tried to instill that vengeful spite and idea of entitlement into his children. His son, Robert, also wanted to fight for the throne, but had no real im to it since my great grandfather had children. His daughter was special though and didn¡¯t want anything to do with her father and brother''s efforts to take over the throne. She was a healer. In her wolf form she was pure white and her saliva could close and heal a wound in minutes. It made her very valuable to her father and brother in battle and she was basically held captive. When she finally found her mate, they had no choice but to let her go. She had a daughter, who turned out to have a pure ck wolf, confirming my great grandfather''s findings, and she could manipte thoughts and fight off her uncle and grandfather''s Alpha auras. | didn¡¯t find out untilter that they were both experimented on. Her brother and father had also discovered how special our females were and wanted to know why gifts were bestowed on them and not the males. Their bitterness and need for power consumed and corrupted their minds and they thought they were being slighted by not having the Alpha King title and again by not having special abilities. | guess they tried infusing the female blood with their own trying to gain the abilities. Rumor also has it that they dabbled in dark magic to try and gain powers as well. | don¡¯t know what happened to the two women. | only hope they weren''t tortured to death." He looked sad at this like he had something to do with their capture and mistreatment. "So you have some bad family members, I¡¯m sure everyone does.¡± | shrug trying to lighten his mood. "So how does your great grandfather''s brother and his kid tie in with me?" ¡°Like | said, they had no im to the throne since my great grandfather had kids, a son, Thomas, and a daughter, Katherine. His son was Osiston and my grandfather, his daughter would be your great grandmother.¡± He paused to let that sink in. Chapter 0222 Chapter 0222 ¡°Wait?! Osiston? As in Warrior Osiston, is your cousin and my uncle cousin or whatever¡± | feel like my brain is tuming to mush with all the new information. "| may need a map for the family tree we have going right now and you have only told me about like five people.¡± ¡ã He chuckles, ¡°| promise there aren''t too many more yers to introduce you to, but understanding who''s in the game may save your life in the future.¡± | give a dry chuckle, but the serious look on his face tells me this is one of those things | really need to take in and understand, there are no jokes here. | took a deep breath and nodded, indicating he could go on. ¡°Thomas taught his son and daughter our history, like the Goddess instructed, he ruled fairly and encouraged his son and daughter to both pursue their strengths. But the animosity and hate were being perpetuated on the other side of the family tree. Robert eventually found his mate and had a son, Vincent, and together they have pursued deeper into our lineage than even | have. Any female with our bloodline is being captured and tortured for their special abilities. Another reason for finding you and bringing you here. But I will get to that in a minute. ¡°Thomas sister, Katherine, did the same thing. She instilled in her kids to take care of our world, protect our people, N?velDrama.Org is the owner. especially with humans on the rise. She had three kids, a son and twin daughters. While Katherine, her mate, her kids and their mates were out training on the territory there was an attack. They were all older and well trained, but the attackers used all manner of weapons including drugs like liquid wolfsbane, so even the special abilities they possessed amongst them didn''t help. Everyone was killed except ire, one of the twins. Her mate died that day, but rumor has it she was pregnant. She went into hiding, no one here had any record of it, but someone had to have helped her escape. | was able to finally track the Elder down and follow some leads. She had a daughter, named Sophia, who settled with her mate as the Betas of the Blue Crescent pack, and had you." He reached forward and wiped my cheek. | hadn''t realized tears were falling down my face. ¡°Youe from a very long line of fierce female warriors. Leaders who are hard pressed to be taken down. | don''t know much about ire¡¯s time away from the Royal Pack. She used different names to keep her identity hidden for her safety and the safety of her unborn pup. But | do know that she was heavily pursued by the bitter half of our family line. As | started really tracking her movements, | noticed a pattern of attacks that surrounded where she was rumored to be. Once | found that pattern, it got a little easier. | just wish | could have found her trail sooner, you may still have your mom, if | had.¡± He hung his head like my mom''s death was his fault. ¡°She died in childbirth, you could not have any control over that.¡± | said to him ¡°That is not entirely true, and many people would not want you to know this part of your story, but it''s important. With all of the abilities that our first born females have, child rearing can be dangerous for them. They actually cannot procreate with anyone other than their Goddess given mate. You don''t want details, but the other half has tried.¡± | shuddered at the implications there. ¡°They must be heavily watched when pregnant and inbor and their wolves must be kept calm and under control. Not an easy task. Chapter 0223 Chapter 0223 | don''t know a lot, there haven''t been many females in generations, you are the first firstborn | have actually met, but there is a lot of blood loss and it can only be reced by a blood rtive. With your mother not knowing her history, she didn¡¯t know to be prepared. The blood your pack doctors were giving her didn''t work because it couldn''t, that¡¯s why they couldn''t save her.¡± He hung his head again rubbing his eyes like telling the story was taking a toll on him. | took a deep breath, there really was nothing he could do. My mother and grandmother were in hiding. | wonder if my grandmother survived childbirth on her own and if she did how? Questions for another day, but | would get those answers eventually. Right now, | need tofort the King who seems to think he wronged me somehow. ¡°There was nothing you could do, they were in hiding because we, apparently, have crazy family members that seem to think dissecting us releases magical powers that they can pick up like in a video game.¡± He huffed, but | saw a crack of a smile, so | went on. ¡°At least you found me now, and you can train me and we can do whatever we need to to fight the ¡®bad half¡¯ of the family. We need a new name for them, that just sounds cartoonish." He finallyughed at me, breaking the tension. ¡°Speaking of fancy names and bad family members, we have a lead on all of the seemingly random attacks that have been going on in the kingdom. The attacks that we have been fending off is the work of the Rogue King, as he is calling himself.¡± | rolled my eyes and Alpha Reggie smiled at me. "| believe the attacks on packs in our kingdom are under his orders as well. | only recently got confirmation that the Rogue King is Vincent¡¯s son, | don''t even know his name.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. He has been attacking packs for years taking on members willingly or by force and taking almost as many prisoners, mostly female. Now | know why, he¡¯s searching for the special abilities from the Alpha bloodline. There also was a prediction that was made to my great-great grandfather about one of our females possessing all of the special abilities and would make her mate the strongest Alpha, strong enough to rival the Alpha King. She would be forged under fire, grow in battle, could tame any Alpha without force, people would naturally turn to her as a leader.¡± He looks over at me. ¡°What?! That could be anybody. That could be Luna Anne, I''ve seen the way people jump to attention for her.¡± | waggled my finger at him. ¡°The prediction also said she would be small but mighty,ing into her abilities before the age of fifteen.¡± He raised his eyebrows at me. ¡°That only happened because | was whipped and left for dead. If my wolf hadn''te | never would have healed and even then it took two days.¡± | said feeling a little defeated at having to bring this up and exin again. ¡°I''m not special." ¡°Oh, no?¡± | shook my head. ¡°Do you know why your scars are still there? The ones that had the silver put in them.¡± | shook my head no. ¡°Any other wolf would have had blood poisoning with the amount used on you, they would have died long before being dumped in the woods. The amateur who did that to you will answer to me, by the way.¡± He looked deadly for just a moment. ¡°Your body''s ability to take silver and wolfsbane and keep it out of your bloodstream is unheard of. You saved yourself, even before your wolf showed up. Your body seems to encapste the silver and wolfsbane at the smallest level. | cannot make it sound as smart as Doc Ganon does, but the gist is your body works like a duck¡¯s feathers do against water, they arepletely waterproof, you seem to be poison proof. Your scars have encapsted the silver that was put on your body, but it was only so strong so any time the scar was opened up you would bleed as if it was fresh. The docs have removed alll the silver, so that should no longer be a problem for you.¡± Chapter 0224 Chapter 0224 ¡°But | have Royal blood and am a first born female and all of that, that has to be why, I¡¯m not special.¡± - ¡°| know your dad has done a number on your confidence, but he¡¯s not the only person who has made you feel inferior even though you know you are not. | see it in your eyes, the fight between knowing how strong you really are and what people have told you and conditioned you to believe." ¡°Speaking of my dad, does he know, about all of this | mean. The Royal blood connection, my mom, all of it.¡± | look up at him earnestly,pletely avoiding hisst statement. '' ¡°He has been made aware of the situation and my feelings on his treatment of you. He has also given me his feelings on my, and | quote, taking both his children from him.¡± He actuallyughed at the idea of my father being angry with him. ¡°He seems to care about you, in his own way, his choice words were that of a father protecting his only daughter from someone who would use and abuse her talents.¡± He winked. ¡°In all seriousness though, now that he does know, he agrees this is the safest ce for you." | take a deep breath and let it out slowly. So much information today, it¡¯s hard to believe | started out with just a dress fitting so | could help a friend out. Now | find out | am a distant part of the royal family and | might be a part of some kind of prophecy. My head hurts. ¡°You look like you could use a meal after all of that. Anne and Xander have been waiting a while for us, but | wanted to make sure you were able to understand and ask all the questions you have. Sierra is still here too." ¡°Does she know? Who can | tell? All of my friends are curious about my visit here today.¡± | ask as we both stand and stretch after sitting for so long. | hadn''t even noticed the passing of time with his story, but the sun was already cresting towards the other side of the mountain. It''s notte, but definitely mid afternoon, we missed lunch for sure. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Her parents know and she is smart enough to figure out that you are important to the Royal family, but | would like to keep it at that for a while. Especially with the Rogue King actively looking for any females connected to our bloodline and being tortured. The rest of your friends just need to know that you are friends with Xander after the trials, it¡¯s true enough and with your training and closeness in age it makes sense to have you assigned to him as needed." ¡°Okay, that works for me. So what does that mean for me and my training?¡± We''re walking out of the maze now and back towards the castle. ¡°Your training will not change, although | believe some changes need to be made, am | right¡± He gives me that dad looks like he knows the answer and is waiting to see if I will lie to him. ¡°| don¡¯t know if changes need to be made, | just need to know what | did to piss off my floor leader so | can fix it. She has hated me since the day | walked in, and seems to like making things difficult for me. It''s nothing like what | was going through back home. | think she is just trying to establish her dominance, | just don''t know why.¡± I tried to exin. ¡°Even she can feel your aura, she has never had another female to challenge her. While she is an exceptionally strong wolf and a great warrior, her ego and her temper get in her way. Her maturity will be what holds her back for now, but | believe she will outgrow it. She has potential and drive, she just needs some more time. You came in witha reputation and the respect of almost every warrior in the bunkhouse. There was plenty of buzz about you after your trials and then again when they all found out you would be arriving sooner than expected. | think she may feel threatened by your presence.¡± Chapter 0225 Chapter 0225 ¡°But | just want to train like everyone else, | don''t care about being in charge or a leader, I''m new here, no one in their right mind would follow me with myck of training." ¡°And that, Little One, is where you are wrong. You have already proven to many of them you know how to lead, especially in a tense situation. You stay calm and objective. Your friends Lillian, Wyatt and Nathaniel can attest to that already. The rest of the warriors are not stupid. Each has taken their turn as lead, everyone has to be ready to at all times. For some it''s difficult to step into that role, but you do it effortlessly." ¡°If you say so. I''m always afraid of making a mistake and getting someone hurt." ¡°When you lead, that is always a possibility.¡± He shrugs and | just look at him incredulously. He was supposed to say something fatherly like ¡®you would never do that to someone ¡®but no, he had to go and be honest with me. ¡°What? Would you prefer | lie to you? You are a leader, born to be a leader. It¡¯s not all rainbows and sunshine. People will get hurt or suffer on your watch and you have to be able to both cope with and then handle it. You also have to learn that you cannot save everyone. Some people are destined to hurt themselves no matter what you do to help them.¡± | just nod. It makes sense logically, but in real life | have a feeling it will be easier said than done, which is why he¡¯s telling me. We make it inside and Alpha Reggie leads me to the dining hall which is situated on the main level we just walk in from the massive patio. The dining hall is super formal and everything is exactly as you would picture it from a fairytale.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org With murals well maintained and taking up entire walls, fancy framework around everything and a hint of gold ents make each surface shiny and fancy looking. The hall is huge and could easily fit several hundred people, but down at the far end is a lone table set under a stained ss window for the five of us with Luna Anne, Xander and Sierra in animated conversation. Sierra notices me first. ¡°There you are, | thought maybe you left without saying goodbye. It¡¯s been hours, what have you been doing?" | look to Alpha Reggie for an exnation that would satisfy her curiosity, but wouldn''t be me outright lying to my friend. ¡°We were going over the details of her assignment, naturally there are severalyers to what she has to do. Unfortunately working with and for the Royal family has its levels ofplications.¡± She just nods. Well yed, It was a very detailed answer that actually wasn''t an answer. | was going to have to pay close attention to how Alpha Reggie interacted with people, he was really good at this. We ate and joked and there was no more talk of what my job was. At about seven Sierra got a summons from her parents. She gave me a huge hug and told me she would see me on Tuesday and expected a study schedule. Chapter 0226 Chapter 0226 Once she was gone, Xander turned to me. ¡°Well, dad said he was going to give you all the news. You seem to still be breathing so it didn¡¯t shock you too bad.¡± Heughed at me. ¡°Being your cousin wasn''t the most shocking part of that whole story, really.¡± |ughed back. "The magical powers and poison immunity, that will take some getting used to though. Do the Elders know? Or will they put me in the pool of potential mates to throw at Xander on a regr basis?" ¡°| actually would prefer it if they kept throwing you my way. It prevents them from setting me up with some of the others.¡± He shudders at the thought and | have to suppress a giggle. ¡°Why do they keep trying to set Xander up? Didn''t you say the Alpha King is only at his strongest with his Goddess given mate¡± | look at each of them in tum, confused by the idea now that it came up. You would think that the Elders would want their Alpha King at his strongest in order to protect and lead the packs. ¡°Some are of the opinion that the way the Moon Goddess goes about making us find our mates is asking too much and that our mates should be more essible.¡± Luna Anne begins. ¡°Meaning they arezy and don''t want to put in the effort.¡± Xander chimes in and | agree with himpletely. Part of finding your mate is bing a strong enough person on your own without them so you can be better with them. ¡°Also, some of them take that line of thinking a step further, believing that being from the same pack, specifically Royal pack members having mates from the Royal pack would be better.¡± Alpha Reggie adds. ¡°Bringing in an elitist attitude.¡± Xander trantes again and | can''t help but smile. | see where his mind has gone with this. It¡¯s pack separation and some being viewed as better than others rather than pack unity amongst them all. | nod my head agreeing with Xander on this point. ¡°But, we can''te right out and use anyone of that though.¡± Alpha Reggie''s tone is light and conversational, but it also has an undertone of caution. ¡°Well | think that Skr has enough to think about for the time being and she should probably get back before her team leader finds something else to criticize.¡± He raises his eyebrow at me and | just roll my eyes and smile. ¡°lll go with her dad, | want to talk about next weekend." Xander stands with me and | give Luna Anne a hug and tum to Alpha Reggie not really sure if he¡¯s the hugging type. ¡°Come here.¡± He opens his arms and just like with Alpha Lucas, I''m overwhelmed with the thought that this is what it feels like to have a dad hug me. A simple gesture, taken for granted by so many, but it means the world to me and | try to let him know that without words. He gives me a little extra squeeze before letting me go. Xander and | walk back out the way we came, although this time he lets me actually walk and enjoy the grandeur of the castle. All the cream white walls and fancy humongous pictures of people and times in history | will have to ask aboutter. We head down the stairs and out to the car where Barty is waiting for us. ¡°Would you mind if we had some privacy Barty?¡± | have no idea what that means, but Barty doesn¡¯t hesitate and opens the door for us to get in the back and then he joins the driver in the front right before the privacy window goes up. Ah, now | get it, but why? Xander waits until we are on the road and moving consistently before turning to me. ¡°This is for you. From your brother and the rest of the guys.¡± My eyes go wide as he hands me five envelopes, each one sealed with no writing on the outside.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Chapter 0227 Chapter 0227 ¡°How do you know they are for me?¡± | look at each identical one. ¡°There''s no indication that they are." ¡°Because | collected them myself. | told them | would see you today and | know none of us can really have any regrmunication, but | also know what happened between all of you and how everything was left. | thought maybe when | had a chance | could y go between. No one checks me or my things, perks of the title.¡± He shrugs. "So | could, at the very least, get basic information back and forth when | am able to see you which will be a hell of a lot more than them. And with my regr trips back to your pack, because of the attack, | can even help during the school year when they go back." | nod my head slowly, not really sure what | was agreeing with and hold the letters to my chest. Some were definitely thicker than others. That made me smile. | should try to guess who wrote each letter before opening it to see how well | know them. | feel like we made it back to the bunkhouse in record time, | wish | would have been able to spend more time with Xander. Especially now that | know what | do. He¡¯s really the only person | can talk to about it that is in my age bracket. | obviously won''t be able to talk to him about it in public, like the Elder''s conference and | don''t think I¡¯m supposed to say anything to the guys let alone put it ina letter that can be lost or taken. What the hell am | supposed to do with all of this information? | mean seriously, did Alpha Reggie know what he was doing dropping this bomb on me and then just letting me stew with it on my own? Ugh. And now | have secret letters from the guys. What has my lifee to? Before | can get too lost in my thoughts, my door opens and | slide out and start to head toward the door when a hand wraps around the small of my back. ¡ª ¡°Wha..?¡± | look up over my shoulder. ¡°Xander, what are you doing" ¡°Dad said someone was giving you a hard time, | want to know who and | want to make sure it is apparent you have friends in high ces." C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org ¡°Don''t you dare! | can handle this on my own." ¡°Umm, you shouldn''t have to ¡®handle¡¯ anything like that. Every warrior is here because they were chosen, you have all earned the right. Second, tell me Oliver, Cameron, Dakota, Sam or your brother wouldn''t do the same thing." ¡°Ugh!! There are times when | kind of hate all of you, you know that?" His mouth twitches in a half smile, that, I''m sure, he uses to get his own way frequently. ¡°You love every ridiculous thing about all of us, and I promise | won''t say a thing.¡± | don''t get a chance to respond as Barty opens the door for us. We walk into the foyer and | figure that¡¯s where he will leave me, but no | couldn''t be that lucky and I''m starting to think that Sam put him up to pushing myfort levels based on the look on his face. He walks me straight past the stairs and right into the mainmon area where a majority of the warriors are lounging after dinner. ¡°Where are your friends? | think you mentioned Lillian, Wyatt and Nathaniel." ¡°Were you instructed to vet my friends for me too¡± | figured this trainwreck ising whether | want it to or not, so | might as well get it over with sooner rather thanter. | have no idea how far Xander will go to embarrass me. He just shrugs nomittally. "Fine, they''re over here." | lead him to a corner where the three of them are just sitting and talking and not doing a very good job of pretending I¡¯m not walking over to them with the Alpha Prince. Chapter 0228 Chapter 0228 ¡°How exactly do | introduce you" ¡°I''ll show you.¡± Is all | get as we reach my friends. They all stand politely and just stare. ¡°I¡¯m Alpha Prince Alexander." He holds his hand out to Lillian first, who introduces herself a little breathlessly. Then to Wyatt, who answers politely, but has a clear look of sizing him up. | don¡¯t feel any tension from either, just clearly unsure where the other stands in my life. Nathaniel also answers politely, but almost inaudibly. Maybe nerves, interesting. ¡°It''s good to see Sky has made such a tight group of friends. We were afraid some might try to use her for her talents or to improve their own skills at her expense." "We?" Wyatt asks. ¡°There are more than a few interested in her well being.¡± He implied so much with that little comment. I''ll have to remember | owe him a punch to the gut for that the next time we spar. And | try to let him know to knock it off with my side eye. He just uses it as an opening and cups my cheek with one hand. ¡°You know it¡¯s not a lie.¡± He smiles his devastating smile and | just roll my eyes. ¡°My well being is just fine, Thank you very much.¡± | try to step out of the embrace. He lets his hand drop from my face but keeps the other firmly nted on the small of my back. ¡°We would never let anything happen to Midge. Although she seems to be very capable of taking care of herself, sir." Wyatt finally tries toe to my rescue. ¡°See, I''m all good. No babysitters or anyone needed to check up on me and you can take that back to whichever one made you do this.¡± | Xander just continued like | said nothing. "Midge, huh?" ¡°Yes sir, Midget, just kind of stuck.¡± Wyatt shrugged. "She''s just this tiny little mighty midget, but if you don''t like it, we can stop." My mouth fell open. ¡°What?! You would change my nickname if he didn''t like it?¡± Xander is doing a terrible job hiding his smile and Wyatt just shrugs. ¡°Unbelievable, and stopughing Xander.¡± | elbow him in the side and he hisses but is openly smiling now. My friends gasp a little. I¡¯m not sure if it''s because | used no title for him or assaulted him. " Go back to your side of the training territory." ¡°Awe, don''t be mad, | told you, there are perks.¡± He pulls me back into his side for a quick hug. ¡°! do have to get back though, | will see you saturday. Walk me out.¡± He pulls me back to the door. ¡°Did you really have to do that? Now they will have a whole bunch of questions that | really can''t answer and | don''t want to lie to them. You all are jackasses, you know that?¡± | giggle at him and then get a brilliant idea as we step outside. | jump at him wrapping my arms around his neck and he instinctively wraps his arms around my waist to hold me up to his tall frame. | don''t let go as | ask. ¡°Are you going straight back to your training grounds?" ¡°Yes, why?¡± He tries to pull back, but | hold on tighter for just a moment longer before jumping down. ¡°| want to know who is the most irritated with my scent being all over you?¡± | smile my sweetest smile and wave at him as he goes a little pale. Barty coughs augh, clearly having knowledge of my situation. And | shut the door in Xander¡¯s face.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Chapter 0229 Chapter 0229 Stillughing to myself | head back to themon area for just a bit longer. Lillian immediately grabs my hands and pulls me down to the seat. ¡°On my Goddess he was all over you! | want details." ¡°Lil, it¡¯s not like that. He was just messing with me, my friends must have put him up to it knowing he was going to see me today. They are over at the rank training and they are all as*holes.¡± | tell her laughing. ¡°Well you do seem to get around don''t you?¡± A snarky, but low voice afts over us. | close my eyes and take a deep breath before turning to Audrina and her friends. ¡°Not that it is any of your business, but | am friends with Prince Xander." ¡°What did he mean by there being more than a few people interested in your well being?¡± Bridget asks. ¡°Again, not any of your business, but he is training with some of my friends. He was implying he would be reporting back to them. It¡¯s an inside joke, so it probably doesn''t make any sense to you." | move to turn away from them, trying to end the conversation. No such luck. ¡°Who could you possibly be friends with that would be here training?" ¡°Broken record, it''s none of your business.¡± | sighed out. ¡°And yet, we''re still interested.¡± Audrina looks at her nails trying to give off the impression that she really couldn''t care less, but would listen if |! gave her information. ¡°Considering | am a Beta¡¯s daughter, it would make sense for me to know the other ranked members from my pack." ¡°Yeah, the female ranked members, none of theme to training.¡± Chelsea says, like | am stupid. | just stare at her. How did she get this far being this dense? ¡°What do you live on? Plenty of ranked females go to training and hold the titled position in their packs. I¡¯ve heard many stories about them. It¡¯s no different than femalesing to warrior training.¡± | can''t help rolling my eyes this time. Before anyone else can say anything the bell goes off to head to our rooms. Thank the Goddess. | need a break, these b*tches are almost as crazy as the three | left behind. ¡°Well, don''t think anyone is going to treat you special because you paraded the Alpha Prince around here like some kind of trophy.¡± Audrina huffs before walking away. ¡°| wouldn¡¯t dream of any such thing.¡± | mumble so only my friends can hear. ¡°Did she not see the same thing that we did? Nathaniel asks. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°He clearly paraded you around and was staking a pretty big im. He must know you can''t have your brand yet, or he doesn''t fully realize how the brand works, cause none of these guys are even thinking about hitting on you. No matter how pretty you are.¡± His eyes go wide and he blushes when he realizes what he just said. ¡°I... | mean... | mean... just that... you know, the hormone suppression and stuff...just, uh, yeah.¡± He looks down at his feet and won''t look at me at all. Lillian and Wyatt are fightingughter at this point and | cant decide if | want to give Nathaniel a hard time or try to make him feel better. Before | can make any kind of decision, Lillian loops her arm through his, ¡°Come on casanova. At least with your brand you will have time to develop your speaking skills when talking to girls. Sky might even be nice and pretend like you didn''t just stutter your way through thatpliment." Wyatt and |ugh as we veer off to our floor. ¡°He¡¯s never going to live that down, for the rest of his life and he knows it.¡± Wyattughs. | go to protest, but he stops me, ¡°Don''t you dare try and make him feel better. He rarely makes mistakes or is wrong about anything, just give me this one thing to hold over his head, please.¡± He''s literally begging me. What has my lifee to? Chapter 0230 Chapter 0230 | make it to my room and want to immediately open my letters, but something in my gut tells me Audrina isn''t done with me today. And while I don''t think the letters are illegal in any way, if she does stop in my room, I''m not giving her any other reason to be nosey. I''ll try and get to them when | am doing homework tomorrow or this week sometime. That will give me a chance to respond as well. My gut instinct was not wrong. | was able to hop ina quick shower and just got into my pajamas when she burst into my door without knocking, something | will be questioning tomorrow. She stands just inside my open door and | am standing in the middle of my room, not backing down from her cold stare. ¡°Make sure you are up and ready on time for training in the morning. You have time to make up.¡± | just nod my head, there isn''t any point in arguing and | did actually know about this extra training, so | am prepared for it. ¡°What no snarkyeback or b*tchy attitude?" ¡°The extra training on Sundays is on my schedule, so | am prepared to be there. The attitude only comes when one is unnecessarily directed at me. | don¡¯t know why you don''t like me, but | was chosen just like everyone else to be here. | was brought here early by the Alpha King and Warrior Osiston, you do not have a Say in my being here now. Like everyone else | am here to learn and do a job. You do not have to like me, but | am currently your teammate. All! ask is that you treat me like one. This will go more smoothly for the both of us if you do." Her lip curls into what should probably be an intimidating face, but she just looks like she wants to throw up or like she might poop herself. | try not to let that image make me smile, it would be wildly inappropriate and so not helpful right now. I¡¯m not sure how long we stood there staring at each other, but it was long enough that | had to stifle a yawn. She finally just turns and leaves without another word or a backward nce. This girl really does have something not right about her and | need to figure it out, before she smothers me inmy sleep. - Sunday went as expected and Audrina was, well, not nice in any way, but she didn''t outwardly cause me problems once we joined the rest of the warriors for morning training. We were actually done by 9am and had free time until evening training right before dinner, which only consisted of a five mile run through the training territory. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. During my down time in the middle of the day | holed up in one of the study rooms and tore through my letters before | even thought about starting my homework. Each of my friends put their own re on their letter. | could tell only the twins had any knowledge in how to formte and write a fullmunication type letter, which makes sense considering they are training to be the next Alphas. They would have to draft letters for treaties and peace agreements and other regr communications between packs that maybe couldn''t be sent electronically. Sam¡¯s was the funniest. He wrote in single sentences as if he was writing a one way text message stream, bullet- pointing what has been happening since | left so abruptly and informing me that by leaving | took his two favorite people away at the same time and he might die of loneliness. Ever the drama king. Mateo¡¯s letter apologized more times than | can count for what happened to me and when he finds out who did this they are going to die a slow and painful death. Oliver was not so blunt in his threat to whoever caused me so much harm, but it was implied. He actually mentioned that seeing me that broken will haunt him forever. That is the most emotion he has ever verbalized to me. He mentioned that | bettere back stronger and with at least ten more pounds or he will also have words with Warrior Brogen about my care. Chapter 0231 Chapter 0231 The twins each wrote a separate letter, but had simr sentiments to the rest. Dakota said that | didn''t need to go to these extremes to get my point across and that he hopes they can find a reason to see me before they go home for the school year. Cameron said he understands now what | was saying all along and apologized for letting his own feelings cloud his judgment in seeing what was truly best for me. They all begged me to forgive them and to get something back to them soon. They are relying on our mutual connection to Xander to make that happen. | just don''t know how to get anything to them after next week. | have no other ns to see Xander beyond the Elder''s Conference, but | guess Xander can do whatever he wants as royalty so who knows. | just giggled and decided | would write to them once | got my work done and ready to go. Just because Audrina was semi-normal today doesn''t mean that act willst. | have to assume she is going to make me do extra training at every possible free moment, just to be a pain in my ass. She knows I¡¯m in school and was told of my study schedule, but that hasn''t stopped her before. | finish everything that is due this week and start anything | can based on the sybus for the next two weeks, then | write one letter to the guys, they can freaking share. | let them know that | am safe and all healed. Training is going well, but tough and | love it. | let them know I am in school and get to see Sierra a couple times a week. | leave out anything to do with Xander, | don¡¯t know how much he told them and what | can actually say. | am treating this whole thing like a protection detail, which is all it can be, and | don''t know if | can say anything about attending with Xander. | also say nothing about Audrina. | don¡¯t need them worried about a repeat of the situation | left. They need to trust me here and let me be. The rest of the week ys out just likest week. Early morning training feels just like what | did back home and | fall into a great rhythm with the team. We all contribute to the ns, there really is not a single leader, no matter how much Audrina wants to pretend there is. We all have our strengths and get to show them off on almost a daily basis. School is actually enjoyable when I¡¯m not looking over my shoulder for a threat the whole time. | do find myself flying through sses, even the advanced or senior level sses, but it¡¯s more because | enjoy what | am learning and want to know more. | almost wish there were more hours in the day so | could do full time school and full time training, but there is NO way. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Saturday finally rolls around and | find myself a little nervous while I''m waiting for Barty to pick me up to go to the castle. The part that I''m attending doesn''t even start until 8 or 9 tonight, but | was told to be ready to go at 6am. | have no idea what | am going to do the whole day, but when the Luna Queen says be ready, you are ready. Chapter 0232 Chapter 0232 ¡°Hello Miss Skr. It''s nice to see you again. | hope your week was enjoyable.¡± Barty gives me a genuine smile. He''s not just asking because it¡¯s his job and it¡¯s a nice feeling. ¡°It was great! Training is hard, but that is to be expected. It''s like nothing else I''ve ever done before. | like the challenge.¡± He holds the car door open for me and allows me to get in first before sliding next to me. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°I''m sorry Alpha Prince Xander couldn''t join us this morning. It wasn¡¯t for ack of trying though.¡± He winks at me. ¡°The Luna Queen has him attending all of the meetings today and he needed to prepare." ¡°If he will be in meetings, why am | needed so early? | thought | would be assigned to him for the day, but he surely won''t need an escort or protection detail inside a meeting room, will he?" ¡°Oh, my dear, you don''t know, do you?" ¡°Know what?" I''m nervous now and there isn¡¯t much that makes me nervous. ¡°You are attending all of the meetings today as the warrior liaison. You will be asked for your input on pack training, protection, border patrol and all other things rted to pack safety. Did the Luna Queen not tell you?¡± His eyebrow is raised like he knows the answer to that question already and this whole conversation was nned out. - ¡°Uh, no. | was not told | was going to be speaking to Royal Pack Elders on matters of pack safety and security. My first question is naturally, why me? I''m only fifteen, who in the hell is going to listen to me? ¡° My eyes go wide for a second. ¡°Sorry for the outburst, it¡¯s not your fault. | don''t like being blindsided and this is being blindsided on the most epic level.¡± | can feel my pulse quicken. ¡°You have a unique position. First you are top of your ss, in everything, if my information is correct. Meaning you''re smart and can handle deep in depth conversations. Some of our smartest scientists can''t do that.¡± He gives me a side nce. ¡°You are also in our Elite Warrior training program, meaning you are exceptional on the battlefield, again making your unique perspective valuable. You also managed to tear holes in a safety n that our best warriors came up with only a few years ago, using a patio table, utensils and drinking sses and zero practical knowledge of the area you were nning for. To say that the Alpha King and his lead warriors and strategists were impressed is an understatement and they would like to pick your brain more after giving you ess to real maps and schematics." ¡°Oh, sh*t!" | pped my hand over my mouth. ¡°Are you serious? | have nothing prepared, what am | supposed to say? Are they going to just gril me with a ton of questions? What if | say something stupid or something they''ve already tried and hasn''t worked? That''s a ton of pressure. And What about Xander? | thought | was assigned to him like some kind of protection detail. What am | really doing here tonight?" ¡°In a way you''re not wrong, you do provide an extrayer of protection for him, but not the way you think. We have plenty of warriors for the royal family¡¯s protection, but most attendees are not dumb enough to try and attack at a function like this. Xander is in a unique position right now, he is 22 years old and hasn''t found the Goddess given mate that will produce the next heir. So, naturally many of our Elders and even some pack Alphas are trying to convince the Alpha King to force him into a chosen mate situation.¡± I nod my head, starting to understand. After What the Alpha King told mest weekend, | know why Xander is holding out "With you by his side, a strong, smart, female warrior and being underage, the royal family can stall a little longer on the chosen mate push from the Elders. You do have a job to do and being friends with the Alpha Prince is helpful, he will naturally want to spend time with you. And if the Elders start to think there is more and begin spreading rumors along those lines, none of us will stop them.¡± He shrugs and smiles. Chapter 0233 Chapter 0233 ¡°So, let me get this straight. I''m going to go into meetings about pack safety, give my opinion to pack Elders and Alphas who are decades older than me, like what | have to say is more important and then c*ck block them from throwing their daughters at Xander" ¡°In a nutshell, yes. It¡¯s a good thing you are strong willed and don¡¯t mind giving your opinion freely when asked for it." He smiles at me again and winks. ¡°You are getting far too much pleasure out of this. What''s in it for you?¡± | ask yfully. ¡°| have been with the Royal family since my mate died.¡± A look shes across his eyes, but before | can give him any sympathy he holds his hand up. ¡°No need, it was a long time ago, but my wolf died with him and the Alpha King and Luna Queen took me in and offered me protection. | have be an adopted part of their family and | love Xander like a favorite nephew. | have seen what the ranked politics look like and how bad it really can get when wolves start messing with the Goddess¡¯ n. | don''t want that for Xander. | want him to have what | had with my mate. Even with all the pain that followed his passing, | wouldn''t trade it for anything. You seem to care about him and want nothing more than friendship, and just that has you in my good graces along with the Luna Queen.¡± | wonder if he knows the whole situation with my rtionship to the royal family? | made a mental note to ask Luna Anne. ¡°So, am | going to be on my own all morning, or is Xander going to be with me, or you, or Luna Anne?" ¡°Someone will be with you at all times. We may be throwing you to the wolves,¡± Heughs at his little joke, ¡°but, we won''t let you go it alone. Your reservations are urate with some of the Elders. A few of them are, how could | put this, old school? They don''t like women in the nning meetings in general, and you are young, but times are changing. We have two female Alphas amongst us now and as you have seen about a third of our Elite Warriors are female. It only makes sense that those same Elite Warriors would be part of the safety and defense team that keeps the Royal family, the Royal Pack and our surrounding kingdom safe." | nod in understanding. He basically confirmed there will be people who are going to actively belittle and degrade me, while also trying to not offend the Alpha King. Maybe it is better that no one told me, | would have been overthinking this thing the whole week. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. We finally pull up to the castle, but instead of going to the front entrance likest time, we head down an semi-hidden gravel drive to a parking garage nestled into the mountain. The stone facade made it blend so well, if | hadn''t seen the doors move, I never would have noticed them. Seeing my expression, Barty smiles, ¡°You get to use the super secret entrance from now on. Now more mundane front door entrances for you.¡± - ¡°What?!" |ugh at him. ¡°Is this really necessary? It feels a little over the top." ¡°You won''t think that when all of the elitist people here start trying to figure out who you are and where youe from. And since you do have to go back to the training grounds eventually, it''s safer to have youe and go from the royal family¡¯s private garage in a car that maintains your privacy." Oh, wow. This just got real. We step out of the car and | take a good look around the garage. The whole bunkhouse could fit in here, it''s so big. | can''t even count how many cars, motorcycles, four- wheelers and other gas-powered toys there are in here. And on the far end, near what appears to be a second set of garage doors, there is an expanse of tools, boxes, bottles and other various things to maintain all of these toys. | just smile. All the guys must have a good time when they are here for training. It reminds me of the picture from Dakota¡¯s room where they are all sitting on a log in front of theke, looking wet and sun- kissed and like they are the most happy and rxed | have ever seen them. Chapter 0234 Chapter 0234 | jump when Barty''s voice startles me out of my thoughts. ¡°I bet the Alpha Prince would love to take you around the territory sometime. There aren''t many people, let alonedies, who would look at any of his toys with that kind of fondness." |ugh at his statement. ¡°I am definitely not your typical girl. Speaking of, | know | agreed to wear the fancy dress to the g ball thing tonight. ls Luna Anne going to put me ina monkey skirt suit all day too¡± | try to school the nauseous feeling | get thinking about being ufortable in my clothes as well as with all of these people today. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°| believe she is aware of your affinity for pants.¡± He winks at me and leads me to an elevator. We head up in afortable silence and reach Luna Anne¡¯s floor quickly. | walk into the same suite we did the dress fittings in, and it actually looks more terrifying now. My eyes go wide. Not only is the dress | chose for tonight hanging from a tall rack, there are at least five more that she said " were good contenders.¡¯ Next to that was a rack with items in varying shades of white hanging from it. Pants, jackets, vests, blouses and to my irritation skirts with frilly bottoms. The third rack had simr business attire, but in cool shades of greens, blues and purples. Rack four was on repeat with warm shades of yellow, orange, red and pinks. ¡°Close your mouth and stop looking so terrified, we have a job to do and the first impression is always the most important.¡± Luna Anne pops out from behind one of the racks. ¡°Are all of these things necessary? It¡¯s just one day of meetings and then a ball. Or did | miss something?¡± | looked usingly between her and Barty, knowing parts of what he told me were strategically left out so she could exin herself. ¡°You didn''t miss anything, but Luna Ava and | decided that if we told you everything all at once, you would refuse.¡± | nod my head agreeing with their assessment. ¡°As Barty told you, Reggie and Osiston want you in several of the meetings today, and for good reason. You are smart and very good at tactical nning. Unfortunately there has been a development. First, you are not a show pony and | don''t want you to think that, but somehow word got to a few of the Elders that ¡®Xander''s date,¡± She air quotes, ¡°Is attending meetings. So several have insisted that they get to bring their daughter''s to also learn the ropes of pack management.¡± She rolls her eyes at the thought. ¡°It has be a joke now, but there isn¡¯t much that Reggie can do without exining your ties to the family and opening Xander up to the piranhas trying to get a queen out of this whole situation." | rub my temples already feeling the star of a headache thates from dealing with self important morons. - ¡°Don''t look like that, you will do great and it gives me an excuse to also attend, which | normally do not, since most females are not needed for such things. I''m actually kind of excited, but that also means you will be under a bigger spotlight than we anticipated.¡± She at least has the audacity to look a little ashamed of the situation | am in, but also far too excited about the prospect to dress me up. ¡°I have several outfits picked out for you and as we get you dressed | will exin the day." | reluctantly nod my head in agreement. Chapter 0235 Chapter 0235 ¡°So the bottom line is you will be attending three meetings today. Albeit, the longest ones.¡± Luna Anne grimaces at me in the vanity mirror while | am getting my hair done. It''s just a ponytail, but | guess a royal ponytail requires two types of hairbrushes, ab, two different types of hairspray and special stics to hold it in ce, permanently. | just smile and give a nomittal sound, not wanting the hairdresser to have to start over. | have been primped and prepped for almost forty five minutes. | don¡¯t want to have to sit here any longer than necessary. | have to admit, | look better than | thought | would. The make-up artist didn''t go overboard with the caked on make-up. She entuated my gray-blue eyes with a smokey blend of grays and cks, but it doesn''t look like some of the pictures I''ve seen where girls end up looking like they got punched. She did addsh extensions to the outsides of my eyes since myshes are blonde. She said she wouldn''t have to use as much mascara that way and | tucked that little bit of info into my memory forter. She put a rosy pink color on my cheeks and finished off with a gloss that had a pink tint to it. When they were both done, | just stared at myself fora minute. | still looked like me, but better, older, definitely more put together. ¡°You are beautiful Sweet Girl, now, let''s get you dressed. | think for the first meeting we should go in a warmer color, Start out strong and bright.¡± My eyebrows raised at her. " There is just as much strategy in what you wear as there is in nning an attack, especially with all of these people." She matches her eyebrow with my own. "You will change after each meeting too." ¡°Why is that? I¡¯m not trying to argue, this is what you do so | trust you no matter how ridiculous | think it is.¡± | quickly defend my question. Female politics were a whole new world for me, and | am discovering far more ruthless than men with soldiers. ¡°First, depending on how many peoplee to these meetings now that we are introducing everyone''s kid and using it as training.¡± She rolls her eyes. ¡°You are going to get sweaty and ufortable, even in these outfits which are designed to not show any of that. It also gives us an excuse to step away from everyone and just take a break, otherwise you would get none and be grilled by these vultures all day." | nod in understanding, it''s all tactical strategy. | can work with it. 7 My first outfit is a bright maroon jumpsuit that is so soft and silky | could probably sleep in it. The pants were wide all the way down with a sharp crease down the front and the back. There was a wide band of the same material going around the torso like a corset, leading up to just above my barely there cleavage where a band of material was threaded through the keyhole at the top of the bodice to create a halter look. The straps that went over my shoulders were wide and sturdy andfortable. They wrapped around to attach to the bodice just under my arms, so all my bits were tastefully covered. Luna Anne has a thing for open back outfits on me, the straps from the halter are the only material on my back and the pants tastefullye up to my hips, so at least my butt won''t hang out, but it¡¯s all skin beyond that. She finishes the outfit off with a pain of matching maroon wedges. | feel like | could exercise in this outfit, it''s amazing. | can''t help but turn and smile at her. She gives me some bracelets and earrings to finish off the look and then walks me to the mirror so | can see the whole thing. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Oh, wow! | didn''t realize | could look like this.¡± | look at her in the mirror. ¡°You''ve always looked like this, sweet girl, we''ve just entuated a few things. This way Xander will have to do some work too." ¡°Huh? ¡°He¡¯s going to have his hands full keeping interested men away from you as much as you are going to keep the gold diggers away from him.¡± My mouth drops at her blunt honesty. ¡°Now, we should head down. We are starting with a brunch and meet and greet before the first meeting. And you are going to want to be fully nourished to put up with some of these guys.¡± Chapter 0236 Chapter 0236 As we step out of her suite, Barty, Xander and the Alpha King are waiting for us. | can''t wait until they let me have the warrior brand and | can mindlink with everyone here. It¡¯s kind of quiet for my wolf and | in my head. | didn''t realize | enjoyed the chaos of the dull hum of voices constantly in my head. ¡°You look wonderful Little One. Maybe some of these Elders will be so mesmerized into silence we will actually get some things aplished this morning.¡± Alpha Reggie smiles at me. ¡°And you are beautiful as always my dear. | see you are going for a power move early matching Skr.¡± He chuckles a little, stepping in to give her a kiss on the temple. Luna Anne¡¯s outfit is also maroon, but in a deeper shade. It''s a dress that ends in a form fitting pencil skirt and paired with a cropped long sleeved jacket that has some navy threads woven into it. It¡¯s a power suit, she looks ready for public speaking and to take on a bunch of old men. Alpha Reggie holds out his arm for her and Xander does the same for me and we head down the hallway toward the elevators. This feels like a parade and I''m getting more and more nervous as we get closer to the elevator doors. Barty steps in with another warrior and the rest of us just stand here. We must go down in small groups to make an entrance. When ites back a few minutester, two more warriors step in and Xander leads me with him. | didn¡¯t even see these warriors when we came out of Luna Anne''s suite, they are very discreet. | want to watch them work, but | have to keep reminding myself I have a job to do and it¡¯s bigger than | expected. As we travel the couple floors, Xander lets my arm go and reaches in his pocket to pull out a small box. ¡°This is for you, and before you freak out, it¡¯s from all of us." He opens the lid and a set of silver bracelets are stacked together. They are all small solid cuff-like bracelets, each with a different gem ced at one end. It¡¯s all their colors, my heart clenches at the thought. They are reaching out even this far apart. ¡°They were all intrigued that you were going to be attending this conference with me and wanted to make sure that |, and everyone else, knew that you have a handful of friends out thereying im to you.¡± ¡ã | couldn''t help butugh. He helped me add them to the bracelets Luna Anne gave me. ¡°These are amazing! | love them. Whose idea was it.¡± | quirked an eyebrow at him. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Uh, to get you something or the bracelets specifically?" ¡°Nevermind, based on that answer, | know.¡± | hold my hand up to stop him, the bracelets clinking as they slide up my arm. ¡°The minute you told them | wasing with you and was going to be paraded around, Oliver and Dakota decided that | needed something to imply | was taken. Cameron probably came up with the idea of the bracelets since | really don''t like any other kind of jewelry. Sam probably suggested the colored stones, which is an inside joke so | would know it''s from them and my brother trying to make up for lost time, had the inside of his inscribed. How close was \%* His jaw dropped. "Umm, with the exception of mine, spot on. You know your guys well.¡± He smiled at me. ¡°Well, you, having slightly more knowledge on my situation than the guys, probably waited until they all had theirs done and then got the bracelet that was slightly wider, but enough to notice, just to piss them off. And you were bringing them to me so they had no say in how I got them." Xander openlyughs at me, just as the elevator stops. ¡°You have us all pegged. Remind me not to get on your bad side, you can probably detect weaknesses in your sleep.¡± He holds his elbow at me to take. ¡°You ready for the circus?" ¡°Is anyone ever actually ready for this?" ¡°Probably not, you just have to get really good at pretending.¡± He says, leaning to whisper in my ear as we walk out. | can already see scowls on many of the faces. | may need to carry a weapon on me for extra protection. Chapter 0237 Chapter 0237 We don''t need any weapons. I was just thinking I really don¡¯t want to destroy this outfit, I actually kind of like it. If any of these b*tches try anything, we have a pretty strong aura to dish out. We''ll start with that and get less nice as we need to. I love that my wolf can calm my nerves so quickly. I don''t know why I need reminding that I am a strong wolf. I train harder than most people and can defend myself. It''s just years of conditioning to appear small and invisible that I need to break out of. And apparently, Alpha Reggie and Luna Anne are going to force me to break out of it sooner rather thanter. We step out and to the side of the elevator waiting on the King and Queen. We are in the main entrance area I came in throughst week. I was right, it¡¯s designed to hold hoards of people. As I look around, the people here are milling about conversing and just waiting for the real show to begin. Some look friendly and jovial and others look downright cutthroat, like they are plotting as we stand here. The outside of the castle has an old world charm to it with the natural stonework and cathedral windows, but the inside is all modern. The floor is a patterson of white and ck marble. I can''t quite tell what the pattern is for here, but I bet it¡¯s amazing from the balcony. I am able to look at the artwork and tapestries hung better this time, since thest time I passed through her Xander was dragging me along like a puppy. - Before I can get too lost in my thoughts, though, a beautiful blonde woman about Xander¡¯s age walks up to us. She doesn''t even acknowledge me but ces her hand familiarly on the shoulder of the arm I am attached to, clearly being cut out of the conversation she wants to have with Xander. ¡°Prince Alexander, it¡¯s been so long. I¡¯ve missed seeing you around. Have you been training all this time?¡± Blondie bats her eyes at him and has this simpering look that I think is supposed to be pouty or yful, but just looks weird on her face. I Xander takes a small step back, pulling me with him, but effectively getting blondie to drop her hand. ¡°I spent most of my time this summer with Skr and her pack.¡± He indicates me on his arm and now she can''t pretend she doesn''t see me. ¡°Oh you are such a tiny thing, I didn¡¯t even see you there. I hope Alexander did a great job protecting you and your pack.¡± She moves to turn back to him and ignores me, but I let my irritation show a bit. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Xander actually came to work with me this summer, he and Alpha Reggie are working on some training protocols and wanted my input.¡± I smile at her sweetly. Her eyes go wide for a moment, but I¡¯m not sure at which part of myment. It could have been the familiar way I used Xander and the Alpha King¡¯s name with no correction from Xander or that I implied they came to me for help. Either way her expression is one I won''t forget soon. ¡°I didn''t know you were going by a nickname now, Xander, I like it, it''s sexy.¡± She purrs at him ¡°I''m not, it¡¯s Prince Alexander to you. Skr has special privileges.¡± He looks at me and winks before turning us around to watch the elevator open with the King and Queen stepping out gracefully. We move to follow them, leaving blondie standing there staring in disbelief. Chapter 0238 Chapter 0238 ¡°You do realize how much bigger you made the target on me right?¡± I lean in to whisper to him. ¡°Your target was already ced when you stepped out of that elevator on my arm, no reason not to have fun with the situation.¡± He¡¯s leaning in close but looking me in the eye, then he shoots a quick look over my shoulder, not moving his face, then looks back at me and smiles a wicked smile. ¡°What are you up to?¡¯ I ask skeptically, having a pretty good idea who he¡¯s looking at. ¡°Nothing I wasn''t given permission to do.¡± He mutters before kissing me on the cheek, but far too close to my lips for myfort. It¡¯s not that it was bad, but it feels wrong somehow. I know he¡¯s flirting to keep people away from the both of us, but I don''t know if I can reciprocate. Maybe it''s because I know we are rted now, or just that I know he isn¡¯t my mate and that¡¯s something he should save for her. I have to suck it up and y this part though. That is my job, my assignment. I¡¯m sure as I move through warrior training, my assignments are going to get far moreplicated than this. I can''t let my personal opinions and emotions cloud the work I have toplete. Xander effortlessly moves me through therge room into a ballroom setup with round tables covered in white linen table cloths and gold chairs. I wasn''t sure what I expected, but this semi- informal buffet style breakfast wasn''t it. I figured leaders of this caliber would want or expect table service, but I also understand the practicality of this set -up. Xander leads me to the line behind his parents and we begin filling our tes and then head to a long rectangr table at the head of the room seated under a stained ss window that spans the full wall, letting in copious amounts of morning light. I must have stopped and stared for a little too long as Alpha Reggiees up and startles me while I¡¯m lost in the beauty of the ss. ¡°This depicts the great war that prompted the Moon Goddess to dere Alpha Kings and their territories. Even with ranks and hierarchy built into our way Of life, there was always someone who wanted power without earning it.¡± He looked pointedly at me and I nodded in understanding, it was still a problem today, but with the Alpha Kings having amon goal to keep the peace and keep our secret from humans, they were always willing to step in and help when a bigger problem arose, avoiding another war like this. He raised his arm and guided me to a chair next to Xander at the head table. ¡°You seem to be doing well so far, no trouble I take it?¡± He asks as he pulls my chair out for me to Sit. ¡°I look at Xander for a moment then back to Alpha Reggie" No trouble, but the pissing matches have already begun.¡± I giggled and Xander almost choked on his water. ¡°Let me guess. Was it Chandler or Grunyun?¡± Alpha Reggie takes his seat next to Xander as he asks. ¡°Chandler''s daughter. We weren''t even off the elevator yet. Her ws have gotten sharper since thest time I had to put up with her.¡± Xander mumbles just loud enough for the four of us to hear. There''s plenty of conversation going on in the room and it must be an unspoken rule that no one approaches the head table while the King and Queen are eating, but that doesn''t stop the looks and following conversations that have been happening since we entered. Today is going to be long and exhausting.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Once Alpha Reggie is done eating, Omegas clear our tes and he stands to give an opening speech, directing people to specific ces in the pce with an undertone of ¡®these are the only ces you are allowed¡¯ and times for the first .... Chapter 0239 Chapter 0239 Just before I get up an Omega hands me a beautiful leather portfolio that has my name embossed in gold on the front. I thank her and smile, which earns me a tiny smile and wide eyes of confusion. Do people not use manners with the staff who work here? ¡°My name is Sophie, Miss Skr. I''ll be your assistant today, let me know if you need anything at all.¡± She smiles warmly at me. She is close to my age, maybe 12 or 13. She is quiet, but I don''t get the feeling that she is shy, just well mannered. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Sophie, I¡¯m d to have a kind female near me today.¡± She giggles, but quickly schools it, like she isn¡¯t allowed. ¡°Some of the women can be a handful.¡± She shrugs, like that is the most normal thing in the world. ¡°First, please tell me if I am being a handful. Your job is to assist me, not wait on me hand and foot. Second, tell me what I''m holding, this is my first time here and I''m not trying to make a fool of myself in front of these people.¡± I smile at her and she takes a deep breath. I walk next to Xander and Sophie is just behind my right shoulder whispering in my ear exining my schedule for the day. Like Alpha Reggie said, I would be attending the three biggest meetings today. I guess some other meetings are set up to talk about treaties or territory lines and patrols between territories. This is neutral territory and mediators are present so the negotiations don¡¯t get out of hand. I will be attending everything with Xander and Alpha Reggie today. First up is the distribution of warriors amongst the packs in the kingdom to help train smaller packs to defend themselves. I guess there has been a shortage, but now that I know about this Rogue King and his attacks on packs surrounding the royal territory, I understand why the Alpha King is reluctant to send warriors away. ¡°We need assistance, now! What is the Royal Pack prepared to do if we are attacked? Every pack surrounding us has had an attack in thest three years, it¡¯s only a matter of time before we are attacked.¡± A grizzly old man all but shouts directly at the King. Apparently, some formalities are left outside this room. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. This man has spent the better part of twenty minutes asking for help and demanding help, but not actually saying what he has done as a leader in his pack to make things better or to be prepared. It sounds like he wants to be the damsel in distress and to just be saved without doing any of the work. My impression is that he has watched too many Disney movies. I stifled a littleugh at the thought, but clearly didn''t do a good enough job since Grizzleface res at me then looks back at the King with a raised eyebrow, again, waiting for the King to do something about the situation. ¡°Alpha Arthur Br of the Irontooth Pack, meet Skr Makain, one of the lead warriors of the Blue Crescent Pack. I believe Skr has some thoughts on your situation.¡± Alpha Reggie says calmly, almost bored. ¡°There¡¯s no way she is a lead warrior of any pack, she¡¯s so tiny and she¡¯s just a child.¡± He basically spits at me, and as much as it makes my blood boil, I keep my calm. He won''t bait me into acting like the child he thinksm. As ufortable as I am sitting in this room talking about training and warriors, this is my wheelhouse, this is what I do best, calm under pressure in aplicated situation. I ignore hisment about my age and size, that isn''t something that will be reasoned with, so it¡¯s a nonissue" I have a few questions, Alpha Br. First you have asked for assistance, but not mentioned what you and your warriors are currently doing to prevent and protect against an attack. How do you expect anyone to proceed with assistance if they have no idea what type of situation they are walking into? Second, you are surrounded on three sides by very prominent packs and if memory serves, all of their attacks were on the opposite sides from your territory.¡± I point to a sprawling map that is painted into the gigantic circr table we are sitting at. ¡°I would know, because my warriors and myself had to travel through your pack to lend assistance.¡± So much for not raising to his bait, oh well watching him squirm is even better than I thought. Chapter 0240 Chapter 0240 I just sit in silence along with everyone else after my questions. I see the recognition in the eyes of the warrior standing behind him, he at least remembers me. We didn''t have to actually fight, but we did run patrols while their warriors were tended to and healing. I scheduled the patrol routes myself with Gamma Brett and Delta Kyle. ¡°I thought you looked familiar.¡± The warrior behind Alpha Br spoke up, getting a re from his Alpha, but cutting the tension a bit. I just nod my head and wait for my questions to be answered, which are more than likely going toe from this warrior than the Alpha. He was clearly having a conversation over the mindlink with his Alpha now and some kind of agreement was struck as the warrior looked back at me" We have maintained the patrol routes that your team set up for us, but we have few warriors and they are spread thin, patrolling the whole of the territory and we have the beach side of the territory to think of. We do not have the high vantage point that your pack does to maintain a good visual out to the sea." That was something I knew, because I pointed it out. Delta Kyle and Gamma Brett also suggested watch towers be constructed to give them a better vantage point. Something that hasn''t happened if they are still bringing it up. ¡°Did you construct the watchtowers as suggested by my Gamma and Delta?¡± I know the answer, but this Alpha is being a d*ck and I feel the necessity to put him in his ce" Have you trained your pack members to defend themselves, also a suggestion by my Gamma and Delta?" I almost forgot other people were in the room. My only reminder is the gentle shake of Xander¡¯s shoulder next to me. Is heughing? I turn just slightly so I can make eye contact. He leans to whisper in my ear" You are amazing, this guy is a pain in the ass at the best of times. I''ve never seen him this flustered." I just roll my eyes at him and fight a smile. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Umm, we haven''t had the opportunity toplete those projects yet.¡± The warrior answers me looking awkward. ¡°Haven''t had the opportunity, or chosen not to do them? If you want help and assistance you have to show that you are willing to put in just as much effort. Each pack here has their own situations to deal with. The point of the Kingdoms alliance is to assist, not do the work for another pack. Training your pack members, all of them, should be your first priority. They don''t need to be elite warriors, but having the confidence to defend themselves and their families and get to safety is nonnegotiable. The ns for your watchtowers were drawn up for you, all that needed to be done was construct them. That is your second priority. Once those things are done, thene and ask for additional assistance¡± I emphasized the word, ¡°and we can move forward from there.¡± Chapter 0241 Chapter 0241 I have no idea what got into me, but Alpha Reggie and Warrior Osiston didn''t stop me, so I put a finality to the conversation and then looked to them for what to do next as I came out of the haze that clouded me while I was putting this Alpha in his ce. What I saw was not what I expected. I expected shock or horror or disapproval at my speaking out and over them basically. They both had the biggest smile on their faces and Luna Anne gave me a wink. I took a look around the room at the rest of the Alphas and their entourage, including some of the daughters I was wamed about. Varying looks of disbelief, surprise, disgust and fear littered all their faces and I just wanted to sink into my chair, feeling like I made a spectacle of myself. I was just here to offer my opinions, not take over a discussion, no matter how much Alpha Br deserved to have his pompous ass told off. I looked down at my portfolio, looking at the schedule I have basically memorized, but needing something to do. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Don''t shy away now, you just owned this room. They at least know why you¡¯re here now and it¡¯s not as my arm candy, you eamed your seat at this table unlike many of the people standing around the room. Although, speaking of arm candy, we need to get a picture and send it to the guys, cause I am going torture the sh*t out of them with you looking this good on my arm and not theirs.¡± I snap my eyes to him and can''t help the smile that breaks out on my face to match his. He is trying to help me have fun in this very un- fun situation. ¡°I''m sure your torture of them began long before now, if their gift is any indication.¡± I whisper back, touching the multitude of bracelets. He just gets this smile that reminds me of Sam when he is up to no good and ready to take everyone around him down his path of troublemaking. Before I can get lost in that train of thought though, Alpha Reggie speaks up. ¡°Well, Alpha Br, it sounds like you have your assignments. Come back to us when you have completed your tasks. Let¡¯s take a break before we reconvene, I believe a few other packs have requests for training and warrior assistance.¡± He looked pointedly at each Alpha sitting at the table, letting them know they were going to get the same treatment as Alpha Br. Xander stood and helped me from my chair and we followed his parents to a small chamber off of the conference room, while the rest of the Alphas and their people filed out the door we entered. ¡°Perks of living here is you get to use all of the fun secret rooms.¡± Alpha Reggieughed as a warrior closed the door behind us" That was spectacr, I need to bring you in more often. Alpha Br is usually difficult and likes to monopolize the conversation, as you saw. He also likes to ask for more than what he actually needs, just to see what he can get. I didn''t realize that it was your pack that led the relief assistance for those attacks." I nodded in agreement. ¡°It was the first time Gamma Brett and Delta Kyle let me go outside the pack with the warriors. I don''t even know if my father and brother know I was a part of that team. We obviously had to get permission to cross Alpha Br¡¯s territory and he was slow to give it, even though he never actually came to meet us. That''s why his warrior recognized me and not him. We helped the surrounding packse up with their patrols and work together while the clean up and recovery went on. The damage was pretty severe in the Shadow pack, and it lessened the further south it moved along the borders of the Moon Valley Pack and the Eclipse Pack towards the Royal pack. It was like a mushroom top of destruction that didn¡¯t extend too deep into the packs themselves, but thatnd was destroyed and any structures close to the borders were demolished. The lrontooth pack had nothing to worry about based on the evidence, I just think Alpha Br wanted the attention the other packs were getting. So we did what we were doing with the rest of the packs, damage control and clean-up and ns for training and protection. He obviously was under the wrong impression if he thought Royal Pack warriors Came in and stayed to run patrol details and rebuild buildings.¡± Iughed a little at the thought. Chapter 0242 Chapter 0242 ¡°Well, we will have to check in with Eclipse and Moon Valley and see if they have implemented your strategies.¡± Alpha Reggie takes a few notes in his portfolio. We each grab a drink and use the private restrooms to freshen up. Luna Anne has her hair and make-up artists ready to touch me up when Ie out. Once I am deemed satisfactory we head back out to the room, where almost everyone is waiting. Alpha Br¡¯s seat is empty, so he is either annoyed at the oue of his request or he is nning to make a grand entrance and wants to come in after the King to feel more important. My second assumption was right, not a minute after the King had sat down he walked in with, I assume, his son, looking all too happy to keep us waiting. Alpha REggie was having none of his shenanigans and started speaking to the Alphas of Moon Valley and Eclipse before Alpha Br could take a seat or be acknowledged. Alpha Reggie asked about the improvements and repairs and both Alphas spoke volumes about the assistance they received from my pack and how well things have been going. They even thanked me personally and asked me to pass on my thanks to my Alpha for lending the assistance and to my Gamma and Delta for all of the help on the ground. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at them in return, this is why I want to be a warrior, to help those who need it. It''s not about the praise, but the looks of pride on their faces means everything. The rest of the day was less eventful, and admittedly more fun. Alpha Br avoided me like it was his job, but there were curious stares from everyone else. The battle strategies meeting was by far my favorite. I took more notes than I thought possible of all the contingencies that had to be thought of for the Kingdom atrge and then for each individual pack. Because of how our kingdom was situated with many of the packs having ocean ess, our defensive strategies varied wildly from those who were surrounded bynd on all sides. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. I did find out about an area ofnd the Elders called no man¡¯snd that seems to not be popted by anyone from our kingdom or the surrounding kingdoms. But there was spection of Rogues taking up residence there, but in hiding. Alpha Reggie said that the other Kings and himself decided that as long as the Rogues keep to themselves, they don''t see the harm, but thend is heavily monitored because of the recent attacks and everyone wants to me a Rogue. We had ate lunch after the second round of meetings, but Luna Anne and I had to go do a wardrobe change. Apparently we had to wear a different outfit to each meal. I didn¡¯t argue, because they left my hair and make-up alone and still allowed me to wear pants. This time I was in an emerald green three piece suit. The material looked stiff and unforgiving, but was actually veryfortable. The pants were tapered to fit tight at my ankle where I wore a matching green set of thick heeled booties. The vest served as a top under the suit jacket. What made it a little extra was it was made like a halter-style corset. It fit tight and gave my figure even more definition than I actually had. The bottom of the vest wrapped around my low back, again leaving most of it exposed if I chose to take off the fitted jacket. This time Xander did make me take a photo with him, with and without the jacket, before we even went down to the ballroom. He didn''t even hesitate to fire them off to the guys. Which resulted in the both of usughing at their responses through the whole of lunch. I The final meeting we attended was with the Elders and the warriors connected with the safety of the Royal pack. This room is smaller with a long rectangr table to seat the couple dozen people allowed in the room. Chapter 0243 Chapter 0243 ¡°We have heard all day of the varying attacks that seem to be testing our border protection as individual packs and as a kingdom. As we have gathered information, the attacks seem to be simr enough that we should assume it is from the same group. We do not have any confirmation that it is Rogues, but we hope it isn¡¯t another pack or Kingdom. At this point we need to n for both options.¡± Warrior Nicks starts. ¡°We have been given some ideas for updates to our own border and territory patrols and contingency ns to keep our pack members safe in the event of an attack.¡± Warrior Osiston chimes in, then clicks a button and a screen opens up from the far side of the room. The picture is a schematic of the castle and surrounding areas,plete with a 3D image of what the inside of the mountain looks like and what appears to be escape tunnels from different portions of the territory. All the different ideas we had talked about on Alpha Lucas¡¯ patio what seems like forever ago. ¡°The only people privy to this knowledge are sitting in this room now. There are different reports of what the safety protocols are for the Royal Pack and those rumors can keep circting. This keeps any enemy guessing as to what we are fully capable of.¡± Nicks begins, but is interrupted by one of the Elders who I have forgotten the name of, but he has been in the not-happy-about-my- presence-with-Xander team all day. ¡°What about the youngdy? How do we know she won''t be swayed to give out information if a smooth talking boyes along? Or what if she is captured and tortured? The little thing wouldn''t last five minutes." Warrior Osiston clears his throat to stop the Elder and probably to keep me in my seat, cause I am about ready to jump over this table and show him what I am made of.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. There is nothing I can do about my size, but I am done with it being brought up over and over again today like it is my fatal w. ¡°First, Elder Sam, she is an Elite Warrior and as a warrior what she has had to endure and survive is beyond yourprehension. Second, she is the one who destroyed the original safety ns the Elders had in ce and single handedly came up with what you are looking at now, with multiple contingencies. It is safe to say she can be trusted." I got another disbelieving look from some, but not all the Elders as they looked at the image on the screen with the new knowledge that it was my idea. I couldn''t pay any attention to them though as Warriors Osiston and Nicks went through the 3D model exining what the build out n would look like and how we would keep it a secret. I was in awe of how they took something as simple as my words and demonstration with patio utensils and made it into this amazing thing. I could see where they enhanced ideas that I had vaguely touched on and added things I never thought to. The coboration was incredible and it made my heart swell to know I was a part of something so important. Chapter 0244 Chapter 0244 When our third meeting was over we had some time to kill before dinner and then the ball, which seemed to be all the women talked about. Luna Anne was not wrong, the females are only here to be paraded around like prizes for the choosing. I can''t imagine wanting to be with anyone other than my Goddess given mate no matter what their rank is. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. But I also did not grow up like the rest of these girls, so I can''t judge, yet. No matter how hard I want to, given the looks I am getting from them. I decided to take a walk in the halls that no one else was allowed in upstairs just to listen to silence after all of the talking and noise. I am slowly walking not really paying attention, I know there is a guard following me somewhere out of sight, he''ll make sure I''m back where I need to be on time. All of the paintings and stained ss in the castle are fascinating. They depict times and ces in our history that I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve read about, but there is nothing to indicate what they represent, so I''ll have to ask Luna Anne to give me a real tour one of these days. As I''m admiring a painting of one of the Alpha Kings and his family, I hear a scuffle not far from me. There are several little nooks and alcoves to hide in up here. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s by design for a quick getaway. I wouldn''t be surprised if there are secret passageways too. I try to ignore the sound, it could be one of the Omegas cleaning or someone else trying to sneak around up here, either way it¡¯s none of my business. Until the sound overpowers my discipline and my curiosity takes over. It sounds like a muted fight, like pushing and shoving, which can be so many things in a ce like this. I finally get to a tapestry where the shuffle is the loudest, there isn''t really any talking, but definitely at least two people. I really should just walk away, but what if something bad is happening? Some of the guys here are creepy, I would feel terrible if I found out someone was taking advantage of one of the younger Omegas that works here. I take a deep breath and pull back the tapestry, enough to be noticed, but not enough to expose whoever is back here, if it is innocent. ¡°Skr! What are you doing here?¡± Xander shouts jumping away from a very nice looking guy, right around Xander¡¯s age, maybe a little younger. They both look disheveled, there is no question as to what was going on here. Xander''s pristinely pressed suit is wrinkled and his dress shirt is untucked in ces and his cheeks are flushed, but I don''t know if that is from the activity or from being caught. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Xander. I heard noises and I wasn''t sure what was going on, and no one else is supposed to be up here, so I thought maybe something was wrong...¡± I trailed off, cing my hands on my cheeks, getting more and more embarrassed as I spoke. I¡¯m sure my face was as bright red as Xander''s. ¡°Hey, hey. It''s okay. I¡¯m d you came to check.¡± He''s smiling like an idiot. ¡°This is Oscar, my mate.¡± He turns and looks at Oscar like they are the only two people in the room. ¡°I only found him a week ago, he¡¯s been touring the packs helping with training. His dad is our Royal Delta.¡± : I just nod, no idea how to respond to that. Then something clicks. ¡°Wait! Is this why there is so much fuss over you finding a mate? Everyone is trying to mate you to a female since you''re the prince?" ¡°You weren''t lying, she is quick.¡± Oscar has a deep soothing voice. It¡¯s instantly calming. ¡°It''s something like that. Xander is 24, he should have found his mate, or in this case mates, by now, but the Moon Goddess has ns, so here we are.¡± Chapter 0245 Chapter 0245 ¡°Wait? Mates? As in more than one? How do you know there is more than one?" They both smile at me" My mom has a direct link to the Moon Goddess and when | passed my twenty second birthday with no sign or hint of a mate she reached out to make sure there was nothing else we could or should be doing. The Moon Goddess said that my mates wereing and we should be patient. We assume our other mate is a female, since that would make the most sense since | need to produce an heir to continue the family line, but | am happy to have Oscar now.¡± He reaches back to hold Oscar¡¯s hand" N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Obviously, we can''t tell anyone. The Elders would have a field day thinking I¡¯m gay or bisexual, it¡¯s not really in their generational DNA, but they would also see it as another reason to push me to take a chosen mate. The problem is, with Oscar the decision is no longer just mine and we don''t want anyone, but our chosen mate.¡± | ¡°Okay, so | keep ying buffer then, works for me.¡± | shrug trying to y it off like it was no big deal that | walked in on their make-out session, something | am very NOTfortable with. ¡°I¡¯m going to head over to Luna Anne''s Suite and start to get ready. Who knows how long they will need to prep me for this ball.¡± | sigh at the thought, but turn quickly to go. | need to not be here right now.| understand the concept of hooking up, goddess knows my brother and the rest of the guys do it plenty, but it has never been something on my radar. Boys are still not that kind of novelty for me. | don''t know if there is something wrong with me, but | just don''t understand the girls who fall all over themselves to get a guy''s attention. Don''t get me wrong, | can appreciate a good looking guy like anyone else, I just never understood wanting to cross any of those lines with anyone who wasn''t my mate. | | was lost in thought as | walked into Luna Anne¡¯s suite" Perfect timing! | was just going to send Barty after you so we can get started. | can''t wait! You are going to look amazing!! Now go jump in the shower and use the special scrub that | put in there for you, oh and don''t wash your hair, it will go up better with the product from this morning.¡± ¡ã | just stared at her. ¡°Being a girl is reallyplicated. Give me crack of dawn training in the rain and mud any day over all of this craziness.¡± | mutter as | head to the bathroom and all threedies justugh behind me like | am joking, but I¡¯m not. This is borderline torture. Why can''t | be like the guys and just put on a suit, pull my hair back in a ponytail and call it a night? At least | don¡¯t have to go through the crazy Luna ceremony. | heard the one for the Luna Queensts a week and is just ritual after ritual and party after party. | don¡¯t even want to know how many wardrobe changes there would be for that, if | had to do three just for this Elder conference today. Those thoughts took me into the shower where | found a scrub that had actual directions on how to use it properly. Apparently there are steps that | have to follow exactly to get my skin silky smooth. Why that has to be a thing, | have no idea, no one is going to put their hands on me except Xander and | don''t think | need to impress my gay cousin. That thought made me giggle out loud a little. ¡°Are you alright in there?¡± Luna Anne questions me. ¡°Yeah. | just didn''t know that body wash and scrubs could be thisplicated.¡± | half told the truth. She justughed back at me. Chapter 0246 Chapter 0246 ¡°You really don''t do any of the girly things do you? I thought maybe you were just being shy.¡± She calls back through the door. ¡°Nope, this is nothing I have ever experienced before. My nanny wasn''t allowed to give me anything that might make me spoiled or ungrateful. And I''ve really only feltfortable on the training field and none of this stuff is necessary." ¡°It¡¯s okay though, right? We''re not making you too ufortable are we? I really never thought to ask how you feel about all of this." ¡°It''s fine, Luna Anne, just new to me that¡¯s all. I really don''t want to make a fool of myself, but it feels like some of these girls have been training in dress wearing and speaking topics the way that I have been training in battle strategy and I don''t want to embarrass you or Alpha Reggie.¡± I say as I finally step out and grab a fluffy soft white towel to dry off with. I step out to where they all are. They have seen every part of me today, so I have be less shy around thesedies. ¡°Oh, sweet girl, you could never embarrass us. You are unique and amazing in your own way and many of the girls here are trying to fit into a mold that the old fuddy duddies have decided is what a young woman should be. Just keep being your amazing self.¡± ¡°What is tonight going to be like? Is it just a dance and mingling or is there something I am expected to do?" I look at Luna Anne through the mirror as the hair stylist brushes through the copious amounts of hairspray from this morning. ¡°Reggie and I open the ball and since you will be with Xander you both will join us for that first dance. Normally he Sits it out so he doesn''t have to pick among thedies who he will dance with. Something simr happened to Reggie before he found me and it cause a whole slew of problems. C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org The Alpha took it as him choosing his daughter as a chosen mate and spread that rumor the whole night, which of course caused many fight and almost a dispute between two packs. So unless the Alpha Prince or Princess shows up with a date, they don''t do the opening dance.¡± She chuckles humorlessly. ¡°After that you will both make the rounds getting to know the Elders and Alphas and the future Alphas since there will be several who will take over in the next year or two.¡± My eyes raised up to hers, I don''t even have to ask the question. ¡°Your boys will not be here, they have at least six or seven more years before they start attending with Lucas and Ava. We really only have them join when they are ready to take over so rtionships can be established. The young Alphas still do the training together here in the summers until we start that transition.¡± She looked at me with sympathy. For the briefest moment my heart fluttered as I thought that I would get to see them and exin what happened, but not yet. I did bring a letter for Xander to take to them. There was no way I could write them individually and I tried to exin that with my five page letter, but I also didn¡¯t want to say anything that would get anyone in trouble. I know we aren''t supposed to have outside contact for the first two years of training so we stay focused. Once my hair is done I switch with Luna Anne and get Started with the make-up artist. She really was very good at her job. I could see the subtle transformation she created with the make-up and it was way more intense than it was this morning, but I still looked like me, just enhanced. Chapter 0247 Chapter 0247 I was able to eat a snack before she finished with my make- up, thank the Goddess. Then we each slipped into our dresses and I never felt more exposed and covered up at the same time. There was nothing hanging out or scandalous about my dress, but every cut and seam entuated my fifteen year old body and I felt every bit the woman I was pretending to be tonight. The light ice blue fabric had a little shimmer I didn''t see when we tried it on a week ago and it made my eyes shine. The ornate crystal jewels sparked and caught every beam of light and reflected it in every direction possible. The scoop at my neck made me feel very safe and I knew there wouldn''t be any wardrobe malfunctions. I could feel the cool sp inbetween my shoulder des where the jeweled straps extended over my shoulders and attached, making sure the dress was secure, again leaving my back otherwise uncovered, the theme of the day. The high slit up the front of my leg was hidden unless I took gigantic steps, but gave the feeling of being mature. My hair was pulled to the side in some kind of intricate knot that was full of braids and curls. Most of it was off my back and shoulder, but a few tendrils were loose and curled down, looking effortlessly low key in an elegant way. : I just smiled at myself. Luna Anne could dress me anytime. I looked and felt amazing, but I wasn''t ufortable in any way. I smiled at her in the mirror again, loving the way she and Luna Ava just took me in and mothered me in a way that I never knew I needed or wanted, but always appreciated. It almost brought me to tears, but I was pulled from my thoughts by a soft knock at the door. "It¡¯s time, Luna Anne whispers behind me. Here we go again." She has a delicate littleugh that is very practiced. It''s the same one she used all day today listening to the Elders and other ranked members telling her stories that were supposed to be amusing, but she''s probably heard a million times.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org I followed Luna Anne out into the hallway not looking up, making sure everything was where it was supposed to be before we made it downstairs. "Oh hell no!¡± A shout from in front of Luna Anne has me looking up sharply for something wrong" You have got to be kidding me. I am so f*cking screwed!" "Xander! Language!¡± Luna Anne scolds him while I''m still looking around to figure out what''s wrong. "Seriously! You''re going to nguage¡¯ me when I am going to die tonight?" "What''s wrong? Why are you being so dramatic,¡± I ask, walking over to him. "I told you that you would have your hands full, did I exaggerate?¡± She says, a little flippantly. ¡°I just thought you meant tonight with all the people here, not that the potential for me to be murdered in my sleep was at 99%. I''m going to die, they will kill me if I¡¯m too close, but they will also kill me if anyone else gets too close. I''m so screwed,¡± Xander repeats. ¡°What are you rambling about? Get a grip!¡± I look at him like he''s lost his mind. "You are supposed to look pretty, like the beautiful fifteen-year-old that you are. You are not supposed to look like a supermodel ready for your centerfold.¡± He scrubs his hands over his face. ¡°Huh?! I don''t understand.¡± I''m starting to panic a little. Is something wrong with the way that I look? "Xander, stop now! Look what you are doing to her.¡± I have never heard Luna Anne''s voice that stern before. She looks at me. "You look gorgeous, sweet girl. So beautiful, in fact, that my son has temporarily lost the use of his full brain capacity.¡± She grabs my shoulders gently. "He''s afraid of your brother''s and the rest of your friends¡¯ reaction to seeing you in pictures looking this amazing. They have been very vocal in how they feel about you being so far away from them. And they will see you in this dress.¡± She gives me that mom look that tells me I need to be ready for whatever stupid they throw at me the next time they see me. Chapter 0248 Chapter 0248 "Skr, you know them. Don''t pretend like they don''t have a veryrge and unnecessary protective streak when ites to you. They wille in the middle of the night, Sam will hold me down while your brother and Oliver break my hands and arms for touching you and Dakota will break my jaw and knock my teeth out for talking to you and Cameron will probably dig my eyes out with a rusty spoon for even looking at you. ~ "Oh, stop! First that was graphic, you have spent far too much time thinking about how they could torture you and second, you said it was an unnecessary protective streak. If they really have something to say about it they cane to me first. Although everyone here has the right to make fun of you for the rest of your life for hiding behind me and being a pansy. Now, put on your big boy panties and let''s get this over with.¡± I roll my eyes and grab his elbow while the rest of the adults areughing behind us" So, dramatic.¡± I whisper to him. "You do not understand, I''m not kidding when I say they are even more crazy about you now that you''re gone. Something changed.¡± He looks at me wide eyed. "Well, I guess that puts a damper on my ns for us to get caught making out then, that would really get you in trouble wouldn''t it?¡¯ Iugh. "Not, funny Midge, not funny at all." Like earlier we make our way into the elevator before the King and Queen and head down with a set of warriors. This time though, there is no one waiting for us at the bottom. "Where is everyone?¡± I ask looking around hoping no one jumps out at us. "They are all waiting in the ballroom, Miss Skr.¡± Barty answers for me" The Royal Family make their entrance together for the ball. "Ah, I see."C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org We are just waiting the three minutes it will take the elevator to bring everyone else down and Xander leans in to whisper in my ear. "You are gorgeous tonight, devastatingly gorgeous. If you thought you had a target before, you have no idea what''sing for you. No one will be able topare.¡± I could feel my cheeks heat at hispliment and my heart is racing for so many reasons. "We shouldn''t be separated for any reason tonight, but if I am not with you, stay close to my mother. You have a guard assigned to you as well.¡± I looked at him and I''m sure my face let him know how I felt about that. He took a deep breath and sighed before continuing. "You are the easy one to pick off from something like this. Before you argue, it''s not about you not being able to fight, it''s about anyone wanting to hurt us, the King, the Queen, me. They will do it by trying to harm you and it won''t be just one or two people. You clearly mean something to our family, it doesn''t matter the reason, someone will try to separate you from us tonight just to see if it''s possible, I can guarantee it. I don''t want you to be rmed, just on guard, same as my mother always is in these situations. As much as the men in that room think they are the superior ones, it''s our females that hold all the power. The power to remain in control, the power to heal and be kind and the power to bring a man to his knees if she is harmed. That is how important you are.¡± ¡°Okay, so no pressure then,¡± I half joke. ¡°It¡¯s one of the reasons my father chose you. We have other females in the family that could be here, other warriors that could do the job, but for their own reasons, they don''t fit the way you do. You not only fill the role of protector, you are also filling the role of my other half, and that is all the public needs to know about our situation. We want those rumors to happen, we want the power hungry Alphas and Elders to step back and you have made them do that, just by being here and being you.¡± Chapter 0249 Chapter 0249 I just nod and he pulls me in for a hug. He has left me speechless more times than I can count today. He gives me a light kiss right on the top of my head and I smile, he is so like my big brother and I love it. The King and Queen make it to us and we are all lined up in front of the doors to the ballroom. The make-up and hair artists check all of us to make sure we are picture ready. I can hear someone make the announcement of our arrival and then the doors are opened and we parade in. The ballroom has been transformed since lunch. The round table have been moved to the perimeter of the room to allow for arge area in the middle for dancing and mingling. The massive chandelier in the center of the ceiling is lit dimly giving off a soft warm glow. The crystal sconces along the wall are at the same brightness. It''s just enough to see and be seen, but not as bright as during the day. The whispers start immediately when Xander and I walk through the doorway. It¡¯s a tidal wave of murmuring and hushed sound. We make it up to the small tform our rectangr table is on, but instead of moving behind it to sit we line up in front of it. Alpha Reggie begins a speech thanking everyone for attending, stating that this was one of the most productive conferences he¡¯s attended in along time.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. He lists the alliances that have been renewed and ns we have as a kingdom to continue the fight against the Rogues. He continues speaking, but I am distracted as Xander pulls his arm from mine and wraps it around my waist, pulling me closer. I look at him from the corner of my eye trying to school my features, but also ask what happened. He gives an almost imperceptible shake of his head and gives my hip a squeeze. Something is going on, but I have to trust him and his actions until he can tell me. He noticed something that made him cautious, whether it was for himself or for me, I''m not sure. I have a pretty good guess though. So I lean into his side, letting him know he¡¯s taking the lead over whatever this situation is. When Alpha Reggie''s speech is done, he directs everyone to sit while dinner is being served. Xander doesn''t drop his hand from my side as he leads me around the table and instead of sitting next to his mom, he pulls out his usual chair for me to sit in between them. "What did you notice that I missed?" I whisper to him in an almost inaudible voice, but I know with his Alpha senses he can hear me. "Just movement I don''t like.¡± He breathes back, "my hearing is just as good." I wish I could mindlink you so I could exin better. Do you trust me?" "Of course, just want to know what to look for.¡± "For now, you are attached to my hip. If I can, I will exinter, right now we are under a microscope.¡± Chapter 0250 Chapter 0250 ¡°Okay.¡± | smile at him ¡°I can''t wait to meet everyone | haven''t yet.¡± | pull back speaking at a more standard level. ¡° You said there are a few really important people | haven''t had the pleasure.¡± He smiles back and catches on to what I''m doing. We can''t look like we are just being secretive, no matter what the rumors are supposed to be. Out of the corner of my eye | see a few heads turn to tantly look at us, others were Straightening ties or smoothing out clothing. It appears that mates came to the ball tonight and some look absolutely pleasant and others look just as snobby and pretentious as the men they are with. | take a deep breath and have to mentally ready myself for this battle. | can either let them get to me and stress me out with their intimidation tactics or | can have fun and kill them with kindness and logic andmon sense. | took a deep breath and decided the second one is going to be way more fun. | | eat and enjoy the conversation between Xander and Luna Anne. Of course, just when | am losing myself in the conversation things have to change and bring me back to the reality of what is in front of me. The low hum of polite conversations start to be louder with excitement as the ball itself is getting ready to begin. The Omegas clear our tes and Alpha Reggie stands and helps Luna Anne to her feet. Xander soon follows, mimicking the motion with me. The four of us walk out to the dance floor and a realization hits me. ¡°Xander, | can''t dance, like at all.¡± 1 look at him with wide eyes, a little panicky. ¡°You know how to move, right?* | nod in agreement. ¡°And you can follow movements, right.¡± Again | nod, not really sure where he¡¯s going with this. ¡°Then follow my lead, | got you.¡± | nod again, my heart is hammering in my chest. I''m not nervous to dance with him, really, but in front of all these people is nerve wracking. I¡¯m not loving all the stupid rituals and pomp and circumstance that goes with being a part of the royal family. This is ridiculous. We take our ces and the orchestra starts to y. Xander begins to move the both of us effortlessly. I¡¯m d he knows what he is doing. | don''t take my eyes off of him and his soft supportive look helps me rx a bit and just go with it, but | don¡¯t dare look around. If | made eye contact with anyone, especially the females | can practically feel staring daggers at me, | would probably do something stupid like trip us both. So my eyes stay fixed. ¡°| wish the warriors would let me have the Elite brand, just so | could mindlink you. It would be so much easier to have a conversation and for you to tell me all about some of these people and who to look out for.¡± | whisper low enough for him to hear. ¡°But, Warrior Osiston wants me to wait until next year at the earliest. It would just be helpful in situations like these.¡± ¡°I''ll talk to dad, you''re right it would be helpful, and who knows they may want you on missions sooner. The brand is a ceremony that takes time, that¡¯s probably one of the reasons they want you to wait, so you get the full experience.¡± ¡°After all of this, | could care less about the ceremonies and rituals that go with it. It seems like the ceremonies and rituals are really just designed to showcase the important people in attendance, not really on the people going through it.¡± ¡°You''re not wrong...¡± Before he can finish what he was going to say red nails slide over the back of his shoulder and we both stop moving, but Xander doesn''t let go of me. Infact he pulls me a little closer.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org Chapter 0251 Chapter 0251 "Prince Alexander, I thought that since you have spent enough time showcasing your charity, you might want to finish the opening dance with someone more appropriate to your rank.¡± It¡¯s the blonde from earlier today. I have to admit she has some ballsing up to him during what I am gathering is an important tradition of the conference. "Skr is more than my equal, making her more qualified to be up here. I suggest you not make insults about people you are unaware of Charlene.¡± Xander starts to move us again. Before we get too far though, Charlene opens her mouth again. She isn''t going away without a fight. "She''s just a warrior, how does that make her an equal? She''s not even of age yet, so you can''t tell me she¡¯s your mate, we all know you haven''t found her yet. Why would you even spend time with her when there are better choices for a chosen mate from your own pack? If she wasn¡¯t being a b* tch, I would be impressed with her tenacity. "First, I have no ns on taking a chosen mate. That is something you, your father and the rest of the Elders need to get through your head. Second, even without being a part of the Royal Pack, Skr outranks you, if that¡¯s what you are concerned about. I suggest you take your insults elsewhere and do not approach either of us for the rest of the night or I will have you removed." Charlene gasps. Seriously? That''s the thing that¡¯s going to offend her, being kicked out of a royal party. This girl needs to rethink her priorities. Xander does extract us from her finally to finish the dance. We walk over to where his parents are epting drinks from Barty. "Oh, don''t eat or drink anything that Barty doesn''t give you personally."Xander looks at me as we reach his parents. My eyebrows shoot up. "Really?! People are that crazy" "People have tried, Little One, so we take no chances." Alpha Reggie smiles at me. "Dad, we need to get Skr a brand so she can mindlink us. We have been osted a couple times and I couldn''t warn her. I know the warriors want to wait another year, but if she is going to be ying this part, we need to be able tomunicate. Charlene is on a warpath." "I saw her approach you, that was bold, even for her.¡± Luna Anne smiles wickedly. "Does she really think she is going to convince you to take her as a chosen mate? You would think being in the Royal Pack, they would understand better than most that the future king needs his Goddess Given mate." "Unfortunately that is not what they are thinking about. For them it¡¯s politics and power. By being rted by marriage, her family specifically, thinks that it will sway more power and control their way and that they will be able to influence Xander to make decisions that benefit them specifically. It¡¯s not new, I had a simr issue, but I also found my Anne far sooner than Xander even found Oscar. Now they just need their Luna." It''s so nice to see them talking about Oscar sofortably. Not all Alphas would be okay with their son being bis*xual since it could mean the end of their lineage. But I guess they also know that Xander¡¯s Luna ising too. "That is fascinating too, that the Moon Goddess told you she''sing, but why is it taking so long? You would think that she would want her Alpha Kings to have their Lunas as soon as possible.¡± I ask all of them, but I''m looking at Luna Anne. "I''m not sure, really. There aren''t a lot of details when ites to the Moon Goddess. But, I! guess our future queen has some things she needs to experience and people she needs to interact with before she gets to us. That¡¯s all that I was told.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Chapter 0252 Chapter 0252 "Interesting." "Excuse me, your highnesses. I wonder If i could have a word with Miss Skr here about some of her suggestions today. I was truly fascinated by your ideas youngdy.¡± A grizzled but kind looking old man says to me. As innocent as he looks though, Xander''s warning is making rms re in my head. This is what he was talking about and they are not wasting time trying to separate us. I look to Xander to see what! should do. I don''t want to openly offend anyone, but !I also do not want to go anywhere with this guy alone. He''s not an Alpha, I can smell that much. So he must be one of the Elders. He looks battle worn and almost tired. His frame is stillrge and imposing, but I can see that he hasn''t trained in years and the atrophy in his muscles is very evident. His wrinkles hide a myriad of scars, meaning he must have been a great warrior at some time. Xander gives a slight nod, letting me know it''s okay, but he doesn''t let go of my arm when the Elder starts to turn and move away. We follow behind. "I thought we could take a walk on the veranda, it¡¯s such a lovely evening.¡± He makes his way to the door that leads out onto the balcony that sits behind the ballroom. He finally looks back at us when he pulls the door open" Oh! Prince Xander, I hadn''t noticed you joined us. I didn''t mean to disturb you. I''m sure you have other important matters to discuss with the other Alphas and Elders, I can watch over Miss Skr, if you have somewhere else you are needed.¡± I didn''t miss the dismissal in his voice, even though he made it as polite as possible towards his future king. "Where I need to be is right next to Skr, and I always like hearing her talk about battle strategy and training. It''s something we have bonded over actually. She¡¯s quite the warrior, so she really doesn¡¯t need anyone watching over her." C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org "I''m sure for a she-wolf she is very aplished.¡± I saw red at thatment, but Xander squeezed my hip to help keep me calm. I wanted nothing more than to punch this old bastard in the nose. "There is always a ce for females to help protect children and tend to the wounded on the battlefield." I clenched my jaw so tight, I ¡®m surprised I didn''t crack any teeth. "Actually, Skr goes head to head with male and female warriors. As a trainee in the Elite Warrior program she is top in her ss over both male and female, they don''t divide. She also beat most of the trainers during her trials. She even took me down, and I was trying.¡± Xander looked at me and we bothughed. I¡¯m surprised he admitted that. "Elite training, how are you in Elite training, you are not even age eligible yet.¡± He let his nice old man facade slip just a little. "Warrior Osiston and Alpha Reggie decided that I should join now, so I did.¡± I shrug my shoulders like the answer should be that simple. "But all recruits are approved by the Eldermittee, how did you get past that" "I''m sure my father, the Alpha King, does not have to exin all of his decisions to you Bastian. The King does what is necessary for his kingdom. The Elders are an advisorymittee when he needs a sounding board forrger problems.¡± The look that Xander is giving Bastian is one that speaks volumes, more than words could ever convey. He is treading on thin ice trying to insinuate that the Eldermittee has more power than the king and that he needs to get approval for his decisions is a dangerous move. Chapter 0253 Chapter 0253 I have a little more insight into why I was brought hereter than everyone and why I don''t have the warrior brand though. I wonder if it''s less to do with my age than these grumpy old men that want to feel like they have some semnce of power now that they are no longer Alpha¡¯s running packs. I pack that away to ask aboutter. " Xander, there you are, I have been looking everywhere for you. You owe me adance. Another blonde slides up next to us and Xander rolls his eyes and looks between the woman and Bastian. This was the n, to get me away from Xander to give her a chance to snatch him up. I almost have tough, they are not subtle about this at all. I expected more covert attempts, but they are not even trying to hide the fact that no one here wants me anywhere near Xander. Before he can get too angry, I ce my hand on Xnader¡¯s chest" It''s okay, why don''t you call Oscar and he can escort me outside while you entertain blondie¡¯s delusion that she can maintain your attention for an entire dance.¡± I say low, but still loud enough for all present to hear and then wink at Xander. A smile breaks across his face before heughs. I can see blondie is not happy about myment, but she¡¯s also not dumb enough to say anything in front of me either. I remember her from some of the meetings today and if she was paying any attention, she knows I''m not stupid and can verbally spar with the best of them. " Anything for you Midge. I''m giving you ten minutes, then Oscar is going to bring you right back to me, okay?¡± He touches the underside of my chin and lifts my eyes to his. The intimate gesture is not missed by the other two. Oscar saunters up, he really is a beautiful man. He smiles at Xander and then at me" I hear I''m needed to babysit, because you for sure don''t need protection.¡± The three of usugh" I''ve got her your highness, we''ll see you in exactly ten minutes.¡± Oscar winks at him. Xander leans over to nt a kiss on my temple. "I''ll see you soon.¡± I just nod. " For not being mates, that boy seems awfully smitten with you." Bastian growls" How did you manage to get his affections when the women around here have been trying for years?" " I thought we were going to discuss some of my suggestions from earlier?¡± I raise an eyebrow at him. " I really just wanted to get to know you. You seem to be something of a novelty for the royal family and I was curious. You seem to have each of them eating out of the palm of your hand. Even your new guard is only an inch from you." I don¡¯t have to look to see where Oscar is. I can feel his body heat behind my shoulder and the tension rolling off of him is almost palpable. He doesn''t like this elder and I am inclined to trust his judgment just as I do Xander''s in this Situation. " I did nothing spectacr, and I''m not looking for praise. I am a warrior, I participated in the trials like all warriors wanting to join Elite training, I had a few conversations with the Alpha King about battle strategy and training and a few about life. The Alpha King and Luna Queen have been very kind to me. I have nothing else to say on the subject." " Were you really a part of the relief warriors that helped the packs surrounding Alpha Br¡¯s territory" " Yes." " How is that possible? There is no way any Delta or Gamma would have taken a thirteen year old girl on a mission like that." C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org " Maybe not in the pack you came from, but at Blue Crescent, we push our warriors, not hold them back. We have had several people my age start to train early because they showed signs of proficiency early on in many areas. Some are training to be healers with our pack doctors while still in school. Some train with our teachers working with pups. Some of our Omegas are working with our farmers. I just happen to be good at fighting, so I was brought into the relief team to gain experience and knowledge. I also happen to be good at defensive strategy, which is what I supplied to Alpha Br. He chose not to use the tools that were given to him, because it was designed by a girl and now he is understanding the consequences of those actions.¡¯ I closed my mouth after that. He doesn''t need any more information from me and he can just sit there and squirm, knowing he isn¡¯t intimidating me. Chapter 0254 Chapter 0254 I can feel Oscar''s chest rumbling behind me. Is heughing? Elder Bastian switches to safer topics after that. He asks how I like the facilities of the training camp, if I''ve had a chance to tour the Royal Pack, how I''m bncing school and training, things like that as we take a coupleps around the long and narrow balcony. Oscar taps my shoulder, "It''s time, Prince Alexander is looking for you.¡± I just nod and take his offered arm. "It was a very illuminating conversation, Elder Bastian, thank you. I turn Oscar and I around and start walking in, not caring if I get a reply from this slimy as*hole. We make our way inside and Xander is trying to extricate himself from blondie without making a scene, but after the conversation with, who I can only assume was her father, I¡¯m having none of it. I let go of Oscar and walked straight to her, getting so close that if I was taller our eyshes could braid together. "I¡¯m going to need you to stop making a fool of yourself. You had your opportunity with the Alpha Prince, he is not interested, move along and move on." I let a little of my Beta and I guess Alpha aura out to make sure she knows I¡¯m not kidding. I''ve never had a reason to use it before, but the sensation is amazing and terrifying all at once. I can see how the power could go to someone''s head. Her eyes go wide and she slowly backs away. Smart girl. "When you be a Luna, remind me not to piss you off, like ever.¡± Oscar says from behind me and I turn around confused.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org "What are you talking about, I¡¯m no Luna.¡± I just stare at him as Xander takes his ce by my side wrapping his arm around my waist where it has been all night. "The hell you''re not! That was borderline scary and very sexy all at the same time, and I don¡¯t even like girls.¡± I couldn''t hold in augh at that" You are going to be someone''s bada* $s Luna. I just hope it¡¯s with someone in this kingdom. Can you imagine having to negotiate with her?¡± He looks at Xander" We''d lose our whole pack fairly.¡± He shakes his head and Xander and I bothugh. The rest of the night was much the same. Females trying to gain Xander¡¯s attention, several Elders trying to distract me and many of them trying to get me secluded from the group with was creepy enough, but I had an invisible warrior following me around and Oscar by my side if Xander couldn''t be. There were actually a few males our age who tried to approach me, but both Xander and Oscar growled at them for even approaching. The jealousy and dominance that they gave off just made meugh and think of my brother and Oliver. Around midnight Alpha Reggie and Luna Anne came over to us and said it was okay to leave if we wanted to. The three of us did not hesitate to get out of the dog and pony show. We practically ran to the elevator, but before the doors closed and hand slid through stopping them and my heart stuttered. Was this when someone actually tried something? The doors slid open slowly and I let out the breath I didn''t realize I was holding" Warrior Osiston, seriously, you scared the sh*t out of me." "Really? With all the BS you put up with tonight, someone stopping the elevator was what scared you?" "The verbal sparring is nothing, after tonight, that¡¯s what I expect from most of these people. I guess I let my guard down for something more aggressive.¡± I chastised myself. I can¡¯t believe I let my guard down, even after I was warned. "Lesson learned then?¡± I just nod and look down at my feet. I''m upset with myself, that kind of behavior could be the difference between living or getting killed. Chapter 0255 Chapter 0255 "Don''t be too hard on yourself, Little One. Your assessment is correct. These people mostly deal in words, brides and threats. Especially in the King''s Castle. They will not risk being an outcast here, but that doesn¡¯t mean that they won''t try things away from the king. You did good tonight, though." N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. "You were watching me?" "The King would trust your safety to no one else. Remember, you are special, Little One and very important to this kingdom." I all of a sudden felt very tired. I don''t want to be special, I just want to be me. I want to be a warrior, find my mate and ride off into the sunset with my family like a romance movie. Is that too much to ask? I lean into Xander and rest my head on his chest. His arm tightens around me and I just close my eyes breathing in hisforting scent. The next thing I know I''m swaying, like someone is rocking me gently to sleep. I take a deep breath, and bury my head into the soft fabric I''mying on. I hear whispers around me though, which is pulling me closer and closer to consciousness, making me grumpy. "You should have seen her shut down Bastian. I''ve never seen someone else dominate a conversation with him before, it was amazing.¡± "She went toe to toe with Olympia too. I thought that girl was going to wet herself. I¡¯m already a little terrified of Sky, when she gets her full Luna powers she¡¯s going to be a force, bigger than she is now." "What makes you think she will be a Luna?¡± I¡¯m starting to recognize voices now. Osiston is asking Oscar, I think. The swaying is lulling me back to dreand, but I need to fight it, I want to hear this conversation. Are they talking about me? "Shemanded a room of over fifty people, during the conferences today, as a female with all of these old school bastards who think females should be relegated to the pups and the healing rooms. The only reason they brought their own daughters in, who had no concept of what was going on, was because they found out she was going to be there and wanted the chance to parade them in front of Xander, not actually participate. She shut all of them down and proved she deserved a spot at the table without being mean or petty or having a political agenda behind it. Then tonight she stepped up to each insinuated insult and let no one intimidate her. If she¡¯s not a Luna, Warrior Brogen, I would fear for your job security.¡± The people around usugh quietly. "Here Xander, I want her in this guest room, closest to you. There''s a few I still don''t trust that might try something tonight.¡± I chose that moment to open my eyes, take a deep breath in and look around. "Hey Midge.¡± Xander whispers. "You fell asleep in the elevator. You''re staying here tonight and all day tomorrow, so dont try sneaking out early to go running,¡± Chapter 0256 Chapter 0256 I just huff augh, he knows me too well already" What if I wake you up and we go running together? I have to get my five miles in, I can¡¯t ck because I''m hanging out with you. That will just give more ammunition to...¡± I stop myself when I realize that we are not the only people in the room he set me down in. " To whom, Little One? Who''s giving you trouble?¡± Warrior Osiston asks, an angry look on his face I have never seen directed my way before. I just shake my head" It''s nothing, really. I just have a different schedule and training set up than the rest of the warriors and some think that it is favoritism. I also get pulled from things in order to spend time with the Royal family, not everyone is happy about that, especially if they think it¡¯s an assignment and they deserve the privilege since they have been here longer. It¡¯s nothing like my pack Situation, it¡¯s just jealousy and ack of information. Really.¡± I don¡¯t want any of them intervening on my behalf, it just makes things worse. Warrior Osiston just nods, hopefully in understanding, only time will tell. " Let''s get you changed and into bed. Boys scooch!" Luna Anne shoos everyone from the room and I giggle watching her handle all these big men, who respond like little boys. She has me sit at the vanity and helps me pull all the pins and stics from my hair. She points to pajamas that have beenid out for me and shows me the bathroom so I can wash the make-up and stress of the day off. She is still in my room waiting in one of the cushy armchairs in front of the massive firece, seemingly lost in a book. She sets the book aside, but doesn''t move from her spot when she addresses me. " If you really do want to go for a run in the morning, please take Xander and Oscar and be back by 8am for breakfast. Some of the Elders and Alphas are staying in the guest wing and based on their reaction to you tonight, will be less than pleasant knowing you are staying in the family wing." " Why would they even know that? Are they really that nosey?" " Are you really asking that question?¡± Sheughs at me" They all probably know who is staying in each room on each floor and how many guests came. Many of them seem to think the higher up you are the better the rooms are. They are all identical, I know because I designed them myself, but no one will listen to reason so I let them have their squabble. They all saw you leave with Xander, which is also a novelty, he does not leave with a woman as a general rule. It causes too much drama. So you both will be the talk of breakfast, naturally.¡± N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. I just roll my eyes and sigh" Please tell me that I am not Xander¡¯s female mate. You would know that right? I don''t know if I could handle all of the stupid politics like you do. No one would have teeth left." I sag onto the cloud softforter on my bed and my eyes instantly get droopy with howfortable the crisp white linens are. " Oh, I don''t think so, no. You are already a part of this family by blood, there would be no reason to pair you to Xander. But, I agree with Oscar, you have great potential to be a leader in whichever pack you end up in." " But, I don¡¯t know if I want to be a Luna.¡± Even to myself I sound a little panicked. "That¡¯s a lot to put on someone''s shoulders." " Don''t you already do that though?" " I just serve to protect my pack. That''s all." " Spoken like a Luna.¡± She smiles, like she¡¯s trying to rile me up. I grumble under my breath, which only makes her smile wider" You also train your pups, you keep all of your future leaders inline. Those boys would follow you to the ends of the earth, you know that right? You clearly put up with so much more than anyone knows and did it in the name of protecting your pack. All while maintaining a training schedule that rivals Osiston¡¯s and every possible advanced s you could take at school. It''s what any true Luna would do. But I also don''t want to get your hopes up either, like many of the girls you saw here tonight. The title of Luna has been glorified to them, but not the job or the work that goes with the title. They will be devastated if they do not gain that title, you will not. I have no idea what the Moon Goddess has nned for you, but you are important.¡± Chapter 0257 Chapter 0257 I let out a little whine, it sounds petnt even to my ears. She justplimented me in the best possible way and all I can think of is when I am done training here, I just want to go home and be with my pack. By the time I get back though all the guys would be of age and probably found their mates and will have no use for me. That thought also makes me sad. I have these big dreams and I am following them without regret, but I also don''t want to have this divide between me and Mateo and the rest of the guys because I followed my dreams. The thoughts are overwhelming and I feel tired all over again. " Sleep, Little One, you have one more day with us before you go back to reality.¡± She walks over looking almost angelic in the dim light from themp next to the bed. She tucks me in and kisses me on the forehead and I can¡¯t stop the single tear that slips out. Even Mary wasn''t allowed to tuck me in when I was little. Luna Anne pretends not to notice. "Sleep tight, sweet girl.¡± With that she turns and walks out of the room. I reach over and turn off the light. I think I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow. I get up the next morning and before I can even step out of my room to head to find Xander there is a knock at my door. " Hold on.¡± I say trying to secure and stic in my hair while opening the door at the same time. I open it to find Xander and Oscar in workout gear ready to go. I just smile at them, grab my phone and head out. I sent a message to Sierra yesterday telling her I would be here, but I wasn¡¯t sure how all of this worked. Would she be allowed to see me here in the castle? I shot her another message as we walked out letting her know we were going for a run around the castle property. I don¡¯t know if she''ll get it, but I figured she would at least see it and maybe we could meet up today and I could describe all of the drama that went downst night. No sooner were we outside on the backwn did I get a message back from her. She used a lot of four letter words for me waking her up this early without notice and she will meet me for breakfast since it¡¯s not an official function she cane over to the castle. I It is so early that the sun has barely started peaking over the mountain range and the mist from the dew casts an eerie fog over the grass. " Well, at least it will be hard to tell who¡¯s out here running, just in case your fan club is stalking you from their windows.¡± Iugh at Xander. " No worries there. All of their windows face the front of the castle. Why do you think we cam out this way?¡± Heughs and Oscar and I joinin. I As we jog the first mile we are a bit more leisurely about it, just warming up really. I get to know Oscar more. He''s the son of the Royal Delta, which is perfect for him. He will be able to best protect the Royal pack and his motivations will be higher since his mates are the future Alpha and Luna. He has always thought he was just gay, but now that he knows they have a female mate waiting for them he¡¯s interested to find out if they are both just mated to Xander or if the three of them are mates. I never thought about that before. I have heard of people having more than one mate, it¡¯s not rare, but it¡¯s not supermon either. I never stopped to consider how there might be different dynamics in those multi person rtionships. That would be something fascinating to study, if I had free time.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Chapter 0258 Chapter 0258 Thend around the castle is breathtaking. We even made it all the way to the other side of the massiveke that I saw in the picture in Dakota''s room. I found the fallen log and had Xander take my picture on it to send to the guys. It¡¯s not much, but something to let them know I am thinking of them and trying to connect from a distance. Xander also had to be a guy and made sure I took a picture sandwiched in between both him and Oscar so he could send his own picture. I felt guilty for about three seconds and then thought it was hrious. He will most definitely get responses before I do. I know I¡¯m not supposed to have outside contact with people while I¡¯m in training, but it has been eating me alive that I haven''t been able to contact them and I haven''t had an opportunity to respond to their letters, which were mostly apologies for not being there for me and protecting me. Based on the tone of the letters, there¡¯s no way they didn''t see me at my worst that night. I don''t know how to let them know it isn¡¯t their fault. Kaley is at fault and whoever else she talked into inflicting the pain. I am at fault for not standing up for myself and just putting her in her ce when I know that I can. That is a mistake I will never make again. No matter what her father threatens, I will not stand by while she harms and tortures and threatens members of my pack. She has no right, even if she is Luna, no one should treat people the way she does. It will never go unanswered ever again. I We finish our run by racing past the crazy maze Alpha Reggie took me in to tell me about my connection to the Royal family and up the stairs to the massivending outside the main entryway. I won, of course. There was no way I was going to let either of them beat me. It was fun to have healthy non-judgedpetition between friends, the kind that makes you smile whether you win or lose. " Sh*t, you are fast for having such short legs Midge.¡± Oscar is panting, but I love that he picked up on the nickname the rest of the warriors have started to call me. Something about having a nickname signifies that you have been epted. All the guys have one for me and it feels like something personal between us. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. " I wasn''t kidding, she¡¯s a bada*s.¡± Xander is panting behind him. " Do you do that run every day¡± Oscar asks. " Not everyday, but I do run in some capacity everyday. I like to change it up, otherwise your body getscent.¡± I shrug like it¡¯smon knowledge, because it should be to someone at his level. Chapter 0259 Chapter 0259 " It¡¯s official, Xander, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m going to need to leave early every morning and train with your girl here, otherwise I¡¯m going to get my a*s beat.¡± We are allughing as we head in the doors not really paying attention to our surroundings. " Prince Alexander!¡± A shrill voice basically shouts.¡±"Where have you been? We have been looking for you everywhere this morning, you left so abruptly.¡± A brte is talking and a blonde is following close behind. I know she means that we left earlyst night, but her word choice could make people believe that Xander spent the night with her or both of them. I have to hand it to her, she knows what she¡¯s doing. " Skr and I decided to go for a run this morning after we got up, you know, keeping up training and all, no matter what frivolous things we have to do. Not all of us can sleep in for those extra beauty hours.¡± Okay, so Xander has some game too. I just step back closer to Oscar to let Xander handle these clowns, I''m not in the mood, it¡¯s too early for these catty b* tches. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. " Well maybe we can sit together at breakfast this morning since you''re all done entertaining and have the freedom to sit with people closer in rank to yourself." Why do these tramps keep insinuating that I am lower than they are? If they have no rank at all then I outrank them in general. I can feel my temper rising to the surface. I take a deep breath before speaking, I will not let this girl rile me up, she isn''t worth it. I don''t know what came over me, but I stepped forward and took Xandar''s arm. " Actually, Xander, we should go shower and change. I know your mother was expecting us down right at eight for breakfast. At this rate with all of the chit chat we will probably only have time for one shower.¡± I grab his arm tighter and wink at the brte and drag Xander away willingly, Oscar trying and failing to hold in hisughter as we make our way to the elevator. " Yep, Luna Midge, I will never piss you off as long as I am alive.¡± Oscar is openlyughing as the elevator is closing on us. Xander still hasn''t said anything. " Xander, say something. Did I do something wrong, cross a line? She was just pissing me off and the only way I could think to shut her up was to imply that we were sleeping together.¡± I tried not to outwardly cringe at that, it was so far out of my depth, I hope I didn''t embarrass him. I rub my hands over my sweaty face to try and rid some of the blush I know is creeping up my neck and my cheeks. ¡ª He pulls me into a sweaty hug" You did not cross any line, but do you even have any idea what you told her?¡± He leans me back, just far enough to look me in the eyes. " Mostly, yes. The concept I implied, I fully understand. Any actual real world knowledge of any of that stuff, not a clue." I smile sheepishly and shrug my shoulders at him before he pulls me back into a hug. " Sometimes I forget how young and innocent you are. There are so many things you have gone through, that no one your age should even have to think about and then normal teenage things, like s*x, you are still so innocent." " Oh, damn, I never thought about that!" Oscar almost shouts" You speak in a war meeting like a 60 year old seasoned veteran, but you''re not, you''re what fifteen? You''re just a baby. Have you even had your first kiss yet?" I felt Xander¡¯s arms tighten around me and his breath catch like he¡¯s afraid to know the answer. " Not romantically, no. It''s mostly been like what you''ve seen Xander do. Kisses on the cheek or forehead. All more brotherly than anything. You have to remember, until a year ago no one hung out with me or even acknowledged my presence. It was an unspoken rule by my bully. She made sure people gave me a wide berth. If they tried to engage with me they got hurt, and I couldn''t always intervene so it was just easier to keep my distance, it kept them safer. My brother and the rest of the guys didn¡¯t even acknowledge me untilst year when Sierra showed up. So my romantic experience has been vicarious observations through my brother and his friends and their conquests." Chapter 0260 Chapter 0260 " You are really going to have to give up this girl¡¯s name sometime, Midge. The more I learn about what you went through, the more I want to rip her hair out one strand at a time.¡± Xander growls into my hair before he takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly" How is it possible that you aren''t my mate, but your scent has the ability to calm me down almost as well as Oscar''s?" " That''s a random change of subject.¡± I observe, still in his embrace, face buried in his chest. He doesn''t seem keen on letting me go anytime soon. " It''s true though, I noticed itst night too.¡± Oscar adds in" When Bastian decided he could be a d*ck when Xander left. I was so close to you, your scent kept me level headed, but you aren''t our mate are you?¡± I shake my head no. " Maybe that¡¯s your ability, the special blood thing that you get from being the first born female in our bloodline." Xander observes" I''ll have to ask dad, I didn''t even register that¡¯s what was happening until now, but the fact that it works on Oscar too, it has to be something. Only a mate''s scent is supposed to have that effect." N?velDrama.Org is the owner. The elevator door dings as we reach our floor. " I know this is going to sound weird as hell, but Midge, go grab some clothes, you''re going to get ready in our room this morning." " What?¡± Both Oscar and I speak at the same time. " Is that really necessary?¡± I ask. " There isn''t a guard for you and after what happened downstairs, people are already milling about the castle, it would make me feel better if you stayed close. Oscar looks a little defeated and I can imagine after all the s *x talk I know why. " What if I promise to not leave my room until you and Oscare to get me? I feel like a third wheel and that is not a ce I want to be in. Go do what you need to do.¡± I''m pleading, both for me and for Oscar. "You can even text me when you are on your way, I won''t answer the door unless I know you''reing." " Oh, he''ll being alright.¡± Oscar mumbles. I know I turned three shades of red, but I pretend to ignore it. " We need to talk your dad into getting me branded so I can mindlink, this would be so much easier.¡± I rub my temples as I walk towards my door. I will not get in the way of the very little time they have together. "Il will note out. I swear. Text me when you are at my door, I will be quick , but take your time and do what you need to do.¡± I wink at both of them and slide through my door and lock it before anyone can argue. Knowing what they are doing just a room away has me thinking about who I will be with, who I could be with. The problem is, I only see my guys. My brother is not a turn on for me and Sam is for sure taken by Sierra. It''s only a matter of time, but Oliver and Cameron and Dakota. Their faces swim in my head as I strip off my sweaty clothes and step into the steaming shower. I wouldn''t even be able to choose if the Moon Goddess gave me a choice. They all protect me in different ways, make me feel safe, and loved. More than just a sister or friend. How would that work? Would she make me choose, or give me three mates? How would I even keep up with that? Alpha¡¯s are known for their s *x drives. And once they find their Luna, you may not see them for a week. What would it be like to have two or three men like that? To have someone who will be that obsessed with me and my body sounds amazing and terrifying all at the same time. What would they do first? Would they be gentle, ease me into intimacy or would they be rough forcing dominance over me? Both thoughts have me panting to myself because they aren''t all bad thoughts. I should be getting clean from our long run, but I can¡¯t get the idea of someone owning my body, dominating me in a way no one has before. Chapter 0261 Chapter 0261 As the soap sluices down my body I graze my hands over my n*pples which are hard peaks at the thought of my guys. I slowly travel further down my stomach, my heart rate increasing the lower my hand travels. I settled on Dakotas face, the yful look in his blue eyes, His thick dark hair tousled from me running my hands through it. His god-like muscles on full disy for me. He reaches between my legs and finds the nub at my apex waiting and ready to detonate for him. Then Cameron¡¯s emerald green eyese into my vision. They are both leaning into me one in front one behind like that day when they told me when they kissed me it wouldn¡¯t be in the hallway. I rub slow circles living through my fantasy. It doesn¡¯t take much effort for blinding white lights to sear the backs of my eyelids as Ie so hard on my own hand. I continue to rub until my core has stopped pulsing. I am panting and gripping at the tiles of the shower. I have no idea how long I have been in here, but I hurry to get out and change, just in case it was longer than necessary. I guess I didn¡¯t need to be in a hurry, since it was a full thirty minuteste that Xander and Oscar came to retrieve me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, okay, I can¡¯t help myself. You will understand when you find your mate. You won¡¯t be able to keep your hands to yourself.¡± Oscar is pleading with me, even though I haven¡¯t said a thing. I may be a little flush in the cheeks andughed at him lookingpletely out of sorts when they came to get me, but I left the topic alone. What they do as mates is what they do, it¡¯s none of my business. ¡°Just remind me when I do find my mate to call you for advice on technique.¡± I say to get him to stop yammering at me. I meant it to be a joke, but Xander¡¯s head snapped to me and Oscar got the biggest grin behind his back. Oscar and I are going to be lifelong buddies, I can feel it. ¡°Stop talking, now. I feel like Cameron, Dakota, Mateo and Oliver are all screaming in my subconscious to keep you two apart.¡± Xander scrubs his face with his hands. ¡°All the better to pretend we are not even having this conversation.¡± I say as if it were Sierra by my side, not Oscar. Oh, the two of them are going to get me in trouble. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°By the way.¡± Oscar whispers in my ear, even though we both know Xander can hear us. ¡°Who were you thinking about?¡± I just look at him in confusion. ¡°You have that ¡®just gotid¡¯ look and I know for a fact no one was in your room, so which one were you thinking about?¡± ¡°Does more than one count?¡± I smile and leave it at that, hoping he could live his vicarious feeling out with very little information. Chapter 0262 Chapter 0262 We make it to the elevator, Oscar and Iughing and Xander being dramatic saying if the guys find out that I have been having these kinds of conversations with his mate, they will find some way to torture him. We step out to a crowd simr to yesterday morning, just less formalities. I still get the stares from the people who have decided I am a threat, but don¡¯t know what to do with that since I am never left alone. A few people I don¡¯t recognize from the meetings yesterday are here. Based on build and the way they stand they must be guards or warriors of some kind. I wonder why they are all here? Alpha Reggie and Luna Anne have already stepped up into the buffet line, they seem to be waiting for us, I hope they haven''t been waiting long, I didn¡¯t even bother looking at the time. We make our way towards them, Xander not acting like we arete at all. I am a nervous wreck, I am not someone who keeps the King and Queen waiting. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Nice of you to join us, Xander, Skr, Oscar.¡± Alpha Reggie says polite enough, but the undertone is exasperation and amusement rolled together. He at least knows what kept the boys, and I am too chicken to say anything to correct his assumption. We move through the line quickly, saying hello and acknowledging people as we go. When we get to the head table, I am sitting between Oscar and Xander. Clearly there is some potential for threat against me. This is really frustrating, I just need to fight in front of these people and then they won¡¯t mess with me. On second thought though, these idiots would probably think it¡¯s rigged so it wouldn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s so stupid. Unlike yesterday though, people are milling about throughout breakfast and severale to the head table to talk, mostly to the King and Queen, but to Xander and I too. A female warrior approaches. I only know because she has the same training gear we are required to wear on the Elite Warrior grounds. She can¡¯t be much older than me and she looks fearless, like Sierra on the warpath for the perfect dress. She walks straight to me. ¡°Did you really take on the whole warrior team at trials?¡± She asks without even bothering with the formalities of introductions. It wasn¡¯t an aggressive or usatory question either, she really is just curious. ¡°I, umm, I actually don¡¯t know, really. I don¡¯t even know who or how many I went up against, it¡¯s kind of a blur.¡± I look to Xander, maybe he knows the answer. But before he can say anything arge man I vaguely recognize walks up behind her and ces a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive my daughter, you have be something of a legend amongst the warriors around here. She doesn¡¯t believe me when I tell her what you were able to aplish during your trials.¡± Heughs and she doesn¡¯t even pretend to be offended. ¡°Skr, this is Wilhelmina, my daughter, and may I say your wolf is an amazing fighter. We learned a great deal from our time with you at trials.¡± He inclines his head to me. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate that¡­¡± I leave the end of the question hanging since he didn¡¯t introduce himself too. ¡°Jeremy. I hope to train with you again.¡± He smiles warmly. ¡°And you can call me Mina. There¡¯s no reason to go throwing that mouthful of a name around.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°But really, do you know how many people you actually fought against? The rumors are all over the ce and no one wants to offend you by asking you outright.¡± I knew I liked her straight away. ¡°Honestly, Warrior Osiston would be the best person to ask, I really don¡¯t know how many opponents I had. I have been told I went against the most though.¡± I shrug trying to give her the best answer I can. Chapter 0263 Chapter 0263 ¡°Every warrior keeps stats, there¡¯s no way you didn¡¯t count if you''re as good as everyone says.¡± She puts her hand on her hip, letting me know that my answer wasn¡¯t good enough, but there¡¯s still no animosity in her tone, just logic. ¡°You¡¯re right, I normally do, I¡¯m actually reallypetitive, but I also went into trials this year under the impression that it was just an assessment for my trainers to see me with warriors from outside packs and for me to learn. I¡¯m only fifteen, we had to get special permission just for that. Alpha Reggie allowed it because it was hosted at my pack, otherwise I don¡¯t think I would have even been able to participate this year. So my focus was more on watching the people around me in battle scenarios.¡± ¡°What were your takeaways then?¡± Her eyes light up when she asks. ¡°Were you there? I feel like I would remember you even if you fought in your wolf form only.¡± Something about this girl draws me in, kindred spirit maybe. I vaguely hear someone say, ¡®we lost her.¡¯ And a response of ¡®we lost them both.¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t be bothered, another warrior who might have been at trials like Wyatt and Lillian, makes me feel closer to home somehow, that connection still alive even with everything that has happened since then. ¡°No, not this year, but next, I¡¯ll be eighteen soon and there¡¯s enough time between my birthday and the next trails for me to look for my mate and if he¡¯s not here, then Dad says I can participate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so exciting. Either way you have something to look forward to.¡± ¡°So, if you¡¯re only fifteen, why are you in Elite training? How did you manage that?¡± I try not to let the darkness that passes through my mind at what Kaley and her cronies did to me show on my face, I take a deep breath and give a half truth. ¡°Alpha Reggie, Warrior Osiston and Warrior Nathaniel decided that since I was ahead in school, that it would be okay for me toe and do a modified training and education schedule here. It was an opportunity I couldn¡¯t refuse.¡± I left out the part about not being able to refuse because I was beaten unconscious, that would open up the floodgate of questions I¡¯m not ready to answer for any of these people. She looks at me for a second and I think she might try to probe more, but she must see something there that stops her. Instead she asks, ¡°What is something you learned that you didn''t already know?¡± ¡°Really the basics are always crucial and I think they are sometimes overlooked when warriors start to advance. I noticed that my ground work and grappling need to improve. I¡¯m small so I try not to let the fight go to the ground, then my opponent¡¯s size can be used against me. No matter how skilled I am, if my arms and or legs are pinned I can¡¯t use them to defend myself.¡± She nods her head. ¡°We should workout together. I bet my dad could make that happen.¡± ¡°That would be great! I love working with new people.¡± I almost jumped out of my seat, from excitement. ¡°You weren¡¯t this excited to work with Xander and I.¡± Oscar pretends to whine next to me. ¡°I have already worked out with and beat Xander and I¡¯m faster than you, so I think we¡¯re all good.¡± I smile and wink at him and Mina starts tough, like actually cackling loud enough for half the room to turn around and look our way. ¡°Oh man, I like you. How long are you here, in the castle I mean?¡± ¡°I go back to the trainingpound today sometime, but Alpha Reggie hasn¡¯t really said when yet.¡± She nods her head in thought for a beat and then looks over her shoulder. ¡°Dad, can I take SKr to the training grounds for a couple hours? I bet she hasn¡¯t even seen the whole territory yet.¡± SheN?velDrama.Org holds ? this. looks back at me. ¡°We have a few different training grounds since the territory is so big, but the one closest to the castle is probably the best after the Elite Warrior grounds, but us lowly general warriors aren¡¯t allowed on those grounds.¡± She smiles as she says it, being dramatic with her hand on her chest. Chapter 0264 Chapter 0264 Her dad immediately looks to Alpha Reggie for confirmation. ¡°Do you have ns for Skr this morning? Or can we let the girls have their fun before lunch? I mean, if she¡¯s anything like Mina, they¡¯ll figure out a way to make it happen anyway.¡± He shrugs and all of the adultsugh while Mina and I just roll our eyes, he isn¡¯t wrong. ¡°That sounds excellent! Skr hasn¡¯t had a chance to see the grounds really, her training started abruptly and she hasn¡¯t had much downtime since she started. Take Oscar with you though since you can¡¯t mindlink with us, just in case and be back by lunch.¡± Alpha Reggie offers. ¡°What about me?¡± Xander sounds incredulous. ¡°You, my dear son and future King, have duties today. We are still meeting with the Elders to go over all of the results of yesterday¡¯s conferences and I¡¯m sure they will want to revisit your mate situation, since it is the only topic they haven¡¯t gotten their way on in a very long time.¡± The look that passes between them is a serious one and I can tell other words are being said over mindlink about it. I really want to know what is going on and why in the world the Elders think they have so much power and say in everything. They are advisors chosen to give opinions to the kings so he can make informed decisions aboutrge matters for the kingdom. They are liaisons for the different packs in the kingdom. Clearly many of them have bezy, self important and self righteous, but I wish Alpha Reggie would just shut them down. Maybe that¡¯s what this meeting will be. A respectful shut down of their stupid notions that Xander should take a chosen mate done behind closed doors so no one is embarrassed or ridiculed. Mina and I don¡¯t hesitate to jump from our seats, Oscar follows more slowly. He is clearly not used to being separated from Xander, but he also can¡¯t call attention to their rtionship yet. They need their Luna first. I don¡¯t miss the excited looks from some of the girls we pass as we basically run out of the dining hall. I feel bad for leaving Xander, but he has been dealing with this for a long time and doesn¡¯t actually need me to protect him. I¡¯m sure it makes his day go so much better having Oscar and I there as a buffer. Maybe Mina can step in too when I¡¯m not here. Oscar leads us out the front doors I came in on my first visit here and heads over to the side of the castle where the hidden garage is. A smaller door opens and hees out driving a very supped up golf cart looking vehicle. ¡°Your chariot, mydies.¡± Heughs at us. ¡°Is it really so far that we have to drive there?¡± I question, I would rather walk, it makes me feelzy if something really is close enough why waste resources? ¡°Not so much that it¡¯s far, just I would rather get there and get to work than waste precious time walking.¡± He drawls out and I can¡¯t help but giggle. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. He does not disappoint either. With the cart we got there in less than ten minutes and we did not take the well worn path, he made sure we were entertained by offroading and almost throwing me from the cart a couple times in the process. Chapter 0265 Chapter 0265 The training ground was further than theke we stopped at this morning, but I could still see it and the water fall clearly. The space was wide open with clearly defined sparring circles marked in the dirt and the grass. The dirt patches were dry and full of rocks and pebbles which would suck to get taken down on, but I guess in a real fight there won¡¯t be padding and pillows to catch our falls. Beyond the sparring circles were more of the ropes and climbing courses like what we have at the compound, although the ropes seem to be ced closer together here probably making the training easier here. There are a few more cargos and tforms built into trees. I like the idea that they are using the surrounding area for naturally urring things to train with. It makes the training more realistic for sure. Mina wastes no time finding a sparring circle in the grass. ¡°Alright, you said you wanted to work on your ground work, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t going to warm up first?¡± I ask stalling a little at her abrupt stance. ¡°Nah. We aren¡¯t really going to go that hard and let¡¯s be honest if we ever do fight our enemies won¡¯t wait for us to be properly warmed up to kick their asses, they will just attack.¡± Okay, she¡¯s not wrong. I move to the circle and watch her closely. She moves like a cat, lithe and deliberate. She¡¯s studying me as much as I am studying her. When she finally realizes I will not make the first move she lunges right at my torso. This is the obvious choice since I mentioned ground work, she wants to take me down right away since I identified it as a weakness. I hold my ground for as long as I can. She is taller than me, like most people, but I think I have more weight than she does. She¡¯s built lean like a runner, long graceful muscles that you don¡¯t really see on a warrior very often. We continue to move together, no punches are being thrown, this is strictly grappling to gain dominance and ground the opponent. Arms are flying, hands grabbing, but neither of us can keep hold long enough to get the other to submit. She finally gets her leg around to sweep mine, but I counter as we both go down and she doesn¡¯t expect me to roll the way that I do and I end up straddling her stomach while she tries to buck me off and I am desperately holding onto her wrists, but we are both so sweaty at this point that it¡¯s hard to maintain my grip. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. Just when I think she is going to give a feral growl rips through the clearing and the next thing I know, I¡¯m being thrown out of the circle we are sparring in and all hell breaks loose. I hit my head and for a second can only see stars, but I can hear the growling and snapping of jaws, ws ripping up the ground. I shake my head and look around again. There are five wolves, bigger than I have seen before outside of the Alphas and Betas I know. They look rough and mangy like they live in their wolf form and they reek something awful, old blood and death wafting out of their open jaws. I quickly get up and run for the wolf who has managed to pin Oscar by the back of the neck. I don¡¯t even think about the consequences, he can¡¯t die, that would destroy Xander and I can¡¯t allow that. I jump and throw my full body weight at him. It¡¯s not much but enough to knock him over since he didn¡¯t see meing and Oscar jumps up bleeding from the neck, but he doesn¡¯t even check it before tearing through his clothes to shift andes after thisrge dark gray wolf that now has me in his sights. Once he¡¯s distracted I look for Mina, who has already shifted into her russet colored wolf and is fending off two wolves right now. The other two rogues seem to be standing guard or waiting to engage for some reason. I keep them in my line of sight as I run towards Mina shifting in midair. I land on the lighter of the two wolves, they all seem to be different shades of gray. We go rolling and I maintain my dominance by grabbing the scruff of his neck and biting hard, tasting the metallic vor of blood. It¡¯s disgusting and yet invigorating at the same time. I feel more powerful knowing I injured him right away and so forcefully. He rolls over and tries to pin me with his bulk forcing me to let go and roll away. This was the exact reason I wanted to train with Mina. Now it seems like a great oversight in my training and that me lies solely on me for not pursuing it before. Chapter 0266 Chapter 0266 I can¡¯t think of that right now though. I have to keep my head focused and use the strengths I do have. No doubt Oscar has called for back-up but it is going to take a bit for them to get here. My rogue wolf charges again, mouth wide open not even trying to disguise his form of attack. I can smell the rotting sewage scent from his mouth. I wonder if that is just from killing a bunch or if that¡¯s a rogue thing? Something to pack away and askter. I roll out of the way at thest second sending his bulk barrelling past me and I go on the offensive, chasing him down. He is leading me toward the other two rogues standing guard, he really isn¡¯t that smart if he thinks I can¡¯t see the ambushing. I pick up speed just as he¡¯s getting close to the first one and jump, sending all four of my paws into his side and knocking him into his buddy, sending them both toppling in a heap of legs and fur. In my single minded focus though, I lost track of the other sentinel, until he came up and sliced his razor sharp teeth into my back leg, instantly dropping me to the ground. I roll around keeping him in my sights. He doesn¡¯t seem to want to kill me though. He¡¯s content with me being on the ground, injured. He only snaps at me if I try to get up or scoot away. His bulky body is blocking everything else. I can still hear fighting on the other side of him, but I don¡¯t know who it is and I can¡¯t link with my friends to check on them. The pain in my leg is starting to subside. This rogue is letting me justy here and heal, but he also doesn''t know that I am a fast healer, Thank you Alpha blood. I just need a couple more minutes, the feeling ising back to my foot now that the wound has closed and I¡¯ve stopped bleeding out everywhere. I am about to pounce when a feral and dominating growl rips through the clearing and I hear thunderous pounding of paws on the ground. My opponent makes the mistake of looking away from me and I jump up, sinking my teeth into his neck and lock my jaw. He can toss and roll all he wants, I¡¯m not letting go until our back-up arrives and he can be interrogated. Five rogue wolves don¡¯t just stumble onto the Alpha King¡¯s territory and start a fight for no reason. The blood in my mouth tastes disgusting, but I won¡¯t let go even though my gag reflex is telling me to do just that as the warm, thick liquid rolls down my throat. My teeth are slowing the flow down so he won¡¯t die quickly, but he won¡¯t get a second chance to hurt anyone. The noise of fighting grows around me as warriors storm the clearing. I still can¡¯t see Oscar or Mina which makes me nervous. The warriors make quick work of the other rogues and an enormous ck wolf with the most beautiful chocte brown eyes walks up to me and the rogue I am trying to contain. The ck wolf looks at me and his eyes soften for a brief moment and then look back at the rogue and go murderous. Then I feel the aura st from him with a growl that pulses from his chest, vibrating through everything in the clearing. The Alpha aura that causes everyone to stop moving except for arge gray wolf with ck markings along his face and down his head to his shoulders and me. Xander and Alpha Reggie. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. I slowly let go of my rogue and stumbled sideways, my leg still healing and not really liking the body weight ced on it now that adrenaline is starting to subside. I refuse to fall or sit down though. These jacka*ses don¡¯t get to see that they were able to injure me so easily in case they were reporting to someone we can¡¯t see. Chapter 0267 Chapter 0267 Xander continues to growl at my rogue but moves closer to me so I can lean on him. It looks more like a lover¡¯s gesture than him holding me upright which my ego appreciates at the moment. ¡°These two are gone, your highness.¡± A warrior I don¡¯t recognize says somewhere to my left. ¡°This one is still breathing, but barely.¡± Mina¡¯s dad says. ¡°Oscar and Skr¡¯s rogues are still alive, take them back to the holding cells. Give them just enough treatment to keep them alive. Have Doc Sylvia force their shift then cor them.¡± Warrior Osistones up from behind us. All the other warriors have shifted and started with their assignments, Xnader and I remain in wolf form, I refuse to shift without something to change into, I don¡¯t know any of these guys really and I don¡¯t like being naked in front of Sierra on a good day. As if he can read my mind, Warrior Osiston looks at me. ¡°I have a shirt for you Little One, Xander is blocking you, shift so we can talk.¡± I don¡¯t hesitate, I want to tell them what happened so I can get information in return. What the hell just happened? And why are hostile rogues so far into the King¡¯s territory? I shift and grab the shirt pulling it on quickly, then Xander shifts next to me and it¡¯s then that I realize all of the warriors were fully clothed when they shifted back. ¡°How do you do that? Shift without destroying clothes? That could be useful information.¡± I look up at Xander then to Osiston expectantly. ¡°It is something we will teach you how to do in Elite training, don¡¯t worry. Now tell us what happened. How far out did you guys go to train? Mina and Oscar know not to leave the territory with so few people, especially this side.¡± Osiston looks like he¡¯s trying to hold back anger.N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°What are you talking about? We didn¡¯t go anywhere outside the territory¡­Sir.¡± I add as an afterthought with my slight attitude. I wasn¡¯t going to let my friends get punished for a perceivedck of following the rules. ¡°We came right here to train and this is where they attacked us.¡± Xander looked from me to Osiston and back. ¡°That¡¯s not possible, there¡¯s no way they got this far undetected.¡± ¡°As you can see it¡¯spletely possible, they did just that.¡± I gesture around me. ¡°We were here training when three attacked us. Two were waiting over there by the tree line.¡± I pointed to where the rogue I was fighting waited until he thought I wasn¡¯t paying attention about twenty yards away from where we are standing now. ¡°The two extra seemed to be waiting for some kind of signal to join in. We didn¡¯t hear or smell them until they were attacking. What¡¯s going on and how did they get so close to the castle? Are Mina and Oscar okay?¡± I can¡¯t see them among the other warriors cleaning up, but some have set out to run quick patrols to make sure there aren''t any other rogues here. Chapter 0268 Chapter 0268 They both share a look which is starting to piss me off. Something is clearly going on and I am being left out. To keep from yelling at them, I start to shift on my leg testing it out and mentally checking for any other injuries. I am covered in blood, some my own, some the rogues. I need to scrub this nasty smelling sh*t off, but I really want answers first. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Xander notices my fidgeting and seems to take me in fully now. ¡°Are you hurt? I noticed your limping before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay now, I think. That rogue got a good bite into my nk, but I think it¡¯s healedpletely, I¡¯m just sore, not a big deal. Are you guys going to tell me what¡¯s going on, or am I not high enough to be given information?¡± ¡°None of that, Little One. If we have information to share we will share it. You were injured, you need to be seen by the docs.¡± He tilts his head past me to a group in line. They all seem to be fine, but waiting to get checked anyway. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Everything already healed so I can¡¯t have been that bad.¡± I shrug it off hoping they will just talk to me, let me in. But, that was too much to ask. ¡°Not an option Little One. Anyone involved in a fight gets checked out thoroughly. We don¡¯t know what kind of sh*t they might be carrying and you were bit and it looks like you bit one of your opponents, we need to make sure we take precautions.¡± I closed my eyes to keep from rolling them like the teenager that I am and take a deep breath then let it out slowly. The line isn¡¯t going anywhere fast so I feel like I can push a bit more. ¡°Is Oscar and Mina in line? I didn¡¯t see them when everything stopped.¡± ¡°Oscar has been checked and is out on patrol, Mina has been taken back to the pack hospital, she broke her leg and it needed to be reset. She should be fine in a couple of hours. The two of them combined gave us less trouble than you are now. Go get checked then you can ask all the questions you want.¡± Osiston physically turned me and pushed me towards the queue of warriors. ¡°Will you actually answer them though?¡± I throw over my shoulder. Not really needing an answer, but I decided acting like a child towards him is a good distraction for what just happened. I could hear a low huff, but he didn¡¯t respond otherwise. The check-up station was pretty basic, they asked me if and where I had been injured, how many times I was bitten, if anything was painful or lingered, things like that. I thought I was going to get away and be able to help with patrol, but that would have been too easy. ¡°She needs to see Doc Gannon and Doc Sylvia for blood work. She was bitten and she took a pretty good chunk out of the guy we took prisoner.¡± Osiston walks up behind me. ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± The healer looking at me said not making eye contact with me. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the first warrior who just wants a quick check and to just get back to work. She leads me over to another golf cart that has two other warriors who seem to still be bleeding. I forget that I am a fast healer for a second and wonder what could have happened that would cause them to continue bleeding half an hour after the fight was over. The guy I sat next to must have seen me staring as he bumped my shoulder and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as it looks, I swear. The little one tried to take a chunk out of my arm before we took him down. The skin pping around is making it hard to heal. Doc Gannon will stitch me up and I should be ready to fight again tomorrow.¡± Chapter 0269 Chapter 0269 I give him a small smile. ¡°One of them got me in the leg. My first rogue bite, definitely don¡¯t need that to happen ever again.¡± We both chuckle as we go bumping over the terrain, back to the pack hospital. The guy sitting in front looked worse by far. He was pale and his head was bobbing around like he didn¡¯t have the strength to hold it up. What happened while I was fighting off the one rogue? I really needed to learn how to fight my opponent and pay attention to my surroundings at the same time. There wasn¡¯t a lot to do once we were there. I had alreadypletely healed, so I really just needed a shower, which Doc Sylvia allowed me to do in one of the treatment rooms after I gave her a blood sample. I have no idea why my blood is so interesting to her and she never exins what she is doing. She even took a sample of the blood that was on my skin, I assume from the rogue. I should be more suspicious, but I can¡¯t seem to find any animosity or bad vibes from her, I trust her like I do SIerra. We¡¯ll see if that¡¯s smart or crazy. I think she is just naturally curious and has her own questions to answer and if I can provide answers for her so be it. It was time for dinner when I was finally able to leave the hospital. Luna Anne and Barty were there to take me back to the castle. As we drove the short distance a thought urred to me. ¡°I thought I would be going back to the trainingpound tonight. Shouldn¡¯t you just take me back and let me eat dinner there? They would be just finishing training by the time we got there. I really shouldn¡¯t miss any more mandatory trainings, it¡¯s starting to look like favoritism.¡± I keep my focus out the window as I say it. I don¡¯t want to see their reactions. It¡¯s no one else¡¯s business what I do or don¡¯t do outside training and if the Alpha King requested anyone else to attend functions they wouldn¡¯t bat an eye, but it¡¯s me and everything about me and my presence here has been against every rule that has been set in ce. It doesn¡¯t matter how many times I prove myself, I¡¯m too young to be here, didn¡¯t go through the rituals with them, and have a connection with the royal family that no one understands because they aren¡¯t privileged to that information. I¡¯m back to being the freak. I take a deep breath and do my best no to sigh too loudly at that thought. ¡°Not tonight Little One, we have things to discuss and you were an integral part of the fight today, your insight is needed as much as Ocsar and Mina¡¯s.¡± Luna Anne said calmly, but I heard a note of something there, disappointment maybe. But what was she disappointed in? Me, the fight, having to keep me at the castle? Maybe I was a bigger burden than she thought. I¡¯ll have to talk to ALpha Reggie about getting me back to thepound tonight, no matter howte it is. I don¡¯t want to inconvenience them any more. We pull into the garage and I am led back up to the floor with all of the conference rooms, only this time the doors are thrown open and loud voices can be heard from the stairs at the end of the hall. I look at Luna Anne then Barty, but neither acknowledge me, just keep walking, stoic expressions on their faces. We walk into thergest conference room and the round table is full of Elders and Alphas with guards and their mates standing close by. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°We should have been told there was a potential threat to using here. You are taking liberties with our lives. That could have been any one of us out there today, attacked and rendered useless to our packs.¡± Alpha Sharp from the Shadow Pack shouts at Alpha Reggie and I feel an instant urge to defend him. Chapter 0270 Chapter 0270 ¡°As a pack Alpha I would hope that your skills would be keen enough to handle the likes of five rogues not much bigger than myself. Although, I¡¯ve never seen you fight so it¡¯s just an assumption. If a small fight like that renders you useless, maybe you are in the wrong position.¡± I stand next to Alpha Reggie, hands sped behind my back doing my best to school my face into something neutral. ¡°There are always threats, power has that effect on some people. It will never go away and as Alphas and Elders you should know that and understand that to be a huge part of your job description.¡± ¡°Watch your tone, girl. You have no business being here in the first ce. More regtions have been ignored where you are concerned than anyone I have ever heard of. You need to remove yourself from this official meeting with the leaders of our kingdom.¡± ¡°You are incorrect in many of your assumptions Emanuel. First she earned her way here, the age restrictions are to help wolves find their mates, nothing more. Second, she belongs in this meeting because she was involved in the fight and managed to capture and keep alive the one rogue we have been able to interrogate. Something your warriors should consider next time, capture not kill, we get more answers that way. Third, as a leader in her pack she is representing her Alpha in his absence. You would do well to remember who is in charge, we have a hierarchy for a reason and you have been selected to be a part of that, not in charge of it, but the Moon Goddess has also removed those privileges too. Many of you have be toofortable in your positions and forgotten what your position entails.¡± His pointed look swept the room. ¡°Now, we were discussing opening the branding ritual for Skr so she canmunicate the next time she is required to assist us in battle.¡± The same Alpha spoke up as an Elder looked ready to speak. ¡°We have already done the ritual for warrior branding and she is far too young. That level of connection is privileged, she has not earned it yet.¡± I am seething inside, but doing my best to keep a neutral face. This is why I would not be good in a leadership role, I really want to punch him and if he keeps talking sh*t I just might jump over this table and give into my impulses. ¡°You really are a misogynistic moron aren¡¯t you?¡± Another Alpha speaks up. Alpha Beau from the Eclipse pack doesn¡¯t usually speak up or say much unless he¡¯s asked a direct question. He¡¯s a silent observer, but from what I understand, he more than makes up for it on the field. ¡°You were there today, right? The training grounds where she,¡± He points at me, ¡°managed to not only keep herself and her friends safe, but is also the only one to have a live captive to question.¡± ¡°My warriors did what was best, kill the lot of those filthy rogues.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t get answers from the dead. Things like how many of them are working together, would be nice to know.¡± ¡°They are rogues. By definition they do not work together.¡± Alpha Emanuel spat, like this was an absolute answer. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°The way that they fought today would suggest otherwise.¡± I finally say. This guy needs to step down and let his heir take over, he''s going to get everyone killed with that narrow mind. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you are talking about, silly girl. Let the men speak.¡± Amanuel hisses at me. Chapter 0271 Chapter 0271 My temper res and I may have to pretendter that my wolf¡¯s rage took over and I had no control over my words or my actions. ¡°Excuse you, are you f*cking kidding me? I was there, unlike you, I fought several of them. You can attempt to dismiss me all you want, but your delusions do not change the fact that my experience in this situation outweighs yours.¡± I turn toward Alpha Beau. ¡°You are right, they were working together. In a way that suggests they train together, no different than any of our warriors. Three attacked while two hung back to observe. The second two engaged when Oscar, Mina and I were all injured in some way and separated. They knew what they were doing. I know I am not a full warrior yet, so I probably won¡¯t get to hear these answers, but they need to be asked anyway. How did they get within a ten minute drive of the castle? I¡¯m sure that you have people working on that, but there is no way five of them got past that many border patrols undetected unless they had some way to mask their scent and hide their trails.¡± I looked to Alpha Reggie, hoping he could read my mind. It¡¯s the same as the attack on my pack, no scent, no trail to follow, the only difference is we actually got to fight someone this time and I don¡¯t think the rogues were expecting us. ¡°Are there evacuation ns? Based on reactions and observations, this is not the first time any of you have seen something like this.¡± I look at each Alpha, they all seem to be trying to hide the shame at being called out. We are all being attacked, but why? N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Alpha Emanuel speaks directly to me for the first time. ¡°You won¡¯t be hearing any of these answers, child. Now that you have given your ount you may leave and let us strategize.¡± I roll my eyes and look at Alpha Reggie. I¡¯m sure he can see the murder in my eyes, but if he wants me to go so these idiots will actually get something done, I will. It¡¯s about the greater good and benefit of the pack members, not my ego. This jacka*s will get his and I hope I at least get a few good hits in before that happens. Alpha Reggie nods his head, understanding surging from his eyes. At least he gets that I just want to help. ¡°Skr, just a few more questions. Did you scent anyone before the attack?¡± ¡°No Sir, and I was downwind. I was the first to be attacked so I should have had some level of warning.¡± He knows of my strong and kind of unique sense of smell. That is one thing that has been bothering me all day too. I didn¡¯t scent them at all. ¡°Did any of them say anything to you? Was there a threat issued?¡± ¡°No, nothing.They just growled and attacked. I¡¯m not sure if that was because they didn¡¯t expect us and acted on impulse or if they were the frontline of the attack and the people with threats or something to say were in the shadows watching somewhere.¡± ¡°And this is why she is here.¡± Alpha Reggie looks at Emanuel. I can¡¯t even put his title in front of his name in my head, he doesn¡¯t deserve it. ¡°She brought up a point none of the rest of you even considered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed to help with the patrols after,¡± I look pointedly at Warrior Osiston, ¡°So I can¡¯t tell you if there were any other scents in the surrounding area and if they were doing any kind of masking it¡¯s probably gone by now, but I would be happy to do a sweep just in case.¡± ¡°When we are done here, I think that would be a good idea. You can take a team and see what you find. In hindsight we should just keep a healer with you at all times so you can work through your injuries, since you seem to be in the line of fire most of the time.¡± He smiles at me and I just roll my eyes before returning it. Chapter 0272 Chapter 0272 ¡°So are we any closer to finding answers? It doesn¡¯t seem like anyone knows anything right now.¡± Elder Bastian speaks up. ¡°As much as you praise this girl¡¯s abilities, she has yet to give us anything.¡± And I¡¯m back to seething. ¡°She actually gave us plenty, but only if you were paying attention. Her pack was attacked in a simr way and with no scent trails leading in or out. The difference being the rogues did what they needed to do and got out, they didn¡¯t engage. The question still remains, were they supposed to engage here or were they taken by surprise? The possibility of them trying to get closer to the castle is high, but we don¡¯t know the intended target. She also gave us a prisoner, which I will remind you, no one else aplished. The second rogue we captured bled out before we got him to the hospital. Doc Gannon and Doc Sylvia said we can interrogate in about an hour.¡± I nod my head with the rest of the ¡®friendly¡¯ Alphas and Elders. The ones who are far too focused on me and my presence just sit there looking like stubborn, petnt children. Alpha Reggie turns to me. He doesn¡¯t whisper, but the conversation is clearly between the two of us, just not private. ¡°Skr, I¡¯m not ready to allow you to have the warrior brand yet. Don¡¯t look at me like that, you are still too young. But, I do want you to be able tomunicate with any of the warriors or us in an emergency. So I am going to make you an honorary pack member. This way you won¡¯t lose your connection to your own pack, but canmunicate with members of the Royal pack.¡± I nod, it¡¯s better than nothing. I feel like it''s a goodpromise in front of the guys here who just think I should go home and let the boys do the work. Alpha Reggie stands and Warrior Osiston moves behind me and ces his hands on my shoulders, like I¡¯m going to try and run away. ¡°Give me your right hand.¡± Alpha Reggie instructs. ¡°Do you pledge your loyalty to the Royal Pack?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you pledge to fight for the safety and rights of Royal Pack members while you are here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Will youe to our aid whenever you are called?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Skr Makain, you are being granted a special privilege in bing an honorary member of the Royal Pack. Due your duty for Blue Crescent, your home pack, keep your connections strong always and know that you now have a second duty to the Royal Pack. Develop and maintain your strong connections here as well. Do you agree to these terms?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He takes my hand and brings my wrist towards his mouth where his fangs have extended. He punctures the skin just below my thumb on my wrist and I can feel the connection immediately. It has been so long since I have heard extra voices other than my wolf in my head, it was almost overwhelming. I blink a few times to gain my bearings. How do you feel, Little One? I imagine it has been quiet since you have been here. Yes, it has. Thank you for this. Alpha Reggie turns back to the group, but keeps talking to me through the mindlink. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. You will stay at the castle again tonight. I am not convinced that you were not a target today. ¡°Now that formalities have been handled. We clearly have things to discuss. It has been a long day and I am sure everyone could do with some refreshments and rest. Let¡¯s reconvene in the morning and brainstorm strategies for all of our packs. The rogues are getting more bold by the day and we will, hopefully, have answers from our guest in the dungeons too.¡± I don¡¯t know how he was able to carry on the conversation with me over mindlink and with the group out loud. It was impressive. Osiston will see you to your room, Xander and Oscar want to check in on you and Mina has also asked to see you. I will send Barty up with food for all of you so you can dine in peace. Chapter 0273 Chapter 0273 Yes sir. Osiston walks me to the elevators and we move silently to my room once we are on the family floor. I don¡¯t know if his silence isforting or imposing, but I do know that I am tired. I am tired of having to fight with these guys who think they are better than me because of my age, my gender, my size and who knows what else they are judging me for. It will never go away and I can keep my face at least passive in their presence, but it takes a lot of energy. Before I can even think any further on the topic I am wrapped up in a hug and squeezed so tight, I think a rib may have cracked. Xander¡¯s pine scent washes over me and it takes me a second to respond. I just realized he wasn¡¯t down in the meeting with us. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re alright. It was hard to watch you be taken away after all of that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you were able to get to me in time. I think if they would have tried to double team me I would have been a goner. I really do need a ton of work, that was ridiculous. I have never been so out sses in my life.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You handled the whole thing really well.¡± Oscar is trying to lift me up, but it feels like pity or a participation pep talk. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°I didn¡¯t even smell theme up behind us. There is no excuse for that.¡± ¡°None of us scented them, that¡¯s not on you.¡± He argues back. ¡°The problem is, I can scent everything even when others can¡¯t. There has only been one other time I couldn¡¯t catch a scent.¡± I look right at Xander hoping he understands. ¡°I need to have Mina work me over. I should have never gotten bit like that.¡± ¡°Did I hear my name?¡± Speak of the devil. ¡°Hey! Are you okay? No one would tell me what was going on with you.¡± ¡°Yeah, it really wasn¡¯t that bad, but that little b*tch had something on his ws so I wouldn¡¯t stop bleeding and I had little shes everywhere. It took both Doc Gannon and Doc Sylvia hours to figure it out. And of course they had to take a million samples to study.¡± We allugh. I¡¯m learning I¡¯m not the only Guinea pig when ites to the Docs. They are fascinated by everything. We head into my room and I fill everyone in on what happened at the meeting, which wasn¡¯t much on my end, but Xander looked more and more angry as I told him how some of the Alphas behaved and reacted. ¡°Something is going on. Several of them have been questioning my dad more and moretely. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone questioning the king, ever. Why are they starting now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s clear they think that their opinions are important and carry more weight than they probably do. Are they trying to shift towards a democracy? Or maybe a type of monarchy that is actually run by them with a King to throw to the wolves when something goes wrong?¡± I am just thinking out loud, not really paying attention to what I¡¯m saying. ¡°I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re far off, actually. With the constant meetings and forced mate stuff they are definitely aiming for some kind of control. I just don¡¯t know why the shift now.¡± Chapter 0274 Chapter 0274 Before we get any further in the conversation, there¡¯s a knock at the door. I just shout for them to come in and Xander, Oscar and Mina all look at me like I have lost my mind. ¡°What? No one gets on this floor, I know food ising for us. We should take bets as to who is delivering. I think it¡¯s Barty and he has probably been with our food for the whole preparation and delivery.¡± I roll my eyes as I get up and head to the door, because whoever is on the other side must think along the same lines as the rest of my friends since no one came in. I don¡¯t wait for a response as I slowly open the door. ¡°Oh, Barty, what a surprise to see you delivering our food!¡± I say loud and mockingly, giving him a wink so he knows the sarcasm is not directed at him in any way, he just got caught in the crossfire. ¡°Hey, settle down. At this point we only know there is a threat, and it¡¯s close. No one has a clue who or why right now so everyone is a suspect.¡± Mina chides me with a smile. I stick my tongue out at her in response. ¡°So what do we know?¡± I ask as Barty closes the door and wheels the tray over to the sitting area. ¡°This attack doesn¡¯t seem like a surprise to you or your dad Xander, but the rest of the Alphas had their panties in a wad. You dad also mentioned hypotheticals when you guys were at Blue Crescent. This isn¡¯t the first attack is it?¡± I don¡¯t even hide my curiosity and Mina jumps on the question wagon with me. We talk into the night and don¡¯t even notice how much time has passed until Osistones into my room unannounced telling the guys to head to Xnader¡¯s room and Mina and I to stay in mine. It doesn¡¯t escape my notice that we are being kept in pairs. ¡°It¡¯s one in the morning, you all need your sleep after the events of today. Mina, you will be traveling with Skr to the Warrior camp, rooming and sharing a schedule since you are both still attending school. We will leave right after breakfast, 8am sharp, do not bete, any of you. Mina, things are being packed for you and your training gear will be provided. None of you are to travel alone, anywhere, including the bathroom, showers, everything. We don¡¯t know the nature of the attack or the reason behind it. All of you are important people so any of you could have been the target.¡± ¡°So are we under guard then?¡± Mina asks. ¡°In a manner of speaking, yes. We aren¡¯t advertising what is going on, but you all are to keep track of each other. For obvious reasons we are keeping Xander and Oscar together, which leaves the two of you, but that works in our favor in several ways.¡± ¡°Wait! What¡¯s obvious about Xander and Oscar?¡± Mina cuts him off and I flinch a little at the look that crosses his face from the interruption. ¡°We¡¯re mates, Mina.¡± Xander says confidently and her eyes go wide. ¡°How does that work exactly? Being the prince and heir and needing to continue your family line and all that.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t found our female mate yet. We know we have one, but that¡¯s all we know.¡± Oscar steps closer to Xander andces their fingers together. The show of support is sweet and I get the feeling they will get that question a lot if people find out about them before they understand Xander has two mates and they are not looking forward to it. Mina doesn¡¯t even question it past that though. She just takes in the info, nods and moves on with her questioning. ¡°So how does this work in our favor then?¡± She points between the two of us. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Before you interrupted, I was about to exin.¡± Osiston deadpans and then moves on like it never happened. ¡°Skr has had a lot of attention surrounding her arrival here. We don¡¯t discuss it, really it¡¯s no one¡¯s business and I will not be questioned any more, but your presence will help since it will be, on the surface, identical to her arrival. You have ate start and need to finish school while you are training. You will transfer to all of Skr¡¯s sses, she will get you caught up on everything.¡± He holds his hand up. ¡°Before you interrupt, she is taking higher level sses than you are, so you will step up. Now all of you go to bed, set rms, anything that happened today is not to be discussed outside of your group or outside this castle, literally. Go.¡± Chapter 0275 Chapter 0275 He isn¡¯t angry, but the tone in his voice has even Xander moving more quickly. I get Mina a pair of the silky soft pajamas Luna Anne gave me and we both settle side by side in my bed. It makes me think of my time with Sierra and a pang of guilt washes through me. I haven¡¯t even seen her since thest time I was in school. She¡¯s my best friend and I have barely thought about her in thest couple days. I have so much to tell her and so much I have to keep quiet. I¡¯ve never had a friend like that before and I feel terrible at just the thought of keeping something from her. ¡°What? Your whole face kind of went soft and pouty.¡± Mina asks, her voice softer than I¡¯ve heard it at all today. ¡°Nothing, I was just thinking about my best friend. I tell her everything, like everything everything, and I have to keep so much from her. I feel bad since I only get to see her at school and we don¡¯t have any sses together here, so lunch is the only time we can talk at all.¡± ¡°How do you already have a best friend here? Didn¡¯t you just get here?¡± ¡°Yeah, I did, but Sierra came to my pack to stay with her aunt and unclest year and we got close. She came back home and then I was brought to the Elite training, but it has been hard.¡± For the first time I am sad about being here. I don¡¯t regret it at all and I love that I get to do this, but now I have people to miss and maybe missing out on things normal teens do during the summer. I never thought about what I wouldn¡¯t be doing when I was here, it¡¯s a strange revtion. ¡°Are you talking about Doc Sylvia¡¯s Sierra?¡± I nod. ¡°Oh girl! No worries there. She probably knows everything anyway, she¡¯s got this weird way of getting people to spill their guts without even trying.¡± Mina starts tough and I join in, it¡¯s true. ¡°I know her, we¡¯ve had a few sses together over the years. If she¡¯s your best friend I wouldn¡¯t worry about it, she won¡¯t let your friendship go without a fight. You could be on your deathbed and she would negotiate more time with the Moon Goddess if she thought you needed it.¡± I smile at the thought. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for all of us to hang out a bit tomorrow. We get to start sses right away. Although I don¡¯t know why we are going to start sote. If we are eating breakfast at eight, we will for sure miss the first two periods, that seems strange.¡± ¡°Who knows, Warrior Brogen has like ten ns running through his head at all times and I bet each of those has two back-up ns.¡± Sheughs again. ¡°But let¡¯s get to sleep, cause he seems to have a soft spot for you, but he will publicly humiliate me and Oscar and probably Xander too, if we are late.¡±N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Chapter 0276 Chapter 0276 [October/November - 5 monthster] ¡°Again!¡± I shout picking my sorry ass up off the ground. Mina and Lillian bothe at me with pure hatred in their eyes. We¡¯ve been at this for hours, but I can¡¯t seem to figure out how to get through the two of them. We have progressed through training to the point where we are each given secret instructions by a leader and we have to follow through with our objective while also trying to figure out and stop our opponent, or in my case opponents, frompleting their task. I moved onto multiple opponents a few weeks ago when I was able to subdue Warrior Nicks andplete my task. I¡¯m not the only one, but I was the first. Ever since the attack at the beginning of the summer I have been more focused on training. I never want to be the weak link again. I could have died because I wasn¡¯t paying attention just hanging out with my friends. Lil and Mina won¡¯t let me just hole up in my room or the study room when we aren¡¯t training, much to my annoyance at first. It was so bad at one point that they got permission to bring Sierra to the compound to ¡®talk¡¯ me out of acting stupid. I say talk loosely, because she dragged me outside and proceeded to kick my ass until I pulled my head out and started fighting back. Then she brought the other girls in and it was three on one. We spared until we were all on the groundughing and Sierra reminded me that I needed this too. I need friends and to rx so when I do fight my head is fresh and clear. ¡°Seriously?! I don¡¯t think I have a body part that doesn¡¯t hurt right now.¡± Lil whines at me. ¡°You do realize that training ended an hour ago right?¡± ¡°And we have been doing this exercise for four hours.¡± Mina chimes in. They are trying to distract me so they can either get past me to just get a break. I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s thetter. ¡°I want to figure this out.¡± I say a bit whiny to my own ears. ¡°I don¡¯t like leaving things unfinished. And besides, if we are in a fight like this, our attacker isn¡¯t going to give us a break, no matter how long we¡¯ve been fighting.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to leave this unfinished, just on pause. We both have homework and we all need to eat. There is no point in getting injured in training because you don¡¯t know when to stop. We also have to meet with Warrior Brogen and Warrior Nicks in twenty minutes. You know they will both be pissed if we arete. Even if it was toplete this crazy ass battle assignment.¡± Mina says looking at her phone. I hadn¡¯t even noticed she walked away from us. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. ¡°Fine.¡± I grumble as I walk over to where our stuff is. ¡°Let¡¯s go shower and change, then we can grab something to eat on the way to their offices.¡± We were ready in record time and arrived at the building that housed all of our trainers. I discovered it a few weeks after getting here. It¡¯s set on the opposite side of the obstacle training grounds, so you would never see it unless you are like me and need to understand your surroundings completely. Which means being nosey and wandering around getting ay of thend. On the outside it looks the same as our building, modern white and ck and very grand. The inside is all dark wood and cabin feeling. It is so much more homey than the utilitarian style we have. But that does make sense since most of these trainers live here full time, unless they are on assignment. We walk into the entryway and ring the bell, signaling our arrival. No trainee is allowed past this room without an escort. It¡¯s the one way they keep a solid line between their personal and professional lives. Chapter 0277 Chapter 0277 Warrior Nicks walks out a few minutester, just nods his head to follow, turns and walks back down the hall he came from. We enter a meeting room with arge oval table in the center and at least a dozen chairs surrounding it. There isn¡¯t much for decoration, but there is a screen on one far wall and a projector that hangs from the ceiling. Other walls are covered inrge bulletin boards and white boards. This must be a strategy room for bigger missions. ¡°Sit, please.¡± I look up and Alpha Reggie is sitting at the end of the table furthest from the door. ¡°We have several things to discuss and I am on a time limit.¡± We both nod and sit opposite Warriors Nicks and Osiston. Alpha Reggie usually isn¡¯t this curt with me so something must be really wrong. ¡°You both have excelled far better than we could have expected out of such young wolves, but as it is you are now being considered for a future mission.¡± My ears perk up and I sit a little straighter at this revtion. I didn¡¯t expect to go on any kind of mission until I was at least eighteen. Alpha Reggie takes a deep breath before he continues. It feels like he is being forced to say whatever is about toe out of his mouth. ¡°This mission is recon only,¡± Another deep breath, ¡°But you both fit a demographic that will allow you to get closer and possibly gain information that my warriors have yet to obtain.¡± He looks at the warriors across from me with irritation oozing off of him. Neither of them shift or acknowledge the barb. ¡°With the more frequent and bold attacks, we can now assume that the royal family is the target. Trying to weaken our defenses by having our warriors continually injured or over tired from fighting. Setting the rest of our pack and surrounding packs against us by making it appear like we can not do something as simple as protect our borders. I think the hope is to wear us down for a less defended final attack.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. He takes another deep breath and rubs his eyes like he is already tired. Warrior Osiston speaks up, finishing the thought. ¡°We know it is the Rogue King trying to take the King¡¯s ce. We know that he has pockets of rogues stationed throughout the kingdom. Our biggest issue is we can¡¯t seem to find them. None of them have a scent to follow and there doesn¡¯t seem to be a rhyme or reason to the attacks. They are using chaos to hide what they are really up to and so far it¡¯s working.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with us?¡± I ask. ¡°What demographic do we fill that can get you information?¡± Mina follows right up. ¡°They have started taking girls around your age.¡± Alpha Reggie looks right at me and I can feel my face go pale and cold. No way. He just nods his head. ¡°We have been avoiding this for a while and I have tried to keep you out of it, but it''s time. We need to know what he is doing and figure out how to stop him.¡± ¡°Wait, what just happened? I don¡¯t understand. Mina is looking between me and Alpha Reggie. ¡°Having the both of you on the team allows us more ess. We all look like warriors on a mission while we walk around in our everyday lives. The two of you blend into crowds better. Fitting the demographic allows you both to ask questions about what is going on without raising suspicion, you can both y concerned girls trying to stay safe and trying to understand what¡¯s happening.¡± Nics continues. ¡°Any recon we do has to be done in the shadows, in the background. While the two of you could stroll down the street talking to whoever walks by. We are at a standstill and we need to figure out where these guys are hiding.¡± Chapter 0278 Chapter 0278 Mina and I look at each other. I know I am trying to contain my excitement, by the look on her face she is too. ¡°So what does that mean for us? What are we doing exactly?¡± Mina asks. ¡°You will start training with our recon team. We have a very specific way that we gain and ry information. We need to make sure that you are able to work within our formations and understand all of our calls and codes.¡± Nicks looks serious, letting us know that he¡¯s on board with this but wary at the same time. ¡°We also need to get you branded.¡± Alpha Reggie begins. ¡°It¡¯s for your safety and our peace of mind. The elders voted ¡®no¡¯st night when we proposed it, but we will approach them again. Now that we have solid proof that female wolves are being stalked and taken, it¡¯s less of a choice as it is a duty now. These untrained, unwilling girls are being taken and we don¡¯t know for what purpose. But, you both need the brand so we can track you if something goes wrong.¡± ¡°And when ites to the Rogue King, we expect it to go sideways.¡± Nicks mutters loud enough to be heard by all of us. A flutter rushes through my stomach at the thought, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fear. Is it crazy that the thought of being captured excites me a little? What does that say about me? Oh Goddess, I am nuts, but I don¡¯t feel bad about it at all. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Can we start training with the team even if we aren¡¯t branded, while you are trying to convince the Elders to allow our brands?¡± Mina asks. I was too far ahead of the game in my mind. We need to start first. ¡°I think that would be wise. The Elders will be brought to reason, but we can¡¯t dy. They could move at any time and we need to get into one of their locations.¡± Osiston says. ¡°You will no longer be doing your regr daily training. You will both join our team for overnight training beginning today. Your school schedule will remain the same and we expect you to keep up your work, but you will not be required to do evening training so you can rest before joining the team again. The team¡¯s mission and your roles in it are ssified.¡± We both nod when he doesn¡¯t continue. ¡°Report to the front of the dorms tonight at 8pm, we will take you to the team from there. Make sure you eat before you go, there will be no other time for that once training begins.¡± Nicks says in that serious voice again. I¡¯ve never heard him like that in our other training sessions. But maybe it¡¯s because this is real, not training or a demo. ¡°Once we know more about the branding we will let you know.¡± We both nod again. ¡°You may go.¡± Alpha Reggie dismisses us. We both stand quickly and move towards the door. As soon as we¡¯re across the threshold they all begin speaking and not really all that quiet. ¡°We are setting them up, why would we do that?¡± Nicks''s voice carries. ¡°I agree they don¡¯t belong on this mission, but we have no other choice. We know what he¡¯s after now.¡± Osiston¡¯s voice answers, clearly bored with this line of thinking. ¡°So we¡¯re just going to give them what they are looking for on a silver tter?¡± Nicks barks back. The door closes before I get the chance to hear anymore of the conversation. Nicks clearly doesn¡¯t want us on this mission. I thought we got along, were even bing¡­ friendly isn¡¯t the right word, but maybe we have a mutual respect, but I guess we aren¡¯t ready enough for him yet. Which makes me angry and has me worried all at the same time. I bust my ass in training, I know how to fight and defend myself against all of the best warriors here. I am getting better at the submission game we have been ying. But if he¡¯s worried we aren¡¯t ready then maybe we are missing something. He spends the most time with us during training sessions and knows our skills well. He doesn¡¯t seem like the type to hold anyone back, but we are different being younger than everyone, in my case a lot younger. We head back to the dorms and our shared room. I was so excited when I was told we were going to be roommates. Audrina, of course, was pissed. I think mostly because we were moved to the guys side of the hallway into the floor leaders suite. Wyatt gave up the suite and moved next door to an empty room happily. Chapter 0279 Chapter 0279 We have our own bathroom, which is helpful with our schedule and the space is big enough for our twin beds and two desks. We aren¡¯t here enough to need to lounge or anything, just the basics. We share the closet too, but since everything is uniform there isn¡¯t a lot to it. No one knows why we have this set up, it¡¯s never been done before, but we are working the ¡®too young to actually be here¡¯ angle and that it¡¯s more efficient for school. Since she has been here and attached to my hip Audrina and her friends haven¡¯t even tried to mess with me. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s themanding aura she gives off, the fact that we are never apart long enough to be cornered, or that together we have beaten every single person or team we havee up against, but I¡¯m notining. N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content. Overall training has gotten better without the constant undermining. I feel like I have finally started to settle here and this is where I am truly meant to be. The only thing I miss is my brother and the guys. I haven¡¯t had a chance to write back to them. I feel like everything has picked up pace since the attack. Trainings are more greuling, school has gotten into full swing and Mina needs help since joining all of my sses. She decided that my ss schedule should be used as cruel and unusual punishment. And we haven¡¯t seen Xander or Oscar since the attack. Barty stopped by and told me there is a family dinner happening soon and Mina and I are to attend. Which will be a nice treat. ¡°So what do you think all of that was back there after we left?¡± Mina turns to me after shutting and locking our door. Another thing we both do out of self preservation. Our door is locked no matter if we are here or not. We have to assume the attacks are being assisted by someone. Nothing has happened here on thepound grounds, yet, but we can¡¯t get comcent. It¡¯s what got us both injured in the first ce. I sit cross legged on my bed after kicking off my shoes. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it sounds like Warrior Nicks really doesn¡¯t want us on this mission. I wish he would say why though. Maybe if there is some training we haven¡¯tpleted yet, we could get on that. It¡¯s not like they have us on a normal track anyway.¡± ¡®I think he is worried about something. I didn¡¯t get the feeling it was us though. More like he¡¯s worried for us not about us being there. They are taking girls, maybe he¡¯s worried about sending you into the lion¡¯s den with your royal blood and all that.¡± She gives me a shove and a smile. ¡°If they were worried about that at all, I wouldn¡¯t even be here. There¡¯s no point in training me to be an elite warrior and then lock me in a tower for the rest of my life.¡± I shrug her off. ¡°Who knows, maybe he¡¯s tired of all the double standards when ites to us. I mean, I was told that I would be training with the warriors, like the warriors, and to expect the extra school and work stuff to be a secondary priority, but still a big deal. But, when I think about it. I have been given every pass that is possible to have. I miss trainings to do things at the castle, I guess it counts as training when I¡¯m learning and training with Alpha Reggie. I also had that whole Elders weekend thing with all of the outfits and dresses and changes to my schedule then. My ssroom teachers don¡¯t even blink now if a warriores in to deliver a message to me.¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°That¡¯s how it is for any of the Royals though, and I hate to break it to you, but you are a Royal whether you like it or not.¡± She pats me on the head like a toddler. I shove her off and over to her own bed. ¡°Well, look at it this way, at least now we can see how they do research and recon. I have always been curious about the nning rooms, it¡¯s so mysterious. She¡¯s tapping her steepled fingers to her chin like a cartoon viin. ¡°I want to know what they do to n everything.¡± Chapter 0280 Chapter 0280 I have to admit, I¡¯m excited too. This is what I have been dreaming about ever since I found out about the Elite Warriors. Working in the shadows, no one really knows who you are. It¡¯s not about the glory for them, well most of them, I think as Audrina¡¯s face pops into my head. They are the ones who take care of the really hard stuff and never get any public recognition. They make pack life better and most don¡¯t even realize it. ¡°We better get the homework done then, and maybe a nap if we¡¯re going to be up all night.¡± I move towards my books. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Whhhhyyyy?!¡± Mina whines. ¡°We are like two weeks ahead on everything. I hate your sses, have I ever told you that?¡± Iugh. ¡°Maybe once or twice. But we don¡¯t know what this new training is going to do to us. If we can¡¯t stay ahead, it¡¯s going to be a bigger pain in the ass, trust me. Let¡¯s get this out of the way and then we can actually focus for the next week on training.¡± ¡°Ugh, I hate it when you make sense!¡¯ She moves for her backpack. ¡°At least most of the sses are starting to make sense. Math might kill me though. I may just have you take the test for me so the professor doesn¡¯t have to wait a week for me to finish it.¡± We both start to giggle. For the next two hours we work through everything that we can. Mina asks for help every now and then, but mostly we just work infortable silence. By 6pm we are starving and as far as we can go with all of our subjects so we head downstairs to see if we can grab food before one of the warriors picks us up for training. Ste and Jack must have been told what was going on in some form, because when we walked into the kitchen two heaping tes were set aside with our names on them. I just smiled, something about the way they take care of us feels like what Luna Ava and Alpha Lucas would do. Parents secretly caring for the kids that want to grow up, but doing it without hovering. We take our tes out to the dining room. While we are eating Audrina, Bridget and Chelsea walk byughing about something. They all stop at the same time. It¡¯s almost like they share a brain. Now that I think about it, maybe they do since they have all been branded, maybe they were talking over the shared link and somehow knew to stop together. I don¡¯t know. ¡°What the hell?¡± Chelsea asks. ¡°Since when do we get to eat in the middle of training? And where¡¯s the spread?¡± Bridget says looking around, like maybe she could get in on the action. ¡°We have orders and need to eat earlier than usual.¡± Mina keeps her tone level and reasonable. She really is so much more calm when dealing with people. THey way she acts out in public, you would never know her real age. The way she whines about homework is another matter altogether. ¡°That¡¯s just code for the spoiled princess gets whatever she wants.¡± Audrina snarks, but the cold stare of her eyes says she¡¯s not amused. ¡°We did extra training earlier, still met you this morning before the rest of the warriors are due to come out and like I said, we have orders. We¡¯ve done the time and then some. If you don¡¯t like our arrangement you will need to take it to the warrior who will be here to pick us up around eight.¡± Mina stares them all down. For a Delta her presence is strong. The difference is, she doesn¡¯t use it to make people bow down to her, more as a pressure to help them understand she¡¯s serious and rethink certain actions or thoughts. ¡°Whatever. You two are sozy just hanging out here in thepound while the rest of us actually work. You¡¯ll never get called up if you can even manage to graduate.¡± Audrina shrugs and starts to walk away. Neither of us respond. It¡¯s not worth mentioning, again, that we train more than she does with all the extra thatI force my friends to put in and whatever hairbrained thing she has us do every morning trying to wear us down so we make a mistake in front of the lead warriors. It has actually be a part of our routine that we n for each day. ¡°She¡¯s so jealous of you it¡¯s kind of disturbing.¡± Mina says around a mouthful of food. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s me she¡¯s jealous of. You walked in here like you owned the ce and then owned the sparring mat your first night. I think I might still have a couple bruises left over.¡± Iugh at her. ¡°Shut up, we both know you healed in like five minutes. I¡¯m a warrior, my presence is supposed to be known. You came in unknown. No one knew you, or had heard of you. You¡¯re this tiny little snack sized person¡­¡± I cut her off with augh. ¡°What?¡± ¡°One of my friends nicknamed me ¡¯Bite Size.¡¯ That eventually got shortened to ¡®Bitty.¡¯ Actually, all my friends had some stupid small nickname for me. Iughed thinking about the way that all started, then sighed. I miss them. ¡°Was he special?¡± She asked with a funny look on her face. ¡°They were all special and stubborn and overbearing and wonderful and I miss them.¡± ¡°They? How many hearts did you break when you left?¡± ¡°Wait, what? Breaking hearts? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That look in your eyes tells me Mr. Bitty was more than just a friend to you, he was special. But you just said ¡®they.¡¯ How many boyfriends did you have back home? And how did you handle all of them? I had one boyfriend once and he was enough guy to handle. I can¡¯t imagine having more than one.¡± She fans herself. ¡°WHAT? No! No, no, no! I didn¡¯t have a boyfriend, I¡¯ve never had one.¡± My voice is getting high and kind of raspy and I can¡¯t control it. ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me that you had guy friends and did nothing with any of them? No dating, kissing, hand holding, anything?¡± ¡°Sometimes they would hold my hand, especially when the trials were going on, it helped to calm my nerves and they all used to kiss me on the cheek or forehead, things like that. But, no, I didn¡¯t date any of them.¡± ¡°So they were all touchy feely with you, but you did nothing back. Girl, you missed all the signs.¡± She¡¯sughing now. ¡°Huh? You make no sense. There were no signs. These are my brother¡¯s friends, they are all like extensions of that. They are just over-protective.¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°You keep telling yourself that.¡± Sheughs again. ¡°You may have missed your chance to have all your firsts with a future Gamma, Delta and Alphas. I bet they have plenty of experience for you.¡± She winks. Chapter 0281 Chapter 0281 ¡°Back to Audrina though. She¡¯s jealous that you came in and took her ce as the favorite. Although, I think being the favorite was all in her head. From what I hear, most people didn¡¯t like to work with her because of her superiorityplex. She tears people down and makes them, instead of giving constructive criticism to work on and get better like you do.¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°I still think you¡¯re crazy. There¡¯s nothing to be jealous of. I¡¯m just me, I just want to fight, nothing spectacr.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll agree to disagree, I¡¯m not arguing with you about this. It¡¯s almost time, do you think we should grab anything? We¡¯re going overnight, but didn¡¯t get a whole lot of information.¡± ¡°I guess I might bring a sweatshirt to have ayer if they make us shift on the fly. I wish someone would teach me the whole ¡®shift and keep your clothes¡¯ thing.¡± I say as we take our things back to the kitchen. We both run upstairs to grab an extrayer and then sit and wait in the foyer. Neither of us talk or discuss anything. I know we are both nervous and excited all at the same time, but once of the best things about Mina is she doesn¡¯t need to fill the silence with noise or talking, we are both just here, together, and that¡¯s all that is needed forfort at this point. At eight on the dot the door opens with Warrior Nicks¡¯ wide imposing frame filling the doorway, but not stepping in. His light hair and blue eyes normally leave him looking, not inviting, but not scary. But just like at the meeting his gaze is hard and judgemental. He was forced to collect us and he is openly not happy about it. He does not want us or me on this mission and my heart falls a little more. Those old feelings of not being wanted, not being good enough from my dad creeping back in. I have to mentally shake it off. I can¡¯t go back to being that girl again, she was abused and neglected and everything that I have worked for is to make sure no one feels like that ever, including myself. Do I confront him? Say anything? Or just live with this, pretend like it isn¡¯t the elephant in the room and hope for the best? At least Mina is with me, we¡¯ll just truck through this recon mission and I will keep my eye on the goal, to gain experience and knowledge about mission protocols. Nothing else matters, not him and his feelings, Audrina, Kaley, the guys, no one. I am here, living out my dream. That has to stay my focus. He turns from the door without a word and walks off. We hurry behind him not wanting to be left behind. There¡¯s a ck SUV parked out front with dark tinted windows. We both move to the back and climb in. No one is in the passenger seat, but neither of us want to be alone with Nicks in whatever neverending mood he seems to be stuck in. He looks in the rearview mirror from the driver¡¯s side, huffs a sound out of his nose and then shifts his eyes back to the front before he starts to drive away. The windows are so dark that it¡¯s hard to see out in thest rays of light from the day. We are traveling away from thepound and the castle and everything I have been to since being in this pack. The butterflies in my stomach are back and my senses are on fire waiting to be used. I have to fight the smile that really wants to spread on my face. A real mission where I get to use real skills. I sink back into the seat and just watch the forest fly by in blurred shadows and silhouettes thinking about all the training I have ever gone through, all the skill building games I did with the kids to hone isted senses. One game I miss is hide and seek. My wolf and I loved that game so we could refine our sense of smell. The kids would mill about in a section of forest near the training grounds, leaving their scents behind and one would hide when the rest came back to me and I had to figure out who was missing and then find them. We always had a great time. It taught them to start to use the forest around them to mask their scent and as they got better I had to improve my tracking skills to find them. Chapter 0282 Chapter 0282 We hit a bump in the road that brings me out of that happy memory. ¡°Hang on. The rest of the ride is going to be rough. We usually run out here.¡± Nicks¡¯ gruff voice carries back as we slow down slightly to amodate the dips and bumps in the trail. ¡°Why not make us run then? I don¡¯t understand why we are being driven in if that isn¡¯t the norm.¡± I don¡¯t mean to sound like a teenager, but frankly I am and my anger at my situation, the way some of the trainers and some of the warriors view me and my position here, while better than when I started still isn¡¯t the best and it¡¯s pissing me off. But I can¡¯t me them either. When I¡¯m supposed to be doing the same things as everyone else, told what to expect, but not a minuteter someone is trying to intervene and make something morefortable and change the directive we were all given, but the change is only for me. It¡¯s bullsh*t and I¡¯m over it. ¡°I don¡¯t understand the motive here. Do you and the mission team think we¡¯re too weak to do this and want to prove that by making us take a car? You clearly don¡¯t want us here. Audrina and her idiot cronies think that I¡¯m sleeping with all of you to keep my ce here, thanks to the perceived special treatment. Even though all of you have a brand that should make that physically impossible. I just wish someone would exin what the hell is going on already and give me real expectations.¡± I rub my face and take a deep breath to try and calm down. ¡°If I¡¯m not ready, or if you think I should go home, then send me home.¡± N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Do you want to leave?¡± His voice sounds too hopeful. I scowl at him in the rearview. ¡°Of course not.¡± Now both me and my wolf are irritated, which is not a goodbination. ¡°That truly is a stupid question and shows you know nothing about me at all. This is the one thing I have worked for. The only thing I have ever wanted for myself. The one thing that I chose, with no outside influence. The one thing I am good at. I need to be here, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to be here now if my age or inexperience or whatever the hell is going on is a problem. I¡¯m here to get better, not ruin everyone¡¯s chances by being a distraction.¡± I finish by rolling my eyes and look out the window at nothing now that the darkness has fully taken over in the 45 minute drive. Mina is tense next to me. She knows a little of what has gone on with me, but I try to keep what happened in my past, back home, tucked away in a tight little corner of my mind. I am here now, away from all of that sh*t and I really want it to stay that way, but I can¡¯t seem to get people to see past my physical presence. My age and my size will always be a problem, no matter what I do. I get that now. I just have to continue to be more. I have to work more, study more, prepare more, show up more. It¡¯s the only thing I can control. I hope when I get my brand some of the emotions surrounding these thoughts are tamped down, cause I am so tired of the emotional roller coaster. Nicks growls in his chest. Good, at least he feels some of the irritation that I do. ¡°You have to understand. All the trainers are aware of you and your affiliation with the Alpha King¡­¡± Oh hell no! I cut him off. ¡°I¡¯m going to stop you right there.¡± I raise my hand up. ¡°You don¡¯t give Xander the same porcin doll treatment, and he¡¯s the next in line to be king! So rethink your argument.¡± He grunts again. ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t want you on this mission, I have a bad feeling about it. I have since we started it. I can¡¯t exin it, so I¡¯m not going to try since you have a death wish anyway.¡± He just leaves it at that answer finish the drive in silence. Chapter 0283 Chapter 0283 I start to doze off, but can¡¯t quite find sleep. I have no idea how long we have been driving at this point, but my butt is numb, even in these cushy leather seats. Mina is out like a light next to me, but I can¡¯t seem to get Nicks¡¯ words out of my head. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this mission, I have since it started.¡¯ I know that I trust my wolf¡¯s instincts, Osiston is the same way. I know we train so hard to get better and be reliable, but out in the real world, trusting your gut can sometimes mean the difference betweening home alive or dying on the battlefield. If his gut says this whole thing is going to go wrong, it probably will and we need to be ready for that. I know he¡¯s great at what he does, it¡¯s why he has been in and out of Elite training since I have been here. He never misses a whole day, but he is constantly being pulled for information and insight. Osiston is the same, he¡¯s just scheduled with us only once a week, maybe every other week if he¡¯s on something important for Alpha Reggie. We finally pull to a stop near a few other SUV¡¯s that look exactly like this one. So at least we weren¡¯t the only ones who drove in. That would have been helpful information for my bad mood when we started this journey. I fight another eye roll. Mina stirs awake now that the constant hum of the car has stopped. We both stay silent climbing out of the same side, staying as close together as possible. We follow Nicks silently to a cluster of tents set up military camp style literally in the middle of nowhere. ¡°Wh¡­¡± Mina starts to ask a question, but Nicks just shakes his head and looks at both of us, giving a silent instruction not to talk for now. We walk towards thergest tent and head in while Nickloas holds the p open for us. It is not what I expected at all. The outside looks just like a giant canvas tent you would see in an old war movie, but inside it looks like aputer nerd¡¯s wet dream. There are tables everywhere covered inputer screens. Some look like they are running themselves as words scroll down, others are clearly camera feeds. There are only a couple of people here though. There¡¯s no way the two of them monitor all of this. They seem to be watching buildings and sidewalks, but I don¡¯t recognize any of the locations from anything I¡¯ve seen here on the Royal packnds, but I haven¡¯t been very far either. I¡¯m lost in thought, checking out all of the camera feeds, my brain trying to memorize notablendmarks so I know where camera angles are when they finally send us out when there¡¯s a tap on my shoulder. I look over and Nicks has a small smirk on his face, then he rolls his eyes and tilts his head wanting me to follow. It¡¯s the first sign of humor I¡¯ve seen in a while from him and at all today. We walk behind a row ofputers ande to a stop. Nicks reaches to a portable keypad nestled in the mess of cords on the table behind theputers and punches in a quick code. It was too quick for me to get the whole thing but it''s five or six digits and the first three are 769. As soon as the code is in I hear a thunk and Nicks reaches down to pull open a trapdoor, just sitting there in the ground. What? The hydraulic hinges make the six inch thick hunk of metal pull up like it weighs no more than a piece of paper. Nicks ducks and starts walking down the metal steps, so we follow. As soon as we get to the bottom he hits another button and the trap door shuts with a small hiss and we are plunged into darkness for a second. My breath catches. This is just like when Kaley had her goons take me out to be whipped. I was pulled into that dark closet and had a bag thrown over my head, instant darkness. I can feel my breathing pick up and my heart is racing. I know this is different, but the panic is fighting toe out. My wolf is trying to calm me down too, but it sounds like she¡¯s trying to talk to me through water. I can¡¯t understand and she''s getting further away. ¡°Hey. HEY! Breathe Midge, you have to get control, now!¡± I feel a grip on my shoulders, they are strong and demanding, but they don¡¯t hurt me. ¡°Take a deep breath and open your eyes.¡± The deep, gruff voice is softer now with a hint of concern. ¡°What was that Midge?¡± I open my eyes and look at Nicks and he reminds me of Sam a bit when he¡¯s this close. I blink a few times and just shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good. I just wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡± I try to step out of his reach, but he won¡¯t let me go and he¡¯s bent down to get eye level with me. ¡°Have you talked to anyone?¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Have you talked to anyone, professional I mean, about what has happened to you?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± I look around for anything else to talk about. This is not what I want to discuss at all right now. ¡°You know we all have to go through evaluations after every mission, right? You¡¯re going to have to talk to someone to make sure that sh*t¡­¡± He points at the door. ¡°Doesn¡¯t happen on a mission. I close my eyes and nod. What else was I supposed to do? If it¡¯s required, it¡¯s required and I will probably get benched from every mission from here on out. But, I will not be sidelined yet. I look past him. ¡°Where to now, boss?¡± When he says nothing, I look him dead in the eyes. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°So, that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be, huh? You know I have to report that.¡± He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, rubbing his hands over his face then turns. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 0284 Chapter 0284 We walk in silence through the rest of the short hallway. It seems to be dark gray metal with I beams reinforcing the walls and ceilings every ten feet or so. I definitely get Batman vibes walking in the corridor. I don¡¯t know what to expect at this point, but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m more excited or afraid of spy gadgets popping up out of the ground like in the movies. I really need to not let my imagination run away with me, but it¡¯s hard with no information to work with and Nicks still isn¡¯t talking to us, just silently walking. Nicks takes us through a heavy metal door that has one handle on the outside, but several levers and handles on the inside. This ce was meant to keep people out. We walk into a room that is still the drab gray metal, but there is a dim blue light illuminating the whole space. It seems to being from the additional screens, but also the walls too. ¡°Here.¡± Nicks points us to a table where Osiston and three other warriors are sitting. I recognize all of them from our sparring sses, but none of them are ever there consistently. I guess this would be why. They are on a mission, no longer needing training, but attending to either stay in shape or to help with new recruits. ¡°Thank you for joining us,dies. I¡¯m hoping that your involvement will make this mission go a bit more quickly. We¡¯ve been on this for a long time and have lost too many to the cause. It needs to end sooner rather thanter. And now innocence is being taken, that we cannot allow.¡± The older of the two guys I only recognize by face. He¡¯s starting to gray around the ears and he has lines around his eyes from either squinting or smiling a lot. The rest of his dark hair is cut very short on the sides and back and only long enough tob back on top. His build is average for most of the warriors I know. About six feet tall and probably has to walk through a standard door sideways because of his shoulder width. In this light I can¡¯t tell what color his eyes are, but they are dark and soulful, like he could see right through you. ¡°So we¡¯re just going to throw innocence right at them then?¡± Nicks asks next to me.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°We have heard from your point of view on this enough, Nicks. They have agreed to help and the decision stands.¡± ¡°They agreed without all of the information. They are too young and eager to prove themselves. Of course they agreed.¡± Catching on the same time I did, Mina speaks up. ¡°They are standing right here and clearly this isn¡¯t as formal as when we were asked to join this mission. You all might as welly it out there. It is obvious that this mission is dangerous, that was made clear enough when we were volun-told to join this group. Might as well get out whatever it is that you have a problem with Warrior Nicks, since you seem to be the only one to voice a negative to us being here.¡± She looks right at him, but my eyes are on Osiston who seems to be just as agitated as Nicks. ¡°You are being set up and used as bait. Everyone who is for this bullsh*t n is hoping that since both of you excel at fighting and have outmaneuvered everyone in this room on your own and as a team that you will be able to get yourselves out of trouble when, not if, but when an attempt to kidnap you happens. There are too many variables that we can¡¯t ount for, too much risk to your lives and those that will step in to help you.¡± I take a deep breath, it¡¯s basically what we thought. They have a lot of faith in our skills even though they have never been used in an actual battle situation. On that I agree with Nicks, there are too many variables to think about, too many things that are out of our control. That¡¯s not a n. I don''t expect anything foolproof, there¡¯s no such thing, but having some kind of back up n would be nice, but I don¡¯t think we even really have a n to make a backup for. Chapter 0285 Chapter 0285 I rub my eyes with both hands. ¡°So what¡¯s the n for tonight? We clearly aren¡¯t going to be the bait now. What can we do to make this suck less?¡± I look around the room. ¡°What are we looking for, what is the recon? How can we prepare for being taken? Since that seems to be the end goal, right? For one or both of us to get taken so we can be tracked to wherever they are holding these girls.¡± ¡°How are you so calm about this? No one should be okay with dangling pups, children, minors, whatever you want to be ssified as, a treat for the bad guys to juste and get.¡± Nicks sounds offended at my questions. I roll my eyes. ¡°Human punching bag, remember? This is right up my alley. I am the scapegoat, the target and I have been my entire minorhood. So let''s not act like being young should y a part here. The only effect it has is that the ¡®bad guys,¡¯¡± I air quote. ¡°Will more than likely underestimate us because of it.¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°You are a f*cking royal!¡± His voice is progressively getting louder, but no one moves to calm him down. ¡°We would never send Xander out because of that fact alone!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not high enough on the bracket for that to be a factor either. And everyone knows Xander, he can¡¯t be sent into any type of undercover situation. No one knows me, I am just another girl on the street. I am also the right gender for the task.¡± Why I am negotiating with him while the rest of these guys just watch is beyond me. ¡°I¡¯m not fighting for my spot as a sacrificialmb, but I also understand the value we both have in this mission. Can we please just get to the recon stuff, since I don¡¯t think the bait part of this n is the same as the info gathering.¡± I look at him with pleading eyes. He needs to let this go for now. ¡°What type of info are we looking for and how are we,¡± I point between Mina and myself, ¡°going to help you get it?¡± Nicks huffs and just stands there for a second, like he¡¯s lost in thought. He eventually pulls out chairs for us and takes a seat next to me. ¡°This is what we know so far¡­¡± Jorge starts talking point to several photos in front of us and flipping between three aerial shots of a forest. There is so much information and yet nothing to work with. They know that the rogues areing in and out of Canada. It appears that most of the traffic ising from the northeast, which would make sense since they can use the Antic Ocean as a means of travel with very little issue. It is assumed that Nova Scotia is where the Rogue King has been operating from, but no one has proof. No one even knows who the Rogue King is or what he looks like. He¡¯s a phantom. The best trackers that the Elite Warriors have followed the trails of a couple girls as far as Bangor, but lost the scent after that in a more popted area. An area that is mostly humans, which could be a problem. They followed the river North and noticed they also went past the University of Maine, which is mostly human, but wolves attend too depending on what they want to study. It¡¯s also a great ce to grab innocent girls only slightly older than Mina. The problem is the scent trail just disappears. Even with methodical investigation, by the best of the best trackers in all directions. It just doesn¡¯t make any sense. And there doesn¡¯t seem to be a pattern to the girls taken, other than the ones that they were able to track for a small amount of time were wolves. There has to be something else going on, no scent just stops and vanishes into thin air. Chapter 0286 Chapter 0286 We got to work getting familiar with the surrounding area from the overhead views of the pictures. Any idea we had about ces that might be used for hideouts or holding areas, the team has already searched, but with the knowledge that scents cannot be tracked, they could very well be hiding in in sight and we would never know. We also started talking about what they could be using to block their scents. Since the girls that have been taken have also had their trails go cold. It is more than likely the work of a powerful witch or, ording to Jorge, most likely a coven of witches working together. But no one has heard of a spell like that. That is where the other two in the groupe in. Alyssa and William have been contacting and working with covens near us to try and figure out what is working against our sense of smell. They have both been gone for thest month studying and learning. William took the more treacherous route, going north east, nearest to the Canadian border and most likely where the rogues are. Alyssa took the western part of the state where arge coven is. These witches have almost completely immersed themselves into the human cities and towns in the area. They have a really good handle on intermixing and keeping their existence a secret. They also have some of the most powerful leaders and elders that our group has found. Everything I have ever heard about the different species is that none of us get along, so we never work together or socialize in any way. But, it seems like at least some of us can intermix without a problem. I¡¯m sure everything I have heard is from idiots, like my dad, who have been taught their species is the best and only species that should be around. Your standard, run of the mill racism doing its job to spread hate. My dad also can¡¯t stand that I am a female and want to be a warrior not a breeding machine, so I shouldn¡¯t be surprised with other types of discrimination. I have never had any interactions with species other than werewolves, so I can¡¯t say whose opinions are right or better or whatever, but I do know that there are several werewolves that I love and many I hate. So I¡¯m sure it would be the same with anyone else. Alyssa and William are currently working to find what type of spell or more likely potion is being used to mask not only the rogue''s personal scent, but also the scent of their victim. They are both getting help from different Coven leaders, but witches keep their information close and don¡¯t like to share with outsiders. Getting into their inner circles to even ask about things like that is hard and takes time, which is why everyone here is so agitated. They can¡¯t do anything until we have more information and something to work with. Warriors don¡¯t do well with downtime of any kind. ¡°Now that you have an idea of what we have been working on for thest eight months, this is where you bothe in.¡± Jorge starts. ¡°We are going to take you into the cities where the most activity has been. The most kidnappings.¡± Warrior Osiston takes over. ¡°Clearly they are looking for a female, but there isn¡¯t a pattern of what they are looking for specifically, so we are working under the assumption that they just need women.¡± ¡°We have looked into each female that has been reported missing. There is always a possibility that the female is being used to control or ckmail her mate or family if they are high ranking. But they are of all different ranks and backgrounds, no connections that we can see, yet.¡± Jorge jumps in again. ¡°The problem is that we don¡¯t think all of the women that have gone missing have been reported. Many times high ranking wolves will work in house because enemies will use that distraction to attack.¡± Nicks scoffs. ¡°Is it just Alpha King Reggie¡¯s kingdom that is being attacked? Are other King¡¯s having the same problem? Have all the attacks happened in Royal Pack territory?¡± Mina fires off questions. It¡¯s almost like we can read each other¡¯s thoughts. Although when I remember that I can actually mindlink, maybe I have been feeding my own exact same questions to her through it. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°That¡¯s the thing, we all have attacks and people trying to overthrow their king for whatever reason, but this seems to be directed specifically at us. So we have to assume it is directed towards Alpha King Reggie.¡± Jorge says looking worried for the first time since we entered the room. ¡°For the next couple of weeks we will get you brought up to speed with all of our intel. As much as it seems like we don¡¯t know anything, we have made some progress. It¡¯s really the location of the Rogues and their captives that we can¡¯t seem to get. Any rogues we capture die before we can question them. Another thing we need to figure out how they are doing because it¡¯s not any form of su*cide that we can tell.¡± Osiston says, leaning forward in his chair. ¡°You will still do your school days as normal. Your training will happen here with us unless you are out on recon missions. We travel at night and you will travel by vehicle to keep your scents hidden as much as possible.¡± ¡°Why do we need to keep it hidden that we are here?¡± I ask. As far as I can tell we aren¡¯t off Royal Pack territory, so it shouldn¡¯t matter. ¡°This location is a ck sight. None of the trainees know that it is here and we want it to stay that way. As trainees yourself there are still things that we need to teach you about masking and we don¡¯t need anyone catching your scents by ident on patrols and trying to follow you here.¡± He looks at me and I feel the weight of the implication. Audrina would follow me here to try and find a reason to get me in trouble or kicked out and she would definitely make a big deal about my being on this mission, while her high and mightiness is still stuck at the trainingpound. ¡°Let¡¯s run, we can show you our boundaries and get your time in.¡± Nicks stands, like his pants are on fire. Chapter 0287 Chapter 0287 We are getting deep into the fall and our recon missions have been going well, I think. I still don¡¯t know what information we are getting and I have the feeling it is meant to be that way. I guess I can see the appeal behind ourck of knowledge since the idea is for us to be taken. We really don¡¯t know much. I haven¡¯t noticed anything out of the ordinary as Mina and I walk through the streets of different neighborhoods and cities near where the most girls are being kidnapped. Mina and I spend almost every weekend staying in a rental property with Nicks posing as our uncle. The backstory for the humans is we are looking at the University, for the wolves we are traveling for Mina to find her mate. Hoping both stories get us noticed we aren¡¯t super shy or reclusive, we both talk to everyone and y up the ¡®girl vibe¡¯ as Nicks calls it. I am so exhausted after we are out all day acting like that, who knew being social could burn you out more than training? But it is working to get us noticed and I am being pushed, no thrown, out of myfort zone acting like this and wearing trendy clothes, going to restaurants, shops and other heavily attended areas around Orono, which is the closest city to the University of Maine campus. What Mina and I have gathered by identally overhearing bits and pieces of conversations is that some of the clubs and bars near campus and in Orono are bing heavily attended recently by an unusually high amount of new guys to the area. Most around college age so the humans aren¡¯t really suspicious yet since we are in the middle of a semester, but we know they are wolves. Some smell like rogues, but not all of them, which is making us suspicious. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. No one has approached us, but that might be because of our chaperone who is less than pleased when any male walks our way. Nicks is ying his protective part a little too well, but it does give us an excuse to rebel a little. We haven¡¯t done anything yet, but we do n on returning to this area in January with Mina attending sses at the University. If anyone asks, I¡¯m being homeschooled until I can join her. It¡¯s the most usible story we have. So Mina and I havee up with a few ways to ¡®sneak out¡¯ and meet up with a few of the other girls we have met while walking around when we get back. We have our rental until the Thanksgiving holiday and then we need to move on for a bit to make our mate story more believable. There are several conservation areas in this state and surrounding our position. While we have been working the people here, the rest of the team has been fanning out working methodically to search them for any signs of rogue camps or hideouts. They keeping up empty handed, but that also could be the masking thing they have going on too. I think everything is truly riding on Mina and I being taken. That is where we are going to get answers. I don¡¯t know how I feel about that though. I know we have ns in ce so our attackers won¡¯t get far with us no matter how sedated or subdued we are. And we get to be temporarily branded sometime after the Thanksgiving break so they can track us. Since Mina will be 18 soon, I think whoever is holding up the branding process was waiting and hoping for her to find her mate, which would effectively put a stop to this part of the operation since no one in their right mind would let me out alone for this. Nicks and Osiston got their way though, since we venture further and further from them as we explore the city. They can¡¯t be with us all the time and our mind link only goes so far. The magic of the brand is it covers any distance and Nicks more than anyone has been fighting for us to get it done, especially now that we are in this mission fully. Chapter 0288 Chapter 0288 ¡°I can¡¯t wait to go back to thepound, I want to train and run hard, my body needs it. I feel so lazy right now.¡± I whine at Mina in our shared room of the rental property. We just got back from shopping and meeting up for dinner with some other college freshman we met a couple weeks ago. We have managed to keep people friendly but at a distance. We don¡¯t go to people¡¯s houses and they don¡¯te to ours. Having an overprotective ¡®uncle¡¯ is doing wonders to keep a certain level of separation. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to go back and use the hot tub. My feet are killing me.¡± ¡°You were the idiot who chose to wear heels to the mall.¡± I scoff at her, but she smiles right back. ¡°Yeah, but it got their attention, didn¡¯t it?¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°Of course it did, your legs look a mile long with them on and that short skirt. I still can¡¯t force myself to wear those. These shorts are bad enough, there¡¯s barely enough material to cover my hooha.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You wear skimpier stuff to training. Those shorts are nothing.¡± ¡°My training gear isn¡¯t going to intrigue anybody, we all wear the same stuff, it¡¯s a uniform. This stuff we wear to the mall and everywhere else is a choice I would not normally make on my own.¡± ¡°Yeah, but you have to admit, they look good on you. You have this tiny, totally ripped body that you only show off during training. You really need to show it off more, you work too hard to hide it under the baggy crap you like to lounge in. Have your boys seen you in ¡®normal¡¯ clothes?¡± She air quotes at me. ¡°They have seen me in lots of stuff. I had to dress up for a couple things for Luna Ava, they¡¯ve seen me in that kind of stuff.¡± ¡°But they haven¡¯t seen you recently, have they? I mean you haven¡¯t had the chance to message them while we have been on assignment. And I know you only sent the one letter after they all wrote you separately. You have put on some weight and gotten more definition since I met you. I¡¯m sure you will lookpletely different to them.¡± She waggles her eyebrows at me. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for them to see you all mmed up the way Luna Queen Anne does. I bet they will all fall over from heart attacks.¡± She¡¯sughing at the prospect now. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. She¡¯s had more than a couple conversations with Sierra while we have been at school and apparently Sierra has some insight to my interactions with the guys she didn¡¯t even bother to tell me. Now Mina likes to give me a hard time the way she does at their supposed infatuation. ¡°Okay! Stop! You¡¯re making it weird now. They are my brother and friends. None of them see me as more than a little sister. And that is still only a year in the making, before that, I was nothing to them.¡± ¡°All the more reason to learn to unt it tastefully. Let them know what they are missing.¡± She Laughs again as I throw a pillow at her. ¡°Okay, for real, enough now. I need to finish this assignment. You may not care about your grades, but mine can¡¯t slip. That is one of the stiptions of my being here. I have to stay ahead, no matter how distracting you are.¡± Chapter 0289 Chapter 0289 I have been emailing in most of my assignments and logging in when the teacher can set up a video so I can follow along with the sses. For the most part, Mina joins in on those sses otherwise her dad would hear about her cking and would pull her from this assignment. That is something we both learned the hard way. She missed a lesson once and I thought the phone was going to break when he called to yell at her. It¡¯s never happened again, that he is aware of. She has taken to hanging out with a few girls from around here that are high school seniors. She¡¯s hoping that it will get us more invites to parties and other social scenes when wee back in January. Many of the girls know people who are going to the University and have invited us a few times to parties. We declined them all for now, but Mina promises she will be all in when she gets settled at school. It will be easier for me to tag along then too. I have met them all and they seem alright, but I am ying at being newly social and trying to get over my shyness. It¡¯s not a total lie, so the story is easy to sell. The boys have taken notice of Mina too, human and wolf. I mean, even I have to admit, she¡¯s gorgeous so I can¡¯t me them. Her personality and general good nature draw people in. Her dark reddish brown hair flows down her back silkily, even when she is fighting. I¡¯m kind of jealous really. I just look like a sweaty hot mess. Her average height makes it easy to look straight in her eyes to talk, no matter your own height. She¡¯s in shape, obviously, and the boys around here really seem to appreciate her efforts. ¡°Sky!¡± Mina jumps off her bed. ¡°Beth just messaged me and said that her brother told her that his best friend¡¯s cousin is on the football team and they are nning a party after we all get back. They have a bi-week and will be free the first weekend after sses start.¡± ¡°Huh?! I understood ¡®bi-week¡¯ in all of that.¡± Mina speaking ¡®girl¡¯ is like trying to understand German sometimes. ¡°Basically, in yournguage, there is a football party when they all get back from the winter break. And she told me so we can n on being here in time to go. That¡¯s all that you need to know. Oh, and n on wearing a skirt and doing your hair. I wish we could call Sierra in on this, she¡¯s so much better at getting you to do the girly stuff than I am.¡± She throws out as an afterthought. Probably based on the look on my face. I will wear anything Luna Anne asks me to, she¡¯s the queen and image matters with all of the things she does. Sierra has be an extension of Luna Anne¡±s fashion arm and she has dressed me for the few meetings and tours in the pack that I have done with the Luna Queen. I have just learned not to fight against Sierra, she started recruiting Xander and Oscar to literally hold me down while she dressed me like a child. No matter how much I iled she still got it on me, I gave up that fight afterwards and just asked her to make sure I can wear some type of shorts under the dress and I can befortable in the shoes. ¡°When are we supposed to leave again?¡± I know Mina knows this, she¡¯s been asking everyday for a week. Something about going back to thepound has her antsy and itching to make the time go faster. ¡°The lease on our rental is up in two weeks. We really should start packing the non-essentials so we are ready when Nicks is. The weather is starting to turn and I don¡¯t want to be stuck here. I want to get back so the Elders can do the branding ceremony the way they want to with all the pomp and circumstance. I swear they just like being the center of attention and all these stupid ceremonies give each and every on e of them a job that puts them in the spotlight for their fifteen seconds.¡± Sheughs at me as she settles back on her bed. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong on all ounts. Do you think that we will get to spend some time with Xander and Oscar when we get back? I feel like it has been forever since we have all hung out.¡± ¡°They probably don¡¯t trust the four of us together anymore afterst time.¡± ¡°That was all Oscar! He was the one who decided we needed candles for movie night. The rest of us didn¡¯t set the movie theater on fire.¡± ¡°It was sweet, he was trying to celebrate one of the anniversaries. I don¡¯t know why every week, month, ce has to be celebrated as an anniversary though. It seems like a lot of headache and makes the long term ones less exciting when you do hit the big milestones.¡± ¡°I have no idea what any of that is like. I never really dated anyone long enough to hit an anniversary worth celebrating.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Really?! You strike me as the person who had guys following you around like little pups. You are gorgeous and look like a model. I¡¯m sure plenty of guys tried to date you.¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°It wasn¡¯t for ack of trying. My dad is big on mates. And while he didn¡¯t stop me from dating, he also made it really clear that my mate is out there and it won¡¯t be fair to someone else if I am monopolizing a person who might not belong with me. So I kept it casual and I was honest with them all.¡± She shrugs again, lost in thought. ¡°I do think we probably have some kind of sixth sense about our mate though, because I was not interested in any guy for very long romantically. I did learn some fascinating things though.¡± She waggles her eyebrows and I can only imagine what types of things she ¡®learned.¡¯ ¡°Oh yeah? Like what? You enjoy being on top?¡± I threw a pillow at her,pletely joking. ¡°Absolutely! It is the best ride, and they don¡¯t have to do a lot of work so it¡¯s hard to screw it up!¡± My jaw drops, she¡¯s never been this candid before Chapter 0290 Chapter 0290 I just blush and look at her, I have nor response to that at all. Just watching her interact with all of the people we havee into contact with has been educational, but there really isn''t a way to tell people ¡®I¡¯ve never even held a boy''s hand before¡¯ that isn¡¯t embarrassing.N?velDrama.Org is the owner. ¡°Since we''re on the subject, what is your favorite position" She tilts her head and has this mischievous smile on her face like she was reading my mind and wants me to admit it out loud. ¡°Umm.¡± I y with my fingers. I don¡¯t want to lie to her and end up in a position where I would have to prove anything, but I really don''t want to tell her the truth either. ¡°Come on. You don''t strike me as the sleep around type. It''s okay if your experience is minimal, there''s nothing wrong with slowly easing into the s*x stuff.¡± She moves to sit by me on the bed. ¡°Umm...1 don''t have one.¡± I look anywhere but at her and hope that she just reads between the lines and drops the topic. I can feel my face heating up. There isn''t a lot that makes me blush, but this is one of those things that does I guess. ¡°So you''re a virgin, that¡¯s fine. I was untilst year, but I decided that I wanted to know a few things before I found my mate. You know, just in case he''s new at it too, then the s*x won''t be boring.¡± She shrugs it off and I guess that does make some sense. Most guys don''t see a problem with practicing. My brother and his friends are well-versed in entertaining in the bedroom, if the soundsing from my brother''s room and the rumors about the others are to be believed. My brother tried to exin it to mest year that their wolves, especially high-ranking wolves, almost require the release and the need to procreate (his words not mine, cause it sounds like a s*x-ed lesson) gets more intense as they get closer to their 18th birthday. I got a full detailed overview of the fact that even though wolves can''t get or spread STDs, Alpha Lucas drilled into them to wrap it up every time because no one wants to be a parent that young and there are some girls who will try and trap a ranked wolf by getting pregnant. Especially an Alpha and Beta, but all the guys are at risk for gold diggers. "I''m not just a virgin, I have no experience when ites to that stuff, like at all. I told you the guys really didn''t pay any attention to me untilst year and before that, having even a female friend was not a thing.¡± "No way! I''ve seen Xander with you, he kisses you on the head all the time and holds your hand. I figured there was something there before he found Oscar and because you are such an understanding person, you let him be once he found his first mate and is on the lookout for their female.¡± "Uh, no. We are just friends and all of that is show for the stupid girls who can¡¯t take a hint that he doesn''t want them throwing themselves at him." I roll my eyes. ¡°The twins have held my hands and they all kiss me on the head, but I''m like everyone''s little sister, nothing more.¡± I shrug. Now that she¡¯s talking about it, I feel like I should be practicing somehow so I''m not a disappointment to my mate when I find him. I don''t want to be rejected because I can''t please him. But I also don''t want to be rejected because I didn''t save myself for him. I drop my head into my hands. ¡°This is so confusing. What am I supposed to do? The thought of being with anyone that''s not my mate makes me sick to my stomach, but what if he doesn¡¯t want me because I don''t have any idea what I''m doing?¡± I let out a little whiny noise. ¡°Or what if he doesn¡¯t want me because I have done anything that wasn¡¯t with him? I don''t want to be rejected!¡± I can feel my panic start to rise, my chest is tightening and my breathing is getting quicker. Chapter 0291 Chapter 0291 ¡°Sky! Rx. First I can guarantee that no guy in the history of guys has ever had any of those thoughts. They think with their d*ck first. Using being a male and needing to ¡®release" tension or energy or whatever it is as the excuse. If your mate didn¡¯t save himself for you then he can''t say anything about you doing the exact same thing. Now breathe. If it feels wrong, then it¡¯s wrong. If it feels right, then go for it." She shrugs like it¡¯s that easy. ¡°So this is what you are going to do. Keep being your own fabulous self and listen to your gut and your wolf. You have great instincts. Now, go finish our homework so we can get packing. I can''t wait to get back to thepound and get our brands so we can do more on this mission. I get why Jorge and William are getting antsy, this part is taking forever and the only thing we know is that there is arge poption of wolves here." Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. She hops off my bed and heads for the bathroom,ing out ten minutester ready for bed, but typing furiously on her phone, lost in concentration. ¡°Who are you texting so aggressively with?¡± Iugh as she startles out of her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get the names of those two guys that came over to talk to us at dinner tonight. I don¡¯t remember since I was paying more attention to Beth''s boyfriend talking about the campus. But Ellie said they are students too and one of them was asking about us, like together.¡± She grimaces then rolls her eyes. ¡°Like, you are hot and I can appreciate all that you have going on, but I just don''t swing like that.¡± She giggles at me. ¡°But, I was so focused on the conversation I was having, that I didn''t catch what else was going on.¡± She smacks herself in the forehead. ¡°This is why we need more training, but I guess mistakes on the fly are what we are going to get.¡± ¡°Max and Eli.¡± I say not looking up from myputer. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Max and Eli, are the names you''re looking for. Max is a sophomore and Eli is the same age but a freshman, technically speaking, he took a year off to travel before starting school. They both y basketball, but I couldn''t figure out if they y for the school or if that was just a line. Max is majoring in business and Eli in sports medicine.¡± I look up when she doesn''t respond to find her stopped in her tracks staring at me. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°You barely talk to anyone, how did you get all of that information?¡± ¡°Just because I don''t initiate conversation doesn¡¯t mean I don''t listen, idiot.¡± Iugh at her. ¡°Ellie was flirting hard and asking a ton of questions that seemed kind of invasive, and she really didn''t listen to the answers either.¡± I roll my eyes. ¡° She just wanted to keep their attention on herself. But it was helpful for us apparently. And what do you mean one of them is asking about us ¡®together¡¯ I finish up myst line of English homework, save my progress and close myptop. I look at her and hope I have been able to school my face into something curious and not disgusted. Because, like her, I can appreciate how beautiful she is, but that isn¡¯t what I¡¯m interested in either. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s exactly what you''re thinking.¡± Sheughs, I need to work on my facial expressions, especially when I''m not happy about something. I don''t tend to hide that very well. ¡ã They asked if we were open to a three or foursome.¡± She rolls her eyes. ¡°Ellie offered to be one of the three or four if one of us wasn''t interested.¡± Now I am openlyughing, this is so stupid. What guy asks that the first time they meet a girl? ¡°That is all you. I''m not even ready to hold hands or kiss romantically let alone have s*x with additional people in the room." ¡°Nah, Ellie can have them, or, at least, break them in and see if it¡¯s even worth it.¡± Sheughs. Chapter 0292 Chapter 0292 The weather is still turning fast, but no snow has fallen, just gusty cold wind and frost in the mornings that is taking longer and longer to melt each day. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Three days! I can''t wait.¡± Mina is jumping up and down. She has taken on some of the mannerisms of these college girls, and while it¡¯s endearing when she does it, the rest of them just kind of annoy me. I don''t understand getting excited about a nail polish color or the sale at a certain store, but I get the excitement of going home for a few days. Home. That is such a weird thing to think about, because thepound is home to me. The castle is home to me. If I really think about it the Blue Crescent packhouse is home sort of. I don''t know if it will feel the same if or when I go back though. I have changed a lot being with the warriors and it hasn''t even been a year yet. I miss Lillian, Wyatt and Nathaniel. They took me in without question and honestly very little information. Everyone else seems to be an open book, but they all understand that I have my reasons for keeping details to myself. They all know the condensed story of how I got the scars on my back, even Mina has asked since they always seem to be on disy whenever Luna Anne and Sierra dress me. And they know I was attacked and drugged beforeing here. These friends don''t see me as weak though, they see me as a survivor and I have started to believe them. It makes me feel lighter, better, bigger somehow in my tiny five foot tall self. Just as I finish the thought, the front door to our little rental bursts open with Nicks covered in snow. ¡°What the hell?!" Mina shouts. ¡°Some kind of Nor''easter, I''ve been sensing snow for days, but I didn¡¯t expect anything like this.¡± Nicks says, shaking out his hair and untying his boots. ¡°The rest of the team is back at camp getting things settled there, ready if the storm moves that far south. I got supplies, but we need to be ready to be stuck for a bit.¡± ¡°WHAT! NO! We were supposed to go and meet with the Elders this weekend so we could get our brands. Why does it feel like something is always stalling this process?" ¡°Maybe because you both are too young to be doing this. Maybe because you are now eighteen and your mate is close so the universe is trying to keep you from blocking the pull. Maybe it¡¯s the Goddess telling all these f*ckers that think you both are disposable little girls, that you are too important to be throwing out as bait for grown ass wolves to take advantage of if things go wrong.¡± He takes a deep breath and heads through the small sitting room to our open concept kitchen and starts digging in the fridge. : He still hasn''t given up the idea that we aren''t supposed to be here. I have tried talking to him about it and he just says it¡¯s an instinct. He seems to be overly protective of the two of us specifically though, also ¡®an instinct.¡¯ He doesn''t act this way with Alyssa and she''s only a couple years older than Mina and she hasn''t found or searched for her mate either and she was given her brand with the rest of her warrior ss without all the fuss. So I don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s hung up on the two of us. ¡°I have coolers all set for the stuff in the fridge to go outside if we lose power. There is plenty of dry firewood in the shed outback and more in the yard. The biggest thing is keeping the pipes in the house from freezing and exploding.¡± He moves to walk back to his room, which is where he spends most of his time. I love that here in the house he doesn¡¯t hover at all. He lets us be and do what we want. The minute we leave the house is a whole other story, but he has his reasons I guess. ¡°But seriously, aside from being able to see other people and train properly and use the hot tub, what about our brands? We need them and you know it. What is the point of all of this if we can''t even go out and know that you guys can track us if sh*t hits the fan? Because that¡¯s the endgame right? For sh*t to hit the fan and for one or both of us to be kidnapped. No one else has thought of a solution to theck of being able to track by scent and apparently that is the only type of tracking we know or teach, also something we should be working on.¡± Mina is on fire and I''m not about to stop her, cause I agree. The dependence on our abilities has made us blind to the fact that they could be taken away. Chapter 0293 Chapter 0293 This was something I was working with our pups back home since they have only slightly better than human senses before they get their wolf. I figured it was something most packs do, apparently not. ¡°It¡¯s a field skill that we teachter, you two just started and haven''t gotten that far in your very messed up and back-ass- wards training schedule.¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s not us tracking though is it?¡± I finally speak up. He will not use this as an excuse to dy longer. Mina is right, I want my brand and I want to actually be able to help with this mission. "We aren''t allowed more than ten feet from you. We are just the distraction, the bait. So what is stopping those who have been trained to track without scent?¡¯ Sarcasm is dripping off of me now. It''s really not his fault, he¡¯s trying to protect us, but I''m done with the dys and the idea of being stuck here, inside for days while also being dyed put me in an instant bad mood. ¡°Jorge is sending someone here. He agrees with the two of you, and it¡¯s time to get this done. We have to let the storm hit and settle, but as soon as she can travel she will meet us here to give you your temporary brand. At least this way we don''t have to do the two day long ceremony.¡± He rubs his temples. ¡°Really! Their ceremony takes two days?¡± Mina scoffs. ¡°Yeah, but all of that is just ritual stuff. Basically each Elder wees you into the fold. There are meals and speeches and what they call trials, but you sit in a quiet room for 10 hours reflecting on your time in training,ing to terms with giving up ess to your mate while you wear the brand, meditating on being a devoted servant to the king, crap like that. Well, it''s not crap really, those are things to think through, but in my opinion it should be considered long before you decide to go through with the ceremony.¡± He rolis his eyes. "Then each Elder blesses each warrior individually, which takes forever, then a witch and the Alpha King apply the brand, which hurts, a lot by the way, but the magic has to be powerful for the mark to work the way it does. It lets youmunicate over any distance, including the ocean. A spell has been worked in to allow you to shift without tearing through your clothes, we can also minimize our scent to appear more closely to human. And the rest of the warriors can sense where you are, allowing us to track you if something happens. We can Even track you if you''re unconscious, which has saved many lives in the past.¡± Both Mina¡¯s and my jaws drop open. ¡°So there is a way to magically get rid of your scent?¡± Mina screeches. ¡°What are we doing looking for that spell then? Isn''t that a waste of time?¡± ¡°No, we can minimize it, not get rid of it. All living things are designed to have a scent. It is for knowing the difference between friends and foes, predator versus prey, poison or something safe. What this group is doing is removing the scent all together. But, not only from themselves, but their victims too. It¡¯s like a nket and it¡¯s dangerous because we don¡¯t know how far that nket covers.¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°So, this storm just started. How long is it supposed tost? How much longer do we have to wait for our brands?¡± Chapter 0294 Chapter 0294 Five days. It¡¯s been five days of constant snowfall. We''ve gotten more than 24 inches of snow, which is unheard of for this time of year ording to the friends we have been able to check in on. In reality the snow doesn''t really bother us, neither does the cold since we all run hotter than the average human, but we have to maintain the secret so we have to act human in a human dense city. Nicks has been out to help some of the neighbors keep the sidewalks and driveways shoveled. I don''t think he can help himself, always the protector and caretaker. We''ve been out to help a bunch too, but not nearly as willingly as he is. So we help to fill in the time, otherwise we would die of boredom since we can''t go anywhere. The major problem is we can¡¯t shift and travel as wolves, it¡¯s too easy to be spotted right now with all the fresh white snow. And I''m sure the humans would wonder at our sudden disappearance. And traveling in a vehicle of any kind just isn''t safe with the amount of snow, icy winds and temperatures dropping so low at night that everything gets a sheen of ice. So we are still stuck. There has been no power loss in our neighborhood though, but I think that is more due to Nicks sneaking out at night to check wires and transformers near us to remove any ice and snow that could damage them. ording to him we have skills that are very useful, but the humans won''t understand. But he is not about to have to rough it for the sake of keeping a secret. We both laughed at his deration. I guess there had to be something wrong with his perfect persona, it was only a matter of time before we figured out he is a bit of a princess under all that tough guy. Finally on the fourth day, our doorbell rings and Mina and I jump up and fight to get to the door first. Scrambling andughing, we open it in a heap of tangled legs and arms to find a very somber looking woman who eyes us with suspicion.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Warrior Nicks, be quick about it and get out of the doorway, it''s freezing and my ufortable journey has been long enough.¡± Her voice is almost bored, but with that craggy sound someone would do if they were telling a witch story to little kids. We both jump up and move out of the way. Neither of us is trying to piss off the woman who is about to make a dreame true. She steps past us and moves into the living room. It¡¯s not much, but none of us needed much to be here. We have a job to do and sitting in luxury was not part of the n. The basic creme white walls are what you would find in any cookie cutter development home, The ce came fully furnished so the decorations are neutral with no personal touches at all. The living room, dining room and kitchen are all open concept, which was a must for Nicks. He''s too big to have human sized doors and walls cutting everything off. The cream white theme travels the lower levelpletely. Some light and dark green ents are in the pictures hanging on the walls and some of the details, but off-white is the dominating color here. ¡°This space will need to be cleared.¡± The woman talks to the air and points to the dining room. ¡°I will need the bags and boxes from my car, be sure not to jostle anything. I will find my room, Warrior Nicks can consult me there,e get me when you are done." Without another word or introduction, she walks to the stairs and glides up. ¡°The hell?¡± Mina whispers next to me. ¡°No idea, but we better get started. I''m not giving her any reason not to brand us. We''ve waited long enough." ¡°Yep.¡± Mina pops the ¡®P¡¯ and we both move to the dining room and begin to shift the chairs to other ces around the living room and kitchen. The table was a bit more difficult to maneuver. I don''t think it was designed to be moved from this spot once it was put together. We had to shift the couches in the living room up against walls and then get the ten person table around the massive ind that separated the three spaces. Eventually we made it happen though and thenyered up in all our winter gear to bring in whatever supplies she needed for this ritual. Chapter 0295 Chapter 0295 For only two people, this seems like a ton of stuff. What the hell goes on in this branding ceremony? There are five bags, but to be honest a couple smell like they could be her clothes, and four stic totes of stuff that are not light, even with our strength. ¡°Perfect!¡± We both jump. Where in the hell did shee from and how did we not hear her? ¡°Not to worry, I use a silencing spell. You will never hear meing.¡± She basically reads my mind. I look over at her and she winks, tapping her nose. Did she just confirm my thoughts? Now I have to be careful what I let fly through my thoughts and that isn''t always easy. ¡°Let¡¯s begin setting up. I think you girls have waited long enough. I''m here now and no one else can dy this process. It is meant to be and must happen now, before time runs out." Well that was cryptic. Mina says over the mind link. Might as well talk out loud, I think she can read our minds or hear our thoughts. Whatever it is, there is probably no way to keep secrets from her. I responded. ¡°You are a smart one.¡± She looks at me. ¡°You both are and you both are very important. I have spoken to Nicks and we will begin shortly. He is not a part of the ceremony, but he will be standing guard. Both of you will be vulnerable for a few hours while the spell works. This takes time even without all of the fluff your elders seem to think necessary." We both just nod and wait anxiously for directions. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Without words, the witch, who still has not said her name, hands us different items from the boxes and points to different locations of the room. She is consulting, what I think is apass and some kind of chart while she does all of this. There are candles everywhere, all different shapes and sizes. Many of them look handmade and have leaves, flowers and herbs mixed into the wax. Some look like they have been used many times, others are brand new. We have drawn arge circle onto the wood floor with a white substance that is the consistency of flour or crushed up chalk. I¡¯m not sure. In the center of the circle is a small metal bowl on three legs, like a mini fire pit, if the smoke smelling off of it is an indicator. There are small clumps of different materials from outside. Dirt, rocks, moss, dried flowers, gemstones in all sorts of colors. ¡°We are ready to begin.¡± She finally says after hours of setting up and adjusting the things around the room. She waves her hand and all the candles light at once. My eyes go wide and I can feel my jaw drop open. It¡¯s the first '' magical¡¯ thing she has done all day. I wonder if she could have set all this up in ten minutes with magic, instead of the painstaking manual set up we did. ¡°Of course child, but no one appreciates the things thate too easy. You must first understand what things are for, where theye from and how to obtain them properly to truly appreciate what you have.¡± And she at least confirmed that she can, in fact, read minds. ¡°Please step into the circle ladies." We both step forward looking at each other, not sure what to expect since this is the most she has said all day. The only other instruction we were given was to change into a ck sports bra and shorts, like at training, and pull our hair back. Our faces illuminated by the flickering light of candles. A sense of reverence and anticipation fills the air. The witch steps forward, as close to the circle as she can be without stepping over the line. Another wave of her hand and the herbs in the fire pit between Mina and I lights. I jump a little at the sudden spark and heat, but I don¡¯t move from my position. Chapter 0296 Chapter 0296 Chapter 0296 She begins humming and then chanting under her breath. It''s anguage I don''t understand, but the me in the pit goes from a warm yellow orange to a deep green. "Tonight, we initiate these two into our Elite Warrior brotherhood and sisterhood. To mark their devotion, we shall bestow upon them the symbol of the Royal Elite." She begins humming again and the mes change to blue. As she continues to hum she ces a long metal pole into the fire, this must be the branding iron. "Are you willing to pledge your loyalty and power to the Elite Warriors, regardless of the consequences?" She asks. We both respond without hesitation. "Yes." "Are you willing to put the Kingdom''s needs above your own and do all in your power to protect Its vast members?'' ''Yes." We reply no breaking eye contact with each other. The air in the room begins to thicken with the smoke from the candles and the fire pit, but also the tingling of whatever magic she is wielding. "Will you uphold the integrity of the Alpha King and Luna Queen? "Yes." "Will youy your life on the line to protect those who are weaker than you?" "Yes." The mes turn purple this time. "You are being granted a great honor and hold the power to help the Royal Pack grow and thrive. Do you swear, on your life, to uphold that honor while you wear your brand?'' "Yes." "Kneel then raise your right arm, inside of your wrist up." We both follow her instructions. She kneels between us and grabs the handle of the brand and lifts it from the purple me. SheN?velDrama.Org holds ? this. moves to Mina first, chanting low under her breath, gently holding the back of Mina''s hand and pressing the branding iron to the inside of her wrist. can hear the skin sizzle and see the smoke lift from her skin. Other than a sharp intake of breath, Mina doesn''t move or say anything. Her arm is visibly shaking from the pain, I''m sure, she feels and tears run from her eyes, but she doesnt move to wipe them away. The branding iron is pulled away and ced back into the fire pit, turning the mes a bright white. The witch reaches for vials of herbs sitting next to her and she begins chanting again, in more of a melody while she sprinkles little bits of things on Mina''s burnt flesh. Mina''s tears subside, by the time the witch is done with her and she just stares at me, but it feels more like she''s not seeing me. She''s lost in her mind somewhere and it takes everything that have to not go to her andfort her after all of that. I thought I might fall into a panic memory like the first time we got to see the mission camp when I smelt her burning flesh. The panic fought to take over. I had to keep reminding myself that this is not Kaley''s torture, but something that will make me stronger, I have survived worse and Mina and Nicks are here with me. I''m not going through it alone. I take a deep breath and look at the witch who seems to just be waiting for me to go through my own panic and be ready for her. I blink and nod. She grabs the branding iron from the still white mes and begins chanting and repeating the ceremony she justpleted with Mina. This time the searing pain and the smell of burning flesh pull me into my memory, but I am still conscious enough to keep my body still, but the struggle is real. I hear her soothing voice chanting next to me, but I also hear a voice in my head that isn''t my wolf. You are very strong and important. Remember that Little One. All of those youe into contact with and help will benefit, but be wary of those who seek you out for favors. You still have trials in your future that must be navigated through. Keep pushing forward, you are stronger than anyone knows. This ritual is different for all who go through it, even though the physical branding appears to be the same. No one speaks of their expenence or what is revealed to them through the process. Each must make their own journey without bias or influence. Remember that when you speak of your ritual. I slowly blink ande back to the present. Mina and I are still kneeling in front of the fire pit, but it is cold and all the candles have been blown out. The room isn''tpletely dark though. Small rays of light areing through the window in the kitchen. Have we been here all night? "Oh, man. I feel like I got hit by a truck." Mina mumbles like she just woke up. "Yeah. I guess I understand why it takes days." I blink like I''m trying to get sleep out of my eyes. We both look down at our brands. It is a simple crescent moon shape with the opening facing towards our elbows. That is the only smrity though. Mina''s crescent is delicate, made from thin intertwining lines like vines dancing upattice. Mine is more sharp and angr like a tribal print. "This is so weird. I know she used the same brand for both of us." I exim looking closer at the details on my brand. It looks like there are words training around some of the shapes making up the crescent, but they are too small to make out. "l don''t remember much, do you?'' Mina asks me. "Probably more than you since you went first. We ended up in a kind of trance or sleep or something. don''t remember anything after the brand touched me other than a voice in my head giving me instructions." I shrug. "l don''t feel any different, do you?'' "No, but I''m also afraid to move right now. My body feels really heavy, like when I woke up in the hospital with Doc Ganon. What were the herbs and thinks she sealed the brand with, do you think? "Not sure, but they must be part of what gives us the special link and shift control. Maybe it''s the way the spell is linked to us for tracking. Ugh, my brain hurts thinking about it. I need water and sleep. Where did she go? And Nicks, have you seen him?'' "No, but she said the brand takes time and we would be vulnerable, maybe this is what she was talking about. We are weak, and my brain feels off like my thoughts are running through sand to process." "Yeah, let''s get water and head up to bed. I have to trust them right now, since I don''t think I could put up a fight with a paper towel." She giggles and we both get up slowly, leaning on each other for support. Once we both down a full ss of water each and refill to take to our room, we both head up. I crawl to my bed and she crawls to hers. "Well, I am d that I didn''t have to go through that alone, that was a little scary and hurt like a b*tch." Iugh a little. ''We too, see you whenever these after effects wear off." I close my eyes and roll over, falling asleep immediately. Chapter 0297 Chapter 0297 Chapter 0297 My eyes open slowly as Ie out of a dreamless sleep. I have never not had a dream before. Everything was just ck. Normally I relive all of the things Kaley has done to me over the years, but from a third person perspective. I don''t wake from them in a cold sweat anymore, but I don''t know how to pull myself out of them either. have learned to just go along with the dream until the end. I can''t change what happens, but watching it y out isn''t fun either. I have gotten so used to the dreams, ifs a part of my day and waking up fully rested for the first time ever is unusual. I can hear Mina moving next to me, but I can''t seem to get my body to move very fast. I am super like moving through quicksand. "Mina?" My voice is gravelly and my throat is really dry and scratchy. ''Yeah?" Her''s is just as rough. "What happened?" "l think we got everything we hoped and dreamed of and it came back to bite us in the ass." She groans and I can see her out of the corner of my eye now. just realized my vision was blurry. I blink rapidly and roll to my side. "Remind me to not want anything ever again." grab my head to try and stop the pounding. "Hey! Are you okay? I have been trying to talk to you for days." My wolf asks. "Days?! What do you mean days?'' "l could tell that you were okay but I was disconnected from you." "Was that supposed to happen?'' "Not sure, but I wish someone would have said what the witch''s spell was going to do to us. I was scared...for both of us." What the hell happened? How were we out for days. How many days? My head is killing me. "Hey, Mina? How''s your wolf?" I look over at her. "Confused and she sounds like she''s been drugged. How about yours?" "Same, She said weWe been out for days. No one said that our wolves would be affected by this branding thing.." "Or that we would feel like we have the worst hangover of our lives." She finishes my sentence. "l have never been hungover, so I will take your word for it." Iugh back at her, butughing hurts. I groan. "Man, we have got to get you out more." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. "Fifteen, remember? Not a lot of ''out'' options to be had. And I''m not super interested in being drunk. I''ve seen how stupid people are and that is not my type of good time." "You don''t have to get stupid drunk, but a few drinks can loosen up your tight ass, and maybe help you have a good time. I think Sierra would agree with me." I roll my eyes at her, because I can''t argue. Sierra has been trying to get me to do ''teenager things'' since I got here and I just don''t really care to. She says I need to let go of my need to control everything. I then responded with ''Hell no!'' and thenughed at her expression. I will, someday, but I just don''t care about that stuff, right now. "You know you will need to practice before we hit up college parties right? Otherwise you''re going to have one drink and pass out on me." "There will be no passing out on my end. Why can''t just be your DD and call it a day?" "Because you can''t always be the DD. At some point you will have to join in to get the information you want and you are going to want to be prepared, not be a newbie and you know it. Control the ?training'' of your alcohol tolerance in a way." "Ugh! I hate it when you use logic on me. And kind of make sense." "You don''t have to drink a ton or all the time. I''m not trying to turn you into an alcohol drinking champion, but knowing what things taste like, knowing what you like and don''t like, knowing how drinks are made so someone cant slip something in yours. You need to know." "Fine. NICKOLAS!!" I shout and she jumps back. "What the hell?" "Might as well start now, the snow isn''t going anywhere." The door bangs open as he rushes in. "What?! Are you two okay?" He looks a little panicked. "As good as we can be after getting branded and feeling like we got hit by trucks and then backed over a few more times for good measure." Chapter 0298 Chapter 0298 Chapter 0298 "Sh*t! You can not do that to me!! I thought someone found you and was trying to take off With you." He''s gasping and holding his chest He doesn''te further into the room but leans back against the doorframe letting his head thunk back on the wood frame while he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "We need a drink after all of that. And what do you mean '' found us''? Mina asks, folding her arms across her chest, trying and failing to look intimidating in her pink pajamas. Wait..pajamas? When did she change into pajamas? I look down at myself. When did change? We were in jeans and tshirts when we did the ceremony, but that''s thest thing I remember. Everything else is hazy shes of memory. 5 "l can grab you guys some water. I''ll be right back." He says, breathing almost normal now. "Oh, no. You misunderstood me. We need drinks, as in alcohol. Midget here has never had a drink and if we are going onto campus after the break, she needs to have some kind of knowledge and tolerance. We feel like garbage and can''t go anywhere, might as well start now. And you still didn''t answer my question. What did you mean ''found us''? "Not answering your question and as pissed as everyone will be, I agree with you. You both need a tolerance. We can''t keep bouncing between you two being ready for the challenge and being too young to handle things. You were sent here, might as well do it right. Let''s go." He waves us out of the room. "l don''t have beer though, which is what you will get at most parties. I can''t stand the sh*t." "Did you know that we would be out for days? Is that how the brand ceremony usually is?" I try to change the topic, but still get us answers. He was scared for us and I don''t like the thought of that at all. He knows what the branding ceremony is and what will happen. There should have been no reason to worry. "Why don''t I remember changing my clothes? And how did we get upstairs?'' "That was mostly Gentry. You both managed to get yourselves upstairs, but just enough to fall intoN?velDrama.Org holds ? this. bed. She changed you both and tucked you in. That is a little more than my job description calls for." He smiles back at us as we head downstairs. "As far as the time, no, no one is usually out that long. But you both are so young, that might be the reason. I mean, Mina just turned eighteen, and that''s when you''re supposed to start the training. And Midge you''re supposed to still be in school, just figuring out boys and make-up and other girly sh*t like that. You were probably a teenager when you were six." Heughs at his own joke and I just roll my eyes. He walks to the ind and pulls out two of the stools. We both take a silent seat and watch as he pulls sses out of the cab, along with an array of other things. It looks like he is going to set up a buffet, not just serve us a drink. "First thing you need to know is that drinkse in various forms..." He begins with shots, then moves to on-the-rocks and then mixed drinks. We get a whole lesson on alcohol types, how things are measured and poured properly, what drinks aremon in college and what to look for and avoid. I ampletely fascinated by the whole thing. He only has whiskey on hand, but that does the trick and I can feel the effect of my brain being sluggishly slow and not matching up with what my body is trying to do. He didn''t give us more than a small sip of each type of pour, but since I have zero experience, my body and brain are doing whatever they want. "Now, you both need something to eat before you throw up all over the kitchen." He catches me as start to slide sideways, but can''t be bothered to right myself. "l don''t like this at all. I can''t move my body, I just feel floppy." I giggle and can feel my emotions bouncing all over the ce. "Why would anyone choose this? It''s like torture." I feel grumpy again. Mina is next to me and she has been giggling the whole time. It started with my faces when we first started tasting the whisky. Then she just never really stopped. "For control freaks like you to loosen up a bit. You don''t have a choice now, you have to ride the drunk train to get it out of your system. Woohoo! We need some music!" She pops up faster than anyone should be allowed right now and disappears somewhere, then I hear her pop music ring from a corner of the living room. "Nope, this is stupid and never happening again." I drop my head onto my forearms on the ind counter. Chapter 0299 Chapter 0299 Chapter 0299 Just then, my favorite songes on and I jump out of my seat. "YES!!!" My mood is shifting again, and I am vaguely aware that the whish will suckter. I run over to Mina and we both start dancing. I have never been much for dancing around, I just don''t really know how, but here with Mina and Nicks, hidden in the house where no one else can see me, I can''t bring myself to care at all. I let the music tell my body what to do and could care less about anything around me. I hear a low chuckle from somewhere behind me and I spin to see who it is. Who else is here watching us? In my haste I trip over my feet and almost facent into the coffee table. Big strong hands pick me up and help me straighten up. "Well, I can see that we are all using ourtime wisely." I know this voice, why do I know this voice? It''sforting like Cameron''s.... but it doesn''t make my tummy tingle the same way. Why does my tummy tingle when Cam talks? I''ll have to remember to ask Sierra about that. Or when Dakota held my hand. There are those little pricks of electricity that me and my wolf like. And why do sleep the best when Oliver is super close? Like my whole body is just safe so I can rx. Sam and my brother give the best hugs, but they don''t make the butterflies p around. But, when the twins made me into a sandwich, that was the best sleep. That seems like a silly thing, but a sandwich is not a silly thing.. "Oh!" I gasp, focusing on the guys in front of me. "I''m hungry! Nicks, you said need to eat. Can you help me make a sandwich? My arms are really heavy and I feel wobbly, but I want to eat." I groan. Moreughing. did you do to her?" "Nothing, I swear. The branding did not do them any favors. They were out longer than any of us thought. But.?they are both over-tired and bored and decided that since they are going to embrace the college ife when the next semester starts, they need a lesson in alcohol tolerance. We clearly need to practice a bit more and she''s right, she needs to Someone is pushing me back to the ind where the little ss I was using still sits. A te magically appears in front of me. How did he do that? He must know witchcraft too. Witchcraft is so cool, I really should study with Gentry. I wonder where she is. I didn''t see when we came down. "Why do I feel fuzzy?" I say around the most delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich I have ever had in my l''fe. "The alcohol makes your brain work a little slow, and since you''ve never had any and decided to start on a whim, there really wasn''t any way to ease you in, so wee to being drunk off a couple of whiskey shots." Nicksughs at me. "You started her on straight whiskey? What were you thinking?" The gruff familiar voicees from behind me, but it doesn''t sound angry, is heughing too? "Why do you keepughing? And who else is here?'' I finish thest of my sandwich, and feel my bodying back to normal a little bit. I still feel slow, but the minute the food starts to settle in my stomach, the fuzzy, dyed feeling is going away quickly. "l don''t know how I feel about that. It was like being stuck in my head and having multiple toddlers trying to make decisions for me, but not agreeing on anything." "Woohoo! I love this song!" I turn to see Mina dancing away, well I think it''s supposed to be dancing. Her limbs are iling almost to the beat of the music. "What''s wrong with her?" I turn to look at Nicks and Alpha Reggie. When did he get here? This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. "Seriously! That''s it? No hangover, no stumbling around? Just hand you some food and you burn the liquor off just like that? I mean wolves tend to burn through alcohol quickly, but that''s nuts for what I gave you!" Nicks looks incredulous. "What? What did I do?" I look between both of them. "l told you she was special. I was curious how this would work for you based on how you metabolize silver. How much did you give her anyway? Alpha Reggie turns from Nicks to me. "A shot, on the rocks and they shared two drinks with different kinds of mixers. What do you mean ''metabolizes silver''? No werewolf metabolizes silver, it hurts like a bitch and if we take on too much we die from it." Nicks is still baffled and not trying to hide it. Chapter 0300 Chapter 0300 Chapter 0300 The end of November sucks and the stupid snow doesn''t let up at all. And of course we ive near more humans than wolves so any time we want to go out we have to bundle up like our natural body heat is non-existent. And we can''t spend more than the necessary amount of time outside, otherwise it would look weird to the neighbors. The only light in this tunnel of frost is Nicks has taken us out everyday since the three of us spent a lonely, drunken Thanksgiving together. I guess he had several guards surrounding the house that day so he could take a break and he indeed took full advantage of the situation. We tried every vor of vodka he could bring us and I have decided that whiskey is my sipping slow drink and vodka is the party drink. He did bring us a beer and I have to agree that ''that sh *t sucks!'' The skunky bitter vor was awful and made me feel full and bloated. If I can avoid it, I will never drink it again. We have figured out that I metabolize all alcohols the same way. I do get drunk, but the minute I eat something the sensation ispletely gone and when I don''t eat, because we are very thorough in our research and have tested every theory we can think of in our state of boredom, it takes me about an hour topletely burn it off. I have taken to keeping a protein bar or something else small on me at all times, just in case. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. We have also gotten back to some semnce of training. I have shifted more in thest couple weeks than have in thest year. My wolf loves it and I love feeling stronger as she grows in strength and size. I am still shifting and changing physically too. In the seven months I have been here, I have leaned out even more, but I''m not necessarily getting smaller. I have packed on about fifteen pounds of muscle on my tiny frame and most of my muscles are defined even in a rxed state. Oliver would be happy with my progress, he always said I was too small. We are learning to use the benefits our brands give us. Shifting with our clothes intact is a huge plus. Even though it is part of the magic, we have to concentrate on mentally making the clothes a part of our body, it''s basically invoking the spell to work. The first couple of tries were hrious. One time, Mina ended up with the right half of her clothes hanging from her body, while the left side was in shreds. She was super proud of herself for getting in half right until she noticed Nicks'' cheeks turn bright red and he spun away from us so fast I thought he might fall over. Her bra and underwear were also in the mix of being half there and half not, so her left boob was hanging out for all the world to see. She had to stay in wolf form until Nicks could get her a change of clothes so she wasn''t seen or would freeze her girl bits off. We may run warmer than the average human, but we are still susceptible to the elements, and she does not need to freeze her t*ts off! After Mina''s debacle, we both carried a couple extra sets of clothes whenever we trained. My efforts were less entertaining, but I still lost more clothes than she did. I seemed to get stuck in the top half or the bottom half of my clothes. I did end up in my underwear and bra once, which led Mina down a whole rabbit hole of me getting new lingerie, because I was not supposed to dress like a grandma'' when I am a badass warrior, and as soon as we are able she is taking me shopping with Sierra and the only thing I am allowed to buy is under garments that my mate would appreciate. I had to remind her...again... that would be three years before I could find my mate, so it shouldn''t matter now. Her only response was that I might find a boy here to fool around with and practice on until then. My heart stopped for a second, until she startedughing at me. I''m sure my face was one of total repulsion. "Why are you so hung up on saving yourself for your mate? You know none of the guys save themselves for us right? All the guys we know personally are out frolicking in the sheets with whichever set of legs will spread for them. And you aren''t even interested in finding your mate right now anyway, hence your presence here." She points dramatically at the muddy area surrounding us. "l don''t know what it is, Mina. Any time we even talk and joke about me being with just anyone I physically feel sick. I understand what you are but I just don''t think I could really go through with being like that with anyone but my mate" I rub my face with my towel, we are both sparring in a patch of woods behind the new house we found closer to campus. "Is that stupid?'' I look back up at her, really wanting an answer. Chapter 0301 Chapter 0301 Chapter 0301 "No! Being with your mate is special, it just seems to really be a sticking point for you. You don''t really talk with guys who aren''t warriors and you don''t flirt with anyone at all, like you''re afraid of even the perception of being interested in someone other than your mate." "Maybe, she''s already met her mate. Have you ever thought of that?'' Nickses out with bottles of water for us both. "Somewhere in her subconscious, she knows her mate and is stopping her from disrespecting that bond." "Oh, damn! I didn''t think of that! You''re right, that has to be it! We have to get you ike a ring to wear, like you have a boyfriend. Plenty of college girls do the long distance thing with a high school sweetheart. I mean that isn''t going to stop any of them from trying to flirt and get with you, you''re hot, like really hot, but it will be an excuse at least." Why is Mina so excited about this all of a sudden? Not five minutes ago she was giving me a hard time about not flirting enough with the boys we meet, now I must know my mate and it''s okay to not want to engage the guys wee across here. This whole situation has always made my head hurt. Now that we are around guys whose main goal in life is to pass sses and getid regrly, and not necessarily in that order, it''s in my face everywhere. We haven''t been to any parties yet, but our first big one is a New Years'' party that Beth invited us to tomorrow and Mina has ensured that someone will try to kiss me when midnight hits so I had better be ready for that. "Let''s just get back to practicing, I still need to get better at my ground work." I look at both of them and Mina scoffs. "Your ground work is wless, what the hell are you talking about? Ever since the attack you have gone non-stop with training in your free time, you need to slow down." "NO!" I shout and it startles them both. "It''s not wless and I won''t let anything like that happen to me or anyone I care about again. I realize at some point in the very near future, some douchebag is going to grab me and we are going to let him, all for the sake of finding information, but I will not be tortured for no reason. If I can get more than just myself out I will along with finding the whereabouts of this f*cking camp. This organization has had the chance to go on long enough. Everyone says it, but no one has really done much to move forward. I have an opportunity to help stop this," I point to my sports bra d back, "Or worse from happening to anyone else. Now are we training or do I need to go beat on the bag by myself?" "It''s all good, Midge. Take a breath. I can work with you for a little while, give Mina a break." Nicks steps towards me, hands raised in a surrendering gesture. He''s like Oliver and Sam in so many ways. He knows when I just need to vent physically and talking about it only makes things worse. He gets that I just need to work through my thoughts with physical motion. Hey. You know we won''t let anything happen to you, right? He talks over the mindlink, melding his voice with his wolfs. They are both trying to calm us down. You can''t guarantee that and you know it. The point is to get taken, to get inside theirpound or camp or whatever it is. We are both still throwing punches and he is swiping at my legs trying to knock me down. It doesn''t make the sentiment any less. Just like you have a feeling about your mate, I have a feeling about you and Mina. I can''t let anything happen to you. We keep grappling neither of us getting and good move in, but not forck of trying. I lost track oftime, but there is no snow left on the ground surrounding us when Nicks finally calls us to a stop. "We will get these guys and you both will be a huge part in that, I can feel it. Let''s go get some food and you can finish your high school homework before you get started on helping Mina organize her college sses.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Chapter 0302 Chapter 0302 Chapter 0302 The first real party I have ever been too is the most overwhelming, overstimting, over s*xualized thing I have ever seen. Clearly the goal is to be the most underdressed in the middle of winter while looking like a porn star ready to mate with the first jock thates your way. I know it''s more than either of us anticipated when Mina slows her walk up the long winding sidewalk in front of this stark white mansion that''s size could rival my packhouse_ "Holy sh*t there are a lot of people here." She gasps as she starts walking forward again. The loud music drew us in. "How are we supposed to find Beth and all the girls in this chaos?" "No idea, but I assume everyone is glued to their phones. From what I understand this is more about being seen and having photos posted of you on social media, than anything else. Being here is a privilege, being able to prove it is harder." She winks at me over her shoulder. It''s been a while since she has talked in a strategic tone. I was afraid I was loslng my friend to the mors of the outside world. Turns out she was doing her part in her own way. I was never going to get close to these people. I''m too young for them in general and I really could care less to socialize outside of my friend group unless someone approaches me. I guess I could put more effort into this part. We need to know who these rogues are and they clearly know how to hide in in sight. Speaking ofing up to me, a guy I recognize as one of Beth''s friends, maybe someone''s brother, approaching us. "Hey! You made it! I wasn''t sure if you two would show. It''s been a while, what have you two been up to?" He boops my nose and smiles azy smile, clearly feeling his drinks already. "Well. We finally moved! So we are closer to campus. I can''t wait to start school in a couple weeks." Mina giggles at him. ''Yeah, the storm made everything take way longer than we thought it would. Does that happen a lot around here? Random snow storms at the wrong time of the year?" I ask, surprising Mina and myself at my initiative to start a conversation. He wraps an arm around each of us and starts to lead us through the entryway of the massive house. "Sometimes, not super often though. We usually get snow during your standard winter months. Being by the ocean helps that, but we are not here to talk about the weather. We are here to celebrate the new year. Are youdies ready for your first IJMaine party?" "Yes!" We bothugh and shout together. I still don''t know this kid''s name, but he has introduced us to so many people. I don''t think learning names is a part of the game. Be seen, Mina said, people need to know we were here. That''s what I am currently trying to do. I have been nursing a drink since we got here. Every twenty minutes or so I put it down as we pass by tables or any t surface really. I have to pretend to keep drinking, but I need my brain to function too, Mina told me over the mindlink after her first full drink. that''s what she is doing too. "Oh, my gosh! Hi!!" Mina jumps at some random guy taking a selfie with a few other, let''s be honest, hot guys and wraps her arms around his neck like I would if it was Xander. He doesn''t even blink, just pulls her close and, in tandem, I follow along for the picture. We took a few from different angles and each guy took his turn wrapping us up in their arms. We have been in more selfies and group shots than I ever would have expected. But we fit whatever demographic these guys find attractive so it''s working in our favor. Hopefully we will be on enough socials to get noticed by these rogues. I''m d none of the guys have pushed further than gentle groping though, so it''s been bearable. don''t know how many of these parties I can do. I''m more exhausted talking to all of these people than I would be doing 12 hours of training straight. "It''s almost time! The clock is starting to count down." Someone shouts from further in the house. Mina grabs my hand and pulls me into the living room that seems to be housing everyone in front of the movie theater sized TV. We push up towards the front, because being short makes that a necessity for me. I can feel the heat of all of the bodies around me. Wafts of perfume and deodorant in various phases of wearing out assault my nose, Combine that with the stale alcohol and the left over smoke from and I was having a hard time focusing on the ball dropping in front of me let alone what was happening around me. "5..4..3..2..1 !" A cacophony of noise erupts and loud music starts ring. People around us are making out like crazy. Mina is wrapped up in a guy next to me and before I can evenprehend what is happening, lips are smashed against mine. My eyes close tight of their own ord and my assant either has no idea what he is doing or is so drunk, he has no idea what he is doing, but feel like he is trying to eat my face. I crush my ips closed as his tongue licks my face like a dog. I don''t even know if he realizes I''m not reciprocating the slobber assault. I have no idea how long itsts, but eventually he pulls away just far enough to look into my eyes with azy and satisfied look. I try to smile back, hoping I can pull off faking enjoyment for him. I think even without the brand suppressing my hormones and romantic emotions, I could not have enjoyed that less. He looks very pleased with himself so I must have convinced him a little bit. It took me a little bit to untangle myself from him. He even tried to follow me into the bathroom, apparently whatever I said was code for ''quickie'' and finally had to reach out to Mina over the mindlink toe and rescue me. I thought I was actually going to have to fight him off. Even when I pretended to be more into Mina than him, he thought we should just have a threesome. We finallyN?velDrama.Org holds ? this. just turned around and walked away too fast for him to grab my arm and hold me back again. I don''t know if any other story will ever top that one. I had to pretend to be a normal human girl with normal human strength and I found it both funny and annoying. I can''t imagine not being able to defend myself when a guy was really trying to harm me. At least this guy seemed nice, just a little over eager and I didn''t want to hurt him. That was a new technique I decided I needed to train. How to put enough force into extracting myself from situations like that, but not do so much damage that anyone would be3 suspicious of my non-human strength. Chapter 0303 Chapter 0303 Chapter 0303 We didn''t get any traction from our new years party stunt, but we were noticed on campus. I was able to get a job at the coffee shop on campus so I had an excuse for being around so often since I was supposed to still be in high school. Mina still hates school, but she is at least exempt from doing double sswork while she is undercover at college. The only thing is I am helping her do most of her work while stillpleting my own. A point I being up to Nicks again this morning. "If she is exempt, surely there is a way to do the same for me. Doing both sets of homework is cutting into my training and research time. Gentry gave me several books to look through so I can help try to find out how the rogues are doing the mass scent masking." I roll my eyes after working through some of Mina''s math homework. It''s not that she''s dumb at all or can''t do the work, but math and science she struggles with and we can''t afford for her to fail sses. All of her other core sses she is flying through. She has also been helping with the masking research. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Doc Sylvia sent over all the books she could find about different herbs, salves. nts of any kind that might have been used in history to aplish the masking that we have found. Unfortunately it seems like there is some kind ofbination of things being used, but every time we present something that theoretically makes sense, Gentry punches holes straight through it. Spells that take days or months to produce or that would require too much energy from the caster to maintain, nts and herbs that would need to be grown and brewed or burned regrly doesn''t seem feasible. There is something we are missing, but we are close, I can feel it. There are more male wolves on campus now and many smell like rogues. Not all rogues are bad, but most rogues are rogues because they have been cast out of their pack for doing something really bad or they are kids of rogues and haven''t been epted into or tried to be a pack member. Some just prefer to be alone. Which seems so strange to me. Wolves are pack animals and almost need to be together to survive, but I can''t judge anyone. I was a loner inside my pack for most of my life. The problem I have WIth the situation is that they actually have a scent. I''m not sure if we are being yed or if these might not be the guys we are looking for. We continue to go to parties and any big social event on campus. I really enjoy basketball and hockey games. I can at least appreciate the athletes dedication to their sports. This also makes it easier to socialize at their parties, the guys seem to love a girl who is interested in talking about them and their sports. It makes it way too easy for Mina and to stroke egos and get information. I have also found, the more that I talk the less I have to actually drink. can just pretend to take sips and then talk a ton with my hands effectively sloshing liquid on the floor like the rest of the girls traipsing through. From talking to people at the coffee shop on campus, I got a job so I had a reason to hang around so much, it sounds like many of the new guys came in for the agriculture and forestry program, which has all of us suspicious. They are rogues here to do something and they are way too close to the Alpha King and his territory for it to be coincidence. Mina and I have been trying to find and spend more time with these people, but they are not the standard college party kind of guys so we are having to improvise. "l said No. How many other ways do need to say ?no'' before you understand that no actually means no?" Nicks is fuming around the kitchen. It''s his turn to cook tonight and Mina is trying and failing to convince him to let me enroll in the early college program. I can start inte February and it would be a great cover to get me into the forestry program and right in with the new rogues. "Nicks, please. This is the only way to start to put the pieces together. I can be right in with them. We are all wolves and will more than likely end up on projects together. It''s the perfect reason to hang out since they are not doing the normal college thing." I try to be soft and logical. "Don''t look at me like that, Skr. Your cute little pouty face is not going to win this argument." He shuts his eyes and takes in a deep breath. "You never call me ''Skr.'' Are you mad that I want to do this?" My face falls naturally at the thought that he thinks I might not be able to pull this off. Then I remember he said he has a bad feeling and his wolf has hlm convinced Mina and I are important, so I pout a little more toy it on thick. I am going to win this argument and he knows it, that''s why he pulled out my first name, it''s hisst ditch effort to make me see how dangerous this could be. "It''s not that, you are more than capable of handling yourself." He takes a deep breath again and huffs it out. I cant see or protect you inside the ssroom. At least at the coffee shop I can be around and there are only two blind spots that are always covered when you''re on shift. And I can''t pose as a student with you since I am already set up as your uncle." He grunts into his hands, scrubbing them up and down his face. He abandoned cooking a while ago. "l hate everything about this n, which probably means that you''re both right." Mina and I both sit in anticipation, hoping he ising around. It is torture waiting for him to make a decision, which makes me think he is mindlinking someone to get an okay, which I both appreciate that he is now open to the idea and it irritates me that I have to get permission from him and headquarters and probably Alpha Reggie himself before he finally nods. "Fine, you''re in. But, we have to go over some ground rules and we need to do a perimeter check so we know all ways in and out of the buildings you will be in. Chapter 0304 Chapter 0304 Chapter 0304 We spent the next two weeks, when I wasn''t working, walking around during the day, like a normal person touring the campus, interviewing students and talking to professors. At night we scoured each and every alleyway, doorway, hallway and any other ''way'' that struck Nicks'' fancy. He was serious about knowing everything about the buildings that I would be in each day. He also had William tap into all of the security cameras and add a few when he wasn''t satisfied with angles or cement or just the overallck of security in general. He even pulled Alyssa in from whatever else she was working on to cover the campus. Jorge was the only one going back and forth between our team and whatever other part of this operation that was physically searching the forests. Once he was satisfied he had as much control as possible over the situation, we went through the enrollment process, which I might add is a gigantic pain in the ass. I didn''t have to worry about financial aid since ?my parents left me a trust when they died'' or at least that was the story. Like Mina, my semester was paid in full by the Alpha King. We also dove in to do full background checks on all of the professors and TAs that I would be interacting with. We needed to know as much as possible about the main yers here on campus. With a program like Forestry and Agriculture set on a campus that is surrounded by preservednds and forests as far as the eye could see, there is no way someone here isn''t involved in the kidnappings and the strange movements of this Rogue King guy. These forests stretch from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Maine and the more that I look into it, the closer I realize these guys probably are to my pack. This forest surrounds the campus, but runs from the southeast side to the border just north of the Blue Crescent pack ind. The drive time is just under two hours and with the water surrounding my pack''s ind it would be easy to hide vehicles and observe if they had the right equipment. N?velDrama.Org is the owner. I make a note to talk to Xander and Alpha Reggie and report my findings so Alpha Lucas and the guys can expand their search and put ns in ce to protect the pack. There has to be a connection or something we could work with at the very least, I am kind of excited to see how college sses work, since I haven''t been on a normal school track in a really long time. When I hit the 8th grade, the teachers who weren''t under the thumb of Mr. Cunningham, or just smart enough to stay off his radar, made sure I was in the sses that I needed to be in. Well, they actually got me the work and credits for the sses was meant to be in while appearing to be nonexistent and unwanted in the back of the room. By freshman year, as long as I wasn''t supposed to be in a ss Kaley was in, I let them move and adjust my schedule as they saw fit. I showed up to all the sses her and I were supposed to be in together to keep her from getting me in more trouble. It did help that I was not the only advanced student so I had a reason to be in advanced sses, along with several other kids, and more importantly away from her. I was just able to keep it quiet in which advanced sses I was in since I didn''t talk to anyone ever. I havee to terms with the fact that I am not normal. My history isn''t that of a normal teenage girl, my education is definitely not normal, my upbringing was one of neglect and abuse, but here. now, I realize that wouldn''t be on this journey and be able to help the way that I have been without all of that. I can''t say I''m thankful for the experiences, no one could be thankful for that. am thankful for the few people who did see me and recognize my struggle, but didn''t treat me like a victim that was fragile and broken. I was recognized as someone who needed a little help and for someone to give a sh*t. "Alright, there have been movements in the wildlife refuge just northeast of the campus. William has cameras and motion detectors there and we caught a pattern of movement over thest three days." Nicks starts talking the minute Mina and I walk into the kitchen wanting to grab a quick bite before heading to a 7am ss. "What do you mean movements?" I ask around a pop-tart hanging from my mouth and leaning out of the pantry. "It appears that wolves are moving towards this area. Problem is, like everything else, something is missing. We can''t see any kind of gathering, just the literal movement across the screen. We know at least another 50 wolves have moved west through the refuge. They must be aware of our tracking systems." "Weird. Are we sure they are not just wild wolves moving around and setting off our sensors?'' Mina asks. He scoffs at her over his coffee. "What?! It''s a legitimate question from someone who had never run an opp with you guys before. What are you looking for to define the difference between a werewolf and a wild wolf just living its best life in the forest?" ''The first, and most obvious, is the sheer size. Even female werewolves are significantly bigger than your average wild wolf. That''s where we start. William, Alyssa and I will do a sweep of the area to catch any scents and see if there is anything familiar to scents we have found on campus, since we still can use scent to track here." We both nod. "Then what?" I ask. now really curious since we are actually doing mission rted things now and not just various forms of training and research. "Then we bring in more team members and start tracking. This is where the real work begins. You two are going to have to maintain your school schedule as well as help out with the tracking. You both seem to be naturally gifted in that area and we might as well get you field ready on the job.¡± He seems to have epted our roles in this whole mission and has stopped treating us like China dolls and more like team members with an actual purpose and job to do. Chapter 0305 Chapter 0305 Chapter 0305 This ss is so boring! Why do they put the most boring ss first thing in the morning? I have to take these prerequisite sses even though I have so many credits from High School, not all of them qualify so here I am. Ugh! Themunications professor is droning on and on and I have no idea what he is even saying. I have never not been able to pay attention in ss before, and looking around I am not the only person having trouble with focus. The almost full ss is mostly freshman here for the same reason as me, it''s required. I''m jealous of Mina, she already has a few college credits so she doesn''t have to suffer here with me. We decided since she enrolled in the parks, rec and tourism program that I should do the forest ecology track. That way several of our sses will ovep, but we can canvas more people this way. We both lucked out and were able to get into some of our program sses, which puts us in close contact with many of the new wolves that have beening into the territory recently. And there are a lot of wolves in our sses. I guess it makes sense though. Not all wolves have their jobs decided like the Alphas and other leaders and we always need people in jobs and ces that can help protect us from humans and other species. I have noticed that the wolves tend to corral together in my sses and tend to look like your average muscle bound athlete, even the women. The humans, for the most part, give us a wide berth. It appears like your usual high school separation of groups, but I know it''s the humans'' natural nature to stay as far away from a major predator. Although I have never heard of a pack member harming a human for sport or more disgustingly, food. I don''t know about rogue wolves. It''s possible they would do anything to survive and based on what I''ve seen from this Rogue King, some of them don''t have any problem harming what or whoever is in their way. My afternoon ecology ss goes straight outside for our first lesson. By the smell and look of my professor this is where he spends most of his time and would rather be. He handed out the sybus and basically said if we couldn''t figure that out on our own , we should find another program to be a part of and then brought us for a tour of the area we would be using for our projects and research this year. "Nicks, we''re headed outside to tour part of the facility. Is there anything you want to know? l '' I try to work it into the conversation." "We want to know about the wildlife. Does ite onto the property regrly, how often will you come into contact, things like that. Let''s see if the school has noticed a change in the wolf poption. And keep an eye on the rogues while you ask, find the most fidgety one so we can keep an eye on them." "On it." This ss was my favorite so far. The professor talks to us like we are peers not just students and his no nonsense approach to teaching is near and dear to my heart. The area we have for research is on about twenty five acres. Some of it is forested and some is a prairie that has been allowed to grow wild with tall grasses that are yellow now, but still standing strong after the harsh portion of winter. There are longer stalks that are probably the remnants of wild flowers, I bet this ce is beautiful in full bloom. There are trails beaten into the grass where people walk to maintain the integrity of the land. I can feel my whole body rx just being out here. It''s amazing. "Professor Chance?'' I call walking up to him as he leads us around a fenced area marked for another ss. ''Does the school restrict the wild life thates through here or should we be prepared toe into contact with some animals?''This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Chapter 0306 Chapter 0306 Chapter 0306 "Are you afraid, Miss He looks over his shoulder at me with the question. "Makain. Skr Makain, sir. And, no I''m not, sir, just curious." "Sir? That makes me sound old, you a military kid or something?" He is definitely not old. Maybe Alpha Lucas'' age. Old enough that he could have teenage or older kids, but aged well and in shape from the outdoor work he does. His sandy blonde hair is short on the top and sides, a simple cut to fit his outdoor lifestyle. He''s not quite six feet tall, but still significantly taller than me, like everyone else. "Something like that." I smile at the idea. "Well, Miss Makain, we will more than likelye into contact with our wild friends, but this area is so heavily used that most stay away, just based on scent." He gives me a serious look, like he is communicating more with his eyes than his words. "Out of self preservation, most animals will stay away from areas that smell like humans orrger predators unless they are diseased or starving and have no other choice of survival." "What types of animals will we see here? Big ones, mean. I figure we will see little critters all the time." N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "There are moose and ck bear. Some mountain lions and lynx, but they stay away from the campus for the most part. Ourrgest poption is wolves, and they have been here long enough that some have be curious about the humans on campus. Especially after a winter like the one we just had, their food supply is low and they are hungry, but we haven''t had a recorded attack in years." "Yeah, not having a recorded attack is very different from not having an attack at all." I think to myse f and my wolf. " And why does he look so pleased with himself?" "Because he''s hiding something, I can feel it." "But he''s human, do you think he''s one of the ones that knows about shifters?'' "Maybe. I mean working in this field, he''s bound toe across us. I can''t put my finger on it, I don''t trust him, but I have a feeling we need to get close to him, like he has information even if he doesn''t realize it." "l trust your instincts, something is weird about him." None of the rogue wolves reacted to any of my questions, but I wasnt sure they would. It was pretty harmless to begin with. I''ll just have toe up with things that are going to make them more ufortable as the semester goes on. I keep asking mundane questions, to make it look like I am just overly curious and excited. I throw more wildlife questions in too, not focusing on just wolves, but all of them. I don''t know if I am doing a good job of asking for information and sounding nonchnt, but Professor Chance has answered everything without hesitation. I make a mental note of everything he said, not really sure what could be useful to the team or not. We finish the tour and head back to the ''shed'' to grab our things. I say shed loosely. That''s what Professor Chance called it and there is a beautifully made sign over the door, but this ce is anything but a shed. It is a massive 5,000 square foot barn with all the tools and equipment necessary to work these forests. has gutters and rain barrels to collect rainwater and the roof is covered in sr panels, there is even a wind turbine to collect energy. professor Chance says that it is not one hundred percent off the grid, but could be if needed. "Hey! New girl, wait up." Someone shouts behind me as I start to walk away from the shed. I stand up with my bag and look around before making eye contact with a very beautiful looking guy jogging straight at me, nked by two friends. It reminds me of the guys and for a brief second I am homesick. Chapter 0307 Chapter 0307 Chapter 0307 "Me?" I question pointing at myself, looking around again. "Yeah, you." He smiles. "You''re new to campus right." I nod. Yep." I can feel my heart rate rising. I don''t talk to guys on my own. Mina is usually here with me and she does the flirting and pretending to be interested and all of that stuff for the both of us. "Dont tell me you''re shy. Not after the way you were drilling the professor just a little bit ago. Man, you are tiny aren''t you?" He asks no one in particr as he steps right up to me,pletely invading my personal space. "The forest doesn''t make me shy, people do." I shrug and move to turn around and find Mina. If they choose to follow she can at least help steer the conversation. "Wait! We won''t bite, I promise." He gives me a grin that must work on most people, He sounds like the kind of guy who knows he''s handsome and usually gets his way because of his charm. I turn back towards them and cock and eyebrow. "l have to meet up with my sister." I point a thumb over my shoulder. "We''ll walk with you then. It''s not often we see pack members here. This is like a neutral territory for several packs, but no onees here voluntarily." He says as he starts forward like we always walk together. I didn''t expect him to juste out and imply he''s a rogue, that''s new. I just tilt my head and say nothing, just keep walking. "Is your sister in the same pack?'' "Yes." Kind of. Wee across as pack members because of the warrior brand we both have. Most pack members can tell their own versus a member from another pack. I guess rogues would have the same ability to sense another rogue versus a pack wolf. "You are so full of questions, but not really answers aren''t you?" He asks yfully, not really sounding offended, more like he is enjoying the challenge. "The best way to get answers is to listen, not to talk." I shrug. "Okay, so you look twelve, are roughly the size of arge toddler, but you sound like a sixty year old seasoned teacher. Who are you?'' He sounds amazed and incredulous at the same time. I am saved from answering as Mina approaches shouting my name. "Sky! How was your first day?!" She wraps me in a big hug. When she pulls back, she looks over my shoulder. ''You made some friends, what''s up guys?" "Are you ever not nked by hot guys?" She asks over the link. I just roll my eyes at her and turn around, at least with her here the conversation will be way less awkward. ''These guys are in my Ecology ss." I wave a hand behind me cause that''s all I''ve got, I didn''t actually catch any of their names. "Tyler," The charming one sticks out his hand to her and she shakes it. "This is Mike and Robbie." He points over his shoulder to the two guys who have said nothing during this whole interaction, choosing like me, to let their friend do all the talking. "It''s nice to meet you Tyler, I''m Mina, Skys sister." "Sky?! I like that." He looks right at me again. "You''re in ss with her. followed her out to the parking lot and didn''t know her name?" Mina laughs. He at least looks sheepish. "l was working on that, Sky is a bit single worded when ites to small talk in conversations." He looks at me again even though he''s talking to her. I shrug again. "l still like listening better."Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Chapter 0308 Chapter 0308 Chapter 0308 "Well, listen to this." He smiles that big cheeky grin that tells me he is trouble on legs. ''None of us have ss friday morning so we all go out on Thursday nights and do a bonfire when the weather stops being sh*tty, so we blend in a little better with the humans. It keeps us out of the way of the regr Friday night partiers. We run and then hang out, if you are interested can give you my number and get you all the details." He smiles that smile again and before I know what is happening, Mina has swiped my phone from my back pocket, unlocked it and handed it over to him. "What the hell?!?'' "Umm, he''s hot and he''s flirting with you and he has a connection to the rogues. Did I mention he''s hot and flirting hard? This is the kind of boy you practice with." I roll my eyes at her and scoff, but I must have made the sound out loud, cause Tyler stops typing on my phone and looks up at me. "Is this okay? I don''t have to give you my number." Why is he shy all of a sudden? "I''m not a big fan of my sister meddling, that''s all." I force a smile to him and it must be enough. He smiles and winks at Mina and keeps typing. ''Is your full name a novel? What are you putting in my phone?'' I go to reach for it, but he holds it over his head out of my reach,ughing. ''You''ll just have to wait and see." "You''re asking for it now." Mina mumbles under her breath and Mike and Robbie bothugh like my tiny little wrath is nothing. I take a breath and let it out slowly then lunge forward grabbing Tyler s extended arm andunch myself under it, behind his back and hook a leg over his shoulder from behind ripping my phone from his hand. I pat him on the head before swinging my leg over his shoulder and jumping down like I was getting out of a saddle andnding on my two feet looking at my phone like I didn''t do anything. "Oh sh*t! Mike says. "You can straddle me any time." N?velDrama.Org is the owner. "No way, d*ckhead! I talked to her first, get in line." Mina and I are full onughing now. "There''s no line guys, so quit while you''re ahead." "That sounds like a challenge, is that a challenge Sky?" Tyler asks, tilting his head to the side. For sure flirting and it''s cute, for someone else. I am just not affected by it at all. Maybe it''s the warrior brand, but somehow I dont think "Uh, no. Just not interested. I''m here, with special permission in the early college program, for ss and need to focus. Whatever you guys have in mind does not fall in the category of staying focused." "So strong and smart, I might actually be in love." Mike taps his heart and pretends to swoon. ''Marry me?'' "Uh no, my mate probably won''t like me being married to someone else when I can actually find him. I appreciate your effort though:'' l amughing again. "You are seriously looking for your mate7 Mates are overrated." Robbie speaks up for the first time and doesn''t look pleased at my confession. "Not from what I Ve seen, and I figure I should be the judge of that when I actually meet my mate. Not just base my decision on others opinions on the topic." I shrug back at him. "I''ve seen great mates and terrible ones "What if you fall in love with someone while you are waiting for this so-called mate. What then?'' "l don''t know. Love hasn''t happened to me and I have a few years before my mate can even find me, so it''s a moot point until then." I shrug. "Damn! A few years, How old are you, Sky?" Mike asks. "Young enough to still be considered a minor." I raise my eyebrows and keep it vague. Chapter 0309 "So what about Thursday?" Tyler brings the conversation back to the main topic.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. "We need to ask. Can I let you know in the next couple days?" "Sure, text me anytime." That charming smile is back on his face and I can''t help but return it. He winks and then turns to walk away, Mike and Robbie following. "Well, that was productive wasn''t it? You''re better than I thought at thls. I''m going to have to leave you alone more often." "What are you talking about? "l have been in sses with some of these guys for a little over a month and have just started talking to them. Youe in,te might I add, and you have three of them falling all over themselves to talk to you. How do you do that?'' "l don''t do anything, I swear. didn''t ask for them to talk to me and I wasn''t looking to gain their attention. I was just asking the professor questions. Like you said I''mte to the party so I wanted to get any info I can while I can still y the ''new kid'' card." "That''s gotta be it!" She got excited. Nou don''t give them the time of day and you don''t y dumb either. They know you neither want or need them. She''sughing now. "You basically emascted them and that somehow made you the forbidden fruit." "Gross." Iugh back at her. "Why do you have to make everything sound so s*xual? You''ve been around Sierra too long. I''m just new, that''s the only reason they are interested. They will find out I''m 15 and back off like I have the gue. None of them strike me as cradle robbers." We are both stillughing as we get to Nicks'' SUV. "What has you two so giddy? He gives us a half smile, but I can see something is wrong. "Skys been in ss for a day and already has guys asking for her number, well stealing it really, and inviting her to run and a bonfire on Thursday." Mina is getting settled in the back seat, but hasn''t looked at him yet. "What''s wrong?" I ask him and her head snaps up. "Gentry never made it back to her coven. It''s not unusual for her to go off on her own, especially after a big cast like the bond she did for you two. She will go into the woods for a couple weeks and ?recharge.m He air quotes. She contacted her coven before she left us, but it''s been two, almost three months since they have had contact from her." He takes a deep breath and rubs his face. "You think they got her, don''t you?" I ask, but not really a question. She is powerful, even I could feel how powerful when she gave us our brands. How would someone sneak up on her and then subdue her? She would have taken precautions for things like that If this rogue group took her then they are using magic to mask what they are doing and where they are. "They made a mistake though. She was expected, not off on her own. They have to know we WIIIe looking for her. Alpha Reggie''s warriors and her coven will be on the hunt now. Why would they do that when they have gone under the radar for so long?" He''s talking to himself, more than us, but something is still off. I can feel the rage rolling off of him, but he''s doing a great job containing it. If I didn''t know him I wouldn''t notice the small twitches of his jaw or the slight flex of his fingers as he talks about her. "Nicks? Who is Gentry to you?" I ask as gently as I can. He doesn''t answer right away, just takes another deep breath and scrubs his face. "She is my mate." "Oh, damn!" Mina exims. "Why doesn''t she have your mark? Why are you a branded warrior? What the hell is going on?" Chapter 0310 ?Chapter 0310 "It''s a long story, well moreplicated really. She is a coven leader and they have certain requirements, I guess it''s the best way to put it. They have traditions and expectations and a wolf mate is not a part of any of that. She is expected to marry a warlock and produce one of the next coven leaders." Mina gasps. "She hasn''t gone through with anything and refuses to be with anyone else, but I have a feeling someone is going to give her an ultimatum and make her choose. It''s why I took the warrior oath. I don''t want anyone but her, but I also will note between her and her coven. So we are stuck here in this limbo." "Do you think they took her because she''s a powerful witch or because she''s mated to a wolf?" I ask before I can even think the question through. Nicks looks up at me and his face goes pale. "I didn''t even think about that. She''s a powerful witch and she''s one of their most knowledgeable casters. It didn''t even cross my mind that someone might see her mate bond as something to use as a weapon." He peels out of the parking lot and I can tell he''s mindlinking, aggressively, with someone. We got back to our house in under ten minutes and he flew out of the car without even closing the door. Osiston walks out our front door and meets him on the porch. Nicks snarls and pulls his arm back for a punch, but Osiston is calm and sees the wild fury for the grief that it is and counters him easily.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Osiston leads him down the steps and into the yard where they grapple, Nicks pouring all his rage into each punch and kick, but not being able to make a good connection while he is letting his emotions rule his movements. Osiston is too far away to take any real hits, but close enough to remain Nicks'' sole target. This goes on for the better part of twenty minutes. Osiston is breathing heavily and finally gets Nicks into a submissive pose on his knees, and then Nicks just goes limp and crumples to the ground. Mina and I just stood by and watched. There was nothing else to do. That helpless feeling of being out of control while someone you care about is in danger is the worst. I have destroyed a gym and passed out because of that level of anger. That seems like a lifetime ago. "Okay." Osiston says. "We have some information that we can share, but we are going to need you two to fill in the nks." He looks at Mina and I. We both nod, then walk over to Nicks. I squat down in front of him and ce my hands on either side of his face, bringing his eyes up to look into mine. He doesn''t fight me, but his gaze is lost, like he''s looking right through me. "We are going to fix this, alright? We are going to make this right. It''s personal now." "You can promise that." He whispers, still not focusing on me. "Yes, I can. I can promise my full attention and my full effort. I can promise that you have never seen me stubborn and on a mission before. Alpha Reggie told you I''m special. I''m really not, I just have a bloodline that affords me some bonus features. Let me help. No one messes with my family." "Can you really just metabolize silver?" He asks, sounding almost drunk. "Yes. I can''t exin it though, that''s a Doc Ganon question. "I need her back, Sky." This time he focuses right into my soul. I don''t know how his emotional connection works with the brand on, but I''m not going to deny him anything at this moment. "We will get her, that I can promise you." He nods and gets up slowly, wrapping an arm around both Mina and I as we walk into the house. Chapter 0311 Chapter 0311 Chapter 0311 We are all sitting around the cramped living room. Osiston isnt the only one who showed up today. That''s how I know this is bigger than we thought, Jorge, Alyssa and William are all here and I guess there is a team of five running the perimeter around our ce. "What have you guyse up with? Anything?" Osiston asks, sounding more irritated than I have heard him before. "Right now, we just know that the male wolf poption is growing each week. Many registered for college for this semester. We haven''t seen or heard anything more unusual than that. I haven''t heard of any girls being taken or reported missing either." I tell him, honestly. I have no idea what''s going on, but I also feel like we aren''t doing enough. "Sky did get us an invite to run with some of the guys on Thursday though. t''sthe first time the wolves have interacted with us." Mina adds. All heads turn towards me and I''m not sure I like the looks in their eyes. It''s the kind of look that says I''m about to be pulled from this for my safety. I can''t help the growl that rumbles in my chest, my wolf doesn''t want to be sidelined any more than I do, especially now that someone we know has been taken. "Rx Little One, no one is going to stop you from helping." He reads my mind. You''re too deep into this now, but you can''t fault us for being concerned. The rogues started increasing when you got here and didn''t approach until you and Mina were on campus. There''s something to be said for their timing." N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Osiston calms me. ''We do know that there has been no rogue presence near Blue Crescent in the last five months, and two smaller packs have been attacked andpletely wiped out from what we can tell. If anyone got away, we have not found them yet. When we did a search of the destruction though, only male bodies were found. No females, no children. So there is a spark of hope that some were able to escape. We did find both the Alpha and Luna for both packs amongst the dead though." He finishes sadly. "So, are they here? The Rogue King and his minions. Do we have any confirmation of that? Do we know where to look or where to start?" I''m frustrated now. It feels like these rogues are several steps ahead of us all the time. "It''s like chasing a ghost or a fairy tale. "The only confirmation is the increase in the poption here, with no pack to speak of, it''s suspicious. This, like most prominently human public ces, is neutral territory for us. No packsy im to areas like this. The Alpha King offers protection if there are wolves on campus, but no one group upies the space." He turns to me. "You got an invite to run with these rogues?" I nod. "On your first day of sses with them?" I nod again. I feel like this is a trap waiting to happen. "Yeah, Thursday night. How do we want to y this? They all have a scent, so while on campus at least, they aren''t trying to hide. Where will you guys be?" He smiles at me, both of using to the agreement that I am going and he is going to be there to follow. "We need a reason for Royal Pack warriors to be running on the grounds. Nicks is going to have to stay behind. He is on a ''leave of absence '' to take care of us. So he can''t be on duty." "We can put it out there that we will be running a training op near here. We do things like that all the time when we are forming teams with new recruits. We have a few people ced in leadership on campus, they can do their thing and spread the word. It will give us cover for our scent being all over the woods and we don''t have to exin ourselves any further than that. If we do meet up with you for any reason, you and Mina have to pretend not to know us. Copy reactions from the rogues and blend in. We''ll try not to engage unless we have to." Jorgees up with a n on the fly. Chapter 0312 Chapter 0312 Chapter 0312 "Perfect!" Mina smiles. "Now let''s see what Tyler sent you." She grabs for my phone again. I p her hand away. "Remind me to change my password, again." I say as I open my phone to Tyler''s message. "You know I''m training to hack right? So technically I should be allowed to break into your phone, you know, for research purposes and practice." She winks at me. "You''re an idiot! And I am definitely keeping you away from Sierra, she''s a bad influence on you." I laugh at her then look down at my messages. ''Tyler said to meet up by the student center and we will run the trails, ''like normal'' is in quotes, then we will change and do a real run once we are about five miles into the trails." I look up at Osiston, but Mina has to chime in before he can respond. "He also said he''ll have a bag and would be more than happy to hold your clothes for you while we run." She starts giggling, like a toddler. "He wants to make sure he gets to see you naked." I groan. "Not a chance, I''m not stripping to shift, I dont have to, neither do you remember?" She stopsughing for a second then grins again. "It''s still funny and kind of cute. He''s pretending to be chivalrous, while being a total guy." We bothugh and a clearing of the throat catches our attention. "If you two are done drooling." Osiston says, but he doesn''t look angry, just like he''s rolling with the teenager vibe in the room. "Although, I don''t know if you should advertise that you can shift without changing..." "I''m not getting naked with these guys. I wouldn''t have even if I couldn''t shift with my clothes. They are unknown and that makes me vulnerable. Never gonna happen. If one of you were going as part of the group or if Xander or Oscar were there maybe, but they can''t be here, and you can''t be seen, so no go. We can both do it, so we''ll just say it''s a pack thing if they even ask." I hope that is enough to finish that argument. Robbie is questionable at best, but I don''t get totally safe energy from the other two either. My instincts say to keep a healthy distance. And I trust my instincts. Osiston looks at me for a moment, clearly making a decision of some kind. I don''t break eye contact, trying to convey my uneasiness at the situation. He must find what he''s looking for, because he just nods. "Okay, keep this boy close though. Engage with him and try to get him to talk. Any information can be helpful. Where he''s from, what he''s studying, family, all the mundane stuff can lead us to more answers." I nod. "So what is on the agenda tonight?" "Homework." Mina and I say together. "l have to maintain my teacher''s pet status." I roll my eyes yfully. "l can work the teachers more if they think I''m an overachiever. There''s also something about my ecology professor, he''s not normal, but I don''t think he''s a bad guy. Based on his appearance and his scent he spends all his free time outside and probably in those woods. He might have information too. We have ater start tomorrow so we could do a run in the morning before we train." He nods and heads towards the door. "We are going to go get a patrol schedule going and then we will bring back dinner and talk about anything new we find." He doesn''t wait for a response, just walks out the door with the rest following. I move to sit by Nicks on the couch and rest my head on his shoulder. He hasn''t said much since we came inside. "Do you want me to make you some tea, or something a little stronger?'' Mina asks quietly. "Stronger would be preferred, but I need my head on straight for this and if I start down that road, I may not be able to stop." She nods and heads towards the kitchen. "l know you just fought it out with Osiston, but do you want to go workout? It always makes me feel better when I''m frustrated." I look up at him from my spot on his shoulder.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Chapter 0313 Chapter 0313 Chapter 0313 He huffs augh. "Yeah, that would probably be the best. It will help me sleep too, or at least settle down enough to rest. I don''t think my wolf will let me sleep until we get her back." He rubs his eyes. "How long have you known? I ask and I don''t have to borate. "Eight years. Her coven is near my home. I caught her scent the day she turned 18. She was out in the woods between her home and mine doing some kind of spell. Theye of age at 18 too and get their full strength of magic, although from what I have learned she was like you and showed signs of power earlier than anyone else on record." He looks over at me. "What do you mean like me?" We walk out the back door and head to the small clearing just inside the treeline behind our house. "Alpha Reggie and Alpha Lucas have kept a close eye on you your whole life from what I understand. Especially after what happened to your mom during your birth. Once Alpha Reggie put the pieces together and discovered your lineage, they both made a point to keep track of you. I only learned about all of this recently and clearly I don''t know your whole story since I still don''t understand your so-called bonus features. Even I noticed your abilities at trials and started asking questions." "The problem with all of that, was that I was kept in the dark until about a year ago. Everyone is always trying to protect me because am a female or because of my size.?" "Okay, let me stop you right there. It''s a hard instinct to shut down when the initial perception of you is this tiny quiet girl who apparently lets people beat her up for the fun of it. You have to forgive natural protective instincts." I see red as mytemper res and I run at him. I go to sweep his legs and miss butnd a punch to the center of his thigh knocking him down for a minute. "It''s not the strangers'' assumptions that make me angry. I get that, Its the people who know me, train with me everyday and still treat me like porcin or like I''m ipetent that set me off." Sweep, punch and a miss. "Maybe, like me with Gentry, they cant stand to see you in any kind of harm''s way, no matter how strong you are, how strong they know you are." He moves to grab for me, but I tuck and roll under his legs. "And you can''t really say you don''t use your size to your advantage, even if you don''t realize it. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Like those guys today. Mina is just as beautiful as you and her personality invites people in, but these guys chose to approach you, the small quiet, shy girl. Youe off as less intimidating, right up until you beat someone''s ass with your pinky finger." Heughs as he parries another move. We go on sparring yfully for a little while until he tries to put me in a headlock and I kick him in the back of the knee, taking us both down. Then all bets are off and we are both going full force, sweating, panting, covered in dirt with manic smiles on our faces. He''s be like another older brother and ourpetitive natures sh frequently. "l think thafs enough. Sky needs to eat and actually do the homework that will put her in the teachers pet position. She also needs to check in with the boyfriend." Osiston pulls our attention and it''s enough for Nicks to get the upper hand. "What! I don''t have a boyfriend." I grunt from my face down position on the ground. "ording to the amount of notifications on your phone, I beg to differ. Mina has been eyeing it for an hour. If you dont want her to respond I suggest you get your butt moving." Chapter 0314 Chapter 0314 Chapter 0314 Iunch Nicks off of me and run for the house, both guysughing at my retreating form. I barrel into the door, just as my phone indicates another messageing through and Mina moves to see what it says. "Don''t even think about it." Iugh at her. "You have no idea how torturous this is. I know better and yet my semi-nosey nature just wants to invade your privacy." Sheughs back. "Are you really that attention deprived?" "Attention, no. Affection, probably. But I wouldn''t know because all of that is being suppressed." She groans. "l actually just have a good feeling, hmm, or maybe it''s a bad feeling, that these guys are involved somehow and I want to get moving on something other than new versions of school work." She makes a crazy face and we both startughing. " Well...what does it say?" I step away from her so I can read over the messages first. I have no idea what this guy would say, but I don''t want something personal or private being seen by anyone but me. Hot Ecology Guy: We meet up at the Student center for a normal'' trail run, the real run happens about 5 miles in. Hot Ecology Guy: I bring a bag for clothes, if you want me to hang onto yours. Hot Ecology Guy: Always here to help! Hot Ecology Guy: Bonfire after, we take everything out before so don''t worry about anything, Hot Ecology Guy: We take care of everything Hot Ecology Guy: This is Tyler by the way ;) Hot Ecology Guy: Is there anything you prefer to drink Hot Ecology Guy: Your sister too Hot Ecology Guy: Headed to the gym if you want to join, seems like your thing Hot Ecology Guy: No response and no show are you avoiding me? j Hot Ecology Guy: I''ll leave you alone for the night, see you in ss Sky Me: "Hot Ecology Guy" Presumptuous name dont you think? Me: Not avoiding you, family stuff came up Me: Mina and I will drink almost anything but beer Hot Ecology Guy: Well I''m d I didn''t scare you off. Hot Ecology Guy: Mike made fun of me for being too eager Me: If I was in his ce I would have done the same Hot Ecology Guy: Am Iing on too strong? Hot Ecology Guy: I tend to go after what I want. Me: ''eye roll'' Me: Does that line actually work? Hot Ecology Guy: You tell me Me: Nope Me: Lets start with ''ssmates'' first, I''ve known you about 4 hours Hot Ecology Guy: How about we start by youing with me on this run Me: Fine, what time should Mina and I meet you I wanted to make it clear I was going to be with someone, not alone with him. Hot Ecology Guy: We meet at 6,e in workout gear Hot Ecology Guy: The smaller and tighter the better ;) Me: Baggy sweats, got it! Hot Ecology Guy: Give me something to dream about Me: I''m sure you have plenty of images to fill your spank bank Hot Ecology Guy: Not any more, you erased them all Me: Thars a good line! You should save that for someone Interested in being chased Hot Ecology Guy: And waste an opportunity to make you smile, never Hot Ecology Guy: You don''t like to be chased? Me: I''m usually the predator not the prey. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Hot Ecology Guy: That sounds like a challenge Me: Just stating facts, ask Mina Me: I''m changing your contact name to Tyler *eye roll* is there ast name Hot Ecology Guy: There''s only one way I will give you myst name ;) This boy and his wink emojis are ridiculous, but I know I have been smiling andughing this whole conversation. He''s a shameless flirt, but nothing vulgar or obscene. I think I might actually be enjoying myself. Me: Smooth. Are you just going to keep trying to y me with pick up ines? Hot Ecology Guy: Depends..Are they working? Me: I amughing if that was the goal Hot Ecology Guy: Ouch, harsh! Me: have to run, some of us have to do homework and care about our grades Hot Ecology Guy: I care, this is just more fun and way more appealing. Hot Ecology Guy: Can see you tomorrow? Me: Maybe.? Me: Goodnight "Dang! He is crushing hard." Mina is sitting on my bed reading through the messages. "Yeah, or he''s part of the group that kidnaps girls. Have you thought about that? He''s trying to get us out in the middle of the woods alone and has no real exnation as to where we are going." She looks up at me slowly. "But he''s so nice, why would he do that?" "l don''t have any other proof, but that''s what I would do if I were in their shoes. Find the most charming of the group to approach people and make it some kind of invite only thing. It seems legit and the others talked about it too, but how do we know? There aren''t any other wolves we know that run in this circle yet. It just seems too convenient and I can imagine more desperate girls trying to fit in would jump at the chance to go running with them. They are all hot and for the most part pleasant to be around.¡± Chapter 0315 Chapter 0315 Chapter 0315 "So we are for sure going on this run then? I wonder if they will try and take us Thursday or if they will bide theirtime, if you''re right about them being a part of the rogue group." "No idea, but we should talk to Osiston and Nicks. It will give Nik something to focus on and hopefully bring us closer to finding Gentry. Then really do have homework to finish." "Were you able to talk them into letting you stop doing the high school work? I can''t believe that your teachers back home wouldn''t give you a break on that." "l don''t think it''s my teachers. I''m pretty sure it''s the principal and one of the board members, who just so happen to be the two adults that gave me the worst time while I was in school. You would think that these guys were the teenagers with a grudge to settle. I''m not sure what I did personally to the principal to deserve his hatred, but the board member''s daughter hates me with every fiber of her being and has her father on board with matching hatred. It''s sad, but I actually understand that motive. She''s a good maniptor and he''s a power hungry Delta that was passed on for his brother, who is far superior as a Delta. I am a Beta''s daughter, so I rank higher than both of them and am friends with all the future leaders and the current Alpha and Luna. Neither ofthem like that at all." I just roll my eyes. I feel like I have been doing that a lottely and I internally cringe at the thought and make a mental note to stop the habit. "Damn, no wonder you wanted to get out so badly. She''s the reason you have scars, isn''t she?" It''s a question that''s not really a question. More of a confirmation. I nod, not exining further. ''You do realize that when we go back to your pack. and we will be visiting your pack at some point, I am going to figure out who this girl is and beat her ass, right?'' I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, fighting the urge to roll my eyes, and internallyughing at the stupid struggle. My stomach aches at the thought of going back to my pack, to my friends and my old life. I just don''t know if the ache is a good one or a bad one. "Why on earth would we go to my pack?'' "Don''t you think for a second that you are keeping those fine as hell friends of yours away from us, my friend. Sierra needs to see her boy toy, it is all she talks about, and Lillian and I deserve the eye candy experience first hand. I''ve seen that picture in your room at thepound, you can''t tell me I don''t know what I''m talking about. I think a private lesson in the training yard will be needed, even if I can''t get excited about a hot boy rolling all over me, my brain can still appreciate the effort." She tries to look serious, but it onlysts a few seconds before she busts upughing. "Also I want to be there when Miss Wannabe sees you now. If she was intimidated enough by you to harm you multiple times then, I can''t wait to see her jaw hit the floor now." N?velDrama.Org owns all content. She snaps her fingers across herself dramatically like a Drag Queen, "You are justing into your hotness. Even Xander and Oscar have madements." "She would never give me thepliment. She''s good at hiding emotions when she wants or needs to. And I am not hot, don''t make it weird. I know I don''t look terrible, I''m not stupid and I have filled out a bunch since we started training with the warriors, but I look no better than you or Sierra or any of the other warriors." "And yet, when your boyse crawling on their hands and knees drooling all over you she is going to lose her sh?t and I want to be there for that trainwreck_" Sheughs at me again. This time I dont fight the eye roll as I move to grab my backpack. I am as far ahead in my high school sybus as I can be, and none of my teachers are going to give me a hard time. Everyone I have right now is actually on my side and they know what Cunningham has done to me. I am also a sophomore doing senior level and now also doing college level work. but I am not giving anyone a reason to doubt me. "Let''s go downstairs and let Osiston and Nik know what we think and I can get started on homework while we talk about what the game n is for Thursday." Chapter 0316 Chapter 0316 Chapter 0316 Osiston and Nicks agreed with me that the circumstances were too coincidental to take lightly. More warriors have been posted around campus for our protection. Mina and I even suggested bringing in Wyatt and Nathaniel, they would pass as students and could be in ss with us. Osiston tabled that idea for now. He doesn''t want to scare the rogues away from us and if it looks like we have males near us giving off any type of territorial vibes the rogues might decide we are too much of a hassle to deal with and we could lose them. The week went by quickly and I talked to Tyler almost every night through text. Mina said that talking to him on the phone is the next step closer to dating and I wanted to stay as far away as possible from giving off any of those signals. Text was nice though, because we could just continue a conversation sporadically throughout the day. If he is just doing a job to get my attention, he is very good at it They chose wisely in their recruiter. I cannot say the same for Robbie. That boy looks like someone put dog shit under his nose anytime wee near and I don''t know why. Neither Mina or I have gone out of our way to talk to him, but we haven''t gone out of our way to be rude either. But, Tyler and even Mike have been pleasant to talk to and they have taken to walking with us to sses, ''making sure we get there safely'' when she and I can''t walk together. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. As the run approaches, I feel myself getting nervous. It''s not a real date, logically I know that, but this is still the first time a guy has asked me to go do something. The guys don''t count. They always did things in a pack and Sierra and I just became a part of the pack. He invited me and I decided Mina wasing with me because this sh*t is scary. I know I told Tyler I would wear baggy sweats, but I have found myself wanting to try a little bit to impress him. It''s weird, because I don''t get the tingly butterflies in my stomach at the thought of him, or anyone for that matter and don''t have any urge for him to hold my hand or any of that mushy stuff, but I still enjoy the attention he gives me. It''s a very strange, very tonic thing. I opt for a cropped ck t-shirt and gray joggers with my usual running shoes. My very long blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail. I look like me, just put together. I stopped Mina from trying to put make-up on me. That was going too far and not anything I would normally do anyway. We are going to workout and then shift and run full force. I could not care less about how I look. This was the part my wolf and I are so excited about. We have been practicing the shift while maintaining clothes on and working with our mind link. We have also been going in and out of wolf form during sessions with Nicks, which has actually been a lot of fun, but we have not run full out since being off the warriorpound training grounds. I''m a little afraid of what my stamina is going to look like and Mina onlyughed at me when I voiced my fears. "Seriously? If you struggle even a little bit, you will still probably smoke the rest of the guys we are running with. Maybe you will look a little closer to ''standard warrior# She air quotes at me while using a mocking voice. "What are you talking about? You keep up with me just fine. Are you going to show them up tonight?'' Chapter 0317 Chapter 0317 Chapter 0317 "l barely keep up with your slow pace and that is because my wolf and my ego demand it. And yes, if I have the opportunity to look like a badass in front of these guys I will. The point is to make them want to be around us, and if they are part of the bad guys, to want to take us. As long as we don''t have to spar with them we will be fine. Showing them our strength will be a bad thing but being friendlypetition to their speed will make them want to chase us and we both know guys ike a good chase." "l don''t know anything of the sort. Nobody has ever chased me." The minute I said it a memory shed in my head. The smell of the damp earth beneath my feet, my heart pumping and just feeling the release of the daVs tension. Then hearing the thudding of paws behind me and voices in my head asking me to slow down and stop, to just talk after all of their actions that day that caused my pain in the first ce. Then shifting in the air on the run for the first time. The exhration my wolf and I felt as we worked in tandem and more in sync than we ever had before. "Liar!" I see that look on your face and it says everything. You are terrible at hiding those deep down emotions. You have been chased and are somewhere in the middle on how you feel about the topic. You had a look of calm and then one of absolute irritation. This is a story to table for ater date and possibly drinks so you actually tell me the whole damn thing, but now we have a hot date with your hot ecology guy. Let''s go!" She grabs me by the arm and marches me down the stairs and out the door before I can argue. Osiston, Nicks and the rest of the team left an hour ago to get into position. They can suppress their scents so it won''te off as if we are being followed. Since we live on the south side of campus we chose to drive to the north end to meet up with the guys. We could have easily run it, but I have no idea what is in store tonight and don''t feel like wasting energy on a 20 minute walk across campus. "We are closedies, just let us know what you see, hear, even smell. Anything can be information we can use. Keep your links open and we can just listen into the conversations." Osiston advises over the link. "Why does that feel like a double edged sword?" I ask. "Because you are already super awkward when you flirt, no we can all hear how awkward you are." Mina so helpfully informs me. "Thank you for that Now it is going to be weird. How about Mina leaves her link open and I will just report in?'' "Not a chance, I want first person POV on this train." "Now I really am shutting you out, jackass." Iugh at Mina. "Alright you two knock it off. If it will be distracting Sky just report in, but you will have to figure this out. Keeping a mindlink open, no matter what you are doing, can be vital to an op." Osiston stops us and brings us back to serious game nning. "Understood, but Mina is right and this whole flirting with a boy thing is hard enough and I don''t want her or anyone else in my ear about it." I say as we pull close enough to see the fitness center up ahead. "We are about two minutes out." "We are all in ce. Two warriors are currently following you and will monitor the building and your car while you are gone. Alyssa is northeast of you, close to the bonfire sight We followed them In and watched the set up, so far no signs of anything off. I am to the west of you and will be running parallel the whole time. Nicks will be doing the same to the east of your position. We won''t beN?velDrama.Org owns all content. more than five minutes away from you at any time. Let us know if anything makes you feel ufortable, we will get you out no matter what." Chapter 0318 Chapter 0318 Chapter 0318 "Got it." Mina and I say together. We pull in next to a big truck. It''s not new, but it''s well taken care of and the smelling from it is from Tyler and Mike. There are days that I do really appreciate my very distinct sense of smell. "Tyler and Mike are here for sure. Mike drove them here in his truck." I tell the group. "How do you know it''s Mike''s truck? I just smell them both here." "Let''s just say I have a unique sense of smell and can pick out different scents, even blended together like this. Mike''s scent is stronger on the drivers side." We walk around the truck to the side of the building where more cars are parked and I can hear a low murmur of voices. "Hey! You made it! I was wondering if you were going to stand me up." Tyleres running over to us. "We are right on time, unless you lied to me to try and make uste. Were you trying to avoid introducing us to your friends?'' I look at him seriously but smile, hopefully it came off as teasing, but I''m interested in getting this party started and I need names for the team to runter. "Would you be mad if I said maybe?'' He bumps me with his elbow as he leads us overto the group milling about. He hasnt even acknowledged Mina, something is going on for sure. "You brought more girls? There''s already too many." "A voice whines from the left of the crowd. A tinum blonde bigger than me, but smaller than Mina steps out of the crowd. Clearly the queen bee here in this group. "Janice, this is Skr and Mina. They are new and I thought they could use a group to run with, so yes I invited them." "Are you so quick to get bored with the other girls here Tyler?" She''s questioning him, but it feels like reprimanding too, maybe a sly way to let me know he''s a yer. The problem is, I already know he''s a yer, she''s the idiot not me. "Not bored, just being friendly." "Whatever. Just don''t get in our way. We take this run seriously. Thest girl he brought couldn''t keep up for even a mlle. Don''t be a little b*tch and stay out of the way, got it?" "Yep." I responded, popping the "Sky, you keep your head on straight. Don''t let her bait you into apetition. She''s trying to see what you''ll do." Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Nicks chimes in. "Thank you captain, I have never been in any form ofpetition before where people try to get in your head. I never would have thought of that. This is actually the part I am good at guys. I appreciate the vote of confidence, really." "Maybe, but this is your first op. and a little close to home. I just want to make sure you''re thinking clearly, now stop acting like a petnt teenager." "You do realize that is exactly what I am, right? Like literally a teenager." "Shut up, smart ass. Go run and show us all how wonderful you are at it." "Now who''s the smartass?" Chapter 0319 Chapter 0319 Chapter 0319 The run was just as expected, we ran on foot as humans for five miles and I discovered I wasn''t as out of running shape as I thought. I was able to run with Tyler and keep up a decent conversation as we went. I found out that they do this jog a few times a week, but only shift and do an extra long run on Thursdays. This way it just looks like they are big on working out and like to party like the athletes on campus who are in season and have restrictions on crappy food and alcohol. Actually some of these guys y football or hockey, which I found interesting since our strength, stamina and healing is so much different than a human. Mina and I decided to ask about that when we got to the bonfire. It''s really pretty here. The trees and the trails haven''t started toe alive yet, but the evergreens dispersed within the bare tree trunks give enough color to the drab shades of brown and yellow of last year''s vegetation to make the scene pleasant. I also love the smell of the damp leaves and earth as we run. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. There''s just something about the early sunset sending streams of light through the bare branches of the trees that is calming. My wolf purrs in my chest as we go. The darkness that falls pretty quickly doesn''t bother even our human eyes, we just keep moving like the light hasn''t changed at all. In the forty minutes it took us to run the five miles the sun is almostpletely set and the twilight gives a consuming vibe. Tyler, Mike, Mina and I were running in the middle of the pack. Mina and I slow as the boys do, at this point we have no idea what is going to happen and ourtest fan club member looks like someone who would stab you in the throat and then go y dress up. I''m sticking close to the guys for now, I don''t need her trouble too. "We''ll change and shift here, remember where the new cameras are and stay out of range. Someone is looking for something and I don''t want to be on anyone''s radar cause someone here decided to be a dumbass, got it?" She looks around at everyone, but lingers a little longer on Mina and l. which this time makes sense if she''s worried about being seen. I''d look at the new people too, but I would take it a step further and make the new people run with me so I could watch them and guarantee they don''t mess up. She clearly doesn''t care about us that much or assumes Tyler will take care of us, cause she turns her back on us and starts to strip, which is the cue for everyone else to do the same. I can feel my cheeks instantly me and I try to look away, but no matter where I look there are butt naked people everywhere. "Don''t be shy new girls, we don''t have all night." Some guy next to Janice sneers at us and then licks his lips. I have to hold back the bile that wants to rise in my stomach. That guy gives me the creeps. "Hey, you okay? We do have to move. TheVlI leave without us. I can block you if that would make you feel better." Tyler''s concern is cute, but I can''t tell if he''s being genuine or not and that bugs me. I usually have a good read on people and he just seems to be all gray area for me. "Nope, we''re good, just waiting on everyone else to be ready to shift, that''s all." I give him a small smile. "Do you n on ripping through your clothes?" "No!" Minaughs and he just looks at us confused. don''t have to change, you''ll see." She winks at him and he still looks confused, but shrugs. He and Mike strip down to nothing, stowing their clothes in the backpack Tyler brought. I am doing everything possible to not look at either of them. Naked guys are not new to me, but I just can''t get past it making me ufortable. I hope I''m not this weird about it when I do find my mate. Chapter 0320 Chapter 0320 Chapter 0320 "Do I make you nervous?" Tyler moves close behind me and I am frozen. He is way too close to me for this to be considered anything less than flirting or maybe even marking territory. "Nope. The whole ''naked guy'' thing is still just not a norm for me. We don''t have to change to shift." I''m sure my slow controlled breaths make him think I''m lying. "Mina, why is he so close to me? It''s weird." "He thinks you''re ying hard to get, so keep your face straight ahead and don''t make that disgusted look you do all the time." "What look? I don''t have a look." "You do. I told you, your face says a lot more than your mouth does. Just keep it neutral though, he''s eating this innocent girl thing up." She giggles at me, then out loud says, "Let''s just show them so they are less confused." I nod and I give control over to my wo f to shift while concentrating on all the things Gentry taught us about maintaining our physical appearances while human. The popping and cracking soundse and go so quickly, I don''t even feel it anymore. My wolf shoes out her beautiful ck fur. "Damn! Solid ck, that''s pretty rare." Tyler sounds impressed, but I can''t be the only ck wolf out there. "Can I touch you?" he asks, lifting a hand up. My wolf walks over to him, still keeping a foot of space between, she''s just as ufortable being touched as I am. I don''t know if that is a brand thing or an us thing, but I''m d I can hide my facial features like this. "Alright Sky, show them how we do this." Mina goads me and it feels like she''s showing off a bit too. My shift back is faster. I''m not as nervous and I can feel Osiston and Nicks'' presence nearby, their auras radiating into me to help me stay calm and do this mission. I stood up right, fully clothed a split secondter. "Oh sh*t!" Mike blurts out. "How do you do that so fast? And keep your clothes?" "Practice." I shrug and look over at Janice, who is standing with Robbie and just staring. "We''re ready when you are." I smile a sweet smile at her. I''m in my element now, she cant make me feel inferior. 1 She goes to shift and the other twenty or so people follow suit. Tyler and Mike shift and both look over their shoulders at us. We smile at each other and take offin a jog, shifting as we run. I hear a huff behind me and ''Show off" in my ear from Nicks. Mina and I both just giggle and run like we have not run in forever. The wind in my fur, the dirt under my paws. I can feel my ws break into the earth the imprint my paws are making in the freshly tilled ground. The even cadence of my feet as we dart through the trees, up and down hills, over fallen logs and creeks. At one point someone nipped at one of the girls in front of me and a game of chase began. It was clear some of us could talk to each other, but not all of us, so the game was interesting. It became a battle of boys versus girls. Mina and I met up with Janice and a few of her friends at the front of the pack. Her wolf didn''t seem to mind us even if she did. We all started sprinting faster and faster, eventually outstripping the rest of the group, leaving Mina, Janice and I to get to the bonfire grounds ahead of everyone else. Janice walked over to a bag and shifted back to her human form and started to get dressed without even looking our way. We shifted and just stood there looking around waiting for the rest of the group to join us. The bonfire pit was at least ten feet in diameter, rimmed inrge stones and preset withrge dry branches ready to be lit. The clearing wasn''t any different from any other clearing in a forest I have seen, but it still left me with a feeling of peace. The woods have always been my safe haven and everything just feels right when I am surrounded by the trees and all other sounds are dampened by the debris on the forest floor.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Chapter 0321 Chapter 0321 Chapter 0321 "You two are really going to have to show me that trick I know everyone yed it off like it wasn''t a big deal, but that is some superior level sh*t right there. Where did you learn to do that anyway?" She looks at both of us and I get the feeling she''s listening for a lie. "Just training." Mina shrugs. "Once we get good at shifting it''s something that those of us who chose to apply ourselves get to learn." Okay not aplete lie, but not exactly how this works." "What about you?" Janice looks at me. "What do you mean?" "Why did you put in the extra time to learn how to shift like "l don''t like to be naked in front of other people, so it seemed logical." I try to match Mina''s shrug, hoping I pulled it off. ''It''s also nice to not have to carry around a change of clothes." I smiled at her and thankfully she gave me a smirk back. "That''s the truth. The humans don''t get it, or I would just walk around naked all the time. There''s no shame here." She looks pointedly at me. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. "Don''t rise to it Little One. She''s baiting you and you will end up giving more information away than you want to." Osiston must feel my irritation, but he''s right, she''s fishing just like we are. She''s just more experienced than I am. More experience doesn''t mean better though. I just give her a small smile. Staying quiet has worked for me so far, I will just stick to saying as little as possible, then I don''t have to remember any half-truths I might be tempted to tell Thankfully the rest of the group finally catches up and some shift and change, others shift and let it all hang out. I guess when you don''t have to hide.. Some of the guys light the bonfire and everyone settles in around it. Some sitting in small groups, others milling about socializing with different groups. Mina and I decide to sit on the far side of the bonfire facing towards all of the vehicles, coolers and the path we took to get here. From here we could watch pretty much everybody since no one really ventured too far from the drinks coolers. "Why does it feel like you two are hiding?'' Tyler walks over and holds out his hands showing us he brought us drinks. At least he heard me and it isn''t beer, although I''ve never had a mixed drink from a can. This should be interesting. "We''re not hiding, but it is less crowded over here and we can appreciate the fire better. I don''t know if we''ve actually rxed since we''ve been here. It''s kind of nice to just sit." I tell him as he nts himself on the log next to me, leaving no space between us and I am on the end, so there isn''t anywhere to scoot to. "So Tyler, you''ve heard our stories, so where are you from? And why did you join the school in the middle of the year?" Mina pushes right on into questioning him, but ament like that isn''t out of character for her here so I guess it works. Chapter 0322 Chapter 0322 ¡°Not a lot to tell. My pack was attacked a couple years ago, only a few of us survived. We met up with a few others who had the same issue. We have been traveling around not staying anywhere too long. Mike¡¯s older brother came out here to go to school and said it was nice and no one really messed with rogues up here so we all came up. A few kids started school right away, some of us got jobs. We''re doing alright now.¡± He doesn''t look at us while he¡¯s talking, just stares into the fire. ¡°Didn''t anyonee to help your pack? Check on the survivors? I ask, remembering a conversation with Alpha Reggie during one of our training sessions. ¡°No one came.¡± A dark look crosses his face. It''s almost like he filled with hatred at the memory. ¡°We waited for days for rescue or help or anything, but no one came. We buried our own and did the best we could for about a month, but supplies were low and there was so much destruction that leaving became our only option.¡± He stopped and took a deep breath. When I thought he was going to go on with his story he shook his head and ced a smile on his face before looking at me. ¡°Why forestry?" ¡°Osiston? Nicks? Did you guys get all of that?¡± Mina asks over the link as I divide my attention talking about how much I love being outside and the warriors discussing next steps. ¡°You strike me as an outdoors kind of girl. I¡¯m actually surprised you made it through lectures. You look like you are going to crawl out of your skin just sitting there." N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°I do not! I actually enjoy sses and learning, but you''re right, I prefer being out here." We banter like that for hours, but we never circle back to the topic of his pack and I don¡¯t know how to work it in to ask the name of his pack. When Robbie walks over with a girl snaked around him like she might lose him if she lets go, I notice the crowd has thinned out. Significantly. ¡°We''re headed out, you good here?¡± Robbie grumbles his words, not like he¡¯s mad, more annoyed that he had to walk all the way over to us. ¡°All good. Are Jay and Seth set to close up" ¡°Yep. You should probably pack it up, they are looking a little antsy, like they have somewhere to be and you remember what happened thest time they rushed their duties.¡± Robbieughs deep in his chest and it isn''t a pleasant sound to my ears. Something about this guy sets off every red g radar in my body, but I can¡¯t figure out why. ¡°Sounds like our cue to leave. Thanks for the run guys. Do you do this every week, or do we need another invite?¡± I ask, looking right at Tyler as I stand up stretching my legs. I''m a little sore, but it is the best kind of sore and I smile at the pull on my muscles. ¡°I actually really enjoyed that. It''s been a while since I¡¯ve had the chance to run full tilt like that." ¡°You''ve been invited so now you''re in whenever you can make it.¡± He smiles back at me and steps closer. ¡°Later man.¡± He says, not taking his eyes off of me. I blink a few times confused then look around to see Robbie and his girl walking off. I have no idea where Mike disappeared to. A few of the other guys came over to talk to Mina a bit, but no one came near Tyler and I. I wonder if that was on purpose. I pull back from his personal space. ¡°I''ll see you tomorrow and we will definitely run again.¡± I start to turn to walk away when he grabs my wrist and pulls me back so quickly I barely have time to react and on instinct I turn my head to the side as my chest collides with his and his lips connect with the top of my cheek. I was stunned for a minute, not really sure what to do. I just kind of clung to his shirt at his sides and waited for him to pull away from me. He finally huffs augh, kisses my temple and then pulls back. ¡°I have some work to do I see, that''s okay, I¡¯m patient.¡± He gives me a wink and then turns around to walk away. ¡°Damn, that was hot and you two didn''t even do anything." Minaughs at me. ¡°Stop! That was weird and I felt nothing. I''m already awkward. Now I''m awkward with no feelings.¡± I p myself in the forehead while my friend continues tough. We walk down a trail and follow the scents back to campus, not moving slowly, but not in any kind of hurry either. Osiston and Nicks give us a y by y of what happened around them while we were hanging out and we Started to analyze and strategize the information that we are finally getting that we can take action on. Many of the guys that were with us came and went from the party, but were never gone for more than ten minutes and they all went in different directions, so that is something we would need to look into further to see if they are just taking strategic pee breaks, hooking up, or if they are up to something. None of the girls left, ever. Which at a party you would think the opposite would be true. We also needed to look into Tyler''s pack¡¯''s attack. Thatis a method we believe the rogues were using to recruit members. What if they were attacking packs and taking prisoners? And why did no onee to their aide? Did Alpha Reggie know about the attack and ignore a need for help? That doesn¡¯t sound like him, but I don¡¯t understand how they went so much time without help at all. No supplies in or out of their pack, no peopleing or going? That doesn¡¯t sound right. We stay pretty remote from humans, but we still have modern needs that require us to interact with them. How do grocery suppliers and gas suppliers just stop showing up? How did no one notice? We definitely don''t have the whole story and it''s going to take time to get those answers. I don¡¯t know if Tyler is just omitting things that are painful to talk about or if the story is false and he¡¯s using something generic to draw us in to trust him. We make it back to Mina¡¯s SUV without any problems, and the team is still nking us out of sight and they continue like that the whole drive back to the house. ¡°Too many questions, and yet we did get a bit of info. The rumors appear to be true and the Rogue King¡¯s group is attacking and taking on prisoners. The question now is, do your new friends know they have been recruited or are they acting of their own free will? They also could have just escaped and not known where to go so they teamed up with whoever was in the vicinity.¡± Mina says out loud to me as we drive. Chapter 0323 Chapter 0323 ¡°What do you mean ¡®my new friends? We both went and hung out with them and we both got invited to do it again. Did you not have fun tonight?" ¡°I had fun, but it was very apparent that they wanted you, but that''s kind of how it always is. You seem to be everyone''s center of gravity." ¡°What are you talking about" ¡°The most crazy thing is you honestly have no idea.¡± She takes a second at a stop sign to look at me and roll her eyes. ¡°People naturally gravitate towards you. I have seen it at the castle and at the trainingpound and now here. You don''t even have to try and it¡¯s not something that you even do or say. You just give off a vibe that pulls people in like mas. Even Janice, who clearly doesn¡¯t like the extrapetition, acknowledged your abilities tonight. Mind you she did it when no one but me was listening, but she also didn''t give you a hard time after that either." ¡°She didn''t do anything but ask about how we shift without tearing through our clothes. I hardly think that counts as acknowledgement." ¡°But she did talk to you like you are a normal person, not like a worthless tramp muscling in on her choice of guys after that. That''s the acknowledgement. You were at the very least okay to be there in her eyes and that was all the signal the rest of that group needed to be friendly with you and I. She¡¯s a ring leader of that group, but I have a feeling Tyler might be up there in those ranks too." ¡°This is the stuff I need to work on, you caught so much from people¡¯s mannerisms. It¡¯s the social stuff I still just don''t get. I can smell physical trouble from a mile away, like literally, but you caught a whole social structure from a three sentence conversation.¡± I am in awe a little bit and I know my voice isn''t hiding it at all. She just huffs augh. ¡°I think the same thing when you can analyze an obstacle, map out how best to navigate it and get a whole team through it strategically all in your head. We all have our own talents, your problem is, people have only just started to realize what kind of asset you are." We pull into the driveway, hop out and head inside. Nicks, Osiston, William and Alyssa are all sitting around the kitchen table looking over a map. ¡°What''s up?¡± I ask. ¡°Your boys kept taking walks, but they never really went anywhere or did anything before walking back.¡± Alyssa starts. ¡°We think maybe they were doing their own perimeter check or patrol based on the spoke pattern they were walking." William finishes. ¡°I''m going to map this out and see if I can get any satellite imaging of the area now that I have been on the ground and see if I can find anything." ¡°Did youe across any weird scents orck of scent? That is the one thing that is confusing me since that seems to be the calling card for this rogue group. But all the wolves we havee across have their scent.¡± I ask the older four warriors. ¡°We were not close enough to any of them to track a specific scent, but I did notice when they got to whatever invisible barrier they all stopped at the scents did stop. The only thing I could smell was the forest, no other living things, not even small creatures that should be present even with this many wolves around.¡± Alyssa adds. She seems to bea really good tracker. ¡ª ¡°So we know this group is here, or at least a portion of them and they are in the forest outside campus. We can work with that, we can confirm that they are here.¡° N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Nicks sums up. ¡°We need to keep tracking that forest, I know we have a team that is following up on Gentry¡¯s route. Her coven is also on the search and they seem to be more willing to help now that one of their own is threatened so I might be able to get more information about what these guys might be using to mask the scent." Osiston nods. ¡°Girls, you keep working these college kids, you seem to be building trust with them quickly. We need more information to work with. Where they have been is a good start and if they n on staying long term or if they are just passing through.¡± Chapter 0324 Chapter 0324 ¡°Got it.¡± We say in unison. ¡°You can both go, it¡¯s been a long day. Be ready for a call at any time." ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± We both answer again and then turn to head out of the room and up stairs. ¡°I just want a shower and to stretch, my legs are sore. We need to run harder more often.¡± Mina half laughs and half whines at me as we both feel the tightness in our legs just from walking up the stairs. Mina goes to grab her towel and head for the shower. I head for my desk and see my phone light up with a notification. ¡°Oh sh*t! I totally forgot. It''s Sierra''s birthday! We have to call her when it¡¯s not the middle of the night." ¡°Is she 17 or 18?¡± Mina asks. ¡°17 one more year before we find out if Sam is her mate.¡± I giggle. ¡°I swear their connection is so strong I could feel it click into ce when they met. He turned toplete jello, it was really cute." ¡°Aren''t all your friends having birthdays soon too?¡± ¡°Yeah, all the guys are just a few weeks apart. March is basically a party month for all of them." Sheughs and then stops, lost in thought. ¡°Isn¡¯t your birthday like April or May?" ¡°End of April." ¡°Does your pack put something in the water so everyone gets pregnant in the summer and has kids in thete spring?¡± She''sughing, but I''m sure kind of serious too. ¡°Il never really thought of it like that, but I guess.¡± Iugh at her grimacing a bit. ¡°What about you? When''s your birthday?" She closes her eyes for a second and smiles, opening only one to look at me. ¡°June.¡± - ¡°Hah!! You can''t say sh*t about it then!" I keepughing as she walks into the bathroom to shower the night off. I She¡¯s out quickly and I do the same. Once I am clean and infy clothes the long day kind of hits me and I look at the clock. At this point it is 4am and I have been up for almost 24 hours straight. I need to get some sleep if I am actually going to make it through sses today. I set an rm and so does Mina, just in case, and we both quickly fall asleep. I shoot up as my rm goes off, then I groan as mother nature calls and decides I don''t get to sleep more. When I get done in the bathroom, I''m too wide awake to even think about going back to sleep even though I''ve only gotten about three hours. This is my normal internal clock and it is immovable at the best of times. I decide to wake Mina up and we can call Sierra before we get started with our day. Neither of us bother to get cleaned up before we video call her. She''ll appreciate the thought that she is more important than our appearance. The phone dials for longer than it should and I''m afraid we might be waking her up or she doesn''t have it with her. When she finally answers, it''s extremely close to her face, but she looks genuinely excited to see us. ¡°Oh my Goddess! How are you guys?!" ¡°We''re great! Happy Birthday!¡± I basically shout at the phone. ¡°Aww, thank you. No offense, but you two look rough, what have you been up to?" Mina and I bothugh. ¡°We''re on a mission right now andst night was ate night." ¡°Wait! What do you mean ¡®on a mission?¡± A male voice I would recognize anywhere, shouts from somewhere behind her. Then the phone is snatched and blurry for a second before Sam''s face comes into view. ¡°Little Bit, what do you mean you''re on a mission. You are just supposed to be in training. You aren''t even old enough to actually qualify for that part, what is Warrior Brogen thinking putting you on a mission with fully trained warriors?"Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Chapter 0325 Chapter 0325 ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too Sam. Thank you for that vote of confidence, it is greatly appreciated. Osiston is here on mission, with us along with Nicks and the rest of the team. So don''t get your panties in a twist." ¡°Well aren''t you special, no titles or anything anymore?¡± He tries to look stem, but it¡¯s just not in his nature and he winks at me. ¡°Il was hoping to see you in person while I''m here, but you''re not even on the territory are you? ¡°It''s hard to use titles when we are undercover, so no we don''t use them here. And we are on territory but we aren''t close enough to visit. Name''s Mina by the way.¡± Mina introduces herself. ¡°Oh damn, sorry. It didn¡¯t even cross my mind that you guys haven''t met yet.¡± I smack myself in the forehead. ¡°Mina, this is Sam, my packs¡¯ future Delta and Sierra¡¯s current toy. Sam, this is Mina, one of the warriors in the training program with me. Her dad is a warrior for the Alpha King." ¡°It''s nice to meet you Mina, and who are you calling a toy" ¡°Did we not just interrupt what I think we did? You are her toy. She ys with you however she likes. You just happen to enjoy the ytime." ¡°Okay, So you''re not wrong. But it sounds so demeaning like that. I¡¯m feeling a bit used and may need some TLC when we are done here.¡± He looks over his shoulder at, I assume, Sierra. We all laugh. ¡°Alright, I''m decent now, give me my friends back.¡± I hear Sierra before the phone blurs again and then before her facees back into view. "So tell me everything that you can. What were you guys doingst night?" Sam slides behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. Goddess I hope they are mates, they are perfect together. ¡°Nothing much really. We went on a run, getting to know some of the guys on campus. Just making connections. It''s all recon at this point." Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°What campus? Where are you, Little Bit¡± Sam interrupts again. ¡°We are currently college students and trying to get close to a group of guys here.¡± Mina fills in some of the nks for him. ¡°You were around a bunch of college guysst night? Seriously? Did you know any of them before you got there?" ¡°A couple, the rest we met throughout the night. Why" ¡°No wonder Oliver was losing his mind and Cam and Kota kept calling to ask if I was okay. They said something felt wrong. It wasn''t me, it was you.¡± ¡°Huh?" ¡°You have always had an extra strong connection with those three. Apparently, it doesn''t matter how far away you are, they know when your''e in a potentially dangerous situation." ¡°There¡¯s no way they could have any connection right now. Mina and I have our warrior brands, we don''t feel any of those emotions right now." ¡°Oh yeah? You arent even old enough to have a brand yet. What the hell?!" He takes a deep breath and looks straight into my soul through the phone. ¡°Dad told me a bit about the warrior branding ceremony and what happens. Did you happen to get your brand around Thanksgiving?¡± He rubs his face. ¡°Yeah, why?¡± There''s no way he could know that. He would have no reason to. ¡°You say you shouldn''t have a connection with them or us or whatever. Well, around that time we were all hanging out and then a searing pain took over all of us. Dropped all five of us to our knees. Alpha Lucas called in everyone toe help, but no one had any idea what was going on. We all had different reactions after that. Your brother got sick, like throwing up everything for an entire night and then slept for three days. Oliver spent more time in the gym breaking sh*t than actually working out. He said he felt off and just kept having spikes of aggression that he couldn''t control, that him and his wolf felt like they were being separated. The twins didn''t get sick like Mateo, but had a hard time breathing for a few hours. They both said it was like something was being pulled out of their chest. Then they spent the rest of the three days glued to each other''s side like they were actually afraid to be apart. I spent three days running between my friends on high alert, I could feel my protectiveness kick in and like Oliver I couldn''t control the urge. That had to be our connection to you, Little Bit. It''s the only logical exnation. Which doesn¡¯t sound logical at all.¡± He rubs his face again. Chapter 0326 Chapter 0326 ¡°That''s crazy! I''ve never heard of a connection like that before.¡± Mina said. ¡°Me either and weird sh*t happens all the time around here.¡± Sierra says. ¡°I''ll ask mom and dad about it and see what they have to say. I wonder if Alpha Reggie knows about the connection between you six?" ¡°I don''t know, but we can talk about thatter. What are you going to do for your birthday since you have visitors?¡± I ask, not really wanting to discuss the guys. It just makes me homesick. And I feel bad if me getting my brand affected them like that. ¡°Just one visitor. We couldn''t all leave. We are still investigating the breach and the information we got was urate. There aren''t any rogue camps that we can find for now, but there are indications that a few camps were on the maind close to the waterline surrounding the ind, meaning they were watching us. We just can''t figure out why they left.¡± Sam looks at me with sadness in his eyes. ¡°Your information came from Midget here, she put the pieces together and you have a very good idea why they left and you just don''t want to say it out loud.¡± Mina says, looking from Sam and Sierra on the phone to me. ¡°What?!" I ask looking between Mina and the phone. ¡°Those rogues are following you, Midget. They left when you did. Tyler and those guys didn¡¯t even care about inviting me on the run, they were waiting for you. Now we need to know why.¡± She is serious and I can see the fire in Sam''s eyes. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°You have college guys waiting for you and following you? You need toe home Little Bit. We can¡¯t protect you when you are out there putting yourself in danger." ¡°Don''t start! I am a warrior and that is excatly what my job is. Iam not this little thing you need to keep in a locked box. We called to talk to Sierra on her birthday, we are not turning this into a ¡®put Sky in a bubble¡¯ conversation. ¡°You''ve all tried that before and it backfired on all of us. Now Sierra, back to my question, do you have ns for the day?" ¡°Nothing officially nned, no. Sam surprised mest night and I think my parents want to have dinner, but I think we are just going to hang out and rx today. But, Sky, he¡¯s not wrong, I''m not saying go home. I''m thest person to tell you that, just watch your back now that we have made some connections, okay.¡± I roll my eyes and hand the phone to Mina, grab workout clothes from my dresser and head to the bathroom. I can''t have this conversation anymore and my best friend is taking their side which she never does. I left my pack so I could grow and get better not to be afraid of some other bully. Like Oliver, I need to workout my frustrations or I might break something. I change into a sports bra and shorts and throw sweats over them. I pull my waist length blonde hair in a ponytail. I really should trim it at some point. I just don''t ever think about it until I¡¯m frustrated and just need to get it out of my face quickly. I I walk back out of the bathroom to grab my headphones and Mina hands me my phone. I looked at the screen and she ended the call. With no words she holds up a finger to tell me to wait a minute and she goes to change as well. This is why I keep her and Lillian and Oliver so close. They just know when to drop a topic that is setting me off and help me work through the physical aggression so I can then talk about and work through the problem. She doesn''t even hesitate, just changes quickly, grabs her music and we both head out, jogging to the gym to get our warm-up over with so we Can just move to weights when we get there. Chapter 0327 Chapter 0327 Thank the Goddess no one is here yet, it¡¯s still too early ona Friday morning. I don''t know if I could fake my way through polite conversation right now. I just need to beat on some stuff and get my head back on straight. Which is exactly what we did. Mina spotted me andughed every time I added weights to the bars, but she didn''t object or try and tell me to take it easy. We were on ourst set when a voice pulled me out of my train of focus. ¡°You should have called us, we would have joined you." I turned around and my sweat soaked ponytail whipped around my neck. He stops in his tracks. ¡°On second thought, it looks like you are out for blood, maybe missing out on this workout was okay.¡± Tylerughs at us. Mina gives a chuckle and I manage a smile and an eye roll. I''m not done being mad, but at least I can understand that Mina and Tyler aren''t my problem. ¡°You might not have survived.¡± I look at him in the mirror as I set up to finish my squats. ¡°I mean your stamina was a littlecking yesterday during the run, I can¡¯t imagine your strength is much better.¡± I cock an eyebrow at him. What are you doing? We have to leave to get ready for sses? Mina mindlinks me. We need answers, and he¡¯s here. You said so yourself. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Maybe if I can get him moving with me I''ll get some.¡± I respond and then open the link to her, Osiston and Nicks. ¡°Tyler is at the gym with me, I''m going to see if I can get information out of him. Mina has to leave for this to happen, I assume at least one of you is nearby. Can one of you follow her home to get ready for ss and one stay with me as backup?¡± I look at her daring her to contradict me. ¡°At least you asked for back-up, jackass.¡± She rolls her eyes and I smile at her. ¡°I''ll see youter, I just need some more time.¡± I say out loud to her. She nods, gives me a hug and walks by Tyler. ¡°Mina, I¡¯m outside in the truck. Osiston has Sky.¡± Nickses through like this is the most natural response to my request. ¡°Make sure she doesn''t do anything stupid, she¡¯s having a moment. And make sure that she eats...soon. We didn''t get a ton of sleepst night and have been here for over an hour with no food. She will train herself into aa.¡± She pats him on the shoulder and walks away. Tyler just looks at me for a second. ¡°Wanna talk about it?" ¡°Not really, I¡¯m still irritated and if I start talking the irritation will just get bigger. I just need to work out the aggression a little longer, can you spot me on the bench press? Wait, I don''t want to interrupt your workout. You did note here to be my trainer, I''m sorry.¡± I rub my face, hoping I''m getting the emotion right so he will want to stay and talk to me. ¡°Hey, hey,e here.¡± He pulls me into a hug and I reluctantly put my arms around him. ¡°What''s up? Talk to me.¡± I let him hold me for a minute. ¡°I''m so gross, I''m sorry.¡± I say as I pull away, actually kind of feeling bad, but he doesn''t let me get more than a step away. ¡°You''re fine, I kind of prefer this look on you. It seems right somehow. Is that weird?" ¡°I have no idea.¡± I cringe. ¡°This kind of thing is new for me." I point between the two of us. ¡°And I really am disgusting and I smell, I should probably go and shower." ¡°Like I said, I prefer this look on you and you actually don''t smell bad.¡± He smiles at me. "Do you have stuff to shower and change here, or do you need to go home?" ¡°I didn''t bring anything with me, we came in kind of a rush, but I don¡¯t want to go home yet. Ugh.¡± So far I haven''t had to lie, which is working for me. Tyler seems sweet even if he is a part of the rogue group, he doesn¡¯t seem like a bad guy. ¡°How about this? I haven¡¯t worked out, so I don¡¯t need to change and I was smart enough to bring extra stuff with me. Do you want to take my bag and go clean up then! can make sure you eat like Mina asked, cause I''m sure she can kick my ass too.¡± Chapter 0328 Chapter 0328 ¡°Really? You would give up your workout time and your stuff for me?¡± I know my guys would do that for me, but Tyler barely knows me outside of ss. ¡°You really are new at this aren''t you?¡± Heughs, taking a cautious step towards me and cing a hand on my hip. The sound is a deep grumble in his chest and isforting somehow. ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way, "I sigh, "The age gap might be a problem when you find out how big it is. It may also exin a few things.¡± I look away from him, but I don''t step out of his grip no matter how much every fiber of my being wants me to. ¡°Skr, don¡¯t you dare tell him your real age!" Osiston growls ¡°I¡¯m going to have to give him something that exins my reluctance to do things like hug and kiss him, when he keeps trying. Rx, we need his information and I''m going to have to be vulnerable for him to share it." ¡°Fine. Be careful and keep your mindlink open now so you can just talk and don''t have to ry anything." This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Got it." ¡°If you really don''t mind, I will be quick I promise.¡± I look back at him and he has a small smile ying on his lips. ¡°Skr, I don''t mind. Come on.¡± He walks us over to where he dropped his stuff. He just hands me the whole bag, like he could care less if I went through his stuff. Then he walks me to the locker room, hand on the small of my back the whole time. ¡°I swear, ten minutes tops. Thank you Tyler.¡± I give hima small smile as I walk through the locker room door. I hurry through the shower, using his body wash and 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner. My sweats are fine since I took those off the minute we walked in the door, but my underwear and bra are soaked so I decide to go without. He thankfully has a brush so I can attempt to make myself presentable. I walk out in less than ten minutes and Tyler is just leaning against the wall looking at his phone. ¡°Hey. Thanks for waiting." He looks up at me, looks down at his phone and then back up at me again, a weird look on his face. ¡°You''re done already?!" ¡°Umm, yeah. I said ten minutes tops." ¡°But that usually means an hour.¡± Heughs. ¡°Not for me. I don''t do a lot to get ready. If I am ever dressed up or look like effort was put in, that means I was tied to a chair and my best friends had their way with me.¡± Iugh. ¡°That oddly sounds like something I might like to witness." He smiles at me and reaches for his bag, gently taking it out of my hands. ¡°Now, can! hold your hand or is that too much?" ¡°I''m not sure actually.¡± I just stand there looking at him. ¡°Let''s find out then.¡± He grabs my hand and gently leads me out of the gym and down the sidewalk to a little diner a few blocks away. We walk in afortable silence. I don''t feel weird holding his hand, but it isn''t the same as the twins or Oliver or even Sam. There is no emotion attached to it. This brand is crazy. I don¡¯t feel awkward or butterflies or tingles or any sensation that could be attached to a boy holding my hand for the first time. It¡¯s just numb. ¡°So you have been thinking awfully hard while we are walking. Are you getting anywhere inside that pretty head of yours or can I help?¡± He asks as he holds the door open for me to walk into the diner that has a small crowd doing ate breakfast. I¡¯m sure a lot of kids either try not to have sses on Fridays or at the very least startte if they can help it. ¡°Not really, just boys being frustrating boys. Well one boy anyway.¡± He lets go of my hand immediately and I look at him confused. Chapter 0329 Chapter 0329 ¡°Are you with someone else? Or does someone have a im on you?¡± Is he angry? Why does he sound angry? ¡°Excuse you?!¡± I step back as my temper res for a second, but I close my eyes and take a breath in and reign it in. I need to talk to him, we need answers. "No, nothing like... just... let''s just sit down and I can exin." We grab a booth in the back and he sits across from me looking skeptical. The waitress is quick to get to us and we both order the same thing. Tyler never takes his eyes off of me. ¡°You have someone, is that why you are reluctant with me?" He does not even mince words. ¡°No, I don''t, but it''splicated. I''mplicated." ¡°How so?¡± Still irritated. I am doing everything to not return the sentiment in my tone. ¡°How old are you Tyler?" ¡°Twenty two, why? How is this relevant to you having a boyfriend?¡¯ I ignore him. ¡°Any siblings? A little sister maybe" ¡°I had a sister, yes. Where are you going with this?¡± ¡°Just follow along for a second. I promise I¡¯m not really as strange as I sound. Well, maybe I am. Who knows.¡± I fidget with my ponytail which is still wet and take a deep breath in. This is my way to get him to open up to me. I have to word this right. ¡°Anyway, How would you feel if your fifteen year old sister went off to college, because she was smart enough to aplish that, but you found out she started talking to a twenty two year old college guy just weeks into being in school?" ¡°I would probably rip his balls off and shove them down his throat.¡± He didn¡¯t even hesitate with his answer and I just sat there looking at him, waiting for him to catch on. It took a couple minutes. He blinks at me, then his eyes go wide and his face pales. ¡°Oh f*ck! Are you serious?! If you are serious I am a dead man.¡± He rubs his hand over his mouth, his breathing more shallow. ¡°Yep, I am a dead man. No one has a sister as hot as you and doesn¡¯t have a protection detail on her at all times. You don''t have a big ass bodyguard hiding somewhere do you?¡± He starts looking around nervously like someone is going to jump out saying " This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. you caught me." ¡°Of course she does, jackass, the point of hiding is to not be seen. But he¡¯s not as dumb as we thought, is he?¡± Osiston decides to chime in. l ignore it. This time I have to lie. "Of course not, but I told you I¡¯m new at all of this and I just came here to go to ss, high school was boring and I was done with all the requirements I had there. Mina was already attending so I asked if I coulde along. Nicks said ¡®why not¡¯ since we were all moving anyway." ¡°And your brother? What about him? I thought it was just you and Mina." ¡°It is actually my best friends¡¯ boyfriend, who is like my older brother. I knew him first, I''ve known him since birth actually. But it¡¯s her birthday today so we were on the phone talking this morning and I didn¡¯t know he was in earshot of the conversation, but I was telling her about the runst night and he got mad at me for being out with college guys without anyone to protect me, basically. Overprotective doesn¡¯t even begin to describe him. He told me I needed toe home, which pissed me off, and I have a bit of a temper when ites to people telling me what to do so I usually go to the gym where it is harder to break stuff. So here we are.¡± I take a deep breath after all of that word vomit. ¡°So you are telling me that you are seven years younger than me, but taking the same college level courses that I am and worried that I might have a problem with the age difference. Is that right? This other guy definitely has a problem with the age difference, and you are certain it¡¯s an older brother thing and nothing more?" ¡°Well, basically yeah. The sses aren''t really the problem. Let¡¯s be honest. It''s the life experience that I think you might have an issue with. You''ve seen more than I have and been through more than I have. With all my intelligence I am still only fifteen. And I''m not going to lie, the whole rtionship thing is only a concept to me. I have never had one and it makes me really nervous. And yes, my massive, overprotective, flirt of a friend is like my big brother, there are no other feelings there. The way he is with my best friend, I kind of hope they are mates. It''s a goals type of rtionship.¡± Chapter 0330 Chapter 0330 He takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. ¡°Well I can see why you are different from the rest of the girls I know now. I''m not going to lie. I like you a lot, but I get where you''reing from, especially if this is all new for you.¡± He grabs my hand and slowly interlocks our fingers. I¡¯m sure some girl somewhere would be fighting to keep her heart rate in check because the gesture is super sweet, but it¡¯s nothing for me. I know the brand is doing its job and I don''t know if I would be interested in him as more than a friend even if it wasn''t, but I also feel bad for this boy who is showing me patience and kindness and affection and there is no way for me to truly reciprocate. ¡°I just know that mates are really important and I''m afraid of what might happen if I get attached to anyone and they don¡¯t turn out to be my mate. How devastating would that be? For either person. It''s just really confusing. I¡¯m sorry, I don''t mean to be all hot and cold with you, I really just don''t know what to do." Our food arrives at that point and he is saved from having to answer me. The homestyle meal is amazing. Pancakes, bacon, biscuits with sausage gravy, a side of fruit and coffee and juice. It makes me think of home and Gretchen cooking for me when I was by myself all the time. I would just sit at the ind eating and watching her bustle around the kitchen. It was always a quiet peace, lonely, but peaceful. I close my eyes and savor every bite, lost in the memory for a second. ¡°Why is that so hot? You really enjoy your food don''t you?¡± I actually forgot I was alone. My eyes snap open to see Tyler watching me. I swallow slowly making sure I don¡¯t choke while he just stares. ¡°What person doesn''t enjoy food after basically torturing themselves in the gym?¡± ¡°I know a lot of girls who don''t eat much, period.¡± He lowers his voice so only I can hear him. ¡°Human girls are the worst about it, but she-wolves aren''t much better. Most think it will mess up their figure, but if they actually worked out their wolf the way you''re supposed to be, burning calories shouldn''t be a problem.¡± ¡°I just eat what I want and when I''m hungry, it¡¯s really not that big of a deal.¡± I try to shrug it off. ¡°Well, the sounds you make when you enjoy your food are making it a very big deal.¡± He shifts slightly in his seat. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Did he just...? Oh man. I need to change the topic, we keep venturing towards s*x and I need information, not for him to want to jump me. I set my fork down because apparently eating turns him on. ¡° You said you ¡®had¡¯ a sister. Past tense. What happened to her?" His face goes dark and I feel bad for prying, but we need to know if it was the Rogue King who attacked his pack and if Tyler and his friends joined up. I have to keep reminding myself I am ona mission. ¡°When my pack was attacked, it was chaos. We had no idea it wasing, we weren''t at war or even in a disagreement with any other pack that I¡¯m aware of. My dad and mom worked in the packhouse so we usually knew what was going on just from them being around the leaders. The wolves were organized and had a clear n of attack, it was not random. They knew where to go and who to go after first. I don¡¯t know when it happened, but I found my sisterter on our front lawn." He stopped to take a breath and I let him have the moment. Reliving that kind of trauma in your head sucks, I know. I reach out and touch his hand lightly, not sure if that¡¯s what he needs right now or not. He gives me a small smile and squeezes my hand back. ¡°You said you were stuck. Why didn''t you just leave or choose another Alpha and rebuild? I''m sorry, I don¡¯t mean to be nosey, I just don''t understand." ¡°We weren''t allowed to leave. Their Alpha took over. Said it was by order of the Alpha King, so no one wasing for us, our pack was foundcking and needed a change.¡± He still has this dark haunted look in his eyes, but something else is there and I can''t describe it but, I am genuinely scared of this look. Chapter 0331 Chapter 0331 ¡°What about your elders? Don¡¯t they have direct ess to the Alpha King, they should have called for help.¡± Tyler huffs augh. ¡°Those idiots were more concerned with their titles and being in the Alpha King¡¯s presence than actually doing their job. They spent almost no time in our pack or with pack members. Our Alpha was kind of a joke. He wasn¡¯t a bad guy, but he was mated to the former Alpha¡¯s only daughter and took the title. He wasn¡¯t made to be an Alpha. I¡¯m sure the Elders chose him for her. I think they actually ran the pack through the Alpha and Luna. The leaders were very concerned with making the pack bigger and more prominent. I was little when the Luna¡¯s father died, so I don¡¯t know if he was the same way or if it got bad after my alpha was chosen as the Luna¡¯s mate.¡± He stops to take a breath. If he is acting, he is really good at this. I really feel bad for him and his pack. ¡°From what I heard, the Elders fled the minute the attack happened, leaving the Alpha and Luna to defend themselves, which of course they couldn¡¯t, and are holed up with the Alpha King now. For all we know they are the reason our pack was attacked or they nned the attack themselves to try and get the Alpha King¡¯s attention. Who knows. Either way a lot of innocent people died or were captured or worse and no one did a thing about it.¡± That scary angry look is back. He is out for vengeance, I just wonder if he is aware or not. ¡°What was the name of your pack?¡± I¡¯m kind of afraid of what his answer is going to be. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Former name, Midnight sun. Currently, they are part of the Shadow Pack.¡± My heart stops. A loud growl and string of curses go off in my head from Osiston and Nicks who have been listening in. It takes everything in me to stay present with Tyler while they are shouting instructions to the whole team and the warriors back home. The noise is giving me a headache, but I can¡¯t shut them out. They need this information first hand, right now. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that happened to your pack. Is the whole group we ran withst night from your old pack?¡± ¡°Nah, Mike, Robbie and I left as soon as we could. The new Alpha is ruthless and cruel. He stopped all contact with the outside and his warriors use corporal punishment if you don¡¯t fall in line. All the men were forced into an army. Any women that were left were taken somewhere else. I never saw any of them again. We had to get out, but no pack wanted a bunch of deserters, we tried, so we are here on our own.¡± He shrugs. ¡°Well, I am skipping sses today, and you look like you could use a workout of your own. How about we hit the gym again and this time you will actually get to use equipment.¡± I stood up and held out my hand to him. He just stared at me like I was crazy. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I just told you that my pack was attacked, my sister was killed, and my two friends and I escaped leaving everyone else behind essentially deserting them and you want to take me to go workout?¡± I smile at him. ¡°Yep, that was a load of heavy and when things get too heavy I workout and I am taking you with me. Now let¡¯s go pay for our food, I am going to need an extra minute to change back into my workout stuff. It¡¯s going to be like putting on a wetsuit.¡± I wink at him and he just chuckles as he gets up to follow me to the register by the door. We walk back to the gym and I can feel how close Osiston is. I don¡¯t think Tyler is a problem, but I do feel better knowing someone is close. I don¡¯t trust Tyler, but at the same time if even half his story is true, I want to help bring whoever is the problem to justice. Tyler is right, innocent people are getting hurt and dying for someone¡¯s sick desire to have power. We workout for a couple more hours and stop by the diner again to grab food to go this time. We settled in the middle of campus on one of the sprawlingwns that has benches dotted along the perimeter. The day is actually nice and calm. Not warm, butfortable enough, the snow is melting and the sun is shining making everything a little brighter. Chapter 0332 Chapter 0332 ¡°Thank you for today, I didn¡¯t realize how much I needed to get that out. Mike and Robbie lived it with me so none of us ever talk about it and no one else has ever asked before.¡± He balls up the wrapper from his sandwich and looks out over thewn towards the building, but I don¡¯t think he sees anything really. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem really. I do have to go though. I work all weekend and since I skipped ss today, I want to make sure I am caught up on everything.¡± I stand and he follows. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into his chest slowly, being extra cautious, but I let him. I wrap my arms under his and rest my cheek on his chest. He leans into my hair and inhales, then kisses the top of my head. ¡°You make it really difficult to move slowly, you know that?!¡± He chuckles into my hair and I smile. ¡°Sorry, upational hazard of being the baby.¡± ¡°You are definitely not a baby, but I think you are definitely worth the wait.¡± He kisses the top of my head again and then lets me go. ¡°Do you want me to walk you home? I feel like Mr. Overprotective does not need another reason to kill me.¡± Iugh, loud, this time. We have been kind of serious all day. It feels good to lighten the mood. ¡°So far he has no real reason to do anything to you. You have been a perfect gentleman. I¡¯m sure even you would agree that hand holding, a hug and a kiss on the top of the head is not m*rder worthy.¡± ¡°That means nothing. I am in your personal space and talking to you. Trust me, that is reason enough.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good. Mina¡¯s ss is right over there.¡± I point to a building. ¡°And she should be getting done soon. I¡¯ll catch a ride with her, we have ns with my uncle tonight.¡± ¡°Oh f*ck! I forgot about him. He¡¯s a big guy too. I bet he¡¯s a warrior, isn¡¯t he? Is he going to kill me for talking to you? I don''t need some crazy guying for me in my sleep.¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. I¡¯mughing again, I think he might really be afraid of Nicks. ¡°Dramatic much? He knows about you. He also knows I have been with you all day.¡± Tyler¡¯s eyes go wide. ¡°What?¡± ¡°And he¡¯s just okay with you skipping ss to hang out with a guy who definitely is trying to date you even though there is a seven year age difference and you are still a minor?¡± ¡°First, he¡¯s not the hover type.¡± ¡°I hover alright. I¡¯m just not amateur enough to be seen doing it.¡± Nicks chimes in. ¡°Second, he trusts me to make good choices. I¡¯m not one to be pressured into things.¡± I trust you, this clown I don¡¯t trust at all. He may be acting like a gentleman now, but I can guarantee with the amount of fidgeting he has done all day, his thoughts are far from respectable. He¡¯s just lucky you are a deadly weapon. I can¡¯t wait until he finds that out. I want to be there when he sees you beat the sh*t out of somebody for the first time¡± Now both Nicks and Osiston are cackling in my head¡­Like two olddies. ¡°Speak of the devil, I need to get going.¡± I tap my head and smile as Tyler looks around nervous. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to youter Tyler.¡± I turn and walk toward the building. Once I get around the corner, Nicks is by my side instantly. ¡°What are we going to do about the Shadow Pack? If his information is right, Elder Bastian has been ying Alpha Reggie.¡± ¡°We¡¯re working on it, Midge. Good job today. Let¡¯s get home though, never know who¡¯s following you.¡± He winks at me and I giggle. Chapter 0333 Chapter 0333 Walking in the house Mina jumps on me immediately. She has me in a hug so tight, I struggle to breathe. Nicks just walks past me to Osiston sitting at the ind looking intently at aputer screen. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to loosen up there friend.¡± I gasp and she jumps off of me just as fast. ¡°I am so sorry!¡± She grabs my hand and leads me over to the couch and sits me down. ¡°Tell me everything and never make me leave like that again. I couldn¡¯t concentrate all day. It was the worst.¡± ¡°Seriously?! You and I can¡¯t be attached at the hip all of the time, that would look weird. He wasn¡¯t going to talk with you hovering over our shoulders the whole time.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Did he say anything we can use? Anything concrete?¡± ¡°Yes, we have information to work with. Nicks and Osiston have the team working on looking into his ims. So we¡¯ll see I guess. He said Mike, Robbie and he were all from the same pack and it was attacked and no one came to help.¡± I told her the rest of Tyler¡¯s story trying to see if I could find any holes in it and looking to Osiston and Nicks for their thoughts on parts of it. ¡°It all sounds usible, really.¡± Osiston says from across the room, not looking up from his computer. ¡°The attack probably did happen and if none of the Elders asked for help and the Alpha didn¡¯t know he could also contact the Alpha King in an emergency the whole attack could have gone down like that without anyone knowing. That¡¯s a lot of ifs though.¡± ¡°The big questions now are; Did the Shadow Pack really take over Midnight Sun? That pack isn¡¯t even a part of Alpha King Reggie¡¯s territory but it is a part of the northern border. Did they get training in this army? Did they actually leave of their own free will or are they scouts no different than the two of you, gaining information for whoever this new Alpha is.¡± Nicks talks over his shoulder while he makes dinner. ¡°I think that is the first piece of the puzzle we need to solve. Did a pack really get consumed by the Shadow Pack and is Alpha Sharp a part of it or is he unaware that someone is using his pack¡¯s name to attack and im pack territories?¡± ___ Mina and I fell into a routine with Tyler, Mike and, reluctantly, Robbie. We worked out in the mornings before sses and did runs on Thursday nights. Even Janice and her girls stopped being nasty to us. They were not nice and didn¡¯t really talk to us, but they weren¡¯t outright nasty, so I¡¯ll take that as a win. Tyler didn¡¯t talk to me about his pack after the day in the gym either, but he has made a point to text me every day. Nothing about the past or overly personal is brought up by either of us. We haven¡¯t been alone since that day either and I don¡¯t know if that is on purpose or really just a scheduling thing. But when we are together he does make a point to hold my hand or keep an arm around me and it doesn¡¯t feel forced or fake, he¡¯s clearly marking territory. The dynamic is a little strange, but at least I don¡¯t have to fend off other guys trying to hit on me. Mina says I¡¯m ¡®friend zoned¡¯ but he¡¯s trying to not make it obvious. Mina on the other hand is fighting the guys off left and right, but she seems to be enjoying the challenge. She isn¡¯t getting any more information than I am though. So we are kind of stuck at the moment waiting to see if any warriors find anything with the little we were able to gather. Mina and I made it out to shop a few times with the crazy double life we were leading and when I saw a kiosk that was simr to the one the guys got my bracelets from, I knew what to get them for their birthdays. I got them each a thin braided dark brown leather bracelet that has a single, small, ck metal bead with the nickname they gave me engraved on it. You have to look close to see the name, the design is less conspicuous than the bracelets that they got me. And it would just look like they all have matching bracelets from someone looking quickly at it. I like the idea of an inside joke kind of thing with them. Chapter 0334 Chapter 0334 I took the gifts with me when I went back to the castle for a meet up of the battle strategists. I finally got to see Xander and he promised to deliver them for me when he went to visit Blue Crescent next. He said he might make it for the boys¡¯ annualbined party. It¡¯s weird to be sad about missing a party I have only attended once, but I miss my guys and I find myself wondering what they are doing without me. Probably the same thing they were doing before Sierra had us crashing into their lives. The strategists were going over the information that we gathered and what other teams have been bringing in on separate assignments. Each of them asked me different questions, getting rity on anything that might move them forward, but it was really just the same information over and over again. We also went over the safe room project and I got to see how that wasing along with Luna Anne. It was really neat to see an idea that started as napkins and bottles on a tablee to life. She told me that Luna Ava and Alpha Lucas came for a visit and were sad to miss me, but their visit just didn¡¯t match up with my schedule and the guys stayed behind to man the pack while they were gone. I guess they have been doing that more and moretely. Stepping into jobs and tasks that allow them to transition into their roles as true leaders of our pack. I hope Sam told them I was doing okay and not that I was out doing dangerous things, but knowing him, he probably called them on his drive home that night and exaggerated the whole thing. They don¡¯t keep secrets from each other, so it would have just been a matter of time before they all found out I was on a mission and have my warrior brand. I mean there¡¯s really nothing any of them can do about it, but I still hate the thought of them worrying about or being angry with me. I didn¡¯t see any of the Elders while I was at the castle and thank the Goddess for that, because I am terrible at hiding my irritation with people and there is no way I would have been able to sit by without doing or saying something to Elder Bastian even though we still don¡¯t have proof of his involvement with the destruction of Tyler¡¯s pack. I can¡¯t stand the guy in general. Although discussing it with Xander, he said Mina and I might be on a list of chosen mates the Elders were overheard discussing a few weeks back. We had a greatugh about that before I went back to campus. The spring has just been a mix of sses, hanging with the rogues and small gatherings at the castle. Then rinse and repeat. Osiston and Nicks have both said that most missions are long term, especially when you are just gathering information. Getting in with the right groups or with the right people takes time and can¡¯t be forced. When my birthday rolls around it is bittersweet. Mina was not going to let me ignore it and even got Tyler in on the n to do something. But as I was having breakfast that morning I found myself thinking of the guys and wondering if they were together thinking of me. I have been wearing my bracelets since I bought theirs, it feels like an invisible connection to them that I just need. I decided to have them all attached to a leather strap with snaps so they are all together all the time and it covers my forearm like an archery arm guard. Mina, Tyler and Mike took me out for dinner and it was fun, but not the same as being at the pool grilling out. I didugh and enjoy myself and even got a burger which everyone thought was an odd choice. Before we left, Mina pulled a box out of her purse and I was immediately suspicious. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± I ask, gingerly taking the blue velvet box from her. It''s a decent size, not a ring or bracelet, but definitely jewelry of some kind. Tyler and Mike look confused at myck of enthusiasm at receiving a gift, but if it¡¯s what I think it might be, they might be angry. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. I was given strict instructions to give it to you after dinner and while, and I quote, the stalker is present. She mindlinks me and my eyes go wide. Chapter 0335 Chapter 0335 ¡°Seriously?! I¡¯m not opening this now!¡± I say to her, not even bothering with the mindlink. ¡°Either you open it or I am supposed to.¡± She shrugs. ¡°Orders from the top.¡± I narrowed my eyes at her. That means Xander is in on this too. Now I know it¡¯s some kind of trap. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°What does she mean ¡®orders from the top?¡¯¡± Tyler asks me. ¡°Is that code for something? And why do you look like you are terrified about opening a gift?¡± ¡°My friends are messing with me and unfortunately we have a hierarchy meaning Mina will cause a scene.¡± I look right at him then take a deep breath and spin the box to face me. The dark blue velvet is soft and expensive with gold lining the edges of the box and the hinge. I slowly pull it open with Tyler sitting shoulder to shoulder with me and I gasp. Sitting on a dark blue satin pillow is a gold metal choker ne. The metal circlet sits open with a gold moon charm hanging from one end,plete with the two little stars sitting on the bottom tip. Hanging from the other end is a delicate gold chain with star charms made of faceted colored ss attached every few links. There is one in each of the guys¡¯ colors and I recognize the circle diamond hanging from the bottom as Xander¡¯s. Tears fill my eyes as I look up to see Mina with her phone up, most likely taking a video of my reaction. ¡°This means something to you?¡± Tyler asks the question, but the way he asks lets me know he doesn¡¯t need the answer. I just nod as he pulls it off the cushion and slides it around my neck on top of the ne from my brotherst year with the matching moon pendant that I never take off. The opening sits just above my corbone so the moon dangles on one side of my neck and the star charms hang on the other. ¡°This is not a gift from just a friend. And that is not a reaction from just a friend.¡± He says looking at me, shoulders slouched. His voice is thick and hurt. ¡°No, Tyler, stop. It¡¯s really not like that. This is not what you think, but it is personal and yes it means something to me. No I¡¯m not going to exin the significance, I can¡¯t.¡± I close my eyes and will the tears away. I won¡¯t let them fall, this is special and meant to be special. They are thinking of me too. ¡°I¡¯m just going to go.¡± He gets up to leave, Mike following. I got to Mike first. ¡°Go sit with Mina, we will be right back.¡± I follow Tyler outside. ¡°So that¡¯s it then, you are just going to get up and walk away?¡± ¡°What do you want me to do Sky? You clearly are leading someone else on at the same time you are ying with me. I have been as patient as I can, but waiting for you to figure out what you want is painful and I don¡¯t believe for a second that you have no idea what you are doing here. No one sends a gift like that to their girlfriend¡¯s best friend.¡± He¡¯s getting more and more angry as he talks. ¡°I told you I knew Sam first, I have known him my whole life. I introduced him to Sierra. There has been and never will be anything between us. This ne is special to me and I shouldn¡¯t have to exin that to a guy who has friend zoned me since he found out I have guys as friends. You don¡¯t want to get to know me and you don¡¯t want me to know you. You are the one holding back. You are letting your petty jealousy get in the way.¡± I shove him with each usation. At least I can still feel anger towards him because as fake as this is I do care about him as a person, but I won¡¯t take the me for the distance. ¡°Sam has a funny way of showing his ¡®friend¡¯ affection. Does he buy you nice underwear too?¡± That was thest straw. I cocked my fist back and punched him with all of my strength. His head spun around, the rest of his body following with the force so he was facing away from me. Chapter 0336 Chapter 0336 ¡°For your information you son-of-a-b*tch." He turns slowly back to me,plete anger contorting his usually handsome features while he holds his cheek. ¡°My mother died giving birth to me, I hate my birthday. My friends, all of them, as in plural or more than one since you seem to be slow on the uptake, get me something with rainbow colors for my birthday.¡± I hold up my cuff with the rainbow colored leather. ¡°Each color represents a different friend, it¡¯s to let me know they are thinking of me. So maybe before you go using people of deceit, you should get the whole story." I push him again before walking away. ¡°SKY! WAIT! I"M SORRY!¡± He shouts at my back, but I just keep walking. ¡°I''m here Little One, just keep walking. As soon as he¡¯s out of sight I''ll get you.¡± "Why can¡¯t the brand take pain too? He didn''t hurt me really, but I don''t like being used of cheating or leading people on. I would never do that to someone. I can''t even feel affection for him and I still didn''t go after any other guys even when he stopped giving me information.¡± "Pain lets us know we''re still alive. It lets us know that something is wrong. We cannot take pain away, but we can work through it. You''re almost to me. Let''s go for a run." ¡°Okay.¡± I sniffle back my tears and take a deep breath. I will work through this like I work through everything else that has frustrated me over the years. I will let my wolf out, let her take control and protect me until I can get my head on straight again. I don''t talk to Osiston, Nicks or even Mina about what happened. Someone wanted a result and they got it. I don''t know if Sam and the guys were trying to get under my skin, or if they were trying to push Tyler away or maybe thought he would be jealous and fight for me, but I was used, and I dont appreciate it at all. I leave my phone on airne mode most days. I use it only for music when I workout...alone. If anyone needs to talk to me they can mindlink me. I know I''m being followed, I can always feel a presence near me, but I don''t ask who it is or acknowledge them. I have switched from sharing a room with Mina to staying in one of the other guest rooms with my door locked if I am home. I still go to sses, I just make sure that I am surrounded by other people so Tyler, Mike and Mina can''t sit nexttome. * I shift and run almost every night with Osiston hot on my tail. He says nothing just lets me go and keeps me from doing anything to jeopardize our mission. Three weeks after my disastrous birthday, Minaes into my room. She picked the lock and tried and failed to make a joke of being proud of herself. I was sitting on my bed doing homework, like the good old days. "Hey, I''m sorry. I didn''t think it would go down like that.¡± ¡°SO you were in on the set-up? It¡¯s good to know my friends have my back. What was the end game there? Cause I still haven''t figured it out.¡± "You weren''t getting anywhere with him, so when Xander brought your present we thought we could use it to make him jealous and spark a reaction.¡± "Well, you were right. His reaction was to call me a two timing wh*re and all of you ruined the memory of a gift that should be special to me. Do the guys know that their gift and I were used to bait Tyler?¡± She looks down at her hands, sping and unsping them. "That''s what I thought. And who''s ''we¡¯ exactly?¡± ¡°Alyssa and I." She whispers. "So you didn¡¯t get the idea from Xander or Nicks or Osiston? Did Xander exin the significance of the ne?¡± "No." She¡¯s still whispering.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Chapter 0337 Chapter 0337 ¡°Well, let me enlighten you. What I told Tyler was true. I hate my birthday because my dad hates my birthday. My dad hates me because on the day of my birth I killed his mate. Untilst year my birthday was never celebrated, ever. It wasn''t allowed. You know about the bullying, what you don''t know is that until the beginning of my freshman year my bullies included my father, my brother and rest of the future leaders of my pack. My basic existence was not even recognized by any of my peers. Not even by my brother. Until my freshman year I had no real friends, also something that was not allowed. It was safer for people to steer clear of me. The only people who remotely gave a sh*t about me were Luna Ava, in secret, my nanny, who was beaten in front of me if my father thought she overindulged me by being too kind, and then our housekeeper who took over after my nanny was fired. The only reason I have friends now is because of Sierra. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. The minute she stepped foot in my pack Sam was attracted to her and decided being nice to me would get him in her good graces. That''s how they figured out I was being harmed by more than just my father and to what extent my father mistreated me. So for the first time in my life my birthday was celebratedst year and it was beautiful. The guys got me these bracelets,¡± I held up my arm, ¡°and clearly kept the theme of thebined color coded gift this year with their ne and you decided to use it for your own selfish gains.¡± I look from her to my open door. ¡°You cane in, lingering at the door mouth breathing isn¡¯t doing you any favors.¡± ~ Both Osiston and Nicks walk in, looking not too pleased. ¡°Is that why Tyler came by asking to see you looking like he was in a cage fight?¡± Nicks asked. ¡°And we are not mouth breathers.¡± I couldn''t suppress a small smile at the idea I hit him hard enough to leave a mark. I just nodded. ¡°I¡¯m actually sad I missed that.¡± "Well, you might need to make up with him. We have been following his crew for thest few weeks, they are up to something.¡± Osiston says. ¡°And he has been stalking the house, clearly trying to check in on you. He¡¯s not very stealthy. This might work for us." ¡°How soon do! need to be friendly again?¡¯ I''m all business now. Tyler means nothing after that. I have no room for people who will turn on me at the first sign of trouble and he didn''t even listen to my side of the story. ¡°I''ll have to start letting him talk to me in ss and slowly go from there, he''s got to work for it or he will get suspicious.¡± ¡°I agree, but sooner rather thanter and for sure before the semester ends.¡± I nod again and then look back down at my homework. It''s a start that Mina has some history, but I¡¯m still angry and I can¡¯t bring myself to wear the ne yet, which makes me angry all over again. She shouldn''t have needed to get my history like that and she shouldn¡¯t have gone over the heads of our group leaders. This is just another reason for them to not put on a mission until we are old enough. It¡¯s too easy to be impulsive and emotional. The thought of being iced out of missions keeps the anger simmering too. The only way to make this look real with Tyler is to make up with Mina. I have to stuff this irritation and save it for another day. I can feel Osiston and Nicks leave. Mina hangs for a minute longer, but when she realizes I''m done with her she walks to my door. ¡°Sky, I didn¡¯t know, and I really am sorry. I hope you can forgive me.¡± "I''m working on it.¡± I finally made eye contact with her for the first time in three weeks. ¡°You took something that you can never give back. You may not have had all of the information, but I shouldn''t be forced into giving my history to people for any reason. We have a job here and if you want it to go faster or better or whatever, you need to work with the team. Express your concerns or ideas with everyone. We''re the green ones here, not the experts, no matter how good we are at a few things. Get your head out of your ass, act like the leader that I know is in there somewhere. We aren''t here to be ¡®the guy¡¯ or ¡®the hero¡¯ or whatever you and Alyssa have in your heads. I''m sure the literal years that some of these guys have spent on this mission have been miserable. Our school year can''tpare. I don''t know how long Alyssa has been here, but she isn¡¯t much older than us and she was brought in to track not make decisions and ns. We are better than this, we need to act better.¡± Chapter 0338 ?Chapter 0338This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. She just nods. ¡°I won¡¯t make excuses. I wanted to make Tyler feel a little off kilter. He doesn¡¯t drink more than one when we run on Thursdays and I have never seen him drink other than that. He¡¯s always in so much control. We thought that maybe his attraction to you could crack that a little bit. You are everyone¡¯s weakness. It¡¯s kind of creepy really. Even Robbie has a hard time staying out of your orbit and he hates anyone who isn¡¯t Mike or Tyler.¡± here¡¯s the n, cause I am still angry at you. We can start going to the gym together, but I am back into my morning and evening runs. Jump on the train, or don¡¯t but this is the program now. We have to look like we are in the process of being friends again otherwise they won¡¯t believe me and we¡¯ll never get back in. I have to work in the morning,e in and sit, see if they notice and follow your lead. You have to be vulnerable and we need a story about my birth mother because we are supposed to be sisters. The information we give out is supposed to be generic. The set up didn¡¯t allow me to have a proper reaction and I gave out real information unintentionally. We need to talk to Osiston and Nicks so what we say matches anything they have put out there already.¡± She nods again. ¡°Are you going to move back in?¡± She points over her shoulder to the hallway. ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know yet Now that I know what it¡¯s like to have people around me that want me around, I don¡¯t love being alone. But, I am also still angry enough that I like my space to just be, am going to stay here for now and we¡¯ll see. That¡¯s all I can say.¡± ¡°Okay, I miss you. All of your crazy overachiever tendencies have made me try and get better. You and I have so much more to do, I can feel it. We have some big thingsing our way. I will prove that we can be close again. I¡¯m going to go talk to Nicks and Osiston and let them know that we havee up with the start of a n.¡± ¡°Okay, thanks Mina. I promise I will try.¡± Once she left, I flopped back on my bed and just sighed. I dont have any more tears for this situation. I am not sad, can¡¯t be anymore. My wolf has beenforting me since my birthday, like she always does. don¡¯t want to feel the me of my mom dying anymore. I know the truth now, at least as far as that goes and I can¡¯t talk about that with anyone, at least not yet. Alpha Reggie still wants to keep how close we are rted a secret for now. There are too many people who will try and target me if they found out. I¡¯m not afraid, but after watching Xander deal with the trophy -wife-wannabes, I can¡¯t imagine what someone would do to me to get to either Xander or Alpha Reggie. No one said missions would be easy and I have to get better about keeping my emotions in check, or at the very least keep my real life stuff out of the backstory I¡¯m supposed to have. I can¡¯t just go blurting out things like I did on my birthday, I have to be more in control than Tyler seems to be all of the time. That is something that my wolf and have been going over and over in our head. What we both can do to stay in control, when emotions are running high. I sat back up and finished the notes I was rewriting for the sencond time to make sure I looked busy to everyone and not like I was hiding out in my room like a coward, not wanting to be forced to talk to anyone. Now that Mina and I have a start to a n, I need to go give my input and return the peace offering by eating dinner with them tonight. Chapter-0339 Surveince was a little different finishing out this week.Mina kept going to sses as usual, starting to hint at her and making up to the people who needed to hear it. I kept going to sses and work and started to appear more like my normal self, leaving some of the broodiness at home. Nicks made it look like he was going on a business trip so he could spend time out in the field with Alyssa. He and Osiston were less than pleased with her and Mina¡¯s stunt that could have jeopardized our mission and he is observing her tracking techniques. Well, that¡¯s what he told her anNay. If I was him and suspicious of the group we have been trying to track down for a year with literally no results. I would assume there is someone inside the operation helping to derail us and I would be spending time with each member of the team in a very close way so there is no way to hide. I don¡¯t have any proof that that is what he is up to and I haven¡¯t said anything to anyone about it. I am learning to watch and listen more than I talk.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. It seems to be helping me make better decisions and respond better, although it makes me seem more quiet and reserved, I don¡¯t care. Every single word thates out of my mouth is calcted and serves a purpose. I should have seen what Mina was doing with my gift and stopped it. I got carried away in this lie that we are living. I can see how long term undercover agents could end up being double agents or switching sides. After a while you start to believe in the lie. I am not here to make real friends, I¡¯m here to help stop a guy that, I am pretty sure, wants to kill my uncle and probably cousin and take over the whole kingdom before moving on to the next one. Having Mina and I look unsupervised also serves the purpose that we are vulnerable and unprotected. We are back to full on bait mode. So it¡¯s our job to get our scent everywhere, look like college students who just broke out of an overprotective cage iving it up while our chaperone is away. We don¡¯t party, but we have been to every possible gathering, game and campus event since Nicks¡¯ departure.¡¯ The one thing I haven¡¯t done yet is go to a Thursday run. I need to make up with Tyler and have him invite me as a peace offering, but Mina goes each week and reports back the same thing we saw the first time. The guys basically take turns doing their perimeter check. She did catch a pattern though. Each guy goes out and back and then rotates clockwise to the next group, socializes until it¡¯s his turn to patrol again. And there are so many of them that unless you really watched you probably wouldrfi catch on. She also found that they only patrol away from campus, not between the bonfire site and campus. So either they feel really safe in their bubble here or someone else is patrolling the same way elsewhere. I take a different path each day on my solo run to the gym reporting back the different smells, and who has been where recently. I am learning to be a better tracker, especially with so many wolves mixed with humans as well as the overwhelming smells that can only be associated with a college campus. have discovered that there are some changes in the scents surrounding the campus. To the southeast of us, about 2 blocks from the forest preservend, all scents except those of humans stop and the same goes for north of the rec center that we met Tyler to run for the first time. The scent block seems to extend east into the forest that reaches towards the coastline, which is what we expected, but we have never noticed it until now and the fact that it is on campus has all of us worrled about girls being taken again. The scent block is like an invisible fog that is stealthily creeping across the campus covering more and more each day like a suffocation. With my brand I don¡¯t feel lustful emotions, but when I step into the scent block I feel a pull deep in the pit of my stomach. The pull doesn¡¯t lead me anywhere.,,yet, but I have a feeling, like the pied piper, that pull will eventually have a direction. It¡¯s like a slow haze or a tolerance build up that if you aren¡¯t looking for it, you wouldn¡¯t even notice it developing. Chapter-0340 It¡¯s been a little over a week since I started recognizing and talking to other people again. I turned my phone on all the time and even opened all of Tyler¡¯s apology texts so he can see that I have read them. I still haven¡¯t responded, I haven¡¯t talked to him in a month, this has to be slow. I also started wearing the choker ne. I figure if Tyler is going to forgive me, he¡¯s going to do it while looking at a piece of jewelry around my neck that means a lot to me and from another guy. It¡¯s really too fancy to wear everyday, but I feel better with it on, almost like my head is clear having something from them so close. Same with the bracelets, It feels wrong to take them off somehow, Like i feel physically ill when I take them off to shower or workout. There are so many games to rtionships, it¡¯s stupid. I wish that I didn¡¯t need Tyler to think that I was slowly forgiving him, but that is the only way he will trust me. This is why I am a better warrior. I can beat the sh*t out of someone for pissing me off and then call it a day and move on with life. These games are exhausting. I got to my Ecology ss early and sat in my former spot, where Tyler, Mike and Robbie still normally upy. It would be my luck that I decided to talk to them and they aren¡¯t here today. I waited for what seemed like forever, the ss was basically full with only a minute or two to start when finally all three walked through having what appeared to be a very serious conversation. None of them noticed me until they were three rows from the top. Mike saw me first and just stopped, Robbie then Tyler bumped into him. ¡°What the hell man?!¡± Robbie hissed. ¡°Move your ass before we get in trouble.¡± ¡°I think we need to find different seats today.¡± Mike does not take his eyes off of me when he talks. I can smell the nervousness wafting off of him. Why is he nervous? The other two look around to see what has him in a panic. Robbie sees me and just scowls, Tyler looks just as nervous as Mike, swallowing hard enough for me to see his Adam¡¯s apple move. ¡°Fine.¡± Robbie grumbles and heads back down a few rows where he and Mike take seats at the end of the row. Tyler nods to himself and slowly walks over to me. ¡°Hey. He whispers, but then says nothing else. ¡°Hey.¡± I say a little curtly keeping my focus on him. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been the same without you. The ss is more boring without you asking a million questions.¡± He gives me a small smile. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t been up for a lot of extra chatter ately.¡± I shrug. He¡¯s going to have to work harder than that.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°I know it¡¯s not the time or the ce, but I really am sorry. I was jealous and I was already angry at some news I had gotten right before we met up with you. I¡¯m not trying to make excuses, but I didn¡¯t handle the situation well.¡± Professor Chance started in on the lecture and heavily hinted at information being on the finaling up so I turn and started taking notes. Tyler lets out a huff letting me know he¡¯s not happy about my ignoring his apology, but turns and gets a notebook out. He angles himselftowards me and brushes my knee with his and every fiber of my being wants to move away and elbow him in the nose, but I force myself to sit still and make him feelfortable, because right now that is what all of this is about. He is going to bring me into the folds of the rogues and it is going to happen soon, or I may end up beating the information out of him. Chapter-0341 As Professor Chance wraps up the lesson he tells us that he will run our final next week so we can spend the rest of our ss time outside doing things that are practical. Once he dismisses us the general rumble of books and supplies being packed fills the room and the general noise of voices increases in volume as the students leave the lecture hall. I take my time and so does Tyler. ¡°Can I walk with you?¡± He asks shyly. ¡°Sure.¡± I say on a breath out. I take another breath in to calm my temper and let it out slowly as I stand up with my bag and turn to face him. ¡°What you said is not something that is easy to forgive. It was purposely hurtful. You don¡¯t deserve to find out anything about me after your usations. But, I am going to try. You are not the only person who has suffered through life. Don¡¯t ever assume you¡¯ve had it the worst. There is always somebody suffering more than you. Some of us are just better at moving forward with life. I don¡¯t let my past hold me back. It definitely motivates me and my actions, but I would never consider taking it out on someone else.¡± He just nods and starts to shuffle out of the top row, checking every few steps that I am following him. We make it outside and his friends are nowhere to be seen, he¡¯s all mine for the time being. ¡°Mina, I have Tyler with me, take your time. I¡¯m going to see what he has to say.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± We walk towards the center of campus again not really aiming for anywhere in particr that I can tell. ¡°So your mom really died?¡± He asks the ground in front of him. yep.¡± We just keep walking. ¡°Is Mina really your sister?¡± ¡°Not by blood, but sometimes life brings you people that are closer than that. She and Nicks are those people for me. It¡¯s easier to say we are sisters, cause that¡¯s what she feels like and it;s what people understand without a lot of exnation. I don¡¯t like my story or retelling it. I don¡¯t like the victim pity in people¡¯s eyes when they hear it. Mina and Nicks have never looked at me like that. We get along a majority ofthe time. We have simr interests and goals in life and she has been there for me. This was an opportunity to start new and I took Just ike you.¡± He nods his head again. There¡¯s always a cost though.¡± ¡°Every decision has a cost. It¡¯s just a matter of if you are willing to pay the price.¡± ¡°How are you so young and yet can talk like that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had to suck it up more than a few times. I had to decide to stay stuck and let other people control my life or move forward, learn from what happened and be an example for others in a simr situation. I decided that if I can help even one person to not go through what I have then the pain and suffering and irritation was worth it. I will not let anyone control me or my life again.¡± He looks at me sharply. ¡°But you will let the Moon Goddess choose your mate for you? You would give up that control?¡± ¡°I never said that. Ijust said I¡¯m willing to wait for my mate. There is a reason we can¡¯t find them until we are 18. It gives us a chance to ive a little. How we choose to ¡®live¡¯ is up to us. It is possible that our mate isn¡¯t chosen until we are a bit older or that our mate changes based on our life experience. No one knows how the Moon Goddess works. But I do want to know who she chose for me and then I will decide, because what everyone forgets is that we have the choice to reject our mate. So it is still a choice.¡± ¡°What about family obligations or social status and things like that?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°A lot of packs are choosing mates for their future Alphas and Betas based on blood line and other things like that. I even heard the next Alpha King has a chosen mate lined up for him.¡± Iughed out loud at that. ¡°I¡¯m sure there are Elders who would like those rumors to be true and spread them widely. I¡¯ve seen Elders try, but what they forget is they are no longer in an actual position of power. They are advisors and only around to help guide and give opinions based on their experience and if the future Alphas and Betas are worth their title they will think through the decision and effectively make the best one without being coerced into a decision that benefits someone else while making them miserable. Leaders have to see through the bullsh*t, part of that is mating matches and maniption.¡±This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Chapter-0342 ¡°You are going to make an excellent Luna one day.¡± He huffs and rubs his face. ¡°But will enjoy your time as long as I have your attention.¡± He finally smiled his charming smile at me and I gave him a small one in return. ¡°I am nobody¡¯s Luna. I¡¯m an advocate for my pack, even a fighter, but I couldn¡¯t handle the politics and the backstabbing thates with being a leader.¡± grimace and stick out my tongue at the thought. ¡®That is why you will be a great Luna. You¡¯re not looking for the title.¡± He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles softly and we continue walking like that for a while until wee up to the coffee shop I work for ¡°I believe this is where I leave you.¡± He¡¯s still holding my hand even as he takes a step away from me. ¡°How did you know I have to work today?¡± I raise an eyebrow, but smile. ¡°I might have been keeping an eye on you from a distance when you stopped talking to me and you always work the afternoon shift on Tuesdays.¡± He tries and fails to look at me. ¡°So you have been following me? I thought I caught your scent a couple of times.¡± ¡°You seem to be a hard person to let go of. I can¡¯t exin it, but I want to be near you but I also know it¡¯s not a mate thing.¡± ¡°How do you know it isn¡¯t a mate thing?¡¯ I ask yfully. ¡°I already told you that you are going to make a great Luna someday, that means you will be with some great Alpha¡­ and I already found my mate..¡± He trails off and looks at the ground. ¡°What?! Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t the right time. It¡¯s never the right time, but I wil exin that on our next date.¡± He smiles at me and winks. ¡°When will that be exactly?¡± I tilt my head. ¡°Tomorrow?¡± He says, like a question. ¡°Can I take you to lunch in between sses? I know you have a full day and then I would like to take you to the run on Thursday. It¡¯s not the same without someone to actually chase. ¡°I guess I can handle lunch. We¡¯ll see from there.¡± He nods just ooking at me still holding my hand ike he can¡¯t let go. I make a split decision that is either going to be great or a total disaster. I step forward, wrapping my arms around his waist and tucking my head to his chest. He doesn¡¯t even hesitate to wrap me up in a tight hug. I can feel him press his lips to the top of my head and take a deep breath in then kiss my hair before he lets go. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Sky.¡± I nod ¡°Tomorrow.¡± He doesn¡¯t wait an hour before he starts to text me. Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Thank you for today. Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: I have missed you. Me: I just needed time. Still do Me: Thanks for being patient. Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Anything for you Me: promise? Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Definitely yes! Me: I will hold you to that. I make it through my shift with a few more flirty texts from Tyler and Mina and I head out to have dinner at the Diner near the gym. t has be our go to spot to people watch. It seems most of the werewolf poptiones here. It¡¯s probably because the owner is a werewolf and his wife is human. This is probably the bestpromise for both of them, since He doesn¡¯t smell like any pack I havee across, but he doesn¡¯t have that feral smell from rogues who spend too much time away from civilization.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°So are you going to go on the run Thursday? Apparently it¡¯s all Tyler has talked about all day.¡± She smiles at me. ¡°How do you know that? He literally just asked me right before my shift and didn¡¯t even say yes.¡± I can¡¯t decide if I am pleased he is so ready to jump right back into this weird ass friendship or irritated that he thinks I have forgiven him this easily. ¡°He¡¯s hot. you¡¯re hot, and people talk when two hot people stop speaking dramatically for a month and then are spotted making out in front of the coffee shop.¡± We both roll our eyes. ¡°You know that¡¯s not what happened in front of the shop.¡± ¡°But something did happen?¡± ¡°I gave him a hug. That¡¯s all.¡± I switched to mindlink since there are many advanced ears in the room know need him to bring me back into the group and the run is the best way to do that.¡± ¡°He works fast. doesnt he?¡± She winks at me. ¡°Shut up!¡± I say, but smile at her. Chapter 0343 Chapter 0343 Wednesday I woke up to a text from Tyler. Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Good Morning Beautiful Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Can I still work out with you? Me: No normal person is up at this time. Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: You¡¯re up¡­ Me: Like I said no normal person is up at this time Me: People usually yell at me for getting up this early Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: I couldn¡¯t sleep Me: Why? Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: I thought you talking to me might have been a dream Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: I needed to check, and you never answered the question Me: Sure, I¡¯ll be there in about 10 min Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Can I pick you up? Me: I usually run, I like getting my warm-up in before I get there Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Can I run with you? N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Me: Sure, how long will it take you to get here? Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: I¡¯m outside I hop out of bed and start rushing to get ready, what the hell is he already doing here? I throw on sweats over my sports bra and shorts, grab my bag so I can actually shower this time and race down the stairs and open the door to Tyler¡¯s smiling face. The look is cocky and smug. He could hear me racing around to get ready. Well, at least he thinks I want to see him really badly. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I thought I was picking you up so we could run over to the gym? I thought you said I could join you. Was I mistaken?¡± He¡¯s trying to be yful, but there is a look of uneasiness that crosses his eyes briefly. He¡¯s not as confident as he¡¯s pretending to be. Good. ¡°I mean why are you here now? How long have you been outside my house?¡± ¡°Would it make me sound crazy if I said all night?¡± He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at the ground, kicking invisible dirt around. ¡°How long have you been camping out at my house all night?¡± ¡°Since your birthday. I stayed far enough away so I wouldn¡¯t make you or your uncle ufortable, but being too far for too long was terrible. There is definitely something about you that makes me calm.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± I raise an eyebrow letting him know I very much think that is a line. ¡°So what do you want to talk about first, the flirting like I am your mate when you told me yourself you know I¡¯m not or what you and your buddies actually get up to in the woods, cause it¡¯s not just to run?¡± His head shoots up at me and I raise both of my eyebrows at him, daring him to lie to me. He opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it again and then looks at the sky blowing out a huge breath. ¡°Seriously, you are too perfect and observant for your own good. This was not supposed to be this hard.¡± ¡°That is going to require another exnation, but I will let you get your thoughts in order.¡± I swing my small one shoulder backpack over my head and signal for him to follow me. We don¡¯t talk at all and are in no hurry to get to the gym. It takes about fifteen minutes and neither of us have broken a sweat, but move right into training, both avoiding topics we don¡¯t want to or can¡¯t discuss, but I¡¯m pretty sure he implied that he wasn¡¯t supposed to get involved with me which can mean so many things. When we are done, we both head to the locker rooms to shower and change. I still have sses this morning, so I don¡¯t have a ton of time. We head to the diner and grab what has be our usual booth in the back corner. ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you start with the easiest topic. What is this about you already meeting your mate?¡± I don¡¯t even hesitate to ask right after we ce our order. ¡°And just to rify, I¡¯m not mad or jealous.¡± I gave him a look. ¡°I am genuinely curious because you and Mike and mostly Robbie seem to have this big issue with mates being a stupid or ridiculous concept, yet you know who yours is, or I guess maybe ¡®was¡¯ is a possibility.¡± Chapter 0344 Chapter 0344 He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. ¡°¡®Is¡¯ would be correct. She chose differently and rejected me, but not without making sure that I felt the pain of her being with someone else.¡± ¡°Oh sh*t! That¡¯s awful. Why would she do that?¡± ¡°Because the person she chose decided that I needed to be put in my ce. He was the Beta of my pack before it was attacked. I was an Omega training to be a warrior, but to him my rank made me unworthy and she believed him. He was just as power hungry as the Elders, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he had something to do with our pack getting attacked. Anyway, she chose him and rejected me, but I wasn¡¯t allowed to ept it. I had the pain of the rejection and then the pain of feeling them being together, Every. Single. Time. I can still feel it, so I know she¡¯s still alive. So like you figured out I do not have a high opinion of fated mates,neither do Mike or Robbie. Their stories are different from mine, but we aren¡¯t fans. I don¡¯t have anything against the Moon Goddess making us stronger through our mates, but I do have a problem with mates still having the choice to reject without any good reason. She wanted to hurt me and even if you don¡¯t love your mate you shouldn¡¯t have the desire to harm them on purpose.¡± Our foodes which gives us a break from the deep discussion. Neither of us really look up from our food, but don¡¯t eat with the same gusto as the first time we were here together. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Tyler, I¡¯m sorry she did that to you.¡± I set my fork down and look right at him. ¡°She doesn¡¯t deserve you if she couldn¡¯t see the kind of guy you are and appreciate it.¡± I can at least understand him a bit better. I don''t know what I would do if my mate rejected me. ¡°Maybe she was right. Maybe she knew me better than I knew myself. She knew what kind of person I would be.¡± ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t do that. You don¡¯t know what was going through her head at the time. Maybe she was being held against her will and forced to reject you. You never know and you can¡¯t ask her about it right now.¡± I really don¡¯t enjoyforting him, when I think he is a coward for the way that he treated me over a birthday gift. ¡°I have to go to ss, but I have been doing an evening jog around campus after sses if you want to join me. Just text me.¡± I got up to leave and he called me back. ¡°Sky, thanks for this. You really are going to be a great Luna someday.¡± ¡°You keep saying that, but have no idea if my mate will be an Alpha or not.¡± ¡°I do know, I just hope we can still be friends after you find your mate.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking to stay friends with me after I find my mate even though you threw a tantrum about the exact same thing a month ago and we weren¡¯t even a thing.¡± I cocked an eyebrow up and his cheeks turned a shade of pink. ¡°That is exactly right and if your Alpha loses his temper about it all I have to say is I knew her first.¡± He winks at me and gives me that charming panty melting smile of his and I just shake my head and walk away. Chapter 0345 Chapter 0345 I walked to ss going over what Tyler had told me about his mate. She chose a higher rank and then allowed him to suffer for it. The question is, is the story true or something for him to use to try and rte to what I told him on my birthday? He¡¯s had plenty of time toe up with something to make me feel bad for him. This is what Sam and some of the trainers were talking about. I am young when ites to so much of this stuff. But I don¡¯t know if any of them would see through a lie if they were in my shoes either. What I need to do is catch him running off somewhere looking suspicious. Make him take me with him in a spur of the moment situation. So far all of our meet-ups have been mostly controlled by him, even our first encounter at the gym could have been orchestrated by him to get closer to me. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. The rest of the day is kind of a blur. I go to ss and take notes and talk to people, kind of. But my focus is going through every conversation I have had with Tyler, Mike and Robbie. Robbie was easy, he says about 3 words to me. Not sure why he doesn¡¯t like anyone outside his very small circle, and I don¡¯t really care, but it makes it hard to know his motivations. Mike is about the same as Tyler, just not as flirty. ¡°Sky!¡± Someone pulls me out of my round and round thoughts as I am walking home. ¡°Sky, wait up.¡± I turn and see Robbie jogging up to me and he looks mad. ¡°Hey Robbie, what¡¯s up.¡± I slow but don¡¯t stop walking. I want to have forward momentum to get away if I need to. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t talking to Tyler anymore, what¡¯s this I hear you¡¯reing on the run Thursday?¡± He doesn¡¯t sound angry, but the look on his face says he wants nothing to do with me being there. ¡°Not that it¡¯s really any of your business, but I am nning on being at the run.¡± I go to move away from him, but he grabs my arm. ¡°Guys whoever is nearest to me, I might have a situation with Robbie, stand by.¡± I turn to face him. ¡°For whatever reason, you don¡¯t like me and want nothing to do with me, so just avoid me. There are a lot of people on this campus, go find someone else to bother.¡± ¡°You¡¯re dating my best friend,kind of hard to avoid.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t dating, again, not that it¡¯s any of your business. We are just friends and if I want to run with my friends I will. If I want to avoid the world for a month then I will.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not safe, the run isn¡¯t safe, Tyler isn¡¯t safe for you. Why can¡¯t you see that?¡± ¡°If he¡¯s so unsafe, why is he your best friend?¡± I¡¯m still walking, but I have slowed down. Now we¡¯re getting somewhere. ¡°It¡¯s not unsafe for me, I have no other choices, this is my life. But, you do not belong here, you don¡¯t belong with us. I was hoping you figured that out after the way your birthday ended. Just go back to wherever it is you came from. You are a distraction and you are going to get hurt and get others hurt protecting you.¡± I never knew someone¡¯s eyebrows could connect so closely in the middle of their face, but he is trying to squish them into nonexistence. ¡°I am confident in my ability to not get myself or someone else hurt, but thank you for your concern, I think. If you don¡¯t want to see me on the run, you can avoid it, but I will be there.¡± ¡°Sky, just think it through is all I¡¯m saying.¡± He looks like he wants to say more, but he lets out a grunt and just turns and runs off. Chapter 0346 Chapter 0346 ¡°What the hell was that all about?¡± ¡°He was trying to get you to avoid the run for some reason.¡± Mina chimes in. ¡°But what does he have to lose or gain if you don¡¯t go?¡± ¡°He seemed overly angry for something so small.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible you are getting in the way of something he is trying to aplish. Maybe he wants Tyler to get involved with another female and he¡¯s distracted by you. Maybe you are keeping them from bringing in girls. There haven¡¯t been any missing persons reports in a while.¡± Nicks chimes in. ¡°Whatever it is, now I have to go, don''t I? It¡¯s too suspicious to stay away.¡± ¡°Something is going down and either you are going to be in the way or a distraction or they don¡¯t want you to see whatever it is that they are doing.¡± Osiston says. ¡°Keepmunication going with Tyler, make sure he knows you¡¯re going tomorrow and don¡¯t give him any reason to uninvite you.¡± The threat in that statement alone had me moving faster to get home. I walk into a fully mobilized kitchen. The entire ind is covered in screens and wires with five people I have never seen before surrounding it clicking rapidly through different camera views. I can smell coffee, fresh and slightly burnt which means William is here somewhere. He likes it thick like tar and there is always an acrid burnt smell for days after he¡¯s been here. It¡¯s both endearing and terrible. ¡°Hey Midge!¡± I turn to a familiar voice I haven¡¯t heard in a very long time. ¡°Wyatt!!¡± I ran to give him a hug. I wrap my arms around him and hug him like the teddy bear he is. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Sounds like you got up to some trouble and need back up.¡± He winks at me. ¡°Are Lillian and Nathaniel here too?¡± ¡°Not here, but on this mission too, somewhere. I didn¡¯t realize how big this op was.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t really know and apparently I¡¯m in the middle of it.¡± ¡°Little One, over here.¡± Osiston calls me. I can¡¯t even make the smile disappear off of my face knowing Wyatt, Lillian and Nathaniel are here for me. ¡°What are we doing?¡± I ask. This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Getting ready. We think we have figured out where the concentration of this scent mask ising from based on your runs and sensitivities to the block. It¡¯sing from the east of the forest preserve like you thought. We have scouts out now circling the areas the group runs in North of the campus though. They wouldn¡¯t have two camps going in such close proximity, but there is a reason they run up there and keep a perimeter going at all times.¡± I nod my head trying to keep up with all of the information. ¡°You need to message Tyler tonight, make sure he doesn¡¯t change his mind. We don¡¯t know what Robbie was up to trying to get you to not run tomorrow. He¡¯s never been a huge fan of yours, but he also has never been negative or aggressive towards you either. Something is up and we have to n for as many possibilities as possible.¡± I nod again. ¡°What can I do to help now?¡± ¡°You need to stick to your normal. Get ready for your evening run, we already know that Tyler follows you everywhere. I didn¡¯t sense him near you when Robbie approached though, that is something that confuses me. Then you can meet Tyler in the morning to work out and do your regr ss routine with him. You are going to go to the run solo though.¡± My mouth drops open. ¡°What?! Why? I can¡¯t go without her, it will look weird. She¡¯s always with me.¡± ¡°But they have targeted you and if my hunch is right they will make a move if they think that you are completely alone. She has a date tomorrow. She¡¯s already been talking about it with girls on campus so many of them will be able to back up the story.¡± Chapter 0347 Chapter 0347 I don¡¯t know about this. I have never been with the group alone before. I don¡¯t know why it scares me, but I have a really bad feeling about it. But, I guess if I have a bad feeling then maybe it¡¯s better that Mina is away from the mess if something happens. It¡¯s one less person to keep track of. All of the warriors only have to focus on one target instead of multiple. I nod, after a few minutes. I love that Osiston just lets me be in my head and process things the way that I need to. He doesn¡¯t rush my thought process at all, even when I am sure he can guess what I am thinking and knows I am wrong. He lets me learn. ¡°So what should I do now? I don¡¯t know if I will be able to sleep with all of this going on after my run.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be here when you get back. Tyler only watches the house when you are here. He¡¯s waiting or watching for something, I just don¡¯t know what it is yet. Maybe invite him to run with you tonight, see what he says.¡± I nod. ¡°Okay.¡± Then I get up and head to my room. I have butterflies and I can¡¯t tell if they are good or bad omens. This is really happening, something is happening tomorrow and I hope I get to be on the right oue of it. I text Tyler. Me: Care for a run? Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Sure, you okay? Me: Not sure, just antsy and I don¡¯t want to run alone Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Where¡¯s Mina?N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. Me:Too busy with a new boy. Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: I heard, Tell her to be careful, He¡¯s a yer. Me: And you aren¡¯t¡­ Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Ouch! And No, you cured me of that. Me: Back to the good lines you need to save for someone who will fall for them. Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: Still wish it was you. Me: How long will it take you to get here? Or should I meet you somewhere? Tyler Hot Ecology Guy:Haven¡¯t you figured it out yet? Me: What? Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: I¡¯m already here. Me: Seriously?! Me: You do know how creepy that is right? Tyler Hot Ecology Guy: I¡¯m just d you called me and not Robbie Me: So you are following me? I¡¯ll be out in five. I change fast and run downstairs and the team is already packing up. I walk into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and toss it into my small shoulder bag. ¡°Tyler is already outside. He did see me with Robbie this afternoon. Are you sure you didn¡¯t smell him near me?¡± I ask Osiston as quietly as possible, assuming Tyler is listening in on my conversations inside the house and I might have toe up with an excuse for why a ton of people are here when Nicks is supposed to be gone. ¡°There was no other scent around you and we haven¡¯t scented him around the house for two days now even though we¡¯ve had eyes on him the whole time. He¡¯s a big part of this. Be careful. Nicks, Lillian, Wyatt and Nathaiel are all going to be following you tonight, but at a further distance than normal since they are messing with scents, we don¡¯t want to blow our cover yet.¡± He mindlinks me and only me. I nod and head towards the door. I take a deep breath and step out. Chapter 0348 Chapter 0348 ¡°You know it¡¯s not less creepy when I know you¡¯re here somewhere and I can¡¯t see you or smell you right?¡± I say out into my yard. I figure he¡¯s being extra strange because he knows Robbie talked to me today. And I have to y along like it¡¯s cute and not a major red g. Tyler steps out from the shadows of our neighbors house. It¡¯s not quite dark yet, but he obviously knows the blind spots well. I¡¯m just d that Osiston said they have had eyes on him whenever he is trailing me. So I at least know he¡¯s not as sneaky as he thinks he is. His smile doesn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°What did Robbie say to you today?¡± He stops just short of my porch steps, a dark look in his eyes. I don¡¯t think it''s jealousy though. I can¡¯t quite read him. I step down slowly, approaching him like a skittish animal. ¡°He asked me if we were back together.¡± ¡°And what did you say?¡± He doesn¡¯t make a move towards me. His whole demeanor has changed since earlier today. ¡°I told him we were never actually together, there was nothing official, but I was working on being friends again.¡± I take another step towards him. ¡°Do you y with all of your guys like that?¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re back to thinking I¡¯m a wh*re. Good to know it doesn¡¯t take much to change your mind about people. Just because one girl messed you up doesn¡¯t mean we all will.¡± I take a slow breath and try to keep my emotions in check, I have to keep him calm. His temper is what has changed or maybe it¡¯s slipping, now that I think about it. ¡°You said you were patient, I called you, remember?¡± I reach my hand out to him, waiting to see if he wille back to the Tyler I enjoy hanging out with. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. He grunts and gives a small shake of his head like he¡¯s physically clearing his thoughts. ¡°You did call me didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I did and I think you need to run just as much as I do. Come on.¡± He takes my hand and gives it a squeeze then we both go at a slow pace. I take the route I have done thest two nights and Tyler doesn¡¯t hesitate or question where I¡¯m going, which confirms Osiston¡¯s report about him following me. I don¡¯t say anything though, he seems to be calming down a bit. ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± I approach the elephant as gently as possible. Something has him on edge and it makes him apletely different person. I noticed the demeanor change the night of my birthday too, but I didn¡¯t want to bring up something that might be painful. Now I just don¡¯t care. SOmething is going on with him and I need to know what it is. ¡°Not really, but she¡¯s been exceptionally active today.¡± He just looks at me with sad eyes, trying to get me to understand without saying more. ¡°Your mate? I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t even think about you still going through that pain. Why don¡¯t you ept her rejection and get it over with. Maybe the Moon Goddess would give you a second chance mate, someone who actually deserves you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡± ¡°Can¡¯t or won¡¯t?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same thing really. He said if I epted her rejection, he would kill her. I know she doesn¡¯t want me, but I can''t do that and my wolf won¡¯t allow it either.¡± ¡°Can she feel if you are with someone else? I¡¯m sure it hurts her just as bad.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been with anyone else. That¡¯s the hardest part, I just can¡¯t and believe me I have tried. The worst part is he hasn¡¯t marked her yet. I know he¡¯s using her for now and will kick her to the side the minute he finds someone he deems better. I have tried telling her that, but I just get the pain in return as proof that he wants to be with her. What she doesn¡¯t get is he sleeps with anyone that will open their legs for him. She doesn¡¯t know because she isn¡¯t his mate and she doesn¡¯t carry his mark so she can¡¯t feel it. But I¡¯ve seen it, witnessed it first hand. He seems to like an audience and when you can hurt someone in more than one way why not right?¡± Chapter 0349 Chapter 0349 ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wish I could help you somehow.¡± We stopped running about an hour in and are just walking around campus now. ¡°But you can¡¯t. You are destined for more than me.¡± I roll my eyes at him, ¡°You keep saying that, but you don¡¯t have any real proof of that do you?¡± ¡°You are smart enough to be here at, well 16 now. You put up with me and all of these other guys like we are nothing more than regr guys¡­¡± ¡°You are just regr guys to me. Guys I get, girls are harder for me to understand. I like being outside, I like training and running. All the girl stuff is foreign to me. I¡¯ve just been lucky enough to have some female friends who get me and decided to be friends with me anyway.¡± ¡°I should get you home, don¡¯t want to keep you out all night, your uncle will probably kill me.¡± ¡°My uncle is not the person you should worry about, or did you forget when I tried to punch you so hard your head would fall off?¡± ¡°That is something I will never forget. And yes, you scare me a bit too.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Good. So, since Mina has her date tomorrow and you seem to spend a lot of time hanging out in my yard, do you want to pick me up for the run tomorrow, or will Mike be mad about that? I know you guys usually go together.¡± ¡°No , he won¡¯t be mad at all, unfortunately.¡± He mumbles thest word under his breath, but I didn¡¯t miss it. ¡°We usually go early since we set everything up, so we actually get two runs in, would that be a problem?¡± ¡°No, just text me when I should be ready.¡± I say as we get to my front porch again. ¡°Thank you for going with me. I just had the feeling I needed to have someone with me tonight.¡± I step in to give him a hug and for the first time he hesitates, but he wraps his arms around me and ces a soft kiss to the top of my head. ¡°I told you, anything for you. I¡¯m still d it was me and not Robbie.¡± I giggle into his chest and squeeze him one more time before pulling away. ¡°I¡¯m still going to hold you to that.¡± I point at him and trot up the porch steps and walk inside to a completely empty and put back together house. I wonder if he noticed all of themotion going on before? I mean the team was secluded to the kitchen, but the house is an open concept so if someone was listening in, they could have heard all the voices inside. Just another thing on my list of ¡®needs answers.¡¯ He¡¯s going to pick me up tomorrow and take me with him to set up the bonfire sight. I don¡¯t have a time yet but I will try to get that from him while we are in ss tomorrow.¡± I open the mind link to Osiston, Nicks and Mina. Confirmed Mina¡¯s date for tomorrow night too.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all set, Midge, are you ready for this? You don¡¯t know which of these guys is a victim or a viin. You may have to fight people who have been nothing but friendly. I need you to wrap your head around that so there is no hesitation tomorrow.¡± Nicks asks. ¡°I can¡¯t honestly answer that. Is anyone ready for betrayal, even if you see iting?¡± ¡°That is why you are here, Little One. We will help in any way we can to protect everyone, innocence should not get hurt, but we can¡¯t promise that it won¡¯t happen. You need to call for help at the first hint of trouble. Your cover will no longer matter after the run starts tomorrow night. We are taking this group out and getting answers.¡± Osiston¡¯s calm deep voice is stern and yet always soothing. His wise words are never harsh, but always direct and honest. Chapter 0350 Chapter 0350 ¡°Thank you. This has been an experience, I appreciate everything that you both have taught me so far.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like we are saying goodbye, Midge. We have no idea what we will find tomorrow. We could bring down a whole operation, hopefully. Or we could just be scratching the surface and take in a bunch of brainwashed minions who have no real connection to their leader. No Thanks or Goodbyes yet.¡± I smile as I make it up to my room with my bottle of water. I change into my pajamas and grab a nket and pillow and walk to Mina¡¯s room and knock. ¡°Yeah?¡± The muffled questiones out like a whisper. ¡°Can I stay with you tonight? It doesn¡¯t feel right to be separate right before something this big.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She sits up straight, then pops out of bed to run over to me and wrap me in a hug. I returned it. I have missed her. Her and Sierra have been my rocks thest year, helping me navigate the wide world around me after being in my own personal hell bubble. I needed the time I spent away from her, but now I know I need her. I need the people I trust most around me for this. It is calming and grounding to have something like this connection with them. It reminds me what is real. ¡°I know Osiston and Nicks asked, but are you really ready for tomorrow? You¡¯re going to be by yourself with these guys and we don¡¯t know what their n for you is. I know that you have Tyler permanently in the friend zone now, but something is still going on. You wanna talk about it?¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°Yes and no.¡± Iugh a little as we both sit on her bed. ¡°It would help to know where your head is at before we go into this. I know you haven¡¯t told Osiston and Nicks everything you and Tyler talk about.¡± ¡°The part that is the most confusing is Tyler keeps saying I will be a great Luna, like he already knows my mate is an Alpha, but when he says it he looks like he¡¯s in pain. He also basically confirmed that he and his friends are up to something in the woods, he just didn¡¯t say what that was. He also keeps saying ¡®this wasn¡¯t supposed to be that hard¡¯ which doesn¡¯t make any sense to me. Like he¡¯s fighting against something. He also told me about his mate.¡± Iunch into the story and we stay up way too long talking, but it feels good to be able to confide in her again. She doesn¡¯t have any different thoughts on Tyler¡¯s behavior than I have, but she agrees that he¡¯s keeping me close for a reason and something about Robbie approaching me yesterday set him off a bit too. She even asked if I wanted her to join us for training in the morning, which sounded like a perfect idea, but at the same time he¡¯s been opening up more and more the longer I spend alone time with him. In the end we decide that she should be up when I leave so he can see she¡¯s watching me too, but that I should go alone to see if there is anything else I can get out of him, before sh*t hits the fan tomorrow night. Chapter 0351 Chapter 0351 I didn¡¯t sleep well in the few hours that I did try. I am restless and if I am being honest with myself, I am eager. We have been at this for months now, almost a year, and we finally have information to move on and take action. I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t excited that we were finally going to move tomorrow. I could feel it in the housest night as the team was making ns and gearing up, many of them have been at this for years, they want to wrap this up, find this rogue king and either kill him or take a step towards killing him. He¡¯s enving people, kidnapping women, forcefully taking over packs and all for the small gain of bing the King of our territory. There are so many Alpha Kings, because the world is too big to have just one. There are wolves everywhere and by nature need a strong leader and to be part of a pack. We naturally gravitate towards a hierarchy and as long as everyone does their part we live well. But there is always someone who sees being a leader as being in power or having ultimate power. Those are the people that are never chosen to be a leader, because they miss the pointpletely. Leaders are subject to making hard decisions that benefit the many, not just what they want personally. It¡¯s not about having ves or people to order around. It¡¯s about keeping everyone safe and happy and healthy, putting the whole pack and our race above your own needs. Not all people who want to be leaders should lead, because they don¡¯t understand this. If Alpha Reggie is right and this rogue king is a descendant of the royal line who has been taught to be bitter about the birth order and whatever privileges he thinks he¡¯s missing out on he is going to be hard to defeat. His bloodline alone will make it difficult to fight him if we meet up with him, but also a lifetime of hatred and vengeance can make people do crazy things. That¡¯s something that warrior training really focused on. Many of the people we will fight believe with every fiber of their being that they are right and that what they are fighting for is right and the rest of the world atrge is out to get them. It¡¯s almost like a disorder and as much as you can¡¯t get sucked into their bullsh*t, you also have to understand where they areing from to find a crack in their armor that will bring them down. Mina and I got up slowly. She doesn¡¯t seem to have slept any better than me. ¡°I still hate your schedule. Do any of your friends enjoy this part?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Iugh at her, getting ready like I do every morning. She¡¯s just following me around looking like a zombie. I¡¯m tired, but my adrenaline is already going in anticipation. ¡°No one likes it and everyoneins. Sometimes, I think that¡¯s how I know I am doing something right.¡± She shakes her head andughs with me. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°I need coffee and carbs, bring me something back from the diner.¡± She says as I get to the door and open it up. I turn around to give her a hug and then step out onto the porch. ¡°Hi Tyler. You don¡¯t have to hide, you know. We don¡¯t hate you, you know.¡± She almost shouts into the yard. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t know me very well then.¡± He steps out from the same spot he did yesterday. ¡°That¡¯s too bad. I¡¯m kind of over all the guessing games.¡± She replies with a good amount of sass. ¡°Is that why you stopped hanging out with Mike?¡± He moves closer, hands in his pockets like he¡¯s trying to keep them to himself. Chapter 0352 Chapter 0352 ¡°Yes and no, but more no. He just seemed distracted and like something else had his full attention.¡± ¡°Someone and something both have his full attention. So you aren¡¯t wrong.¡± That glimmer of irritation shes in his eyes again, but he schools it quickly before turning fully to me. ¡°You ready, I had a long night, but I couldn¡¯t sleep. I just need to move.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll bring you something from the diner Mina. See you in a couple hours.¡± ¡°Bye, Thanks.¡± She heads back inside andtches the door before we even take off. As we jog I am trying to figure out what to say to Tyler. I mean the more information I can get before tonight, the better, but I also don¡¯t want him to shut down on me or shut me out and he seems to be on the verge of that all the time right now. ¡°Do you want to talk about why you have been so different around metely? Don¡¯t act like you haven¡¯t.¡± I say as his eyebrows shoot up and his mouth opens with, I¡¯m sure, a denial about to fall out of his mouth. ¡°I told you it¡¯splicated.¡± ¡°What about the Luna thing? No one knows who the next Luna will be, until an Alpha finds his or her mate. But, you seem very sure that I will be one and sooner rather thanter. I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°It¡¯splicated, but you have to notice that you have gained a lot of attention and not just from me.¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°I have not had any more than Mina or any of the other girls that run with us. So if you are going to sidestep that question, how about this one? What do you and your friends get up to in the woods? Are you smuggling drugs or something?¡± It¡¯s his turn to roll his eyes. ¡°Or something.¡± Is all he says. ¡°Let¡¯s just workout so I don¡¯t get in any more trouble over you.¡± ¡°What?! You¡¯ve gotten in trouble over me? How? Why? By who?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m not the only one who noticed you, I was just the first and you happened to decide to give me a chance. That was not taken well by others and I have been punished ordingly.¡± ¡°Tyler! Why didn¡¯t you say something? I could have at least acknowledged whoever has a problem with you and me being friends.¡± ¡°You have already done that much and no one believes we¡¯re just friends. Everyone just thinks we¡¯re good at hiding it.¡± He winks at me. Oh Goddess! I cringe. ¡°Why does everything have to be about s*x? Seriously? That¡¯s what whoever thinks? That we are just really good at hiding our s*xual encounters?¡± I rub my hands over my face. This is so stupid, in general jealous people are stupid. ¡°Yep.¡± He says as he opens the door to the gym for me to walk through ahead of him. ¡°Have you ever just invited them along so they can see it¡¯spletely tonic?¡± ¡°And have to share your attention, no f*cking way! They will pull the rank card eventually and make it so I can¡¯t talk to you at all, so I was not going to give up any time with you that you would allow.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± I feel like a broken record, even in my own head, but that¡¯s the only thing I can think of. Someone thinks they have some kind of im on me and is just biding time and waiting it out, like they have all the leisure time in the world to mess with me.N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Yeah. So on that note, let¡¯s go for some heavy weights today. I think we both need it.¡± He chuckles a bit trying to lighten the mood, but the smile he gives is forced and doesn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. Chapter 0353 Chapter 0353 We do a full body workout, torturing every single muscle, so I know I am going to be soreter on our run, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I¡¯m back at being controlled, being someone else¡¯s property to do with as they please. My father all but said he only thought of me as a baby machine to produce another strong Beta line and he didn¡¯t care about my mate either. If he thought he could match me with someone better he would sell me like a piece of furniture in a heartbeat. We made it to the diner and at this point the waitress knows our orders and justes by with drinks and to tell us our food will be out in a bit. There aren¡¯t as many people here today as usual on a Thursday morning. I made a mental note to tell Osiston and Nicks about it. Tyler and I were back to small talk about sses and our summer ns. I honestly didn¡¯t know what I was doing for the summer. I thought about sticking around to take a few sses so I could graduate early and heughed at me. ¡°You don¡¯t know how to rx do you?¡± He is openly and loudlyughing at me now. ¡°What do you mean? I rx all the time.¡± I try to sound annoyed at him, but it doesn¡¯t quite hit the way I intended. ¡°Studying and working out aren¡¯t rxing.¡± He¡¯s stillughing. ¡°Maybe not for you, but it makes me feel good to have something to work towards.¡± I shrug. ¡°And then once I decide to do something I see no reason to take forever to achieve my goal. Why take four years to aplish something when I could easily do it in two and a half or three?¡± ¡°Because, sometimes not doing anything is just as rxing as doing everything quickly. Take the time to be with people you care about and just be.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here with you aren¡¯t I? With the exception of the month that I was pissed and doing everything to not punch you in the face, we have done this,¡± I gesture to the diner around us, ¡°almost everyday since we met. This is me rxing and taking time out to hang out and just be. Our biggest problem is that both of us don¡¯t like talking about personal stuff so we don¡¯t. That limits conversational topics. Don¡¯t push for things unless you are looking at the whole picture. Some of us are worse off sitting still, not better.¡± Well that shut him up. He just sat there looking at me like it¡¯s the first time he¡¯s seen me. N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. ¡°Yep definitely going to be harder than I thought.¡± ¡°What does that even mean?¡± I groan. ¡°I already told you, I was informed that rank was going to be pulled at some point and that I wouldn¡¯t be allowed to talk to you anymore. The more I get to know you, even the little you allow, the harder I think it is going to be to let you go.¡± ¡°Any heads up on when this jackass is going toy his so-called im? Because he will figure out the same way you did, that I don¡¯t do well with being told what I am going to do or who I can and cannot talk to.¡± Now it¡¯s my turn to get all broody and dark. Just because I am a female does not mean I am weak and I will not hesitate to put these guys in their ces tonight. Chapter 0354 Chapter 0354 We head to ss and nothing new really happens. I thought for sure that our teacher was maybe in on the werewolf thing, but maybe not, or maybe he is just better at hiding it. I mean the Dean is a werewolf and many of the professors are or have a basic knowledge of our existence which helps us to integrate into normal life around here. But I thought for sure the way that Professor Chance acts that he would be all in for the werewolf liberation from the Alpha King. He just talks like a tree hugging hippy. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I am all for preserving thends that we need to run and stay safe from the humans who don¡¯t know of our existence, but I am not about to jump on the bandwagon that all people who live in and love modern society need to be exiled away from us and the more he talks the more he sounds like the werewolf version of Hitler. It leaves me a little concerned. Tyler walks me home and this time Mike and Robbie join us, which is also odd, out of character and clearly not what Tyler had nned based on his current demeanor. I left them all on the porch, ming Nicks for not letting them in. I can still y the innocent nice girl even if no one believes that I really am. I change into some sturdy pants andyer a tank top with a long sleeved shirt on top. I finish off my outfit with thick socks and my warrior boots that are really broken in. I don¡¯t get cold like most wolves, but I have no idea what is going to happen tonight and I have to assume that I might not get back to the house tonight. ¡°You look ready for a fight.¡± Robbie says, smiling. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Not a fight, but the woods for sure. You guys have been out there. The ground is all muddy and sloppy. I¡¯d rather trash my hiking shoes than my tennis shoes any day.¡± ¡°You could always just go naked like the rest of us.¡± Robbie is being unusually yful with me tonight. Low growlse from both Mike and Tyler. I wonder what that is all about? THe rest of the girls strip like it¡¯s nothing. Why would me being naked be a problem? Iugh it off like the joke I think it¡¯s supposed to be. ¡°You know I don¡¯t have to, so why would I be ufortable if I don¡¯t have to be?¡± I shrug it off and push past him as I walk down my porch steps. ¡°We going or not? I¡¯m interested to see what you guys do for set up.¡± I keep walking even though I have no idea where Mike¡¯s truck is parked. It doesn¡¯t take them more than a second to follow me and lead me in the right direction. Mike has his truck parked at one of the public lots nearby, like he nned on being here to pick me up. Hmm. Mike climbs into the driver''s seat, Robbie climbs into the center and Tyler follows, just like I smelled their scents the first time we ran with them. I stand and have a sense of deja vu. There is no back seat for me to climb into, no ce for me and clearly they didn¡¯t n on the extra body. ¡°So am I riding in the back?¡± I question yfully. It¡¯s the same line Sierra and I used on the guys the first time we rode with them. ¡°Of course not!¡± Tyler yelps. ¡°Come here, you can sit on myp. The drive isn¡¯t that far and you¡¯re pretty tiny.¡± He winks at me. I roll my eyes and climb up, but Tyler is a little over eager and unlike Dakota, he doesn¡¯t have a good grasp on me so I end up flying across him and I catch myself on Robbie¡¯sp, one hand on each of his thighs and dangerously close to his junk. Chapter 0355 Chapter 0355 Robbie isughing. ¡°All you had to do was ask Sky, no need to throw yourself at me.¡± I amughing too, but another growl sounds out in the cab, stopping all noise. It didn¡¯te from Tyler though. It came from Mike who looks even more irritated than earlier. What the hell is up with him? I right myself and end up sitting half on Robbie and half on Tyler. Although neither make any effort to touch or hold me in ce. I keep my hands on the dash since Mike seems to be on a mission to make me bounce as hard as possible and bruise my ass on their knees. We make it to the bonfire sight in no time. My ass is numb and we have only been driving for twenty or so minutes. ¡°Well, that was eventful. You okay Mike?¡± I ask sarcastically, but I¡¯m not about to let whatever bad mood he¡¯s in affect me. ¡°Fine.¡± It¡¯s clipped, but he doesn¡¯t look at me. ¡°Let¡¯s just get this done so we can get back and start the run. Janice will be pissed if we make herte.¡± This is what confuses me most. What does Janice have to do with anything? I never know who is in charge of this group, but clearly all of them have some type of control, they are just good at keeping the actual leader hidden. We unload all of the coolers from the back of the truck and set up the firewood. Robbie, for whatever reason, has decided that I am okay to talk to all of a sudden, but that also seems to piss off both Tyler and Mike. But if Tyler is right and someone hasid im to me, maybe that¡¯s why they are mad. But that doesn¡¯t exin Robbie. Maybe he¡¯s the leader that hasid im, so he¡¯s just gloating. But his actions don¡¯t feel like gloating, just like he¡¯s trying to be friendly. Who knows. This is the part I truly suck at. Emotions areplicated and kind of ridiculous. There is way too much to keep track of. We finish the set up and move to get into the truck to leave, but Mike has other ideas. ¡°I¡¯m going to run back, you guys take the truck, I¡¯ll meet you at the rec center at six.¡± Then he just turns around and takes off, but not in the direction of the campus. In fact he¡¯s running away from it. ¡°Where¡¯s he going?¡± I ask, staring at the ce where Mike just was. ¡°He¡¯s irritated, has been for a few days. He¡¯ll get over it soon enough.¡± Robbie says. ¡°Easy for you to say. You¡¯re not usually on the receiving end of him being pissed off.¡± Tyler looks like he might be sick. ¡°You okay?¡± I whisper to him. He leans into my ear. ¡°Yeah, I will be. Thest couple of days have been exhausting.¡± He lowers his voice to barely above a whisper. ¡°She¡¯s been extra busy.¡± He looks me dead in the eyes and it clicks. He¡¯s in pain from his mate. My breath catches. ¡°Does she know you¡¯ve been hanging out with me? Is that why?¡± I whisper back before climbing in the truck. ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s her or him that wants to hurt me more.¡± He looks sad, I wish I could stop it for him. No one deserves that kind of pain. He crawls in the driver¡¯s seat, I slide into the center and Robbie slides in next to me. ¡°Do you really have to provoke him like that?¡± Tyler doesn¡¯t look at Robbie with the usation. ¡°He would do the same if the situation was reversed and you know it. He can suck my d*ck for all I care. Yours too for that matter.¡± We drove in silence after that. We have a couple hours to kill before we have to be at the rec center so we go to the coffee shop and grab something small to snack on and an extrarge coffee for meThis text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. and Tyler. Robbie settles with a normal person sized coffee, you know for people who get regr amounts of sleep, and we all avoid the situation that we left at the bonfire sight. Chapter 0356 Chapter 0356 The weather has turned for the better pretty consistently thest couple of days. The rain has been crazy though, so like many students we have taken the opportunity to walk around and enjoy the sun while it is out. ¡°Are you really going to stick around and take sses over the summer?¡± Robbie asks out of the blue. ¡°Not you too. Listen, Tyler already made fun of me for considering it, but what else would I do? I have to work and we don¡¯t have any big travel ns. We might visit some of the cities we hit up on our way here. We made a few friends and Mina wants to check in with them before we continue here or move on to somewhere else. There are no definite ns.¡± ¡°Are you guys nning oning back here though?¡± Robbie sounds concerned. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not really up to me. I can realistically go to school anywhere. Mina is on a tour to try and find her mate. That¡¯s why we came here in the first ce. So I am at the mercy of what she and Nicks want to do.¡± I shrug. ¡°You two and your mate fixation.¡± Robbie grumbles. ¡°Why are you so stuck on finding them?¡± ¡°Why are you so against the idea?¡± I turned his question on him. I understand Tyler¡¯s issue. He still deals with it on a daily basis. And apparently I am a reason for his current suffering. Even though there are zero romantic feelings towards him, I kind of wish I knew who she was so I could punch her in the face. With that thought, Tyler grunts next to me and I turn quickly. He tries to y it off but I heard him and he knows I heard him. ¡°Hey, would it be better if you sat down or to keep moving?¡± I don¡¯t even try to keep my voice down. I don¡¯t care who can hear me. This b*tch is f*cking this Alpha wannabe to make him hurt on purpose. ¡°Not much that really helps.¡± He takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly. I take his hand and we keep walking at a slower pace. ¡°That is why I am so against it.¡± Robbie grumbles darkly from beside me after we have been walking a few more minutes. I was so focused on Tyler, I forgot it wasn¡¯t just us. ¡°You know about this? Why would someone do this?¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Because they are sick f*cks who don¡¯t actually care about other people. This is the kind of leadership and power that we know. That''s all we know. So you and your flowery rainbows and unicorns idea about mates is just that a fantasy. The real world doesn¡¯t give a sh*t about mates or their feelings or it wouldn¡¯t be possible to hurt your fated mate this way.¡± The old Robbie is back and menacing. I¡¯m actually afraid of him right now. ¡°You need to ept her rejection. Let her go. She needs to let you go, if she has chosen someone else. This is just cruel.¡± ¡°Your sweetheart here won¡¯t do that.¡± Robbie sneers. ¡°Why?¡± I ask still holding onto Tyler, he isn¡¯t evenining that we are having a conversation about him while he¡¯s standing there. ¡°Her lovely chosen mate said he would kill her if Tyler epted. So instead of letting her suffer, he suffers over and over again. More so when one of them is in a rage mood and they need to take it out on someone. Did he tell you they made him watch the first time? So they could see exactly what the pain would look like.¡± Chapter 0357 Chapter 0357 My hands fly to my mouth and my wide eyes look at Tyler in disbelief. ¡°Stop!¡± Tyler gets out. He¡¯s breathing heavier now, but he is still walking forward. He clearly does this a lot. ¡°Why? You haven¡¯t made a move on Sky and you won¡¯t now that you have orders. She should know what we put up with from our leaders if she chooses to stick around.¡± Robbie looks back to me, ¡°Tyler has never once ¡®cheated¡¯ on his mate bond. So she has never suffered. I say it¡¯s bullsh*t and you should make her pay.¡± ¡°I said enough! Let it go. I made my choices, so did you. Enough.¡± I am at a loss for words. How could someone be that cruel? And he just lets it happen. Is this really what the mate bond is? Tyler takes another deep breath and stands up a bit straighter. ¡°I think they are done, which means we need to get to the rec center, they will be on their way.¡± We head back to the truck and start our drive to the rec center in silence. I wonder if I will be able to tell who his mate and their leader are? This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Whatever happens both of these people need to be punished for what they are doing to other people. I don¡¯t know Robbie¡¯s story, but I bet it¡¯s something simr to Tyler''s. The way that they talk and act like this is a normal urrence. It can¡¯t be. Giving up and then torturing your given mate can¡¯t be the norm for them. I hope they both figure out better ways to live and get out of this sh*tty excuse for a pack. If this is how the Rogue King or his minions live and treat their pack members, I can¡¯t let them win. We have to stop them, no matter what. This is awful and I only know two people being harmed by the situation. We are the first to arrive, which sets Tyler and Robbie at ease a bit. They must get punished if they arete. Within the next twenty minutes the rest of the runners show up. There aren¡¯t as many as normal, which strikes me as weird since this is the only time most of them get the chance to shift. I don¡¯t fail to notice Janice walking up with a couple other girls and they all look a little irritated, well more than usual anyway. I wonder what¡¯s going on with them? ¡°Where is everyone?¡± I ask Tyler in a low whisper, but I know most of them can hear me. ¡®It¡¯s a nice day so a bunch of them are already out running and are going to meet us at the shift spot and run from there.¡± It sounds like theme answer it is, but I go with it. I just need to get on this run and get moving. So, I nod my head and follow Tyler and Robbie closer to the group. I do notice that Mike isn¡¯t here yet which is strange. He¡¯s usually one of the first, but the way he was acting before I¡¯m not mad about his absence. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Janice calls out to the small group. ¡°Let¡¯s run.¡± She turns and starts to jog off and we all follow. I notice we are moving much faster than our normal ¡®jog.¡¯ Maybe Tyler is right and everyone¡¯s wolves just want to get out and run while the weather is nice. We make it to the shift spot in less than half the usual time. Everyone is breathing heavily, but no one looks too winded. Several people have already changed and shifted. We are in the middle of the pack and Tyler and Robbie both wait an beat before changing and something in their demeanor has shifted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask them both, stepping away to give them space to change. ¡°Nothing, just¡­¡± Tyler starts. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me ¡®nothing.¡¯ I can feel it, something is going on. There are no extra people meeting us here and we got here in half the time. Something is up, every single one of you is on edge. And Mike and some of the rest of the regrs are not here.¡± Chapter 0358 ¡°I told you you are too observant for your own good.¡± He moves in to hug me and then stops suddenly with a grunt, a pained look on his face. I give him a questioning look. He looks over my shoulder then back at me, just shakes his head and steps back. ¡°We should shift and get moving.¡± He doesn¡¯t even look at me before dropping the rest of his clothes and shifting, knowing I can¡¯t talk to him over the mindlink. Robbie growls before tearing through his clothes, not even bothering to undress. Something is wrong and no one is going to tell me what it is. ¡°Heads up guys, something is way off here. We are missing half the running group and everyone here is super agitated. Something is going down, but no one is talking or exining anything. I¡¯ll keep my link open.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got you, Little One.¡± Osiston responds The whole group has shifted except for me and they all start to move quickly. I go to catch up and start with a jog so I can still see the back of the pack when something rams into me from the side. I go flying sideways and don¡¯t even get my bearings when I am hit from the side again. This time the force doesn¡¯t take me by surprise and I am able to look up and see the dull brown wolf that hit me. It¡¯s Janice. I¡¯d recognize her boring dirt brown color anywhere. Her wolf is smaller than mine, meaning she¡¯s a lower rank than me. Probably an omega, I never really paid attention before because it didn¡¯t matter. Maybe that¡¯s why she¡¯s mad. She can sense my aura and doesn¡¯t like me being around any of the guys. She hasn¡¯t talked to me since the first run, but has never been outwardly mean. Something changed. I get up to move again. If it¡¯s a fight she wants, it¡¯s a fight she¡¯ll get. This is what I am here for. Before I can even finish the thought though, she starts to shift back. ¡°You are a gigantic pain in the ass, did you know that?¡± Shees at me again. Now we¡¯re talking. Fighting an angry person is something I can do without hesitation. "It''s been mentioned a couple of times.¡± I dodge her clumsy attack. ¡°What did I do to you, just we are both on the same page?¡± ¡°You b*tch! You stole him from me and you know it!¡± She snarls. ¡°Have you been working behind my back the whole time?" She swings at me again. Another miss and I push her shoulder and knock her to the ground. ¡°What the hell are you talking about? We don''t even talk to the same people.¡± I move towards her, but she rolls away and I let her. I am so confused. ¡°He f*cked right before we came here today and then told me I was done, I would never live up to you, the standard that you set.¡± She is full-on sobbing now, but determined to fight me. Shees at me again. Her rage-filled eyes let me know she¡¯s out for blood.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Her hands are half shifted into her ws and she is swiping frantically at my face. I am blocking each arm, but my own are getting destroyed in the process. ¡°Who are you talking about?" I grunt in between blows. ¡°The Alpha, you b*tch! I had him all to myself, he was happy with me and then you came along with your abilities and your strength and he decided I wasn¡¯t good enough.¡± Then it clicks. She''s Tyler''s mate. The one he can''t reject. She left him for an asshole who would take someone¡¯s mate, knowing who they were and that it was hurting them and on top of that enjoying the pain it caused. ¡°I still don¡¯t know who you are talking about. I didn¡¯t steal anyone, I don¡¯t talk to anyone but Tyler and you have made it clear you don¡¯t want him. I think you are the b*tch. No one should treat their mate like that.¡± I huff out trying to pin her down. Chapter 0359 We are grappling on the ground now. I still have a firm grip on her wrists, but she is flexible and keeps trying to flip me over onto my back. There are chunks of mud and forest floor flying around us. I keep blinking to keep it out of my eyes, but I can taste it on my tongue. He head whipping back and forth and her legs kicking at my back as I sit across her stomach. ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. No one denies an Alpha when they choose you. He chose me, wanted me to be his mate.¡± She spits at me. ¡°Then why did he never mark you?¡± I honestly wasn¡¯t trying to be mean, but that makes no sense. No chosen mate would wait to be marked. She¡¯s delusional if she thinks it is going to happen now. ¡°How long was he promising to do it and didn¡¯t. Your Alpha yed you, not me.¡± I huff against her as she pulls her wrists free and pushes me off of her. I hit my side, but scramble up quickly. ¡°Two years of work. Two years ofmitment. I did everything he¡¯s ever asked me to and all you had to do was bat your virgin eyes at him. All these assholes talk and it got back to him exactly how innocent you are. He¡¯s going to take you and break you and then throw you away like the rest.¡± She¡¯s still throwingzy punches. She has no idea what she is doing. She never trained to be a Luna, if this is how she fights. ¡°So you are telling me.¡± I finallynd a solid punch to her cheek and she falls. ¡°That in two years, he has cheated on you and you stayedmitted hoping you would change him, that getting his mark would make you better than everyone. But it never did, did it? No one took you seriously, no one listened to you, everyone saw you for the joke that he made you and your true mate bond. You make me sick, both of you do and I don¡¯t even know who ¡®he¡¯ is.¡± She''s starting to wobble, but her fury is keeping her upright and fighting. ¡°Of course you know, you''ve been nning this from the moment you got here. And I am not a JOKE!" She screams as she lunges at me.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. I don¡¯t even think, I just react. Her lunge is clumsy but forceful and I reach around her, almost in slow motion, grab the nape of her neck with one hand and use the other to propel her naked ass into the trunk of a massive tree face first with all of my strength. She collides with a sickening crunch and then copses with no other sounds. I get two breaths in and then I hear it. The painful wail of a heartbreaking howl. I know it came from Tyler, feeling her die. I can¡¯t breathe... I killed someone... I took a life. She would have killed me, the logical part of my brain which is probably my wolf, tells me. But, I took someone¡¯s life. That isn¡¯t my decision to make. My shallow breathing is making my vision go blurry at the edges. I need to get control, now! I close my eyes and breathe deep into my lungs then let it out slowly. ¡°Well, that was entertaining. I thought she might challenge you after our little tryst earlier, but I wasn¡¯t sure what the oue would be. You truly are the best choice as my Luna. I''m so d you fought so hard for me.¡± A very familiar, silky deep voice sounds behind me. It has never been this confident before though. Usually joking or energetic, but this version is calcting and cruel. Chills run over my whole body. I turn slowly and so many things click into ce and so many questions rush through my brain all at the same time. Chapter 0360 Mike. Mike is the Alpha of this rogue pack. Does that mean he is this Rogue King that everyone is talking about? The happy go lucky goofball that just follows his friends around, this is their leader? I never saw thating. There are even a few guys I¡¯m not super familiar with that I would have pegged as the leader over him. He¡¯s not a small guy, but he doesn¡¯te across as a fighter. Maybe like people do to me I underestimated his abilities. ¡°I know that you want me. I see the way you look at me, you can¡¯t help it or deny it.¡± He says in a smooth voice. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I whisper, so confused about who is standing in front of me right now. ¡°So shy and innocent. I knew there was a fighter in there somewhere, it just needed the right motivation toe out. I¡¯m d to know I am that reason for you. THat you will defend your connection to me to thest.¡± This boy has lost his ever loving mind. Is he really this self absorbed that he can turn Janice¡¯s jealousy into me fighting her for him? No one is that crazy right? ¡°You were not a reason for anything that I did here. I didn¡¯t even know it was you she was talking about.¡± ¡°Don''t y coy with me, you already have my attention, you don''t need to y hard to get. I know you could sense my power and you were drawn to me.¡± ¡°No, I can''t honestly say that is true in any way. I''m not drawn to anyone, least of all you.¡± I should really stop talking, but I can¡¯t seem to help myself. Maybe the shock is getting to me, but he might kill me just for insulting him, based on the look that briefly shed across his face. Before I can get too far into that thought process though a loud growl and snarle from my left and arge gray and white patched wolfes barreling towards us. I jump out of the way ready to shift, my brain fog gone in a sh, ready to fight my next attacker if needed. But the wolf heads straight for Mike and stops right in front of him.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. The loud sounds of popping and snapping draw my attention, but I keep Mike in my line of sight not trusting him in any way, stepping away from both of them slowly. ¡°WHY?! Why did you do it?" Tyler roared at Mike. ¡°You killed her?!¡± It was both an usation and a question. "You chose her, took her from me, why would you kill her? You could have just given her back to me.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t kill her, friend. I never actually would have killed her. She was easy and fun to have around. Always willing to show me how devoted and dedicated she was to me.¡± Mike closed his eyes and licked his lips. Gross. ¡°Even after I chose my Luna I would have kept her around for variety. And she would have stayed too. She never would have gone back to you, she always had the choice.¡± His eyes were now challenging and calcting, but I don''t know if it was directed at Tyler or me. He''s a snake and knows how to use his words, that is how he¡¯s gotten this far. ¡°Your new little toy here was jealous and wanted me all to herself, apparently she doesn''t like to share. She¡¯s the one who killed your mate.¡± Tyler turned to me menacingly. The man I knew was gone. His wolf is feral with grief and Tyler no longer has control. He starts to stalk towards me slowly, hesitating, like he¡¯s having a fight with himself. Maybe he is. His human side who knows me and knows I wouldn¡¯t just kill his mate for no reason versus the wolf part that can¡¯t live without his mate. Chapter 0361 Chapter 0361 ¡°What the f*ck?! You are crazy! She attacked me and you know it.¡± I point at Mike, but don¡¯t take my eyes off Tyler. ¡°Tyler, you know I wouldn¡¯t kill someone out of spite. I didn¡¯t even know she was your mate or the crazy b*tch that left you for this tool.¡± I¡¯m pissed, because I see what Mike is doing now. He is tying up loose ends and Tyler is a loose end now that he is mateless and out of control. He¡¯s no longer a good soldier. I have to divide my attention between the two of them. One is taunting to see who wille out the victor and one is so out of control that he will kill me or I will kill him and either way it will break one of us in the end. Where is everyone? Osiston and Nicks and the rest of the team shouldn¡¯t have been that far from me. The thought flits through my mind as Tyler growls again and takes more controlled faster steps towards me. His wolf is winning. Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°You know Tyler isn¡¯t there anymore. Losing a mate is hard enough, but most males lose their humanity without their other half. He will destroy you and I would hate to see that. You really should defend yourself, Love. I would really hate to have to start my search over. It took me a long time to find you and you are the strongest I have seen, the first to beat Janice and she took on many worthy candidates.¡± ¡°You used her to vet potential Lunas? You are crazy!¡± I keep moving back, keeping distance between Tyler and I. I am trying to mindlink my team, but my head hurts and it feels like there is a weight on my brain. ¡°Oh, you can stop trying to talk to your sister and your uncle and whoever else was following you. They can¡¯t help you here.¡± I stop short. How did he know I had people following me? ¡°Bring her back to me.¡± Tyler growls out. I look back at him. ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that, no one can. I¡¯m sorry, Tyler. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her. I didn¡¯t know.¡± Tears are falling from my eyes, but I don¡¯t move to wipe them. I have to be ready. Mike will give some kind of signal and he will attack me. ¡°You can. You¡¯re the Luna now, you can bring her back. Let him mark you and gain your full strength and bring her back with your powers.¡± ¡°I am no one¡¯s Luna and even if I was they don¡¯t have that kind of power. I don¡¯t know what Mike has told you but he is lying to you.¡± ¡°You are the next Luna Queen. You have been chosen. The current Alpha King will soon fall. He won¡¯t get away with letting his people suffer. There are more people in the Royal line that are better for the job, he has gottenzy and arrogant. The Luna Queen has the power of the Moon Goddess. Bring. Her. Back!!¡± I can see Mike¡¯s eyes light up at the idea that Tyler will beat me or make me submit. He is cruel and has brain washed these people into believing he is right and they have suffered at the hands of Alpha Reggie. I¡¯m going to try and stick with logic for now. ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about. The next Luna Queen hasn¡¯t been found yet and even if it was me, which it¡¯s not, theymunicate with and talk to the Moon Goddess. That¡¯s all. There are no other secret, hidden, special powers. Mike is lying to you. He¡¯s not even the next Alpha King. And from what I can see he¡¯s a coward, hiding behind others so he doesn¡¯t have to do any real work. He is no true leader.¡± Chapter 0362 Chapter 0362 Now I am taunting. If I am in this fight by myself then I am going to control it. This is my forte, I will not be bested here. Mike growls. ¡°You will be my Luna Queen and give me ess to the full powers of the Alpha King when we mate. Tyler bring her to me and try to hurt her as little as possible.¡± Mike turns around, apparently my audience with him is over. Tyler lunges, grabbing for my arm. I move out of the way. ¡°Don¡¯t make this harder than it already is.¡± He grumbles at me and reaches for me again. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with you or him, I won¡¯t be his mate.¡± I keep dodging, trying to take in my surroundings as I spin us in a circle. Janice stopped me in a clearing of sorts. It¡¯s not as big as the bonfire area, but could easily hold 30 or 40 people, in wolf form they would be cramped. This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . I can see some kind of shimmer along the ground weaving in and out of the trees surrounding us. It looks like a haze of frost on a really cold night, shes of light reflecting off the facets of ice crystals. Some kind of spell is a t work here. That¡¯s how he is keeping me from my team. My brand should work through all of that, but maybe mine won¡¯t since it is only a partial branding. Or maybe the casters he is using are just that powerful. Tyler runs at me now. I¡¯m not sure if he is going to try and fight me or what, but he is on a mission and it isn¡¯t to help me. I let him get within an arm¡¯s reach and push off of his shoulder, propelling myself upwards while trying to push him down. He stumbled a bit but righted pretty fast. All the times we worked out, sparring and grappling is something we never did, he¡¯s not bad, but I know I¡¯m better. I just don¡¯t want to have to kill him to survive this fight. He turns quickly andes back at me. This time getting a good grip on my arm and trying to swing me around so my back is to his front. I let the pull happen and right before I impact with his chest I drop down and punch him in the thigh and roll back before he can fall on me. He drops to one knee grunting. His head raises up looking into the forest. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Before my brain can process what that means. Several things happen at once. A bright light shes as though the clearing itself is illuminating, a battle cry waves up and washes over me as at least twenty bodies charge towards us. I am on my feet in an instant. I lose sight of Tyler as arms are flying at me in all directions and I am on the defensive, just trying to stop the worst of the blows. I am hit everywhere except for my face. My whole body is on fire from the pain and I can¡¯t even shift. I have no contact with my wolf no matter how much I scream for her. I don¡¯t know when I lost contact, maybe it was when I first got to this ce with Janice and I lost my ability to mindlink. ¡°Enough! She needs to be able to bear my children.¡± The crowd stops and parts for Mike to enter, looking wless. He was not a part of this fight either. How are they so blind to hisck of action? ¡°Bring her along and make sure she¡¯s unconscious until I am ready for her.¡± Chapter 0363 Chapter 0363 What the hell does he mean ¡®bear his children?¡¯ I¡¯m not mating with this psycho. And unconscious, why do I have to be unconscious? It¡¯s all I can think before people are on me again. I am punching and kicking everything I can, with no idea who or what I am making contact with. My heart is racing along with my mind. All I can see is limbs grabbing for me. I have to get out of this, but I have no idea how that is going to happen. I am grossly outnumbered so not even my skills are going to get me out of this. I need help and ording to Mike no one ising, because I am cut off from everyone. He is a step ahead again. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. I finally feel a blow to the back of my head that makes my vision blurry for a moment. I grunt and moan as I fall forward and catch myself on my hands and knees amongst bare feet surrounding me. Then I feel a sharp pinch to the back of my neck, but I can¡¯t scream or pull away. I am so dizzy and tired. I just want to take a nap and pretend like this sh*tshow never happened. I feel the energy drain from my body, like it¡¯s leaking out and thest thing I remember is Robbie¡¯s sad eyes looking at me before mine close. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. I could go the rest of my life and never wake up to that sound again. ¡°Urgg¡± I breathe out sitting up to my knees. My chest hurts, but I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s bruised or if it¡¯s broken ribs. I moved to rub the hair out of my face and found that each of my hands is cuffed in a metal shackle. I raise my right arm to the full height allowed and follow the chain to a bolt in the floor a few feet behind me. I notice the chains going to my feet too. So I am bolted to the floor, interesting. This is either standard operating procedure or they think I am a risk. I¡¯ll have to talk to someone before I can decide if my ego gets the boost or not. I did realize pretty quickly that my eyes don¡¯t open all the way right now and I am slow to move and think. This is all too familiar for me, but I can¡¯t decide if it pisses me off or if it scares me more. The room, or I guess dungeon basement is probably more appropriate, is stone from what I can gather and the cold musty air lets me know I am underground. There is a single bare bulb in the corner farthest from me and it is the only light source here. There is a table and chair near the light, so it¡¯s obviously not meant for me. There is no other furniture here. The only thing I notice is more chains leading to a lump of clothes or nkets about ten feet from me. So there either is or was another person here. I¡¯m not sure how I feel about either situation. I hear footsteps and then keys jingling before the lock disengages with an echo in the room. THe door creaks open like a bad horror movie and I half expect Igor to walk through saying ¡®yes, master.¡¯ It¡¯s less interesting than that though. It¡¯s one of the guys I recognize from the runs, but I don¡¯t remember his name. He never really talked to me, so it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Good, you¡¯re finally up. I was getting tired of having to feed you through an IV and getting beat for taking so long. Micheal is not a patient Alpha.¡± I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s talking to me or at me. ¡°Let him know that setting his whole pack to beat on one person is excessive and causes excessive damage that needs time to heal without a wolf to help. As an Alpha, he should be smart enough to know that, but his Alpha status is questionable at best, so that might be it too.¡± Yep, I¡¯m trying to get myself killed and I can¡¯t seem to stop my mouth from running. ¡°What is the foodced with, just so I know what to expect? I can smell that it¡¯s off from here. You guys need to get better at this prisoner thing.¡± Chapter 0364 Chapter 0364 His head snaps to me and I see three long scars run from his hairline to his chin. ¡°You had better watch what you say to the Alpha, he may have chosen you to be his Luna, but he won¡¯t tolerate insults.¡± ¡°Perfect. Thank you for the information. Any idea when his wannabe Alpha-ness is going to grace me with his presence? I¡¯d rather get this rejection over quickly.¡± I try to sound bored, but I need to keep him talking, and insulting his Alpha seems to get him to speak the most. ¡°Where are we? I looked forever to find your hideout and could nevere across it, but that is probably a witch thing isn¡¯t it?¡± I¡¯m not even going to hide that I was looking for them. They knew I had people with me and guarding me, so I have to assume they knew why I was in the area. ¡°You¡¯re not as dumb and innocent as people think are you?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯ve given any reason for people to think I am dumb. A sixteen year old qualifying and going to college does not scream stupid to me, how about you?¡± He huffs a singleugh and goes back to whatever he is doing at the table with his back to me. ¡°Where are Robbie and Tyler?¡± I ask just to keep the conversation going. ¡°Robbie is probably still on assignment at the college. Tyler is dealing with his loss.¡± He looks back over his shoulder at me. ¡°You managed to make a lot of waves in a very short amount of time.¡± ¡°I have that effect on people. I tend to be annoyingly in the way. I still think Tyler should have rejected Janice, it would have saved him the trouble he¡¯s going through now. She was selfish and allowed herself to be manipted and used apparently. No one deserves a mate like that.¡± ¡°The Alpha gets what he wants, so unless you want to die, you let him have it.¡± He shrugs like that is a reasonable exnation going back to his task. ¡°That is stupid. Why am I here and when can I leave?¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°You were told. The Alpha has chosen you as his Luna. He¡¯s been watching you for months and has decided that you have whatever he is looking for.¡± Another shrug. ¡°Yeah, I am going to pass on that. I am not his Luna or his mate and he certainly is no true Alpha the way he acts. I¡¯m not interested.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand, it¡¯s not a choice. He will keep you here until you voluntarily be his Luna or he will keep you here and forcefully mark and mate with you as his Luna. Either way he chose you and he¡¯s not one to be denied.¡± ¡°Why does he want to mate with me? He can mate with anyone and produce an heir.¡± ¡°That is not my job to know, but my guess is you¡¯re strong and intelligent. You can fight from what I was able to see and he wants all of those qualities in his offspring.¡± I decided to change the topic for now. I don¡¯t want to mate with Mike and just the thought makes my empty stomach curdle with disgust. ¡°So, who¡¯s my roommate?¡± I nod towards the pile of torn and dirty material. Now that I am waking up and whatever they gave me is wearing off I can smell a living being over there. Still not sure if it¡¯s a good thing or bad thing that the person is alive though. ¡°She was the daughter of an Alpha whose pack we took over. She was the Luna of choice until we found you. With her Alpha blood she would produce strong heirs as well, but she is taking too long to produce a child. The Alpha wants an heir soon.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m here because Wannabe can¡¯t get her pregnant? That doesn¡¯t bode well for his reputation.¡± ¡°It is, of course, something to do with her, not our Alpha. She has been difficult and I believe she¡¯s not getting pregnant on purpose.¡± Really?! These guys are stupid if they really believe that, but I will keep that to myself. I just hope they haven¡¯t done too much damage to her. Chapter 0365 Chapter 0365 ¡°How long has she been here?¡± ¡°A little over a year.¡± He brings me a bowl that has some kind of stew-like substance in it. After he ces it in front of me, he walks over and kicks at her with his foot. ¡°He¡¯s been forcing himself on her for a year?!¡± I can¡¯t help the disgust and shock in my voice. He ignores me and kicks at her again. ¡°Get up, you need to eat before he gets here. He¡¯s expecting to see you both up and well today. I¡¯ll bring in stuff for you both to clean up with soon.¡± He ces a bowl near her and then he leaves, just like that. Doesn¡¯t even look to see if she is awake or if I can reach my food, which is barely the way that I am chained up. I lean forward sniffing the contents of the bowl. It definitely has something in it that smells wrong, but I can¡¯t ce what it might be. ¡°It¡¯s wolfsbane and bedonna mixed together. It makes it easier to r*pe someone when they are half unconscious.¡± She sits up like Scarface wasn¡¯t just kicking her like a dog. ¡°It¡¯s also less exhausting if you pretend to be asleep. Talking to them is like talking to brainless zombies. Everyone who works for the Jackass believes what he is doing is right. He¡¯s good with his words and to the right people his actions are admirable, but they don¡¯t see what is going on behind the scenes.¡± She leans forward and pulls her bowl towards herself and starts poking around with her finger. ¡°No utensils? Does he think we¡¯ll use them as weapons?¡± I half joke since that was my first thought when I saw the food in the first ce. She just looks at me, a knowing, slightly demented look on her face. ¡°Ah, well at least tell me you took someone out with your skills.¡± I say in response. At least she is a fighter and not some damsel in distress. ¡°Of course I did. I also gave Josh his new look.¡± She tilts her head towards the door. ¡°Well I get why Scarface doesn¡¯t like you now. Is there anything edible in the bowl?¡± I tilt my head towards hers. She is clearly still alive, so she must be getting nutrients somehow. ¡°The wolfsbane is dark blue and looks ck when they mix it in with the food, almost likerge pepper kes. Bedonna is green or gray and resembles sage. So If you brush off the seasoning, it tends to affect you less, but always look doped up when theye in so they don¡¯t give us more, got it?¡± She is whispering rapidly. ¡°You know about herbs and nts? That¡¯s kind of cool actually. I wouldn¡¯t have even thought to separate the food, I just would have avoided eating.¡± I whisper back, assuming someone is listening outside therge door. ¡°I tried that at first, but then they just give me an IV and I have no idea what¡¯s in that, so I figured this is better.¡± ¡°Who taught you about bedonna and wolfsbane?¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°My aunt was a witch so I dabbled a bit with her. I figure a witch must be helping in the kitchen, because the herbs are sprinkled on top instead of being cooked in. Cooked in would be harder to separate and the effects would be in the food itself, but I have been able to have almost no real reaction in months.¡± I began to mimic what she was doing and pick off any kes that looked like seasoning. It wasn¡¯t fool proof, but maybe I could build a tolerance like I have with silver. Chapter 0366 As Sky grows up her experiences will as well. From here on out Sky and the rest of her friends are bing more grown up and we will embark with her on the journey of growing up. I don¡¯t write a ton of spice, but it is implied. When I add spice to the story I will indicate with a ??? before and after. It will not usually affect the story itself if you choose to skip it, but since there has been little to no spice in the story so far, I feel like giving a warning to those who may want to move past it quickly. Also with our antagonistes some Triggers such as abuse and assa*lt again I will preface it with a ?? before and after if you choose not to read those portions. Thank you so much for following along and supporting my writing! It is appreciated more than you know! Miss L Writes.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Chapter 0367 Chapter 0367 ?Trigger warning? ¡°So someone seems to be trying to help you a little?¡± The question gives me a little hope that not everyone here is happy and willing to be here. ¡°I guess, but it¡¯s hard to say. I haven¡¯t left this ce in a while. Did he says I¡¯ve been here a year?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± I pop the ¡®p¡¯ before putting a piece of carrot in my mouth. I can feel my tongue tingle at the effects of the wolfsbane, but it isn¡¯t unbearable. This girl might be onto something. Then I realized I don¡¯t know her name. ¡°My name is Skr, and you are?¡± She looks up at me, surprised for a second and then says, ¡°Jena, Alpha¡¯s daughter ck Diamond Pack.¡± This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. ¡°ck Diamond? Where¡¯s that?¡± I have never heard of her pack, but I didn¡¯t know many outside a couple hundred mile radius of Alpha Reggie¡¯s territory. So it isn¡¯t hard to believe I haven¡¯t heard the name. ¡°We¡¯re up in Canada, closer to ska, if that helps.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a long way from home then, assuming we are still in the vicinity of where they took me.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been in this location for a little while. At least I haven¡¯t been moved, and I usually go where their Alpha goes. He likes to keep his toys close.¡± She says darkly. Before I can reply, Scarfacees back with a bucket of water and two small cloths. He drops them all in front of us, sloshing water out of the bucket. ¡°Get clean, he wants you presentable in an hour.¡± ¡°You do realize that my current situation will not allow for that, right?¡± I look at the chains on my wrist and back to him and then to make sure he really understood I make an attempt at reaching forward to show the extent of movement I have with the chains, which keeps me a good 4 feet from the bucket in question. ¡°Figure it out, it¡¯s not my problem.¡± Then he turns around and stalks out. I let out augh, I couldn¡¯t keep it in. Jena looks at me like I have lost my mind. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t help it.¡± I¡¯m trying to stifle the amusement, but it¡¯s hard. So I try to exin between bouts. ¡°Whatever you did to him f*cked him up. He won¡¯t even bring water within five feet of us. He may act all tough, but that one is a chickensh*t who will wet his pants when he has to stand in front of you without the chains.¡± She just looks dumbfounded for a second and then alsoughs. ¡°We are trapped and chained up andughing about our captors. What does that say about us?¡± Herughter subsides a bit. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but there were at least twenty people set on me and I¡¯m pretty sure I was drugged. I know I¡¯m a good fighter, it¡¯s the one thing I am confident in. They wouldn¡¯t have caught me in a fair fight.¡± ¡°But really, until we know what is going on, we should try and clean up, it keeps the hitting to a minimum, and Micheal likes to hit. He¡¯s kind of a sadist.¡± I nod. She¡¯s right, going along with this is the best way to figure out what is going on in general and figuring out exactly what Mike¡¯s endgame is. We were able to work together once Jena showed me that our foot chains were a continuous chain looped through an anchor in the floor. We each stretched out a leg and awkwardly pulled the bucket towards us. Jena showed me how Micheal likes us to be prepared. I still wasn¡¯t sure what we were preparing for though. I washed my face, hands and arms and went to throw the cloth in the bucket when Jena stopped me. Chapter 0368 Chapter 0368 ¡°Wait, you have to clean everything.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®everything?¡¯ My feet don¡¯t matter, cause they are just going to be on the gross floor the whole time, what else is there?¡± ¡°If he¡¯sing to see us, he ns on taking us.¡± She looks at me like I should know this. ¡°He doesn¡¯te to chat. He¡¯s obsessed with producing an heir, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡± The dark look that crosses her face is scary. ¡°What?!¡± She opened her mouth to say something when therge door swung open to reveal the d*ckhead himself. ¡°Hello my littledies. How are you both today?¡± He sounds so pleasant and nice, but the cold look in his eyes shows how dangerous his crazy is. ¡°My lovely Jena, it¡¯s really too bad that you haven¡¯t been able to give me what I want. You are so delicious though, so I think I will keep you around¡­for now. Should we show Skr what she has to look forward to?¡± I look at Jena and her jaw is set eyes forward, but they are nk. She doesn¡¯t move a muscle, just slow controlled breathing. ¡°What are you going to do to us?¡± I ask as calmly as I can because what is running through my mind can¡¯t be possible, can it? ¡°I already told you I want and need an heir to my empire. And I will have one. I thought my lovely Jena would be the one to provide for me, but she has proven to not be able to do that. Let¡¯s see if you are more capable Sklyar. Open that sweet mouth Jena, I want to make sure Skr knows all my favorite things.¡± He stalks towards her undoing his pants, my eyes go wide but Jena hasn¡¯t moved. I am frozen in ce, this is really happening right in front of me. He pulls the front of his pants and underwear down just enough to reveal himself while he continues to stalk forward. He stops inches from Jena¡¯s face stroking himself right in front of her nose. I can feel my heart stutter knowing what is about to happen to her and possibly to me, but Jena hasn¡¯t moved a muscle. Still stroking himself, Mike caresses her cheek like a lover would before he grips her jaw tight enough to cause her to whimper the smallest amount. ¡°I said open up.¡± He growls through his teeth at her. ¡°Show Skr what happens to good little girls when they listen. And mind those teeth, it took far too long for your jaw to healst time.¡± I can see his fingers flex and force her mouth open before he rams his d*ck in, forcing her to gag. But she doesn¡¯t double over or show any other signs of distress. I close my eyes and start to turn my head away, I don¡¯t want to watch this, no one wants to watch this. But my head is stopped by two hands and I am forced to turn in Jena¡¯s direction again. I struggled, but with my hands and feet bound there isn¡¯t much of a fight to be had. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Mike looks over at me. ¡°Isn¡¯t she beautiful like this, Skr? Keep those eyes open, I want you to see the wonderful way she takes care of her Alpha.¡± His voice is sickly sweet. I keep my eyes closed even with the force of the hands holding my head in ce. ¡°Open, your eyes Skr!¡± He growls this time. ¡°Or I will let every warrior in this room have their turn with her and they will be far less gentle than me.¡± At Jena¡¯s muffled sob following that statement, I knew that I couldn¡¯t let her suffer like that. I don¡¯t want to watch this, but Jena is living it. And if she¡¯s been here over a year, who knows how many times he¡¯s vited her. I can live through it with her, at least this way she won¡¯t be alone. That¡¯s all I think about as I make eye contact with her. I try to fuzz out the rest of the view and focus only on her eyes. Her dark amber eyes are full of hopelessness and sorrow. If I find a way out of this I am taking her with me and now I know that Mike doesn¡¯t just need to be stopped, he needs to die. Jena can¡¯t be the only girl he has assaulted and I might be next. Chapter 0369 We stay focused on eachother like that for a long time. I hope she got some strength from me since there wasn¡¯t much more I could do. I could hear muffled talking and grunts and groans from Mike, but I kept pushing it from my mind and focused only on Jena, her eyes watering so much the streams make streaks in the dirt that remains on her face.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Such a good little girl.¡± Mike coos at her. ¡°I just wish that you would give me the child I want.¡± He pulls out of her mouth and moves behind her. ¡°You should be ready for me now, right my sweet Jena?¡± Seriously? I can feel my own hot tears running down my face. I strain against my chains trying to get to her even though I know there¡¯s no way. ¡°Stop! Just stop.¡± I whine out, unable to stop myself. Jena gives me a small shake of her head. ¡°Do you wish it was you, Skr? I see the jealousy in your eyes and I must say it¡¯s quite the turn on.¡± He lifts the tattered shirt she wears and ces his palm in the middle of her back pushing her down onto her hands. ¡°This is the pleasure you can expect very soon.¡± He thrusts into her and she groans in pain. ¡°I know this is your favorite, isn¡¯t it Jena?¡± She doesn¡¯t answer him right away, so he grabs a fistful of her hair and yanks her head back, she grunts again as he continues to thrust into her. ¡°I said this is your favorite, right? Tell Skr how much you enjoy this.¡± She winces again, so he must have tightened his grip in her hair. ¡°It¡¯s my favorite, Alpha.¡± She barely whispers out. Her voice hoarse from the treatment before. It doesn¡¯t take him long to finish with a loud dramatic groan. Jena crumples to the floor and doesn¡¯t move. Mike stands up, rights his clothes and walks to me. He brushes his knuckles on my cheek, ¡°Soon my Luna, you can have that pleasure too. My warriors were a little too rough with you and I need you to heal a bit more before I can have you. Your bruising does not excite me at all. But I did enjoy the way you were both eyeing each other. I might have to work that into our time together.¡± Then he turns and walks out, three warriors following him. I didn¡¯t even notice they were here. At least one was holding my head still, I can still feel the points where his fingers dug in. I might actually have bruises without my wolf. But the other two were just there to watch I guess. As soon as the door was closed, I scooted as close to Jena as I could. ¡°Hey!,¡± I whisper-yelled. ¡°Are you okay? What can I do?¡± That scene is going to give me nightmares for the rest of my life, but she needs me to stuff it and be strong right now. She turns her head so I can see her face. She is still crying, but silently. I would be ugly sobbing. It looked and sounded painful. I don¡¯t think I can ever have s*x after this. There was nothing about that whole thing that looked pleasurable. Chapter 0370 ??Trigger Warning?? ¡°That was actually him being nice.¡± She wipes her face. ¡°He must be trying to impress you.¡± She winces as she moves to sit up. ¡°Normally he likes to use whips and ropes. He likes to be rough, so this,¡± She waves a dismissive hand, ¡°Was nothing.¡± ¡°What?!¡± I couldn¡¯t keep the horror out of my voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been beaten before, but never assaulted. I¡¯ve never been with anyone like that ever.¡± My panic starts to rise. Of all the things I have been through. I don¡¯t know if I will survive this. The sadness and fear turns to anger. Anger at the idea that he is going to take something that is supposed to be special from me. He¡¯s already made me afraid of it. Jena fell into a fitful sleep and it wasn¡¯t long before one of the warriors was back and I immediately retreated back to the wall and made myself as small as possible, afraid I was next on the list of s*x ves.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can¡¯t have you¡­ yet, but I do need to get a few things done, so hold still.¡± I did the exact opposite and started iling and kicking as soon as he got too close. I had no idea what he was here to do, but I decided that no one was going to touch me the way Mike touched Jena. I got him in the groin and in the jaw before he could move away and run from the room. The scuffle didn¡¯t disturb Jena¡¯s sleep at all. My new punching bag came in, bleeding from the lip, with the other two warriors that were here earlier and they held me down while he stuck a needle in my arm and took a vial of blood. Then just to prove a point they each took a strong swing at my face and kicked me in the sides. I think I passed out from the pain. I woke upter to someone else sticking a needle in my arm. I don¡¯t know what they need the blood for and I don¡¯t know how much or how often they were taking it, but it felt like I was getting weaker and I just fell in and out of sleep. I did wake up to Mike hitting Jena with a loud smack of skin on skin contact and he was viting her again, she wasn¡¯t so quiet this time, her cries stinging my ears, but I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes open long enough to do or say anything. I do remember the wild anger in Mike¡¯s eyes though, that look is burned into my memory for good. This went on for days or maybe weeks, I have no sense of time here. My mind feels as numb as my body, like something inside is broken. I don''t remember dreaming either, just waking up with a start, panicking and breathing heavily. Sometimes there were people in the cell, sometimes it was just Jena and I. I did wake up to a soft cloth being wiped over my forehead and a small voice saying ¡°Shhh.¡± "Who are you?" I whisper through dry cracked lips as I blink and try to sit up, but I''m too weak to even move. ¡°It doesn''t matter, but the Moon Goddess told me I need to help you. I don''t have long, so listen. Tonight when dinneres, eat everything.¡± "But, it¡¯s poisoned.¡± I start to protest, but she shakes her head. ¡°Not tonight. Eat everything, it will help you get rid of the poisons in your body and by morning you should be able to connect with your wolf. That is all I can do. You have to get out. We are out of time.¡± ¡°I''m not leaving Jena here. He''ll kill her if I leave. I have to find Gentry too.¡± I groan, my stubbornness not letting mey down while I am arguing. I don''t know why I am so adamant about this but I am not just going to leave them here if this is how he treats females. ¡°Gentry is taking care of your food, don''t worry about her, she is safe for now. You are the most important thing right now. We aren¡¯t too far from your friends.¡± Chapter 0371 Chapter 0371 ¡°How will I know where to go? I don¡¯t even know where we are.¡± ¡°The Moon Goddess will guide you.¡± ¡°You know that isn¡¯t helpful.¡± I hiss at her, my head is throbbing from mytest beating. I just want a straight answer for once. ¡°That¡¯s all I can tell you. Jena should go with you, trust your instincts. Get out!¡± Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. ¡°How is he hiding all of you? I need to know how to stop him.¡± ¡°Defeat as many warriors as you can, they can not be reasoned with or turned back to good, they have given their souls over to the dark magic. The weaker you make his army the weaker he is. You know this, you¡¯ve seen this.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t tell me how to stop him.¡± ¡°Once you are free, he wille for you, he knows who you are now and he wille for you.¡± A sound outside the door stops her exnation. ¡°I have to go, remember to eat.¡± She rushes out the door and I hear muffled voices, I can¡¯t tell if they are angry or not though. Hopefully she was able to exin why she was in here. I hope she doesn¡¯t get hurt foring in here with us. I scoot over to Jena and reach my toes out to touch hers. ¡°Jena!¡± I whisper into the silence. She groans. ¡°Jena, wake-up.¡± She rolls over. ¡°What do you want? I need to sleep, he was irritated that you weren¡¯t awake to watch thisst time and my whole body hurts.¡± Her gravely voice sounds worse than the first time. ¡°A girls just cam in here and said to eat all the food we are brought tonight and that it¡¯s supposed to help us get strong so we can get out of here.¡± ¡°Are you f*cking crazy? Of course they want us to eat all the food. It¡¯s how they control everyone.¡± She starts to roll over. ¡°Wait! She knew about a witch that is a friend of mine and was also captured. She said the Moon Goddess sent her and told her to help us.¡± ¡°So you just believe every positive thing you are told? Don¡¯t be stupid. THis is our life and this is what you have to look forward to. Get used to it.¡± ¡°NO!¡± I shout and then remember that I don¡¯t know if they can hear me outside the door or not. ¡°She said get out and take out as many guys as possible. It¡¯s the only way to draw Mike out. We have to escape, I cannot stay here and neither can you.¡± ¡°Whatever, just don¡¯t get caught, cause Micheal will kill you when he catches you. I don¡¯t care how golden he thinks your p*ssy is.¡± ¡°I am not leaving without you.¡± ¡°And I am not leaving. This is bad, but it will be so much worse if we are caught.¡± ¡°I thought you were an Alpha¡¯s daughter!¡± I say as usingly as I can. That got her attention. She slowly looks up at me, the full force of her Alpha aura on disy. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Stop being a b*tch and stand up for yourself. You probably still have pack members out there who need you. Get off your ass and help me get out of here.¡± She growls at me and turns her back. I ignore her for now, but I am not leaving her here, no matter how much she fights me. She¡¯s so thin and frail that I could probably throw her over my shoulder and carry her out. The muscle I can see though tells me she probably still has some fight left in her. I get to work trying to figure out how to get these shackles off of me. My feet are out of the question, even though I am little, they are on pretty tight and I can¡¯t afford to break my foot to slip one off. I start to work on my hands, trying to figure out the best way to fold my hand to slip one off. I start with my left hand since I am right dominant. I figure if I damage my left, I will still be able to fight if I have the full use of my right. I think I almost have my hand out when I hear the jangling of keys and then the door pushes open to reveal one of the warriors that Mike seems to keep with him all of the time. I don¡¯t know their names and I don¡¯t care to. These guys are the worst kinds of predators and they will all die for what they have done to Jena and Gentry and all the other nameless girls that have been through here. Chapter 0372 Chapter 0372 I was starting to feel hopeless, but now that I seem to have a purpose, it¡¯s all I can focus on. Jena and I will get out of here. We won¡¯t be unscathed, but we will be free. This jerkface walks over with a smile, like we¡¯re friends meeting up for lunch. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you awake, the Alpha will be happy to hear you are up and waiting for him.¡± He sets a te with a couple slices of bread and apples in front of me. They don¡¯t even try to hide the herbs they are giving us. It¡¯s sprinkled all over the te. ¡°I¡¯m not up for him. There¡¯s really only so much sleeping anyone can do, even with the amount of sedatives you give us.¡± I push the te back at him with my foot. I heard a small choking sound from Jena¡¯s side of the cell. Jerkface must not have heard her though, he doesn¡¯t take his eyes off of me. ¡°It will be so much fun to watch the Alpha break you. You will be screaming soon enough.¡± ¡°Is that all the action you¡¯re allowed?¡± I don¡¯t know where this ising from, but I like the confused look that crosses his face, so I keep going. ¡°Watching your small d*cked Alpha is what does it for you, huh? Must be a sad life you lead here.¡± His entire face contorts in anger and he raises his hand to backhand me. ¡°You better not, you know he wants her soon and he said not toy another hand on her so she is healthy enough to conceive.¡± I know that voice. Anger boils in me. He let this happen, let them take me and just stood by watching. My focus doesn¡¯t shift from jerkface as Robbie strolls into the room. ¡°Feed her and get out, you have your orders.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me what my orders are. Last I heard, you were stripped of your status after your failure to bring her in on your own.¡± ¡°She¡¯s here isn¡¯t she?¡± Robbie gestures towards me. The f*cking asshole. ¡°No thanks to you. It took the whole crew to get her here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware. I am not dumb enough to pick a fight with her on my own, why do you think the whole crew was brought in. Maybe you should not listen to rumors so much, and learn to just pay attention, it would help you with your status with the Alpha and maybe you could move up from prisoner duty.¡± I heard a growle from Jerkface, but he didn¡¯t respond, so Robbie must be right and watching us is very low on the dominance list. Jerkface goes to stalk out the door, but as he passes Robbie I notice a slight movement of Robbie¡¯s hand at Jerkface¡¯s waist, then the sound of keys ttering to the floor. ¡°You should probably be more careful, it looks like you aren¡¯t maintaining your gear very well.¡± Robbie smirks at him then looks back at me, but only for a brief second, like he¡¯s trying to communicate something. But it is so quick I might have imagined it. Jerkface swipes his keys up off the floor and hooks them back on his belt and that¡¯s when I see it. The sp is loose. For whatever reason Robbie is trying to help me. I look down at the measly food I was given, knowing I won¡¯t eat it, but my stomach protesting all the same. The door closes and I hear the familiar sound of the lock engaging. I lean back against the wall tilting my head and closing my eyes, but still concentrating on trying to get my hand out of this cuff. All I need is one free hand to take out Jerkface. We are leaving today.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org. Chapter 0373 Chapter 0373 ¡°That was interesting to listen to.¡± My eyes snap open to Jena. ¡°You were awake this whole time?¡± ¡°I have been here a long time and learned a couple of things. For one, even though these guys seem to think everyone should be into BDSM, they don¡¯t touch me when I appear to be sleeping. It also strokes the Alpha¡¯s ego to think it takes me hours or even days to recover from his, as you put it, small dick.¡± ¡°When dinner gets here, we¡¯ll know if the girls cleaning me up was telling the truth. Even without my wolf I can smell the herbs in the food. You were right, they really aren¡¯t good at this part.¡± ¡°If you twist your thumb you can dislocate it just enough, without doing too much damage.¡± She looks at me with a bored expression. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re helping me now?¡± I ask sarcastically. ¡°After that conversation, I guess. You have had two, maybe three people helping out. No one has ever reached out to me in all the time I have been here. Maybe your little witch friend is right and you¡¯re special or something, but you¡¯re the best chance of being free. And besides, if you leave and I am still here, Micheal will find a way to me me for it and probably torture me to death. If I¡¯m going to die, I might as well die fighting.¡± The dark look in her eyes tells me there¡¯s more going on here, but I don¡¯t push. I¡¯ll take all the help I can get. Like the girl said, our stew was brought to us and the herbs were different. I didn¡¯t smell the bedonna or wolfsbane, what I did smell opened up my senses, like just the fragrance was giving me energy. ¡°Do you smell that?¡± I ask Jena. ¡°She said eat it all. I guess this is the moment of truth.¡± Jena just sits there and watches me waiting to see what happens I guess. She must still not believe that we are being helped by someone in this group. I won¡¯t even call them a pack, because I bet most of them are here by force and being kept under duress or maniption like Tyler. I take and bite and I can feel an explosion of electricity jolt through my body. I look right at Jena, I can only imagine what my face looks like, but whatever it is, it¡¯s enough to motivate her to start eating. We both devour our food like we haven¡¯t eaten in years. Maybe for Jena, that is the case. I can feel my muscles buzz and I feel a pressure in my head, but it isn¡¯t painful like a headache. When I finish my whole bowl, I look up at Jena and can see color returning to her face and her hair is no longer dull and t. Whatever is in here, I need to make sure I have on every mission, just in case. ¡°Oh damn! I haven¡¯t felt this good in a really long time. You know some witches in high ces. This couldn¡¯t have been easy to sneak into us if you could smell the difference.¡± I don¡¯t know why, but I don¡¯t tell her about my extra strength sense of smell. I still haven¡¯t had the chance to talk to Alpha Reggie about all of my so-called abilities and I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m allowed to say. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you caught on, but most of the guys here watching us are not that bright.¡± We both giggle. ¡°So, did your little helper tell you when we were supposed to bust out of here?¡± Jena asks. ¡°She just said to eat everything and we should be able to make contact with our wolves by morning.¡± I shrug still working on my left cuff. With my new found strength, I am hoping to get a hand out before someonees in to check on us. ¡°I think if you twist it just a bit more, you¡¯ll be able to get it out.¡± Jena says helpfully.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. Chapter 0374 "You know, you could be doing the same thing, right?" "Why on earth would I do that? If you get free and get the keys away from the goons watching us, you can just let me out. There is no sense in both of us being injured." I roll my eyes at her, but she kind of has a point, kind of. Just as I start to feel the widest part of my hand slip through therge cuff, the sound of jangling keys and footsteps can be heard outside the door. I grunt as I try to pull my handpletely free. My heart is pounding with adrenaline, it''s now or never, I have to get free before the door is opened. I am sweating with the effort and the panic as I tug my hand relentlessly not caring about how much damage I am doing now. Just as the door swings open, my hand slips through and the shackle ters to the floor. Thank the goddess for the loudughter that booms through the opening at the same time. I quickly tuck my free hand behind my back as our usual three idiot keepers walk in. "Well, it looks like it''s going to be your turn tonight, sweetheart. I hope you can handle the Alpha. He''s had his whole brood of girls warming him up all night getting ready just for you." Jerkface sneers at me. Was that supposed to scare me? If Mike has been wasting all of his swimmers on other girls, he''s dumber than I thought. "Yeah, I can''t wait to see what you''re hiding. I''m going to have sweet dreams tonight." Jerkface number two says. "Okay, I hope you enjoy your hand." I raise my eyebrow at him. "Since your Alpha doesn''t share any women with you apparently." I need to make them all approach me. And I figure the best way is to make them want to hit me. Jerkface has the keys though. So no matter what I do, I can''t let him leave the room. "He shares plenty with us." Number three saysmely. "I highly doubt that. He doesn''t want anyone to be able topare all the pencil d*cks running around here." Jena stifles augh. "I''ll show you there''s no pencil d*cks around here." Number two steps closer, starting to unbutton his pants. "Leave her for the Alpha, you heard the orders. No one touches her before him." Jerkface stops two from stepping forward. "That''s because he doesn''t want us to make fun of him for being the smallest." Jena chimes in, adding to their irritation. "He''s not actually an Alpha and none of you are actually warriors. It''s why you all have to keep us chained up on top of locked ina cell and drugged." She smiles menacingly at them all. "You dumb b*tch!" Number three shouts. "You''re locked up here, who''s the weak one?" "Not really sure, I would have to fight each of you to tell you who is the weakest." They all growl at her. She''s better at taunting than I could have imagined. This is great. Only a weak Wolf would put this much effort into arguing about how they are. Any ranked wolf would have ended the conversation by now.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . strong "I think Jerkface number three is the weakest," I look over at her and then back to them, "That''s why he always entersst and doesn''t get to carry the keys." She nods in agreement. "I see what you mean," We keep talking like we are discussing a piece of abstract art, "Number two is always schlepping something so he''s a bit low on the totem pole, but not as low as the one with no job at all." They are all growling now. They said the Alpha ising for me, I need those keys. I''m racking my brain for what will send them over the edge to attack me. Then my wolf sts into my head and gives them a challenging growl, only another wolf would understand. Chapter 0375 All three lunge at me. I''m quick to kick number three over to Jena''s corner of the tiny cell. She wraps her arms around his neck using her chains like a noose and ridding the world of one sadistic idiot quickly. I swing my free hand wildly and don''t hit anything. Number two is quick tough at me until he hears the jangle of keys as I toss them to Jena then punch him in the face, while I kick my legs out to trip Jerkface as he turns to try and intercept the keys. Jena gets her feet unlocked before Jerkface can scramble over to her and number two is righting himself in front of me. I pull my elbow back to knock number two in the other cheek, but I am just short and hit his nose spraying me and anything around me in blood pouring from his nose. I hear grunting from the other side of the room, but I can''t look, number two wasn''t as phased by the blow to the nose as I would have hoped and he has started taking clumsy swings at me. He''s not doing any damage though, which allows me to listen to my surroundings. I hear several thuds and ps as contact is being made, but I don''t know if Jena is winning or losing her fight. The next thing I know a small arm wraps around number two''s throat and his head is whipped to the side as Jena breaks his neck. She lets him drop in front of me with a crazed look in her eye. "Jena. Jena! The keys, Jena. We have to go." I shouted at her, sure someone somewhere felt those three die. A true Alpha would have felt them die.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . She blinks a few times then seems toe back to the present as she rushes over to get the keys from where she dropped them and releases me. "Where now?" She asks me. "No idea." "WHAT!? We just killed three people for you NOT to know where to go next?" "The girl said the Moon Goddess would guide us." As I finish the sentence a small sh goes off to my right and my wolf nudges me, so I take off, Jena hot on my heels. I don''t stop to admire the scenery, but we are in some kind of underground dungeon or prison. There are hallways lined with doors like ours. The stone that lines the walls and floor is caked in years worth of dirt and mold and who knows what else. Two more turns and then we reach a stone staircase. I can see light through the cracks in the wooden door that seems to be set into the floor at the top of the stairs like a cer. We can hear voices too, but they are too muffled to make out what is being said, but the smell of cooked meats and vegetables tells me it''s probably the kitchen. "Where now? If we stay here too long we are going to get caught." "I know, but I haven''t seen any other signs yet. Give me a minute." I take another look around and there it is a sh at the end of the hall, just past the stairs. "There." I point. "We have to get past the stairs unseen then through that door." We both take a deep breath in and then start running. We don''t look around or behind us, which probably isn''t the smartest idea, but we are just focused on getting to the door. Once we both reach the shadow of the stairs I quietly turn the handle and crack the door open, ready to fight, but wanting some kind of idea of what we might be up against. The dark room only has one candle lit in the center, which is about the same illumination we always have. I really hope it isn''t in the middle of the day when we get outside or we will both be blind. Chapter 0376 Just as I step forward a hand reaches out to grab me and I instinctively take a swing. "F*ck! I guess I deserved that, but seriously that f*cking hurt." Robbie is holding his ear. He reaches out for me again as I move to step around him. "Don''t step in the circle. It''s the witch''s wheel. That totem is what is keeping us hidden and our scent blocked. Once you step through it you be a part of the spell. It is energized by each person that crosses into it and it''s permanently binding.¡± He gives me a paine look.. That''s what the girl meant by taking out as many people as I could on my way out of here. It weakens the spell Mike has going. I just nod. "Let''s get you out of here." Robbie turns and Jena grabs my arm.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "He''s one of them." She hisses. "Why are you trusting him?" Really I have no idea, but the girl said trust my instincts and I don''t think Robbie wants to hurt me. I don''t think he ever wanted to hurt me, he didn''t want me involved. That''s why he was always irritated when Mina and I were around. "I just do, let''s go. I''ll exin when we are out of this hellhole." She stays close to me, but I can feel her tension spike. She''s looking for the trap she thinks he''s set and I probably should too. We move around the dark circr room, into another hallway that is definitely not used based on the smell of decaying rodents. I''m very d for my wolf senses so I can see without the help of any light and I hate them based on the smell that is giving me a stomach ache. I can feel and smell us going higher and higher. The incline of the narrow passage is getting steeper, but it is so tight that I can put a hand out and use the walls on either side of me to help propel me forward. The air is getting thinner and cleaner. I can smell the fresh spring air as we get closer to the surface. I have no idea how long we have been walking, my sense of time has been badly skewed. Something about not having a window or a clock will do that to a person. We finally get to an entrance and Robbie stops, putting his hand out to keep us from going around him and running mindlessly to our freedom. "Wait. There''s a patrol out right now. We need to time this right. It won''t be long until your absence is noticed and trust me Mike was blown and ready for you both tonight." "That is so gross." I let the stutter roll through me. "He is probably cursed and is firing nks if he''s having that much s*x and not getting any of the girls pregnant." I quip trying to see what Robbie sees. "Not for me, I have an IUD. That f*cker was just too stupid to think to check." Jena says next to me. It''s the most confident words I''ve heard from her. "Seriously?! He''s had you for over a year and when you never conceived he didn''t have you checked by one of the pack doctors?" Robbie asks incredulously. "It''s been over a year now? Damn, I''ve been in that hole too long." She breathes in and then out with her eyes closed. "If he was too stupid to think of something that simple, while ming you for not getting pregnant on purpose, then he doesn''t deserve to procreate." Robbie says. "Get ready." He looks down at his watch. "We have about three more minutes and then you both need to run like hell." "What about you? He''ll kill you if he finds out you helped us." "He''s bound to kill me anyway. He thought you were interested in me after Tyler pissed you off. He''s so insecure, he can''t get anyone to follow him without maniption and spell work even though he has Alpha King blood running through his veins. He also can''t produce an heir, no matter how many girls he sleeps with, whether by choice or by force." He winks at me. "I honestly think he might be losing his mind and his grip on any type of reality. I don''t want to be a part of it, I never did but there was no other choice and the only way out of this for me now, is to die." Chapter 0377 "Is that why you were being weird the day you all captured me? You were trying to piss him off?" "Not really, but it was a bonus. I didn''t know he gave Tyler the hands-off order, but he failed to give it to everyone. I just wanted to see how far I could push Tyler and if I could get him to admit that he still wanted you." "How much time?" Jena asks gruffly from next to me, breaking our tense conversation. "Thest pass for the next thirty minutes should be going by any second now." As he finishes the sentence we see two patrol wolves run by. Faster than a jog, but not like they were in a hurry to get somewhere. "As soon as they clear that bank of trees we can go. I will take you as far as I can. I am still bound to this ce and to mymand. There is only so much work around I can find. Go!" He whispers to us and takes off. We are running as fast as our weakened muscles will take us. Jena was locked up for over a year, I have no idea how long I was in there but it can''t have been more than a week or two. My body hurts and my muscles are screaming, but I keep looking back to make sure Jena is right behind me. I will carry her if I have to. She deserves to be free. "Almost there." Robbie shouts over his shoulder and I feel myself start to smile. But it was too soon to celebrate. A gray and white patched wolf barrels into Robbie and Jena and I both scream. "Keep running! You''re almost there." He yells at us while trying to hold the wolf off. Butl slow down, I can''t just let him die for us, not like this. I have to help, but I don''t know if I am strong enough to do any good, or if it will just make everything worse and get us caught again. I can''t do that to Jena either. I am torn between saving these two people. Jena gets past me and yells "Let him go, he chose his fate." As she continues to run aimlessly away from the underground prison that has been her home for so long. "I can''t just let him die, he helped us out. He needs at least a fair fight." "There is nothing fair about any of this. Let''s go!" She keeps running, leaving me behind, but I know I will easily be able to catch up.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I look around and see no one else near us. I take a chance and run at Robbie, shifting in mid air. I jump on top of the gray wolf and sink my teeth in the space between his neck and shoulder. I taste the blood filling my mouth and I open to take another bite out of the howling monster''s shoulder. I make eye contact with Robbie, hopefully letting him know I want him to fight his way out of this before I jump off and turn back to Jena. I stay in my wolf form, feeling stronger like this. When I reach her I kneel down next to her so she can climb on. We will be faster this way. She doesn''t hesitate and jumps up to my wolf''s shoulders. Before I can run I am hit from the back and Jena goes flying off. It''s Tyler''s dark gray wolf and he looks possessed. Ready to kill me for his Alpha. I am not going down without a fight. He sold me out even wher his mate was cheating on him and then died for her crimes. He still gave me to his sick and twisted Alpha. This will end with his death. I let my anger surge and fuel my actions. He tries to circle me, but I won''t let him get between me and Jena. I snap at him every time he gets too close. He growls and lunges, but he is no match for my skill I quickly find out. For all the appearance of training that they do, they are no stronger than humans. I injure him over and over again, everytime he lunges at me he''s slower than thest, bleeding from the many wounds and scratches I have inflicted. And then I see it, his eyes looking straight into my soul. He wants to die, he wants to finally be with his mate the way she never would in life. He wants out of this hell as much as Jena and I. He''s not trying to fight me, he''s trying to goad me. Chapter 0378 I quickly change back, So I can tell him off once and for all. "You don''t deserve an easy death or my sympathy. You''re just as bad as Mike for trapping me and who knows how many other people here. F*ck off! Find another person to take you out of this world, you coward." I turn and run towards where I saw Jena fall. I see her brown hair in the grass. She isn''t moving, so I race to her faster and flip her over. "Jena! Jena, talk to me." She groans and then coughs. "I haven''t been thrown around in a while, this sucks." She tries for a joke. I shift again and nuzzle her onto my back. I won''t be able to run as fast if she doesn''t hang on, so I hope she figures that out quickly. More growling sounds behind me as more wolves join the fight. So much for having a thirty minute head start. I take off. I can''t look back any more. Jena is right Tyler and Robbie chose their fates and they need to live or die with those choices. I just hope Robbie finds a way out for his redemption. My wolf runs and runs. We just keep following the shes of light we''ve been seeing since we got out of our cell. I hope it really is the Moon Goddess guiding me and not my imagination looking for things in the middle of nowhere. I feel a whoosh of hot air blow past me as we pass from an open prairie to a grove of trees and then my brain explodes with the sounds of voices. Voices I have missed yelling and screaming my name. "Sky!" "Skr!" "Midge!"Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "Little One. Thank the Goddess. We''re on our way, hold tight. Can you talk to me?" "Hi Alpha Reggie. Hey guys." It''s all I can sob over the mind link. I can feel the tears streaming from my wolf''s eyes and onto her fur. They can hear us. I think to my wolf. Are we really finally out of that? "We are for now, sweet girl. I don''t think they are following us anymore." Even at her words I don''t slow down. I want as much distance as possible between us and that horrible ce. "Alpha Reggie, I have someone with me and she''s going to need some medical attention. They''ve had her for a year. Get Doc Sylvia, no one else." "On it Little One." "Nicks, Gentry is still alive, but she isn''t with me. I''m sorry I couldn''t get to her, but she helped us escape." "It''s okay, Midge. She knows what she''s doing. I can still feel her. I know she''s okay. I''m d she was able to help you. We''re almost there." Chapter 0379 I keep running and running, feeling the pull my brand now has towards my team and my family. I just want to go home. After what I saw I don''t know if I am cut out to do these kinds of missions. Not for the first time since I was captured, I think about how adamant everyone was that I am too young to be here and I was too stubborn to listen. The horrors I saw while I was there and I didn''t even leave the cell we were in and Jena went through so, so much worse. I hope we are both okay after this. I know I won''t be the same, I can''t imagine how Jena feels. Osiston and Alpha Reggie said they were close but my ability to judge time is so off I don''t know how long I have been running with Jena on my back. I just know that my whole body is throbbing and my muscles burn from the exertion. The question is, am I out of shape because of how long we were captured and malnourished or have I been running for days? Where are they? My wolf starts to slow down, we haven''t heard the sounds of paws behind us since I heard the voices of my team, but I wasn''t taking any chances. I just can''t push her anymore. She slows to a walk. We need food and water or we are never going to make it to them. "Hey guys? Are you still there?" "We''reing, Little One. You''re farther than we thought. Keep following your pull. Alpha Reggie detoured to get Doc Sylvia like you asked? "That''s the problem, I don''t know how much farther I can go with no food or water. We aren''t exactly battle ready here." I huff at them. I can''t be angry at them, they don''t know and they don''t understand. "I''m so sorry Midge, Have your wolf take you to water, you need that first. Slow down and use your survival skills. We''reing." I can hear his breathing increase, letting me know he increased his speed. Nicks has always treated me more like a little sister, like Mateo and Sam. His protective instinct kicks into high gear at the first sign of trouble for me. "Keep talking to us, tell me what you see." "Are you serious right now?"This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "Of course, it will help us find you and help you focus your brain on what is real." "Nicks...I''m running in the forest and the sun is going down. So what I see are trees and vegetation that grows around trees." "There''s my smartass." He huffs at me and I hear other chuckles of the team listening to our banter.I think everyone is probably wound up and needs to let out some tension. "Look around, tell me which direction the mountains are. Give me something to look for to make this faster." My wolf looks around so I can get a good view with her amazing eyesight. "The mountains are under me, we have been running through them for a while. We aren''t going very high up though. I can smell water to the southeast of us. I am going to head that way. I don''t know how far it is though and it''s not exactly in the direction my brand is pulling towards you guys. Who am I even tracking right now, it can''t be the whole team." No one answers for a moment and it makes me worried even though I can still feel my pull to them, the silence is suffocating. "Osiston is who you are tracking. We were trying to find the fastest way to you without shifting. You both need medical supplies and can''t risk not having everything with us. William just got us an overview of the area. We think you are in the middle of the Baxter State Park Mountains. Try to find a cave to hold up in near the water." Chapter 0380 I nod and then realize they can''t see me. "Okay, can you keep talking, please." I can''t hide the desperation in my voice. I need this to be real, even if I have lost my mind, it can be real in my head for as long as possible. It''s the only thing that keeps me moving forward. They each take turns telling me stories, some are stupid andpletely made up and others are just what happened at the trainingpound recently. I tell them about what I see and when Ie across a human''s scent. It lets me know when I am getting too close to a hiking trail or campground. And as much as I would love to see real people, it''s thest thing I need when I am in my wolf form and have a half unconscious person riding on my back. I finally get to arge body of water that has cut a deep ravine through this section of mountain. I stop and sit letting Jena slide off with a thud. "Ow! Rude. A little warning next time." I focus on shifting back, then look at her. She is still really pale.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org. "How are you? I ask tentatively, moving towards the water to get a drink. I cup my hands intending to take a small sip, but once the cool liquid passes my lips a frenzy takes over and I keep scooping up handfuls until my stomach hurts. When I look back, Jena still hasn''t moved. She is just staring out at the water. "You need to drink, it will make you feel better to have clean water for the first time in probably a year." She still doesn''t move. I walk over to her and ce a hand gently on her shoulder and she startles looking at me like she''s never seen me before. I don''t say a word, words won''t help her right now. Her mind has just started processing that she is out and probably the safest she has been in a very long time. The shock is starting to set in. I reach my hand down to her and smile and just wait for her to decide to take it. I won''t make any decisions for her. She has to choose to heal and get better, which means she has to choose to trust me out here, like I trusted her in our prison. She slowly lifts her hand to mine and lets me pull her up, we walk hand in hand like that to the edge of the water and kneel together. I take my hands and scoop some water and take a small drink, then she mimics me like a pup trying to do it for the first time. She does the same thing I did at first and just keeps taking in the delicious liquid like a child eating ice cream for the first time. She sits back and lets the cool waterp at her feet. I do the same. It is nothing a human would be fit to swim in but the temperature feels great to us. I start to wash at my dirt caked feet and then the exposed portions of my arms and finally my face. Jena does the same. The clean cool water is invigorating in more than one way. I just need to find a cave big enough for the two of us, up high enough that most humans won''te near it, and be able to start a fire to keep usfortable as the night inevitably cools down. It took us a little bit of time to find something suitable, but this seemed to be something that Jena was able to help me with. So she is at least trying and not lost in her head over the memories of thest year. We get a little fire going just outside the entrance and I let the team know what to look for and to approach with caution if theye in the night. I don''t know how Jena is going to react to strangers rushing at us, even if they are here to help. Chapter 0381 "Have you talked to your wolf? How is she?" I ask as we warm ourselves by the fire. "I haven''t talked to her yet. She''s there, I can feel her, but she''s still locked away somewhere. How did yourse back so quickly?" It didn''t even cross my mind that it was a fast return for my wolf and the only thing she suggested was that Jena had more time with the poisons and other sedatives in her system than I did. Which I told Jena, but I have a feeling that it has something to do with my weird abilities. The same way my body encapsted the silver in my scars. I don''t mention that part though, because I can''t exin it. Through the night, Jena tries to sleep and I think she gets small pockets of real sleep right before she is torn from her dreams, or based on the screaming, her nightmares. But she always manages to scream for me and reach out for me, which means in her subconscious she trusts me even though we haven''t been around each other for that long. I take a smallfort in that, but I can''t bring myself to sleep. She needs me and I won''t feel safe until I see my team here, then I can rest. The darkness settles around our cave and the cool night air chills me to the bone. Jena is curled up next to me sharing body heat. I managed to get a small fire going, but the area is still so wet, it was hard to find things that would burn properly without causing a ton of smoke first. The noises of the spring night are loud and boisterous. Everything sounds alive and happying out for the summer weather that should be visiting us soon. This is a sound that I will forever associate with freedom. I take a deep breath in, filling my lungs with the fresh scent of the growing forest around me, the water streaming below and a calmness washes over me. We are safe. Silence. That''s all I hear in a split second between breaths. All the buzzing, chirping, rustling just stops. There''s a predator near. The hair on the back of my neck and arms rise, my wolf on full alert. To my left, I hear a footstep press into the soft earth. It''sing from the path we walked up here. Someone is following our scent, but they are downwind so I can''t tell if it''s my team or one of Mike''s minions. I move into a crouched position just in front of Jena, ready to strike my would-be attacker. Another step, I work to control my breathing and my heart rate. I can''t let whoever it is hear the fluctuation, that will give me away. Another step, they are right outside the entrance about three feet from me. The final step, I lunge out and grab the person by the hair and twist them to their knees facing away from me, my ws extended into his throat. "What. Do. You. Want?" I snarl. "Midge, it''s me. Rx." His hands fly up in a sign of surrender and I take a deep breath in, smelling... "Wyatt! What the hell? Why would you sneak up here like that? You know what we just went through. You''re lucky I didn''t kill first and ask questionster!" "And that, my friend, is why you went first." Lillian steps around the cave''s edge. "Oh Goddess! It is so good to see you guys!" I drop Wyatt with a grunt and run to her wrapping her in a hug.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "Love you too, Midge." I look over to see Wyatt nursing the deep red scratches at his neck. He really was lucky I didn''t press harder. Chapter 0382 The rest of the team sidled into the cave with us. I had to wake Jena up, even with all of themotion of my reunion with my friends. She was very lethargic and weak even after sleeping across my back for most of the day. She cowered behind me as I suspected she would. So Osiston and Alpha Reggie had to talk to her over my shoulder as she clung to my back. They asked some basic questions, seeing how tired and roughed up she was.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Osiston brought Doc Sylvia right to her when she started to wobble and her legs gave out right behind me. Without my training I never would have caught her. Sylvia kicked everyone but me out. They left food and water behind for us and Osiston stood watch outside the door while the rest ran a patrol around our camp. Alpha Reggie hauled the medical supplies that Sylvia continued to ask for as she examined Jena. "Wh..what are you doing to me?" Jena''s voice wobbled and for the first time ever I heard Doc Sylvia use a slow calm tone with her. Not her usual bubbly ''research is so exciting'' voice. "I am going to do a superficial check on you here, just to make sure that it is safe to keep moving you. You were with those monsters so long and they kept you pretty sedated, you never know what else they might have put in you. I''ve seen trackers in so many forms and since you aren''t marked or a part of their pack they, most likely, would want a way to keep track of you if you escaped." Jena whimpers. I didn''t even think of that. And I didn''t miss the flinch when Sylvia said ''put in you.'' That is something we are going to have to tell her, but not here with so many ears. Osiston and Alpha Reggie need to know, but not everyone else, she should be able to choose who she tells that story to. For almost an hour Doc Sylvia looks at every single millimeter of Jena''s skin, in her mouth, ears and nose, cleans andbs through her hair. Then she yelps. "Got it! I knew those f*ckers weren''t smarter than me!" Then she ps a hand over her mouth, eyes wide in shock. "I am so sorry, I don''t know where that came from." We bothugh at her, and it''s not the maniacalugh we shared...whenever that was, but a realugh at how horrified she is at her outburst. "What did you find?" I ask through myughter. "There is a microchip of some kind in the back of her neck." "What?!" Jena jumps up swatting at her neck. "They can track me here? Come back for me? I can''t go back to that hellhole, it will be so much worse and you know he won''t kill me, but he will take it just far enough that I will want to die. Skr I can''t, he can''t, It''s. No. Just no." She''s not even making sense now. Pacing in a small circle in front of me. Doc Sylvia just looks at me, not knowing what she''s talking about, but I do and I''m sure I have one of those trackers too. "Jena. Jena, stop! Now! We won''t let anything happen to you, you are safe. We will figure this out. Sit. I''m sure I have one too, there''s no way he doesn''t have us both tracked, that''s probably why no one followed us after we killed a few of their people. Mike wasn''t willing to sacrifice his spell when he could track us at his leisure." I look over to Doc Sylvia with my theory. It had crossed my mind that we got away easily, especially after all of the drugs and sedatives and we didn''t kill as many people as I hoped we would on the way out. "You''re probably right,e here Sky. Let me check now that I know what I am looking for. Then we can see if there is a way to shut it off or dismantle it and possibly even use it to reverse track them." She holds Jena''s hand, trying to sooth the newfound panic. Chapter 0383 I move closer, facing Jena with my back to Doc Sylvia. It takes no time to find mine. It''s right at the base of my skull, just inside the hairline. So unless you''re someone who ys with your hair a lot you would never notice the tiny scar and bump under the skin. I mean for me, it could be mistaken as part of the scarring that Kaley gave me. "Is there a way to remove it here, without bringing it back to the trainingpound or the castle? I don''t want to lead his army there before we''ve been able toe up with a n." I ask, feeling the little knot. Now that I know it''s there, I can''t stop touching it wondering if it''s just a tracker. Could it be a listening device or mind control or worse? Mike is smart, but is he that smart? Does he have those kind of people around him, helping him?Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "Possibly, these are not ideal conditions, but I agree we shouldn''t move from here until we remove them. Sky I know you better and I know how you heal. Let''s do yours first since I am more familiar with your anatomy and vitals." I also caught what she didn''t say. Let Jena see that we aren''t going to hurt her, that we are truly here to help. She has Alpha Reggie and Osiston help her set up a makeshift operation room while Jena and I sit near the fire. She is crying again, leaning into my shoulder. I just hold her tight to my side. She is so brave and has suffered so much. We aren''t that different and I hope that is something that she will see and learn to trust me and the team fully. "When will this ever stop? I just want to live my life free. I don''t even care if I have to go to another pack as an omega cleaning toilets. Anything would be better than this right now." "We''ll figure this out and as for where you''ll go you could probably join Mina and I at warrior training or you could join Alpha Reggie''s pack or even my pack. You''re not alone anymore okay?" She just nods into my shoulder, staring into the fire. "Alright Sky, let''s see what we can do about that unwanted addition." Doc Sylvia says behind me. "Come on." I stand and reach my hand down to Jena and she just looks confused. "I know this sounds crazy but I want you to see that Doc Sylvia is safe, all of these people are. They are my team, my make- shift family. They aren''t going to hurt you or I, but I think you need to see for yourself." She tentatively takes my hand. "I don''t know if I want to watch this. I''ve seen enough and felt enough torture for my whole life." She shutters. "That''s what I mean, this isn''t torture, it''s helpful. It''s necessary for us to be free from Mike and all of those bastards." She looks worried, but follows anyway holding tight to my hand. Doc Sylvia stacked several supply bins end to end to make a rough table andyered several nkets so I couldy, not quite,fortably. "Let''s have you on your side Sky that way we can monitor your breathing too. I am going to numb the area, but I want you awake for this so you can talk to me while I''m taking the device out. I don''t know how it''s in here or if it''s attached to anything, but based on the size, I''m hypothesizing that it is just a capsule with a tracker giving off a signal. THat is going to be out best case scenario." "What are you going to do when it''s out of us?" Jena asks softly. "That''s the fun part," Doc Sylvia is slowly getting to her giddy scientist mode. "If it''s just a tracker, then one of our tech guys is going to take the signals and send these idiots on a wild goose chase." She giggles, like a little girl peel ofughter. Chapter 0384 Iugh too at the thought of Mike running all over the ce to find us. "What if there is more to it than that?" "Then we work one problem at a time with our team. Alpha King Reggie has some of the best tech people around and now that we know that magic is being used and an idea of how it works, thanks to you two we can move forward with stopping this guy and freeing as many people as we can. I know some people chose to join whatever his group is but I have to believe that many of them are like you and not involved by choice." I think of Robbie and Tyler, forced to serve and forced to stay because of their connection to the spell. Both believing that they have to die to be free. I hope they both survive this, well Robbie. "Alright, let''s get this stupid thing out of me, I want to go home." I grumble starting to get ufortable on the makeshift table. Doc Sylvia talks me through what she''s doing and asks questions as she goes. I''m not sure if she is just being extra cautious or if she is going this slow for some other research type study reason, but it feels like I amying there for hours. It does make me feel good, when Jena starts to ask questions as they go. She has a real curiosity for how all of this works and she sounds super smart, asking questions I never would have thought of. I have to remind myself that this scared girl is the daughter of an Alpha, she has it in her to lead and protect. She was probably a force before she was captured, like Sierra and Mina. I can''t wait to see if that side of heres back out. "Alright, it''s out. And there doesn''t seem to be any ominous connections or wires, just a simple transmitter. With how small it is though, I''m not sure of the range. Whoever is tracking you might be closer than we think. Let''s get Jena''s out and let William start on this guy." I hear a small click like ss tapping ss and then I see Osiston walk away from me with something in his massive hand. I can''t move yet, Doc Sylvia is still tugging lightly on the back of my head. I assume she''s closing the wound up. The numbing stuff worked though, I only felt pressure, no pain at all. Then she pats me on the shoulder and helps me to sit up. I turn and smile at Jena. "Your turn. I want to see what this thing looks like." Yep, Doc Sylvia is wearing off on me. I am far too excited to see what''s inside our heads. She sits and takes a deep breath beforeying down, like she''s stealing herself to do this.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "There is going to be a small prick from the needle that has the numbing solution. I''ll do about five points to make sure there is no pain around the whole area, okay?" Jena just whimpers in agreement and Doc Sylvia looks at me with pity and sympathy in her eyes. I look at her, but don''t return the sentiment. I don''t pity Jena, she wouldn''t want it any more than I would. I do feel awful for what happened to her, but I won''t be one of the people that will treat her like cracked ss either. She will get enough of that when we get back to thepound. Nicks said we have to do Psych evaluations and other tests and debriefings when we get back from missions. I can only assume they will do the same for Jena considering how long she was a captive. Chapter 0385 Doc Sylvia tears open a small white packet that has several medical instruments in it. She set the items down on a metal tray propped on two more stacked storage bins. She already has her gloves in Jena''s hair, pulling the majority of it up into a clip. The small section that remains surrounds the spot where I assume the tracker is. She pulls individual hairs out of the way to make the spot as avable as possible. Watching her work this meticulously is fascinating. I can imagine her dissecting small nts and animals to gather cells for testing. She is sozer focused on what she is doing, I bet an explosion could go off outside and she wouldn''t hear it. Once the hair has been expertly ced, she picks up a small knife, maybe a scalpel, but I don''t know medical equipment very well. She pokes the sharp tip a couple of times, like she is feeling around for the best ce to cut and I can see the little node under the skin move with each prod. Then she glides the de gently across Jena''s skin for about two inches. It doesn''t even look like she put pressure on it until i started to bleed. With quick and precise movements, Doc Sylvia contains the blood flow with one hand, switches the knife for tweezers and starts to work under the cut, angling towards the top of Jena''s head to find the little device. She does some quick tiny brushing movements and a metallic tube about a half inch long slips out onto the gauze that she''s holding to catch the dripping blood. "It''s so weird to think that little thing could cause us so many problems." I didn''t mean to say it out loud, but tech like that impresses me. I don''t know the first thing about the tech side of things, but it''s still impressive. "You''re right, and like I said, it''s not very big so I don''t think the signal is that strong, but let''s let William and his crew figure that part out." She drops the metal pill into a ss container on the workstation and moves to close up Jena''s wound. Once Jena is cleaned and stitched up. Doc Sylvia puts a lid on the container with her tracker then moves to clean up her work station. Her movements are methodical and kind of hypnotizing. I did notice that not everything went into a trash bag though. Anything that had blood on it was bagged andbeled. I wonder if she is going to use it to test something. What am I thinking, of course she is. Before we move back over to the fire I quickly look from Jena to the doc a couple times trying to make the best choice for everyone, even if it makes Jena angry with me for a bit. "Doc." I start, taking a deep breath, Jena deserves this. "Hmm?" She hums over her shoulder while writing something on a clipboard. "I don''t know if this is something to handle here, but I think you need to know and I''m not sure how time sensitive any of this is but..." I look at Jena and nod, while she is shaking her head ''no.'' "Jena was r*ped repeatedly by Mike." I stop to take another breath and Jena sags against me, crying into my shoulder, but she doesn''t argue to stop me. "She says she has an IUD in, but I just want you to make sure she is okay. Completely okay. And I didn''t want to say anything in front of the rest of the team, but you need to know so we can take care of her." "Oh Goddess help me!" She exims resting her hand on her heart. "Yes, of course I will help and you''re right, I can only do so much here, but that is something we need to handle first thing when we get back Do you have any pain right now, sweetheart?" "No." A muffled cry falls out of Jena and my heart breaks for her all over again. "When was the most recent...urrence." I can see she is choosing her words wisely and we caught her off guard. "That''s the hard part, we were in a room with no windows or any way to tell day or time. But, maybe yesterday. I think the n was toe around the time we broke out. One of the guards was running his mouth." I roll my eyes.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "I will have to ask you some hard questions and Skr can stay with you if you want, but we will wait until we are back at the castle and have the privacy of a room. Sky, what about you? Did they touch you too?" I can see the concern in her eyes and the tension in her muscles. She sounds calmer than she is and it''s taking a lot of effort for her to keep it in for Jena''s sake. Chapter 0386 "No! No, I mean I got my standard beating treatment, he likes the brutality, but he seemed to like the audience, so I had to watch." I shudder with Jena in my arms and Doc Sylvia just nods. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Let''s get you both back by the fire, get some food in you and clean, warm clothes." She walks out with the container and mutters something angry under her breath. Lillianes back in with a cooler full of food and drinks followed by Wyatt who has a duffle bag that must have clothes for us. He doesn''t stay, but gives me a small smile before heading back out again. I have never loved the sight of sandwiches and chips as much as right now. She also brought water and gatorade for both of us. I opened one of the sugary, salty electrolyte drinks and almost gagged at the amount of vor in it. I had to mix it with water to get it down, but my body needed it. She also brought several sleeping bag rolls and Jena and I both curled into the soft warmth. It has been a while since if felt something so soft andfortable. We both tried to get back to sleep. But, that seemed to be asking too much from our frazzled brains. Iyed on my side staring into the fire. Jena''s head was next to mine and I can''t tell if she is sleeping or just letting her bodye down from the high of our escape like me. I want to sleep, I can feel the fatigue rack every muscle in my body, but every time I close my eyes I just see the dark dank musty cell we were kept in. The sounds of the whips and paddles used on us. Our dirty and stained clothes being ripped everytime one of the guards reached out to restrain us for our daily beating. Every time my dream would move to focus on Mike, like a camera in a movie, forcing me to focus on something I never want to see again. He was always in profile or looking away from me, but the moment he turned his head his eyes were zing red and his mouth was turned into a wicked menacing grin, that''s when my body would jolt awake and I sat up looking for the predator himself, sure he was back to torture us more. Jena was no better, she whimpers and cries in her sleep. Not saying actual words, but I could imagine what is running through her mind. She doesn''te out of the terror on her own, when she starts to il getting dangerously close to the fire and finally calls my name, I grab her and haul her to me, cooing that she is safe. I sit and rock her until her body is calm again and theny her back down next to me. By the third or fourth time of this, warriors stopped running into the room at the sounds of her cries or my gasps. Lillian decides to post herself at the cave entrance to keep an eye on us. I can hear murmuring voices just beyond the cave entrance. Maybe status reports or her rying our restless states, who knows. I''m still too fried mentally to even think straight. I have noticed that my body ising out of the fight or flight mode though and the exhaustion almost hurts. I wonder if part of that is my body finishing the detox of whatever sh*t Mike''s guys gave us. The next time I woke though, there was a distinct difference. I could smell Jena next to me and feel the weight of her head on my shoulder, but we were bumping around and I could feel the thrum of vibrations under my butt. My brain woke up quickly, my eyes however did not get the memo. It was almost as if they were glued shut. I quickly went into defense mode. I started to name off things that were real without the help of sight. I could feel Jena leaning on me and smell her. What else could I smell? I can smell Wyatt and Lillian. A little fainter I can smell Osiston, stale fried food and gas. I try to still my heart, we must be in a car moving, but why can''t I open my eyes.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "Where are we going?" I ask Osiston "Home, Little One. Just rest. We have you." Is all he said, then I fell back to sleep. Chapter 0387 Warmth. Softness. Safety. That''s what I feel right now. I recognize the smells here, even before my brain and body fully wake-up. I''m home, I can feel it in every fiber of my being. A smile creeps across my face as I start to blink my eyes open and take in my surroundings. "SKYLAR!" A scream from somewhere in the room brings me out of my safe bubble and I am plunged back into that dark dank cell. Was I dreaming? Is my mind starting to y tricks on me to make me feel safe? "SKYLAR! HELP! HELP ME!" I shot up from where I wasying, looking to my left for Jena. But she''s not there, a door is there. No, Jena is chained up to my left. What the f*ck is going on?This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . SKYLAR! PLEASE, HELP ME!" I shake my head, I''ll figure it outter, Jena needs me first. I swivel my head to the right and see her thrashing in a bed a couple feet from me. A bed. We never had beds. The whiteforter is on the floor and she is tangled in the sheets to the point of strangtion. I shut my analyzing brain down and ran to her. I grab her by the shoulders so she doesn''t hit me in her quest to get free of her nightmare. ¡°Jena, Jena, I''m here. Jena you''re safe, open your eyes." More thrashing and whimpering. "JENA, WAKE UP, NOW!" I shout at her. She finally opens her eyes and recoils from me a bit. I keep my hands up in surrender until she is able to focus on me. Just then the door bursts open and Doc Sylvia, Osiston and Lillian are there. Jena jumps back more, receding into the spot where her headboard meets with the wall and she makes herself as small as possible. "Jena, look at me. Just me, Jena, look." Finally her eyes turn towards me, wide and unfocused. She''s awake, kind of, but still locked in her dream. "We. Are. Safe. Do you hear me? We are safe, you''re here with me." I reach my hand out to take hers, but she just recoils more into her corner. "What can I do? This is getting worse the longer we are out of that prison." I don''t look behind me, but the question is aimed at the people standing, waiting behind me. "Try to get her to tell you what is real. It will help her brain to start to ept that she is free. I don''t even know if she can hear me right now." Doc Sylvia says from the door. "Five things that she can see. Four things she can feel. Three things she can hear. Two things she can smell. And One thing she can taste. It''s a grounding technique for panic attacks." I just nod, never taking my focus off of Jena. "Hey, Jena." My voice is soft, but not cating, she has always hated that. "Look at me, we are going to get through this, but you have to let us help you. Nod if you hear me." I scoot a little closer, close enough so I can touch her hand. She finally focuses on my face, I know she is trying and present at least. "Tell me five things you can see." "Her eyes darted around the room, almost like a trapped bunny. "I see you, right in front of me." "Good, what else?" "I see the sheets wrapped around my legs. I see the people at the door with Doc Sylvia, I don''t remember names though." She gives me a weak smile. "Good, two more." "I see another bed, your''s maybe and a desk in the corner." I nod. "Good, tell me four things you can feel." "I feel your hand." She smiles for real this time, it''s small, but real. "I feel the soft bed and pillows. I feel the warm airing from the vent." "Alright, three things you can hear." She''s starting to look more alive. There is color to her cheeks and her eyes are open and curious, not frightened. "I hear breathing; voices outside the room. Where are we? I hear lots of voices and silverware clinking." I don''t get distracted by her question. There will be plenty of time to show her around thepound. For now I need her to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is real. "Two things you can smell She closes her eyes for a second and then opens them. "I smell myself." She grimaces. "I need a shower, badly." Iugh with her. "We both do, but that hasn''t been on the priority list. What else?" "Bacon! I smell food, real food." Right on cue both of our stomachs rumble and we bothugh as do the people behind me. Jena takes notice for the first time and grasps the sheet, pulling it tight around her. "Hey! Hey, right here." I pull her focus back to me. "What can you taste?" She just sits there looking startled again. "Jena, we are safe, tell me what you can taste right now." I hand her a bottle of water, trying to prompt her to drink and answer my she She was doing so well, but she won''t be able to cower forever. We need to push her to break out of this or she Will never stop being the victim. Chapter 0388 She takes the bottle from me. "What do you taste?" I ask again. She gulps one big mouthful. "I taste clean water. There''s nothing in it but water." SHe looks at the bottle like it''s trying to trick her, then back to me. "We are safe. Now, let''s get clean and downstairs before all of the bacon is gone." She slowly gets up and follows me to the bathroom. I help her get the hot water turned on and tell her I am going to leave the door cracked so Doc Sylvia and I can hear if she needs help. While I wait I cross the room to Lillian and give her another big hug. "Thank you foring for us." I let her go and walk into Osiston''s arms. He wraps me up in his massive embrace. My arms almost don''t reach all the way around him, my fingers barely touching. "We will alwayse for you, not just because you are a warrior, but because you are family, Little One." I hug him a little tighter at that and fight to keep the tears at bay. I can''t cry here, I''m not sad, not really. I just didn''t know how much words like that would mean to me. Jenaes outplete with the ck warrior training uniform I put in there for her and I head in for my turn. I keep it quick, not wanting Jena to be alone with anyone yet. I don''t know how she feels about this ce or my team and friends and I don''t want her to have to go down to the chaos of the cantina alone. I clean as quickly as I can, while still trying to get however many days of grime off of me. I have to remember to ask how long I''ve been gone, I still don''t know. Once I feel like I got as much filth off. I step out and dry off with a fluffy white towel. I never knew I would appreciate such simple things like showers and warm towels, but here I am and it''s glorious. I put on another warrior training outfit and it''s another thing I will never take for granted. I walk out with my blonde hair stringy and wet hanging to just below my shoulders. It''s finally starting to really grow out since Kaley cut it off, man how long ago was that? I really need to get better at keeping track of time. I walk out of the bathroom to Lillian and Doc Sylvia talking to Jena. She looks like she''s trying to keep up, but maybe a little ufortable. "Hey, I''m hungry. Are you ready for this Jena? It''s going to be a lot of people and a little crazy. We can just eat up here until you''refortable."This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "No, I''m okay." She takes a deep breath like she''s getting ready for a battle and stands up. "I''m going to have to do it sooner orter, I can''t hide out forever. Just maybe don''t leave me, okay?" She asks, looking up at me through her eyshes, her face still tilted toward the ground. Like she is ashamed of the question. "I won''t leave you." I smile at her and link our arms as I lead her towards the door with Lillian and Doc Sylvia following. "I have to get back to the hospital for a while and gather things for the both of you. I will be back in about an hour. Sierra has been rattling my head waiting to hear about you." She pokes me in the shoulder and I giggle. "Can you bring her back with you? I don''t know when Osiston will let me get back up to the school." I plead. "I''ll ask, let''s get you both some food, you''ve been out for a little while." "That reminds me. How long was I gone? How long were we out? I don''t have any idea about time right now." "The Alpha King wants to talk to you about your time away, but you both slept for two days after we found you and brought you back here. Just so you both know," She stops us just outside the door in the empty toe 1. Must hallway. "I did a full exam on you both." She pauses to let that sink in. "We didn''t find any permanent damage in either of you, but I did take samples for research. Jena, we also had to remove your IUD. It was damaged and causing some damage to your uterine walls." "What does that mean?" Jena gasps, tears forming in her eyes. "Only time will tell, but we will check on your healing regrly. For now everything appears normal, but I believe you should know what is going on even if it might be a little scary. Hbelieve you have been kept in the dark for too long." She pats Jena on the shoulder. "Even the stuff that''s hard to talk about. Knowing what you face will only make you stronger, and voicing what is going on with you will also help. Come to me for anything, alright?" She sniffles and nods. I wrap my arm around her and start to move forward again. We head down the main stair case and through the white foyer to thergemon room. All conversation just stops. Chapter 0389 "There are a lot of people here." Jena whispers to me. "I didn''t even think about how many warriors there actually are." I reach behind me and give her hand a squeeze. "These are trainees. We are all in various stages of training, but it''s easier for us to be here when we aren''t on a mission. Sometimes people are gone for months or years and it would suck to have to keep track of someone''s separate house and belongings, so living here is the best situation." The shock of our arrival dies pretty fast and we walk in towards the dining area, Lillian in the lead with Jean in between us. We each grab a te and Jena''s face keeps darting around at all the people not really hiding their staring. A few havee up to say hi, but they must have been given orders to leave us alone. Once we have full tes we head over to the table Lillian and I normally share with Nathaniel and Wyatt. They are strangely absent though. "Where is Wyatt? I thought he came back with us. ANd was Nathaniel a part of the rescue team too?" "They are around somewhere, just giving you space. Obviously everyone knows, or thinks they know, what happened to you and that you came back with someone you rescued. No other trainee has done something like that. We were told to leave you alone until you were ready to jump back into regr life. Wyatt was one of the first to see you and I think he took the sight of you pretty hard. You looked rough." I just nod. I understand, I think. "Wyatt, Nathaniel. You guys can join us. We aren''t broken and it would be helpful for Jena to meet people." "You sure Midge, we can give you space as long as you need it." Nathaniel adds. "I don''t need space from my friends, idiot." Iugh at him and then I hear him and Wyattughing behind me. "Now sit down and eat with us and I can introduce you to Jena." They join us and the conversation is not as forced as I thought it would be, but Jena is mostly listening to us talk, just takin in her surroundings. Lillian, Wyatt and Nathaniel try to engage her at first but then just let her be when they realize it''s making her more ufortable to be in the hot seat.This is from N?velDrama.Org. I let them know all about my adventures at UMaine, the sses I took and the people I met. I also gave them a very abridged version of what happened when I was captured. I still haven''t talked to Osiston and Alpha Reggie yet, so I don''t know what I am allowed to say and what I need to keep quiet. I also don''t want to draw more attention to Jena, who''s time was longer and far more painful than mine. The bell sounds for training to start not long after we sat down. I get up and Jena follows, not really sure where we are supposed to be, but I don''t think they want us training until they have talked to us about the mission. As if I conjured her, Mina walks up behind me and wraps me in a hug from the back. "I have missed you. It''s good to see you up and around. Warrior Brogen and Alpha King Reggie want to see you both in the war room. Come on." I wave my friends off, promising to eat lunch with them if we are out in time, then Jena and I turn to follow Mina. We head to the nning room that started this whole journey. It feels weird to be full circle now. "Hellodies, Mina, please stay, this includes you." Alpha Reggies begins. "I''m d to see you both up and around. Doc Sylvia has given us a full report and you both seem to be healing nicely. We will have you on light training for the rest of the week. Skr, don''t look at me like that your training was interrupted and you were in a cell for a month, we have no idea what your body is prepared to do so we would like to evaluate you, just to make sure there isn''t some underlying damage that we missed. Jena, we would like to evaluate you as well. As the daughter of an Alpha, I assume your battle training was extensive." She nods at him while he pauses. ¡°Skr said one of your captors mentioned you being there for a year or more?¡± She nods again. "Time was hard to keep track of, so I really couldn''t tell you how long they had me. Can I ask a favor though?" Alpha Reggie nods. "I would like the chance to search for members of my pack. The attack on my pack was brutal and I don''t even know if there were survivors or if others were captured, but I would like to search and give them a ce to call home if there is anyone out there, living like a rogue." She looks down at her hands and takes a deep breath. Chapter 0390 "We will help you search, but we need to make sure that you are up to the task both physically and mentally." Osiston answers. She nods again. "What does that mean exactly?" "Well you were both held captive for an extensive amount of time so you will both be evaluated by our psychologists and have regr meetings with them and we will do a full physical evaluation on both of you. We want you to get back to training as quickly as possible. Many times that is what is needed after an experience like the one you both had. It gives you something to focus on each day instead of living in the memories of that event." Alpha Reggie gives up both a knowing stare, like he speaks from experience. "As far as school goes, Jena I don''t know where you were in your studies, but you are more than wee to join a program that interests you, we can go over that when Doc Sylvia and her team is done with you. And Skr, you just keep me on my toes at all costs. You have a full semester of college sses under your belt. I feel like high school might be on the boring side now. What would you say to training with warrior Brogen and myself?" "What does that mean exactly?" I ask, confused. They don''t teach sses so I have no idea what it is that they would be teaching me, but the idea of not going back to high school intrigues me more than it should. "Since you don''t seem to follow a logicalid out n for your education and training, we have decided to adapt your warrior training." Well that''s not cryptic. But if Alpha Reggies sees the look of confusion on my face he ignores it and looks at Jena. "What do you say my dear? Are you ready to join our Elite Warriors and begin your journey to rebuild your pack?" She gives him the first genuine smile I have ever seen and it lights up her whole face. It even erases some of the shadows that were there. He''s right, it''s going to help her heal to have a mission that could possibly see some of her pack members saved.This is from N?velDrama.Org. "Yes, sir." Her answer is quiet, but I can feel the excitement radiating off of her. "I will be in contact with your territory''s king to see if any of your pack fled to him for safety. We will work our way from there." "We have your first Psych appointment right after lunch, but I want to get you both outside and see what I have to work with." Osiston stands, I guess ending the meeting. We both stand and follow him out the door. I''m excited to get back to my normal. Who knew that going on a mission would mess up my schedule entirely? Being undercover doesn''t allow for much in the way o our type of training, and I already know that this is going to suck. I was lucky to get a short run in every morning and some weight training in every day, but my sparring and battle training were done whenever we found a moment. I am both excited and afraid to see how out of shape I am and of course Osiston is going to make sure I feel it. My wolf however is purring at the thought of being let out again and not just to save my ass, which makes meugh. We make it out back and along the edge of the warm-up area. All of the rest of the warriors are gone so they are either on the obstacle course or the long run already. Osiston leads us to the open area between the warm-up area and the obstacle course area, it''s really just a pass through for us to get from one training area to another, I never really thought about it before. It''s open and you can see well worn paths in the grass where people head off in one direction or another. "Alright, Jena, I would like you to watch first then we will see where your fight training is at. This is just a spar for reflexes and movement quality. I''m not trying to hurt or submit you and I would appreciate it if you did the same. Skr, there really is no need to give you instructions, you never follow them anyway." He chuckles at me and then lunges. Chapter 0391 Osiston and I spar for what feels like a long time. I am dodging and rolling just trying to avoid being grabbed by his massive hands or put in any kind of headlock which he seems to be a fan of with me. Every muscle in my body is screaming at the long forgotten movements. Nicks and I would spar in the backyard of our house on the UMaine campus, but we had to keep it ''human-like'' just in case anyone was watching or came around, so it has been a really long time since I have gone full out like this, and I love it. An arm swipes past my face and I fight to refocus on what I am doing right now. Osiston said this is just an easy spar, but that doesn''t mean either of us have left ourpetitive spirit on the sidelines. I need to know I can still do this and I think he is pushing me to prove that to myself. He is so fast. And huge, very very huge. His arms are probably the length of most of my body and his shoulders are so wide they make him look, and feel like a brick wall. I have to remember his weaknesses. Well, singr weakness, me. He won''t hurt me so he will pull punches to spare me, especially right now when he thinks I''m out of shape and not up to my usual standard. I duck another swipe to my head and punch right at his thigh. The force sending a jolt up my arm, but also having the same effect of making his muscle cramp up and dropping him to one knee. The doesn''t stop him from swiping my legs out from under me as he goes down though and I hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of my lungs, I roll to the side before he can hit me or grab me though. I jump up and feel the stretch around my ribs and the burn in my thighs, ready to continue our fight. "You are doing well, Little One. A little winded, but not as bad as I would have thought with how long you were confined. Now, Jena, what kind of training have you had as an Alpha''s daughter? I know you were contained and sedated for a significant period of time, but if we get you the proper nutrition and start to work your body, your wolf and muscle memory should be able to catch you up quickly." "I still haven''t heard my wolf. I thought I would have by now." She sounds on the verge of tears, but is doing everything to have this conversation rationally. "We have been away for days and Doc Sylvia has taken my blood and checked everything, but I still can''t hear her. What happened? Will shee back?" "That isn''t a question I can answer. I can tell you that she is in there though. I can feel her. Maybe she just needs more time to heal. We don''t know what she was doing to protect you while you were captured and being abused. She will return when she is ready." He pats her gently on the shoulder. "For now we will use her absence to our advantage." "Huh? How is her being gone an advantage?" "Because you will have to work harder to protect yourself, making your human side stronger without her, will only benefit you, if your wolf is ever unable to help you again. There is no shortage of spineless pansies that will try and use wolfsbane on a wolf they deem stronger, if you can fight well without your wolf that renders the wolfsbane or any other poison useless and you will be able to better defend yourself and anyone you are trying to protect." He''s appealing to her Alpha nature to protect and I think it''s working based on the way she straightens her back. He knows what this capture has done to her and probably has a good idea where her self doubts and fears lie. He''s going to push her and he''s not going to wait for her to ''feel better'' to do it. He''s going to build her confidence starting today.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. He gestures for her to step in front of him. "Skr, I want you to watch and analyze like you would with any warrior. Take mental notes of what we can work on and where we need to start first." I nod and they begin. Jena is more agile than I would have expected and she does seem to have a good knowledge of fighting, but being locked up for a year and barely fed on top of the abuse she took, will weaken any amount of muscle. Osiston is using basic moves that we use on our elementary pups, gauging her reaction time and defensive instincts. I forgot how much I enjoyed teaching and training. Analyzing someone''s movement to make them stronger or faster. Jena''s movement is shaky, but not hesitant, she knows what she is doing even if her body doesn''t really want to do it right now. With time she will be fierce. I can already see it. He makes her work with no break for thirty minutes, pushing her to her absolute max. When he finally calls for a stop, she is breathing heavily and sweating from every possible ce on her body, but the smile that is lighting up her features can''t be faked. She loves this as much as I do. "Go and get food, eat well, but both of you take your time. We need to build your bodies up to take in nutrients again. We can''t afford for you to get sick because you gorged. We will train again after and then I want to talk about options for both of you." Chapter 0392 "Well that sounds ominous." I say to my wolf and she just purs a little in my chest. "I''m just d we''re back. We need to figure out what they used on you that kept us apart for so long. We normally can work off anything, even silver after a few hours. I want to know what Mike and his witches were doing that actually affected us." "I didn''t even think of that, you''re right. I forget that all the things Kaley did to me didn''t everst that long, but we were gone a month and I could feel the wolfsbane and bedonna and whatever else they gave me working." "What''s your wolf thinking?" Jena asks, suddenly pulling me from my conversation. "Oh, umm, she was asking about the stuff that Mike''s people gave us. I don''t usually have that big of a reaction. My body kind of just gets rid of stuff like wolfsbane with minor effects, but whatever Mike gave us, was enough to mess me up and separate me from my wolf the whole time we were there." "Really? How did you learn to not be affected?" "I didn''t learn, just born like that and unfortunately I have had some experiences that let me find out the hard way what my body and my wolf can do." I say vaguely. I know at some point I will have to exin to her that she isn''t alone when ites to sh*tty experiences, she just happens to have the worst between the two of us. "Well, that sounds like a story that needs drinks to get through." "Yep." I say popping the ''P.'' "Now let''s eat before everyone else gets back, lunch is worse than breakfast and I have a feeling people left us alone on orders, but I don''t know how long that willst. Warriors are worse than a group of middle school girls when ites to gossip. And I just got back from a mission I should have been too young to go on and came back with a hot alpha female.¡±This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . She giggles. "Well I''m d you were on it, because no one else would have been able to get me out of the hellhole. I wonder how long I''m going to have nightmares about it?" "No idea, but I can''t even imagine what yours are, mine are bad enough." I say as we get back into the cantina. Some warriors are already in line waiting for the kitchen staff to set everything out. A few look at us, but they are older warriors so they don''t gawk and stare. I''m sure used to peopleing and going at this point. Just as I am about to move forward I am tackled in a hug from behind. "Omff! What the hell?" "Oh my Goddess! I am so d to see you!" Mina''s smell wafts around me before I even recognize her voice. "Hey!" I turn around to return the hug. "I''m d you''re here. I wasn''t sure what they had everyone doing after we got back. I''ve seen Wyatt, Lillian and Nathaniel but just real quick at breakfast. Where have you been?" "I''ve been over at the castle. Since you have been gone, I guess the little vipers have to get to een trying even harder to get to Xander and Luna Queen Anne had me there yesterday and today for some small meetings as Xander''s plus one. You must have made an impression at the Alpha conference, because all the Luna''s and all the daughters were there and some of them were actually paying attention and talking about relevant things." Sheughs and I join in. "The Luna''s just realized that they do actually have a voice and are a part of the leadership of the pack. I didn''t do anything, but stand with Luna Anne and answer a couple questions." "First of all, that is NOT what you did. fet You put an Alpha in his ce and it was ssic. People were still talking about it and that was like ten months ago. Several of the Lunas asked to meet you too and you shouldhave seen the look on Alpha King Reggie''s face when he told them you were on a mission and unavable. You would have thought he was a proud dad talking about his daughter''s aplishments. Even Xander made fun of him liking you better." I just roll my eyes. "You''re ridiculous. Anyway, Mina, this is Jena. She was my cell mate and managed to make it out with me. She''s the Female Alpha of the ck Diamond Pack." "I wouldn''t go that far. I don''t even know if I have a pack left to be an Alpha for." "You know we''ll search right? That''s part of the reason why you''re here and not somewhere else looking for them. We want to help and we have the best resources here." "I''m sure you really don''t want to talk about your pack being attacked, but was anyone else captured with you?" Mina asks as we fill out tes and head to our usual table. "I don''t know. Everything happened really fast." Chapter 0393 "I''m sure Alpha Reggie will ask you too, so if you want to wait and not have to tell the story twice, we understand." I shared a quick look with Mina. "You know she''s more likely to tell you than anyone else. We need to push her to talk or we can''t help. And the sooner the better, it''s already been a year." "Ugh, I know." I link back, while leading us over to our usual table again, hoping the rest of my friends make it in before we are done. "I just feel bad and she has been through a lot. No one wants to relive stuff like that." "Except, she''s going to have to if we want to help her search for survivors." We sit down and dig in. I try really hard to listen to Osiston''s advice and eat slow, but the food is so much better than I remember. "You are going to throw up, you know that? Slow down."This is from N?velDrama.Org. "Osiston said something like that before we came in, but I am so hungry and the food is so amazing!" I close my eyes practically drooling. "Well, Warrior Brogen is right, stop gorging, otherwise you''re going to have to taste it twice and I can guarantee the second time will not be as good as the first." We allugh. "Why do you call him by his title and Sky calls him by his first name? I noticed that with the Alpha King too." I shrug, not really thinking about it in a long time. The guys and Xander made fun of me once for it too. "I just call them what they told me to call them. It''s going to be weird adding the title back onto Nicks'' name here though, he''s been my ''uncle," I air quote, "for so long that I''m worried I''m going to forget and get some kind of punishment." I cringe and theyugh at me. We eat and talk, eventually joined by the rest of my friends and they all ask the same questions of Jena. I think they are all looking forward helping her find her pack. In some way they all experienced this with her, like me, and we all feel O responsible for helping her. This is why the warriors are here to help and protect in a major crisis. Jena and I get to join the group for the obstacle course after our run with Osiston. The run has been by far the worst part. Why did I ever run so much before?! "Because it kept you from beating Kaley and her friends every time they did something to you." My woff snarks. You aren''t looking over your shoulder all the time or angry and scared here. There isn''t any O frustration to burn." "Well what is going to motivate me now?" "The fact that you know the guys are training to be better than you as wee speak and neither of us can have that, no can we?" "You make a solid point. Motivation reinstated." "What are you smiling at? There is no way you enjoyed that run and now we have to go do more training. You and your warriors are crazy." Jena puffs next to me. "Enjoyed it? No, not a chance, but my wolf reminded me why I train so hard." "Why is that?" "My brother and some of my friends from back home are extrapetitive and when I get back, I can''t be weaker than when I left them. I left with some standards to achieve and I have no idea what they have been up to for thest year. have to assume they have gotten better while I have been under guard and we can''t have them bing better than us." I give her a wicked smile. ¡°Are you sure it''s them who''spetitive?" She giggles at me as we pass through the bushes to the obstacle course. "Oh sh*t! This is awesome. We never had anything like this back home." Chapter 0394 "Wee to training. The instructors sometimes have us go the whole course, sometimes part of it. We work solo and in teams. There''s a lot to do just here. We also weight train and spar as a group daily." We walk over to the que at the start of the course and Wyatt notices us. "Heydies! You ready for this?" "No!" We both say together and thenugh. Wyatt runs us through the requirements and I pull us to the back of the line so we can watch the other go through. Jena is a good strategist too. We came up with a n to get through the course. It''s an individual run today, but we are being sent every thirty seconds so there are warriors everywhere. It doesn''t seem to be a timed thing, but I could be totally wrong since the trainer is looking at his watch to start us off. It is just like my first time. Everything hurts, I have rips in my hands that are bleeding from the ropes, my lungs and heart feel like they are going to burst out of my chest from exertion. And yet, I feel amazing! I can''t stop the smile that has spread across my face. I am exactly where I am meant to be. I look back at Jena who is following me just to my left nk so she can stay close, but not trip either of us up. She is smiling too. I can''t even imagine what is going through her head right now. We make it through the whole course, finishing by crawling in the dirt and then running across thepletion line. "Good timedies." Thomas, one of the other Elite lead trainers says. "Thank you, Sir." We say in unison. "You are both to report back to the war room after cleaning up. Alpha Reggie and Warrior Brogen want to see you for assignments." My eyebrows scrunch of their own ord. "Assignments? I thought we would be here for a while retraining and psych evals and all of that stuff." "I am not in charge of any of that. I just know that you were summoned and that is all I got by way of orders." He shrugs. "Go get cleaned up and changed and make your way to the war room. You have ten... no eight minutes now. I would run." He winks at us and I turn quickly, grabbing Jena''s hand and taking off. "What the hell?!" "He wasn''t kidding. They don''t dote around here and I don''t want to know what a punishment looks like. So move your skinny ass!" We run up to my room and wipe the dirt off as best as we can, changing into clean ck training gear. An extra set of gear was brought in andid out on the bed that Jena was in. I wonder if she is going to be in here with me now. But what does that mean for Mina? I''ll have to remember to ask when we get downstairs.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . I rip a brush through my hair and pull it back into a ponytail, Jena mimics me and we both run down the main stairs giggling. I don''t know why I am excited, but I feel like something great is going to happen to us. We bust through the doors a little aggressively and both Osiston and Alpha Reggie look up stunned. "Sorry, Sir. We got here as soon as possible." I say looking between both of them. "Warrior Thomas said you needed to see us about assignments." I huff out a little breathily. "Take a seat, I think you will like what we have to offer you." Alpha Reggie says, smiling like he''s up to something. Chapter 0395 "We were able to do some digging and found out a lot about you and your pack and what may have happened after your capture." Alpha Reggie looks at Jena. "And I need you and Mina tonight with Xander and Oscar. ws havee back out since your presence hasn''t been seen for a while and we need to remind a few people that being mated to Xander is not the spectacle it is bing." He swings his gaze to me. "What do you mean you know a lot about me? That doesn''t sound like a good thing. And do I even have a pack anymore?" Jena grabs my hand under the table and squeezes.This is from N?velDrama.Org. "You do have a few pack members that made it down to the states, and I am sure there are more scattered around. I have been in touch with the Alpha King of that territory and he was very familiar with your pack''s story and was d to hear that you did, in fact survive. That is a story for drinks when we are done here though. What we found out about you though is that you are pretty savvy with all thingsputer and I have a job for you while you are here. Are you interested?" "Without any idea what you want me to do? That sounds a bit sketchy and at the same time a lot of fun. What exactly is the job?" "We have many people who are top notch with finding people using security cameras and tech in the slow and legal way. What I think you bring to the table is the more ck hat side of things, if reports are correct." He tilts an eyebrow up at her and to Jena''s credit her face doesn''t change, just looks politely interested in the conversation. "Everything we have done to track the Rogue King thus far has been above board andpletely legal. All paperwork is ounted for and ''i''s'' dotted and ''t''s'' crossed. After what we found in the trackers that were imnted in you both and the way you were both held captive and treated I am done ying by certain rules. If you are anything like my Sky here, you are already nning revenge and retribution for everything that has happened to you and your pack. We would like to help you and help keep your head level in the situation since it is close to home, but we are pulling out the stops and want to give you the tools and ess you need to nail these f*ckers to the wall. What do you think?" "Why didn''t you start with that proposal? Hell, yes! When can I start?" Jena sits up straight in her seat, close to bouncing out and gripping the armrests hard enough to leave permanent finger indentations. "Soon. There are a couple more evaluations we want you to do first, but everything looks good so far." Alpha Reggieughs at her excitement. I would be excited too if I found out that there might be a silver lining to this whole situation. It''s exciting to know that there are some of her pack members out there, meaning some were able to get away and she has a family of sorts to go back to when all of this is over. That thought makes me a little sad all of a sudden. I don''t want her to leave. We haven''t known each other very long, but our time together has done something to bond us and I feel just as close to her as I do Sierra. "Little One, your job is two-fold tonight. Obviously, stick close to Xander and Oscar. The four of you should not be alone, ever, do you hear me? The threat from yourst attack has not been neutralized yet and we still don''t know if it''s connected to your situation at UMaine or not. We have also not been able to flush out your friend''s story about the attack from the Shadow Pack. Keep an ear on all conversations, I want to know anything that might sound suspicious." "Excuse me sir." Jena asks. ¡°Would it be possible for me to mic up Sky and the others and if you have the equipment I can set her up with a micro camera and try to get some background going with facial recognition, that might help whatever search you are trying to do." Both Osiston and Alpha Reggie tried to hide their surprise at how fast she is willing to work, but if it helps her get closer to bringing justice for her pack then she is willing to do it. And she is just as smart as they implied since she is offering to ''set me up'' with equipment. "Let us know what you need and we will get it to you, but you will only have about an hour to assemble. Do you need to be on sight to use your tech?" Osiston asks. "The closer the better, and maybe have a warrior with me so I have mindlink ess with everyone. Maybe Nathaniel," She looks at me, "He the friend I met today that does some of your tech stuff, right? Then if something happens, we can appear to be a couple at the party as well, and he can help me set things up more quickly. It would also help to know what happened before and who you suspect so I know what am looking for." "On it." Osiston states. "And this is probably a good time to exchange stories anyway. Can you talk and make me a list at the same time?" "Of course. Tell me about this first attack and what it has to do with tonight." I start with the story of Oscar, Mina and I getting attacked by theke and then move into the story that Tyler told me about his pack being attacked and being taken over by the Shadow Pack which happens to be the pack we get the most trouble from their Elder here at the castle during negotiations and other territory meetings. His daughter is also a problem for Xander regrly and has doubled her efforts since Mina and I have been gone. "Well, I agree at this point that is sounds like too much of a coincidence that all of these things have been happening suddenly and the mostly seem to center around Xander and Sky." She looks down at the paper she was writing on, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and looks like she might be talking to herself or her wolf for a minute. When she opens her eyes she pushed the list to Osiston saying, "This is what I will need and if Nathaniel is as good as he sounds, he will know what I am trying to do and catch anything I might have missed making the list in a hurry. We''ll need to get started right away, but I should give you my history, just in case it''s wrapped in all of the bullsh*t you have been dealing with too." Chapter 0396 "We were attacked in the fall, it was my parents'' anniversary and we would celebrate every year as a pack. It was a whole week of parties and games and dances. On Saturday, the final day of the celebration, my parents would reseal their blood bond in front of the whole pack. It was beautiful and special. On the night of the attack though, someone must have been very familiar with our rituals, because during the speech dn toast that my father made we all had sses of mead and the kids all had juice, no one was without a drink. He finished his speech we all toasted and drank, then both my parents performed the blood ritual slicing their palms and sping them together thetting a few drops ofbined blood hit the earth as they said some incantation. We could feel the pack bond ripple the minute it his the ground and as soon as the ripple started rogue wolves started running at us from every direction. Something was wrong, there''s no way that all of those wolves would have gone unnoticed, but we couldn''t smell them. We all went into attack formations, my parents, myself, all of our warriors. Our Omegas did their best to shield the children, but we couldn''t fight. Everything was fuzzy for me and I had a hard time focusing, it was the most horrific chaos. My arms didn''t work and I couldn''t make my legs move fast enough when five wolves attacked my mom first. I felt it the minute her neck was broken and our link was severed. My dad was screaming in pain at the loss of his mate. A warrior tried to get me to safety, but I fought him, I didn''t want to leave my parents to this fate. If I had listened to the warrior, I don''t even know who it was, I would never have been captured and maybe more people would have been spared." She wipes the tears from her eyes, takes a shuddering breath, and looks at each of us in turn. "Thest thing I remember clearly is a gray-brown wolf barrelling at us and knocking the warrior and I over. I hit my head on something, making my head throb even more. I don''t remember being taken or how long I was out for and I was always kept in a dark cell with one light and now windows. I do know we moved locations twice based on the smell of my cell and the temperature changes. Michael made it very clear why he wanted me and what my ''role'' in his ns were." She rolled her eyes at the thought. "I was an Alpha female and he was an Alpha male so I would produce an heir for him that was strong and able to be trained to rule the right way, as he put it. What he didn''t know was that I had an IUD put in when I was 18. I hadn''t found my mate right away and I didn''t want any issues, but I also wasn''t going to wait around for Mr. Right either." She shrugged her shoulders. "When I didn''t get pregnant right away, that was when the beatings started, in his head sex was going to be a punishment if I was going to be too stubborn to give him the heir he wanted. I did learn that he liked the more aggressive side of BDSM, which sucked, but made him finish more quickly and I could y off being exhausted for longer. Until Sky, he had never brought another female in my cell. I knew there were others, I could hear them screaming, so I''m not actually sure why he changed up the way he did things." She looked at me confused, like I might know the answer. "Other than the guards that fed you and this Micheal, did you have contact with anyone else?" Alpha Reggie asked. "Not that I know of, but there were a few times that I refused to eat when I figured out they were poisoning my food with bedonna and wolfsbane, and someone put me on an IV that was really strong. I remember voices and the outlines of people, but nothing concrete or specific enough to use to track anyone."N?velDrama.Org owns all content. "Speaking of your IUD. I know that Doc Sylvia removed it, she said something about damage, but didn''t get specific since it wouldn''t make sense to me anyway." Alpha Reggie shrugged. I loved his honest modesty. "But I think that may have saved your life. If you would have produced a child, you might have been kept around to make a spare, but from the sounds of it this Micheal kid doesn''t sound like the smartest, most thought out person, and he probably would have killed you when he was done with you. My next thought is, I don''t think he is working alone or the top guy anyway, not the way you both described him. He sounds more like the spoiled son who is along for the ride." Chapter 0397 "That''s frightening." Jena says dryly. "I agree he isn''t the smartest, or I guess it would be the most thought out person, but I did hear him talk to the guards a lot and he for sure knows how to use his words to his advantage." "I noticed that too, when I was taken. He didn''t enter the fight at all, but was close enough to egg people on and that didn''t take a lot of effort. Tyler was the same when the guards were giving him a hard time about taking a long time to bring me in." "Welldies, I think we have enough for now. We need to leave in about thirty minutes for the castle so you all can get ready with Anne. Don''t worry about dinner, she will make sure you are all well fed." He winks at us. "n on staying at the castle tonight, no need to bring anything, Anne will have everything you need. Mina is already over there, getting things together with Anne." Alpha Reggie says with a little glint in his eyes that makes him look so much younger. He knows I hate this whole dress up thing and loves that Luna Anne gets me to do it anyway, the same way she gets him to do things. "Jena, Nathaniel is already working on your supply list, he will meet you both at the castle when he is done. He sounded far more excited than I have ever heard him. He may be more Jena''s speed than we thought and he was just really good at hiding it." Osiston smiles. "You are both dismissed." We get up to leave. "Oh, Jena." Alpha Reggie calls. "I know that there are a lot of things up in the air for you right now, but as we put out information searching for your pack members. Should they choose toe back to you we will be more than happy to house them here on Royal pack territory for the time being. Alpha King Markus did say that your packnds are still a little worse off after the attack. It wasn''t a priority when they were looking for survivors. You have no pressure to leave or stay, I just want you to know that we will help in any way we can."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Jena smiles, her eyes glistening with unshed tears and just nods to him. I don''t think she can get words out right now. I throw my arm around her shoulder and lead us both out. "He''s not kidding Luna Anne will have everything for us, so we don''t need to bring a thing, Unless you have some super secret spy gadgets I don''t know about." I give her a sideways look. "It''s not like that." I raise my eyebrows in disbelief. "Okay, maybe a little like that. I figured out I was good withputers when I was little so I used to hack into the school database and change my grade, because I spent as little time in ss as I could and as much time outside training as possible. I also may or may not have pranked my dad a few times. But it''s been a long time since I have messed with any o that, and technology changes so fast, all the time. That''s why I''m d Nathaniel is going to be with me, just in case there''s a better way to do something." "Speaking of, let''s go find Wyatt, we have about fifteen minutes to kill and he is probably eating alone, if Nathaniel is off being your errand boy." Chapter 0398 We both giggle and walk down the log hallway towards themon area where most people are milling about, having either eaten already or just getting back from a training session and socializing before they go in. "I didn''t realize how many warriors were actually here." Gasps Jena.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "I know! It takes a little while to get used to, but a lot of the warriors who have been around for a while don''t live in thepound dorms. This is mostly for the newbies, because we train more often and the trainers need more ess to us. But everyone eats here, especially dinner. It''s the one time most of us are together." "Okay, it makes sense, it''s just going to take a bit to get used to. There''s Wyatt." She points to our usual table. "Hey! I hear I''m the odd man out tonight while you all get to go on a grand adventure." "I will trade you my spot next to Xander. I bet you''ll look fabulous in a dress fit for me." Iugh at him. "On second thought, you keep your position and I will stick to guarding Nathaniel and the new girl here." I shove him. "So you are going to be there? Why would you lie to me? I''m not really good at the feeling bad for you thing." Iugh. "It can''t hurt to try and see how you feel about me, Midge. Just have to keep checking, you know." He wiggles his eyebrows at me and I respond with an eyeroll. "Are you riding with us then, or does Warrior Osiston have something else set up for you?" "I get to escort thedies to the ball." He says in a terrible English ent. "Nathaniel is on his way with all the gear Jena needs to beastmode him in the tech department. Speaking of, I think our ride is rolling up now." We are all stillughing as we head towards the door. We get about halfway across themon room when my second least favorite voice wafts out of the crowd. "If it isn''t the golden child. Where are you off to now? Going to go warm someone elses bed to get your way? Or get captured like the weak link we all know you are." "Who the f*ck are you? And what the hell are you talking about?" Jena says before I can even get a word in to move on from having this stupid conversatoin. Audrina''s hand is on her hip and she''s flipping her pony tas she talks. ¡°Audrina, your superior, remember that. And everyone here knows that Sky has just slept with whoever she needed to to get her position here. She hasn''t even been on thepound long enough to earn any kind of title other than sl..." "Don''t even finish that sentence. Midge earned her spot, stop trying to spread gossip. You''re not the favorite and let me tell you a little secret, you never were." Her eyes go wide at that. "Once you figure out that actually showing up, working hard and being easy to work with Midge. will get you sent on is all of those things and you are none of them. That''s why she just got back from a mission where she resuced an Alpha female. You don''tpare, stop trying." Wyatt turns around wraps an arm around each of us and leads us out to the front of thepound where a car is waiting for us. No one says a thing as Jena and I climb in the back seat and Wyatt takes the front passenger. "Is she that aweful all the time?" Jena breaks the silence. el "Only when ites to Midge here. She''s always had a ''better-than-thou'' attitude, but she is a decent warrior. I think being made a floor leader went to here head though. Then our Midge came in, three years too young to even do trials for the program, and blew everyone out of the water. Even giving War Brogen and Alpha Prince Xander a run for their money. She also has a special rtionship with Alpha King Reggie and Luna Queen Anne, as you will see in a minute. Midge was also special requested for the mission that ultimately ended with us finding you. So it was clearly the right choice." "Wait, three years too young for the program. How old are you? I figured you were just tiny, maybe an Omega who could really fight. I know you''re not now, cause I can feel your aura almost as strong as mine. "Wait! All the time you guys have been together, her age never came up?" "We had other pressing matters to deal with. She was capable and smart, her age didn''t matter at that point. Staying alive did." She looks right at me expectantly. "I turned sixteen just before I was taken." I am pointedly staring out the window not wanting to make eye contact as that information sets in. "Holy sh*t! Now it makes what Micheal was going to do so much worse. Did on the y campus with you and Tyle right? Wait! How did you get into college in the first ce? You were actually in ss with those losers. I have so many questions, but they will have to wait. Wow!" Her attention is all over the ce as we pull up to the castle and and ow? I mean he was towards the hidden entrance. Chapter 0399 We pull in and all jump out as soon as our driver puts it in park. I drag Jena out the door and to the elevators. Mina should be here already with Luna Anne and I can''t wait to see Xander and Oscar. I know they were both there when we we found, but I don''t remember much of the interactions now. Wyatt is just behind usughing. "Are you in a hurry Midge? You don''t have anyone you want to see do you?" "Shut up Wyatt." I stick my tongue out to him. "I haven''t seen them in almost a year. Can this elevator go any faster?" "Rx Midge, your boys are just as excited to see you." "It''s not just them, I haven''t really seen Mina in over a month and Luna Anne. I wasn''t able to have contact with anyone not on the mission." The elevator doors ding and I pam out before the crack is big enough for anyone else. I ran straight to Luna Anne''s room and practically barge in the door. The minute I make eye contact with Luna Anne my eyes well up and I run into her waiting arms. "I missed you sweet girl." She says into my hair. "I missed you too. I dodn''t know how much until right now though." "How are you, really? We have to sit doen and really talk about your ordeal. And you came back with someone just as impressive I hear." She looks up over my shoulder and I turn around to see Jena standing in the door looking unsure of where to be.This is from N?velDrama.Org. "Hey,e here, I want to introduce you." I wave Jena over. "Sorry, Wyatt sent me in but didn''t follow." "That''s because he''s a good warrior and he''s standing guard outside." Luna Anneughs. "He also know he will be subjected to all things girl in here and he knows better now." "Jena this is Luna Queen Anne. Luna Anne this is Jena the Alpha female from the ck Diamond pack." Jena looks down at her feet like she does everytime I introduce her as the alpha female of her pack. I don''t know why she is shy about it. I know that she doesn''t think there is a pack for her to go back to and she doesn''t deserve the title because of it, but I disagree. She''s a survivor and a beacon for her pack. She needs to own that title. "Jena, it''s very noce to meet you. I am so d our Skr found you. Let us know any way that we can help in your search for your pack members And I mean anything." Luna Anne grabs her hand and cups it between her dainty elegant ones and just holds them until Jena finally looks up at her. "You are a part of our pack now too. I really do mean anything you need. Just let us know." Jena nods her head. "Midge! Look at you up and around. You need to quite taking such hard blows. Your time with Doc Sylvia and in the hospital is starting to rival our craziest warriors." Mina steps out of the bathroom andughs pulling me into a hug. "OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! I can''t believe you''re here!!" Sierra tackles me and we both hit the floor in a pile of legs and arms. "I thought the guys were going to go apesh*t when heard that you were sent on a mission to collect info about sion Rogue King. They don''t kno t that you were captured though I am not going to be the one to drop that bomb on them. I think they would have burnt the packhouse to the ground." "Sierra, I missed you too, but can you get off me." Iugh. "This is both weird and ufortable." She stands and pulls me up from the ground, wrapping me in a side hug as she leads me to the racks of clothes we get to choose from tonight. "So, this is what I am thinking. I know Jena is going to be in the background with Nathaniel, but I think you should both be dressed so that if you need to you can blend in with the crowd." SHe looks at all of us.. "Tena, just let me know if you are ufortable with anything, Sky doesn''t enjoy any of this at all and we force her into every fancy outfit we can." Luna Anne winks at me. "It should be fine." Jena mumbles out. "No really, if there is something you don''t like they won''t be offended. But if you don''t say anything, you may endup in some hideous hot pink leather suit." Jena''s nose scrunches at the thought. "Uh, really." "I don''t have any hot pink right now, but it can be arranged." Luna Anneughs as Jena''s face falls more. "That''s what I thought. Just be honest. We have tone to choose from and just because we are making you dress up deosn''t mean that you have to be ufortable the whole time." Jena nods and we are both dragged forward to start the very long process of hair, make-up and clothing options. Chapter 0400 I think the more that I go through this the easier it gets. It wasn''t formal wear tonight, not long gowns and tons of hair pins, but it wasn''t a power suit kind of night either. I still didn''t even know what we were doing here other than ying barrier for Xander and Oscar, who I guess has been targeted by a few of thedies who have intelligently taken their sights off of the future Alpha, but decided the perks might be just as good going after his personal warrior. Mina and I had a greatugh when Luna Anne told us that. I guess it was quitical to watch him flounder as several girls tried to distract him at a dinner about six months ago and the attention has not wavered since. "You should have seen his eyes as they walked right past Xander and straight to him. Pawing all over him while he was trying to do his job and stay near the prince. You would have thought they had three heads the way he was scrambling all night to avoid them. And of course Xander did nothing to help him, poor guy. I had to finally step in and remind them that he was in fact working and had a very important job to do, something his mate would understand and not get in the way of." SHe smiled as she mentioned that conspiratorially. "Is that why they both need dates tonight?" I ask. "Because they are both being targeted by social climbers." "Yes, and tonight Reggie is going to talk to all the Alphas in our territory about the impending situation with the Rogue King. We are still trying to flesh out if the information you were given about that guy Tyler''s pack is urate. We still believe you were right and something is going on inside our ranks. There''s no way that he could maneuver outside of our notice this well for this long without the help. And while Alpha Sharp is the natural go-to for me since he seems to always be at odds with someone, I don''t think he is smart enough to be a worthwhile asset for the Rogue King. He would more than likely want someone who flies under the radar a bit more. It would be easier to get things done if no one is looking your way all the time. But Alpha Sharp could be part of the problem as a distraction. That is where you wille in, Jena. I am not going to give you any information on the Alphas present tonight. I want you to flush out whatever you can from everyone you can, without any bias from us here. I think we are too close to the situation and that might be part of the problem. So when Alpha Reggie asks, you were briefed and are ready to go, but I want your opinion as an outsider on everyone you witness tonight."This is from N?velDrama.Org. Jena nods her head. "That actually sounds like a reasonable n and I have Nathaniel who can help me identify people quickly if and when I do find anything." "That''s my girl." Luna Anne smiles. "Now for you two," She looks pointedly at Mina and I, "You both are about to have an irritating amount of resistance from thedies who have gottenfortable in your absence and they seem to be ying dirty and not very subtly. Just be on your guard and don''t let them goad you into anything. If you don''t know how to respond, just smile and stay quiet. The less words from you they have to repeat the better. And they will definitely call you unapproachable or cold and b*thcy, but that is better than words that can be taken out of context. But you won''t be able to avoid socializing tonight. Listen for anything out of the ordinary as well and report back to Nathaniel so he and Jena canpare notes with everyer." We all nod, understanding our jobs tonight. We all do ast minute check in the mirror before we go and I forgot how good Luna Anne was at this. We look amazing. We are all in cocktail dresses that hit mid thigh, but that is where the simrities stop. Jena''s dress is solid ck, long sleeved and form fitting, but when she turns around the back ispletely open showing off her honey colored skin. Her brte hair is in soft waves hitting just at her shoulder des. Her amber eyes almost glow under the soft smokey make-up. She looks whole and healthy andpletely fierce Chapter 0401 Mina is decked in a white strapless dress that has a small line of ck metallic stones across the hem of her cleavage. The bottom hem has a soft ruffle that entuates her toned thighs and a short slit up one side. Her dark brown hair has been pulled back into a half up style leading into soft curls that dance when she moves. You can see the faint hint of the red tint the summer sun brings out. I am in my signature blue that Luna Anne seems to like best on me. My dress is a simple halter in the front with a very tiny peek-a-boo worked in just above my almost nonexistent cleavage. The choker style neckline wraps just at the base of my throat to sp behind my neck and the back is the softestck I have ever felt in my life. The attached skirt is more flouncy than my friends in threeyers of stacked material with a soft wave like a skater skirt. A metallic belt around my waistpletes the look and my blonde hair has been pulled up into a messy bun that somehow looks well put together.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . We all walk out of the room to find the guys waiting for us. "Seriously?! The blue dress was enough, now more skin is showing! I think you are trying to get me killed, mother! Sky you look beautiful, and that is not okay with anyone, just so you know." Iugh at Xander, just like the first time he saw me in a dress, he''s overreacting. "But just so I can say I did my job,e here so we can get a picture and I can get this round of abuse over with." "What are you talking about?" Iughed at him. "Well after yourst Cindere makeover, someone," He looked at his mother, "Leaked a picture to Luna Ava and the guys ''happened'' to see it." He air quotes then rubs his face. "So now I am under strict orders to give them a first hand ount of when you look this good so they don''t have to be blindsided by it." He finishes with a roll of his eyes and Jena, Mina and I are allughing. I think Luna Anne might be as well behind a well ced cough. "Would it be helpful if we all posed for a picture with you? Mina asked. "Maybe they will feel less threatened by your proximity to her if you are outnumbered." "Oh, that is a great idea and scares me all at the same time." Xander grimaces. I roll my eyes and step next to him for the picture, Jena stands next to me and Mina nts herself on the other side of Xander. "Oscar, you might as well join in and we can give them a full picture of Skr''s entourage tonight." Alpha Reggie is openlyughing. It''s been a while since I have seen a full blown smile from him. It just hits the point home about how hard he is working on this whole Rogue King situation. We snap a few photos and Xander sends one off in a group chat to the guys. If I was a little tall I would be able to read over his shoulder, but by the looks of it, he has kept pretty regr contact with them. "Do you guys talk a lot?" I ask, trying to not sound too hopeful. "Do you keep up with all the future leaders like that?" "I talk to everyone, since they are all going to be a part of my reign at some point, but I like the guys from your pack. They don''t treat me like the future Alpa King, they treat me like one of the guys. I''m not a meal ticket to them, they don''t aspire to be more than the leaders of their own pack and helpful to the kingdom as a whole. And they have something no one else does." "What''s that?" "My cousin''s attention." He winks and then turns away towards the elevators. Chapter 0402 Xander never did exin hisment about the guys having my attention. Even though I threw it in as often as possible throughout the night. The night was way less entertaining than I thought it would be. I don''t know what I expected, but I was actually kind of bored with all the people. There was really no confrontation or dirty looks at all. Even Charlene and Olympia left us alone after a polite hello when we walked by them on our way in. Most of the Elders came to say a polite hello and tell me they were d to see me back from my mission safely. I''m not sure how much they know of the situation, so I kept it to polite ''thank yous'' and ''it''s nice to see you again too.'' Elder Bastian and Elder Vincent did not even look in my direction. So much so it was painfully obvious that I was being slighted or ignored. That made me smile. "I think everyone is up to something or just in shock that you''re here." Mina mindlinked me when I mentioned my thoughts to her. "What do you mean? I mean I agree that something is up, but what do you mean they are in shock about me being here?" "Think from their perspective. If you thought that your biggest threat was sent off on a mission where anything could happen and it would be ruled an ident or a risk of the job. You were told they were being dealt with hours away from here and then they suddenly showed up out of the blue, looking like nothing happened, what would you do?" "I would wait to see if I could figure out what happened, because something clearly went sideways or someone lied to me about the situation being handled.." "Right, they aren''t going to go out of their way to be any kind of way to you, nice or mean. They are going to keep their distance and see how this ys out." "I wonder if this is why Alpha Reggie wanted me here. To see what they would do now that I''m back. Didn''t someone say that the Elders were pushing really hard for a chosen mate for Xander in thest couple weeks? I mean more than thest time I was here. Even going as far as presenting a couple of girls for him to pick from." "Something like that, from what I have heard. And with all of that in mind and everything that went on with your capture and what we know of the Rogue King using witches. There is now someone checking all the food and drinks for magic in case someone is using a spell instead of just the old fashioned poisons and potions." "Oh Damn!"This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "You know it''s not fair to mindlink and not share right?" Xander says into my ear as we walk around the perimeter of the party. The meeting went smoothly and it was mostly just an information exchange and check in from each pack. Alpha Reggie did make a point to ask about the developments from Irontooth and the Shadow Pack as soon as we started. I think that was for my benefit and to remind those Alphas that I was here and the promised look into their safety measures has not been forgotten. Now the Alphas and their guests were mingling and exchanging ideas about pack safety, rekindling partnerships and alliances, things like that. I actually got to see Alpha Lucas and Luna Ava for a few minutes, but they didn''t stay for the party. They did however take another picture with me promising to let the guys know they saw me and I was doing well. I''m pretty sure that Alpha Lucas was brought up to speed on my whole mission, by the way he looked me over and kept asking me how I really was. I don''t think he will say anything to the guys about it though. No one is that dumb. I wish they could have stayed longer, but I still had a job to do and no matter how homesick I was for them, my pull to do well at that job is more than my inner little girl''s need to be safe at home with the familiar. That didn''t stop me from hugging both of them for longer than necessary before they left. Chapter 0403 "You ready?" "Huh?!" I look up at Xander confused, but he has a look on his face that tells me he is up to no good whatsoever.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. "To dance. You do remember how right?" "You mean the one and only time I was spun purposefully around the room by you, sure. I still can not do it on my own though, so I''m not sure what your expectations are exactly." "I need to hit the dance floor, out of obligation of course..." "Of course." I raise my eyebrow at him. "And we may have to have a few pictures taken, up close and personal, you know, to make a point that I could possibly be involved with you somehow, considering I have never been to a party with a date, let alone the same person twice." "Uh huh...and?" "Alpha Lucas may have asked me to share some of those photos to motivate a few certain people to get their asses in gear. His words, not mine." He at least looked sheepish and I am d he is warning me in his own demented boy way. "Remember, this is for Alpha Lucas and the guys. I am just going along with one of our most prominent Alpha''s reasonable requests." I roll my eyes and grab his hand. "You''re an idiot! You lead buddy and I can handle this embarrassment." Xander and I carry on like this for a while, keeping up mundane conversation, but we are both reporting what we see from the center of the dance floor. As boring as the meetings and updates were, this seems to be when things happen. There is so much going on that it seems like it might be easier to have secret meetings. I notice one in particr that intrigues me, but I don''t know if it is my general irritation of Elder Bastian or my distrust of Alpha Sharp that has me watching the two from the Shadow pack as they make their way around the room. Xander and I pose for many selfies, managing to get several of the groupings of people in the background, by ident of course. But We might as well let Jena use them to identify peopleter. I don''t really know what she needs to do her job, so Iwant to be as thorough as possible. It seems random, but they have talked to and avoided the exact same people and have only approached someone for conversation after their target has talked to three people in between their interactions. I let Jena and Nathaniel know and they are making passes around the room getting Jena familiar with people and allowing her outside opinion to lead the observations. "Prince Xander on your 6. A blonde looking very displeased with the back of your head." Nathaniel links the both of us as he and Jena stop to my right about ten feet away as back-up. I lean around Xander, wanting to know which girl it is this time and I am not disappointed. "Olivia!" I basically shout the wrong name at her and cause Xander to spin around. She schools the murderous look on her face quickly though. I have to hand it to her. "It''s Olympia, Warrior." Touche. She ces her hands on her hips and lets her perfected smile slip a bit. "Xander, you promised me a dance. It doesn''t look very good for a Royal to go back on their word. People might start talking about indecisiveness and indecision and think you aren''t fit to rule." "That escted quickly." Xander scoffs. "I''m not sure how many times I need to remind you though, that to you and the rest of the world my name and Title is Prince Alexander. And I believe that you are insinuating that being with Skr is a negative because she happens to be a trained warrior. What you have yet to mention is what about being with you would be better?" "My rank is higher for one." Both Xander and I don''t hide our eye roll, we have already discussed this with her. "Second, your heirs need to have the distinction that I would bring to the royal family." She flips a blonde strand hanging from her updo back over her shoulder. Not sure what the point is, but it does give her a minute toe up with something else equally stupid to say. "She will never be as good as me and you both know it. I don''t know why you keep ying these games with me Xander, but I won''t have it. She needs to leave," She looks right at me, "And stop being a little homewrecker." Are those fake tears? She can cry onmand?! Damn she is impressive, but before I canugh in her face, Xander lets out a low menacing growl. Chapter 0404 "That is twice you have failed to use my title and twice you have insulted Skr in front of me. You have crossed the line..." He starts to say, but I put my hand on his arm and he lets me pull him back toward me. "Hey." I say not trying to whisper but not shouting either. We have enough attention from her outburst. I put my hands on each of his cheeks to make sure he focuses on me and only me, his breathing heavy trying to keep his wolf in check. "You know what she is trying to do, right?" He blinks and nods his head, but doesn''t pull away from my hold on his face. "Don''t let her control you. I know I''m not wrecking a home, so do you. F*ck everyone else''s thoughts about the situation. As for her insults to my rank and status, I could give two sh''ts. She basically said she''s a good breeder, she works best lying on her back. Everyone has their purpose, I guess." That gets a small smile out of him. "I am a Beta''s daughter, a lead warrior and trainer in my pack, a branded Elite Warrior in the Alpha King''s ranks and you are one of my best friends. I appreciate you trying to defend my honor, but she has done nothing but show her desperation andck of knowledge of how a true mate bond works. Let her do her walk of shame out of the room with everyone present watching because she wanted an audience and it backfired." I nodded and smiled at him until he returned it and then gave me a big hug. "Man, you are special Midge. No one is going to be good enough for you." He says into my hair. I justugh.This is from N?velDrama.Org. "You need to stuff your caveman, I need an ally not an addition to the five cavemen I have back home." He justughs. "I will do my best, no promises though." "That was amazing! I couldn''t shake her thest time I was here." Mina walks up next to me and pulls me into a side hug. "I think her tears were real when she walked out though." "She needs to not be invited to the next function, that will hopefully improve her behavior a bit. No matter what her dad''s agenda is for her being here, this is all she knows and she''s afraid of losing the privilege of being here. That might deter her from attempting toe after me again." "Did you just defend the person who publicly insulted you?" Xander asked, his jaw basically on the floor. "Why would you do that? She would not hesitate to have you banned from everything and you want me to ''not invite her'' to the next function." Chapter 0405 "She has a point though. That girl lives and breathes being seen at these functions. Maybe not being allowed to attend the next one will sober her up a bit. Hopefully Sky put her in her ce enough to leave you alone for a little while. Until you find your mate, she won''t leave you alone. She may not leave you alone after that either. Maybe she''s hoping to be a mistress at the very least. We already know she wants to breed with you." Mina backs me up with a little smirk. "You both need to quit saying ''breed.'' It just sounds gross like that." Xander shudders just as the music picks up to a faster tempoed song. "Let''s teach Midge here how to dance." He grabs both our hands, abruptly changing the subject, and we start tough at his antics. He is setting a precedent after rejecting Olympia like that, but choosing to add Mina to our group. I just wish people would get the memo and understand that an interaction with him here doesn''t put them in some nonexistent running for the Luna Queen position. But social climbers will never go away. Ambition is one thing, hard work is another, but to gain better things in life by trying to take them from someone else I will never understand. We dance a little while longer and then Luna Anne lets us leave to go and hang out upstairs. We all head to Xander''s room. I never really hung out here thest time I was in the Royal Pack. It''s interesting to see the way he lives without prying eyes.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Xander isn''t a neat freak, but everything seems to have a ce and is well cared for. I do smell Oscar''s scent here pretty strongly. I wonder if he''s here every night? I wander around looking at the pictures and knick knacks he has on a set of floor to ceiling bookshelves that nk a heavy looking desk on one wall of the room. It looks very official and important with the dark wood up against the medium gray ent wall. The rest of the room is in a soft gray, almost white color and all the frames are varying shades of ck and dark gray. The only color is the deep maroonforter with ck sheets folded out over the top and ck and maroon pillows all looking inviting. I quickly raid Xander''s closet for shorts and a t-shirt, I am done being in a dress. Mina does the same, spending a little too much time choosing items. She seems lost in thought while she runs her fingers over the folded piles of t-shirts. I will pack that observation away for ater conversation. When we bothe out, I find Jena, Nathaniel and Wyatt have joined us. "Wait! You changed? Help a girl out!! I mean Luna Queen Anne can dress me anytime, but I am done with the monkey suit!" I justugh at her and she follows me back into the massive walk-in closet. I did discover that Oscar has, indeed, moved in. His warrior clothes and his scent consume one whole side of the room that is about the same size as the room Jena and I share on thepound. I don''t know if I will ever get used to the grandeur of the royal family, they are all so down to earth and yet, live here in this castle and have unlimited ess to basically every creaturefort you could ever want. "At this rate, you''re not going to have any clothes left." Wyattughs at Xander as we walk back into the room "Meh. Midge is worth the effort, don''t you think? It''s a small sacrifice." "Until your female mate finds out you''ve been sharing your clothes with other women." "Who''s sharing clothes with women?" Oscar walks in with Barty hot on his heels with a cart of food and drinks for us. "I was saying that Xander''s female mate might not be alright with the girl''s scent all over his clothes." Wyatt tilts his head towards Mina, Jena and me. Oscar looks at us, gets a strange look on his face, shakes his head just a fraction like he''s trying to get his thoughts straight all in the span of a second. He coughs and shrugs his shoulders. Chapter 0406 "If she is our true Luna Queen she will understand sharing anything that is needed with thesedies. No one else has ever been up here or allowed that privilege, so it shouldn''t be a big deal." His eyes tell me he may not believe his own speech, but I''m not going to call him out on it though. I know they are both worried about finding their Luna soon, before the Elders find a way to force a marriage for Xander. "Have you two marked each other yet? Or are you waiting for your Luna?" I don''t know why the question fell out of my face like that, but now I am curious. "We were waiting, wanting it to be special for all of us, but the longer it takes the less sure I am about waiting." Xander says keeping his focus on his te. "At least if we are marked they can''t try to make me give Oscar up. The best argument they will have is adding a female which is what we are waiting on anyway. My parents want to wait until they force our hand or we find our Luna to tell anyone though, because everything is still so vtile and people like Bastian and Chandler will try to spin the narrative to ''electing'' the next Alpha King since I won''t produce an heir with my male mate." He finally looks at me and rolls his eyes. We talk into the night just getting to know each other. Jena opens up about life in her pack before the attack and Mina and I talk about life on campus. Barty watches over us,ing and going to replenish food or drinks. Not for the first time, I wonder if he is watching Jena and I for signs of anything bad. I mean he knows me and my history, but with what we know of the Rogue King''s methods, he turns people agains the Royals with clever words, bribery and threats. For all they know Jena and I could have been turned to their side and gathering information on the Royal family to send back to them. I still can''t think of Mike as the Rogue King, they are two different people in my head. Something about him tells me he is a pawn just like the rest of the guys we met, he''s just high up in the ranks. That didn''t stop the implications that he is the Rogue King from floating around though.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Yeah, if the situation was reversed, I wouldn''t trust Jena and I right now. But, the only way to gain trust is to prove ourselves everyday. Which is all either of us can do. I don''t know when it happened, but somehow Jena, Mina and I ended up in Xander''s bed. Jena and I were off to one side and Oscar and Xander sandwiched Mina. Jena tossed and turned next to me, but she didn''t wake up screaming like she has beentely which I will take as a good sign. I sit up slowly not wanting to disturb anyone. I know it''s early, the soft light of the morning is barely visible through the curtains Wyatt and Nathaniel are sleeping on thefy reclining chairs in front of the firece, not leaving their posts, even in the safety of the castle. I just smile looking at my crew of friends, so much like back home. I feel a wash of emotionse over me and tears prick the backs of my eyes. I miss my boys. I have to find a way to see them when they are here for trainingter this summer. I can''t believe I have been away for almost a year now, I think wiping the back of my hand under my eyes and walking to the bathroom to handle my morning business and shower all the make-up and hair product off of me. I want to go back to my room, but I don''t want to wake anyone to escort me and all of them would kill me if I walked alone. So this is my option. Chapter 0407 Posting Change First I want to thank you so much for following along on Sky¡¯s journey. We are in the home stretch! Act 2 is almostplete. I had intended for it to be done by now, but the characters have each given me more to work with and discover as they develop and interact and I feel the need to really dig into their individual stories as best as I can. I know many of the chapters have been longer recently and I am going to try something new. I am going to break the chapters down into more manageable bits making it easier to consume chapters. My daily word count won¡¯t change though so from here through the end of Act 2 you will be seeing more chapters posted with less words per chapter.N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Please let me know if you like the shift. The smaller word count means less coins to purchase chapters, hopefully allowing you to read more often. Love you all ~ Miss L Chapter 0408 When I am done I can hear voices on the other side of the door. They weren''t sleeping as soundly as I thought. "Seriously, Midge! You cannot do that!" Wyatt runs his fingers through his already messy hair. "Do what? I woke up and took a shower. Or did you miss the noise I made in the bathroom in your anger at my not being in your line of sight?" I raise an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my toweled form. He looked slightly ashamed of his outburst, but then squared his shoulders. "You have to tell someone if you leave. That wound is still too fresh for surprises." "So, you are telling me, that if I wake up in the middle of the night and have to pee, that I have to ask permission to walk across the room to the attached bathroom, so you feel better?" I tilt my head slightly, daring him to say anything else thates close to stupid. My irritation is bubbling right under the surface. He knows how I feel about being put in a bubble. "We were all worried, when you weren''t here. Jena woke up in a panic yelling for you, and..." I cut him off moving to Jena quickly. This happens regrly, but it''s not my story to tell. I sit next to her and wrap her in a hug, her head tucked under my chin. "I''m sorry, it''s my fault they are all freaking out." She whispers into my neck. "I can''t shake the nightmare and you are the only thing that seems to bring me out of it." This time she is talking loud enough to be heard by everyone. I just nod. "It''s okay, we''ll figure it out as we go, like everything else." Before I can say more, there''s a knock at the door, then Barty walks in. "The King and Queen would like to see you all in the Mahogany Room in twenty minutes. The Luna Queen wanted me to let you know that breakfast would be served and thedies all have clothing in Miss Skr''s room." "Barty, we talked about this, drop the ''miss'' okay?" "Not inside these castle walls, missy. You are an honored guest as are Miss Mina and Miss Jena. The title stays while you stay. On the warriorpound I will concede to your request." He winks at me before closing the door. The girls and Iugh at the theatrics. "Well let''s head over and get dressed. Boys, sit right back down, there are three of us and I can guarantee a minimum of five warriors in the hallway, we will survive the ten feet to my room. It will go faster this way." I stand up, securing my towel and head to the door with the girls following me. We were actually ready before the boys, waiting in the hallway for them toe out. All of us, except Xander are decked out in warrior gear. If you didn''t know who we were to Xander it would look like we were his six person protection detail. The guys have ck, almost too small, t-shirts showing off every muscle they have in their upper body. The tactical cargo pants hide more, but still look rugged and intimidating all at the same time. The girls and I were given the same ck form fitting t-shirts. It''s not cotton, but a matte water wicking e Saterial that feels like butter on my We all have ck leggings, ck socks and ck boots that match the guys. Our only difference is the tactical belt. It''s thick and sturdy, designed not to move too much over the slippery material of the leggings. There is a cargo pocket at the belt with two thick straps hanging down attaching to another cargo pocket, which has a thigh belt to attach to our leg. I feel a bit like Lara Croft right now and it''s hard to hide my giddiness at the thought. This must be what Sierra feels like when she sees a dress she really likes. We made our way to the Mahogany Room, which is the meeting room where I told off Alpha Br. It shouldn''t surprise me that the meeting rooms in the castle have names, but my inner little girl thinks it''s so neat.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "There''s the team!" Alpha Reggie looks far too excited right now. That means he is up to something. Xander stops next to me, mirroring my look. "Dad, what are you up to? And do I need coffee to keep up with whatever you are about to throw at us?" Ignoring Xander''s sarcasm, Alpha Reggie goes on. "Sit, sit. We have ns to make." "Here we go." Xanderughs under his breath, but doesn''t look frustrated or annoyed, so I''m hoping ''ns'' is a good thing. The seven of us sit side by side across the round table from Alpha Reggie and Luna Anne. Chapter 0409 Alpha Reggie smiles and gives a little sigh before continuing.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "For all intents and purposes, Skr is my niece and Xander''s cousin. There are some greats and grands and probably twice removed in there somewhere, but it doesn''t matter she is a blood member of my family, just so you are all aware." I hear several intakes of breath, but I am still focused on Alpha Reggie. "I asked Skr to keep the connection a secret until I had more information, now we do. As her team, you should know that, so you know what is being asked of you. She was a target before the discovery, now that she has been captured and from what I understand from Sky and Jena''s ounts of their time with the rogues, blood and other samples were taken..." This time my friends didn''t hold back their surprise. "What samples?" "Why didn''t you say anything?" "What does that mean?" "You''re Royal?" "Wait? Did you know she was Royal before you sent us on that mission?" Mina asks, kind of aggressively considering she is addressing the king. "I did. Is there a problem with that?" Alpha Reggie keeps his calm, but his posture and aura change like he is readying for a fight. "A little bit, yes. Sir." She adds, not backing down. "Why would you send a royal on a mission with the intention to get captured?" "You meant for her to get taken!" Nathaniel almost shouts. I don''t know if I have ever heard him actually shout before. He''s loud when he has to be, but he mostly observes and keeps quiet. I ce my hand on his shoulder next to me. "I was in on that part of the n, take a breath, and calm down. We are getting off track." I look back to Alpha Reggie. My friends won''t let that go, so I will have to tell that storyter. I don''t know if Jena even knew that part. So many secrets, from people I trust and care about. That is something to unpackter. Alpha Reggie nods and goes on like there was no interruption. "I am positive that the Rogue King knows of Sky''s lineage now, or we should at least work with that assumption. She will be an even bigger target." He holds up a hand as Wyatt and Nathaniel both look like they are going to interrupt again. "Before you say anything, I have no intention of locking her away, she is not a damsel in distress, she is an important member of the Royal family, one many people will want to get their hands on, no different than Xander. So I will train her mentally and you will all train her physically. Preparation is going to be our friend." Alpha Reggie stops to take a drink and appears to be collecting his thoughts. "Over the next few weeks you will all train in your specified areas as well as with the elite warriors. As information continues toe in about the Rogue King, kidnapped girls and Jena''s pack we will send your team out to handle it with some of our most skilled warriors. This is what we know so far. The kidnapped girls whose identities we could confirm were all high ranking females. They were subjected to the same treatment as the two of you," He looked from Jena to me. "We did find a couple of the more recent girls disposed of very unceremoniously, meaning they were in a hurry and made mistakes. Doc Gannon and Doc Sylvia havee to the conclusion that the girls were being dissected..." "What the hell? That''s awful. Why would he do that?" Oscar asked. "Skr already knows some of this, but my family''s history is somewhat bloody when ites to session. I have recently found confirmation that my Great Great Grandfather''s second son, who was wildly vocal about being passed over as the Alpha King when his nephew took the throne, captured his own sister and her daughter and O experimented on them both." He took a deep breath and we all waited silently for him to go on. "The women born into my family have special abilities and powers. I''m sure you have all noticed some of Sky''s talents are beyond that of an aplished warrior. Don''t get me wrong Little One, I believe you would be a force without your abilities but even I have noticed abnormalities knowing what powers you could possess." "What do you mean ''abnormalities''?" I ask, now concerned that something is wrong with me. "Normally each female has one gift or enhancement. Your mother, from what I understand, had emotional control over others. Something I know you have, I''ve seen you use it on all of the boys, even here this morning. Jen? is drawn to you when her emotions be too much. You have the ability to keep everyone level headed. Proof enough you have that ability. You also can fight off an Alpha''s aura, even as a born Beta with Royal blood, I should be able to make you do just about anything and I don''t think you even know you''re resisting. And trust me, I have tried. I don''t think it''s your natural stubbornness either." He winks at me, breaking some of the tension in the room. "Then there are your scars. Based on all of your altercations and injuries, even you can''t deny that you have enhanced healing abilities, again, beyond what Royal blood would give you. You can fight off silver and wolfsbane put directly into your bloodstream." I look down at my hands folded into myp. I can feel my friends'' eyes burning holes in the sides of my head. I don''t think Xander knew about the silver until now. "Is that what the scars on your back are? Silver?" He asks, just above a whisper. I can feel his body heat increase while he is trying to hold in anger that is radiating off of him. Chapter 0410 I take a long breath in and let it out slowly, raising my eyes to look right at Alpha Reggie, not sure if I am more relieved or angry that he is forcing me to confess this part of my history. I keep my focus trained forward in a tunnel vision as my voicees out monotone and t. "I was tied up, both my hands bound above my head and whipped with a whipced with wolfsbane so the cuts would open quickly and deep. Then my feet were lifted so I was parallel to the ground, silver powder poured onto the wounds. I was then dragged out to the woods and left to die. That was when and why my wolf showed up early. It took two days for us to heal." I took another shuddering breath, feeling the pressure in my chest, but I refused to cry. Kaley and her torture would get no more tears from me. I kept starting at Alpha Reggie, but I could see Luna Anne in my peripherals, silent tears staining her cheeks. I couldn''t hear breathing from any of my friends. They must all be waiting to see what I do next. "And that right there is my confirmation that you can fight off even my aura." All of my friends gasp for air, even Xander. "Will you take that secret to the grave?" I didn''t need rification on his question. He forced me to tell my story willingly to see if I would give up my attacker and when I didn''t he tried to force it, going as far as controlling all of my friends and Xander surrounding me. "Like I told Alpha Lucas and the guys, it is too little toote. There is no going back to fix things now. We need to move forward." I don''t take my eyes off of him. "So the abnormality is that I have more than one enhancement?" He takes my cue and nods. "I have never known any female in our family''s history or any other Royal family''s history to have more than one enhanced ability. What I have found is that my Great Great Grandfather''s second son and his son experimented on the women in their family trying to take on their enhancements, eventually killing them. I think that might have been what Mike was doing with all of the females he took. He is a part of that lineage, but we don''t have records of names for that portion of the family. They were looking for your grandmother and mom, knowing they went into hiding." "And you still put her in harm''s way, knowing she was the end goal target?" Wyatt sounds murderous.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "We didn''t have confirmation on that untilst night. Doc Gannon and Doc Sylvia were able to confirm the tissue samples that were taken and reverse engineer the process, giving us a better scope of the situation. Without Skr''s contribution to the mission we would never have confirmed that and we have been going at this blind for far too long. Some sacrifice is worth ending this. She understands this. Watch your tone boy!" Now the Alpha King was out, his wolf''s voiceced with his own. Alpha Reggie is menacing when he is angry and it''s amazing to watch. I can feel the fear and respect radiate off of my friends, but I am in awe of the spectacle. "Yes, your majesty." Wyatt''s head dropped and turned to the side, a sign of submission to the Alpha. "Now you all know what you need to know to do your best job bringing my cousin, the Rogue King, in. He will be given a formal trial in front of the council of Elders and all of the Alpha Kings and we will decide his fate." "Decide his fate? He needs to die for his crimes. How many innocents has he killed in the name of taking over as the Alpha King? He will kill you without a thought to get what he wants. He has to kill you to get what he wants. Why would we give him a trial? He doesn''t deserve the decency." It''s my turn to lose my temper with Alpha Reggie. I want to see Mike and whoever this Alpha King is, burn. There is no reform for anyone who has gone to their dark lengths for power. "I thought you knew your ce, Little One?" He does not get angry with me the way he did with Wyatt. He looks at me curiously. "I do, but, with all due respect, sir, you were not there. You didn''t have to suffer at Mike''s hands. His vitions alone deserve death at best. At worst he deserves to be put through the same torture he inflicted on others." I clench my hands together under the table. "If the Rogue King is anything like him, or Goddess forbid, worse, they both deserve to die." I close my eyes and take a deep breath, controlling my heartrate and my anger. If I can''t keep my emotions in check, I will not be allowed to be a part of this mission. "Would you inflict that punishment?" I opened my eyes at the question. "Would you be capable of looking at another person and watch them tortured, or deliver the blows yourself? You are not that kind of person. Would you force someone else to torture for you? That would make you no better than those you want to punish. What about any children that they may have conceived? Do they deserve punishment because of their blood ties? Where does the punishment end? This is why we hold trials, why we have a council, so emotions can be heard and felt, but logic is also a part of the solution too. The Moon Goddess will also be a part of those trials through all of the Luna Queens. She will be the ultimate deciding factor for their fate. If you want them punished, you need to find them first and bring them in...alive." I squeeze my eyes shut, again hating how his logic makes sense to me. I wouldn''t be able to do to Mike what he did to me or Jena or the countless other girls he took. Chapter 0411 2-104 I nod my head, my eyes still closed. I want to cry at the idea that someone could possibly get away with the kind of crimes against our kind that the Rogue King has done. "I did notice my dear that you said Mike and the Rogue King, reports have indicated that they are the same person. Why do you think differently?" "Mike''s sole focus with us was to sire an heir. It was almost an obsession." The thought sends a shiver down my spine. "If he was only intent on taking over, he would not have focused quite so much on that part of it. Yes, if he was an Alpha King, he would need an heir to continue the line, but continuing the line doesn''t matter if you don''t first have the throne. I am not sure if he thought that part through, telling me he is not the total brains of the operation, but he is clearly the front man, which makes the Rogue King more dangerous if he''s hiding behind lieutenants posing as higher leaders. We don''t know how many ''leaders'' he''s hiding behind making capturing him more difficult. That''s what I would do if it were me. Set severalyers of protections up, giving my adversaries work to do and wearing them down in the process." "That''s my girl." He says proudly. "I know you want justice, but I don''t want you to burn the world down to get it. You all have your assignments, the more quickly we can sift through information and follow concrete leads, the faster we will get through theseyers of protection that the Rogue King has set up. You are all free to roam the castle and the grounds until lunch. We have one more obligation today then we will get started." Alpha Reggie ps his hands and rubs them together. The smile on his face is one of mischief and trouble.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Our group was somber as we left. So much information was revealed and I think each of us was emotionally raw. I was ahead of the group not wanting to exin my time with Mike, not wanting to exin my scars. I don''t want to focus on what happened to me, on the things I can''t go back and change. I won''t be the victim. These things happened to me, but I will learn from them and get better, nothing like that will happen to me again. I won''t allow it, I can''t allow it. If I ever make it home, Kaley will not dictate my behavior, that Skr is gone. This new Skr is strong mentally and physically. This Skr has seen too many things to be afraid of a useless bully. This Skr will not hesitate to put that bully in their ce, publicly if it will send the message that it won''t be tolerated any longer. This Skr needs to stop this Rogue King and get home to fight off the demons of her past. I didn''t even realize I had walked outside until I blinked as I came up to the entrance of the hedge maze Alpha Reggie showed me when he first told me about my connection to the royal family. I took a deep breath and moved to step in, longing for theforting silence the magical nts brought, when two hands grabbed me and spun me around, enveloping me into a tight hug, his scent wafting around me, warm and secure like a nket right out of the dryer. "You know I want answers, but you know I won''t ask. When you''re ready, please tell me, don''t suffer alone anymore, you don''t have to. Okay?" I just nod into Xander''s chest. He releases me and takes my hand and we walk into the maze, our friends following. "So cousins, huh? Does that mean I''m going to have to start bowing to you and calling you princess, Midge? Wyatt is teasing me and it has the effect of breaking the negative path my mind was on. "Or should we just stick with ''Elite Warrior Midge'' or is it ''Luna Midge''? Or maybe ''Her Highness Warrior Princess Luna Midge.'' Damn, if you get any more titles or distinctions it''s going to take multiple breaths to introduce you to people." Heughs as he jumps out of my reach as I try to kick him. He runs into the maze and I chase him with the rest following,ughing at our antics. Once we all get to the center we are ying some sort of chase tag hybrid thing, then Wyatt dodges Oscar by diving to the ground and taking out Mina''s legs. Effectively changing the game to sparring. Somehow Xander took off his suit jacket and button down shirt. I don''t even remember that happening, but he wasn''t shying away from the fun. Who knows how long we were messing around, but at some point we all ended up on the ground looking up at the sky, panting. "So, real talk. We all have jobs to do, but we are all working toward the same goal. I know neither of you want to say anything, because, clearly, you both went through hell while you were captured. But, is there anything that we need to know? Any details that might help us find these f*ckers and get rid of them faster? We know they want to take over and this Rogue leader, I refuse to call him ''king,'' wants to take the Alpha King''s position. We know they feel inferior and are trying to take the female''s powers. Is there anything else about these guys that we can use against them? Do they have a weakness, a vice, something that makes them vulnerable?" Wyatt asks. "Sky is their weakness." Jena whispers. "Huh?!" I tilt my head to look over at her. "You are their weakness. Especially if they know you have royal ties. The Rogue K..leader," she stutters her words at Wyatts grunt. "Will want your powers, but Mike wants an heir, he wants a son to carry on his line, he was most obsessed with that while I was there. For some reason, with you he hesitated, he didn''t do what he did with every other girl he brought in. You are a weakness, you made him change his behavior. I still don''t know the connection between the two, but I think you are right, Mike is not the leader, but somewhere at the top and you will be a point of contention between them if they both want something from you." She shrugs. "So, is he going to continue looking for females or is he going toe after Sky or both? What are you saying?" Nathaniel asks. Chapter 0412 2-105 "I think both. He made it clear he was having s*x with several girls, trying to get them pregnant, but he was different with Sky." Jena clears her throat. Xander rolled over so fast, it was a blur and he was hovering over my face before I could even react.. "You said he didn''t touch you!" He spit at me. "Doc Sylvia said she didn''t see any sign of...that!" "And she wasn''t wrong, I didn''t have s*x with him, if that is what you are asking, he never got that far with me." I said it loud enough for them all to hear so I didn''t have to repeat it. I didn''t have any fear of evesdroppers inside the maze and I really wanted this part of the conversation to be over. "And I won''t be the only target, especially if they want Alpha Reggie''s title. Xander and Oscar, you will be a natural target as well as your Luna when you find her." I say looking right into Xander''s eyes. "Which means we all need to be on the lookout for any signs of their female mate as much as the rogues probably are too. Once you find her, all three of you will gain your full powers which will help with the kingdom''s safety, but also put you at a huge risk." "You think we are just going to slide past the no s*xment? What did he do to you Midge?" Oscar is getting more bold the longer he is with Xander.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "Far enough for it to be memorable and to still have nightmares." I look back over to Jena, whose nightmares end in screaming and waking up in a cold sweat. I can''tin, because my pain is nothing like hers, it can''tpare. She looks at me and blinks once then looks back to the sky. We both want to pretend that those things never happened and agreed that if we ever have to talk about it, we stick to the absolute bare minimum facts, no emotion or feeling of any kind. "What did you two just do there?" Nathaniel asks. ¡°You had a conversation, but without words and you didn''t mindlink." He looks not quite offended, but not quite amazed either. Somewhere in between. "When you share a dark stone cold cell, chained to the wall by your ankles and wrists with sliver manacles, lying in your own excrement, constantly given different kinds of poisons to suppress the inner wolf so mindlinking isn''t a possibility even if we were connected. And then to be subjected to and witness the kind of tortures that we did. A bond is forged in that kind of fire, that no one else can ever understand. Talking about it and reliving it is something neither of us want to ever do again. Please don''t ask anymore about our personal experience in that level of hell." There was a long moment of silence as her words sunk in. "You have my word." Nathaniel rolls over and gets up dusting himself off then puts out his hand to help Jena up. The rest of us follow suit. "Well, speaking of hell, are you ready for the next version?" Xander asks, putting on and buttoning his shirt. "It''s time to get ready for lunch and I told Olympia and her father she was not allowed to attend due to her behaviorst night." "Oh sh*t! You took our advice?" Mina sounded surprised. "You were right. It''s the best way to start setting an example. Then we can say we have tried gentle discipline if it continues and then I can ban her." His smile grows wide at the idea. "I like the sound of that phrase, ''you were right,'' it''s music to my ears." Sheughs taking his arm. "In that case I think we should attend lunch like this, showing that training is important, even though we have social obligations." "My father willugh, my mother will pretend not to care and we should take bets on which elder mentions it first." Xander repliesughing along with her. Lunch was exactly as we expected. Alpha Reggie was giddy watching us walk in, clearly disheveled from training, although we all did try to minimize the amount of dirt we tracked in At least the maze was dry and not muddy. Jena, Mina and tall attempted to tame our now tangled and unruly hair. Luna Anne rolled her eyes, but didn''t say anything to the warriors about our appearance. Xander, however, she gave a hard time about his shirt being tucked in properly and his jacket being wrinkled, adding that if he was going to train, not to do it in his nice suits. Elder Bastian was the first elder to cite favoritism and mentioned inclusion of more people at an informal get together like this. He did stop his endless ramblings when Mina cut him off. "That is an amazing idea!" She shouted. "We should invite different vigers to join us. They would have the most insight into the inner workings of the territory and how the pack is really doing." She smiled at him, but gave me a wink. "These meetings are serious affairs that ranked and decorated members are invited to only..." "But that''s the thing. All of you are so busy in meetings and whatever else you do, that none of you have time to venture out into the pack to help with any of thebor. This would be a way to bring that to you all. It would give you a chance to understand your pack''s needs so much better." She interrupted him again. "We should even do tours into the different parts of the pack and work alongside all theborers. Then we would really understand their needs." "Work? Like, outside, withmon people." Charlene asked and then yelped as if someone pinched her. At least one of her parents understood the trap that was set by Mina. "I think that idea is excellent, Mina. We should work on that together." ????? Luna Anne praised her and you would have thought that someone put a sour lemon in Charlene''s mouth and both her father and Elder Bastian looked appalled, but were Smart enough to keep their mouths shut. After that, talk was mundane, but pleasant around therge ballroom. We all got up to leave, saying our goodbyes to Alpha Reggie and Luna Anne very informally in front of everyone present. "Mina? Would you mind staying? I have a few other things to discuss with you before we send you back to the trainingpound." Alpha Reggie announces. "Of course, sir. I''ll see you guyster." She hugs us all and sits back down while we head out. Chapter 0413 2-106 Training has been brutal, but getting better everyday. I don''t know if the trainers are hard on us because they know our attention has to be divided with our individual team training assignments from Alpha Reggie, or if we really are that out of shape. I personally feel out of shape. We have gotten a decent schedule down over thest six weeks. After a very early and aggressive morning training and breakfast with the whole warriorpound the six of us literally run our five mile route to our assignments. Nathaniel and Jena run to a building outside the warrior leader''s house and work with the cyber team, developing methods of tracking using every form of web knowledge they have. They are also really close to developing a simr tracker to the one Mike had ced in Jena and I. The focus has been on making it easy to administer and remove as well as less detectable. Doc Ganon and Doc Sylvia have been having far too much fun ying hide and seek on all of us as guinea pigs. We have even talked Sierra into helping us by working with her parents to discover the differentbinations of herbs and poisons that were used on Jena and I. She is actually really smart with all of this stuff and possibly more crazy than her mom when ites to testing on us. She is actually trying to get us all to build a tolerance to wolfsbane, by sneaking it into our food to see if we or our wolves notice a difference. She has been having fun consulting with witches on the properties of nts and their uses in magic. I think she is also excited about getting out of regr school work as well. And I get to see her more since she is on the training grounds more regrly. Wyatt and Lillian have teamed up with Tracker to learn, well, tracking. He''s such a big guy so it doesn''t seem like that would be the best thing for him to do, but he has a natural re for it. And he is a ninja when he wants to be, constantly sneaking up on all of us. She is his opposite in build, but an amazing warrior and after hearing about the girls who were taken along with us, she wants to be one of the first in line to help with recovery in situations like that. They are both beasts when ites to training. Neither cked off while we were away. And I love the workout they both give me when we spar.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Mina and I head to the castle almost everyday to y buffer for Xander so he can actually get some work done. Like my guys back home he is taking on jobs and responsibilities from his day to make the transition to Alpha King almost seamless. He is currently in charge of all the things that we need to bring in from outside the kingdom or from human manufacturers. The coordination and secrecy involved with supplying our people with basic first world items is a big job and he has done spectacrly at it. Mina and I help when we can, because, let''s face it, sitting around looking pretty is boring. It is fun watching the faces of the many girls who just ''happen'' to stop by the castle offices and they find him very much not alone. Luna Anne has taken to showing us how to deal with the never ending parade of people that need or want something from the royal family. Sometimes the needs and wants are legitimate, sometimes they are selfish and others are downright entitled and rude, but she handles each one with the same grace and dignity. No one ever talks about the job that the Luna or Luna Queen holds. So many of these girls think it''s just the nning of parties, ceremonies and celebrations and looking the best in the mostvish fashions, but there is so much more to what they do and it''s so amazing to watch Luna Anne do it. Like a wel rehearsed dance with Barty flitting in and out of the room, gathering things that are an easy quick solution and the three of us taking notes on things that need more time. I also get pulled away to work with Alpha Reggie. He still has people digging into my mother and grandmother since they were both hiding from the royals. He has found that my grandmother most likely knew of her abilities and royal affiliations, but no one knows if my mother knew her lineage or of her abilities. Alpha Reggie and Alpha Lucas have been working on getting my father to open up about her and her history, but they haven''t gotten very far yet and Alpha Reggie keeps those interactions to himself. That at least tells me that my father doesn''t ask or talk about me at all or is still spouting his ''you killed my mate'' hate towards me. I have learned that my grandmother was a twin and had some use of magic, which probably helped her hide from the royals and the rogue leader. Her twin sister couldmunicate with the forest which Alpha Reggie and I were looking into since that seems like a weird ability. Alpha Reggie did bring in a witch from Gentry''s coven. She still hasn''t returned and Nicks hasn''t been able to feel her, but he says the bond hasn''t snapped either, meaning she''s still alive just under a spell most likely to keep her hidden. "Alright let''s focus on your elemental energies today." Elena says to me. We are out working in the maze where we can be disturbed or overheard. There are many who wouldn''t understand this training because, aside from being able to transform from a human to a wolf, we have no magic. Eye roll with me now. It''s just not typical for my species to be able to control magic in any way, even if a werewolf and witch mate the kids usually get one trait or the other, not both. I''m so lucky. Chapter 0414 2-107 We did mention my great grandmother''s twin sister''s ties to the earth and the forest so that is where Elena started. She is everything I thought a witch would look like. She is a fiery red-head with emerald eyes. Her hair is so deep burnt orange it looks like it''s on fire in the sunlight. She has different braids flowing through her medium length locks. Some with beads or feathers attached, some just braids tied off with thin leather straps. She is taller than me, like pretty much everyone, but only by a couple inches, but her personality precedes her into a room, like an Alpha or Beta of a pack. She is very calm, but I feel like it''s a calm she works hard to maintain and if someone presses the right button she could shoot fireballs out of her fingers. Her build is womanly with curves in all the right ces, but she doesn''t hide behind frumpy dresses or dress like a sl*t either. She is ssy and natural. It''s hard to tell her age because of the way she carries herself. "Sit straight and ce your palms t on the ground. Tell me what you feel." "The dirt is gravely but soft. It''s warm from the sun." I press my palms further to the ground and take a deep breath slowly in and slowly out. Concentration has been the hardest thing for me. Sitting still and just being quiet isn''t something I ever thought I would have trouble with after spending so much of my life secluded and alone, but I don''t like the not moving, not thinking part of this whole thing. Another deep breath in and then out. The grass is cool and silky under my touch. I concentrate on feeling further below the surface. "It''s buzzing! Why is it buzzing?" My eyes shoot open and I look up at her. "Close your eyes and feel, try to listen with your hands." We have had several sessions and it has be frustrating because I have never felt anything. I don''t think magic is a thing that was passed to me. This thrum is the first time I have felt anything other than the obvious physical things around me. "It''s like a heartbeat or a pulse, but there is a buzz with it, what is that?" I take another breath and try to mentally follow the pulse and the buzz, but before I can get too far with it, I lose the whole sensation and everything snaps in me like a rubberband. My eyes fly open and I jump up like something bit me in the ass. "What in the hell was that?!" "You felt the trees connecting, they speak to each other through their root systems. What I think the buzz might be was a call of urgency, to prepare." "Prepare for what?" I ask just as a loud p of thunder rocks through the sky and I look up. How long have we been out here? The sun was burning on my face not that long ago. "A storm." She says dryly. I think that is the first joke I have ever heard her make. We bothugh as we run back to the castle trying to beat the rain that is now chasing us down and sweeping over the open yard. We get inside the doors of the balcony, but not without getting soaked first. The storm was faster than we were. One of the castle omegas came to us with towels, clearly anticipating our very soggy arrival. "Can I try again? Can we train from inside? I don''t want to lose the feeling now that I have an idea of what it is." I say excitedly. "I still might not have magic, but if I can detect it, if I can feel the difference between good magic and bad magic, I could help with our missions. Maybe find the witches that have been imprisoned...'' "Hold your horses there, girly." Elena grabs my shoulders. "The Alpha King did say you were excitable when learning something new. I''m d to see he did not exaggerate. Your education will go faster outside with the elements. It would be best if I could bring you to work with the coven as a whole, in our space of learning, but you are needed here as well. Come let''s go find the study and we can do some magic history so you can understand what and why you are feeling the things you are." We make it to Alpha Reggie''s study where he and I have been going over royal family history trying to fill the gap of my mother and grandmother''s lives. As a member of the royal family, I have been learning some of the protocols and the pomp and circumstance requirements of being a royal. I did find out that I am fifth in line to the throne. Which Iughed at when Alpha Reggie told me, but he stopped me short saying that some kingdoms have had to go that deep into the family for the next Alpha King. Xander is first, obviously, then Osiston. Which is a crazy thought. Then there are two other warriors that currently serve as liaisons with other Kingdoms, then me. "Sit, let''s talk about magic basics. First, magic itself is neither good nor evil. That is the first and most important thing to remember, no matter what anyone says about light or dark magic. It is easy to me the magic, but forget there is still a human wielding it. The intentions for the magic are what make it dark or light. Elder witches can change and cast from dark to light and vice versa. It is difficult and requires a lot of concentration and mental strength, so it is ast resort, but possible."This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. She pours herself some tea from a pot, I didn''t even see before, making me think she somehow magicked it here. After she pours a second cup, she sits and gestures for me to do the same. Chapter 0415 She gestures toward a massive, weathered book that seems to emanate a soft glow. I know that wasn''t here when I sat down. "Let''s start with a little history. I thought a crash course would be better, but you seem to be the more in depth type of person." She winks at me so I know she is just teasing, but I can''t always read her expressions. She opens the book to show pages filled with ornate, handwritten script covering every inch of surface on each page. It is like a diary, with notes in the margins and different colored inks sshed everywhere. The additions show the passing of time and how magic has adapted with the changing world around us. "Magic is the essence of the world itself, a force that binds everything together. It has existed since the dawn of time. It''s an energy that flows through the earth, the air, the water, and the fire. We witches, we are but vessels that channel this power. Which is why all new witches start with elemental magic. You will learn to harness this power to shape reality, to heal, to protect, and sometimes, to challenge the very fabric of existence." I take a deep breath in, not breaking eye contact with her. She seems like she is looking into my very soul and testing it to see if I am one of those light or dark people.This is from N?velDrama.Org. She goes on like we didn''t just have a staring contest, turning the page slowly and dramatically. "Magic is a responsibility, a dance with forces beyond ourprehension. It requires respect, bnce, and an understanding of the delicate threads that weave our reality. Elemental magic is a dance with the forces that shape the very core of our world. It is our most basic and yet most important knowledge. There are four primary elements, each with its unique energy and essence." She turns the page again, this time to a beautiful page that looks like it was hand painted with the finest metallic paints depicting the four elements. The pictures almoste to life off the page. "Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. Mastering their intery is the key to unlocking the depths of elemental magic. Earth is in your blood, so it should be the easiest for you to tap into, but they all connect and interweave with each other. She turns the page. "Earth, the foundation of all. It holds the stability of mountains, the flexibility of forests, and the resilience of life itself. To connect with the earth is to harness strength and grounding." She turns the page again and I swear I see dirt slide off onto the table. "Water, the source of life. It flows with the tides of emotion, adapting to every contour. To master water is to understand the ebb and flow of energy, to heal, cleanse, and find serenity." Another page turns and this time I smell the sea. "Air, the breath of existence. It carries whispers of the past and dreams of the future. Tomand the air is to harness the power of thought,munication, and the unseen currents that shape destiny." A piece of my hair blows with the next page turn. "Fire, the spark of transformation. It consumes and purifies, giving birth to new beginnings. To wield fire is to embrace passion, creativity, and the ability to forge one''s own destiny." The final page turn sends a wave of heat towards my face. I don''t know if that was the book or her emphasizing the element''s powers, but I am hooked. I want to devour this book. "But remember, true mastery lies in finding the harmony among these elements. Their bnce is the key to unlocking the ful potential of elemental magic. Now, embark on this journey with respect and reverence." She closes the book and passes it to me. "Thank you for this, for everything." I can''t take my eyes off this book, something is drawing me to it like a ma. "This book is enchanted so only you will be able to read it, but I would prefer that it stays here at the castle. While it is a book for a beginning witch, it does contain histories of our coven that must be protected." I nod, finally looking up at her. "I understand. It won''t leave this room. Thank you, for everything." "Now, we should go. You seem to be needed for a small scuffle in the hallway." "What?" I jump up and run out of the room and sure enough, at the end of this hallway, which is in the Royal family''s private wing, Olympia and Charlene have Xander cornered. He looks frustrated, but also not doing anything to make them leave. He looks like he''s trying not toe into contact with them at all. He needs to stop being wishy washy with these two. He needs to set clear boundaries that they can''t talk their way around. I hustle down the hallway, but I don''t run, looking desperate is not a part of my n. "I know you are avoiding us, we are lonely without you and no one satisfies us the way you do. Is your dad forcing you onto that Sky girl? My dad said he picked her up from some wh*rehouse in another pack as a ything to keep you busy while the Elders decide on your mate." Oh f*ck no! This girl is about to get her ass beat. I''m done being called a sl*t because I get the attention others want. I work hard for that sh*t and if she and her father are spreading those rumors, I''m done with both of them. I''m also sick of this ''Elders deciding mates sh*t.'' They need to be put in their ce and reminded who actually is in charge and making decisions. "Hello, Olympia, it''s so nice to see you again. I''m so d you served your punishment gracefully and are able to join us again." I take Xander''s arm and he is fighting a smile. "You really need to learn how to tell these girls off. They are taking advantage of your need to be politically and socially nice." "Shut up, Midge, and get us out of this." Chapter 0416 2-109 I roll my eyes at him. "We are due for a meeting with Alpha Reggie, Luna Anne and Mina. Sorry, have to run, a kingdom to take care of and all." We start to turn and they both begin to protest when Minaes around the corner making the same assessment that I did. "I have been looking for you two everywhere. Ladies," She gives the girls the briefest look, then turns back to us. "We need to get to Luna Queen Anne''s office immediately." Then turning toward the dumbstruck girls. "Make sure you find your way back down to themon areas where guests are allowed. We wouldn''t want you to get in trouble again and be banned from another royal function." She takes Xander''s other arm and we all walk off. I could barely contain myughter and I for sure could not look at Mina. It is far too much fun to mess with those girls, but damn, they were exhausting sometimes. We make it to Luna Anne''s office and all copse in chairs. I let my head fall back on thefy low-backed chair. "We need to find your female mate. I am so tired of being called a sl*t and a wh*re by girls who are just mad that I can hold a conversation with you and keep your attention for longer than thirty seconds. They don''t attack Mina like that." "What did you say?" My eyes fly open, I didn''t even realize Luna Anne was in here. I thought we just came in for an escape. "I am so sorry, I did not mean to talk like that in front of you." My eyes went wider when I noticed Alpha Reggie was there too. I look down at my hands, really not wanting to repeat myment. "Charlene and Olympia cornered me on my way up to get Midge from her lesson with na. They had some choice words to say about her." Xander tried to smooth over for me. "Alexander, exin, now! I want to know what those two are up to. They are not allowed up here, and I will not have them spreading rumors or bad mouthing anyone inside this castle. If they cannot maintain a certain level of decency I will remove them myself." I don''t think I have ever heard her use his full name before, outside formal events. She''s just as scary as Alpha Reggie when she needs to be. Between the two of us, we exin the situation with the girls and let Mina tell her addition to the story. I noticed while Mina was talking that she kept scratching at her arm. After we were done talking I could tell that the Alpha and Luna were having a discussion over their mindlink, so I took the opportunity to ask about Mina''s arm. "What''s wrong with your brand? You keep scratching at it, like you''re allergic to something." "Not sure, but it has been like this since I woke up this morning. I have felt kind of off all day too, like I am getting sick or have a fever." "Do you think someone put something in your drink or food?" "No idea."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "Mina, can I borrow you for a moment?" Luna Anne interrupted our conversation. "We''ll be right back." She was clearly still angry about what happened with Chalrene and Olympia. But I''m not sure if the anger was directed at them or me. Once they left Alpha Reggie looked at both of us. Your Luna Queen doesn''t take kindly to her family being insulted and she is fed up with the behavior of our elders as much as the rest of us. As soon as Xander can take the throne we can actually start to rece some of our older or unhelpful Elders with those who will actually take the job seriously, until then we are stuck." "Can Midge here be on the council? She''s the only other person I will trust outside you and my mates at this point." "Once you are king you can set up your council how you see fit, but I would not disband them all, you will need the experience on your side as well." "Honestly, there''s only two who don''t seem to pull their weight and yet have the most opinions on everything." I have no idea what happened with Luna Anne, Mina and whoever they went to see, but Olympia and Charlene have not bothered us for several weeks now. It doesn''t mean that we let our guard down at royal functions, but it has made them more pleasurable. One of the mid-summer meetings the Alpha King hosts the Alpha Games. The Current Alphas are paired up with an Elite warrior and they have to find a designated hidden-item in the forest. They have to search over a hundred acres of forest and are given minimal clues. It''s all good fun and for bragging rights, but something that I''ve heard talked about a lot since I have been here. I guess it''s an honor to be chosen as a warrior partner. e Mina and I are actually on guard duty tonight. We aren''t with Luna Anne, Alpha Reggie or Xander. But, we really weren''t needed since this is an exclusive event for the Royal family, the Alphas participating and their Lonas and the warriors participating. It''s something where they can let their hair down and have fun. Apparently the sh*t talking is epic and noteworthy. So we are watching the elevator to the Royals floor since many of the castle guards are chosen to participate in the event. Mina is still itching while we are standing here. "Sky, it really burns now. I don''t know what is happening, nothing seems to help. She is doing her best to not draw attention to herself, but looks like she is really in pain. I have not had any issues with my brand. "We''reing. Keep her calm." "Doc Sylvia? I need you, something is wrong with Mina. Her warrior brand has been itching for a few weeks and she says it''s burning her now. She''s in a lot of pain. We are in the castle, guarding the main elevator." Chapter 0417 2-110 "Help ising Mina. Hold on just a little longer okay?" She just nods at me while she is trying to hold her position and taking deep controlled breaths. About five minutester several things happened all at once. Mina drops to the ground in the fetal position, panting and holding her arm, but not making a sound. She is trying to be brave and stay calm like Doc Sylvia asked. Then she let out a blood curdling scream and went limp in my arms as a pulse of magic burst out of her and expanded away from us like a ripple from a drop of water. Then I heard the most feral gowl I have ever heard in my life. Doc Sylviaes running at me from the front of the castle, a door bangs behind me but I can''t be bothered to look while my friendys here limp. The next thing I know I am lifted off my feet and tossed aside I slid across the flooring to a stop only because I hit a wall. "What did you do to her?!" Xander''s growl and menacing look told me his wolf was almostpletely in control. "Xander? I...I didn''t do anything. Please let Doc Sylvia help her." "Stay back! No one else hurts mate!" Mate?! Oh sh*t! "Xander, please. Her warrior bond broke, but it wasn''t supposed to do that. She''s in pain. Let Doc Sylvia help her. Where is Oscar? He''s going to want to be with her too. She needs both her mates." I try pleading with his wolf, staying right where I am. I don''t need his wolf attacking me or shifting right on top of her. "Oscar?" His growl is still there, but less as the thought of his other mate calms him. "Yes, call for Oscar." I plead. "He needs to be here too. You both together can help her heal. She''s been having trouble with her warrior brand for weeks. Maybe your bond caused it to break since you have been spending so much time together." "That''s a good theory, Skr. Can You call Oscar though, I don''t know if Xander''s wolf is going to give him enough control to do that.¡± "Oscar, we need you. We found your female mate and Xander is losing his mind here. Please try to calm him or a lot of us are going to get hurt. His wolf is on a warpath." "I''m on my way Midge, I thought I felt something in my chest open up. Who is she?" "Mina, your Luna is Mina." "Really?! What happened?" I told him about the itching and the warrior brand bothering her for a while. It didn''t take him long to get here and the moment he touched Xander, the tension surrounding the room evaporated like fog. "We have her my love. We areplete now." Oscar kisses the side of Xanders head and they both hold her while Doc Sylvia works around them. "It''s been two days! Why is she still out?" Xander snarls the same question he''s been asking for thest 48 hours while pacing a hole in the plush carpet. "Her brand was not designed to leave her like that, it took its toll. You need to be calm for her. If what Skr said is right they should have their brands until next summer, she was forced out of hers because of how strong your connections are. You should be proud of her f f her for enduring that." Doc Sylvia both scolded andforted in the same statement. "I am proud of her, I just need to see her eyes, open and alive. It''s different now that she is our mate." He sits down for the first time in a very long time and I ce a ss of water in his hand. "She is a fighter and you know that. Let her heal ande to terms with the idea of being the next Luna Queen. Do you know the kind of pressure that is? We used tough about it when we would stay up talking when I couldn''t sleep. Th eThis content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Luna Queen had the ultimate pressure. She has to be strong and independent, but also kind and soft, while supporting the Alpha King and all their subjects, but at the same time have her own identity and calling in life. There''s no way anyone who really understands what the Luna Queen''s expectations are would choose to enter into that position." He stops to look at me for just a second, and then walks over to me and wraps me in a hug. Thank you for being here and keeping me sane through all of this. I don''t know what any of us would do without you Midge." "That''s what family is for, right?" I hugged him back. "Now go and be by your mate. She is resting, getting ready for the likes of both of you." I wink at him. "That takes a little mental preparation. No one ns to have two mates and you and Oscar have had time to wrap your heads around this, who knows what she is thinking." "You are the first person I am going to add to our advisory council. You will be the youngest person to be called an elder." Heughs as he gives me one more squeeze and then lets me go, to go andy by Mina. We had her moved to the room he and Oscar share to make her morefortable and in the hopes that their scents would help her heal and wake faster. She''s in a kind ofa. SHe''s breathing and responds to basic muscr maniptions, but is stuck in her sleep. She moves and §Ö turns, but it doesn''t seem fitful or like she is frightened, just moving. She cuddles to both Oscar and Xander when they sleep next to her, but she will reach out if I am near. Elena thinks that is because we got our warrior bonds together and we have a connection forged from that experience. Chapter 0418 2-111 Finally on day three we got a reprieve from hera. "Wha...Where am I? What happened? I feel like I am moving through sand.¡± We all jump up. Xander and Oscar have made her a sandwich every night. I have been sleeping on a recliner and not loving it, but the alternative was worse. I found I got sick if I was away from her, trying to sleep in my own room. So here I am. "My head hurts. Sky what did we do at the Alpha meeting? We didn''t take shots did we?" She still thinks it was days ago. "No, we didn''t do shots." I smile at her, at least her humor is still intact. Do me a favor, take a deep breath and tell me what you notice." She looks at me funny but does what I ask. "Oh, my what is that?" She sniffs again and then looks around, just noticing Xander and Oscar sitting next to her. "Oh, sh*t!" I giggle and she looks back at me. "You found your mates and it seems you weren''t ready for that surprise." "No way! There is no way I''m their mate. That is not possible, I cannot be the next Luna Queen. No one would want me as their queen." She''s still talking to me like the guys aren''t even there. "You''re our Queen." Oscar purrs behind her.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "Oh, no! I''m out, ya''ll need to talk...or whatever." I got up and tried not to run out of the room. I did not see Mina, Oscar or Xander for a couple weeks after that. I have been spending more time with Sierra though, which has been a bonus. We were hanging out in the castle, she''s been helping me review the grimoires that Elena left for me now that neither of us are subjected to regr school hours. I''m actually getting the hang of some basic element maniption. I was able spark a fire yesterday and blow Sierra''s hair around. But it wo takes lot of energy out of me. Elena thinks that might be because I don''t actually have witch blood, just ess to the use of the magic. Something I will have to work on, because it won''t make sense for me to use the power at the cost of weakening my whole body to the point of not being able to protect myself. Elena thinks that I might be able to build up my use with time, like a muscle. "I can''t wait!" She beams and ms a book closed. "The guys should be here within the week. I haven''t seen Sam since my birthday, they have been so busy. I mean I guess we have been busy too." She gives me a look. It''s the same one she always gives me when we get close to the subject of my capture. "Sierra, I''m not going to break or run off crying about what happened. Stop doing that. I have always been able to count on you to treat me the same no matter what has happened to me. Please don''t change now." I walk over from my seat to give her a hug. "It''s easier said than done. I have seen so many of your injuries, but it was always after the fact. This time I got to see you right after, barely alive and it was really scary, and super impressive at the same time. I don''t want to treat you differently, it''s just different here. You are a leader here and so many people want your attention or your advice. You''re kind of a big deal." Iugh and nudge her. "You have always just seen me for me, even before people who have known me my whole life, don''t let that change." I take a deep breath and look over at her. "And speaking of the guys, do they know? About any of it?" "I actually don''t know what they know. Obviously Alpha Lucas and Luna Ava have some kind of idea, but I don''t think even they were told the whole story. ALpha Lucas would have had you back home just as fast as the guys." She smiles at me with her little joke. "You''ll have to give them hugs for me. Technically speaking, I am still in training and can''t have contact with the outside world. And we are gearing up for our next rescue mission." "How long are you going to hide behind that excuse? You will have to see them eventually." "It''s not an excuse, and I know, but I don''t even know what I would say to them now. It''s been a year, but it feels like forever and the only contact we had was a letter and the ne they sent for my birthday, that still brings up rough memories. I was attacked, poisoned and beaten within an inch of my life all because of something as minor as wanting me to go to a dance. That''s thest actual memory we all have of each other. It''s so stupid, but I still just struggle with that. With being beaten by her, again, with them not noticing what is really happening right under their noses. With the imbnce of discipline and justice from them and even Luna Ave and Alpha Lucas. Ugh!" I rub my hands over my face. "So it is Kaley. It took you two years to tell me that." She huffs. "That''s the part that you caught in the whole conversation? Damn. I must be tired or you are getting better at your interrogation techniques, Yes, Kaley is my problem. She wants to be Luna and has always had a target on me even before you came along and forced the guy''s notice my way." I gave her a half smile. "We are the same age so there is still time before she finds out if she is mated to any of them. But I don''t think she will care, she will try everything to be Luna. She''s worse than Olympia and Charlene." "I gathered that. She threw quite the tantrum when the boys left the mating ball. Broke a few things... very Luna-like, I might add." Sheughs at her own sarcasm. "You didn''t tell me that! Actually I don''t think I heard anything about that night. Everyone was focused on what happened to me, we never talked about everyone else." Chapter 0419 2-112 "Well it took you weeks to heal and you returning to health was everyone''s main priority and then we were all told to leave you alone and let you focus on training. Everyone was really worried about you and your safety. I was actually surprised that the Alpha King let you go to school and train." "I see it differently. No one wanted me to train, but they also didn''t want to ''waste my skill." I rolled my eyes. "Just because I was too young to do the full training. So the obvious choice was the hybrid thing, that no one else does, which brought even more attention, negatively, to me. Audrina saw fit to spread rumors that I slept my way into the training program and even went so far as to try and haze me out on my first day. That was super fun. Then it got more weird when I started attending functions at the castle, again something no other warrior does, inciting more rumors both in the castle and on the trainingpound. No one knew I was rted to Alpha Reggie, so some of the rumors I heard were a little gross. Then, I was sent on a mission because my age and intelligence conveniently fit into a bracket that served their purpose, so then my age wasn''t an issue and I was allowed to be branded. Oh and I went into the mission with the intention of getting captured, might I add." I took a deep breath in slowly and out slowly. "I know I sound like I amining, and maybe I am a little, but it just feels like I am a walking contradiction. Everyone is worried about my safety and wants to keep me in a bubble, but my skill set requires me to be on the frontlines. I''m too young to participate, but my knowledge is needed. Things need to be kept from me because it''s assumed that I might be triggered, but no one thinks to ask if I want to know and everythinges back to me dealing with it anyway. Oh and to top it all off I am rted to the royal family and have special abilities, but no one can really exin them because I have multiple, again unlike anyone else before me. It''s like a bad pattern. Like I told the guys, I know you all mean well, and it''sing from a ce of love, but at some point I really do want a say in what I am going to do with my life. Do you realize that the only thing I actually asked for was to do warrior training when I turned 18?" I sit down in a squishy reading chair by the window and rub my face again, leaning my elbows on my knees and pressing so hard into my eyes I see colors behind my eyelids. It''s the first time I have said any o these things out loud before. All my worries, all the jumbled thoughts in my head. Everything that is overwhelming me. I feel drained all of a sudden. Shees over and pulls me up and into a hug. We just stand there for a few long minutes. ¡°Come on, we need to run, you need to burn some energy. Maybe some sparring for old time''s sake and we will make sure to take extra warriors with us because you seem to be a ma for trouble. Call Wyatt and Nathaniel, oh and Lillian and Jena. You all need a break. None of you have really had down time that didn''t include being unwillingly unconscious." I huffed augh into her shoulder. She isn''t wrong. We meet up at the sparring grounds on the warriorpound, because as much as I said I want control over my life. Sierra is right and I have be a ma for trouble and I will not be caught off guard again if I can help it. Thepound is the safest ce for me to let go and just be. Sparring was fun. Weughed and gave each other a hard time, but actually worked and got sweaty too. Jena and Nathaniel told us about the information they found on some members of her pack and once everything has been confirmed she might be able to go out and see them and give them the invite to follow her back here or officially join the pack that took them in. They have actually done a really good job working together. We have located about twenty people. Only five families have taken her up on her offer toe to the Royal pack, but they were all ecstatic to see her and promised to reach out as well, letting people know she is safe and looking for them. Many of them found homes and even mates in other packs, but the more people we talk to the faster word is getting out to her pack members who want toe home to her. The reunions have been heartfelt and tear filled. They have also been searching for signs of the rogue king''s operation, now that we have a better idea of what their needs are we have started tracking those things. Like ingredients that are specific to the spells they are using orrge quantities of food being sent to what seems like the middle of nowhere. Many witch covens are on our side as well, now that they know what is being done to their kind. "So did you figure out Mina''s brand? Do you know what happened and will it happen to you guys, since yours are temporary too?" Lillian asks Sierra, Jena and me as we are stretching.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "We have some theories about that, but I think my parents agree with Sky and it was the proximity to her mates and the fact that the bond to the Alpha King is so strong, it literally disintegrated the brand." SHe looks at me. "The both of you were spending so much time here too, between all the c*ckblocking events and actual learning, you were with him more here than you were ever with me back at Blue Crescent. Chapter 0420 2-113 "I actually miss all of them, but I get needing time to form the mate bond. Has anyone seen them since the bond kicked in? I''ve been spending so much time holed up in the study and I didn''t want to disturb... anything." I can feel my cheeks heat up. "You are so funny!" Sierraughs at me.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "What?!" "You can say s*x, it''s okay. They are probably having tons of baby making s*x. Why are you blushing?" Sierra scolds me. "It''s normal." "I''m not blushing, and I just don''t really like talking about it. It''s personal and private, no one else should be discussing it." I try to shrug it off. "Of course we should, how do you think anyone learns? I can bet all the guys discuss it, Right Wyatt, Nathaniel?" "Probably not as in depth as you think, but yeah, I guess so." Wyatt says and I can''t keep my eyes from going wider. I do keep my mouth mped shut. "It has helped when some girls struggle with getting the memo that it''s casual, even when you tell them many times before anything happens. Clingers are the worst and we usually try to help each other out before a situation gets rough.." My jaw did drop, that was the most I have ever heard out of him at one time. "I mean, it''s been a couple years though. The full warrior brand makes it impossible to do anything." It was his turn to look shocked, he didn''t mean to let all that slip out and I had to giggle. At least I wasn''t the only one to feel awkward in the conversation. "Really? Nothing at all?" Sierra asks. "I don''t know if I could handle that." "It''s not a big deal, honestly. There isn''t any desire to have s*x. If we were just banned, but had all the urges I would have been kicked out before we even started." His boomingugh carries across the field and we all join in. "Like I don''t even think I could get it up if I watched the hottest porn all day. Or if you all stripped right here and started rubbing one out." He shrugs. "Nope, nothing, and you all are hot, the idea alone should have me all worked up." He shrugs again. "That was graphic." I mumble "What don''t act all sweet, you''re probably the most kinky out of all of us. The shy ones usually are." He winks at me, and I just sit there with my mouth shut. How do you tell people that you haven''t done anything with anyone, ever? Sierra knows my inexperience, but she is a great friend and keeps that to herself. Before we dive any further down this rabbit hole the dinner bell goes off and I am the first to jump up and head in. Morning training has been better now that we have been put into teams. It''s so weird to think that I have been a part of this program for a year already and there is another string of new recruitsing in. Now that we have the basic training done, Osiston and Nicks have divided us into tactical teams. These are the teams we will go on missions with primarily. There are always exceptions if someone extra is needed or a special skill is needed, but this is our go-to team. Lillian, Jena, Wyatt, Nathaniel and I have been teamed up. And because of our personal experience with the chemicals, poisons and spells from the rogue king, we sometimes get Sierra to work with us as an onsite liaison to her parents. Our primary missions consist of finding Jena''s pack members and tracking down this rogue group. It''s an obsession that both Jena and I have. Some have mentioned that it is borderline unhealthy, but they weren''t there. They didn''t have to witness or experience the things we did. This f*cker will pay for his crimes, with his life, if it is thest thing I do. We have been gone for a week, which was helpful, cause Xander, Mina and Oscar still haven''t been seen. This mission is interrupting a supply of herbs needed to perform the cloaking spell that they have. When it didn''t stop and off load where our information said it would, we decided to follow. We made it about six hours away and I am so d that I learned how to shift without shredding my clothes or having to change at all, because we have been sleeping outside following this convoy around. Sleeping as my wolf haset been way morefortable. The two semi trucks would not have caught anyone''s attention except Mike''s face showed up on one of the facial trackers Jena set up and now that we found them, they have picked up another semi and an entourage of ck SUV''s following them like a protection detail. So it''s either very important spell ingredients or they are transferring people. They are heading back in the Royal Pack''s direction. Our orders are to follow and report and nothing else and Jena and I have been having a hard time with that since we have seen Mike walking on his own a few times. The cocky asshole. He thinks he''s untouchable. I''m holding it together better than she is, but barely. Nathaniel and Wyatt only need to monitor one of the crazy girls, not both. Nathaniel was able to get trackers on the original two trucks, but not the third. There have been too many people patrolling to get in and out undetected. I want that third one. They only added extra patrols when it joined them. We did notice all the guards are wolves, but they are all carrying guns and few have knives strapped to their legs. Why do wolves need so much weaponry? "Alright. I think I see a window." I say from my spot up high in a tree. ¡°The patrol has a hole in the route. In about thirty minutes there is going to be a five minute gap between one guard and the next. Nathaniel is that enough time?" Chapter 0421 2-114 "I think so if Liles with to help. It will be plenty of time." "What about me?" Jena whines. She''s scouting not far from Wyatt. "Not a chance." I responded. "I won''t even go, because the temptation will be too great, you are going nowhere near those guys. It will be a massacre and we are not in a position to deal with that fallout." "I''m ready, give me the go and scout, boss." Nathaniel says, ignoring Jena. He hates leaving her out, they have be close, but knows it''s for her own good too. "Me too." Lillian chimes in for the first time. "I will meet you at the back of the truck." She and Jena have been at each other''s throats because we have been giving Lil all Jena''s usual jobs on this mission. Not really what anyone wants, but it''s necessary. So I have been keeping them as far apart as possible. "Make sure you get in and get out. We don''t have any way to mask your scent now, so they will know something is up if you go right in. You need toe from the front and when you leave each take a different direction, go as far out as you have to to cover your tracks. Then meet up with us." "Understood." They both say. "We have about five minutes, get set." I stare just like I did the first time we were brought to thepound. It''s like this everytime wee back from a mission. I always smile seeing the bunkhouse and the trees lining the back, hiding all of the obstacle equipment from the road. This is my safe ce, my ce to feel free, but it still isn''t home. I don''t know if I will feel home until I find my mate though. Like a piece of me is still missing, but I don''t feel sad about the thought, more like I am waiting. "We should jump back in the jeep and keep working on your driving. You''re getting really good now." Wyatt says looking back from the passenger seat. "Aren''t you tired? We literally stayed up for two days and slept outside on the ground for the rest of them." Lillian whined. "Nah, I''m still kind of wired from all the caffeine. And I know Midge had more than me, so she is too." He winks at me. "Sure, we can. We''ll see how long before I crash." Iugh at him. We were all quick to drop our stuff off. Jena fell right onto her bed face first, starfish style. Shoes on and everything, just snoring away. I turn off the lights andugh as I head back out the door and downstairs. There are several jeeps that all the warriors can use. We tend to run everywhere, but this territory is so damn big that sometimes it''s just easier and better to drive. Wyatt and Nathaniel have been taking turns e teaching me to drive. They decided they were offended that I never broke any rules and didn''t try to drive before I turned sixteen. It fed to a lot of eye rolling on my part and razzing for being a goody goody for days from all of my friends. They are slowly trying to figure out how much of a rule follower I have always been. Now it''s a game that they try to sneak into conversation. Today isn''t one of those days though. We are both tired, but need to wind down from all the excitement, so he just has me drive around this awesome loop that surrounds this edge of the forest near thepound. It is so nice today even though we are deep into the summer. The air is warm, but not heavy and the breeze through the trees is just right. The different shades of green explode across the horizon and set my whole mind at ease after spending thest week overthinking what Mike and this. rogue king are up to, what they want from me and how they both fit into the dynamic of the royal family connection. I love that Wyatt doesn''t force me to talk when he knows I just need the peace and quiet, but he will also push me to speak when he knows I am in my head about something. We just ride in the open jeep letting the sounds and smells of the forest settle in for about a half hour before I start to really feel the hard week we just had and I head back to the bunkhouse. I pull up and Wyatt helps guide me to parking in the garage. Why boys need these cars to be crammed in here, I have no idea, but it makes me so nervous to pull in and out of here, but Wyatt won''t do it for me and will lose my privileges to drive it if I don''t take care of it, so here Pam, trying not to dent or scratch anything and it take aically long amount of time for me to figure it out. And Wyatt doesn''t hide his amusement at all. Ten minutester we are walking out of the garage and as we get to the front door, I stop short.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. "Mina!!!" I run to my friend and jump into her arms. She hugs me gently, but strong at the same time. I pull back from her to take a look. She is the same as she was a couple weeks ago, but she is different. I can feel it radiating off of her. "Damn, Luna. You look good. We''ve missed you." Wyatt walks up and gives her a side hug. "I''ve missed you guys too. It sounds like you have been up to all kinds of stuff without me." She smiles at both of us and we all start to walk in. I am starving and as much as I missed my friend, I cannot wait to have one of Ste''s hot meals and I have no issues dragging her along with me. "So...how''s mated life?!" Wyatt asks with a little lisp and batting his eyshes as he sits down at our table. Chapter 0422 2-115 Sheughs. "Alright, no beating around the bush then. It''s been great, but there is so much to it. Everyone left us alone for the first week which was amazing!" She closed her eyes and smiled. "Oh, yeah? How amazing are we talking? I need deets on our future Alpha King, you know forparison." Lillian chimes In. "Well, I have two, so there''s that." She smiles wickedly and I can''t decide if I want to know anymore or not. The more they talk about s*x around me the less embarrassed it makes me, but she''s also talking about Xander, my cousin and big brother stand in. I''m curious and conflicted. "Have you had them both at the same time? I always kind of wondered how that worked. I mean having multiple mates isn''t, like, rare, but it''s not supermon either. Do they get jealous at all?" "Nope, no jealousy. Actually, it''s a turn on to watch. They are both really hot and I never knew I was into watching, but having to just sit and watch them touch each other. Ahh!" "And, I''m out. I can listen to a lot of things and I am not judging at all, but I don''t not want that in my head everytime I have to talk to my Alpha King." Wyatt gets up and grabs Nathaniel''s arm as he approaches the table. "What''s up?" He tries to bnce his te. "That is a conversation you do not want to be a part of." "Huh?!" "Mina is here..." "I know I wanted to say hi." "She''s describing her s*xcapades with her two mates. She just started going into detail about them pleasing each other." Nathaniel''s eyes go wide. "Got it. Hi Mina, let us know when you are not gossiping." They both turn around and walk away. "I thought they would never leave." She giggles. "Don''t get me wrong I was not lying, watching my guys go at it all sweaty and animalistic is the hottest f*cking thing I have ever seen in my whole life. Then it only gets better when they bring me in, but I am actually here for you." "What do you mean?" "I actually saw your guys. They were at the castle for a couple hours yesterday and I think they stayed around hoping to see you, but your mission took longer than we thought. Alpha Reggie gave them an overview of what your job is now and they were trying to catch you in between. They brought you these." She handed me the duffle bag she had been carrying, but I didn''t pay any attention to it since it looks like any other ck duffle bag any of the warriors carry. "Just so you know, they know about your mission at UMaine and that you had been taken hostage, and it took a month to get you back, no other details. They also know about your connection to the Alpha King, but not that the Rogue King is more than likely targeting you because of your connection. Alpha Reggie gave them enough details to let them know how important you are and have been to this mission, but not enough for them to lose their temper and pack you up and take you home." "Oh, okay." I don''t know why I felt disappointed that they just went with whatever Alpha Reggie said and didn''t push for more information about me. I should be happy they were here to see me, but maybe that was just out of a sense of obligation. "Don''t look like that, remember it''s been a year and a half almost and this is the second time they have been this close to you, but can''t see you. It seems like something is always in the way, really." "Yeah. The Goddess wants me to stay as far from them as possible so they can grow up and find their mates and to stop being distracted with a feeling of needing to keep me safe. It''s allowing them to focus." "That did not sound bitter at all." Lillianughed at me and I flipped her off. "How long have you been stuffing down that particr feeling" "Ugh, my whole life." I roll my eyes. "Well, I disagree. I think they have been smacked with reality and areing to terms with it." Mina chides. "What?" "Just open the bag." She shoves it at me. I open it and it''s full of ck stuff kind of jumbled together. What is all this?" "I''ll exin while you pull it out. They know you have a uniform that you wear while you''re here and on mission, but they thought you could use some upgrades." She smiles and I pull out the first thing. A set of wrist cuffs. With a small two inch de stuck in each one and a few pockets for other things. I wrap them on my forearms and tie theces. "Oliver thought you could use the handheld weapons after your capture." I pull out boots next. We havebats that we wear with the warriors, but these go about halfway up my calf and they also have des tucked into hidden pockets. "The boots are from your brother, and he must think you need weapons too." Sheughs as I pull out the fourth inch des from the sheaths. I put these on and they fit perfectly and feel like pillows on my feet. Next is a supply belt. This one in leather, with extra hooks and D rings for who knows what, but I can guess based on the very thick sturdy look to it, this one is from Sam. On each side is an extension with a thigh strap gear pockets and more des. "Sam?" I look at her with a knowing smile. "Who else would buy you bondage in the form of gear?" We allugh.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "I''m just d he''s not here to see me put it on. Can you imagine thements he would be making right now." "Yes. He would tell you all the different ways he would tie your hot ass up to a bed." I can feel my entire body blush at that. "There''s one more thing." She bends down and reaches into the bag, and pulls out a handful of material and passes it to me. It''s a jacket. I shake it out and put it on. The hem is cropped just above my pants so I have freedom of movement with the thick soft material. The sleeves have bands of thick leather so I can move but will be protected in a fight with minor weapons. The hood is lined with the same soft material from the body of the jacket, but lined with strips of the same leather as the arms on the outside. "The jacket was the twins idea. Apparently, you like to scrape yourself up when you fight. This will help with all the rogue stuff too, since they seem to use a ton of weapons. It will give you an extrayer of protection. Chapter 0423 2-116 I turn around with all my gear on. "What do you think" I can''t help smiling at the stuff they gave me. I don''t know if they had help, based on the coordinations of the whole outfit, I should assume Sierra was involved, but it''s all perfect and what I need as these missions get longer and more difficult. "You look like an assassin. Remind me not to piss you off now that you can beat four full grown, fully trained wolves at one time and are armed to the teeth with weapons too." Lillianughs. Two weekster our tracker on the supply trucks paid off and we have found a consistent pattem of stops. Several teams are called in. We are going to finally pursue this from multiple fronts. Hopefully this will end soon. PAcks are still being attacked, but all we can do is go in and make sure everyone is trained enough to get to safety. We have noticed a higher number of survivors as we go in to help after attacks, but it''s not enough for me. The attacks need to end. This Rogue King is going to have nobody to rule if he keeps on like this. "Tracker, you will lead a team here." Osiston points to a ce on the map about four hours North of us. Thomas, your team will take the East nk. Drive them towards the ocean line where Nicks and I will be with our teams to intercept. The southern end buts up to the Northern portion of the Alpha King''s territory, we will put our newer recruits and all of those packs security detail heavy on those borders. With Jena, Nathaniel and the rest of the tech team we have been able to slowly cause problems with their supply chainsing and going from the sea. This attack will cut them offpletely and they will know we are onto them. There''s no turning back. Do all team leaders understand your assignments?" A confident ''yes, sir'' echoes across the room. "Get with your teams and discuss your strategy. Get to know youry of thend and remember to be aware of the invisible enemies too. Dismissed. Skr, Jena, and Lillian, stick around."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. We all stop and turn back to him and just stand there while he finishes several conversations and is apparently waiting for the room to clear. "I have a separate mission for you three that is in tandem to this one. We have visual confirmation on Mike''s whereabouts." Jena and I stop breathing waiting for him to finish. "I am cing you three here." He points to a spot on the map that is about a hundred miles from my pack''s north western border, but not near the isthmus that connects the ind to the maind. That''s a weird ce to be unless he''s nning to attack by boat, which is possible." ording to Nathaniel, he has been moving in Blue Cresceant''s direction slowly over thest month. We think he is targeting you, Little One. Now whether that is because you got away from him or because the Rogue King wants you we don''t know. What we do know is that your pack is in imminent danger." I look up from the map and just stare at him. "They have been warned and are taking all precautions, but I thought you would want to be ced in between your pack and the threat." "Absolutely. Thank you, sir." He just nods. "We are also working under the assumption that he thinks Jena is with you. He clearly tracked you home thinking that''s where you would run to after being Captured, We may be able to slow them down by using you both as a dist but only if you are up for it. It will be the three of you. I need Wyatt and Nathaniel on the defensive line to intercept Tracker''s wave of rogues." He looks at both of us. We don''t even need to confer with each other. Mike is going to die and it will be at our hands. He won''t get to hurt another girl again. "Yes, Sir." We both say confidently. I A weekter most of thepound is packing up the different jeeps and SUV''s we will all take to our initial starting positions. I hug Wyatt. "Come back in one piece alright" "What are you talking about? I''m not the ''try to kill me" ma. You be careful. I know you want Mike, but don''t let him take you out in the process, he doesn''t get to win like that." He pulls me into another headlock hug then moves over to Lillian and Jena. I hug Nathaniel too. "I''ll see you soon. Keep me posted on that over watch." I wink at him and he winks back. Even though he''s going to be working with the clean up team, I know he''ll have drones in the air for Alpha Reggie and the other leaders to keep track of what''s going on all the time. It gives us the advantage because any one of them watching can link us to give us a heads up." We all climb in our vehicles and disperse like a flurry of ants in different directions. This is it, the beginning of the end... hopefully. I didn''t realize how far the site of the trainingpound was from the ocean and my pack. I always just looked at a map, did the math for the closest border and just always had ''it''s only two hours away'' in my head. It took us nearly five to get to our assigned location. Chapter 0424 When we stepped out of the SUV I could literally smell pack members on the breeze. I was so close to home and yet I couldn''t go anywhere near them until this threat was taken care of. We set up camp and checked in with the rest of the teams. We were one of thest two to check in. No one had any trouble getting to their position and I don''t know if I should be suspicious about that or not. I chose to keep the idea that somebody on the enemies'' side probably knows something about us moving out of thepound. The following day, we got reports of our tech and cyber team being set up and picking up movement. "Tracker, you''re good to go. Looks like they are moving theirtest shipment." "Thomas, the team you are tracking has doubled in size. They seem to be in a holding pattern." "Brogen, is your team ready to intercept? You have about an hour before the first wave. The lead truck seems to have all equipment, take it out before you attack, it could buy some time." "Nicks, move your team North one supply truck has veered from the route" It was a constant barrage of information all day. 1! forgot what it was like to have so many people in my head, it was starting to give me a headache. "Midge, there''s been no sign of Mike at all. I have a bad feeling about that." Nathaniel said over everyone, most of the chatter died down. "What do you mean ''no sign?" Osiston asks, opening the link to several more people. Based on the look on Lillian and Jena''s faces they were added. And probably the rest of the team leads. "We saw him at his campst night, and then nothing at all after he went inside his tent. They packed his shit this morning. I''ve been on this watch personally." "We''ll figure it out. Are we still the closest to hisst known position?'' I can''t dwell on what might have been missed, he''s on his way, I can feel it and he''s ready for revenge after we got away from him. "If he stays on the path he''s been taking for thest two days, yes you are in his path." "We''ll start a scout party and keep you updated. He''s not that smart, but I''m pretty sure the people around him are." "I want a check in every fifteen minutes from here until we find him, understood" Osiston asks, well I guess growls is more like it. "Understood." The three of us say together.This is from N?velDrama.Org. "Let''s pack up and start heading that way." I point just Northwest of us. "It didn''t seem like he was following the coast, but he may be heading to the ind entrance or somewhere near it." Both girls agree and we make quick work of camp. We decided to leave the SUV parked as if we were hiking. It will mean more flexibility if we do find him and we can leave unnecessary gear here too. Jena and I have been working with Lillian and Sierra on shifting without destroying clothes, so none ofus need to worry about any heavy bags slowing us down. I We walk for most of the day staying about twenty feet apart so we Can cover more ground trying to smell if they have been here or not. When the sunlight starts to change to a darker yellow we shift our position in a wide arc and start to head back to where we came from. We didn''t find anything, but it sure beats waiting around for nothing to happen. Once the sun set behind the mountains and the air started to take a cooler turn and dusk set in, we heard it. A crackling fire and murmuring voices. I stop and the girls follow suit, no questions asked. We are that attuned to each other and have developed a high level of trust. They listen too. We don''t mindlink, none of us want to miss anything, if these are rogue wolves. The conversation sounds serious, but whispered. They know anyone could be watching. At least they have somemon sense. "That b*tch was supposed to be here. They f*cking lied to us. Probably set us on a wild goose chase just to see how long we would stay out here looking for her." One guy says. I can only see profiles with them being between the firelight and us. "Yeah? I dare you to call Mike and tell him that. See what he says about the wild goose chase." The guy in the center pulls out a phone. I look back and forth to the girls at my sides They are here for one of us and Mike isn''t here. What does that mean? We also know, some of them, at least can''t mind link se they are reliant on cell phones. We can probably make this work. I tilt my head to the right signaling Lillian to head the way and to the left for Jena. We are going to surround them, one for each of us. "Osiston, we have some activity. Three guys, they mentioned Mike, but he isn''t here. They are using cell phones tomunicate. We are going to try and neutralize these guys and see what we can find out." "Stay safe, Little One." "Always." I giggle at him. And he just huffs. Chapter 0425 We all get into position and I give Lillian the lead. She''s in front of them now and can see what they are doing. She holds her hand up to stop us. They are all looking at something, heads close together. Then all hell breaks loose. The silence was broken by a low, guttural growl that reverberated through the woods. I was thrown forward, but recovered quickly rolling to the side as another swipe of an arm blew past my head. I lost track of the girls, but I''m sure they were keeping just as busy as me. A second guy joined my fight. Both of these guys were big- ish. I guess when youpare anyone to my guys they are just -ish. But everyone is always bigger than me and the stupid ones think that makes them better than me. These two were no different. One lunges at me trying to get at my legs, I turn away and use the move I used on one of the guys forever ago and used one of his arms to swing me up and jab my elbow into the soft spot on his lower back making his muscles spasm. He drops to recover while his buddyes at me, grabbing one of my arms. I twist under, but he doesn''t let go right away and the skin to skin rubbing burns like a b*tch. I manage to break his grip though as I continue to move behind him and kick his knee in. It was too much to hope I broke something, which would slow him down. Bonehead number onees at me with a couple wild punches. I manage to grab one wrist and use his forward momentum to pull him towards me, punch his face, and knee him in the thigh. I push off of him and move onto his buddy with a side kick to the center of his chest knocking him backwards. I''m not trying to let them get their hands on me. Number onees at me and I throat punch him as he reaches for me and number two grabs me from behind, lifting me off the ground. Number one smiles his yellow rotted smile and stalks forward, panting hard. Fighting is clearly not their main job. When he gets close enough I kick up hard, catching him in the jaw. This time I heard bones crack as his head whipped back unnaturally and he fell backwards and I let my body weight pull me and number two down and forward. I reach back and grab two handfuls of hair throwing him over my shoulder and onto his back. I pull out one of my wrist des and stab him in the upper chest and twist the knife making it harder to heal.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. I hear a yell for help from Lillian, so I leave this douche to his wounds. Number one didn''t get up, I made a quick check for his breathing, nothing. Not sure how that works, but I''m also not going to question one less dickhead to deal with. I take off for the sounds of my friends. Jena has one guy fallen in front of her, she''s got two more battling for her attention. Lillian''s guy has her pin up to a tree and a knife at her throat. He''s talking to her, but I can''t hear what he''s saying over the rest of the fighting noise. I move up behind him. I''m downwind so he shouldn''t scent meing. I put my own de on his throat. "Where''s your boss hiding? Is he too much of a chickensh*t toe and find me himself?" I dig the knife in. I don''t care if these guys die, that really should bother me, but I can''t dissect that train of thought now. "You little b*tch. You''re not worth the trouble. He can have any p*ssy he wants and he chooses the biggest pain in the ass he could find. He didn''t say you had to be pretty when we brought you back..." He swings back and catches me with his elbow. My knife digs in and slices across his throat, but not enough to be lethal. "URGH! Just for that, I''m going to f*ck you so hard up against this tree that you can''t fight back anymore." At his words I see red. My wolf and I seem to almost connect in our anger. This is the type of guy that needs to never walk this earth again. I don''t even know what happened, but when I blink I am straddling him, two knives in my hands and blood everywhere. Lillian grabs my shoulder and I flinch away from her. "It''s just me, let''s go, Jena needs help.¡± We both take off and Jena''s guys are at least smart enough to know we pose a bigger threat than they thought. They take off and we are in pursuit. "We caught up with several guys, No Mike. Four down and we are chasing two now." I basically scream into the mind link. I don''t think I have ever had to report in while chasing down someone before. It''s a little irritating. I have no idea what direction we are running in. I do know that we are not letting these guys get away from us though and we have adrenaline on our side right now. They shift as they head over a ridge and we lose them for a few minutes, then I hear the unmistakable sounds of growling We shift immediately and let our wolves add their speed. We see our rogues engaged in a fight with pack wolves, my pack''s wolves. I can smell the familiar scents as we cross into the patrol border lines. Chapter 0426 2-117.5 The sh of fangs and ws echoed through the forest, and the wolves exchanged ferocious blows. The movements are so fast it''s hard to tell who caught these guys. I am stuck momentarily watching the beauty of the movement. Then I see it, the dark gray, almost ck wolf with a small white patch on his front, crouches down and snarls at one of the mangy looking rogues. Oliver. It''s Oliver''s wolf and he''s beautiful in his furious glory. Before I can even say anything, he lunges at the rogue, mps down on his neck and rips back. The rogue stood no chance against him. He turns towards the other rogue engaged with his partner. "Oliver! I need him alive!" I shout through our link and it feels almost rusty and slow. Oliver''s wolf whips his head towards us as we run forward, then looks back to the rogue lunging forward and sinking his teeth into its back nk. The rogue howls in pain, but there''s enough damage that he can''t fight anymore. The rogue falls to his side panting and whimpering. Oliver''s patrol buddy shifts and it''s one of the teens that trained with us forever ago. I can''t remember his name, but he has certainly grown up. I don''t pay much attention though, I only have eyes for my friend. I slowly walk up to him, still in my wolf form and he lets out a little growl which makes me pause. Then he shifts and stands there in all his naked glory. I shift back, fully clothed and he gives me a curious once over. I can feel Lillian and Jena behind me, they have shifted too. "Oliver." Ites out like a whisper. "You''re here?" He says it like a question, but it also sounds using. I nod and take a tentative step forward. "But not to stay?" I shake my head ''no.'' "I''m sure you all heard the rogues are on the move, we chased these two here after we took out four others. We need to question this one. I''ll find out where Osiston wants him." "That''s it? All business now. Too caught up in being a warrior to even check in with your friends?" Yep, he''s angry with me. My breath catches, but before I can say or do anything else I am tackled to the ground by a white and ginger wolf who starts aggressively licking my face. I hear exmations from the girls, but I start to giggle and it feels amazing. "Sam, stop! I''m so gross, covered in blood and dirt and who knows what else." He licks my face one more time and then jumps off of me shifting. He also stands uppletely naked. Reaching a hand down to help me up. "I had to see it with my own eyes, you''re really back!" His smile is infectious as he picks me up in a hug and spins me around. "Midge!" Lillian shouts as the underbrush around us starts to rustle aggressively, then my brother and the twins run out. My brother doesn''t even stop crashing right into me. "1am so happy to see you!" He breathes into my hair. "Me too!" I tighten my arms around his neck. "Tiny, what''s going on?" Cam moves to my side and I look up at him. I let go of Mateo and give him a hug around the waist then moved to Dakota before answering again. I don''t want to keep exining myself. I pull a silver cor out of one of my cargo pockets and take it over to the rogue. He''s shifted back to his human form, his injuries too much to handle. I lock the cor around his neck. "You try to shift the sliver in this cor won''t kill you, but suffocating while being poisoned slowly by the silver will." Then I stand and turn to my guys. "Yes, Oliver, it''s all business right now. I need this rogue alive, for now." I side-eye the rogue. "He needs to be questioned. Can we put him in the cells until I have my I orders?" I look back to the twins who are ncing between Oliver and I. If he is going to be a d*ck then so am in theThis content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . 1. "Of course. Any idea how long you''ll be home?" Cam asks, staying neutral. "No, we didn''t think the rogues would make it this far. We need to connect with Osiston and Alpha Reggie and have our guys expand the perimeter they have set to include where we found these guys." n¨¦t "Den, take this guy down to the cells. Little Bit, it''ste or early depending on when you sleptst, so let''s get you and your friends back to the packhouse, cause you know Luna Ava will kick your ass if she finds out you were on the territory and didn''t stop." At the mention of my friends I turn around and look at Jena and Lillian hanging back, but still nking me like the dedicated soldiers they are. ¡°Oh, umm, Jena, Lillian,¡± I gesture to each girl. "These are my future pack leaders. Cameron and Dakota, future Alphas. Mateo, my brother and the future Beta. Oliver, future Gamma and Sam, future Delta. Den is one of their warriors. Guys these are two members of my team. Sierra, Wyatt and Nathaniel are stationed with other groups." "Come on, shorty. You have some exining to do." Mateo puts his arm around my shoulder and leads us back towards my pack. I''m home. Chapter 0427 We are in the home stretch of Skr''s story. I hope to give some rity to a few plot points. I hope to give the characters you love and hate the story they deserve. This has been a work of love and fun and creativity I didn''t know I was capable of. I love feedback, I read it all. The best ce to interact directly with me is the F.B. I post my inspo pics and a little background. I love the discussions that havee about and the questions I get. You all see so much more than I do while I am immersed in writing the world. Many have asked for the guys POV while Sky has been gone. That has always been a part of the n, but I need to tell Sky''s story first :) The ADHD can be a real b*tch sometimes and once I''m off track, there''s no telling when I''ll get back on! LOL!Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I appreciate everyone who hase this far with me! Thank you for sticking around for this ride! Miss L Writes Chapter 0428 3-1 We follow the guys, Mateo hasn''t taken his arm off of me once in the whole ten minutes we have been walking. Sam has had a runningmentary the whole time. He met Lillian once while he visited Sierra a the Royal pack. "So Little Bit, I see you got our gifts, what do you think? Pretty amazing right?" He looks back over his shoulder at me. "Yes, everything hase in very handy." I smile at him. "Who''s knives did you use first?" He wiggles his eyebrows. You wouldn''t know that we were just in a fight, covered in blood with five guys dead and one in captivity based on the way he''s talking. I roll my eyes. "Oliver''s actually, saved my life and let me get to Lillian." I saw Oliver stiffen for just a second and then the smallest nod of the head, like he didn''t want to acknowledge thepliment, but couldn''t help himself. He''s upset with me and we really need to talk, but alone. "Told you they would be the most useful." He grumbles at Sam. "Damn, I guess I owe you lunch." Sam huffs, pping him on the shoulder and passing him to reach the truck first. The truck. It''s so silly, but I missed the truck, riding around in my spot between the twins, Sierra crammed in the back with Sam. The guys load a couple of bags. They must have been doing the same thing we were, camping out waiting for anything to happen.. "We got the message from Xander about the rogues and have been running wide patrols everyday, we wanted to make sure that we kept whoever these guys are off the ind." Cam reads my mind like he always does. "Do you have anything you need to pick up?" "We left our truck and gear, but we have everything that is important on us." Lillian jumps in, probably feeling my hesitation. "We don''t need any of it right away." "Something I am very curious about since you all arrived in your wolf forms." Mateo raises an eyebrow at me. "That is a story that involves drinks and Mina, but she''s busy getting ready to be the next Luna Queen." "More stories and more drinks." Sam says from the back of the truck. "Let''s go grab it now so we don''t have to double back and if these guys have friends nearby we can handle them and they can''t steal your gear or sneak up on us while we get you checked out.." "Okay. Let''s go. We have been up for a long ass time." Jena chimes in as she moves to the bed of the truck and climbs in while Sam and Oliver lift the bound rogue into it. "What are you doing?" Mateo asks. "Get in the truck, you''re injured, two of us will ride back here." - ¡°Thanks, macho man, but it''s good, I want to be here in case he decides moving is a good idea, I owe him for some fractured ribs and this serious ck eye." Jena points out and Lillian and Iugh. "You''re mad about a ck eye? You didn''t beat the sh*t out of the guy who broke your arm." I ask. "That was different. He was hot as f*ck and it was a total misunderstanding." "Is that the line he used when you threw him in your car and you decided to edge him Lillian smirks. "I got mine and he did break my arm." Jena shrugs and sits down her back to the back of the truck cab. "He also stole from the Royal pack and tried to beat his mate and his side piece. So he deserved it." All my guys are stunned into silence. "Pick your jaws off the ground, let''s go get our gear. I told you our stories require drinks." I move to climb in the front seat in my usual spot. Once I sit down it dawns on me that this might not be my ce anymore. "Is this okay? I look at Kota who is climbing in beside me." "Why wouldn''t it be?" "I..umm..it''s just been a while.. I don''t want to take someone else''s ce." I look down at my hands folded in myp. Why am I so weak and timid around them? It''s frustrating. "It''s no one''s ce but yours, Smalls." He says low into my ear. It took me a second to let my breath out. "So does everyone call you something different?" Lillian breaks the trance kam in with Dakota and as I look over my shoulder, I see ske knows exactly what she did." I rolt my eyes. "I mean the Alpha King Warrior Brogen call you ''Little and One'' and all the warriors call you Midge. But I think I have heard each of them call you something different." "Yeah. It started as a joke and stuck. Xander actually came up with Midge too, I''m pretty sure." : "Where to, Tiny?" Lillianughs and I roll my eyes at Cam who is just looking at me, not angry, but I think he''s not super happy to see me either. "Let me get our SUV''s location from Nathaniel. Hold On." "Nathaniel, I need the GPS coordinates to our SUV. We met up with the Blue Crescent Pack and we have a prisoner. We are going to take him back to their cells and get cleaned up. There are five down. Osiston or Nicks, we''ll wait for your orders." Not even two secondster I get a ping on my device.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "Big brother was watching wasn''t he?" Lillian smiles. "You know he was. He was probably watching the fight and taking notes so we can watch the rey and critique the fight." "Warriors seriously record their fights?" Oliver asks climbing in his side of the truck, looking skeptical. "That''s awesome! We should totally do that." Sam says, following suit on his side. "Not all warriors do, but when you have one of the youngest, most advanced and diverse teams that can do the surveince and the el team leader happens to be a gigantic pain in the ass and tends to get herself into trouble..." Chapter 0429 3-2 "Excuse you! You have been along for almost every round of trouble, missy, shut it. I also know Nathaniel is watching so I use the tech to my advantage. I''m sure he has eyes on us now because I get the feeling we are the only ones who have seen any action at all and he''s bored as f*ck." "Obssessed much?" Oliver snipes from behind me. "Jealous much?" I quip back. "I don''t know your team and the idea of some guy watching and recording you all the time sounds sketchy to me." "Eww. When you Say it like that, yeah." It was a quiet drive after that. Thank the Goddess it didn''t take too much longer to reach the SUV. "Midge, I''ll take the keys and follow." "It''s okay we can both go. I don''t think Jena is going to leave her hostage any time soon." I look out the back window at my friend. "Although watching her yell at your brother this whole time has been entertaining. I didn''t know we could even have sexual tension with these brands on, but I can feel it through the window from here." I smiled at Lil''sment, but looked back at my brother and my friend again. Huh, it does remind me of when Slerra and Sam first started hanging out. I''m going to have to pay close attention. Lillian goes to jump out of the car and I move to go with her, but Dakota stops me. I look at him confused. "Stay, Oliver can go with Lillian and make sure she gets to the packhouse." "But, I..." "No, stay, please." The look in his eyes was somewhere between pleading and serious. "I! want to talk to you." This was going to happen sooner rather thanter, but ! figured I would be osted by all the guys at the same time, not have to individually talk to them about leaving and avoiding contact. I nod, "Okay, I''ll stay, but I have to get out to give her the keys." I don''t give him time to think. I climb over and jump out. The keys are tucked into the back of one of my leg pockets. I pull them out and hand them to Lil. "Stay close, the terrain gets a little choppy around this area." "You act like I don''t drive ever." She rolls her eyes. "No" Jena shouts, "We don''t let you drive because you suck at it. Good luck Oliver, I hope you don''t get motion sick." Jena and Iugh, cause she isn''t joking one bit. Of all the things Lil is good at, driving she never really mastered. Oliver regarded me then swiped the keys from Lil''s hands." Hey! What the hell?" "Since I know where I am going, this will guarantee that we get there, and in one piece." Jena and I startughing again. I follow Oliver and Lil to our SUV. "Smalls, you said you would stay." I forgot that these big ass guys could be such babies. "Grabbing something, rx." I head back to their truck and throw Jena her jacket and a nket. "If you insist on riding back there you might as well try to befortable. It''s not going to be a shortride. Sleep while you can too. We''ve been up for almost 48 hours." "Yes, ma''am." She winks and I stick my tongue out at her before I climb back in the truck. I notice Sam is messing with something in the back and then sits down next to my brother. "Did you kick him out? What is so bad that you can''t talk to me in front of the rest of the guys?" "Is it so bad that we just want you to ourselves, Smalls?" "That''s fine, just not normal." I hesitate. "A lot has changed since you left Tiny. "Like what?" "Not as attached at the hip as we were. We all have jobs to do now. The full transition starts when we turn 18." That was all Cam said. That''s not cryptic at all. "Now do you want to tell us what really happened the night you left?¡± "Honestly, no. It''s something I have been working on forgetting. And before you all try to force me. I''d rather tell all of you at the same time so I only have to relive it once. It was one of the worst experiences and I have grown a lot since then." "We can see that." Dakota tries to lighten the mood a bit by giving me a once over. I shove him back with my shoulder. "Thank you for the gear. I really do love it. You guys seem to always know what I need. Thank you for the ne for my birthday. I was really surprised, I didn''t think you all would remember..." "How could we forget your birthday Tiny? You are too important to forget something like that." I just nod again and look down at my hands. "We just wish you would have reached out, let us know you were okay, anything. We were right there, more than once. Xander gave us one letter and that was all the response to each of our letters to you." "You know I wasn''t allowed to.." "That''s bullsh*t and you know it." Cam''s harsh words make me look up at him. "We were able to get things to you and we know that you are everybody''s favorite. I bet Warrior Brogen would have hand delivered a letter if you asked him to." "Stop! I am not the favorite, and I''m tired of double standards all the time. I didn''t want to, okay! I have been the weak little sister, the weak second born Beta my whole life. Then everything revolved around my attachment to you guys. I was noticed because of you t and Sierra being my friends. I was only seen as good at fighting because of you guys. Not because of my own talents or hard work. I needed this for me." My tone is getting higher as I talk. "I was always going to go to training no matter how many tantrums you threw. How I got there sucked ass, but I got there and have done nothing but bust my ass." "Just answer this, because Alpha Reggie t out refused to even talk about it. When you were captured and imprisoned for a month." He took a deep breath and let it out harshly. There''s that growl again. "Yes we was know about your capture, and no, Alpha Reggie did not want us to know about it, but dad thought our reaction would have been worse if it kept from us. Did he, did they, did that asshole touch you, while he had you? From what we got of your friend Jena''s story, there was a lot of mistreatment of the women who were captured." He almost choked on the words. This is from N?velDrama.Org. "No." I whisper and close my eyes. "Not me." I look behind me out the window at Jena. "But I witnessed more than I wanted to, but it''s not my story to tell." Cam''s shoulders rxed a bit and his anger seemed to simmer down a bit. I lean on his shoulder and reach for Dakota''s hand. "I''m okay, and for now I''m home, can you work with that? I promise we''ll talk, some stuff is just hard and I don''t want to say it more than once." He huffs, reaches for my hand andces our fingers together, keeping his gaze forward and the other hand on the wheel. The rest of the drive was silent. There was no way I was going to be able to have any more conversation with them right now. Emotions were too high. Apparently me leaving was still a point of contention. Even when my intentions were very clear Maybe after we have been here a couple days and my returning stops being a new novelty we can talk, until then I have to keep my focus on the job. Mike and the Rogue King are the target, the top priority. I am dozing on and off as we drive about an hour and a half before we get to the stretch ofnd that connects the ind to the maind. Once we cross it will be another half hour until we get to the packhouse A realization hits me suddenly. "Does your mom know I''ming? Should I link her?" Chapter 0430 3-3 "Are you kidding? Everyone knows you''re here. Sam practically melted everyone''s mind shouting it over the link." Kotaughed at me. "I''ll have to figure out where we are all staying. I didn''t even think about being this close to the pack. We weren''t sure what these guys had nned." "You have been gone too long. Your team will stay at the packhouse, like all important guests." "Okay, that works. I''ll talk to Mateo about my room at the Beta house. That is if my dad hasn''t converted it to something else." "Again, are you kidding? You''ll stay in your room at the packhouse. No one has touched it since you left. We actually all kind of avoided it." Kota looks pointedly out the window so I can''t see his face. "Umm, Okay. That works, as long as we aren''t in your way. Like you said, I''ve been gone a long time. I''m sure things have changed, just let us know if we are in your way, or anyone else that is in the packhouse now." We pull into the driveway and a hot pink d figure is standing on the porch tapping her foot. I take a deep breath. This should be fun. We all pile out of the truck as Sam and my brother unload the rogue and Oliver pulls up on the curb with our SUV. "What''s going on out here? You boys are never home in the middle of the day." Her dramatic gasp is audible. "What the hell is she doing here?! I thought you kicked her out of the pack." She snarls at me. My wolf raises her hackles and I let a small growl rumble out of me. "I have been training with the Elite Warriors..." "Don''t lie to make yourself sound better. You aren''t old enough to be an Elite Warrior and you''re a weak little second born Beta, who can barely defend herself." She steps towards me, a smirk on her face. I''ve never called her out on her treatment of me in front of the guys and she''s never been so blunt in her hatred. She probably thinks it''s because she scares me and the guys won''t do anything.. I move to step forward, but Kota wraps his arm around my waist and Cam steps in front of me. "Might I remind you that you are a guest in the packhouse out of courtesy. You need to show respect to our pack members and our guests."This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . Lillian and Jena walk up beside me, nking me, looking stern but not unpleasant. "This is the b*tch that has been messing with you isn''t it?" Lil links the two of us. "No way! This skank? Please can I punch her in the face? She looks very punchable." Jena chimes in. I "No, she''s still a pack member. We can''t just beat her up because we want to. You need proof and a cause. She''s the worst kind of trouble" I replied, a little defeated. How is it that these two, like Sierra, picked up on the animosity between Kaley and I and no one else has a clue? Our discussion is interrupted by a blur of motion in the form of Luna Ava flying at me from the front door. Dakota jumps away from me, just barely out of his mom''s path as she reaches me and pulls me into a bone crushing hug. "Oh, my sweet girl! I''ve missed you." "Luna Ava, you act like you didn''t just see me a couple weeks ago." Iugh into her shoulder. "You were safe then. No one was chasing my girl, no one was trying to take you from us again." "Luna Ava, I thought we were going to start going over ns for our fall celebration party." Kaley tries to bring attention back to herself. Luna Ava squeezes me tighter and whispers into my ear. " I''m sorry, this can''t be avoided or helped. I will exinter." "We have had a change in ns due to some activity at one of the borders. I''m sorry Kaley." Luna Ava looks me in the eyes as she pulls away from me, takes a deep breath, schools her face and turns around. "We have a meeting with the Alpha that cannot wait. Skr, where would you like your prisoner? We need to deal with him quickly so we can get his information to the right people. And we need to get you and your friends settled in their rooms and then you can tell me what you want for dinner. Lucas will be so excited to see you, we just didn''t get much time at the castle, you were so busy with your work with the Alpha King." She wraps her arm around my shoulder and guides me inside, Jena and Lillian following behind. I don''t know what they did, but Kaley let out a growl as we passed. Nothing more was said until we were all the way upstairs on the guys'' floor. Luna Ava looks around before heading to my room, like she''s waiting for someone to jump out and say boo. She leads us to my door after than and grabs the handle gently and slowly, like she''s afraid to open it. "Please dont be upset at the state of it. I would have had everything put back to rights if I had known you wereing today." "Huh?" She opens the door. It looks like someone has been Camping in here and all the guys scents are all over the room. "I thought Dakota said they all avoided my room, what is all this?" My bed is perfectly made, but there are piles of nkets everywhere. It looks like after a party and everyone sleeps wherever, too drunk to drive home. "Hmm. Well, don''t believe a word of that. Those boys have all been kind of lost without you and Sierra round. They actually have a rotation of who sleeps in here, but none of them touch your bed or your closettrying to preserve your scent." 3.5 Chapter 0431 "What the hell? That sounds crazy!" Lilughs. "These guys sound like the guys on thepound. What do you do to make them just fall at your feet? You have to teach me your secrets." "I don''t do anything, and shut up, no one falls at my feet. I was just really close with these guys, I''ve known them my whole life and the year before I came to training, we were pretty much inseparable. I struggled without them too, I just had other things to deal with at the time." "Yeah, like spending a month in the hospital recovering from being poisoned by someone in your own pack. Sorry Luna Ava, but I don''t understand why she is still able to be out and about walking around when she hurts pack members, especially pups." Jena is bold, she always has been with me, but it is fun to see here out of the shell her time with Mike put her in. She is embracing her Alpha blood and an equa to Luna Ava. "This room is a safe space, andpletely soundproof. And nothing I say leaves this room, I trust you girls because my Sky trusts you with her life. Kaley is a problem, always has been and without concrete evidence there''s very little we can do. Trust me we have tried, but we can''t juste out and use her of anything without it. We can''t be used of ying favorites. Her family is the kind of family that will cause trouble. What am I talking about? They are causing trouble now. Just to give you a heads up, because your not-so-warm wee is going to be a constant. The Cunninghams are staying with us while their home is being repaired. They are taking up half of the second floor, where you girls will be staying." She looks over at Lil and Jena with a grimace. "If it''s a problem, they can stay up here with me..." I start. "NO! Sorry, no they can''t. Kaley can''t say anything about you being up here, because you have always had a room up here. She will have a fit if we let your friends stay up here with you. It shouldn''t matter, nor should it be anyone else''s business. But they are the worst type of me-to people I have ever met and they tend to bog us down with useless business that really only benefits them. But Lucas and I have discovered that if we keep them busy, they don''t go do things behind our backs." "You pack members just do that?" Jena is actually offended. "Not necessarily, but many of our Elders, think they have more control and say than even the Alpha and they have gotten bold recently, just making decisions and giving orders and unfortunately our pack members don''t know any different because they are trusted leaders. I know Xander is having a simr issue. There always is a power issue when the next Alpha is getting close to taking over, that''s when all the politics really start to kick in." She rolls her eyes. "It''s all about power and we don''t want to teach our pack members to not trust the leadership. They need to trust us, know that our decisions are for their benefit and the safety of the pack as a whole. But some people who have been in power too long forgot what it is like to earn their position. So to not cause an uproar we try to deal with these things quietly. Of course we have our resident drama queen at the heart of several issues right now."This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . She runs her fingers through her hair, like she isposing herself. "All guests need to stay on the second floor. That''s what we told her and her father has been looking for any reason to get her up here, even iming they had family visiting from out of town who would need to be put up in the packhouse since their home isn''t finished yet. Kaley jumped on that train and tried to im this room for herself when they brought their stuff over. We told them to make other arrangements for their guests at the local hotel, we even offered to pay for the inconvenience. But in the end ''ns changed." She air quotes and rolled her eyes. "I don''t know how she keeps getting up here when we keep changing the entrance code to the door, but she does. Thest time she tried, oh that was an argument fit for TV. It was one of the few times I have ever had to use my Luna aura on a pack member." "How long have they been here Luna?" "Too long. Actually their house caught fire after a small attack about a month after you left. The amount of damage was not that severe, but whoever they hired to inspect it said it would be better to tear the whole thing down and start over, making improvements while they were at it. Everything has taken twice as long and been stalled out more times than I can count. They are stalling for time. The boys all turn 18 in the spring, Kevin wants Kaley near the twins to hopefully build a friendship good enough for them to consider her if they don''t find their mate or mates right away." "So he''s trying to wh*re her out in order to give her a better chance at being Luna." Lil surmises. "It won''t happen, they want their mate or mates, but boys will be boys and they have acted like all teenage boys their age and slept around. What they realized toote is that some of these girls think that makes them the next Luna by default, which is ridiculous. None of the boys have really dated since you and Sierra left. They really have changed." She sighs and I can''t tell if it''s a good thing or a bad thing. "Well, let''s go get these two rooms and then I can show them around a bit since Lil didn''t get to see much at trials and Jena has never been here." I look at Luna Ava seriously, I don''t want to feel anymore guilty about how the guys have behaved since I chose to stay away. Chapter 0432 3-4 I shake myself from my thoughts. I have no control over how they act. I am not the cause for everything that they do. They have jobs to do and got serious about them is all. They are going to start the transition soon and they know they can''t mess around anymore. "Will Jena and Lil be next to the Cunnignham''s room, or are they on the other side of the hall? I don''t know if I want anyone near them for an extended period of time." "They have three rooms at one end of the hall. I will put you girls at the other end, but I think that will work in our favor since you will be closer to the third floor staircase. Maybe it will derail Kaley''s actions. We should check in with Lucas too, just to see if he has had contact with Warrior Brogen about your prisoner. Anything from him on your current situation?" "I haven''t heard from him. Either of you had orders?" I look at my friends, who both shake their heads. "Weird. I told him we would wait for orders, maybe he wants us to just stay put. Maybe they caught up with rogues too and are tied up at the moment. We''ll give it twenty four hours and then I will check in again." The three of us start to move towards my door when Luna Avaughs. "Girls, you have been at this roughing it thing for too long. Stay here and shower, change, and for the love of my sanity please tell me if any of the blood you are covered in is yours. We can meet with Lucas when you''re done. Slow down, there is nothing rushing you right this moment. You could all actually rest. I think I heard you have been up for almost two days." We all look at each other. I know for me it''s the first real look I''ve given my friend''s since we met up with the rogues in the forest. We look like a hot mess warmed over. Even though we are all in our standard issue ck uniform, it is apparent that we were tumbling around in the dirt. There are still leaves and twigs in both girl''s hair, so I can safely assume I have them in my hair too. The finishing touch is the streaks of blood we all have on our necks and hands. There is stter across Lil''s face and Jena looks like she''s a vampire rather than a werewolf. We all startughing unreasonably hard. This should not be funny at all, but none of the guys said a thing to any of us about it. Although that may exin some of their reactions and the way they were talking to us. "Sky, your clothes are still in the closet, but I dare say you have filled out in your time away. Look at these muscles." She smiles at me. "Let me see what I can dig up for youdies." We each make quick work of showering the battle off of us. Luna Ava brought us all clothes in every shade except ck. I just rolled my eyes andughed at the options, then we all fought over the darkest colors. I ended up in navy blue leggings with a white t-shirt. Jena got the ck leggings and a red t-shirt. Lillian got gray joggers and an orange t-shirt. "It''s so weird to be wearing colors. I almost feel too bright." Lillianughs "I''m starving, let''s go see if we can grab some food before we head out." I lead the girls out the door. I half expected the guys to be waiting in the hallway like they used to, but no one was there. I am actually a little disappointed and then angry at myself for feeling that way. I left to follow my dreams, I can''t expect them to just sit around and wait for me. I mentally shake myself and head downstairs. We all slow down as we hear voicesing from the kitchen. "Daddy, fix this! She can''t be here, she''s a nuisance and she will mess up everything like always." "I will do everything I can sweetheart, you know that, but we can''t just attack her. She''ll be gone soon enough with her warrior missions." "Why not? Everything was better when she left. The pack was getting back to what it should be. She was making people rebel against me and as Luna I can''t have disloyal people in my pack." "I know sweetheart, and when you are Luna you can put her on an assignment somewhere out of the way, but for now tread carefully. She''s a favorite, whether it was earned or not, it''s a fact." A groan like screeches out of Kaley''s mouth and I decide I have heard enough. The three of us walk in and I head straight for the pantry. "I hope Lenny left something good to eat!" I say to my friends pretending like the Cunninghams aren''t even in the room. "She always made the best snacks, but she had to hide them from the guys because they would eat them all in one sitting." I grab random things and hand them over then turn to walk out. She''s not worth my time and no longer a threat. I will beat her ass if she so much as approaches me aggressively. I am done with her and her rumors and threats. We step out of the door and I take in a deep breath. The smell was so calming andforting, this is home. The forest, the people, I can even smell the training grounds. This is my forever ce, but I''m still tied to the Royal pack and the warriorpound too. It''s so weird to know that and have no idea what it means all at the same time. Now I am curious, and have no desire to be in the packhouse if Kaley and her dad are thereing up with ways to get rid of me. So we ate and we walked the short walk over to the training grounds. I am giving a runningmentary of the pack as we go. I hear a lot of noise as we approach the smallest of the three arenas. "What in the world? It''s the middle of the day, what''s going on here?" I ask no one in particr. We walk through the gate and what I see stops me in my tracks. All of my guys are working with groups of pups in the middle of the day on a weekday. What is happening? There''s never been training in the middle of the day before. I walk over, waving at Delta Kyle. "What is all of this?" "This is all you kiddo." "What are you talking about?" I look around as I ask him.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "You inspired a lot of things here. We train instead of doing gym ss with the pups now and all of the upperssmen volunteer to help throughout the week. With all of the little attacks and you being gone, we have all bonded being here. think it makes the kids feel safe being able to fight. And they know you''re at warrior training getting better and they want to do the same." "You''ve had attacks? I didn''t know that." "Yeah, nothing major, but attacks nheless. Some houses and properties have been damaged, but I think you found that out too." He looks at me pointedly. "Yeah, we got the idea." Lil speaks up. ¡°Lillian, Elite Warrior, nice to meet you officially." "Oh, I am so sorry! This is Lil, one of the elite warriors on my team, this is Jena, another warrior on my team, but she is also the Alpha of the ck Diamond Pack. This is Delta Kyle, Sam''s dad. Is there anything we can do? We are waiting for orders right now so we are at a stand still. And none of us could sleep if we wanted to in the middle of the day." "Do you really want to help?" "Of course. What do you need?" "Well you are somewhat of a legend here. Some of these pups have never seen you in action. What do you say to a game of capture the g?" Chapter 0433 3-5 "Really?! Of all the things we could do, you want me to y capture the g?" "Actually, I thought they could y against all of you and see how a team works together. That is something this group is struggling with. Everyone wants to be the hero and they are starting to teau working individually." "You guys in?" I look at my friends and I know their answers before they say anything. We all smile at each other. "What are the rules? What do we get when we win?" Jena asks and Lil and I bothugh. "Basically the kids put a g out and you all have to get it without being tagged by them and get it back to the starting line. Sky here still holds the record for the fastest time. No one can seem to beat it, although Sam hase the closest. That is now the bragging point, who gets the closest." Heughs and we join in. He turns and starts walking toward the groups of kids working with the guys and some of the other highschoolers I recognize, but don''t really know names of. I can''t tell if the guys don''t notice me because they are focused on the kids or if they are ignoring me, but none of them look our way until Kyle shouts. "Listen up!!" All themotiones to a halt. "We have a treat for you today, Sky is visiting and has a break from her current mission, so she and her team are going to work you over a bit. Let''s see if you can survive a game of capture the g." Many of the kids cheer and wave at me. I love that some of them remember me and are at least excited to see me. The guys are all in their varying states of emotions. Sam waves enthusiastically, Mateo''s wave is more subdued. Oliver is just looking anywhere but at me and the twins are nk. I have no idea what they are thinking. "You expect us to go up against Elite Warriors? Are you crazy?" A boy, maybe a couple years younger than meins. "Why not?"" Lil asks. "You are here to train and get better, not befortable andcent. The only way to get better is to go up against people who are better than you, have a skill that is better than yours, or work with people who have been training longer. Always be learning, don''t whine about the effort of getting better, just do the things that make you better." Lil is in training mode now. She is one of our best trainers, she just isn''t old enough to be an instructor yet. She should be a floor leader and a team lead, but she says she doesn''t want those positions. I don''t miss the looks on my guys'' faces at herment though. They must tell this kid off a lot too. "That is the mentality of an Elite Warrior." Kyle says proudly pointing to Lil. ¡°Now let''s break you up into groups to go against their team.¡± Kyle starts moving around and pairing up groups so there are an even amount of kids. This looks like our middle school aged kids so the ages and abilities are going to be interesting since many of them are probably in the middle of growth spurts. This is always such a weird age to work with because of that. "You have your teams, work with your upperssmen toe up with a n. You have five minutes." He walks back over to us. "Let''s see how creative they get since it''s against you. Don''t go easy on them either, they need to see what realpetition looks like. Many of the upperssmen struggle with harming them during training. No one wants to hurt a child and I feel like the idea that they are weak due to their size or age is actually hurting them more. You are my biggest case in point. For whatever reason you are the smallest wolf I have ever seen, and I don''t think you are growing any more, Little One, but you are one of the most skilled warriors toe from our pack. These kids need a push, just like our boys did years ago. It''s why they do this now, Why they still train just as hard as when you trained them. They saw how it improved them, but I also think they do it to feel closer to you. This was your thing, your project to improve the pack and they refused to let it die when you left." I just blink, tears are threatening behind my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I feel like my emotions are on overdrive being home, or maybe being this close to the guys again I can''t stuff them down like I do when I am away. "Hey, Bitty, you good?" Oliver walks up to me rubbing his chest. I can see the looks of my friends from the corners of my eyes. I just walk into his massive chest and wrap my arms around him, taking in a deep calming breath. This is something I have missed. "I''m still mad at you." He wraps his arms around me and squeezes tight." "I know, I''m a terrible friend, I''m sorry." I squeeze tighter. "Not good enough, but we''ll get to thatter." He lets me go and walks back to his group. "What was all that about?" Jena asks. "He can feel my emotions, he just knows when I''m upset. The connection has saved me more than once." "Really? Have you two always been like that?" "No, it was after I got my wolf and we really started to hang out. It kind of developed, the more we hung out the more he could feel my emotions. He''s most attuned to sadness and fear emotions." I shrugged my shoulders. "And he''s going to be your Gamma?" Lil asks. "Yeah, why?" "Looks like a mate thing to me, just curious." "Not a mate thing, I don''t think. Neither of us do. We have talked about it before, when, well that story is too long for right now, but he somehow could sense me having a panic attack from somewhere else in the packhouse and was able to find me based on our connection. But my brother, Sam and the twins have the same ability to calm me that he does. It''s something with our group." "Youdies ready?" Delta Kyle calls over to us. We look at eachother and shrug. None of us even talked about a n of attack for this game. "Ready as we''ll ever be I guess." Jenaughs. "Midge, you call the shots. This is your game and your pack, you know them best." "Got it. The g is on the top of the rope climb. They are probably really good at that now, but it''s their go-to spot to ce the g. No different than trials Lil. Don''t underestimate how f*cking fast these kids are especially with a challenge. Get off the ground as quickly as possible. It''s harder for them to herd us that way and we are faster in the air. Split right away, I''ll go down the center and throw them off. We need toThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. mess with their heads a bit, confuse them. Meet you at the top. "Got it Boss." They both call back not looking at me. We have perfected the art of talking over the mindlink while paying attention to others. "3...2...1...Go!" Kyle calls out. Chapter 0434 3-6 We take off in three directions. I run right at a group of kids who look terrified. I justugh and jump over themnding soft on my feet and using the momentum to roll forward and continue running. "GO!!! Why are you staring at her? You see us do stuff like that all the time." I hear Sam yell andugh at the same time. I can see Jenal to my right, her group following her like a rockstar. Lil is to my left and she is bobbing and weaving through the kids, messing with them and loving every second based on her cackle. None of them can touch her and some are loving the game and some are super frustrated based on the growlsing from them, "Let''s go Lil, we are on a time crunch." "No one said anything about a time limit. What the hell?" "It''s a personal time thing, not official, but you are not going to slow us down." Iugh back at her. "Yes, boss." Sheughs back. I know she''s put on her real speed when sounds of ''hey!'' ''Woah!'' and ''how''d she do that?'' erupt from behind me. I run full out for the three rope climb, I grab two, but can''t get the third, they are set too far apart, but Lil reads my mind and grabs it. We actually had a drill like this for escape. We had to climb a rope, skinnier than these, but almost as heavy, While pulling the end up to keep the enemy from following. Hauling the two at the same time kind of sucked, but I managed. We met at the top and grabbed the g. It''s bigger than I remember, but maybe that''s to make it easier for the kids somehow. "What''s the n, cause these kids are wearing me out." Jena calls from the ground keeping a good chunk of kids busy. "Lil, go down the cargo and along the wall, draw as many as you can. Jena, I''ming for you, we need to throw them off a bit. Let''s make it look like we are changing up who has the g." ¡°Like cups, got it." Lilughs and takes off for the cargo, not even stopping to assess the jump, just goes for it. Crazy ass. There is amotion of kids everywhere, I''m just lucky we are all fast and they are still not working together to corral us into one ce. All the kids running around makes it hard for us to cross paths at first, but we soon outstrip them and criss-cross each other, making contact several times all the way back to the finish line where Delta Kyle is waiting. We cross the line and groan almost as much as the kids from the exertion. We walk around and talk to the kids for a minute. Chatting about the game, training, what it''s like to be a warrior for the Alpha King. "Well, kids, that was a great run. You gave the warriors a hard time and didn''t make the win easy for them. I have a question though. Who has the g?" Arguments broke out amongst the kids over which of the three of us had it. "Why does it even matter? They beat us, the game is over. Who cares which one of them has the g?" "Your superior cares, Dwight." If you would have seen who had the g, you would have only had to chase one warrior instead of all three, or you could have worked together to team up on them in small group''s. There''s only three of them." Cam says to the whiny kid. "I think you shoulde to the Sky training tomorrow." "WHAT?! No! I didn''t do anything."This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org . "You did several things. We''ll talk about them in the morning though." Dakota smiles at him, then looks at me and winks. "Hold on. What is Sky training? And why does he sound offended to be required to go?" I move closer to the twins. "We now have a 4am training that we do. It has been deemed the ''Sky Training'' because you are the only person crazy enough to workout at four on purpose. For everyone else it''s punishment. It is an eye opening wake-up call for anyone needing a little extra motivation." "We are off track though." Grumbles Oliver. "Who has the g? We purposely set arger one so Sky would have more difficulty concealing it." He finally looks at me with less irritation. They did change the g because of me, I just rolled my eyes. "At this point she''s still managed to hide it from you." The discussion among the kids became a low hum as they discussed among themselves. My guyse over and stand making a wall behind the three of us. "Who thinks Beta Sky has it? Raise your hands." My brother says to the group. About a third of them raise their hands and several of those people look like they are just doing what the person next to them is. "Alright, who thinks Warrior Lillian has it?" Another small chunk of confused hands go up. "How about Alpha Jena?" More confused hands, but I don''t think this has anything to do with the g. He gave us all titles that no one has cared to use before. "How is she an Alpha?" Whiny boy Dwight asks. This kid is asking for an ass beating. "Do you really need that discussion here in front of everyone or can we just go with My Dad was an Alpha and I am the only child of an Alpha Now that he is gone, I am the Alpha. I would think you would have that concept considering you work directly with your future Alpha''s." Jena let''s her aura out a little bit and I have to stop myself from smiling at the look of fear on Dwight''s face. He might actually wet himself in front of the group. "We''re going to be at this early ass training, right? Dwight and I have an appointment." Chapter 0435 3-7 Lil and I couldn''t hide ourughter. "Anything you want Alpha." "Lil, don''t be an ass. Alpha or not this little douche canoe is going to learn respect and how to ask questions with respect." "I was hoping you could say ''Alpha'' a couple more times. I don''t think you got a round half dozen." I add on. We clearly stopped paying attention the minute he questioned a female being an Alpha. "The problem now is observation. Don''t make things moreplicated than they need to be. See the objective and follow it, everything else is fluff." Cam starts ignoring us.. "Who has the g?" "Beta Sky got it down, she brought it over the line." A girl smiles at me. "No. I don''t have it. I got to it first so I retrieved it. Beyond that it doesn''t matter who gets it over the finish line. There was no need to keep it when many of you made the assumption that I touched it so I have it, I passed it off almost immediately." Lil smiles. "Then we both split, you had to choose who to follow. Most followed Beta Sky." She looks at me with a smirk. "We divided your ranks." "We crossed paths about a dozen times before we crossed the finish line. All three of us connected each time." Jena fills in the rest. We speak as one person because we act as a unit. "There''s no way you switched off that big g without any of us noticing." Another boy from the back. "And yet we did. I had it at least three times. Warrior Lil, you?" "Four, I think, unless you count when Beta Sky gave it to me on the rope climb." "None of us had it for more than a few seconds. In a real fight we all would have gone inpletely different directions leading pursuers to warriors who could ambush them and assist us. That is how a team works. We are all important. We have team leads and assigned tasks so nothing is missed. It''s not about being in charge or being the hero, it''s aboutpleting the task or assignment." I finish "There''s your takeaway today. Go get cleaned up, you all have a couple more hours of sses and Principal Duncan is expecting you in ten." All the kids scatter like ants. "So which one of you really has it?" Sam asks,ughing again. "I saw it change a couple times, but lost it." "Well, you should maybe go to Sky training too, since you can''t seem to pay attention." Lilughs back at him. "Seriously, though. Who has it? None of you look like you have it stuffed anywhere fun at least." Now we all justugh, even Oliver cracks a smile. "Alright mom just asked that we get you back to the packhouse for an early dinner and wants me to let all three of you know she''s disappointed that you didn''t rest after your ordealst night." Cam interrupts and ushers us out. "And don''t try to run off either Tiny, you three are riding inside the truck." "Why do they have to keep reminding you to ride in the truck, like you don''t know it''s there?" "Because the packhouse is five minutes from here and I like to walk. They forget that I walked to the training grounds for literal years before they decided I was good enough to ride with them." I let out a huff and opened the passenger door to take my seat before someone threw me in like a doll. "Will you stop calling me that? I''m not trying to be macho, Alpha. It''s respect, you are a guest and my sister''s friend. Just get in the damn truck." Mateo says loudly, putting effort into not yelling. "Why are you so bossy? Is he always this bossy?" Jena climbs in looking at me with a shit-eating grin on her face. She knows what she is doing. "I''m probably not the best person to ask. He''s not really bossy to me, he''s more overprotective to a suffocating fault." "Get your ass in that middle seat. I''m hungry. The Luna promised dinner and I love the food at thepound, looks like a mama who but Luna Ava knows how to feed her warriors Let''s go!!" Lil shouts, shoving Jena in as Mateo climbs in on the other side, basically throwing her in hisp. I turned to the front and fought the laugh. This is going to be interesting. I did notice that Oliver volunteered to sit in the bed of the truck. I need to get Oliver alone. He''s clearly got something on his mind and he''s keeping his distance from me and it hurts. The ride to the packhouse was uneventful and yet amusing. My brother and Jena seem to have this ''need to have thest word'' situation going on and I can feel the tension Lil was talking about this morning. I don''t know how though, because she has her partial brand like I do, so the fact that she can flirt the way she does baffles me. I leaned my head on the seat back, the weariness hit all of a sudden as the truck rumbled down the road. Kota and Cam are holding my hands again, like they can''t get enough contact. Their cocoon of warmth is hard to fight, but I do, just watching the town go by. When we get there we head inside and up the stairs like old times, not really saying much after a hard training session. Jena and Lil head to their rooms and we n to meet them on our way back down. The guys and I head to the third floor stairs. "Have you guys been training all this time? I missed you back at school. I feel like I don''t see you anymore. I wish you woulde and have lunch with us at least." Cam still has my hand still, Dakota has his hand on my lower back and none of us are trying to hide me this time, but they do all move in closer. "Kaley, we have exined before, we are busy and we have obligations that keep us outside of the school. Our training and education has changed. I''m not sure what other ways we can tell you that. Excuse us, we have to get ready for dinner." He pulls me along next to him and for the first time I don''t feel like hiding my eyes from her, but I don''t make a point to stare her down either. I''m not going to incite a fight, but I won''t cower anymore. This is why I left to get stronger, to be better, I need to quit falling into old habits. "Why is she going upstairs? Luna Ava said no guests on the third floor, that all the rooms were taken and only you guys were allowed up there." "Kaley, enough. You know I have a room here. I have for a very long time. Also ranked members are allowed on the third floor. I am a Beta, you are not. Stop trying to dig your ws into the guys. If you are their mate you will find out whenThis is from N?velDrama.Org. everyone turns 18, until then back off. You are exhausting." Chapter 0436 3-8 I didn''t yell or scream, just told her how it is, like talking to a toddler who doesn''t understand ''no.'' "We need to get ready, Luna Ava will shoot us if we arete." She just stares at me. I drag Cam with me, Kota doesn''tt break contact with me either. I unlock the door, making a point to show her I am wanted and she is not. I head up the stairs, knowing Oliver will make sure the door istched behind us so she can''t. "Umm, who are you and what did you do with our timid Little Bit?" "Same person, just fed up with being called unwanted and a wh*re by her. I really hope she isn''t mated to any of you. Her in any ranked position would be a nightmare." I let go of Cam and head to my room without a backwards nce to any of them, I am really tired. I''m d Luna Ava insisted on an early dinner for us. I shower again and linger a little longer than necessary, but the jets feel so good. I forgot how spoiled I am here. I find new clothes in my closet and all my bags are here too. I don''t know why but I feel the need to have my des on me, but how to do that and hide them? Luna Ava might freak out. After a perusal of the new clothes, I found a sweatshirt that would hide my wrist cuffs and still look normal. I stepped out of my room and almost burst into tears. All my guys are here, waiting for me. I walk right up to my brother and hug him around the waist, then move to Sam and Oliver, who stops me mid-hug, grabs my arms by the wrists behind his back and pulls them forward, looking at me curiously. "It''s a gut instinct to have them on me. I have learned to trust my instincts." He just nods and lets me go, saying nothing to the rest. I hug both the twins, who take my hands again and we all head down. Jena and Lil are waiting by the door and do not look happy at all. It takes about two seconds to figure out why. "I love how we all always walk down together. It makes such a grand entrance." She giggles and moves forward, like the leader in a parade. Lil, Jena and I all roll our eyes. "At least youid the groundwork for telling her off." "You were listening?" "Umm, yeah, Midge. This idiot treats you the same way Drina does and you don''t say anything to her either." "I don''t like causing trouble, and tattling because someone said words that are supposed to be hurtful is unnecessary." "I could give two sh*ts if you tattle. Just make sure you keep telling her where to shove it. And use your damn aura. Yours is almost as strong as mine. You don''t have to hurt her, don''t give me that look. But making her not talk wouldThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. be a treat for everyone." Jena smiles. I rolled my eyes again. "You gonna let us in on your secret conversation?" Sam whispers in my ear, always a little too close forfort and managing to not trip either of us on the stairs. "Nope." I smile back. "I can''t decide if you are trying to kill me Little Bit. I hate secrets." We walk into the kitchen and everything looks and smells even better than the scents that were wafting up. "Luna Ava this is amazing! I hope you didn''t go to any trouble." "Never trouble for you, sweet girl. And I made all your favorites." She lowers her voice a bit. "I thought we could slowly move outside on the patio, since there''s so many of us and it isn''t too cool yet. Lucas and the rest of the old guys are already out there. You kids were thest toe down." A little louder she says. "Grab a te and dig in, I made plenty and the boys know they can''t have seconds until you do." She giggles, a little evilly and my mouth drops open. "Mom, is that really fair?" Kota whines. "I have seen this girl eat right alongside you boys and with all this extra muscle and the amount she has been training with her team, yes they get seconds first." "Dad isn''t going to like that at all." Kota muttered under his breath. "Your father already agreed with me, so stop being a baby and go eat." We allugh at her directing her son who''s about eight inches taller than she is and twice her width. She shouldn''t scare them, but she''s a force when she wants to be. We all fill tes and head out, Jena and Lil right behind me so I can introduce them. "Skr!! There you are. I was wondering if the boys would hog you all day. Come sit, some sit." Alpha Lucas waves us over and I set my te next to Delta Gwen. Before we sit down I go through all the titles and introductions. As we getfortable Lil links me/ "It''s unnaturally quiet. Where''s..." "Don''t say it, don''t even think it. We are all out here having dinner and everyone who paid attention to Luna Ava''s setup knew exactly where to go. These tes and silverware are her patio set. Now both of you get ready to be grilled about training." We only made it about ten minutes into conversation before the Cunninghams all walked out the patio doors looking confused. "My apologies Luna Ava, I must have misunderstood your invite. I thought we were eating in the formal dining room as usual." "Oh no! With all the kids here we usually eat out on the patio, there''s just enough room. Now that the boys are so big it''s hard to have everyone crammed inside." "Where would you like us?" He starts to walk to the head of the table where Alpha Lucas is at. "This is a new way of organizing for dinner." He smiles and I think he''s trying to make a joke, maybe. "I''ve never seen pups at the head of the table before." "And there''s the douche you know and love." "Why is he still here? If he was in my pack I would have made him the Omega that cleans the locker rooms in the training facilities." "Damn, Jen, that''s harsh." "You''ll see harsh when you call me ''Jen'' again." "Luna Ava tried to tell me once, but we were interrupted. His family is an old family with the pack. Somebody was important once and we''re stuck with him. He''s Kyle''s brother actually." Lil spits out her drink and chokes. Jena and I both pat her on the back and try not tough at the water dripping from her nose. "What on earth is going on? I don''t think the discussion of the state of our neighborhood streets isical at all." "No, you''re right. The streets are very important especially when you are constructing such a big beautiful house. The surrounding area should match." Jena flutters her eyes at him. He goes to answer her, but she cuts him off. "Although more than a year to construct a home seems like an overuse of resources, time andbor. Surely you would want those resources to get done in a timely manner and then they would be avable to improve your street." Chapter 0437 3-9 "I like your friend Little One!" Alpha Lucas smiles at me and I wink back at him. "Luna Ava, what did you have on the schedule for tomorrow? We are still waiting on orders and would love to help out." I try to redirect the conversation. "Actually, shouldn''t you girls be in school? You can''t have your education disrupted this way, it''s truancy andzy. I won''t stand for it while you are in our pack." Kevin says this as if he''s the Alpha. "We are all set, Mr. Cunningham. I graduated several years ago. Simr to Cameron and Dakota, I had my studies elerated so I could also train as the next Alpha. Lillian has also graduated. And Miss Smarty pants over here was so far ahead in her studies that she qualified for and took college sses while running missions and now the Alpha King himself has been teaching her." Jena sounds so polite, it''s kind of scary. I''m wondering if she''s possessed. And then I remember that there was a time when she was training to do all of this. She wasn''t a hardened warrior, but a political princess, and she knows how to use her words just as effectively as her fists. It''s just not a side we see very often on the missions we run. We tend to stick to the shadows as much as possible. "I would still prefer you all in school, what kind of example is it setting to have teenagers running around gvanting?" "Did he not just hear that we all graduated already?" Lil doesn''t hide her irritation very well on her face and Jena nudges her under the table. "Yep, just wait, I''m sure there''s an angle here." "I think it would be prudent if all of our young leaders spent more time in school actually. Setting a good example and all. Mingling with the lower pack members and gaining their trust is always the best way to start a new rule." He''s still standing there holding his te looking ridiculous. No one says anything about his rulingment. What kind of response do you give to a delusion like that? I wonder if he thought someone was going to move one of the ''pups'' to make room for him if he stood there long enough. Even Kyle is avoiding eye contact with him. They couldn''t be more different even though they are brothers. It''s actually weird to see them in the same ce. Where Delta Kyle is all muscle and bulk from training Kevin is wiry andnky. All werewolves have a general muscle tone about them, but most of us still work for it. Kevin Cunningham is skinny by wolf standards and a little gaunt in the face. His skin is paler, just hammering home the idea that he spends more time inside than out, even though our wolves prefer being outdoors.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. "There it is." I link to my friends. "He wants the boys back in school, because of Kaley." "He does realize that won''t help her chances, right?" Jena asks. "Obviously not, they are both still trying." "Well, if you all are done eating why don''t you run along and go hangout while the adults talk." Kevin tries to direct us. I look down at my te, which is still half full of my first round, and back up to him not hiding my confusion and irritation. "We actually just started eating, Kevin. And I fully intend on having at least two more tes." I smile at Luna Ava and she winks at me too. "This food is too good and I am starving." "I don''t know where your manners went youngdy, maybe they don''t enforce those kinds of things at that roguish camp of yours, but it''s ''Mr. Cunningham'' to you." He huffs. And I would think that you would be more concerned about your figure. No male wants to see his mate all bloated up after three tes of food." He chuckles and looks around expecting the other adults tough along with him. They all actually look like they want to throw him across the yard. "First, Kevin." I emphasize. "Elite Warrior training has many rules and regtions when ites to hierarchy. All of the titles are earned by daily actions. You have not done anything of the sort, so what I choose to call you is based directly on your actions and contributions to the pack. And I don''t think the Alpha King would appreciate you calling his Elite Warrior training camp ''roguish'' considering the mission that brought us here. Second, I''m pretty sure you just called me fat and unappealing. I train with my warriors for up to twelve hours per day. We," I gesture towards Jena and Lillian, "Have been on a mission for sometime now and have been awake for over two days, I think, I''ve actually lost track." I look at my friends again and they both shrug. "I burn more calories in a day than you do in a week and train hard enough to eat what I want. Do not concern yourself about what I consume and don''t let me hear of you talking to any other females in our pack like that, I won''t stand for it." I throw his words back at him. "There''s room for you at that end of the table." I point at the furthest end, near my father, who moved when Alpha Lucas called me over. He stands there, not saying a thing, I think hoping, again, that someone would overthrow my instruction of him going to the end of the table. He finally concedes when everyone just sits there and stares at him. "Damn, Bitty! Tell us how you really feel." "Yep, I like the new Little Bit, that was so hot." "You are an idiot, you know that?" I ask Sam. "Yes, but you love me just the way I am. And Miss Alpha here, also hot. I may explode from the amount of female hotness in the room." "We''re outside." Lil looks at him and smiles. "I know! That''s the amount of hotness you all bring." "Stop saying hot like you''re twelve and just discovered girls, you''re embarrassing yourself." My brother throws a piece of his roll at Sam across the table. He leans towards Jena and whispers, "He''s not wrong, that was impressive. I don''t think anyone has been able to get that guy to shut up at dinner yet." He looks at me and then Jena for a long moment. The rest of the night went more smoothly if not asfortable. The Cunningham''s stayed as long as we stayed and we didn''t touch on any subjects that were more than surface deep. I really have to figure out what Kevin''s deal is. Jena is right he should have been kicked to the curb by now. Something is going on and it is affecting how the pack leaders rx in their safe space. At the very least they need to move back into their own home. "Luna Ava, I was serious about what you need from us tomorrow. We are headed to early training to watch what that is all about, but..." "Oh, you''re going to love Sky Training." Gamma Brett asks. " I can''t wait until you see that." Heughs. "Why does everyone say it like it''s a bad thing? It''s literally named after me and is viewed as torture, what the hell?" Chapter 0438 I look around at my friends, waiting for anyone to answer. None of them look ashamed though. I narrow my eyes at all of them and settle on Oliver. He may be angry with me, but he has never beaten around the bush. "Talk." He takes a deep breath and rolls his eyes back at me. "Fine. They meet with us and run the full, original, patrol loop, then are in the gym for an hour doing bag work, with no break, then head to morning training and must be in the front near the trainers working full out the whole time. It''s not really an insult to you, it''s actually an insult to them, because they can''t do it and it was your everyday normal." He shrugs a shoulder. "Oh sh*t! How long does it take you to run the border?" Lil asks. "If you''re not actually running a patrol and just doing the loop, it''s about an hour if you go full out." "And how long is morning training?" "It''s now two hours, mandatory." Cam looks serious. "We''ve had too many attacks. All the surrounding packs have, so everyone has increased training and security. We''ll show you in the morning." I nod. "Well, in that case I had better eat up, I''m going to need the energy." I start to get up to go get seconds and Lil and Jena follow suit. "No wonder you came into Elite camp and didn''t struggle at all. We were all wondering." Lil says and then looksThis belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?. shocked. "I mean, it''s not a secret, you''re small. It''s deceiving, cause youe out and beast mode everyone." Lil says as we walk back towards the kitchen. I see Kevin out of the corner of my eye start to move like he is going to stand and I know he''s going to be like a five year old and try to take our seats. "We''ll be right back, I need seconds so I can carbo load for training in the morning." I look right at him and then my dad, who has a curious look on his face, and head in. We were outside longer than I nned and I can feel my eyelids drooping, no longer able to fight the sleep my body needs. "Alright Tiny, that''s it, you girls need to sleep. You have been through a lot in thest couple days. Let''s go." Cam pulls my chair out from the table and scoops me up. I''m too tired to react quickly and once I''m in his arms, I don''t even care. He''s so warm and his scent is so familiar and calming, it''s almost more difficult to stay awake now. I hear a yelp and look over his shoulder to see Oliver carrying Lil and my brother has Jena, who is actually trying to fight, but she''s no better than I am and doesn''t resist for too long. (1) "Where are you going? I thought we were going to hang out tonight." It''s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, Kaley just doesn''t fit with our group and either she doesn''t get that or doesn''t care. "We didn''t have any ns tonight and since we do have Sky training in the morning we need to head up and get some sleep, clearly the girls'' mission has taken its toll." Kota said somewhere near me. We started moving and the swaying was so nice and he was so warm, I just snuggled into his chest. I could care less where I sleep at this point, I''m so tired and sofortable. "We''re all going up to the third floor. I''m not dealing with Kaley tonight or in the morning." I don''t who said it, as I''m in and out of consciousness. The next thing I know is I''mying on a pillow soft bed, I take a deep breath in and feel my body just drift off. "SKYLAR!" I shoot up from a dead sleep. I have no idea where I am, but I look around for Jena. "SKY, HELP! Please!" She cries. I try to move but the nkets around me are holding me down. I can hear her panic and I can''t move to get to her, making me panic.. My heart starts to race as I scramble to try and get my legs free. "SKY! HELP ME!" "HOLD ON JENA, I''M HERE, I''M COMING!" I fight harder. "What the hell?" I hear groggily next to me. I turn quickly and see Cam looking around. "Tiny, what''s wrong?" "Smalls?" "It''s Jena, I have to get to her, she needs me, get me out of here. "SKYLAR!?" This time she''s crying and I shove, I don''t know who, off the bed and take off running. I''m a little disoriented as I run out into the hallway. "Jena, I''ming, where are you?" "Here." She cries again. I ran towards her voice. She''s in my room, I run in the door, straight to her on my bed and wrap her up in my arms. "I''m here, you''re safe. You''re in my pack. You''re in my room. You''re safe, I''m here." She just grips my t-shirt tighter and buries her face in my neck and cries as I repeat my words over and over. It''s like this any time we change locations. She just doesn''t transition well. Most of the time if we share a room she can calm the panic pretty quickly because she can find me. But if the dreams are too real or vivid then it takes a little bit to get her to hear me, like now. "What can we do?" I''m startled. I can smell all the guys here now, but I was so focused on Jena, I didn''t know they followed me in here. Lil walks over and sits on her other side. "Nothing right now, she just needs a minute, then she should be alright." I say to all of them. Lil and I just rock her until she is calm enough to pull away herself. "I''m sorry, I should be okay now. You can go back to sleep." "That was a bad one though, are you sure?" I ask. "Yeah, I''m good. I think it was just the unfamiliar scents in here, that''s all. I know I''m safe, go back to bed, it''s okay." "Do you want one of us to stay with you?" Lil asks. I have no idea where she was sleeping, but if it wasn''t in here, It must have been Dakota''s room. They would have given my friends their own bed up here and shared the couch in the media room. But I don''t know why the thought of her in Dakota''s bed sends a shard of ice down my spine. He was with me and Cam in Cam''s bed, so it shouldn''t matter. "No, no. I''m good, go back to sleep, we have to get up early." "You two go back to sleep, I''ll stay with her." My brother volunteers. When Jena doesn''t argue, I nod my head and get up. I walk to Cam and Kota, who has his hand out. "Let us know if you need us." She nods andys back down. We all go back to our beds and I look at the twins, "Don''t ask. Not my story." Chapter 0439 We get a couple more hours of sleep before we have to be up for training. I''m tired, but I still feel better getting actual sleep than I have felt in thest couple days. As we head downstairs to get something to eat, I hear my name from the stairwell. I stop and look at the twins behind me. They both shrug. "You all might as welle on in too. You''re going to follow her anyway." Alpha Lucas says. We walk into the Alpha''s office and I can feel the tension. Something happened. "What''s going on? Is everyone okay?" "Why don''t you take a seat, this is not going to be a fun conversation and I know you all have ns today. They are all alive, but your warrior friends were ambushed. Osiston just got into contact with me." "That''s why no one has checked in yet? It must have been really bad." Lil stands behind me. "Yes, clearly they had other priorities. There were no casualties on your side, they just confirmed with everyone in thest hour. Your friend Wyatt was sent back to the Royal pack though. He was cut with a de that had something on it and he''s having a bad reaction. Full disclosure, I do not think any of this information is helpful for you, but I was toldProperty of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. you need to hear everything I am about to tell you." He takes a deep breath and rubs his face, like this is the worst information he could give me. But he just said all of the warriors survived so what could be worse than that? "The rogues still appear to be moving in this direction, but they are dispersed among several packs, so it looks like whatever this attack is going to be it will be big, we need to prepare and since you seem to be the main target now..." Growls sound all around me. "Knock it off, she''s been ''a'' target we have always known that. Now we believe she has be ''the'' target now that they know of or suspect your abilities." He looks right at me. "What in the hell are you talking about?" Mateo blurts, forgetting who he is talking to. Alpha Lucas ignores him and looks right at me. "Elena, said your training is more important now so she brought this." He shoves a bound package to me. I already know what it is without even looking. "There is a note with specific instructions. That''s all I was told." I nod and pull the book close to me. I have to train myself in magic, this should be interesting. "Alpha Reggie has his pack on lock down, right now, no one in or out and he has advised the same for the surrounding packs. Which means youdies are here for the foreseeable future. You will still receive training and orders so pay attention to your link, but they are focused on the injured warriors and resetting their n of attack so it might be a couple days." He stops talking and closes his eyes. He takes three deep breaths and I can tell whateveres next I''m not going to like. I hear a faint growl from his chest. Is he talking to his wolf? His eyes fly open, but they aren''t their usual soft blue, they are a deep crimson, the eyes of an alpha, and I jump back in my seat. His wolf has nevere forward to me before. "A message was delivered for you, Lucas does not want to share this information. It is not pleasant and we would both like to shield you from horrors like this, but it cannot be helped." He leans over and picks up another small box. My hand flies to my mouth, but I have no idea what could be inside. They said all of the warriors were ounted for and alive. I just start shaking my head. "What is that and why do you look like you''ve seen a ghost?" Jena asks. I yelp. Ipletely forgot they were all in here with me. "Thest time we had a box like that in the pack, the severed fingers of a Luna were in it." A chorus of different cursese from all of my friends. "Have you looked at it?" Cam asks. "We can''t, it won''t open for anyone who has tried so far. My guess is it was sent specifically for Skr." He slides the box towards me. "Absolutely not! What the hell Alpha?" Oliver ps my hand down as I reach for the box. "We know they are using magic now, what if they put some kind of spell on this to incapacitate her, or worse?" "A dozen people have touched it and Elena looked at it while she was here. She did confirm magic, but nothing she tried would open it. She suggested that Sky open it and we all be ready for anything." "NO! We don''t know this Elena, what if she is working with them." I can feel Oliver vibrating with anger next to me. "I''m with Oliver, find someone else to try it. My sister isn''t going anywhere near that thing. Did you see Luna Ava''s face when we found those fingers? Not happening." "Yeah, Alpha, it seems like too much of a coincidence to me. We need to look more into it first." Kotas says from somewhere else in the room. "Bitty, you''re giving me a migraine. You need to calm down. Please. I know this is scary..." "You think I am scared?! You are all morons. Why don''t we start with ''let''s as Skr what she thinks about the mysterious package,'' Before you go making decisions for her while she is sitting in the f*cking room!" I get loud. "Let me see the box." "Bitty, no. It''s not safe, we need to..." "Oliver, I love you, but if you want to maintain the use of your arm and vocal chords, stop talking and step away from me... now." I look up at him and he stares at me for a long moment. He must see something that lets him know I have this. Alpha pushes the box towards me and I hover my hand over it and I can feel the magic radiate off of it. The sensation is like feathers tickling my skin. Now that I know how to feel for magic in a space or on an object, I can''t turn it off, I sense magic everywhere. Elena taught me how to feel for different types of magic. It''s not really the magic, it''s the intention of the spell that makes it good or bad. Good or light magic feels like feathers. Dark magic feels prickly, like when your foot falls asleep and you have pins and needles running up your leg. The box is simple, off white, nothing exciting at all, and tied off with brown string. Well I''m sure if anything was on here to poison then all the other people who touched it would be sick now. I untie the twine and slowly lift the lid off of the box and drop the lid as soon as I peek inside. Chapter 0440 I am instantly lifted and sat in ap. Warm arms are around me, pulling me back to a warm chest. "Breathe, Bitty. You''re safe, we''re here. Take a breath and tell us what''s in the box." Oliver gives me another little squeeze. I feel my whole body rx at his contact and gentle honey scent. He just knows. I do what he says and take a deep breath, then I look at Jena. "It''s Tyler." "What do you mean ''it''s Tyler?'' How is that Tyler?" Jena points to the eight inch square box in front of me. I take another deep breath and lean forward, lift the box lid gingerly like it might explode. I slide the top of the box and my friends lean closer. Jena gasps and ps her hand over her mouth. My brother has her in his arms in a matter of seconds. She just stares from the box and back to me. It''s a pair of green eyes. Just the eyes, removed from their body. Green eyes I looked into many times and tried to figure out what he was thinking, how he was ying me, wondering how he could be involved with the rogue group when he seemed so sweet, before I knew about his mate. They are wrapped in a tattered piece of material that I think was the t-shirt he was wearing when we escaped, his scent strong, it''s in here on purpose. They killed him, for helping me and I feel sad about that, but at the same time I feel nothing at all because he was willing to sell us out for a mate that was not true to him. (5 "Hey, talk to us." I feel hands on my face and I blink hard a few times, trying to focus. "Tiny, you''re freaking us out, say something please." "Umm, Tyler was one of the rogues on campus. He was how we made contact with them in the first ce. We kind of became friends. I mean we were both working an angle, so it wasn''t real. In the end his mate was sleeping with Mike, who wouldn''t let them reject each other so he could inflict pain. In the end he helped Jena and I escape." I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly letting my cheeks puff out. 5 We left him behind like he asked, left him to his fate like he asked so he could finally be with his mate. I know that he screwed me over and I guess I understand his reasons, but I can''t find it in me to hate him. I just pity him and hope he finally got what he wanted. I feel fingers rub my cheeks. Cam is still in front of me, Oliver still has his arms wrapped around me, holding me tight. This is the thing I have missed. Thefort that their friendship brings. We are stronger like this and I can''t forget that again, no matter how far I go, I can''t cut them off again. It hurts too much. 2This is from N?velDrama.Org. "You guys need to go, you have a pack to run and a moron to punish." I look at Cam. "I have orders I need to hear and follow, we will meet up with you, okay?" I ce my hand over Cam''s and squeeze it quickly before removing it. I go to remove Oliver''s hands from around my waist. "Not a chance, Bitty. They can go and take care of pack stuff, I''m not leaving you alone." I take another deep breath and let it out slowly rolling my eyes at him being overbearing. "Don''t you roll your eyes. One of us is going to be with you all of the time, get over it." How did he know? He can''t even see my face. He has always been direct and a little dry with hisments. But I appreciate that he is straightforward with me. "I''ll stay too, this is clearly a threat and I want to know what is being done." Mateo says and I really look at him for the first time. He has Jena sitting across hisp, wrapped in his arms, tears are falling silently down her cheeks. She hasn''t said anything since my very brief exnation of Tyler. I''m d he has her. The memories of being held captive can''t be pleasant for her and having it thrown in her face like that was probably a shock. "I''m going to go with the guys and see the patrol loop. I want to get an idea and be able to report back to Nathaniel and see if we can get his eyes in the sky. Mateo is right, this is a threat and the way the rest of you reacted, this is not a new concept for you." She''s looking between Alpha Lucas and the rest of the guys. Alpha Lucas just seems to be taking everything in before he takes a deep breath in and agrees with our basic n." Cameron, Dakota, Sam and Lillian you take the early morning patrol, Take your time and scent the area, keep Lillian furthest from the border though. If anyonees across her scent they may use it as confirmation that Skr is here, since they seem to team together often. Mateo and Oliver can act as a protection detail, until I have a full understanding of what is going on." We all nod and they all make contact with us on the way out. "Oliver, you''re going to have to let me stand. I need to pace and move or I am going to go crazy and I really don''t want to hurt you." I huff and smile a bit trying to break the tension. "Alright, Sky I need details, from the beginning, even the bad stuff." I look at him worried and then look at my brother and Oliver. "Umm, some of the bad stuff is really hard..." I look at Jena again and she looks terrified. "And, not my information to tell." I am wringing my hands and pacing the office. "Where would you like me to start?" "How about from when you got onto campus. From what I understand you were just there to help, how did you end up as a student? I know I had to give permission for your transcripts to be sent over after Principal Duncan gave Warrior Brogen a hard time." Chapter 0441 "Thank you Skr. I know that wasn''t easy for either of you." Alpha Lucas looks at me with sympathy. I just nod and scrub my hands over my face. "I need to go workout or run or something, Alpha Lucas, what are our orders? I obviously have training to work on," I say patting the wrapped book on the edge of his desk. "Is there anything else?" "Warrior Brogen wanted you three to maintain your regr warrior training schedule and for you to focus heavily on Elena''s directions for you. He was not concerned with you being in school," He rolled his eyes as we both remember Kevin''s suggestionst night, "But it might not be a bad idea for you to have a presence in the school. Those kids love you and seeing you back will motivate them to work a little harder in their own training. We need everyone ready, especially if the fight ising here." I nod at him. "We could do a patrol in the school. I know they aren''t doing regr gym sses now that it''s being substituted with training to fit more time in. Jena could beef up security and monitoring too at the school and around the pack." I look over at my friend. She still looks like she is in shock, but she makes eye contact with me and nods. "Yeah. We should really look at all of that since there are so many ways to get into your pack because of the water ess. I also don''t think Sky should be a part of the patrol loop. Don''t look at me like that, you know I''m right. Those d*ckheads are after you, you can''t deny it anymore. That is proof." She points to the box, her fire ising back. I know how she feels about being seen as a victim and feeling like a helpless girl. It makes her angry and she''s in a mood. "He may have been a backstabbing asshole, but he was the one person outside your team that got close to you. You don''t get to be reckless, you have to be smart. Do what you do best, analyze and give us a n. Let the warriors do the patrols, you need to lead." The three men in the room are just watching us like a tennis match. "Jena, I don''t want to be stuck here in lock down any more than you do." "Who said you would be in lockdown? Who is dumb enough to try that?" I tilt my head to the side and look around the room. "Well, men are stupid, so there''s that." "What am I supposed to analyze and n?" "We need to be in the school, Alpha Lucas said it himself, you get these kids motivated. We all need to be ready. Ready to fight, ready to protect. We need to have a n to keep those kids safe, to keep your pack safe so they can make it through this." Her eyes well up. I see what this means to her now. I move in to hug her. "They have to make it through this," She whispers in my neck, "It can''t happen again." She sniffles and then takes another deep breath before letting me go. "Okay, I will go into the school, you should be with me, that way you can see what they are working with and update whatever is needed. I will keep Lil on patrol detail. It will allow us to cover more ground. Go catch up with Lil and the guys and take notes of the surroundings and we will get more border security. I really need to workout and figure out what Elena wants me to do." I turn and look at the guys and Alpha Lucas. "Are you okay with that, sir? I''m not sure what ns you have for your warriors, but we brought this here, we really need to make sure it doesn''t cost any more lives." "Yes, Sky, that sounds good. Why don''t you go do your initial run around the pack Jena, and Sky after you go through your instructions from Elena we can all meet back here for lunch and Brett, Kyle, Daniel and I can go over our strategy with all of you."Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. We all nod and I turn to Oliver, "Let''s go big guy, I need to hit something." Everyone but Jenaughs, she knows what I mean. "You aren''t going to fight me on following you around?" He sounds skeptical. "No. One, you''d do it anyway, so there''s no point. Two, I have been tied up, tortured, beaten, starved and left for dead too many times. Clearly, I am not supposed to do things on my own and this is karma''s way of beating that into my head." He huffs augh and nods in agreement as I grab the wrapped book and head out of the room. I go to the kitchen, because I''m starving and Lenny still has the best breakfast ever. As I walk in she has a smile on her face as she hands me a full te and then looks at Oliver behind me. "I made you one too, Gamma." She turns and grabs a te that was hidden behind her on the counter. Oliver takes it with a surprised look on his face. "Ummm, thank you Lenny.?" It sounds more like a question and she giggles. "You are taking care of our Skr here, not just in the mood to bezy." She winks at me. "Are you nning to be out all day? Should I make you lunch? You like to forget to eat when you are onto something and we can''t have that, Miss Skr." "It might get a little busy, we just got orders and have things to do today. A lunch would be great Lenny, thank you. The rest of my team and the guys will be starving too, when they get back. We got sidetracked on the way down here before training. Can you make sure they eat too, please?" "Of course, sweet girl. Now go eat, before you get busy and forget." She winks again. We sit at the table set near the retractable window wall and start to dig in. Lenny is a genius, this food is so delicious. She knows exactly what we need and when we need it. But, we aren''t two bites in when the unmistakable sound of heelses down the tiled hallway. Knowing what''s probablying Pstart to stuff my face. "Lenny, I need an egg white omelet with one ounce of cheese and no extra fattening ingredients this time. Oh, and a coffee with two creams, two sugars, one pump of vani and one pump of caramel. And, make it fast I''m runningte for school today." She still hasn''t noticed us, both Oliver and I have stopped eating and possibly stopped breathing to keep her from noticing us. "Lenny! Now!" "Unfortunately the kitchen does not serve breakfast until 6am, I am still preparing. There is coffee in the pot over there, if you would like to pour yourself a mug." Lenny says, as calmly as can be with her back to Kaley, while shooting me a side look that tells me she wants to smack this girl in the head for her manners. "Why do I smell food then? It smells like people have already eaten in here." Kaley ces a hand on her hip stopping at the ind where Lenny is prepping our lunch. Chapter 0442 "Because all of our future leaders are already out working for the day, they eat before they go. Their schedule is different from the students and I amodate that. The breakfast buffet will be set up in thirty minutes for everyone else in the house." Lenny is calm and collected, like she is exining something new to a toddler. "I am your future Luna, one of your future leaders, you should amodate me too." Kaley growls at Lenny and I am ready to get up and smack her myself, but Oliver shakes his head at me almost imperceptibly.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "Listen here, you little trollop. You may be in the Alpha''s home, living off of his generosity, but you are not our future Luna. Our future Luna will be kind and respectful to all of the pack members. Our future Luna will appreciate everything that is done by the pack members. Our future Luna will see and notice each and every pack member. Before she takes the title. You will never be a Luna. Now get your coffee and leave my kitchen, you are interrupting my breakfast preparations." Kaley''s jaw is on the floor. I don''t know if anyone in a service position has told her off like that and I can''t help the smile and smallugh that escapes me. I look back to Oliver who is also smiling. We both cram thest of our food in our mouths. Lenny looks over at us. "Miss Skr, where will you and Gamma Oliver be? I will bring lunch to you after I deal with this." Lenny flutters her hand towards Kaley. "We are going to start in the weight room, but I don''t know how long we''ll be there. I don''t want you to have toe looking for us. Why don''t we stop back by when we leave?" "I will have it ready, sorry for the dy." Lenny isying it on thick and Oliver and I are here for it. "Thank you Lenny." Oliver leans in to kiss her cheek. "Yes, Thank you." I give her a hug. "Anything for you sweet girl." She hugs me tight and then we leave to head to Alpha Lucas'' weight room. As we walk down the hallway we hear Kaley start to argue with Lenny. I can''t help but smile. At least not everyone lets the Cunnigham''s get away with everything. We walk down the stairs that lead to the cells. I can smell the rogue even if I can''t see him. I was waiting until we had orders, but he may have no idea what''s going on now that it seems like the rogue king''s ns have changed. But, I am going to enjoy interrogating him anyway. We walk past the cells to the Alpha''s weight room and head in. Once I get about ten feet in I notice the loss of Oliver''s radiating heat from behind me, and turn around. "What''s wrong?" I can feel my whole face scrunch in confusion as he just stands in the door. He seems to be stuck in the doorway. "Uh..." He moves like he wants to follow, but stops himself. "I haven''t been down here since...umm. I don''te down here." He looks down at his feet. And it takes me a full two minutes to figure out what he''s talking about. "Oliver, that was almost two years ago. You''re telling me you haven''t been down here the whole time I was gone?" "No. I don''t know if anyone has actually. That sh*t was scary, Bitty. You had no color and were limp in my dad''s arms. I actually had bruises form on my arms. I didn''t know why at the time, but I know it was a reaction to what you were doing to yourself. I don''t know what''s going on with us, but you have no idea how hard it was to sit outside that door and listen to you beat the sh*t out of the bag and feel all the rage you had towards me and I couldn''t do anything about it." Chapter 0443 "I''m sorry you went through that. I wish I could turn that connection off so my moods wouldn''t affect you like that." I look down at my feet. I know we need to talk, I guess now is as good a time as any. "I didn''t mean to hurt you." "I don''t. If you could shut it down, I never would have found you. You wouldn''t be here at all." "What are you talking about?" My heartrate is starting to pick up. "Who do you think got to you first in that locker room? We are connected for some reason. I think part of it is so I can find you when you are suffering all alone." "How did you know?" "I felt off when we were getting ready for the ball, but I brushed it off. Then I got a massive headache, the only kind I get with you. I tried to mindlink you and couldn''t. You were blocked from me. I linked dad, I didn''t want to say anything to the guys until I knew for sure you weren''t still training or doing something equally stupid with him or Kyle." I got a small smile then. Then his eyes go dark and glossed over. "Then my mouth started to bleed, like I took a sucker punch from Kota and my whole chest seized. My wolf took over, I shifted and he jumped out the window of Cam''s room. You were so broken," He takes a deep breath in and a tear falls from his eyes, but I can''t move. I''m frozen in ce. "I don''t think there was a part of you that wasn''t damaged." He takes another deep breath in and squats down, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. "You told me to let you die." He sobs and sags to his knees. I couldn''t hold back anymore and I walked over to him. Even on his knees, his heades to my ribcage. He wraps his arms around my waist and buries his face in my stomach. We are both crying now. He found me. He always finds me. "I''m sorry." "Then you were gone, they ripped you from my arms. No information, no word of how you were, what happened, who was involved. We were just told you were alive and that''s all we needed to know." He takes a deep breath in and lets it out slowly. Then continues talking into my shirt. "The only thing we got was that one page letter. You said you were healthy and training and that was it." "That''s all I had. I was alive. I became a science experiment for Sierra''s parents, a freakshow for the other warriors. You know the usual for me." He huffs augh, but doesn''t let go or look at me. "I''m sorry, Bitty. I''m sorry it took you leaving for us to understand. My dad and Delta Kyle sat us down after we got back from that summer training and told us what was going on, or what they knew. I wish you trusted us enough to tell us, but I know we hadn''t earned that right, still haven''t if I''m being honest. So many things are f*cked up and we need you. I''m d you''re stuck here right now. You can''t run away, even if you wanted to." Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 0444 He''s crying. This massive, tattooed guy who is scared of nothing is crying into my shirt. My broody, moody Gamma''s never shown this much emotion in living memory, but with just the two of us, he''s breaking down and holding me tight, like I might disappear if he lets go. This is our thing, this raw emotion, this connection will stay in this room for only the two of us to bear. I let all my calming thoughts flow to him, like he does for me. "Why have you been so angry with me if you missed me this much?" I run my fingers through his rich dark hair. "You never looked this happy and healthy here. Even dead on your feet fromck of sleep and covered in everything that you could possibly be covered in from fighting in the forest, I could see the glow in your skin and in your eyes. You have put on weight, you have so much more muscle now. Being away has been good for you. That''s what made me angry. It was better for you to be away, you are better off without us." He takes another deep breath in and lets it out. That is not what I expected to hear at all. "It''s not that it was better or worse for me anywhere. I had to get away for a little while. I just needed a break from the drama and to experience life and things outside the pack. To see what I was capable of on my own in a ce that was unfamiliar without the safety of you guys around. I wish it didn''t happen the way it did, but I can''t say I regret it. I was always going toe home. That has always been the n, it''s still the n even if I have to leave again." "What happens when you be an Elite Warrior trainer and they keep you until you find your mate?" His hoarse voice is barely above a whisper. "Is that really what you think will happen?" "Who knows." He shrugs, still maintaining a tight grip. "You still have a lot of time. You make so many things happen in such short amounts of time, who the hell knows what you''ll do in under two years." "Well, for now, I am here and the pack is in danger. I''m not leaving again until I know everyone is safe and even then I know I can''t stay away from you guys like that again. It hurts too much and I don''t sleep well. We''ll figure something out if the Alpha King needs me. I think we have all grown a lot since I have been away. Now I really need to workout and then I need to figure out what Elena wants me to do." He lets me go slowly, scrubbing his face as he stands up. "So who''s Elena and what is she teaching you?" He goes into business mode right away. The mushy conversation is over. "Elena is a witch, she is actually in Gentry''s coven. Gentry is Nicks'' mate. Long story. But, turns out that I have more abilities due to my connection with Alpha Reggie and she and I are training in the basics of magic." "Uh, you''re gonna have to give me more than that Bitty. Magic?" "I''m sure that Alpha Lucas told you I''m Alpha King Reggie''s rtion. I forget the actual lineage, but he calls me his niece. And the first born females in the Alpha King''s blood line traditionally have an extra ability, like the power to be immune to things, manipte emotions, heal others, use magic, things like that. Apparently there was a prophecy a long time ago about one of the females having more than one ability. Alpha Reggie thinks that my sense of smell is one of mine, but also my ability to withstand silver, even when it''s injected into me..." "Who the f*ck tested that on you? That''s not something you just try out to see if you have the ability, Bitty." He blurts. His whole body is shaking with rage. I grab both of his massive forearms with my tiny hands. "It wasn''tCopyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. voluntary. That''s what happened that night in the locker room. It''s why you couldn''t link me. I was injected with wolfsbane and silver and possibly some other poisons. Doc Ganon and Doc Sylvia took a ton of samples and are studying it, but what I was given should have killed me within minutes, from what I understand." "You need to tell me who did this to you. Is it the same person that gave you the silver scars on your back?" "Yes, it was the same person and no I won''t tell you. You wouldn''t be able to deal with it in a diplomatic way..." "Who gives a sh*t about diplomacy when you were tortured?" "I do when it is a pack member who has been getting away with things pretty much forever. I won''t condone it, but at the same time, no one has ever made it clear the behavior is uneptable. The pack leaders are responsible for that. Yes, things need to change, but current things need to be fixed, past stuff has already happened and cannot be taken back. Keep working with the pups, teach them to stand up for themselves. Teach them to be decent pack members, not to hurt people in order to get what they want. But we need to get back to the magic. I have some control over elements and I need to work on that like I work with weights. Magic is like a muscle, but it still takes a lot of energy for me to sustain, so I need someone with me just in case I overdo it by ident." "So let''s get to work here, a quick full body thing and then where do we need to do your magic? Is there like a special room or what?" I move over and start setting up weights while I exin about being outside and what I have to focus on for the flow of magic to happen. I also have to read whatever instructions Elena gave me too. We don''t talk much, we have never really had to when we work out. I love the silence and the ability to lose myself in my thoughts, but at the same time, I''m not alone. Hisrge protective presence also makes me feel safe and loved. When we are done and clean up the mess of weights everywhere, we head toward the kitchen to check in with Lenny for our lunch. "I am so sorry that I have been so distracted this morning. Some demands are more involved than others." "Lenny, it is okay. We are more than capable of making our own lunch. I just didn''t want to be in your way. There are so many extra people in the packhouse right now. I know that prep takes time." She hands me a basket, and it''s heavy. "What''s in here, we just needed lunch!" Iugh. "Well, you''re breakfast was on the small side and I know you just worked out and you are nning some more training. I want to make sure you maintain that figure, little miss. You are finally healthy and I want to keep it that way." Sho winks at me and I giggle again as Oliver takes it out of my hands and leads me out the back door. Chapter 0445 "So what are we doing? What can I expect from this magic thing, Bitty?" Oliver asks as we head back to where my semi-hidden hammock is. "Really, I can''t do much with magic, but I''m focusing on how to sense it and have been able to start manipting elements a little with it. Magic is really hard. Do you remember learning to shift for the first time?" He nods at me. "It''s kind of like that when I use magic. Somewhere in me I have the capacity for it, but because it isn''t my first nature the learning is slow and draining. With the Rogues using magic, sensing it is my main focus and Elena agrees. If we can avoid things and people that are being manipted and controlled by magic, we can keep more pack members safe. What happened to Jena''s pack and Tyler''s pack is uneptable and I believe magic is going to be the Rogue King''s weakness." "How so?" "The rogues arezy and weak when ites to real fighting. They are too reliant on magic to take control with no real effort. That''s how Jena and I were able to get away after Gentry kept the wolfsbane and other poisons out of our food. We had to fight a little, but not as much as I would have thought once they discovered us gone. I was also able to kill Janice without a lot of effort too when she tried to take me on one on one. I didn''t think about it at the time, but I don''t sleep well so I''ve had time on my hands." "What do you mean you don''t sleep well? You slept finest night." "I have always slept better with you guys around." I smile at him. "I''m pretty sure it''s the only time I actually hit a deep sleep really. You guys are just my people, you''re safe, home." He pulls me into a hug and I can hear his wolf purr softly in his chest. "That was the ego boost we needed. Now he isn''t going to shut up the rest of the day." Oliverughs. "So what do I need to do?" I walk him through what it looks like for me to work with the elements and some of the history that Elena has been teaching me. He''s as big of a geek as I am, so I know he appreciates the in-depth information. The rest of the guys would have stayed and pretended to pay attention while spacing out. Cam would havested the longest, while Sam would have made it two minutes before offering to get snacks and drinks. I also exined that he needs to watch me for signs of distress, because the concentration is so deep, I can''t always pull myself out of it and I can actually get hurt while I''m in a trance. We finally unwrap and open the ancient grimoire. I know that this thing has been around for generations, but the thought of it being here outside the safety of the Royal pack makes me a little nervous and excited all at the same time. It is clearly important, if she broke her own rule to bring it to me. There is an envelope tucked in between pages. I open straight to it and see why immediately. I open the thick envelope and unfold the heavy, hand pressed paper. I can feel the hum through my fingers just touching it. I know there is magic, even here. I begin to read. Skr, I wish I could be with you, but my coven needs me more right now. Your rogues are terrorizing my kind and we must help put an end to the injustice. Our leaders can no longer avoid it or pretend it is not happening. We are going to bring our brothers and sisters home. You must continue your training. I believe you are vital to our cause. Read the grimoire from front to back and stop where the magic calls you. Your wolf can guide you as well since she is of the same magic. Make sure you are safe when practicing, knowing who to trust is bing a dangerous game. I have marked three pages for you to follow before and after you practice casting. This will keep you and your watcher safe as well as suppress your strong aura. The first will help you veil your practice area and bar anyone outside your space from entering until you drop the veil. This may affect your ability to mindlink when you first begin to cast. As you get better at the skill, it will be less broad and you can manipte it to your will. The second will help you ground and be intune with the elements around you before you cast. This meditation is what we did together, but will take some energy from you as you align with the earth to cast. The third is instructions to infuse magic into elements that can be worn for protection. Make one protection pi¨¨ce per day and no more. The magic is powerful and et contained, but you and your team will need the added protection. The elements can be ced in everyday Wearable items. I suggest infusing at night before you sleep so you can rest and recover overnight and no one will be suspicious of yourck of energy. Check in with Niks and he will get messages to me if you need anything. Good Luck my girl. "Okay, well, I have my work cut out for me then. What do you think I should start with first?" I look back at Oliver who is rubbing his forehead. "What''s wrong?" "Everytime I tried to read over your shoulder, I got a splitting headache. Is that a normal thing when you get a letter from a witch?" "Uh, no. I could read it just fine. I can feel magic on it though, so maybe she made it so only I can read it. I''m curious, though. Can you read anything in the book? I know it has all kinds of magic cast over it, but does it have some kind of repelling spell too?" He starts to slowly flip the pages. "That one is fuzzy, but it doesn''t hurt my brain like the letter did." He points to one that has the coven''s lineage. "AH!" He turns a page and quickly flips it again.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. "What?" "That one actually burned. It burned my fingers and my eyes. What the hell is on that one?" "It is coven locations. Clearly that is a bigger secret than the people in the covens." I turn to the page marked with the spell to protect my practice area. "Can you read this? You are my bodyguard for this whole thing." "Umm, yeah. I can. Is it weird that someone went through and put individual spells on pages and pieces of information?" "Not really, and it wasn''t just one person. This is a collection from many witches. So I''m sure each entry was protected by the witch who wrote it." I shrug, admiring the effort that this book took to make. Let''s just practice the protection spell and see how that goes. I''ve never done it on my own, but I''ve seen Elena do it and Gentry did one when we got our warrior brands, I just didn''t know it at the time." We spend the rest of the afternoon setting and unsetting the protection circle around us. We let our friends know so we could practice mind linking them too. Chapter 0446 "Okay, I didn''t do anything and I am exhausted. You really did this everyday, Bitty?" Oliver and I were sitting out at the patio table with the rest of the guys, Jena and Lil eating dinner and going over what we did for the day. "Yeah, I don''t do it alone though. Not that you weren''t helpful." I backtrack quickly. "I just don''t normally do the magic part on my own. It''s a lot. What about you guys? How was Sky training?" I smile at Jena and Lil. "Was Dwight as lippy this morning as he was yesterday?" "Not after his smug ass was paired with me for the patrol run and then Alpha Jen for the first hour of training." "You have got to quit calling me that." Jenains. "And yes, that pansy will think long and hard before he says something smartass to a team lead again. "Technically you are an Alpha, the Alpha of your pack in fact. Why should we not use your title?" Mateo is just stirring the pot. "I still call Alpha Lucas, Alpha and I will call the twins Alpha when it''s their time." He shrugs like that is the most natural thing. "But, like this, sitting here at dinner with no other pack members around, you will still refer to them by their title? I know you don''t. You have been friends your whole lives, you use their names in casual settings." She is sitting next to me, so when he leans in to whisper in her ear, I can hear everything. "There is nothing casual about you." He growls at her and I can feel my own face flush and she gasps low. I have never seen my brother like this with any girl. He would flirt a little, but he seems to actually be trying here. He''s never given attention to one girl over another. I wonder if he is practicing for his mate. They will be 18 in the spring, maybe his wolf can sense a connection with her even though we have our warrior brands. "Ugh, stop." She pushes him away and Lil and I share a smile. When we are all done and heading upstairs, I grab the girls and bring them with me. We have each been attached to at least one of the guys since we got here and I want a little time alone with my friends. No one questions it, until I shut the guys out of my room and weugh at their whining protests. "At least dinner wasn''t interrupted by the banshee and her dad." Jena says. "It''s really hard to have a conversation with them around. They seem like the kind of people who take words and twist them or they like to spread gossip. I don''t know how your Alpha deals with it or why. It doesn''t make sense for him to just let them roam around the way that they do, and he seems like a pretty strong and authoritative Alpha most of the time. No offense to your Alpha, they just seem to have some underlying control that they shouldn''t." "None taken. I always thought the same thing, but being so far removed from everyone for so long I didn''t know that what they were doing and how they were behaving was wrong. Even when I was getting beat up on a regr basis, it never urred to me that maybe someone should have stopped it." "So it was her that caused you all the trouble." Lil says pointing to me. "The guys asked us today about it and said you would never tell them who was beating you up." "I never said it was her." I try to sound convincing as I flop onto my bed. "You didn''t have to, but now you need to exin what the hell is going on. Why does she think she is going to be Luna? Why would anyone allow one person to cause so much trouble unchecked?" Jena asks, sitting next to me.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org. I sigh. "I don''t really know the origin. Luna Ava mentioned that Kaley''s parents have been trying to convince her and the Alpha since she was born to make her the twins chosen mate. I know that Kevin didn''t take too well to being looked over for the Delta position, even though Delta Kyle is older and the position should be his for that and so many other reasons. She has never really liked me, and I have no idea why, other than no one liked me because of my dad''s feelings about my birth." 2 "That''s harsh." Lil says. "What''s with your dad anyway? You always said he doesn''t like you, but you kind of avoid actually exining." "There isn''t much to exin. I''m the spare Beta, and a female, so that''s usually enough for most people. Everyone in this pack knows that my mom died giving birth to me. I am the reason he lost his mate and the reason he suffers everyday." I rub my hands over my face. "I know more now that I have been training with the Alpha King. I guess the women in my family have a hard time giving birth to the next female because of the extra abilities our bloodline gives. They actually need to have special potions and a witch to help them get throughbor. I mean they had to have something bad going for them right?" I can''t help butugh. I don''t wish for things to be easier, but would it be too much to ask that things aren''t always the hard way too? "So, you''re telling me that when you get around to having kids, it''s going to be this big production if or when you have a girl?" Lil asks. "Something like that. But, I''d really like to be in my twenties before I even have to think about that. I feel like the more I know about mates and all of that stuff, I feel like the Moon Goddess should give us some more time without mates." "You want more time to fool around with other boys before you finally settle down with your mate?" Jena asks and winks at me and of course I blush and shoot up. "NO! I just wish we got more time to be adults and do things that didn''t involve settling down and having kids right after finally being considered an adult." I stick my tongue out to her. "I think she''s right, you want to y the field!" Lil cackles and almost falls off my bed which makes us all erupt in cking mind, thinking we are going to talk about that bullsht. Were you injured too? Why were you there for so long? What happened to the Alpha? There are rumors everywhere, but nothing is consistent. Start talking, now!¡± ¡°I can''t talk if you are asking questions, dumbass. No I wasn¡¯t injured in the obstacle fall, not really anyway. Lucas pushed me out of the way and took the force of the thing falling on his whole body. So even possessed he was able to break through that and save me. Complications from his injuries is why he passed. That¡¯s the story we are telling the pack. You all are going to need to sit down for the full story.¡± None of them hesitate to sit down, they don¡¯t even question Oliver being here with me. I go through everything that has happened since the copse of the structure. The only part I leave out is all of the ¡®me being mated to the twins¡¯ stuff. It was a little hard to navigate the prophecy part and keep me out of it, though. I don¡¯t want anyone¡¯s opinions on the matter, good or bad. I¡¯m sure they all have varying thoughts on how my rtionship with the twins has yed out over my lifetime and the very reason we¡¯re even staying in this house is because they couldn¡¯t acknowledge the truth right in front of them. ¡°The next thing is, now that the spell is broken and we are safe from that, Cameron and Dakota would like us to move back into the packhouse, they believe Jena and I are the target for Mike. They gave me forty-eight hours to convince you all to move our whole operation. Ava said that we could use the Luna¡¯s office as our headquarters for surveince.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind the move, again, but those two are going to get their asses beat. Don¡¯t try and stop me either.¡± Lil pointed at me like I argued. ¡°Hey, get in line, it¡¯s kind of long right now." I roll my eyes at her. We spent the rest of the day packing up everything. They didn¡¯t hesitate, because it¡¯s for our safety. Nathanielined about the whole process and gave us each a very specific piece of equipment to be in charge of for the move. He wanted to set up all of the t surfaces at the packhouse first, so the move was quick. The twins said he could do whatever he needed to make it work. They were going to regret making that nket statement very soon. Chapter 0499 It took a week to get the packhouse ready for my team. We had to adjust and move warriors from the packhouse into our house on the border to make space for us. Moving one person at a time was painfully slow, but necessary. We had to get Nathaniel here and set up first so there was only hours of downtime from surveince, not days. After several arguments, I also gave up my room on the third floor. I rarely used it when I was here and I''m not interested in falling back into old habits of all the guys in my personal space all the time. My winning argument was that the whole leadership team needed to be moved into the packhouse. The twins could go back to sharing a room, someone could take the spare, the media room could be turned into a room and then one of them could have my room. They are the leadership and all the guys are transitioning into their roles right along with the twins, they aren''t just here to hangout and sleep on whatever t surface is avable. It''s real life now. Thankfully having Mateo and Sam on my side helped. The twins don''t care about Oliver''s opinion at the moment and he and Sam think it''s hrious. Mateo is better at hiding his amusement. My whole team has taken the second floor. Jena, Lil and I are sharing a room as usual and Wyatt and Nathaniel are sharing which leaves thergest room for Alpha Reggie and Luna Anne when they get here, a room for Xander, Mina and Oscar and two rooms for their warriors. Just organizing all the people in this house has been exhausting and we still can''t get a read on the pentagram with our technology, which means we are going to have to do it the old fashioned way and search each and every house and building in the territory. At least Jena and I have a real idea of the size and scale so we can strategically choose ces to look. We set warriors on the hunt as a part of their patrol duties. We divided the entire pack territory into a grid system on a map hanging in our mak-shift war room. Wyatt is leading that project. @ Nathaniel is basically at everyone''s beck and call, but he is focusing on Kevin, who is still missing, and anything happening outside the pack borders. Alpha Reggie should be arriving tonight so he is using this opportunity to make sure that we can still actually see outside our borders, not just what is shown to use by the magic from the pentagram. It''s been two days since we have moved back in and I haven''t seen Ava at all. I didn''t expect her to be hosting and throwing parties after losing Lucas, but I am worried about her. Jena, Lil and I were talking about herst night and wondering if the mate bond break was worse than she let on at the hospital. I haven''t seen Brett either, so I assume or hope that he''s with her, helping her process all of this. I have never witnessed a matebond break, so I don''t know what to look for or how to help and it makes me feel terrible for her, but I also can''t focus on that. I have to trust that Brett has her and focus on the Mike and Kevin and Kaley problems. 2 We know there is no way Kevin just vanished. But if he''s using magic, he could be hiding in in sight. Kaley has been less hidden, but she at least took my threat seriously, for now. She walks by the packhouse regrly now, but without her little minions, or really any pack members, she just looks ridiculous. Everyone who is still here is a warrior, all of our Omegas, pups and elderly who shouldn''t be fighting were taken by boat two hours down the coast and then driven the long way around to Alpha Reggie''s territory. Lenny stayed with a couple other Omegas to work the kitchens for us, but they are all well trained and can protect themselves. 2 Kaley, quite literally, has nothing to do. No one is at the school and she doesn''t fight so we didn''t even pretend to put her on a patrol. She would just get someone hurt protecting her. Although, all the warriors are aware of her homing beacon stunt and I don''t think any of them would try to protect her after that level of betrayal. Jena, Lil and I walk into the kitchen where a buffet style breakfast awaits us. When I look around and don''t see her, I say, "I hope Lenny is getting some rest, she has been going at this nonstop for days." "I know. She mentioned Mateo''s birthday tomorrow and Sam''s is in a couple days too." Lil says filling a te. "I feel bad. Turning eighteen is supposed to be fun and exciting and none of these guys will get that experience because of this war." Jena follows behind.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "The problem is, if it wasn''t our pack, it would have been someone else''s and they might not have fared as well as we have so far. I just hope Sierra is able toe for Sam''s birthday. I still haven''t heard from her since she left and that freaks me out a little. My tornado friend is not one to go dark. I would expect that from either of you, but not her. I just hope these guys can find their mates soon with all of this sh*t, they need their partners." a "Even the twins?" Lil raises an eyebrow at me. I look away from her. I''m still processing the info Ava an dLucas gave me and I don''t know if I believe it or not. Part of me wants them to find a mate, just to prove everyone wrong so I can move on. Another part of me rages at the idea of anyone else filling that role. 2 I avoid her question and ask my own. "Should we do something on Sam''s birthday? Xander, Mina and Oscar will be here and we can celebrate Oliver and Mateo too." "What about Cameron and Dakota?" "What about them?" "You are really so angry with them, that you would celebrate the rest of the guys'' birthdays and not theirs?" Jena scoffs. "Yes. No. Maybe. But I figure now that they are Alpha''s, it would probably be a whole pack thing anyway." I shrug. No I don''t think anyone deserves to have their birthday We head out to the patio to eat. It''s really weird to actually have time together. Not running patrols and training is just strange. We still have a full day though. We decided that the school is going to be our next area to search since Kevin had unlimited ess and there is plenty of space to easily hide something the size of the pentagram. Just as we were washing up there was a bang at the front door. We all jumped and ran. "Honey, I''m home!!!" "SIERRA!" I ran straight into her arms. Chapter 0500 "Sam is going to lose his mind when he sees you!! Where have you been?!" I p her on the shoulder. "That is a long story that requires drinks, but I think I have something that will help you." She steps aside and I feel the air change in temperature. "Elena!" I walk straight into her calming embrace. She just has a way of making me feel like everything is right in the world, even when everything around me is starting to resemble a dumpster fire. "Finally, girly. It has been too long and I''m afraid you have suffered." She holds me at arms length and takes a full perusal of me. "You have overexerted yourself, that is for sure, which is to be expected when doing magic without guidance. First things first, do you have a bracelet for Sierra here?" I nod. I made one for her with a yellow strand from the bracelet she got me with the guys. I have actually carried hers with me everyday, like a talisman, waiting for the day I could give it to her, because it would mean she was here with me. I fish it out of my cargo pocket. "Excellent, let''s take this outside." Sierra, Lil, Jena and I all turn to go out onto the patio behind the kitchen. We set up facing each other and I slip the bracelet on her wrist and hold her hand. This time when I work the spell, there is no anxiety surrounding it. The spell is actuallyfortable and warm. I don''t know if that is because it''s Sierra, and that is just what she has always been for me, or if it''s because Elena is here with me. The biggest difference is the closing of the spell. Sierra repeats the incantation back to me, but Elena added some words that I''ve never heard or read before. Anam Cara. She doesn''t exin, just watches as the tattoo forms on our wrists. It''s a thin double band around her wrist which frames the moon cycle tattoos from the boys. She''s my outeryer, the first line of protection right next to Sam. "I am curious how you managed to make the spell permanent on your skin, though, that is an interesting touch and I fully approve. It''s a nice backup if your bracelets break." "I was kinda hoping you could tell me about that. It only happened with my pack members and Sierra. I thought it was a pack thing until right now. Like maybe the warrior brand was the equivalent for my team." "Really? Nothing happened with your team members?" "No, or any of the other Elite warriors I have been able to get bracelets on. The spell doesn''t exhaust me, but I am tired after doing four or five of them in a row. So it''s taking time getting them all done." "I told you magic has its cost, most of the time it is your energy. So you must really think through your spells and choose carefully and wisely. Jena, let me see your warrior brand, please." She holds her hand out expectantly. Jena walks forward and holds her wrist out. The little crescent shape on the inside of her wrist looks just like it always did to me. The opening of the shape towards her elbow and the tribal looking markings filling the center are softer than the ones in mine. Then I noticed it. "Why does yours look angry? It has a red tint around all the edges, like the tattoos is fresh." I step forward and touch her brand. I don''t remember them having any color before. Lil, let me see yours. Lil shows me hers and it also has the red tint. "What the hell is that?" I look at Elena. 2 "I have a theory, but let''s give it a couple days and see whates of it. Next line of business will be this barrier that is up, but I think you should go greet your king, he just arrived." I didn''t even hesitate. I pushed past the girls and rushed back through the house and to the front door. Alpha Reggie was barely out of the truck when I jumped at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and making a poor attempt to wrap my short legs around his waist. "Umpf! Hello to you too, Little One, I have missed you." He hugs me back and then sets me down so I can hug Luna Anne. "What, no jumping hug for me too?" Iugh. "Give me a couple seconds to run to the porch and I can fix that." "Nope, I''m good just like this. Thank you very much. How are you? Really?" "Not great, but there isn''t a whole lot in my control right now, which sucks the most." "Little One!" A second oversized SUV pulls up with Nicks and Osiston in the front seats. I don''t know if I have smiled this much ever. I am so excited to see all of them, I might actually cry. I walk to each of them, though, letting them pick me up and hug me like a little doll. With them it''s the only time I don''t mind feeling like a little girl being protected and I don''t know why, but it feels so great, I don''t care. The back doors open and Mina climbs out and my eyes almost pop out of my head. "No way!!! Are you serious?!?" | walk up to her very small but obvious baby bump. She nods and gives me a hug. "Don''t be mad, but we are only here for Lucas'' celebration and then Xander and Oscar want me back at the castle for obvious reasons." "Oh Goddess, NO! I could not be mad about that. This is so great, I''m going to be an auntie!" I p my hands and bounce up and down with her. "Hey, stop stirring up our kid!" Xander walks around the truck "Oh, shut up." I reach up to hug him too, then Oscar. "Okaye inside we need to get everyone set up and then my team has work to do. The guys are all out working on things, but they should all be back for dinner. I haven''t seen Ava since the hospital." I look over my shoulder at Luna Anne. "I think Brett is with her, we haven''t seen him either, but Lenny assures me she''s been taking them food. Things have changed a bit since you all were herest. Alpha Reggie you and Luna Anne will be in the same room asst time. Xander, Oscar and Mina will be in Xander''s room fromst time. Nicks and Osiston you can have thest two rooms on the second floor and the rest of the warriors with you can stay at the house at the end of the block. If that''s okay with you Alpha Reggie." I look over my shoulder, just now realizing I gave instructions to people who are authorities over me. 1This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "I like your n, Little One." He chuckles. "When we get settled would you have time to show me your war room and we can get started filling you in on our own adventures." "Of course." Chapter 0501 Everyone dispersed for a little while. I did take pity on Sam and mindlinked him that Sierra was here, though. I think I am just as excited to see them together as he is, because it wasn''t five minutes before he was banging through the front door, thundering down the hallway to the kitchen. He actually hit the ss door and bounced off onto his ass because he couldn''t stop his momentum before he could open up the door. The look on his face was priceless. I don''t think he felt the hit from the door or the floor, once again, he only had eyes for my friend. The rest of the world doesn''t exist for him when she''s around. He mbered up from the floor and opened the door slowly and walked to her. He seems shy for some reason. I still don''t know what happened the night she left, just that she left with no exnation. "You''re here?! How...Why...Where did you go?" "It was an emergency. Would it make you feel better to know that I aplished everything I needed and I am here to stay, if you want me to?" She looks down and fiddles with her fingers and her new bracelet. I have never seen either of them act shy, not even pretending. This is so weird and yet, Jena, Lil and I aren''t making a move to leave either. "You''re here for good? No more leaving in the middle of the night?" She shakes her head. "And you are going to exin the disappearing act?" She nods. He walks to her and wraps her up in a hug, lifts her up and walks back into the house, her face tucked into his neck. "Well, we are clearly not going to hear her story anytime soon." Lilughs. "We should actually go see if Elena is settled. I''m interested to know if she can help us find that damn pentagram. You can''t sense it''s magic, but maybe she can, or you guys can together." We both nod, then we all get up. As we walk back into the kitchen Alpha Reggie and Osistone in. "Anne is up with Ava and Brett. She''s taking this hard and doesn''t want to be a destruction for the boys, but Brett is keeping her fed and hydrated. Hopefully Anne will help her process this too. As much as she says she doesn''t want people around, she really needs it. You should go visit her, Little One, she would like that." I just shake my head ''no.'' I haven''t wanted to see her face after I took the life of her mate. No matter what he did to me, he was justying there, helpless and I took his life from him. She must hate me for real now. He wraps me in a hug, but doesn''t say anything else on the topic. "Why don''t you show us this war room of yours, I''m interested in the surveince you have set up. And you said you don''t have any idea where this spell is originating from?" Osiston breaks the short silence. "No. That''s probably the most frustrating part. We are going to check the school again today. We did a quick sweep of it along with the Cunningham''s house and the packhouse, but something still feels like it''s just off and I''m missing something staring me right in the face. And I know the guys don''t want us to, but I need to run the border. My wolf has been asking for days. The one thing Elena told me was to trust my instincts, and that thought won''t go away, I need to run today. So I was thinking maybe if Osiston and Niks join us, the guys won''t get super angry." I raise my eyebrows at them. "Does anyone actually tell you ''no'' Little One?" Niks asks,ughing. "Not usually, except for Sierra, she tells me no and tells me what I''m going to do all the time." "Alright point me toward Nathaniel and go do your run, calm your wolf and then we can all make the trip to the high school." "Thank you, Alpha Reggie." "It''s ''uncle'' here, Little One." He just smiles at me, then gestures for me to lead the way. ***" You gonna exin that one?"*** ***"Not a lot to exin, Jena. Mateo and I are distant rtives of his from our mom, but the ''greats'' and ''grands'' and ''twice removed'' is tooplicated. So he said to call him uncle. I just don''t when I''m in a warrior capacity."*** ***"Uh, huh. That simple?"*** ***"Yep, he found out when they brought me to the Royal pack originally. That''s what Doc Sylvia kept testing for."*** ***"And you never thought to mention you''re royalty?"*** "Seriously, Lil? How would that conversation have gone down? I don''t even call myself a Beta here, why in the world would I be like, ''hey I''m Skr and I''m fifth in line to the throne.""*** I pin her with a look. He only response is rolling her eyes. "Nathaniel, I brought you some friends." I open the door the the office he''s posted up in. "Perfect timing. We have movement and we are going to need all hands."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "What do you mean?" I rushed over to him. "There was a group that came into view about an hour ago."He points to the screen it''s an area just outside the maind entrance to our penins. "Nothing hostile in appearance and they aren''t carrying anything. Wyatt and a group of guys were notified and they are hidden but on sight. But about five minutes ago ten more people showed up. They clearly know that I have cameras, their faces are covered, but this time they were carrying something. It was big, like the size of a person." He looks at me. "We got confirmation that all of our people made it to the Royal Pack, though, so who could it be?" "No idea, but we haven''t heard from all of the Elite Warrior groups that have been outside this stupid bubble we are in." I don''t even hesitate, I run out the door, Lil and Jena hot on my heels. I shift to get my full speed as I link all the warriors telling them to be on alert. All patrols are to slow and really take in all the details of their surroundings. Anyone not ompatrol is now on call and should be geared up and ready to deploy abany moment. I send the same message to pack members. We slow as we approach the area. We are currently down wind and I want to keep it that way. We may not be able to scent them, but I''m so used to not being able to scent the enemy, I don''t even look for it any more. I can see another team about forty feet from us closer to the center of the entrance. I open my link to everyone. ***"We have a visual. There are twenty two and there is something in the middle of the group, but I don''t have a clear visual. Does anyone else?"*** ***"Got you covered, Midge. The way they flopped it around it''s a body that is either unconscious or dead. They have been moving in a circle for a few minutes now. Looks like they might be starting some kind of casting, but no one has said anything."*** Chapter 0502 I shift to my wolf again. I can''t smell them, naturally, so I can''t tell if they are all wolves or if some of them are casters or something else entirely. Wyatt and Jorge make a wide arc and double back to try and trap them in. ***"Midge, this feels like a trap, but we haven''te across anything yet. What the hell is going on?"***This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. ***"No idea, but if it''s Mike, who the f*ck knows what he is thinking." "*** We all stop as one of the group approaches the lump that is Gentry. They sit her up and pull the cloth off of her head, she looks around, but it isn''t wild or frightened. She is slow and confused. ***"She''s probably drugged like Jena and I were. Oliver, we need Elena here now."*** ***"Where''s ''here'' Bitty and when did Elena get here?"*** ***"No time for talk. Elena is here. Came in with Reggie and the whole crew. We are on the maind border. A group has Gentry, we have eyes on her and I need Elena. Move your ass."*** ***"I thought we said no more patrols for you, target! Why weren''t we notified of a threat?"*** ***"Bite me Dakota, and get up here to help or stay the f*ck out of my way. THere''s your notification."*** ***"We''reing, but you shouldn''t be on patrol. Please tell me you weren''t dumb enough to go alone at least.¡±*** I cut them both off, I will not be lectured. ***"When you three finally kiss and make up, remind me to be in the next pack over."*** ***"Shut up, Lillian."*** ***"I can''t wait to put a face with those ming red cheeks."*** ***"Oscar, no."*** ***More than one as I recall."*** ***"Oscar, mission, focus."*** The three of them keepughing as we stalk forward. It has to be some kind of twisted, broken part of our brains that we can joke about s*x as we are heading into a hostage rescue mission. ***"Details will be needed, and if you don''t give them freely, I will enlist the help of Sierra. Nevermind, I''m going to just have her ask anyway, it will be way more fun."*** ***"I hate you, you know that?"*** ***"Not a chance, you are stuck with me, Midge."*** ***"We are in position, check in."*** I get confirmation from everyone else. I can feel Oliver and the twins close now, one of them must have carried Elena, they areing in fast. ***"Nathaniel, any signs of movement outside of this group?"*** ***"No boss, you look clear from where I''m sitting. Be careful on your approach, it looks like they might be waiting for you."*** I look at Niks and he starts to run. We all follow. The masked group only puts up half a fight though. They take swings, but I can tell no one is really trying. "Stop!" I shout and there isn''t any hesitation from my group or theirs. I take a look around and see a familiar build. What the hell is going on? I walk over and rip off the hood. "Robbie! What the hell are you doing?" "It''s the only way, no more talk, get her out of here. She won''t survive for much longer and I know she is important to you. Take them with you too." He nods at the group around him. "What the f*ck is going on?" Osiston is right behind me. Damn I forgot how fast and quiet he is. I ignore him of course. "Are they trapped by the binding spell?" Robbie hangs his head. "Yes, but there has to be a way to free them. You have to find a way. "No offense, but no. You may have let Jena and I go, but you have had plenty of time to reach out. I don''t trust you." "And you shouldn''t, but I told you I am trying to make this right. Mike is getting worse and you are the only thing he is focused on. He''s even cut offmunication with the Rogue King." "How do you know that?" "We don''t have time for this. He knows a small group came out to do recon on your border. He doesn''t know I took her." He points to Gentry in Niks arms. "Or brought more people. So either kill me or let me go back before he decides to search. They are here to be freed, but they can be tracked because of the spell, they need to be releasedpletely. Figure it out or don''t but now it''s on your head if they die." "What the f*ck did you just say to her?" Cam slides in behind me. "Don''ty out threats when you can''t handle the consequences." "None of your business, baby Alpha." He doesn''t take his focus off of me. Cam growls and tries to push forward. I shoot my hand out and feel Osiston move next to me, most likely holding him back. Cam stays right behind me and ces a hand on my shoulder. "Mike is obviously close enough and I can''t take him down alone. I can''t get out until he dies. You and your pack won''t be free until he dies." Dakota walks up and ces a hand on my other shoulder, letting a soft grumble out. Robbie looks at their hands on my shoulder then back to my face. "Figures." He shakes his head and then smiles and leans so close our noses touch, takes a deep breath and whispers. "See you around baby Luna." Then he just turns and takes off. I blink and look over to Elena, leaning over Gentry. She''s in good hands, but she needs a hospital. "Hey boss, do we follow?" Wyatt asks and I look at Osiston, I am so out of my depth here. I took the lead because it''s my pack, but it''s hard not to relinquish that lead to people I have been taking orders from for two years now. They have more experience at this than I do. "Do you trust him, Little One?" "No, there is always something more going on, but he has also had way too many chances to hurt me, so I don''t think that''s his thing. He still needs me alive, for now." This brought on growls from behind me. I know it''s the twins, but there are more too. I just don''t care enough to look. I feel so overwhelmed all of a sudden. "Let him go. Round these folks up and let''s take care of Gentry. We are more than likely being watched so take them as prisoners for now and we can figure out what this kid''s game is." "We need to see if they all have trackers, before we leave this spot. Mike may know we have them, he may not, but we are not leading him straight to where we will keep them." I look around for Sierra. I''m hoping that her time away was spent figuring out some of this shwith her parents. I know she''s here somewhere. Neither her or Sam would miss this. "Sierra?! Where are you?" I yell over the crowd. Some of these people look scared and malnourished. Her and Sam walk up to me ready to work. "Please tell me your mom told you how to locate and remove the trackers that Mike puts in his people." Chapter 0503 "Uh, yeah, but it will take time. Don''t you think we are exposed out here?" "Yes, but I don''t want to move them until all the trackers are out. That we can at least control. We''ll just dump them here or see if Nathaniel can hijack these too and make it look like they took off as deserters. That would be best." "Okay," She says to me and then looks at the group. "Does anyone else have medical training? It would be helpful to get this done quickly." A few people raise their hands, including Jena and Lil. They are both rubbing absently at their warrior brands and I make a mental note to watch them, especially after how they looked with the spell from the bracelet. I hope I didn''t do anything to harm them "Do your thing, I will work something out with Osiston for holding them when you''re done." She nods and gets to work. I walk to Osiston and the twins. I guess I should probably include them too. I''m trying to avoid talking to them as much as possible, but whatever. "We can''t leave them here, but I also think they very well could be a nt for something else. Like a Trojan horse. I want to really check them over, but we need to get them out of here and cared for. Mike is a d*ck and no one deserves to be treated like this. Even if they chose to follow him, they didn''t sign up for this abuse. Where should we put them for now?" I look at the twins. They are the Alphas now and should be making this decision. "Why don''t we put them at the school? The nurses office has basic first aid stuff and the kitchen can supply meals for a lot of people. We should probably expect more if this kid thinks he can just drop captives off to you." Dakota growls. "What''s that story anyway?" "Not now, it goes along with the eyes in the box Jena and I received. I''m going to help get Gentry loaded and then Osiston, Alpha Reggie and you guys can go over some kind of n now that we know Mike''s close enough to drag unconscious bodies around." Nicks was able to carry her to a truck one of the warriors drove up in order to take her to the pack hospital. She''s conscious at least, but that''s about all the good news. Jena made quick work of locating the trackers and teaching two other warriors how to get them out. While Jena and Lil helped patch them up after. Apparently Mike''s doctors were not super original and they were all in the back of the neck like Jena''s and mine. I did mention to Nicks to have our docs do a full scan to make sure they were the only trackers ced.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. We managed to get the twelve people left loaded into three vehicles and taken to the school. Nathaniel set up a security rm system for the doors so we could lock them in the gym. I swear that boy has tech growing off of him. Cameron and Dakota figured that would be the best since the locker rooms are attached so they could shower and use the bathroom without having a ton of warriors on duty escorting them around. It also gave us a chance to do a quick sweep of the school for the pentagram. It''s like trying to find Waldo in a ''Where''s Waldo'' picture. We know it''s here, right in front of us, but no one can see it yet. By the time we are done with all of the neers and the second sweep, then checking on Gentry, who is fast asleep with Nicks by her side. It is almost midnight as we are pulling into the driveway. The truck is overflowing between my pack friends and my warrior friends. I am so tired, that I didn''t evenin when Dakota p¨²t me in the front seat between him and Cameron. I just want to sleep and shower, possibly in that order. As we all step out ready to trudge up to bed, we hear a voice from the porch." "Oh my Goddess! Look at you. You look so tired and worn out, let me take you upstairs and help you rx after your hard day." Kaley runs up to Cam, I now realize he is her go-to. Then it hits me, she can tell them apart because they dressed differently today. I didn''t see the. this morning, because I don''t do patrols and they were out early working on whatever it is that they do when I''m not around. I can always tell them apart so I don''t usually look at their clothes for clues. They are both wearing ck basketball shorts, but Cameron has a blue t-shirt on and Dakota is wearing a green shirt with the sleeves cut off. "Not now Kaley, we have things to deal with, the day''s not done. Go home." He holds his hand up for her to keep her distance and walks past her, the rest of us follow. She just stands there mouth open. I wonder if he''s ever told her no or just dismissed her before. MY We head in and follow Cam to the kitchen where he surprisingly fishes out beers for everyone and then we silently follow him out the back door and to the side of the pool where there is a brick fire pit set up surrounded by adirondack chairs. I sit between Lil and Jena, who are both still rubbing at their brands. Sam has Sierra in hisp as usual next to Jena. Wyatt drags Nathaniel out to sit with us. He is obsessed with finding this pentagram. I think he takes it as a personal insult that every tech thing he''s tried hasn''t worked yet. But he''s never let us down before. Oliver, Mateo, Cam and Kota are across from me. Someone lit the fire pit for us, so it is glowing and warm. Everyone rxes back in their seats, my feet don''t touch the ground when I do that and Jena and Lilugh at the look,. It''s surreal to be here though. This is where the Alpha and Luna would entertain their friends while we preferred the clearing in the woods. "We never got to celebrate Oliver''s birthday and Mateo has about ten minutes. Sh*t is going to hit the fan soon. So I think we should celebrate the good things while we can. Sam, we''ll get to youter." Heughs and we all join in. It''s light and fun and breaks the bubble of tension that has surrounded us since we found Gentry. We start to talk about the new people and what that might mean and of course Dakota brings back the conversation of Robbie, just as Mina, Xander and Oscar join us. "Isn''t it past your bedtime, prego?" "Not on your guys'' birthday. But I probably won''tst super long." She giggles and sits on Xander''sp while maintaining a hand hold on Oscar. That just seems overwhelming to have to entertain two all the time. I break that train of thought looking at my phone. "It''s time. Happy eighteenth birthday Mateo." I hold up my beer and the rest do the same. I hope it''s enough to distract everyone, but of course luck would not be on my side. Chapter 0504 "Yes, Happy Birthday Mateo. I hope your mate is strong enough to put up with you and smart enough to team up with your sister against you." Minaughs and Mateo smiles, then she looks back at me. "So what is this I hear about Robbie dropping off random people?" I groan a little at her. "That is it, literally. He got our attention, by carrying Gentry in like a dead body and then he told me to keep her and the dozen extra people he brought. He told us to figure out how to free them from the binding spell, then just left." "That is not all he did." Dakota growls. "He was way toofortable with you, and if he ever gets in your face like that again, I will rip his head off." "Stop, he wasn''t in my face. He just got close enough to tell me something he didn''t want anyone else to hear." "What did he say to you?" Mina asks suspiciously. "He wasn''t overly talkative." "Nothing relevant to this situation." I know this conversation is not over by a long shot. "What I want to know is why did he bring those captives to you? How did he know you wouldtake them in?" Mateo asks. "Once they had me with Jena, they spent a lot of time figuring out who and how powerful we were. They found out I was a Beta''s kid, so Robbie probably thought I had some pull in the pack to bring in outsiders. He helped get us out and as a former captive, he probably assumed I would help others." I shrug. "So it''s safe to assume he''ll being back then?" Oliver sounds irritated now. I need these boys to find their mates and give me a break already. "Nope, we are not doing the pissing match thing again. There is no interest there and yes if he asks for my help and we know the request is legit, I will help. I''m not dumb enough to think this is one hundred percent innocent, but like so many times before, you guys weren''t there, so you don''t get to be angry on my behalf for the situation now." "That''s not fair and you know it. Had you kept any kind ofmunication going and told us what the n was, none of us would have let you..." Cameron stops, closes his eyes and takes a breath. "This is not about you being weak and not being able to handle hard situations. Clearly you can, you''ve apparently been designed specifically for them." He opens his eyes. "This is about you putting yourself in harm''s way and how gut wrenching it is to witness. Or to hear about after the fact and not being able to do what we''re designed for, to protect our pack members. Which you are one of huge importance."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. I roll my eyes, but let it go. He had a decent save catching his misogynisticment. I am tired and just want to hang with my friends a little longer in this kind offort. Jena stands next to me, "I''m going to grab one more, do you want one?" She looks at me then Lil. "I''ll take one." Lil says as I shake my head. I never really got the appeal of beer. Jena grabs both of our bottles and starts to head between Mateo and Oliver''s chairs. Somehow she manages to trip, toss the bottles onto the grass behind them andnd with a hand on each of their shoulders. Mateo''s growl rips through the backyard. "DO NOT TOUCH MY MATE!" "What are you..." She starts, but then grabs her arm. "SKYLAR! IT BURNS!" She turns to me, shaking her arm. "Oh sh*t! Sierra, it''s just like Mina! Do you remember what your mom did? Wyatt, go get Elena, we need help. Her brand is burning off." I run for Jena and kind of throw her in Mateo''sp. As far as I''m concerned that''s the best ce for her. He should be calm-ish and his presence will help her. "What do you mean burning off?" Mateo yells at me, but wraps an arm around her waist and the other is tilting her head back to his shoulder, stroking her hair. "This is what happened to Mina when she felt her bond to Xander and Oscar." "Yeah, but I passed out." That garnered another growl from Mateo. "You have two mates, double the sensation. Jena, breathe for me okay. I''m right here, Mateo is here. At least Mina was right," I try to joke, "Mateo got a mate who would side with me in a fight." She smiles a small smile and then her whole face falls and she tries to get up, but her body breaks out into shivers and she''s sweating as she shakes her head. Mateo''s grip tightens. "I don''t want a mate. I can''t be someone''s mate. You know I can''t, this isn''t fair to him." She''s looking at me, pleading, like we are the only two people here. I know what she''s talking about, we have had this conversation so many times. It''s her biggest fear after ever mes. It''s her she went through with Mike. "Yes, you can, breathe." She takes a deep breath in and I know my brother''s scent is helping her as Elena walks out. "Well, you and your friends certainly have no idea of what downtime means do you? Let me see." She pulls Jena''s arm towards her and she whispers a few words I don''t understand and then Jena''s body is calm, but she is still very upset. She covers her face and I know she is crying, but it''s silent. Mateo buries his face in her hair. She has been so afraid of finding her mate and she probably thought the warrior brand would give her more time. "I''m sure I speak for everyone when I say what the hell was that?" Oliver asks. I didn''t realize they had all gotten up to surround us. "We have partial brands. They were only designed tost until the end of this summer. That was the deal I made with Osiston when he let me have mine. Mina and Jena were the same. The Warrior leaders wanted us branded for missions, but we hadn''tpleted training yet. Mina''s broke the night of the Alpha Games and she was basically in aa for almost three days. We all have thoughts on why, but they''ve never done parital branding before or anything like that so it''s only theories." I shrug. I look at Elena. "Will she be okay now?" "She should stick close to her mate until the brand wound healspletely, but yes." I nod. "Jena, I''m going to head up. Mateo will take care of you okay. Get some rest." "No! I don''t want this. You know why I don''t want this." She''s angry and sad all at the same time. "This is out of my control. Give it the night, sleep on it and we can talk in the morning." I look around for any kind of help and I see that I have been left alone with my brother and his reluctant mate. Bunch of traitors. "I will just reject..." Mateo ps his hand over her mouth. "Stop talking, mate. You will not be rejecting anything, I won''t ept it. You are mine." He growls, and I see the fire in my friend''s eye reignite. Chapter 0505 I am so out of here. This fight and more than likely make-up session is not something I want to be a part of. I head in through the patio door looking over my shoulder at them and smile. She is up in his face pointing a finger into his chest looking back to her normal Alpha self. I''ll hand it to my brother though, he''s taking her Alpha aura pretty well and gesturing just as wildly fighting her on whatever excuse she''s giving him. I don''t make it two steps in the door when I run right into a hard chest. "Ompf. The hell?" I catch myself on the door frame. "Is that what will happen to you, Smalls?" I roll my eyes. I can''t help thinking ''oh, now they care if something hurts me.'' I still don''t know if they are aware of what their parents think about me possibly being their mate. I can''t bring myself to ask though. don''t want to know right now. I''m still not done being angry with them and if they don''t know, I don''t want to put the idea in their head only for it to backfireter. I also want them to want to try and mend our friendship because they want to, not because they have to. I have at least gotten that far with how I feel about this whole damn thing. "I hope not. We were only supposed to have our warrior brands until the end of this summer, like I said before. They are both over eighteen, which is my guess as to why the mate bond was able to override the partial brand. The brand was already weakening, they seem to itch like a montherf*cker, like a bad interaction with a wolfsbane nt. The mate bond probably speeds up the process. I will have a full almost ter months after my brand fades before I can even sense my mate. I should be fine." I go to move past Dakota and see Cameron standing not far behind him. "Why does she not want a mate?" I take a deep breath and roll my eyes, then look behind me. They are still standing close, but they don''t seem to be shouting anymore. "This isn''t my story to tell, but I don''t think she really wants to tell it either. Come on."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. I lead them back to the Luna''s office and walk in to see Wyatt manning the controls. "I need the room for a few minutes. Don''t go far though." "Yes, boss." I roll my eyes again. "I''m not your boss, idiot." He chuckles and pats me on the shoulder. "You keep telling yourself that Midge, whatever makes you sleep at night."I m the door on hisughing face. "Why not use our office, Smalls? You wouldn''t have to kick him out." This time I do let my anger show. "Are you f*cking kidding me?" "Uh, no. What did we do this time? The list is getting kind of long and I''m losing track." Dakota actually looks sad, not like he''s making a joke. I close my eyes augh a bit to myself and then move to sit behind the desk, putting some space between us and fiddling with buttons to give my hands something productive to do. "I will probably never step foot in that office again in my life. You called me a traitor used me of betraying my pack, took Kaley''s side without even asking me for mine. The one person who literally wants me dead, but can''t seem to do the job correctly. I don''t owe either of you anything. It''s thest ce I had a conversation with the only people who treated me like parents should and when real lines were drawn, even they chose to believe lies. That is all that office will be to me." "We''re sorry Tiny. That''s all I can say right now. That night is kind of a blur and the more we talk to Nathaniel and Wyatt and the rest of your team, the more we are beginning to understand why. We will be apologizing for the rest of our lives I''m pretty sure." Cameron scrubs his face, then looks at me again. "At the risk of sounding like a d*ck once again though, can we talk about this after you tell us how to help Mateo and Jena? Our Beta needs his mate." I just nod, because this is how it has always been. I am never at the forefront of anyone''s mind except Oliver, who ording to Lucas and Ava, is bound by the Moon Goddess to do so. My sadness and anger is growing again. Why can''t someone just want me for me? Not because I have a talent or skill that they need. I clear my throat and go into business mode. "Alright, let''s make this quick. These are not my details to share, so I will only tell you what I think you need to know as the Alphas of this pack. Jena was r*ped repeatedly the whole time she was being held, I have told you this, but I don''t know if you have the mental capacity to remember. Yes, I had to witness her daily attacks while I was there. It''s not something either of us care to talk about. Please don''t ask." I can feel their anger radiating, but they show no other signs of losing control. "She had an IUD in before she was taken and no one thought to look, even when she never got pregnant. Mike was very rough and did some damage to her internally. When Doc Sylvia removed the IUD, she said there might be a possibility that Jena can''t have kids. It''s why she didn''t want to be the Alpha of her pack or have a mate. It wouldn''t be right if she couldn''t produce an heir." I am proud of myself for making it through that. "We are going to circle back to some of that story, Tiny. What can we do to help Mateo? He needs his mate and Jena is perfect for him. He needs her to ept him." "I don''t know. I was kind of hoping when she found her mate it would help her heal. There is nothing normal about any of us, so I couldn''t even begin to guess at what to do. She needs time. We both do. Patience from all of you would be helpful." They both look at each other and then nod their heads. "I''m going to ask another question, and I know we don''t deserve an answer, but we really need and want to know. I''m sure you''ve already told Oliver," He grumbles jealously, "but I want you to choose to talk to us too." I raise an eyebrow in question. He takes a deep breath. I''m not sure if I''ve ever heard Cam ramble before, but I''m pretty sure I know what''sing. "You seemed friendly with that Robbie guy. Like there was more with him and Tyler and Mike." He runs his fingers through his raven ck hair. "Did he... or Mike... Did any of them touch you? Were you with any of them as a part of your mission or when you were captured." He''s vibrating with anger just at the thought, same as Oliver and Mateo. Chapter 0506 "Yes, I did tell Oliver and my brother and your dad, some of the details. Some I''ll take to my grave." I let that just sit there. He''s right, they don''t deserve any answers from me. "I''m tired, I need to sleep and hopefully Jena doesn''t need me in the middle of the night. Big changes like this set off her nightmares." "Let Mateo handle it, that''s his responsibility now." "Oh, so you would have me turn my back on people I care about, just because someone else is capable of doing the job too? Great leadership skills." I don''t even care that I am being a b*tch, they deserve so much more. I walk past them into the hallway where Wyatt is leaning against the wall. "You good boss?" "Yeah. Who''s on after you? You''ve been up far longer than necessary." "It was supposed to be Jena, but for obvious reasons, we covered her shift. I''m good Midge, Nathaniel will adjust the rounds for the next couple days. Go get some sleep, we need you on point for this magic sh*t. You now have both your witches here and once Gentry''s all healed up, assuming Niks will let her, the three of you can figure out this pentagram bullsh*t so we can take on Mike. That asshole has a beatinging his way." "Get in line warrior. There are several of us who have dibs on that beatdown." Dakota says from far too close behind me. "With all due respect, Alpha, handled your Barbie b*tch problem yet? No? Good to know. Just so we''re clear, Midge''s whole team is aware of the things she went through before arriving at Warrior camp. And obviously the bullsh*t that is still going on, because that skank is still here f*cking with her. Neither of you were there when we found Midge and Jena after THEY SAVED THEMSELVES. If anyone has dibs on Mike''s beatdown it''s them. Handle your pack first." He shoved past the twins. I''m surprised they let him. I just walked forward, Wyatt could handle himself and he started that fight. Clearly lines are being drawn again, and it shouldn''t make me happy, but it does. "MATEO! PUT ME DOWN!!" Jena screams. I get to the end of the hallway, just in time to see my brother start up the stairs with Jena over his shoulder. "Skr! Help me with this. Your brother is being an asshole!" "Skr, if youe anywhere near her, I will forcefully mark her right here. You areing with me woman, stop fighting." "WHAT!! Get your f*cking hands off me." She thrashes more. "You are going to get us both killed if you don''t stop moving." My brother is so calm. "Sky!?" She looks down at me, propping herself with her hands on his butt. "No, I don''t think I''m going to help you out of this one. You are safe and need to hear him out at least." "Some friend you are. Lil!!" "She is not going to help you either. None of them are." We all make it to the second floornding. I turn to go to the room I share with just Lil now. Mateo grabs me with his free hand. "Thank you." He whispers and then kisses me on the forehead. "I am not going to side with you in any arguments, jackass." She grumbles at me. "Perfect! That means you''ll side with me." Mateoughs and I smile at her indignation. "Goodnight you two." I ignore the twins as I walk away and I can smell Oliver in the hallway, but for some reason I''m a little irritated at him too after the conversation in the Luna''s office. He doesn''t deserve my own insecuritiesshing out at him so I head in and close the door quickly. "Well, that was an interesting end to the night." Lilughs at me. "What did the twins want?" I walked over to grab clean clothes so I could shower. "They wanted to know what could be done to make Jena ept my brother." Lilughs hard at that. "Have they met her? No one really ''makes'' Jena do anything, or you for that matter." "Shut up." Iugh at her. "We''ll see how tonight goes. He had to haul her upstairs and I refused to save her so she won''t be super happy with me tomorrow." "We can worry about that tomorrow. I think her mate will help her, she''s just scared. At least it''s your brother and not some rando. She can stay here when this is all done. She has a ce to call home now. I think when all of that sinks in she will be okay." "I know she doesn''t want to disappoint him if she can''t have kids though. Mike really messed her head up with that." "F*ck Mike. Better yet, let your brother f*ck Mike right out of her." Sheughs again. "Seriously? You had to put that thought in my head? I don''t want to think about my brother like that." "It''s better than the alternative." I just groan and head for the bathroom. I slept okay considering Jena was on another floor of the house. I got up early despite going to bed superte and decided to help Lenny with getting stuff ready to take to the school for the wolves Robbie brought over. Lil is already gone, I assume either on surveince duty or running a patrol. Three scents hit me as I approach my door. "Are you all going to shadow me now?" I ask irritated, opening it. "Hey, to my knowledge I didn''t do anything wrong, so exin or rx, Bitty." Oliver crosses his massive arms, tattoos flexing making him look like the scary protector he is. "It''s nothing. I''m not in a great mood this morning, sorry." It''s the best he''s going to get right now, because I still feel the unhelpful sensation that he is only here with me by force. "We wanted to tell you that we finalized everything for our dad''s celebration. We didn''t want to do it on Mateo''s birthday. Reggie agrees." Cam starts. "We are going to do it in the morning and want you to sit with us and mom. I think other than mom, you were his favorite person and you should help us send him back to the Goddess." Kota finishes the statement. I had the very dark thought ''I already did'' float through my mind, but I am keeping that to myself. I don''t want them to have more ammo for thinking a traitor now. Instead, said "Sure." Then walked past them, down the stairs and headed toward the kitchen. Elena is there helping to get things ready to take over to the school. She said she could add some things to their food to counter some basic spells that were probably cast on them. "Here''s some breakfast Skr, eat up. No more losing weight for you." Lenny scolds me and I roll my eyes yfully at her. "Okay! I''m here to help!" I groan as the screech filters in from the front door. I head over to Elena and Lenny packing up totes full of supplies as far from the hallway entrance as I could be. "What can your future Luna help with today?" She asks, walking in the room like we aren''t in the middle of preparing for war.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Chapter 0507 "You aren''t the future Luna and you can help Lenny carry supplies to the school. Our new residents need them." Oliver says not looking at her. "That''s Omega stuff. I was thinking more along the lines of signing documents or nning for the party after the Alpha''s celebration." She smiles as if she is brilliant. "We are about to be under attack. There are no Omega''s here to help and all pack members should be willing to participate in giving aid to people whoe to us in need anyway." Cameron looks at her like he''s never seen her before. "The only people who are here are warriors who stayed to fight and protect the pack. If you weren''t nning on fighting, I don''t know why you chose to stay instead of evacuating." Dakota shook his head. "No one said anything about a party either, we don''t have time or supplies for that." "What about the ball?" She actually sounded horrified. "We''re still having the ball after the trials right?" I had to step in here, she''s an idiot and I feel dumber being in the same room. "No, the trials were bullsh*t to begin with and we lost our Alpha due to equipment that was sabotaged." I pin her with a re. "All focus is making sure our warriors andnds survive the fighting at us. So either be helpful or lock yourself in your house until it''s all over so no one trips on your being in the way." She growls at me and starts to say something. "She''s right Kaley. If you aren''t going to fight you will get yourself and or someone else hurt trying to protect you. Go home." Cameron repeated his words fromst night. "If it is that dangerous, I should be here in the packhouse where I will be the most protected and the safest. I will just go grab some things and be right back." "No! Go home and stay there. You will be in the way here. We are trying to save this pack, there is no room for you here." Oliver starts to raise his voice. "Didn''t Mateo just find his mate? I will just take her room since she doesn''t need it." She shrugs and smiles, thinking she found a work around. "First, where did you get your information? Second, there isn''t a room avable." I responded. "Everyone in the pack talks when someone gets their mate." She looks guilty. "Were you stalking the twins?" I ask, a knowing smile forming on my face looking at both of them. They really thought she was harmless. "No, of course not. I forgot something and came back to get it and I heard voices in the back and overheard Mateo say he found his mate." Bullsh*t, but I''m not arguing with her anymore. "There is no room and I think you have done enough damage to the people who do live here. Go home." I growled at thest part and thankfully no one stopped me or corrected me. Before she could spout anymore stupidity we were joined by Alpha Reggie, Kyle, and my dad. The three of them looked around the room and I''m sure felt the tension. "Wepleted our rounds of patrol this morning. You are doing a great job Little One. The warriors have only been able to praise your work." "Thank you Uncle Reggie." I looked at Kaley and winked. Her jaw dropped. "We should have everything ready for Lucas'' celebration by the end of the day. Will you kids be done with all of your shifts by dinner? I think the Luna wants to see you tonight." Kyle asks. "I could go see her now if she needspany." "No, girl. Did you not hear? We are preparing for Alpha Lucas'' celebration, she won''t be avable until tonight." I think my eyebrows shot off my face. My dad just told Kaley off. Something has got to be in the water right now. He doesn''t look at me though, which I shouldn''t be surprised about. "Have you heard how Gentry is?" Cameron, always the peacekeeper, is trying to take the focus off of the unwanted person in the room. "She is healing well, but that is due to thebined work of our healers and Elena here." Reggie pointed to the witch standing next to me. "Like any of your packmates would do for you, I am just taking care of my coven leader, your highness." My dad''s head whipped around to stare at her, his eyes zed over and a rumble sounding in his chest. Then he pushed past Kaley and took off. "What the hell?!" She screeched. "F*cking rude!" "Oh my." Elena said behind me. I turn to look at her holding her chest. "Are you okay?" I moved closer to steady her a bit. I don''t think I have ever seen her unnerved before. "I think so, we need to go. There are things we need to do for tomorrow as well." She grabbed a tote, Lenny followed her lead, giving me a wary look as she passed. I grabbed a tote as well. As anyone of us predicted, Kaley did not follow. But we didn''t make it too far outside before Cam, Kota and Oliver caught up with us and snatched the totes out of our hands and put them in the back of the truck offering to drive us over there. I guess they are nning to give me three shadows today. The refugees were mostly women and a couple of men. They ranged in ages close to mine all the way to a woman who coil not have been much older than forty, but she looked so tired and weak. One was a witch the rest were wolves. Mike is affecting so much more than just our pack to get to me. Elena must have sensed my inner guilt, I know the guys did, but they''ve been smart enough to keep their distance. The twins must have told Oliver about our conversation, because he is sticking to them and giving me my space. And by giving me space they have made a ten food radius around me the whole time we have been here. "Don''t you for one second feel bad about this situation. The Rogue King and this Mike kid may have been looking for you. Don''t argue, it''s you they want. She holds her hand up "But, they started this process a long time ago, long before you started showing signs of power. You are helping to set them and many others free. This is not always a pretty process." She gives me a side hug, which is rare, she''s not one for affection. "SKY!!! We need you! I think we found something, but I need your help to confirm it!!" Sierra Comes running in like the tornado she is, Sam close behind with a couple other Elite warriors.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. I look at Elena. "Go child, Lenny and I can handle this." "What is it, Sierra?" "We need to get to the packhouse, I need Nathaniel.¡± "Why didn''t you just go to him first?" I ask but we are all running out to the truck with her. Chapter 0508 ¡°Like I said, I need you too.¡± We all hop in and Cameron takes off. ¡°I have been doing research with my dad since I have been gone. My mom has been trying to figure out your abilities and what has been happening with the warrior brands breaking. But, when I told them about what I was noticing in your pack my dad started looking into magic from the practical side. Totems, nts, stones, crystals, all of that stuff. He was helping to look for Gentry when he came across herbs that can be used for mind control and make people susceptible to suggestion.¡± She stops to take a breath. ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯m following you, but what has you so excited now?¡± ¡°Well we came across a spell that sounds like the one that Mike was using on his warriors. There¡¯s this star and each point is made up of different nts and then a spell is cast,¡± She waves her hand dismissively like that part doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Then a candle is lit and another spell is said to keep it burning in the center of the star.¡± ¡°Well, that sounds an awful lot like this f*cking pentagram we have been looking for. Did you and your dad figure out where it is or what nts were used?¡± Oliver asks next to her. ¡°That¡¯s the thing, you guys have looked everywhere, for this candle and pentagram, even used Nathaniel¡¯s heat sensors, but what if the pentagram isn¡¯t small at all, what if it is sorge it¡¯s easy to miss?¡± ¡°What do you mean? How does something big go unnoticed?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s literally a part of the packnds.¡± Her eyes widen and sparkle. We pull up to the packhouse and she literally pushes everyone out. Then we are all running toward the Luna¡¯s office. ¡°NATHANIEL!¡± She yells his name down the hallway like she did mine. Hees sting out of his office ready for a fight. ¡°I need you! Can you get me eyes on the pack borders in very specific locations?¡± He looks at her with a ¡®duh¡¯ expression. And I need a paper map of the pack grounds.¡± She looks around at all of us. I move to one of the side tables to grab the most recent one we have.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¡°Okay, can you get me eyes on this spot here?¡± She points to a spot on the map that is the Easternmost edge of the ind. Nathaniel pulls it up easily. ¡°YES!! I knew it.¡± She circles the spot on the map. ¡°Okay, now this spot. She points to another spot. He repeated the process again and again until there were five circles on the map evenly spaced. We all just keep watching her as she progresses through whatever it is that she is doing with Nathaniel and the search through the pack. She looks up expectantly. ¡°This is what my dad found, it¡¯s why I had to get out when I did. We couldn¡¯t guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t be affected by the magic.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Cam asks. ¡°This is the pentagram that you have been looking for. Look.¡± She connects the different circles and it makes a star. The thing I notice is that the packhouse is the center. ¡°Oh sh*t! Are we safe here?¡± Now the guys are looking at me. ¡°I think so. I think the spell was tied to the Alpha and the twins. The Alpha died, releasing his attachment and you broke the twins free. I think that was the massive ck stain you left on the ceiling of the hospital. I think you ripped the spell out of them, that¡¯s why it was so painful and aggressive, it didn¡¯t want to leave its nest.¡± ¡°But the spell¡¯s not gone is it?¡± I ask, feeling slightly defeated. ¡°Yes and no. I mean you were strong enough to unintentionally cast out an evil entity living in the twins. For what I understand that is hard to do with a skilled witch and for you it was the side effect of your protection spell on them. She looks at them and they look at their simple little woven bracelets and tattoos. ¡°I do think that since all of the elements are there, the spell can be recast. The problem is, none of you can be touched with Sky¡¯s protection.¡± ¡°So talk me through all the things you have circled.¡± I point to the map. ¡°Well in many spells herbs and nts are dried and bound for the spell, but live nts can also be used. When I found that out I started looking around the pack for crops of nts that didn¡¯t look quite natural when I got back, and I found them. Oleander is used in love potions.¡± She points to the eastern point and gives the guys a look, ¡°But it is hallucinogenic. Aconite or wolfsbane we are all familiar with, brings harm to wolves, but is also used in spells to bring harm and it is a paralytic.¡± She points to the next circle. ¡°Then we have Bedonna, it is used for beautifying mors, making people see things.¡± Another pointed look at the twins, pointing to the next circle. ¡°Hemlock is a sedative.¡± The next circle. ¡°And wormwood is another hallucinogenic.¡± So you all were susceptible to the suggestions given to you by the caster or casters.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a witch have to cast something this borate?¡± I ask. ¡°And what about this forever burning candle?¡± ¡°I think if all the elements were in ce the witch who cast it could do that from anywhere probably. Maybe even using a phone on speaker. That¡¯s a theory dad wants to test, but obviously now is not the time. Or if all someone had to do was read words of an incantation, anyone could have set the spell. As far as the candle I have a theory that only came to me this morning when we left for our run. I went out back with my coffee this morning and the firepit was lit. I thought it was a little strange, but then I thought maybe othere out to have their coffee and it was just something nice in the midst of all the bullsh*t. But then I discovered the massive patch of wolfsbane, then the Bedonna, then the Hemlock. After that I kept going and realized that they were roughly evenly spaced around the perimeter of the pack. Now that I¡¯ve seen the map I am convinced that the firepit is the forever burning me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy. There¡¯s no way anyone would put that much effort into a spell to control our dad.¡± ¡°But they would, to get to Sky, or to take over a pack that they thought should be theirs. The Cunninghams foundmon ground with Mike or the Rogue King they would both get what they want out of this whole thing, just by controlling your dad. What no one expected was for the girl in the prophecy to be a badass that could outsmart them, out fight them and use magic willingly against them.¡± Chapter 0509 I had to sit down. I went to find a chair, but I was so distracted, by everything, I almost missed and hands had to guide me down. Sierra isn''t wrong, no matter how far- fetched all of this sounds, those are all elements that are in the book Elena gave me to know well and be aware of. They have healing properties for those who know how to use them, but their evil properties are what they are known for and many are used in spells for controlling the mind. Poor Alpha Lucas didn''t stand a chance. And to think he also made a deal he thought he would never have to fulfill to save his mate and pups, not knowing he was betting my life. There are so many signs that all of this is connected, I might actually be their mate and I don''t know if I even want to be Luna or to be with them after everything that has gone down. But this witch knew what she was asking Lucas for and my life has been miserable because of it. I need to talk to Elena and Gentry about her, see what they know. I just wonder if this witch is working with the Rogue King or if she is another problem that I have to worry about and they are bothing at me at the same time. 2 Then, I think if I am the twin''s mate and I don''t ept them, none of us will gain our full powers, which could harm the pack and my wolf only wants her mates. I couldn''t do that to them and the pack. Being responsible for putting all of those lives in danger. I don''t know what to do. "Hey, Bitty. We need you to check in with us here. You went somewhere in your head again and I don''t think the Alphas are going to let me get away with kissing you to get you out of it, although it seems to be effective." He grufflyughs at his own joke. I look at him and smile, only half seeing him, but I get what he''s trying to do. My brain is all over the ce and I''m struggling to focus on any one thought.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "There is a lot going on and I think I only caught some of it. What are you guys talking about?" Dakota asks, squeezing my shoulder and Iugh a bit, for being the leaders of this pack so many people have left them out of things. I told them about the prophecy Reggie told me. I''m not ready to go down the rabbit hole their parents sent me on a couple days ago, if they haven''t already been told that version. I imply there is a witch, most likely, working with the Rogue King and that with my connection to the Royal family and showing signs of multiple extra abilities he thinks I''m the one the Rogue King is after. This much I think they know, or have at least figured out with the little they have been told, but it''s worth rifying. "The spell that was created on the packnds, controlling your dad and you guys to different degrees is not just some small thing for us to deal with. It is literally the whole pack. What I am curious about is the fact that we were told not to enter the pentagram or touch it. Well, we walked right in unknowingly, so howe some pack members were affected, but not all and my team hasn''t had any problems? I don''t think the spell waspleted before we got here. We all saw the change in Lucas and Kyle and even you guys." I look at Cam and Kota. "It was gradual, I don''t think I really noticed until the night you all used me of betraying the pack in the Alpha''s office even looking right at concrete evidence to the contrary." They both winced. "And why was Oliver and Sam basically spared from the effects?" "That''s what I can''t exin, yet. I do think for you and your team it''s your warrior brands. It probably has the same kind of protection the bracelets you made have. You came in protected, same as Alpha Reggie and Warrior Brogen and all the Royal pack members. Elena would have natural protections against curses around or on her all the time. But, somehow the control spell was targeted and used to manipte the Alpha and the rest of the pack through the Alphamand. And obviously some people were deemed more important to manipte than others." Sierra is talking at the ceiling. Organizing her thoughts out loud. "Or maybe because Sam and Oliver have always been focused on you as a priority. I mean no one can argue the connection you and Oliver have, that''s apparent to anyone with eyes, but you were also able to remove the spell or curse or whatever this is from all of them, which says something about your raw power." "Well, we know the ''how'' and we all suspect the ''who,'' speaking of which has anyone seen Kevin? I haven''t seen him since the ident and he doesn''t usually leave Kaley to her own devices for long." Oliver asks, quickly changing the subject hearing the rumbleing from both the twins. A chorus of ''no''s'' mumble around the room. "And it still doesn''t exin what we need to do now that we are inside the pentagram we aren''t supposed to be in, and could possibly be powering, how to get rid of it and set the pack free, all while being ready for Mike and his goons who are close enough to get to us on foot without shifting." I rub my temples. "I need to talk to Elena and Gentry, we need to be ready for a fight and I think I may need to go out as bait, again. "ABSOLUTELY F*CKING NOT!!" Cam and Kota shout in stereo on either side of me. "You may not have a choice. I am never alone and if we are implying that Kevin is the link between the pack and the witch or the Rogue King or Mike, if they aren''t all the same problem, then someone would know I am never with less than two people at all times. When Mike took me the first time, he waited until I was alone. Mina and I spent tons of time with them, but it wasn''t until she appeared to not be able to go that he did anything." "It''s still a hard no, Smalls. If you are as important to the pack and the kingdom as everyone seems to think, you don''t get to just wade into danger hoping you can get out on your own or any of us can get to you in time." He holds his hands up. "I know you have gotten yourself out of everything, but you can''t do anything reckless, you are important to all of us. You have to wait until we have at least gotten rid of the f* cking pentagram spell anyway. Please just think through and talk to us before you do anything crazy." It''s the most logical I have heard Dakota, ever. "Yeah, I feel like lots of decisions were made about all of us, for our own good or safety or whatever, but I feel very in the dark and I have a suspicion that you are still holding out on us Tiny. 2 Chapter 0510 "I think you''re right. There are still a lot of pieces missing from our puzzle. But we can focus on the pentagram and the elements that are powering it. We need to know how to blow out the me and get rid of the nts making the pentagram and I''m sure it''s not as easy as throwing some dirt on the fire to snuff it out and dig up the nts." "You''re probably right. Let''s see if Mateo and Jena have surfaced and then fill everyone in. Someone might have an idea of what to do before we bother Gentry." Sierra says, and I feel a little better having some knowledge even if we don''t have anything to put into action yet. We talk a little more about the nts and what they look like so everyone in the room is aware and on the lookout for them, because Sierra is convinced there are probably protection spells around the patches of nts to keep people from identally destroying them and harming the spell when Lil walks in. "Hey, I heard there''s a team meeting. What did you find out?" "Who told you there was a team meeting?" Nathaniel asked,ughing. "The three of us are here, Wyatt is running, and Jena is practicing procreation." The three of usugh at his joke. He doesn''t talk a lot and jokes really aren''t his thing, but when he does it''s usually hrious and at the expense of one of us and he will never let us live it down. Everyone else in the room looks at us like we are stupid, but we don''t care. We passed a lot of boring, ufortable nights like this. "If you must know, Lenny told me Sierra came into the school raving like a banshee, and it was important."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. I let Nathaniel fill her in on the Cliff''s notes version of the details. "Instead of killing the me and all of that stuff, which sound like a sh*t ton of work to me. Can we repurpose the thing into something that could protect the pack? Has anyone asked Elena or Gentry about that?" We all just stare at her. It didn''t even cross my mind to make the thing work in our favor. That was one of the first things Elena taught me. Magic isn''t good or bad, it''s the caster and the intention behind the magic that is good or bad. "You are brilliant! I could kiss you! We absolutely read something about harnessing power used against us for our own purposes, but it lookedplicated as hell." Oliver looks from me to her with his full blown, panty dropping smile and eyes brighter than I have ever seen them before. "Well, if I get the same reaction Sky did, I''m all in, cause we can''t feel a thing. Bring it on ''Big Guy." She uses my nickname for him, sticks her arms out and puckers up. I don''t find that it makes me jealous though, like I have been when other girls throw themselves at him. I am actuallyforted that all of my friends seem to be really getting along and gelling together. He scoops her into a hug and they are bothughing as he gives her a kiss on the cheek. "We have to talk to Elena tonight. She is going to be the make or break if we can do any of this." He says setting her down. "Problem is, I don''t know if we will get a chance to talk about it tonight. Mom wants to see us all and we really need to be there for her. I don''t know how she is dealing with losing her mate, she hasn''t really spoken to anyone but Brett and Lenny." Dakota sighs. My stomach drops, I have to tell the twins that it was me. They need to know what happened to their dad and that he chose to go his own way. Then I feel irritated with myself because I still care how they feel. If I am being honest I never stopped. Even if they were under a spell, they didn''t or couldn''t fight hard enough to just choose me when their backs were against the wall and this is what hurts the most. Oliver will always choose me, I never have any doubts. Even Sam was able to side with me at that moment. If they are supposed to be my mates, like their parents think, shouldn''t that connection or pull or whatever be enough to override anything? Shouldn''t I have zero doubts in them? Ugh! I really don''t like all of these emotions. 6 "Well, we celebrate the passing of the Alpha tomorrow, then we celebrate my ascension into adulthood the next day." Sam beats his chest and just like that my negative thoughts vanish into other problems for other days. We all contribute thoughts to a notebook that Nathaniel has, with every question we could alle up with for Elena and hopefully Gentry, whenever we get the chance to ask. Once we are done we decide we need to have as much information as we can for the witches to work with. We divided up the task of documenting the nts that make up the pentagram tips making sure to note anything unusual along the way. As we are leaving, Mateo and Jena walk down the stairs. I can''t read her face, but my brother''s tells me I have a new sister and I could not be more excited. I run up to her and wrap her in a hug. We don''t need words right now. I know that she is scared out of her mind and is so unsure of the future that she doesn''t want to risk anyone else''s. But she is making my brother so happy and I know he will do everything in his power to erase the memory of her time with Mike. I hope she feels that in my arms. She is home, for good. "I''m so excited to have a sister." I whisper to her. Then I let her go and move to hug my brother. "Congrats, big brother. You are one lucky man." "Don''t congratte me yet. I still have to convince her to let me make it permanent, but for now she isn''t rejecting me, so it''s a start." He smiles at me. "What fun would it be if she didn''t make you work for it?" I wink at him and move back to my friend. "We have been busy while you have been...well, busy." I fill her in on the day''s events and what we are up to now. Jena doesn''t disappoint. She jumps right in. Like me she likes to have something productive to do to take her mind off of the hard, emotional stuff for a little while. It helps to process if we can step away for a bit. She volunteers to help us with the documentation, and it makes me ecstatic when she chooses my brother as her partner. Lil grabs Oliver, who is reluctant to leave me until both twins tell him to pull his head out of his ass and they are actually capable of watching over me. To which he replies it only takes one of him. Sam and Sierra take the fourth point and Nathaniel sends coordinates for the fifth point to Wyatt and tells him what we are up to and then heads back to his surveince center acting as go between for all of us. Chapter 0511 We collect samples of each nt very carefully, take pictures and measurements of the crop that is growing and the area surrounding it. I don''t know what information Elena will need and I don''t want to be dyed because we missed anything. The twins and I decided to take the wolfsbane nt. I don''t want anyone else to have toe into contact with it and I know that I can heal from it quickly. I can''t willingly put them in harm''s way. And I know all of these nts are poisonous, but wolfsbane is the worst.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. As we move to the area Nathaniel directed us to, I notice magic traces in the air and slow down. We had shifted to get out here quickly, but I forced my wolf to shift back to protect her from anything still lingering in the air that might harm her. "What is that?" Cam shifts and asks me. I look at him and then m my eyes shut, he ispletely naked and I don''t know how I feel about the sight of him right now. "You still afraid of a naked man, Tiny?" Dakota is right behind me. "Afraid? No. Do I go around checking out naked people? Also, no. Most of us have learned to shift and keep our clothes in tact, so it''s not something I''m used to." My eyes are still squeezed tight. It''s been a really long time since I have been in the middle of a twin sandwich like this. I don''t count sleeping, because I couldy next to any of them and sleep like the dead. "Why does that thought actually make me happy?" Cam rumbles way too close. "Nope, we are not doing this. You do not get to flirt with me like this, like one of your rando girls to give you your s*x fix." I step away from them, eyes still mmed shut. I am so grateful For my enhanced senses. I don''t need to see to move away from them. "Our s*x fix? Is that what you think you are, Smalls?" "I don''t know? All I know is that you all had a hard time keeping it in your pants before I left for training. I can''t imagine it has gotten any better since then. You even slept with Kaley, the one person who hates me the most and has done the most to hurt me." "We haven''t been with anyone since you left. Don''t believe all of the rumors you hear." "That''s hard to believe when I could smell her on you. Not on your clothes, on you, your skin. Your scents were mixed with hers." "Just because she tried, often, doesn''t mean we slept with her. Why won''t you believe that?" I whipped around, my temper ring. I don''t care that they are absolutely gorgeous specimens andpletely naked showing off every cut line and curve of muscle that they have earned from serious training. They both take a step back from my re. Good they should be afraid right now. My wolf is going feral in my head, trying to break free to teach them a lesson. "Falsely use anyone of betraying their pack recently? Why would I trust the people who would CHOOSE my enemy over me? Who were so blinded that they couldn''t see the truth staring them in the face. YOU CHOSE HER! ording to everyone else, including both your parents, should be your everything, your only choice, but they are all wrong, The people who should choose me, like my dad and my brother, always put the job first. Unless the choice is between Sierra and I, Sam chooses me. Oliver chooses me every time, no question. Even knowing I was the enemy that Mike wanted, Robbie chose to save me, risking his own life." They both are breathing heavily, jealousy and anger radiating heavily off of both of them. I have never really talked about how my cement in my friends priorities makes me feel I can feel the tears starting to fall and I turn quickly to hide them. They don''t get to see the pain they caused. I can''t let them see my weakness. Because they are my weakness, they always have been. I love them and not even my warrior brand can stop the feeling like I wish it could right now. I take a shuddering breath and move forward, distracting my thoughts by looking for magic and heading straight for the wolfsbane. We have a job to do and I think that was enough emotional dumping for one day. The twins shifted into their wolves and came up to walk beside me. Their wolves are an interestingbination of mirror images and inverted colors. Cameron is dark gray with a light gray triangr patch on his chest and at the tip of his tail and ears. Dakota is light gray with the dark gray triangle and tips. of his ears and tail. They are both so massive that their shoulders are almost the same height as mine on all fours. They walk so close to me that I am brushing their sides with my whole arm as we walk. I hate that it is calming. I don''t want them tofort me when I just want to be mad at them. They don''t talk to me through the mindlink though. There isn''t anything that they can say to me. It''s a point they can''t fight. It iste afternoon by the time we get all that we need and talk to the other groups, making notes of what we found that is simr and different from each site. We all meet in the backyard of the packhouse and just stare at the fire pit that is still burning. The me is small and ne inconspicuous so no one would really notice or question it if they walked by the kitchen and looked out the window. And no one really sits out here during the day. The idea was brilliant. ce the heart of the spell right under their noses and keep everyone busy with other tasks and projects and the Omegas who would normally handle it, were probably Alphamanded to leave it alone and let it burn. "Now that I''m standing here and really paying attention, I can feel the power flow off of it in waves, like a heartbeat. Can anyone else feel it?" I ask the group. The twins have still not shifted back or talked to me since I told them off. They are just sitting next to me, their wolf''s faces showing no expression. "I can feel the magic, but not the pulse." Oliver says and Dakota''s chest rumbles. ***"Jealous?"*** I ask and get no response from him. "Hey! Ava!" Sierra says looking over my shoulder. I spin around to see the former Luna. She seems so small and frail, but there is color in her cheeks. She''s trying to hold on. She looks at me, tilts her head and tries for a weak smile. I walk into her embrace, letting the tears fall again. "My sweet girl. I''m so sorry I left you alone with this. I didn''t think it would be this hard. We talked and nned and did everything we could to make the pain as minimal as possible. How are you doing? That was far too much to ask, but there was no other way." She whispers into my hair. Chapter 0512 She wraps her arm around my shoulder and leads me in, not giving anyone else attention. I can feel the stares and I don''t know how much of what she said was heard by them, but it was enough to know that was involved with his death. We head to the formal dining room where the head seat has been left empty, but a single red rose is ced where his te would have been. My dad, Brett and Kyle are all here waiting by the far wall. Alpha Reggie, Luna Anne, Xander, Oscar, Mina, Nicks, Gentry, Elena and Osiston are all standing behind their respective chairs. She sits me in the seat next to hers wordlessly, takes her seat to the right of the Alpha''s chair, then everyone else files in and sits. The one major difference is that my dad, Brett and Kyle take their boys and move them up the table into their former ces. Opting to sit towards the middle of the table where the boys used to be. Mateo doesn''t let go of Jena''s hand and sits her next to him as he takes his ce next to the twins across from me and Ava. Sam does the same with Sierra, sitting next to Jena. And even Oliver moves Lil up with him, sitting between her and I. They have been talking in low voices and animatedly, well as animated as my broody Gamma can get, since they got back. I wonder what they found? Just as everyone gets settled, food tters are ced and Ava takes a deep breath to speak, thundering footsteps proceed from the front door after it is banged open. All of us jump to our feet ready for a fight, and then a blonde tornado flies into the room. "I am so sorry for beingte." She moves around towards the twins. "I didn''t realize how early you would be having dinner tonight, thank you so much for waiting for me." Lil scoffs and Kaley res at her as she moves towards the empty seat at the head of the table. The only empty seat at the table. The growl thates from Ava as Kaley reaches for the chair is one I have never heard her use before and Kaley stops in her tracks, looking terrified. "We weren''t waiting for you Kaley..." Dakota starts. "This dinner is for family and close friends of our father." Cam finishes, gesturing around the fully upied table. "Everyone who should be here has a seat already. You can see yourself out." "But, I want to be here to support you. It''s what a good Luna would do." She simpers and reaches for Cameron''s arm. He pulls away before she can touch him. "Any Lunas that should be here are already present." He and Dakota shot me a sideways nce that was so quick I might have imagined it. "Good evening." "But... I..." "Your Alphas asked you to leave. Do you need your Betas to show you out? Or can you follow simple instructions and find the front door on your own?" Jena growls darkly at her. With her head turned like that l can see the mark at the base of her neck that was so not there before we went on our nt assignments today. My brother has the biggest sh*t eating grin on his face at herment and I can''t help but smile at his happiness. Even being mated to a Beta, her Alpha aura is strong. We all just stare at her until she gets the hint or just can''t think of any other excuse to stay. No one moves until we hear the front door close behind her. The rest of dinner was bittersweet. Ava started by saying a few words about Lucas as an Alpha, a mate and a father. She hinted at things he went through and what brought him to this point. She even thanked me for helping make his journey back the Moon Goddess as painless as possible. Many tears were shed until Alpha Reggie started to fill his te and tell us when he first met Lucas which involved them getting stuck in a human town, naked, because they couldn''t shift back and trying not to get caught by human police. We allughed hard and then followed suit and ate and drank and heard and told our favorite stories about him. The night got lighter and happier as we talked about him. We all called it a night around ten since his celebration was going to start at dawn. All of the pack warriors were working until midnight and then Elite and Royal pack warriors were going to take over patrols so they could attend the celebration. This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. I hug Mina, Oscar and Xander who have been staying in their room. None of them are going to risk Mina getting hurt if an attackes while they are here. She is carrying the future of the Royal pack and if Mike and the Rogue King and this witch areing after me because I have Royal powers, what would they do to her putting anotheryer between them and the throne? Brett wraps an arm around Ava after she hugs everyone and leads her to the elevator to go to the Alpha floor. From what she said they have been packing and n on moving her out after the celebration tomorrow. I''m not sure where she ns on going, but I think I understand. That was her ce with Lucas. I don''t know if I could live where I made a home with my mate after they passed either. I stop Elena and Gentry and tell them what we found. "We don''t have to do anything with it until after the celebration tomorrow. I just wanted you both to know what we discovered and get your input on how to either use it to our advantage or destroy it." "What made you think to try and change the spell to something productive?" Gentry asks. She is still a little gray looking but she sounds strong and determined. "That was actually Lil, she''s our resident pitbull, always on guard duty." "Hey now, I''m not sure if you are trying to insult me orpliment me, but I have seen what magic does to Midge and I wasn''t sure if there was something we could use the current spell for without draining her of energy right before a fight." She shrugs like it''s nothing. "You have a good mind. Much like the Gamma here, you seem to understand the way magic works." Elena says, appraising my friend. "Let us do some digging and we will let you know." Gentry grabs my wrist firm, but gentle. "Stick close together tomorrow. The full transfer will render the Alphas weak for the eli briefest amount of time. Maintain contact with them during the whole transfer." Gentry looks right at me "They will need your added strength." I close my eyes and breathe deep. It''s like the universe is conspiring to put me in their constant orbit now that I don''t want to be near them all the time. Like she''s reading my mind, she says, "Trust your Goddess, she has a n and I know that you have had the worst of things to deal with, but you are better for everything that you have dealt with." I just nod, no matter how frustrated that simple thought makes me. Chapter 0513 Nicks wraps Gentry up in his arms and guides her away, I''m sure to rest more. I also watch Elena walk over to my dad and start a conversation. I don''t feel bad at all for the twinge of happiness at how ufortable he looks too. The rest of my friends disperse and I make my way to the staircase alone. It''s almost weird to be walking without the usual entourage, but I don''t mind the space to breathe, no matter how brief. I get all the way to my room, knowing I am being watched, but no one is interrupting or forcing their presence on me. I take a shower and climb into bed, not waiting for Lil, her and Oliver were in a deep conversation when I left, or at least appeared to be. My dreams were all over the ce. I started back in Jena''s and my cell, but this time I was alone. She got out safe and found my brother. I strained against the cuffs like always, and for some reason this time I was able to free myself with my own strength. I traversed down a hallway I have never seen before and out a giant metal door. I saw Tyler fighting through a sea of tall grass that kept whipping at him and he just fought and fought, shouting something to me, but I couldn''t hear. Then Robbie was throwing some kind of stone at me, but not hitting me. They sparkled as they flew through the air, but I couldn''t see what they were and they disappeared as they hit the ground. Then Luna Ava was trapped behind a wall of fire and screaming for Lucas, but Brett was holding her back. My dad and Kyle wereying on the ground dead. All my friends were fighting for their lives, bloody and bruised. Kaley and Kevin were on the top of a white tower, eyes glowing red, waving hands around, conducting the wind, but still I heard no sound. There was a shadow behind them, dark and ominous, who pointed straight down. As I tracked where it was pointing, I gasped. Suspended from the ground were my guys hung by their wrists, heads lolling. I can''t tell if they are conscious or breathing. I run towards them, but I don''t seem to go anywhere. Then a soft lispy voice is in my ear, coiling around me like a snake. "Choose. You cannot save them all. Look at the ones who im to love you, sacrificing themselves. But these five have always undervalued you, always thought of youst, if they even thought of you at all. Who will you try to save? The brother who loved you only slightly better than your father. The boy who only sought you out to gain your friend''s attention. The boy who thinks you are not strong enough, always needing protection. Or the twins who never seem to want you enough. You are a novelty, a tool to be used and nothing more. Choose who lives and who dies. Take their lives to spare them pain, just like your Alpha. Ore with me, away from all of this heartache. You will be better off without this neverending turmoil they cause you." A hand flies at my face and I jump up and out of bed, spinning around to try and find my attacker. When I''m sure no one is there, I run my fingers through my hair and head to the bathroom to ssh some water on my face. I head back out to the room and for the first time I realize that Lil isn''t here with me and Oliver didn''te for me. He''s never note for me when I am scared or lost in my thoughts. The tightness grips my heart. What was that dream about? I am never going to get back to sleep now so I throw on some sweats and decide to go see who''s in the office monitoring. As soon as I step out of the door I hear footstepsing down the stairs. The door to the third floor opens wildly. "What''s up Bitty?" "Why does it feel like you''re having a panic attack?" "Have you been crying?" "I...I...had a nightmare and I woke up alone and confused. I don''t know." I rub my face again. "I think Lucas'' death is getting to me more than I thought." The twins get to me first. Cam picks me up and I don''t even think or hesitate to wrap my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck and bury my face into his neck, breathing deeply. Kota is rubbing my backg After a couple minutes I look Cam''s eyes and then turn to Dakota, shifting so he can take me in his arms. I need to feel them both. Know that they are here and alive. Once I take several breaths of his cinnamon scent, I climb down and move to Oliver, cing my forehead on his chest like I always do and he wraps me up in his arms. "That must have been a serious dream if you came to us before Oliver." Kota tries to joke and I huff out a tearyugh into Oliver''s shirt. "I have a feeling Mike and the Rogue King are going to be puppiespared to this witch." "Do you want to tell us about it?" Cam asks softly, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Not really, but I think I need to. There was a lot going on, but I think I might need Elena to listen too. She might understand what the dream meant for me and all of us." "Come on, you are going to stay with us the rest of the night." Kota grabs my hand and leads me to the door. "Wait, you said you had a crazy bad dream, but we didn''t even feel it until you were already out of it and leaving the room. What happened, Bitty? I should have felt your dream scaring you." Oliver looked just as panicked as I felt when I thought the same thing. I just shrugged. "What were you doing, just a little while ago?" I ask, not really sure if I should. "I was sleeping in your... my... room. Lil had an idea and wanted to run a few scenaries by Wyatt and Nathaniel. We talked about things that might happen when the twins hit that weak time Gentry was talking about. If they are weak and you are sharing energy with them, that means you will be weakened too. It would be an ideal time for Mike to attack." All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "If you were just sleeping then you should have felt it. It was awful." He cocks an eyebrow and moves to the bedroom door, gives it a solid once over, then starts running his hand over the frame. When he yelps a ''motherf*cker'' we all rush to him. It''s a bundle of the different nts we found today and the spefPthat is on it singed Oliver''s fingers. Chapter 0514 "That''s it! I have had it with this magic being used against us bullsh*t!" Kota is pissed. "I know that you all but hate us right now, but you are staying with us until we figure this out. Someone is now attacking you directly from inside this house. Don''t argue or my wolf is going to go ballistic and do something very dangerous." My sweet, fun loving twin is at the end of his rope. And I can''t help myself, I walk over and ce my hand on his cheek so he looks at me. "Okay." I whisper and he looks down at me breathing heavily for a moment, then his whole body calms down. He scoops me up and wraps my legs around his waist again. I reach over his shoulder to hold Cam''s hand as the four of us ascend the stairs like a wonky train to try and get a couple more hours of sleep. I was surprised when Dakota put me down in order to hug Oliver goodnight. Itsted about ten seconds though, then Cam scooped me right back up and took me to their room. Like everytime I stay with them, I get the best sleep ever. The twin sandwich is the one ce where I don''t seem to dream at all. My mind and my wolfpletely shuts down, because I know I am safe. We have been on a mission almost since Jena and I got back from being imprisoned and I seem to just always sleep with one eye open, suspecting everyone but my team. We get up only a few hourster, groggy, but ready to celebrate Lucas with the warriors of the pack. The ceremony was beautiful. He wasid out on a pyre and so well cared for that he could have just been sleeping. Our eldest warriors performed the ceremony in ce of our pack elders invoking the Moon Goddess to take care of his spirit and his wolf until they can rejoin us here on earth. Gentry and Elena both said an incantation over him that is used in their own burial rituals and a soft blue hue floated over him, swirling and dancing in the sunlight that is now cresting over the small mountain that sits just east of the center of the pack. The blue light flickers remind me of the pups running and dancing around and him ying with them when he would join Kyle and I for training. A tear runs down my cheek at the thought. Each of Lucas'' team stood and said something about him, then finished with Luna Ava. Alpha Reggie came up and said a few words about Lucas and the twins and the importance of this transfer of power and what it means to be chosen by the Moon Goddess to be the next Alphas. When it was time to light the pyre Ava stood as well as the twins, but per Gentry''s instructions, they didn''t let my hands go and pulled me up with them. I felt very out of ce and don''t want to be part of the center of attention, but there was no getting out of this without causing a scene. The four of us stepped up next to him, each elder warrior offering a torch to light the pyre. I shook my head when one was offered to me. Not only did I think I didn''t deserve the honor. But I refuse to break contact with either Cam or Kota. They both move in closer to me, pressing their whole sides into me. They ally their torch on the kindling and it quickly engulfs the former Alpha. The blue mist from Gentry and Elena turns indigo and then a deep maroon red as the fire burns. I feel the second the transfer of the Alpha starts to take hold, it''s a squeeze in my chest. Both twins clench their hands around mine, but don''t move anything else. Cam has his other arm around his mother and Kota moves closer to me, switching to hold my hand with his opposite so he can wrap one around my waist. It only takes about five minutes for the deep red mist to swirl around the four of us and into the twins They both take a deep breath in and as they let it out I can feel the power of their aura radiate off of them. Ava sags against Cam and Brett moves forward to help him hold her up. She has been so brave and strong through all of this. We watch the mes rage and all silently let our former Alpha go and wee in the reign of our new ones. The celebration took most of the morning, even starting at dawn. We all sat in silence as the pyre burned, watching the former Alpha being returned to the earth and the Moon Goddess. I''m not sure how long the twins were supposed to remain ''in contact'' with me, but they did not release my hand until we were back at the packhouse and headed to the firepit that now burns forever, until we can figure out how to make it not or make it work in our favor. They did move their chairs to basically touch mine though. We all sat and let the warriors have the first crack at the spread Lenny, and Elena set up. Several people milled about, some talked to us a little, but most gave their condolences to Ava and went about their day. We are all here to do a job and keep these packnds safe for the families toe back to. This war isn''t done yet, I don''t think it has even really started. Eventually we took our turns to eat, no one is really hungry, but we do know that we need the strength. We all just stare into the fire that now means so much more to us. Elena and Gentry stop by our circle; Nicks, Osiston, Kyle and my Dad in tow. I''m not sure what the angle is or if he is just lost because my dad literally has no other thing to do without the Alpha. As I looked around while they all pulled up chairs I noticed the sun already starting to set. Sure he''s training Mateo to help the twins, but this situation is not a typical transition. Most of the pack isn''t even here. We are basically running it as if we were back at Elite training camp. There''s not a lot of general pack business to attend to. And to my surprise he has now spent more time in my presence in thest couple days than he has in living memory. I''m pulled from my negative thoughts by Gentry. "So we have discussed your idea about altering the pentagram." She starts. "It will be difficult and draining at first, since we do not have the original caster to alter it for us. But I think that we can use it to our advantage." Elena says They talk in tandem, almost like the twins do sometimes.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. "For now, I believe that everyone here is safe, due to your quick thinking and added protections, Skr. It will take us time toe up with the right incantations to counter everything that we know is affecting the pack, and then cover our bases for anything we suspect could be working against you, but it will take a few days." Gentry smiles at me. Chapter 0515 "We believe what allowed you to be minimally affected was that you were already on the packnds when the incantation was set andplete. Your friend Robbie said something about needing to cross into the pentagram for it to take effect. That might be a literal need for the spell to work. None of you have left the barrier since you have been here and you have your protection bracelets. When you finally came for me, the spell had been tainted due to the passing of the Alpha, who''s life force was maintaining the spell. That was a mistake on the caster''s part." Elena exins. "Or the whole point." "What do you mean?" I ask. "If the spell was tied to and using the Alpha, the n was probably to eliminate him no matter what. Now whether that was to elevate Cameron and Dakota to the Alpha position or to make an attempt to weaken the pack. We don''t know. But, what it did is make everyone suspicious which puts a strain on the pack." Gentry finishes, just adding to the many questions we don''t have answers to. We all talk a little while longer. Osiston has been sticking close to the whole Royal family while Nicks has been tending to Gentry, but Reggie is with them now to give him a break. It sounds like Gentry is actually considering going through with the full mating. Especially after just having Nicks close sped up her healing from all of the poisons and abuse she took while in Mike''s camp. I wonder what her elders will say since they were the ones with all the objections in the first ce. And, I wonder if she will move her whole coven to the Royal pack or just herself and travel back and forth since she is their leader. Witches are not like wolves. They are close but don''t need the closeness of being with each other all of the time like we do. They tend to travel and move around as their lives and training need them to. Someone clears their throat to get everyones'' attention. "We will be leaving in the morning, we need to get Mina to safety as soon as possible. We are all on edge right now having her here. And she is about as happy as Skr is when confined, and ready to kill all of us." Osiston says, and I can almost see him vibrating while everyone isughing at me. I wonder if he has slept at all since being here. "Once she is safe I n oning back and helping out Little One, but before we go we wanted to celebrate all of youing of age." He looks at the guys and then stands up to go grab a cooler I didn''t even notice was sitting behind his chair. "I know Oliver and Mateo had birthdays recently and Sam''s is almost upon us. I don''t know if we will be back before Cameron and Dakota have theirs and Mina actually threatened me within an inch of my life if I did not bring you all a beer to celebrate before we go since Xander just about shifted in their room when she fought him toe down herself. For obvious reasons she''s not allowed anywhere near this damn fire." He chuckles, handing a bottle to everyone. "So cheers to you all from your future Luna Queen and Alpha King." He raises his beer and we all follow suit. After finishing their drinks the adults all filed out and we were left sitting together in afortable silence. "Finally! It is about time. I thought they would never leave. We have traditions to uphold and I for one am not missing another one." Sierra jumps up. "What are you talking about?" Lil asks, concerned and rightly so. Typically when Sierra is excitedte at night it means many of us are getting pushed out of ourfort zones. "I mean there is a tradition of swimming in the pool until midnight and celebrating birthdays here at the packhouse. Thest time we all did that together was for Sky''s fifteenth birthday. So chop chop, it''s time to strip and swim." "YES! I''m so in!" Sam jumps up, ripping his shirt off. "Let''s go." "And Sky, tell Wyatt and Nathaniel to get their asses out here too, put another warrior on surveince for a couple hours. They both need a break and your whole team deserves to be here." "There''s no getting out of this is there?" Lil asks, but she is smiling. "Nope, she will hunt you down and force you to have fun." Iugh. "Trust me, I tried and I got thrown in fully dressed."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "I forgot about that." Kota mumbled. "Let''s go, woman." Mateo looks at Jena and pulls her up from her seat. "I am not stripping for any of you idiots." She tries pulling away from him. "You asked for it." He picks her up, squealing and runs for the pool. "Don''t you even think about it." Cam says sternly and I look over at him as he pulls his dress shirt and pants off. You got your turnst time. He''s looking over my head at Kota. "Wha..." I am swept up, roughly and wrap my arms, and legs around Cam as he runs and goes flying before we hit the bathwarm pool. My ck dress floats around me. Wee up and wipe the water out of my eyes. "You do know that you can just ask me to jump in right? The manhandling isn''t always necessary." "There''s no fun in that though, and you definitely hold on tighter this way." He winks. "You know that I''m still mad at you right?" "Yes, but I figure we should take advantage of when you are in a good mood every time we can." More sshing lets me know that more of my friends have joined us. "WHOA SH*T!" Lil yells before hitting the water. Shees up and is iling a bit before Oliver grabs her. She scrambles onto his back. "Don''t you let me go! I hate swimming. I''m like a brick and just sink." "Well, it''s nice to finally find a weakness. I was starting to feel inadequate around all of youdies." Oliverughs. We swam around joking and laughing for a long time, then Sierra and I got another volleyball game going. Lil was more than happy to watch from the side of the pool and y ref. Somehow it ended up my warriors ve versus my guys which became a very yful but intense round of sh*t talking more than actual y. My guys have always been like a well oiled machine the way that they work together, but my team and I are no different. None of us actually have to talk to each other while we y, it just happens naturally. We anticipate the moves that areing next. So of course that would make the game boring if no one reverted to cheating. I set Jena up for a spike and Mateo grabbed her by the legs under the to pull her into the water. Sierra was able to save it though and we kept ying, then someone grabbed my leg, but the guys were sshing so much I couldn''t see who it was. Chapter 0516 After that the game turned into an all out war of dunking and sshing. Wyatt and Nathaniel ended up siding with the guys and Jena, Sierra and I were outnumbered being tossed around between all of them. There was so much noise andughter. It''s been so long since I haveughed like this with these guys. Then the most murderous growl erupts from one end of the pool and all y stops. "HANDS. OFF. MY. MATE." Sam demands through clenched teeth. His pupils blown wide, his wolf is close to the surface. None of us move except for Cam who is holding Sierra. "You mean this mate?" He says, a look crossing his eyes that I don''t quite understand. But he hugs Sierra tighter and she giggles. Oh man, Cam is ying with fire. Sam lunges towards him, but Dakota moves in to snatch her up first, moving behind his brother. Now all the guys are in on it, but Sierra doesn''t seem to mind, she is either okay with the teasing or doesn''t feel it yet. Either way Sam is getting more and more pissed as time goes, but all the guys areughing. "How does it feel when someone else messes with your things asshole?" Mateo asks. Now I get it. This is payback for all the flirting Sam has probably ever done in his whole life. They are making him earn his mate and Sierra is all about it, eating up every second of attention from all of them. "What are youughing at?" Mateo asks Jena, swimming up to us. "I was just thinking, none of you would have caught me to y keep away." "Is that so?" "Yep." He lunges for her, but she dives and swims to the other side jumping out before he can grab her. He jumps out to chase her into the house. They are noting back tonight. Another squeal pulls my attention to my most mboyant friends. Sam finally caught her. "It is about damn time." He kisses her hard on the mouth and I look away, not wanting to intrude on their moment. Who knows what they''ll do with the mate bond officially intact. I am outta here. I climbed out of the pool only now realizing I am in my dress from today and it isn''t light now that it''s soaked. I don''t even think twice about just ripping it off and draping it over a chair nearby. "Oh f*ck no, absolutely not! What happened to you being shy?" Cam asks, throwing his button down shirt over my shoulders. "Uh, I have lived in amunal co-ed living space and been on missions where sometimes we all have to share a single hotel room or worse. You kind of lose modesty after a while. And my scars aren''t an issue anymore. They aren''t the worst thing that has happened to me." I turn to look at him, sliding my arms through the sleeves, but not buttoning the shirt. "Besides, I wear warrior issued underwear. This is more sturdy and covers more than Sierra''s average swimsuit." "Hey! I heard that!" "Nope, they are not here, you cannot talk to any of them right now." Sam pulls her attention back and I justugh again. "And Cam, your shirt is white, this is not actually helping any." I look down at my back undergarments soaking into his shirt. "Yep, she''s still hot. You guys are all screwed!" Lilughs, heading inside with Wyatt and Nathaniel. "Who''s side are you on Lillian?" Cam shouts at her back. "Mine. I appreciate all forms and, like all the leadership here, she is a fine specimen." She cackles and heads down the hall towards the stairs. I''mughing as I follow her in, knowing Cmaeron, Dakota and Oliver are all following. "Oh sh*t! Lil wait." Oliver shouts running after her. I''m confused so I start running too. "Oliver what''s up?" I ask as we catch up. He''s searching the door frame again and just likest night he yelps as he pulls out another bundle. "Someone is trying to give you guys bad dreams, or make you hallucinate or just disorient you so you can''t fight." He shows Lil. ICopyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. forgot she was on dutyst night when we found the other but "We know Jena and Sierra upstairs tonight. I think will be you should be too. Bitty, will you link Nathaniel and ask him to look at the footage from today in this hallway when he''s on shift next?" I only trust him, but it''s not urgent since we will keep you guys close." "All of our stuff is in there though." Lil protests. "It''s not worth it after what we sawst night. I don''t know if it was only in effect if you were sleeping or if it''s another one of those ''cross the barrier'' things. You can borrow clothes tonight. Let''s go." There is no question or room for argument from Lil or I. Oliver steers her towards the door to the third floor and I am pushed forward with each of the twins having a hand on my back. I took a deep breath and tried not to sound angry when I spoke next. "Oliver, will you check Nathaniel and Wyatt''s door please." He looks at me like I am crazy. "You won''t let me do it and I need to know if the target is my whole team or just the girls." He rolls his eyes at me. "I think we all know what the actual answer to that really is." "Just do it. No more guessing or assuming. We need to check all possibilities. There are too many ''maybes'' and possibly'' in this whole situation. It''s like there''s a multifront attack on us and we just can''t keep up enough to even think about getting ahead of this." "Fine." He walks over, searches the door frame and as predicted he yelps. "Someone remind me next time not to volunteer for this part of the job. Tell your whole team to look for this bundle. We should probably warn the rest of the warriors too. Who knows if this is just in the pack house or all over. Clearly whatever this is, our bracelets don''t completely protect us from it." I nod and mindlink all of my warriors, Nicks and Osiston. The twins do the same for the pack warriors as we all head upstairs. "Well, if your blonde b*tch is up to this to separate you guys from us or, let''s be honest, Midge. She sucks at her job, because it''s making all of us closer." Lilughs. We all divide. Oliver ushers Lil towards his room. The twins push me towards theirs. "Oh! I want to go to the training grounds when we get up. I need to move and get back to some kind of normal." "Got it boss." Lil is in the same boat as me. The other three just stare at me. "Is that really a good idea right now? Maybe..." Kota asks. "I dare you to keep talking right now. I was not asking permission or for opinions. I want to workout. Either join me or don''t. It was information so you know where I''ll be." I walk past them and into the room. I don''t wait for them to grab me anything. I find a t-shirt and shorts, which I have to roll down three times and crawl into the center of the bed, wet hair and all. Chapter 0517 As if my body knew I needed to get up and away from the guys for a bit. I woke up before dawn and slipped out of bed. I turned to look at them before I left and like always when they are sleeping, they actually look young and at peace. Each tangled up under their own sheet, chest bare, leaving the big fluffyforter for me. They are both so handsome, it''s kind of ridiculous. And they have been giving me my space while staying close. It''s a start I guess. I should talk to them about that night and figure out what they were actually thinking, but it still hurts too bad knowing they took her side over listening to reason and having the evidence shoved up their nose. I''m not ready, I''m still angry, no matter how much they draw me in, I am just still angry and for the first time in my life I am making sure people know when they hurt me. I''m not just going to brush it under the rug and take it. They need to realize that they can''t shield me from a fight literallying for me. They can''t force me to do anything and there is something very powerful in that knowledge. So I strode down the stairs and into the room I share with Lil to find her already dressed and waiting. "I wasn''t sure how early you wanted to train and I figured with the other half of our girls band upied with their mates you would go alone, and I couldn''t have that. That is the one thing I agree on with these guys." Sheughs at me.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "Did you check the door before you came in?" I ask gathering things to change. "Of course I did. I''m done being cursed, but that seems to be an upational hazard being teamed up with you. Did you check it?" "No actually. I could smell your scent all over the door so I knew I didn''t have to." I winked at her. She stuck her tongue out at me and I just rolled my eyes and changed. There''s no use taking a shower, we are just going to get disgusting. We ran downstairs and grabbed quick protein bars from the kitchen. I don''t know why I just really wanted to get out of the house before any of the guys figured out we left. There is something so satisfying about that thought. We jogged over to the training grounds. There is a small group of warriors training. A few waved, but most just let us pass and do our thing. The wreckage of the obstacle course is still there There''s no need to waste energy on it right now with the pups and teens gone. The pack is actually so quiet right now without all the hustle and bustle of life everywhere. I hope they''re all okay, I miss the pups the most. That was a huge motivation for getting back home eventually and now they aren''t even here. Lil and I get started not wanting to waste any time. It only took about a half hour for them to join us at the training grounds, but they didn''t interrupt us. In fact they didn''t talk to us at all, just got to their own training. Mateo, Jena, Sierra and Sam are still notably absent this morning, but I don''t me them. We are about to be attacked and they just found their mates. I would probably do the same knowing the possibility of losing them is very high right now. It felt so good to really train for once and after getting actual sleep. My body feels good, my mind is clear. I really want to work with Gentry and Elena to figure out this pentagram thing. As we were walking back to the packhouse, the guys actually didn''t bring the truck for once, we were stopped by Ava and Brett. I haven''t seen her since the ceremony yesterday. I know she was mingling with some of the warriors at the packhouse after, but I lost sight of her about an hour in. "Hey boys." She hugs each of the twins and then Oliver. Then she hugs me. "My sweet girl, Lil. How are you all?" She gives Lil a side squeeze. "We''re good mom, how are you doing?" Cam asks. "I''m actually better now that the ceremony is done and your father is back with the Moon Goddess. I feel like a weight is lifted, but it still hurts." She absently rubs her mark on her neck, which I''m just now noticing is faded. Is that what happens when your mate dies? You start to lose all traces of their connection to you. That sounds awful. I lean in to hug her again. I wish I could take her pain away. "I actually wanted to find you boys, I iel have something to show you." She links her arms with Cam and Kota and starts to lead them to the packhouse Brett, Oliver, Lil and I all follow. We head in the front door and she leads them to the elevator. She hasn''t looked back at us once, so know this is something she wants to share with just her and the boys. I head on towards the kitchen with Lil. Brett and Oliver are following. I think this is the first time Brett has left her side since Lucas passed. I wonder if it''s hard for him to give up his position as her Gamma, or if this is exactly what his position was designed for? "Hey! It''s all the mated saps." Lil shouts. "Sierra, how you doing? Walking alright today?" Lilughs at her own joke. "I''m actually good. Lots of practice before the real deal." Sierra winks back. I can''t say if I will ever join into their s*xual innuendo banter, but at least don''t feel like my face is on fire out of embarrassment. The rest of my friendsugh. "You good Bitty? You''re a little red there." Oliver traces a finger on one of my cheeks, which of course makes it worse. I stand corrected, it still makes me so ufortable I turn into a tomato. "Yup." I walk over to make a te for lunch with the rest of my friendsughing at me. "So, Sam, did you even make it all the way upstairs before you marked your girl?" Lil asks, taking the attention away from me, thank the Goddess. "Of course I did!" He is so dramatic, acting offended. "Marking your mate is special and once in a lifetime for most of us. We got to the top of the stairs and made it to the couch in themon area of our floor, don''t suggest anyone sit on that couch anytime soon." We are all rolling withughter. Of course they would mark and mate in a semi-public ce not caring if anyone caught them. "Well, I''m d we were all safely tucked into bed when that happened." Lil finally came back with after calming down a bit. "You two were bad enough before the bond kicked in, you need to be quarantined to another part of the pack for a bit." "Oh shut up, it wasn''t that bad. Besides everyone knew it wasing" "Those of us with extra good hearing did anyway." The whole room went silent and Oliver dropped his fork halfway to his mouth. My eyes went wide. Chapter 0518 I did NOT mean for that to fall out of my face. Sierra startsughing, "The rooms are sound proof, but I''m d to know you can y along." I shot up from my seat walking my half finished breakfast to the sink, took a deep breath then I turned around, "Just make sure you clean the arm of the couch and the back of the couch too." I winked at her and then took off. I can''t believe I just said that out loud. I head to the office to check on Nathaniel before anyone can stop me. They were terribly loud though. I wondered why neither of the twins said anything. None of them could hear it. Just another freak thing about me. I knock on the door as I walk in. "Hey! Have you found anything about our hallway intruder yet?" "Nothing, but there is a glitch in the feed around the time when we all would have been getting back from the celebration. Watch." He pulls up the feed and ys it for me and if I didn''t know to look for it, I never would have seen it. In the bottom right corner is a small sh of what looks like static, but with a shimmer. No interference I have everseen has ever shown as a shimmer. "Someone used magic to cloak themselves?" "Yep, and obviously doesn''t care about having to reset the little dream bundle as often as needed because of their cloak. I did talk to Gentry this morning while you were training..." "How did you know I was training?" "One, I run surveince, that''s my job. Two, you are a slippery sneaky one that likes to get lost, so I put a tracker in your weapons belt. I know when you are more than a hundred feet away from me. And don''t give me any privacy bullsh*t. Losing you to Mike was scary for all of us. We just handled it in different ways. Wyatt trails you like your Gamma, Lil sticks to your ass almost as close as your Alphas and I track every move you make from here. Just like your guys here, you mean a lot to this team. And whoever is trying to harm you knows that, which is why they''re doing minor things to everyone." "I wish we could figure out this spell sh*t too. I mean We showed the guys videos of Kaley actively framing me and they didn''t see it, couldn''t see it, I don''t know. I can''t believe they would ignore it or disregard it. But maybe under whatever spell that''s exactly what they would do?" I rub my face. That day has been bugging me since it happened. "Ava heard what Kaley said to Jena and I but she said nothing, didn''t defend me or back me up or even just confirm that Kaley was being a b*tch to the pups. Or even that Gwen took her to the cells. She just looked at me like she was disappointed." "Yeah, I thought about that too. I was watching you mostly and messing with the videos, so I didn''t see much, but with the new ''cloak'' theory I might have something." He pulls up the video feed from the four different angles. "You didn''t notice anything from the room and I didn''t see anything live on the feeds, but magic generally doesn''t show up on the electronics, but look at this..." He pulls up the feed where Lucas shows me the fake camera. "Yep, I remember that. Everyone seemed really angry at the sight of a camera. Especially since we had been cing them everywhere...with their permission. I thought it was weird then too." "Yeah, but watch this..." He backs the video up about thirty seconds. It''s when I am asking why I am being treated like a traitor and giving off my Alpha aura. I was so irritated never noticed. I had them all submitted, even Lucas. I demanded on an answer and from the look their faces, I was going to get one. Until the shimmer on the screen. Then the twins'' faces morph and theye out of the submission, like it didn''t affect them anymore. "Did you see the shift?" "Yeah. My aura came out, I had them submitted, and then it just broke. How did that happen?" "Look at the floor. You all were divided, but not until this moment." "Huh?" "Up until then, Cameron, Dakota and Lucas were all behind the desk, but Ava was leaning against the side, halfway to you, and halfway to them. She didn''t shift until she stood up and stepped back after you ????Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. submitted them. I bet there is some kind of spell or maybe even one of those little bundles like we keep finding on the doors hidden near or, more likely, in the desk. But it didn''t seem to be activated until the whole Alpha family waspletely behind the desk. We need to check the office, because your twins have been using it without any problems that I have noticed, but if there is something there, it needs to go." "Great! So it''s probably my fault they turned on me by activating the asshole spell." I rub my face again. "I''ll go find Elena and hopefully Gentry. I wish there was a way to do a sweep for magic like we do for heat signatures. I''m kind of over finding things randomly, this is taking up so much time." I roll my eyes. "We also need to figure out if that shimmer means there''s magic in the room or if there is an actual person in the room hidden." "Uh huh huh." I whine. "You are supposed to be helping me solve problems, not give me more questions." "I am helping, just the long, highly detailed way around." Heughs. "Also, no sign of Kevin, so I don''t know if that is a good or a bad thing. Kaley has been around, but really out of ce think. She goes to the training grounds, but sits in the stands. She doesn''t talk to anyone and I can''t tell who or what she''s watching, but we can all probably guess. She''s been by the packhouse too, but I really only see her in the kitchen and dining room for meals. Her behavior is off for sure." "I wouldn''t even know what to do with her anyway." "What are you talking about? She abused you for your whole life. Tried to kill you or seriously injure you enough to leave the pack. She clearly pegged you as herpetition for some reason and really early. I would beat her all the ways she beat me, if I was you." "But, there''s something so wrong with her though. Don''t get me wrong I know she deserves to be punished, but what if she was put up to all of this by her dad ying some really long game? What if she''s possessed like the twins and their parents were? All her screeching and yelling and demanding was just for show. That I''m sure of and what in the world would make her think I was any kind ofpetition?" Chapter 0519 "Are you seriously asking me that right now? Like a real question?" "Sure, what do you think?" "That you''re insane. From what everyone says, you have been beast moding it out of necessity since forever. You didn''t have to get stronger, that''s what you chose. Many people in that situation would have caved into the depression and wasted away. Not you, Midge. You just keep blowing everyone out of the water. That''s the kind ofpetition you are to Kaley. You are hot and strong and can defend yourself. You aren''t waiting to be saved. But, you are also a good leader, you listen and try your best to help. All things I don''t think she is even capable of." I think that is the most words I have heard out of his mouth, ever, that didn''t have to do with programming or surveince. And I am speechless. "That''s new. I don''t think you''ve ever not had ae back or answer to something. It''s all true though. You walked into this pack, covered in blood, fresh from a fight, after disappearing.." He gives me a look. "I do want that whole story, by the way. And just started giving orders like you weren''t gone for two years and you own the ce. Even your Alpha and Luna just took direction from you. That''s impressive." I rolled my eyes again, and then deflected. "When are you done? I want to show this to Elena and Gentry and see what they think about this and the pentagram, cause I have a feeling we don''t stand a chance against Mike, let alone the Rogue King, with that thing actively working against us." "Lil is on next, then Jena. I don''t trust anyone but us in here right now. So it''s just the four of us running overwatch." I nod my head in agreement. "Did you check this office for secret little bundles of herbs?" I smiled at him. "Of course I did. There wasn''t anything here and that makes me think that whoever is setting them is very limited in their thinking. They didn''t target the Luna, only the Alpha, probably assuming that he would control everyone. All these little things are to try and control you, but no one ising after you directly, not yet anyway." "I guess I never really thought of that. But why would they want to control me? I''m nobody to most people here." "I really want to hit you right now, but I like having all of my teeth." "Why are we hitting Midge?" Lil asks, walking into the room. "Because she thinks she''s ''nobody to most people in this pack."" He air quotes at her. "Yep, smack her." "Not a chance, I like living and having the use of all my fingers. Do you remember the guy in Arizona who tried to touch her ass? His hand will never be right again." He looks terrified and Lil is openlyughing. "That guy had iting. Nasty p*dophile deserved it thinking he could take her on ''cause of her size." "Still in the room, assholes. Let''s go find Gentry and Elena and ask about the shimmers on your screen." "Is there something I need to know Nathaniel? I mean it''s okay if you''re into glitter and rhinestones. I just need to rethink what I''m going to get you for your birthday." Sheughs. "Possibly, but we have more important things to do right now than discuss your nonexistent birthday shopping habits." She keepsughing for a second, then scooches him out of the chair. "Alright, tell me what you really found? A way to end this whole sh*tshow maybe?" "Not quite, but hopefully to even out the battlefield." I start telling her what we have noticed, letting Nathaniel answer her questions. "Yeah, let''s bring in the big guns... Big casters... They need a nickname. And you''re right we need to be able to do a magic sweep, this sh*t is getting old. Go see what Gentry has found after your revtions this morning. I''ll be here spying on Kaley, because at this point I really don''t give a sh*t about anyone else." Nathaniel and I walk outughing at her, saying we''ll be back soon. "Ah, good. I was hoping to find you together. Elena is waiting for us." Gentry walks down the hallway, through the kitchen and onto the patio, then turns towards the ever burning fire pit. What I don''t expect is Niks and my dad sitting there too. What is he doing here? He''s never around, at least not when I am. My confusion must show on my face. "Don''t look like that. I hate it when you look at me like that." He says and I all butbust. "Umm...I try not to look at you at all. It used to get me smacked and sent to my room or yelled at. It for sure would have cost me a meal. What are you doing here? Are you lost?" Yep, my filter has been inhabited by Sierra, Jena and Lill all at the same time today. Like all three have possessed my vocal chords. Elena whips her head towards him, while Nathaniel moves to my side, standing shoulder to shoulder. "You never said youid a hand on her! How could you do that?! You starved her?" Why does it sound like she is taking this personally? "It''s...hard to exin." "Oh for f*ck''s sake. It''s not." I grumble. "My mom died giving birth. to me since no one thought to exin the whole ''having a girl might kill you'' family trait. You hated me for killing your mate. I knew it, the whole pack knew it. You foraged people to ignore me and for training and discipline to be more intense for that very reason. I was not important enough to be spoken to unless it was to criticize. I only attended functions where it was general knowledge that you had two children, and I wasn''t allowed to speak or interact. Should I go on?" Elena stood up and came to hug me. I was a little frozen at the gesture, her fiery locks swarming me. "Well that is something we will have to work out. And I n on revisiting this abuse." She turns her head, I assume looking at my dad. "Why does this matter at all? I really don''t want to talk about any of that. We''re supposed to work out this pentagram thing." "It does matter since we will all be a part of it. All of the mates will." I think my brain short-circuited. "What do you mean ''all of the mates will?'' And what does that have to do with the Beta?" I don''t know if I have ever called him ''dad'' or any variation of that out loud. "Because Daniel is my mate." She says calmly, not letting go of me.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. I can feel the color drain from my face along with the rest of the feeling in my body. Then I hear a bang and loud thumping then two arms are wrapped around me, pressing me up against a hard chest and keeping me up right. "What the hell did you do to her?" Oliver snarls. It''s the only thing I can clearly hear, every other voice sounds like it''s underwater. More stomping and then I feel warmth in both of my hands. "Tiny what happened?" "Breathe, Smalls. We need you to breathe." Chapter 0520 I hear them too, but still no one else. Elena is my dad''s second chance mate? What the f*ck is the Moon Goddess ying at? She''s helping me, he hates me. She''s a witch and he''s a werewolf, just like Niks and Gentry. Oh! That exins why I keep seeing the four of them together. When did this happen? Will she stay here, in the pack? Will he go with her now that he is free of his Beta duties? Will she want to keep training me now that she is with him? My stomach plummets at the thought. We have been doing so well and I love training with her, I don''t want to lose that because she chooses her mate over me. My heart actually hurts at the thought of the loss. "No! You are not spiraling, get out of that head Bitty." Oliver picks me up and I can tell we are moving by the flexion in the muscles in his torso. I don''t know where we are going, but I can smell Cam and Kota with us too. I bury my head in Oliver''s neck. I know he says we aren''t mates, but his scent is the thing keeping me sane right now. I can feel Cam and Kota close too. One is touching my ponytail as it swings and the other brushes my shoe as his arm swings. I''m trying to stay out of my head like Oliver said. I''m thinking about what I did with Jena when she was having full blown panic attacks. Five things I can see. I see Oliver''s shirt below me, behind him I see trees and a path. We''re in the forest. To his right I see Cam''s legs walking a step ahead. Looking down I see Kota''s arm swinging behind me. Four things I can feel. Oliver''s breath on my head. My hand fisted into his shirt. His firm grip on my ribs and legs. The temperature change as we move further down the path. Three things I can smell. Them. I can smell all three of them separate but together. Crisp citrus, sharp cinnamon and warm honey. It''s like my personal dessert. Two things I can hear. All of them breathing, deep controlled breaths. I can hear the crunch of twigs and rustle of the damp earth under their feet. What can I taste? Salt. Was I crying? I don''t even remember. "Giver her here, and start a fire, she''s shivering." "Cam..." I can only whisper his name. He sits on the ground leaning against one of therge logs with me across hisp. I tuck my head into his neck and breathe in, letting his scent add a wave of calm to my nerves. "We''ve got you Tiny." "What happened? We were talking with mom and my knees almost gave out then we were running out the back door. I didn''t even realize we were running to you until I grabbed your hand. It''s like my wolf took over." Kota says over the pile of wood he made inside the rough stone d circle.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "I felt your fear. This was probably just as bad as the locker room Bitty, what did they tell you?" I let them get the fire started and just stare for a minute while I gather my thoughts. They sit on either side of Cam but facing towards me. I shift so I am sitting in Cam''sp, my back to his broad chest. Kota ys with my fingers and Oliver brushes the exposed skin between the hem of my leggings and my sock. Cam has his arms loosely belted around my waist. "Elena and Gentry think that we can override the pentagram magic. She said all of us have to be a part of it, including mates, and my dad will be there because she is his second chance mate." I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. I can feel tears slowly rolling down my cheeks. "Oh damn!" Kota squeezes my hand. "Sh*t, Tiny, I''m sorry." Cam''s arms tighten. "How can we help?" Oliver holds tight to my leg. "I don''t know. I love working with her and now that she''s his mate, I might lose her." I pull my hand from Kota''s and wriggle out of Cam''sp to stand. They just watch me like a cornered animal that might lunge at them. Not apletely wrong thought though. "She might choose him over me, just like Ava, just like Lucas, just like you guys." I start pacing around the fire, trying to keep myself under control. "What do you mean like us?" Cameron stands when he asks, but doesn''te close. The other two follow suit. "I''ve had to let you guys go more than once because it was what was best for the pack. And now all of you are old enough to find mates and so far they happen to be my friends. And I am so, so d that everyone''s finding people that are amazing, but I''m afraid that now everyone is pairing off, it''s going to be like my dad after losing my mom or Luna Ava the night you all called me a traitor." I really need to let that go, I''ve thrown it in their faces so many times with no real response. "They both chose their mates over me when I didn''t do anything wrong and I''m the one who ended up hurt in the end. You guys are all going to end up choosing your mates, because that is what''s supposed to happen. You two will have your Luna, who will want nothing to do with our friendship. Oliver will have his mate and he will stop being my shadow. As much as Iin, it makes me not feel alone and I will lose that. Elena will choose him and he won''t let her be around me, let alone train me because he hates me and the thought just makes me feel hollow. And that sounds so selfish when I say it out loud. But being everyone''s go-to, reliable person, but no one''s top priority, it still hurts so much." I grasp at my chest, tears are still falling slowly, like I''m running out of them. I can''t look at any of them after that tantrum. I feel like a brat, but I can''t hide the feeling or stuff it in the back of my head. I think the situation in the office with Lucas and Ava and then reying it with Nathaniel brought it all bubbling to the surface again and now I am overflowing with that insecure voice that sounds so much like a mixture of my dad and Kaley telling me I''m not important enough to be a priority to anyone, I am just a tool to be used and then forgotten. It''s why I wanted to leave in the first ce. I wanted the warrior bond to not feel those emotions for just a little while and then to find a mate who would choose me no matter what and sail off into the distance. "Hey, Bitty. I think we need to set some things straight." Oliver has his hands up in a surrender gesture. Chapter 0521 "You do not need to exin anything. Of everyone, you see me the most. It''s just a lot and overwhelming. I''ll get over it and go back to work, I just need a minute." I wave him off and turn my back to them. "We have to handle this pentagram soon and it sounds like a process that will take time." "Skr, stop. Just stop, please." Cam says my name like it might scare me off. "Elena won''t stop training you because of your dad." "You can''t know that." I whisper. "Based on the look on her face, I think she was ready to st him into next week. Kota slides closer. "You aren''t being selfish, Bitty. But this is probably the first time you are telling any of us how you really feel." "We don''t have time for my feelings, they seem to be running in squirrel mode anyway and don''t make sense half the time. We need to handle this or we''re all gonna die and it won''t matter anyway." "Skr, stop deflecting. We need to talk about that night and get it out once and for all. You are holding that over us, but you have never heard our side." "Fine, what is your side of the story?" I stop pacing and stand there staring at the three of them. And it hits me, I am so f*cked right now. The three of them standing side by side, Oliver in the center only an inch or so shorter than the twins. The three of them are built so simr, tall and thick, muscles rippling under every piece of exposed skin. Cameron with his full lower lip and piercing green eyes that challenge me without words. Oliver and his kissable full lips and chocte brown eyes that look into my soul. Dakota''s mouth matches his brother''s but it''s always turned up on one side like he''s hiding a secret, ocean blue eyes that are yful. They all have inky ck hair in varying levels of disarray. With the low fire in front of them highlighting all their dips and curves, it''s a picture right out of any red-blooded girl''s fantasies. I love all three of them. It''s not a lust thing, I don''t think. I don''t feel any of the body stuff Sierra mentioned when we would talk, but I know it anyway. I am in love with all three of them. What the hell do I do with that information? "Bitty? You short circuited there. You okay?" I blink a few times and look right at Oliver for what seems like the first time, and just nod. I have no words right now and I think he knows what is on my mind or has a suspicion based on the cocky way his mouth turns up, like he''s fighting that full blinding smile. I blink again and finally find my voice. "What is your side of the story?"Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. "Why don''t you put up your little bubble, we never know who''s listening anymore." Oliver points at the surrounding area. I just nod and like so many times with him before I say the simple incantation. Things like this feel natural and easy. The twins look between the two of us. Dakota rolls his eyes and Cam takes a deep breath. "You know that we have talked to Nathaniel and Wyatt. I wish we could have talked to you too, but that wasn''t possible until recently. We also talked to mom and dad about that night." Cam starts. We are all still standing, them on one side of the fire and I''m on the other. I can''t be near them right now. "What''s on the videos that Nathaniel has is not what we remember, but if there was magic at y... What am I saying, since there was magic at y, our reactions wouldn''t make any sense to you." Kota finishes. "Let''s just start at the beginning and we can figure out where things got messed up." Oliver suggests. "I''m pretty sure I have the answer to that already." They all look at me. "Nathaniel, Wyatt, and Lil have been going over the video from that night, but we have also been looking into the situation on the second floor with the bundle and we found a simrity, and we have a theory. Nathaniel is working on that right now. Start at the part where you gave me the camera you found." They all look at me. "How do you do that?" "Do what?" "You were a panicky mess needing protection and reassurance ten minutes ago and now you have totally switched to boss mode. How do you bounce like that?" Kota asks. "I try not to be a mess in the first ce. Some things I don''t have control over. That''s usually when Oliver has to jump in to get me out of my head. Being all business is easier, it''s tangible, I can deal with it and work with it. Emotions are not simple or easy or make any sense to me whatsoever. I try to avoid them as much as possible." I shrug. "F*cking superhero." Cam mumbles and Oliver huffs augh. "You guys came for me today too." Why am I trying to cate them? I internally give myself an eye roll. "Anyway, we found this shimmer in the corner of the camera view when we were going over feeds on the second floor and Nathaniel found the same shimmer in the feeds from the Alpha''s office from that night. We can''t record magic, yet, but we think that might be him catching magic that is in ce or maybe showing signs of magic in the space. He''s checked out other camera views from other days and found simr shimmers when he knew magic was being used. So something was going on that night." "How do you know it happened when we showed you the camera?" It was actually right after that when I got angry and submitted you all." "Wait, you guys didn''t tell me she did that?" Oliver''s usatory tone at least lets me know he''s been ying go between for us. "Would you tell anybody that your hundred and twenty pound, five foot nothing Beta sh Alpha warrior submitted the entire Alpha family? Because no one outside this group gets to hear that." Kotas snarks at him. Before anything else can distract us I go on. "Anyway, when I let out my aura, the Luna stepped behind the desk. It was the first time all four of you were separated from me by the desk. The theory is that something was activated then. So I basically did this to myself after losing my temper. I was having Nathaniel show you the different feeds, but what were you seeing?" "We are going to jump back to the ''you were giving Nathaniel orders from the Alpha''s sealed office'' thing first." I rolled my eyes for real this time. "Have you not figured out yet that my abilities supersede anything you have set up in this pack for protection? I can always contact my team, so yes that night I did to prove ou innocence. Now, what did you see?" "We saw you cing cameras, but the image was blurry, you also confessed to spying because you thought we were weak and none of us deserved to run this pack." Cameron seems to be trying to hold his anger in. Chapter 0522 Dakota however, wears his emotions on his sleeve. "You said you were d you met the Rogue King and couldn''t wait to get back to him." He looks so sad and distraught. He scrubbed his hands over his face. "Obviously Nathaniel has showed us the videos, with sound and you said nothing like that but that was probably the worst kind of torture ever, Smalls." They all just go quiet. "Was that it?! Seriously? The conversation was so much longer than that. I told you with my brand I can''t lie to Alpha Reggie, I showed the scars on my back, the ones Kaley gave me. You all just stood there." "Tiny, you said you were disappointed to be associated with this pack, that helping us was bullsh*t and you were only assigned here because you''re from here. You said you never wanted toe back, that you were better off being as far away as possible." Well that helps exin their behavior in the office that night. "What about out on the porch when Kaley and Kevin were talking to us. Kaley outright called me a traitor, she knew I was questioned. I didn''t even think about that until just now. I know there was some kind of magic on the packhouse itself, I could actually see it. Oliver, I think you saw it too." Oliver just nods his head. "I saw her talking to you, I wasn''t in earshot though. Then you got pissed and your eyes shed and they were down on their knees. You told them they chose the wrong enemy." "I did tell them that. Kevin tried to tell me I wasn''t wee in their pack and I should know how to treat a future Luna." I chanced a look at the twins. Trying to gauge their reactions.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Her and this Luna sh*t. She has been going on about being our Luna since the sixth grade. We didn''t even care then." Dakota is pacing now, frustrated. "You know her dad told us before we left the summer after eighth grade that he would be alright if we wanted to sleep with her. Said she would be up for anything we wanted. I knew it wasn''t right at the time, but we were leaving and then I forgot about it, but he was basically wh*ring her out to us, I''m sure hoping we''d get her pregnant." He shivered "You did sleep with her though, didn''t you? I mean I guess I shouldn''t put much stock in rumors, but that would be one I would believe." "Once, we have only ever been with her once. And no we didn''t take her together. We were both too drunk for that kind of coordination." Cam doesn''t look at me. "I remember Oliver mentioning the tequ." "Yep, and we haven''t had it since. I vaguely remember it. Enough to know I did, but that was it." "Yeah, I really don''t need any of those details." "She hasn''t let it go, though. She has pulled us in empty ssrooms, closets and the locker room at school trying to catch us off guard. She used to sneak up to our rooms, which is why we have the keypad now. But somehow she kept figuring out the code." Dakota rolled his eyes. "The day in the hospital, with dad..." Cam looks me in the eye now. "She actually managed to get upstairs and we woke up to her giving us hand jobs. That''s what you smelled on us." "I have never had little Dakota shrink up so fast in my life. We had to kind of fight her off and then we all were told to go to the training grounds to talk about the trials. Then this f*cker made out with you in front of everyone and all hell broke loose." "We didn''t make out and it was my birthday. You two woke up to a BJ on my birthday, serves you right." "Why have you kept her around if she is such a problem?" It''s probably my biggest question. "We can''t just kick people out for being annoying and chasing us.¡± "But she has harmed people in the pack. Not just me, Ben''s daughter had her leg broken and so many other kids were hurt, although I think my injuries have been the worst." The twins look at each other and at Oliver. They are trying toe up with an answer for me, but I can see it in their eyes, they don''t have one. I want to cry all over again. Cam finally takes a deep breath after way too much time and is the one to fall on the sword. "She''s been smart about what she''s done. No one can prove things she did in the past and everyone she messed with is too afraid toe forward. At least now we have something to work with." "Yep, when no one in the pack is here for a trial." I shake my head. "Whatever, you guys know the truth now at least. It''s something. We need to go and handle this f*cking pentagram." "Wait, you said you saw a shimmer of magic on the packhouse the night you left. Is it still there?" Kota asks. "And what about the people we rescued, are they being tracked magically? No one went over sh*t like this when we were at training." "Yeah, magic is a lot, especially when no one really exins it until you have to just use it and hope that you''re working it right. As far as we know, there were no other magical trackers on the hostages. Osiston was working with Doc Sylvia to do a better sweep of physical ones. They are coordinating through Sierra. I haven''t noticed anything more on or at the packhouse, but I''m sure if there was Gentry and Elena would have handled it. They seem to be pretty offended about the magic being used on innocence too. I will ask to make sure though." "Are you ever going to forgive us Tiny? I mean really forgive us. No one deserves to be treated the way that you have, but we can''t go back and fix it or change it. We''re obviously learning from it, the hard way. I twist my hands together, am I capable of that or will I hold a grudge? "I can just say that I am trying. I know not everything is your fault, but the thing about magic is most of the mind control stuff is just suggestion. You had to have some inkling of a thought in your head for it to take root. That is the part I''m having the hardest time letting go of. You had to agree with the sentiment in some way for the magic to work on you." They all nod in understanding. I''m not sure what that means though. Chapter 0523 I roll my eyes at them, but I can''t argue either. "I learned that when I went to people more bad things usually happened and it wasn''t punishment for the person who was doing the bullying, the person who told or the victim typically got hurt. I wasn''t going to put anyone else in harm''s way or have them disappear. I don''t trust easily...well I didn''t trust easily. I''m learning, but the people I trust the most have had my back in situations where they could have chosen to step away and save themselves, but they didn''t. For some reason I keeping back to you guys though, so there''s trust there too, it''s just different." "Can we at least put it out there that we don''t want Kaley, we never have. She''s a pain in the ass but so are a lot of other people and one of the things dad taught us and we learned at training is we have to learn to deal with them too. That is easier said than done." Kota asks." "Sure as long as you learn that not saying anything is actually more harmful. It makes her think that you agree with her, like other pain in the asses. You have to make decisions and be okay when people don''t like what you say. That was probably your dad''s biggest w. I loved him, he was more my dad than my own was, but he just smiled and said nothing. That is not helpful." Both twins nod. I guess that''s all I''m going to get out of them. We all asked each other to speak more. I don''t know if there is anything more wwe can say right now. "What did your mom want?" Oliver looks back and forth at the twins. "Umm...She actually wanted to show us the Alpha floor. She moved out. That''s what she''s been up to with your dad for thest few days." "What? Where did she go? It''s not somewhere in the packhouse is it? We would have noticed. Nathaniel would have said something to me." "She actually told him to keep it quiet. She didn''t want any of us to worry about her. She knows we have stuff to do to take care of the pack. She just wanted the time to go through everything and just let dad go." "She actually moved into the Gamma house." Kota looks over at Oliver who is definitely surprised. "My dad didn''t say anything about that." "Well he knows we''re busy too and she is his priority now. So if she wanted it quiet, that''s what he would do." I shrug. "Are you going to move up to the top floor then?" They both shake their heads. "We''re not ready for that." They say together. I go to ask another question, but a throat clearing has us all looking to the path we came down. "Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted a moment with Skr." Elena stands at the edge of the clearing, not unsure, but waiting for permission to approach me. She''s giving me the choice to ept this thing or not. I look up to the sky and take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Then I look back at her. "We might as well get this over with too." "May I?" She asks, but she isn''t looking at me. My three protectors have shifted so they aren''t blocking her from me, but they are making a definite statement of being between her and I. Oliver looks back at me and I nod. He steps forward patting a hand on each of the twins shoulders. "We aren''t leaving Tiny." Cam is determined.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "That''s alright Alpha, I wouldn''t expect any of you to leave her with a new development like this." She steps past them, closer to me. "I just wanted to say that this doesn''t change a thing for you and I. I understand the dynamic is not ideal and I cannot begin to imagine what you have gone through. I will not be a go-between, if your father wants to speak with you he will have to approach you and you will have to choose to allow conversation or not. Gentry and I have discussed the unique situation that has been presented to us. It is unusual for a witch to be mated to a wolf, but to have the coven leader and her second both be mated to wolves seems like a sign from your Goddess and ours. We can''t ignore it, so we have both chosen to ept it." "So you will still train me?" I can''t help sounding like a little girl looking for reassurance, but that''s exactly how I feel "I don''t know what I am doing and it scares me. There is so much and I feel like some things just happen and I don''t want to feel out ofcontrol." "We will work on your ability to trust your instincts. Sometimes you do and it is wonderful. Other times you question your self worth and doubt your abilities. Those insecurities are what is holding you back." She wraps me in a hug, a full on real hug. She is not super affectionate so I embrace her and the moment as something huge. She pulls back and holds me at arms length. "We will also work through the reasons for your insecurities," She looks behind me and the look she is giving the three men standing behind me is nothing short of usatory. "We will get to that, but first we do have some magic to undo and that does not take precedence over what you are going through right now, but it is a priority for your pack. You four are needed for this, we will start at the tip of your pack and work our way forward towards the entrance the enemies will most likelye from. That also starts us at the wolfsbane, which we know you have a resistance to. You three will need to stay with her, she will need the help when we are done. I do not want you to be rmed, but this spell will weaken her significantly. We will only be able to do one every two or three days. You cannot interrupt the incantation, no matter what your wolf wants. This might be hard for you, but it is not an option to keep you away." Chapter 0524 Well that wasn''t ominous or anything. I look at her, not even trying to hide the worry I feel. Why does this have toe down to me being able to handle the spell? I don''t even know what the spell is. "Let''s go, you''ll see. We have the rest of your team together. Gentlemen." She ces an arm around my shoulders. "Oh, you may want to let down your shield from the clearing so others can use it. There''s no reason to waste energy maintaining it while you aren''t here." I looked surprised. "What?! I totally forgot about that. How did you get through the barrier? When you get a little further along with your training I will show you. It was actually a great barrier though, I''m impressed. You make for a very quick study even with your lessons being fragmented." "Oliver has been a big help. He seems to get the magic better than I do." "Well, that does make sense. He is your anchor. When you get lost in the magic he will bring you back. We choose our anchors typically, it seems yours was chosen for you." I look over my shoulder at the men following me. If he''s my anchor, that makes sense why I am drawn to him and why he can help me with the magic, but what about the other two? I don''t get too much further in my thoughts before we get back up to the patio and sure enough my whole team, the ranked leaders and all their mates are present. Even Ava and Brett are here. "We are going to head to the first location, please stay in your vehicle until Elena and I call you out. cements need to be precise. You all know your duties. This will take some time and energy on everyone''s part. Martha and Lenny are preparing for our return. Everyone nods and we follow the witches around the front to all the vehicles that seem to have been prepped while I was hashing things out with my guys. As I am walking I smell Sierra before she even wraps an arm around me and leans in to whisper in my ear. "It looks like we need a girls night, so you can fill me in on thest two hours of your life." "It''s been two hours? It didn''t even feel like ten minutes. And yes! I need to figure this sh*t out before I go insane. There is way too much going on to be distracted by the three of them right now." "Oh, so you''ve upgraded from two to three?" She smiles wickedly. "You have never done anything the easy or traditional way, why not three?" "Ugh. You are not going to be any help are you?" "Not right away, nope. Cause you are one lucky girl." She looks behind me. "Yep, lucky." "Did you just purr? Don''t you have a mate?!" I elbow her in the side. "I do and he is as amazing as the day I met him. He is my one and only and all of that. But you have some things to work out and I am totally here for it and I want details." I nod my head, "As soon as we are done with this, it''s a girl''s night." I lean into her shoulder.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. The Twins, Oliver, Sam, Sierra and I hop into the truck. Mateo and Jena join Elena, Gentry, My dad and Nicks in another SUV. Lil is driving Nathaniel, Wyatt and a team of Elite warriors to cover us while we work. The rest of the former leaders are in a third vehicle. We drive for about twenty minutes when I start to doze off. I lean into Dakota''s arm. He doesn''t move away, but neither twin has touched me or tried to hold my hand and I don''t know what to think of that. So I am trying to stay focused on the task ahead. Gentry said everyone knew their duties. I have no idea what the hell she''s talking about so I hope what I have to do isn''t super difficult, because I am screwed if that''s the case. As Ie up with all the scenarios I can think of I fall asleep to the warmth of their bodies around me and all three scents filling my nose. Chapter 0525 I wake up to a finger stroking my cheek and someone is ying with my ponytail. I take a deep breath in, they are all still here with me. I sit up and look out the window. It doesn''t look any different than when we were here the other day. It''s a clearing simr to the one behind the packhouse that the students use, but the twenty foot circr patch of wolfsbane lies in wait. The tall nts are deceivingly beautiful with their long pointed leaves scaling up each stalk meeting up to brilliant purple trumpet shaped blooms. Even with the pointy leaves the nt looks soft and unassuming as it sways in the breeze blowing off the ocean a few miles away. "Gentry needs us, are you ready?" Cam asks softly. "No, but that doesn''t mean I''m not going out there." All three of themugh at me as we climb out of the truck. I notice Mateo, Jena, Sam and Sierra are evenly spaced around the circr plot. Ava, Brett, Kyle, and my dad make a second circle behind them. For the first time I wish that Gwen was here in this mess too, but she is helping with all of our pack members in the Royal pack. Gentry and Elena motion us forward and I see stones and bundles of different herbs on the ground all around the circle. We walk up and Gentry positions me inside a ring of clear stones. She ces Cam to my left and Dakota to my right, but a step behind my position. Oliver stands directly behind me so we form a diamond. They are each only about a foot away from me. If I wanted to I could reach out and touch all of them which makes me feel so much better. Elena and Gentry take their positions behind us,pleting the second circle. "Skr, there is nothing for you to say or repeat, but you will be our conduit for the spell. Everyone needs to maintain their positions at all times, you will be tied to her and any movement can harm her." Gentry begins and as anyone could have predicted there are several growls from the circle. "Rx gentlemen, she knows what she was unwillingly signed up for. She can handle this, but she needs all of us."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Gentry talks as if I am not here and I am actually okay with the whole thing. I am trying to tune her out. If I don''t have to say anything or repeat anything then I am going to stand here and just let her do her thing and try to get this done as soon as possible. The first experience is always the worst. They both start chanting in anguage I don''t know, but it sounds like deep humming music to my ears. I just stare at the unassuming wolfsbane and as I do I see the magic floating around it. The protections cast on it are purple like the flowers. But instead of a bubble like I saw on the packhouse it is like a mist or more like dust particles floating around. Little motes you can see when the sun hits them just right. Eachzy mote just sways with the flowers, not floating up or down, just hovering through the nts. I can feel my eyelids getting heavy again, but before I can fall asleep a sharp pain rips up my spine and I let out an involuntary scream. "DON"T YOU MOVE!" Someone shouts behind me and all I can think is, ''my f*cking feet are glued to the ground I couldn''t move if I wanted to.'' More chanting, this time it is less melodic and more sharp and spiky like the leaves of the nt I can''t seem to look away from. Now it looks like there is a gold translucent ribbon floating around the nts and the people surrounding the patch. Another pain rips through me this time it starts at the center of my ribs and flies down my arms and out my fingers. I can see more gold light flying around and weaving around my friends and family. My hands grab each of the twins'' arms. "OLIVER!" I need him too, but I don''t have another hand. Chapter 0526 "You can touch her, but do not pull her from her spot." I am having trouble cing voices, but I feel a warmth melt up from where my hands connect with the twins and from Oliver''s hand on the small of my back and the warmth sweeps around my body, up my neck and over my head like a nket. More chanting and anotheryer of magical ribbon. This time the ribbon is making shapes in the air above the wolfsbane nt. I should know these shapes, I do know these shapes, but I can''t think of their names, my brain feels like mush. Another round of chanting and this time the ribbon of magic is red and angry looking. I can feel my emotions matching the color and I try to pull my hands away from Cam and Kota. I want to step away from Oliver. I don''t want to be touched at all. My skin itches and I am on fire, nothing feels right. "HOLD HER STILL, DO NOT LET HER MOVE FROM THAT SPOT!" What the f*ck!? No one is going to hold me here. I start to struggle and pull, but my wrists are being restrained. I pull harder and the grip tightens. What is happening? Then a sh of the cells I was held in is all I see. I am struggling against the chains that are holding me to the floor. I can''t pull my feet free even though I am so small. I struggle and pull with everything I have. My left arm moves and feels free for a moment, but in a sh the restraints are back. My right arm is being pulled down to the ground. I feel sick, I don''t want to be on the ground, that is where the worst of the punishments happen. I lifted up and threw myself backwards. I am iling and thrashing. I hear screaming and yelling and that mind numbing hum will not stop. I can feel my body weakening, but I will fight until I die, there is no way I will go without a fight, so I keep fighting, thrashing, biting, kicking. I am in the dark and I can''t see or smell anything. I have no idea who has me this time. I don''t know what is going to happen to me now. More silver, more whips, maybe a metal pole this time instead of the wooden stick. My body has taken it all. I just want to die, I''m done, no more. Then ckness...it''s always ckness. Beep...beep...beep. "F*cking beeping, just kill me right already? Somebody sucks at their job." "Hey! She''s up and pissed." "F*ck off Dakota." Then I groan. Apparently the ability to talk is too much to ask for.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "Can you open your eyes? We have been waiting a while to see those beautiful gray eyes of yours." "Sucking up is not going to help anyone. What happened this time?" "What do you remember, Bitty?" "Is it just you three, or is the whole crew here?" I cough and then groan cause that made even my toenails hurt. "I really only want to answer questions once." "Just us, but we can pass it along." "Fine." I whine. "Add whining to the list of things that hurt." Someoneughs and then I hear an= smack and a grunt. "I remember the wolfsbane circle and chanting, then sh*t got really weird and I cked out." "That''s a good summary now, tell us the truth." "Asshole. Why don''t you tell me your version, Oliver and I will fill in the gaps." Chapter 0527 "Elena and Gentry both started their chanting. I have no idea what they were saying, but it sounded a little like singing. There was a ton of wind, your ponytail actually wrapped around your neck for a little while I thought you were choking at one point. You kept trying to move, but Gentry told us to keep you in the circle but you fought like hell. Now I know why Elena and Gentry wanted all three of us near you." His voice is deep and smooth like his honey scent, but it is gravelly too, like maybe he hasn''t slept. "What!?" I blink my eyes open slowly. The bright white room blinds me for a second. I can''t see anything. "I don''t remember fighting anything. The magic held me to the ground, I couldn''t move my feet." I grumble, why does my throat hurt so badly? "Yeah, well I''m d that you had it nice and easy. I forgot how much it sucks to go up against you on a training day. What the f*ck do they give you at your training camp, steroids?! I don''t even think Cam has ever dislocated my shoulder in a fight and you did just by trying to get your arm free." "What!?" Apparently that is all I can say in response to theirments. I cleared my throat, "I was watching the purple magic and then this gold stuff started floating around. I remember my whole body was in pain...I grabbed your arms cause Gentry told me not to move! Everything hurt so bad though, it was like being electrocuted" I can feel my eyebrows scrunch at the thought. Some things areing back to me. "You saw the magic?" Cam sounds surprised maybe. "Yeah. If I concentrate I can see some magic. It was like a purple mist on the wolfsbane. The flowers looked like they were lit up, maybe it was to draw people in, maybe that''s how people get sucked into the magic that Mike is using. It was pretty and looked harmless. Then there was this gold light that swirled around, I think that came from Gentry and then it was like the magic on the nts got angry and everything turned red and..." Then it hits me the memory of being restrained and held down, the cuffs around my wrists. I couldn''t move or get away. I can''t breathe and my vision starts to fade again. "Bitty? Hey Bit, what''s going on?" "Tiny?" "SMALLS!" I''m wrapped up in someone''s arms. "Talk to us. What happened Tiny?" I shake my head ''no'' I can''t talk about it, I don''t want to think about it ever again. I can''t do this release thing if it''s just going to throw me into my worst memories every time. The scratchy sheets rustle as I''m adjusted into ap. Strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me back to a chest. I feel breath on my ear, then pressure on the other side of my head and squeeze of my hand. Then someone has my face gently between fingers and I feel a touch on my forehead. All three of them are in my space. I can smell them all "Tell us. What happened when the magic got angry. It sent you somewhere in your head. It had some kind of defense. We need to know so we can deal with it better next time." My eyes fly open. "NO! There can''t be a next time. I can''t do that again." I look into Oliver''s eyes. "Please don''t make me do that again." "Bitty..." He breathes out and then looks to my right. "You are the only one that can save this pack. You can do this." "No! I can''t, I''m too broken. I can''t handle that again." "Tiny, you aren''t broken. You just have things that the defensive magic can feed off of." He rubs his nose up and down my neck. On my left I can feel lips moving against my temple. "What did you see?" Kotas Whisper has my heart stuttering. They are all so concerned for me, but I don''t want to relive it "Tell me why I have bruises on my arms and why Cam''s throat looks like he was choked out and Oliver''s back looks like it was used for knife sharpening. You have been here for days and our injuries haven''t gone away. But these aren''t ours are they? They''re yours. Tell us, please." None of them move, they are barely breathing, like they don''t want to steal air from me. I open my eyes and look around as best I can while in this his position. They do look they have been in a war zo like!!!!! recently. It''s been days? They should have healed from everything by now. "Why do you guys look like that? What happened?" "Like we said Smalls, you went postal and it was scary as sh*t. You fought us with everything you had." "Your eyes glowed purple and it was like you weren''t with us anymore, Bitty." "I don''t think I was. The magic...the magic turned red and all I could feel was being restrained and then all could see was the worst torture went through." I closed my eyes and them opened them straight away. The images are so much worse with my eyes closed. "Tell us, please." All three of them took on the weird twin speak. "If this is what happened to you, I want to know everything, Smalls. Let us do this with you."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 0528 "You know about me being whipped and the scars it left..."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. "Details, Tiny. We want to know every detail about your worst moments. Share the pain with you now when you remember because we weren''t there for you when it happened." He buries his nose in my neck again and tightens his hold on my waist. "It''s going to be hard, Bitty, but that''s okay we are all here for you, let it all out. The sadness, the anger, everything." I can''t find it in me to be stubborn and hold it in anymore. They asked for it. "You better getfortable, this is not a fun story." Oliver and Dakota move to sit on the sides of my hospital bed. Cam stays behind me but shifts to sit a little higher so the other two fit. The errant thought that these guys are so big, I don''t know how all four of us are in the bed together runs through my head until I see Dakota''s wrist. I reach for it and he lets me touch him gently. The marks are red, but they don''t look angry or painful. More like a stain on his tanned skin. "They don''t hurt anymore, but the marks don''t seem to want to go away." He pushed his long sleeves back and I can see more trailing up his arms. These are the marks I got when I was first imprisoned with Mike and kept hurting myself trying to get out of the shackles. "Your marks look like my injuries when I first got captured by Mike." I sob and tell them about being beaten and chained up with Jena and desperately trying to get free. They all keep their thoughts to themselves and just listen. "Can I see your back?" I look at Oliver. He doesn''t even hesitate to turn and pull his shirt up. I see the same red stains or his back that match my whip scars. "Those are from Kaley and two guys, I couldn''t smell them so I don''t know if they are pack or not. All because of not giving her answers to a test and standing near you guys because I had a question for Mateo." More tears, but I don''t stop. They want this pain, they can have it. I looked behind me at Cam and took a deep breath and closed my eyes. "NO!" he whisper yells into my ear. "You said he didn''t touch you." "The question you asked implied if he had sex with me or touched me sexually. The answer is still no. I was too unpleasant to look at I guess, I don''t know. He did not have sex with me or do anything sexual to me. He did seem to have a thing for forcing me to watch him take Jena repeatedly. He always took her from behind so he could stand and didn''t have to sit or kneel on the floor and he couldn''t wrap his hand around her neck like that so he wrapped his hand around mine instead. He liked to hit during sex so he hit us both. I think we were lucky to be chained the way we were, we didn''t have the range to hit each other, otherwise he probably would have gotten off on that too." I take another deep breath and sigh it out. I don''t feel lighter or better, but I also feel hollow after telling them. Maybe it''s a step in the right direction. "Thank you." They said in tandem. Do they even realize they are doing that? "What did the healers say about me leaving? I hate being in the hospital, I want to go home." "You need to rest, Bitty." "Yeah, I think you forgot who you are talking to. Rest is not really a thing I do." "It''s not happening, Tlny. Not until they release you." "I want to talk to Elena and Gentry." "No, they said you should rest too, Smalls." "Apparently I can beat all three of you, do you really want to have this fight? Get me Elena and Gentry and I will stay in this bed. If you don''t I will get up and walk right out that door and go find them myself. Better yet, don''t bother. I will put my team on it." "You can''t mindlink from the hospital." Dakota looks smug. "Justy down and rest. Cam will even keep you warm." He winks at me. I reach up and pat his face. He really is cute. "You might not be able to mindlink from the hospital. I am not you, I am better and it''s already done and Lilis bringing them now." I smile my most confident smile. "Sky one, Dakota zero. Maybe next time Tiger." I settle back into Cam, who seems to be perfectlyfortable being my pillow for now. None of them argue after that, which is funny. I thought they would put up more of a fight. Oh well. Oliver gets me water and Dakota orders us food. Lenny and Martha are on a roll with food prep. All of the warriors have started rotating in to help them when they aren''t on patrol shifts. Our food, Elena, Gentry and my team all file into the room together, but the witches shoo everyone but the twins and Oliver out before anyone has a chance to getfortable. "Well that was far more intense than we nned. How do you feel, Skr?" "How can you be so calm about all of this?" Cameron is angry behind me. "Because it''s done and there isn''t anything anyone can do to change it." I snapped at him. "We need to focus. They can''t all be like that, it really will kill me. I don''t know if I can I relive those memories again, my mind will break, there won''t be anything left." I know I sound panicky, but I feel safe with these people, I can be scared and vulnerable. "We don''t think that will be an issue..." Elena starts. "What do you mean ''you don''t think?"" Kota''s on the angry train now. "We don''t know the magic that was cast so we are working with our best educated guess to eliminate the ck cloud that has been cast over your pack. Are you going to keep interrupting us or can we get to solving your problems?" "No, We apologize, but this whole thing is really hard. Watching her go through that was torture and we don''t want to force her through that again." He''s put on a politically calm voice. "Unfortunately, it isn''t a choice for her or you or any of us to make really. She is the only one literally designed to do this task. Fortunately we think that that was the worst of it. You broke the connection the pentagram had, so thatyer of magic has been subdued." "Thatyer?" Oliver asks. "I don''t mean to interrupt, I don''t understand." "Each of the five points is ayer of magic and therefore protection on the pentagram. The outeryer and the innermostyer are usually the worst. The outeryer is the defensive spell, keeping anyone out that would want to dismantle the incantation." "I have to do that sh*t four more times?! We did break the one around the wolfsbane right?" "Yes, we did. And you were brilliant. You gave all of us a run for our money though, I''m d your guardians were built strong enough to withstand you." Chapter 0529 "How soon do we need to do the next one and which one needs to go? And when we get done with all of this I have so many questions." They both smile at me, but I''m not sure if it''s indulgent like with a child being cute or if they actually like that I am curious. "We will do the Oleander next. I believe you broke any love spells that might have been associated with that." Gentry looks at the twins. "But any mor will be a problem. We don''t know who else was designed to use it to hide their identity. That is to the southeast. Then we will focus on Bedonna to the northeast. Also for mors. It seems someone really didn''t want you to notice their presence in your pack." "That might be how they got in to drop the body parts." I look at each of my guys. "That means those nts have been here for more than two years." Cameron breathes over my shoulder. "At the very least, maybe longer. If what the former Luna said is true, this witch, Adrielle, has been ying a very long game with you and your pack. Those nts are very mature and well cared for." Elena looks at Gentry and they have a silent conversation. "We don''t think they have been here your whole lives though, but that is hard to tell." "As far as when, we want you to rest one more day and we will tackle the next crop. We should get the two that are dedicated to love potions and altering appearances before the twins turn eighteen, just in case something was designed to activate when youe of age." "That would be much appreciated, Thank you." Dakota forces augh. "The sooner the better since all five of you young men will be of age at that time. We can only guess at the possibilities and purpose of the spells..." "We have to think like the enemy and gaining the Alphas and the entire new leadership would be high on my list of priorities. Do I have to stay here or can I go home?" I am tired all of a sudden, like someone cut the cord to my energy. I am done talking and figuring things out, like my mood just shifted and tanked. "You can go, but I would like the four of you to stay together. We will gather you for the next spell release." "Were you able to do something with that wolfsbane patch?" Oliver asks and I just crumple back into Cam, the lethargy taking over. "What''s happening to her?!" I can hear Cam, but I can''t respond or move. "She is fine. Her body and mind finally decided to heal, it recognizes that she is away from the danger for now. Keep her close, let her sleep. You should all begin to heal now. I am so not into any of this. My whole body hurts. "I don''t think I have been this sore since the time we were in the UK helping out and ended up in that turf war dispute. say to myself, not wanting to open my eyes. At least this time I know I''m in the packhouse, I know what happened, I know I''m safe. I just hurt like a b*tch. "Yeah, well that turf war is going to seem like training with the pups when the real battle gets here." "How long have I been out, Jena? I don''t know why I worry about it really, I seem to have no concept of time when my body just wants to heal." She justughs. "You have been here for a day and a half." "I thought Gentry said she was going to have me only sleep another day. What happened?" "You wouldn''t wake up. Your trio were super pissed too, just so you know. They have been taking turnsying next to you, but only a couple hours at a time. They are super funny to watch, when did you add your moody man to the mix?" "Stop! I didn''t add anyone to anything, but is Sierra around cause I do want to ask you guys something." "I''m sure when you tell her exactly that, she wille running no matter what or who she is doing." We bothugh, and I mindlink my best friend. Sierra was right though, it took about three point two seconds for her to get to the bedroom. All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "What''s up? Did you unlock a new power, like making all of the boys crawl around after you like ves?" "You''re an idiot, you know that? Why on earth would I want anyone to crawl around and follow me?" "And besides, they already do that. That wouldn''t be a ''new'' power" Jenaughs again. "Well, what was so urgent that I had to run all the way down here?!" "You do realize that no one asked you to run, right? I literally said, ''when you have time, I have a question.'' Yes, but you never ask questions, so that means it''s urgent!" She looks at Jena who nods. Chapter 0530 "She''s not wrong." "What do you mean? I ask questions all the time. I think I annoy people with how many questions I ask." "Those are training questions or school questions. This is a boy question, otherwise you would have brought everyone in and gotten opinions." My jaw drops open. "Stop derailing the conversation and ask your question." She ps and jumps up on the bed motioning Jena to follow.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. I start by telling them both what Ava and Lucas told me in the hospital about the witch, Adrielle, the deal and the vision with their ''daughter'' and that they thought it might mean the boys'' mate instead and that they thought I might be their mate. I told them how I felt when I found out about my dad and Elena and that the twins and Oliver came for me. Then I told them about my ramblings at the clearing and that I think I am in love with all three of them. "But that''s crazy right? I can''t be in love with all of them, how does that even work? If I am fated to the twins, what does that mean for Oliver? He and I have even talked about being close, but not being mates.'' I am looking between the two of them and feeling very worked up over the confusion. "Well, let''s be honest, how could anyone not love Oliver? I mean he doesn''t really say much unless he''s talking to you, but he is super helpful and actually really nice. He spends most of his time staring at you though, maybe he''s in love with you too and is using the ''we are really close friends'' thing to keep his distance from you." Jena shrugs. "I just don''t know what to do. I mean I need all three of them. Elena called them all my ''guardians.'' I sleep better when all three of them are close, their scents calm me down and the three of them clearly help me heal. That''s all mate stuff, but I don''t feel the romantic mate stuff. I mean Oliver has kissed me twice now and it was clearly enough to break me out of a trance and start a fight and I don''t think he felt anything, but I know I didn''t. How does any of that even work with three?!" I rub both of my temples with my hands. "That thought alone is scrambling my brains." "Well, if you do end up with three mates, your brain might be scrambled." We talked for a little while longer and I reiterated that Oliver''s was my first kiss and I was already nervous about the s*x stuff with one mate and the possibility of two, but three scares the sh*t out of me. My friends, being the amazing people they are, spend more time than necessary talking about positions and technique. Then they started to specte positions and techniques for the four of us. They are clearly on the three mates ship. I had to keep shaking my head at the thought that they were talking about Sam and Mateo. I had no interest in knowing about either of their abilities in the bedroom. They make my friends happy, that''s all I need to know. Just as they were getting ready to start pulling up videos so I could really learn, we were interrupted by Elena and Gentry. We have more crops to unmagic. I took the out and ran to jump in the shower. As we were walking down stairs to grab some food before we head out I''m nervous to be around the guys. What do I do? What do I say? I don''t know if I know how to act around them. I still can''t feel any attraction to them like what Jena and Sierra described, but at the same time I am drawn to them. I know I search for them when I walk in a room or on the training grounds, and I guess I know why. We all gather up and head to the same vehicles we took the other day. Before I get in though, Oliver stops me, Kota next to him. "What''s up Bitty, you''re distracted." Kota drags a finger down my cheek. "It will be okay, Elena and Gentry said this time shouldn''t be as bad as the wolfbane patch." Oh, right, they think I''m nervous about the spell breaking. I don''t say anything. I just nod, we''re going to go with that. That''s what I need to focus on anyway. Get this magic figured out and then I can figure out what I am supposed to do about these boys. Chapter 0531 Elena and Gentry were right, the Oleander patch was not nearly as bad. The magic surrounding it was a soft pink and just like the wolfsbane it appeared friendly and inviting, but it sure attacked when we started to work against it. This time the images I saw were the guys, my brother, my friends and my team all finding their mates and moving on without me. The pain of being left behind and forgotten was almost as bad as the physical torture. The gold magic from Elena and Gentry and apparently me wrapped around everyone. All of the people surrounding the crop had their eyes closed. It seems that the pentagram is designed to personally attack me. I was able to see through the magic a little better this time though. Like the images guing my mind were flickering in and out of focus. No one else seemed to have images y in their minds while Elena and Gentry fight to contain the magic. It finds my deepest insecurities and ys on my emotions. I know this, I can see it like I am an outsider looking in, but I can''t stop the feeling of dread that fills me, I can''t fight it off or control it in any way. What will the other three points do to me? Just as the images start to take a more solid form and the feeling grows more intense, I can see the edges of my vision darken. It is trying to consume me and I don''t know how to fight it. I am panting and I feel tears burn hit streaks down my cheeks, but I can''t do anything to stop them. Cam has one of my hands, Oliver the other. This time Dakota is behind me, both arms wrapped around my waist holding me in ce. A sh of electricity shoots up my spine and the ckness takes over. I know that I told Jena and Sierra that I''m afraid of being mated to Cam, Oliver and Kota but I have also always thought of them as ''my guys'' in my head and a possessive feeling takes over at the thought that they would have a mate that isn''t me. They are mine. What is wrong with me? When I woke up, sweating and weighed down, I looked around the familiar bedroom and had the vague thought of ''how did I get here'' but the soft snores next to me told me exactly how I got here. When I tried to move again, I felt a tug on my waist.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Sleep, Smalls. No moving for two more hours." I huff augh at Dakota''s sleepy grumble. When I take another deep breath in, I smell honey on my other side. What is Oliver doing next to me in the twins'' bed? I can smell Cam though, on the other side of Dakota. Did they all sleep in here with me? I try adjusting again. "Bitty, he said sleep and don''t move. Not sure how that was unclear." Oliverughs without opening his eyes. "You both realize she''s never done anything we''ve ever told her to do right?" Cam''sment makes me full on giggle, body shaking and all. "Can I go to the bathroom at least? I''lle right back." "NO!" All three of them state. It''s not a yell, but there is no hesitation in their words. "Everytime you get up to pee, you disappear and then bad sh*t happens." Kota shifts so we are on our sides and my back is to his chest. Oliverys on his side to look at me. "No it doesn''t and I really need to go." "It does and you are not going to go alone." Oliver gets up and holds his hand out to me. I roll my eyes and take it. Kota lets me go, but makes a whining sound in his throat. "I''ll be right back. I''m too tired to go looking for more trouble. We have enough, don''t you think?" Oliver walks to the private bathroom, opens the door slowly, looks around and checks every possible hidden nook and cranny before letting me in. I have no idea what he is looking for. I pack that away to ask all of them when I get done. I''m not having a conversation while I''m on the toilet. It''s weird enough that he is standing in the doorway. His back is to me, but if he turned his head to the side he would be able to see me and the whole bathroom. Chapter 0532 "Why are you guys being weird?" I call over from the sink as I wash my hands. "What do you remember this time? From the magic release, I mean." He lets me pass him and puts his hand on the small of my back, steering me towards the bed. Cam and Kota have switched spots. "Seriously. What is going on? Why are you guys ying musical sleeping spots?" Oliver just pushes me forward as Cam reaches out for me, smiling. "It''s my turn, get over here." Iy on my back as Cam wraps his arm around my waist and nuzzles into my hair taking an audible deep breath in. Oliver slides in next to me,ying on his back, one arm behind his head, the other draped across his bare torso. How did I not notice that before? I think I might be blushing. I clear my throat. "So, we''re here and not at the hospital, that has to be a good sign right?" "They tried, after thest time we said ''no'' and told the healers toe here. We don''t all fit in a hospital room..." Oliver grumbles.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. "And frankly, we are getting tired of spending time there." Cam finishes in my hair. "You kept mumbling ''don''t leave me.'' What did you see Smalls? I chew on my bottom lip. Still avoiding the question I ask one of my own instead. "Did you guys see anything this time?" All three of them tense. Far too much time passes silently. "Guys! You''re freaking me out. What happened?" "I saw you walk off with a faceless douche-canoe. You were smiling at him like he hung the moon and just walked away." Dakota breathes out. I can hear his wolf grumble in his chest. "I saw the same thing. You didn''t even look back. You found a mate and it wasn''t us. I thought I was going to throw up." He squeezes me tighter. "Oliver?" I turn to look at him, but he turns his head. I reach for his hand on his abs and try to keep my heart in check. "Telt me, please." I''ve never had to beg him for an answer before. He''s always been the person to just tell me, even if it might hurt my feelings. He''s never actively avoided answering me before and my heart starts to hurt albover. Maybe I will lose him like I saw. I sit up awkwardly since Cam won''t let me go and turn my whole body to him. Ice our fingers together and give him a squeeze. I need to hear this. "You''re going to be the next Luna." He''s still not looking at me. "You will have two Alphas to protect you. I''m just a Gamma, you won''t need me.¡± He looks at me then and I can see unshed tears in his eyes. He releases my hand and crosses his arms over his massive chest looking down. He''s my big protective, moody guy. He''s never been cocky or arrogant, but he''s also never been unsure of himself and he is now. I did that to him, even if it wasn''t really me, some version of me has caused him pain. "We don''t know what is going to happen. It''s just the magic fighting back." "We have always joked about you being a Luna. You have always put everyone else first. You take on things that should be far too much for you, but you seem to always make things work after a ton of personal sacrifice." He looks up at me. "The saw you leaving, but I''ve seen you really leave and I don''t know if I can go through that again." "I''m here now okay. That''s all I can say. The mate thing is something none of us have control over. We need to go find Elena and Gentry, want to get rid of a third point before Cam and Kota''s birthday. They mentioned something might be tied to when you guyse of age. I would like to have a majority control of the magic around here before that happens." "Told you." "Huh?" "When you get up to pee, weird sh*t happens and you seem to like looking for it." "Shut up Dakota." "I like it when you use my whole name, Smalls." I justugh. "I''m going to shower and we are going to go look for trouble together. Chapter 0533 Turns out trouble finds me more quickly than I want to admit. Everyone is downstairs in the formal dining room. We have actually turned it into our version of a war room from the warrior house. There are maps and lists everywhere. Nathaniel hung arge screen to show surveince videos in here. When we walk in, all eyes fall on us and Jena is pale. I rushed to her in an instant. "What? What happened?" I look around for my brother, thinking something might have happened to him while I was out cold. But, he''s right there beside her. There''s only one other thing that would put that look on her face. "What. Happened?" I look around and my whole team looks sick, like physically ill. Everyone else is worried, I''m sure, based on their reactions. "We found something early this morning on patrol near the spot where we got Gentry back." Wyatt starts, but doesn''t go on right away. "Seriously! Somebody start talking now!" Every bad emotion I have is running through my body right now. Fear, anger, dread, shame. What could they have possibly found that would make every single person in this room look like they have seen a ghost? "You got a delivery." Lil says, pushing a white box at me. I''m going to f*cking kill him and shove these white boxes down his throat. Anger surges through me. "WHOA, Bitty. Take a breath. "We got another box of who knows whose body parts and you''re telling me to take a breath?!?" I turn and yell at Oliver. "No, I''m telling you to take a breath because you might set the house on fire." "WHAT!" I yell, How can he make jokes right now? Dakota is the one for jokes, not him. "Baby, take a breath, please. I would hug you, but I''m kind of afraid right now." Now, Kota decides to step in. "What are you talking about?" "Look at your hands, Bitty." I look down. "What the f*ck is happening?!" I looked surprised and scared. My hands are on fire. I can''t feel it, but they are on fire. The mes are licking up my arms, but I can''t feel a thing. I''m not even warm. "Is it just my hands?" I look at Oliver, he will tell me the truth. "Uh, your eyes are red and glowing, but your hands are the only thing on fire." "New power unlocked." "Shut up Sam." My brother smacks him upside the head and Iugh. I let the anger go andugh. "No! Sam, keep it up. Whatever stupid you have going makes her happy. It''s calming her down." Lil points to me and I look down too. The mes are receding. I can feel myself calming down, but, "What the actual f*ck was that?! I catch fire now?!?! Is thismon or some other bullsh*t reserved just for me?" I run my fingers through hair and take a deep breath. "Are my eye''s normal at least?" I look to Oliver again. He''s my go-to for straight answers. "Yeah, Bitty, your stormy gray is back." He gives me a half smile. "Fine, add it to the list of things somebody is exining to meter. What''s in the box?" Lil slides it towards me. "And how do you know it''s for me?" "We think they have all been for you Sky." Kyle says from the corner of the room. I reach for it and flip the top. I know there''s a body part of some kind in here. I can smell the blood. It''s not anyone I know, but it''s still familiar somehow. I take a deep breath and Cam, Dakota and Oliver are at my side in an instant. "It''s the Luna''s hands...from the first drop two years ago. The fingers where the mark from the Luna ceremony were in the first package we received. It was the first contact we had from... Who sent this?" "There''s a card." Lil slides a white cardstock rectangle towards me. The edges are purposefully frayed and there is a gold border embossed, like an invitation or announcement. I picked it up and read out loud. ''It''s time we finished what we started. I''m ready for my Luna toe home.'' "What the f*ck does that mean? You''re our Luna, no one else can have you. Who else thinks they can have you?" Jena and I say it together looking right at each other. "Mike." "We need to get the rest of these pentagram points taken care of. He''sing."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "And he seems to being for you." Cameron growls, wrapping an arm around my waist. I look at Gentry and Elena. "What can we do? This is taking so long. I pass out after every clearing. How do I do better?" "You are already doing everything you can. You take on the full power of the spell. It is literally filtering through your body while we transform the spell to something we can use. We can''t push you any further, you are barely healing as it is? Elena looks concerned. "It''s not enough, we need to get thesest three before Mike gets here and I have a feeling he has gone off the reservation. If he was working for the Rogue King, he isn''t any more, or he''s working some side agenda. He''s crazy, but I''m sure he will attack around Cam and Kota''s birthday. We have to prepare for that to be the attack day. Chapter 0534 I take a deep breath collecting my thoughts and I look down at the box again. "What the hell?" I say more to myself. I only saw and smelled the Luna''s hands at first and I was so angry I missed the rest of the package contents and I want to throw up. "That''s how we knew it was for you." Jena whispers. "What is she talking about, Tiny. What makes this yours?" Cam grips my waist drawing my attention. "The rest is mine." I whisper, just staring at it trying to remain in control. This will not make me spiral, I will not let him have control anymore, but that small part of my brain that holds onto my scared little girl self wants to fall into the abyss of pain and cry. "What do you mean ''yours?"" Dakota asks. "That is a piece of my shirt that was ripped in a struggle and those are my shackles." I signal with a head tilt. My things are nestled underneath the dismembered hands of the two unknown Lunas. If someone hadn''t taken a closer look I probably wouldn''t have noticed them either, even with my sense of smell. My scent is all over the packhouse, so it wouldn''t have registered right away that my scent is also in the box. I take another breath and look at Jena. I haven''t touched the box and I won''t, I will not spiral again because of Mike, he can''t have my thoughts anymore. My wolf and I just keep repeating the mantra. "Are you okay?" I ask her like we are the only people in the room. She shrugs. "Are you?" "No, but when have I ever been?" She smiles at my question, it''s small but genuine. "What''s the n? We need to get ahead of this now." I look at everyone in the room. "She''s right. It would make the most sense to attack when the twinse of age. They have been forced into the Alpha position early so they will have a weak point at the time of their actual birth when the full transition takes effect. You''re going to have your hands full Mateo." My dad looks at my brother and I''m pretty sure I stopped breathing. Did he just say I was right? Where the hell has this guy been my whole life? Oh, yeah, that''s right. I didn''t matter until everyone was told I''m supposed to be the next Luna. Now I matter. And one of my mentors is his second chance mate. Dick. But I will also take all the help I can get.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. I take another deep breath in and try to stay calm. Apparently I can''t hide when I''m angry anymore. I burst into literal mes. The thought of shooting a fireball at my dad, like in a video game, crosses my mind and it makes me smile. "What has that look on your face, Smalls? Cause it''s cute and scary all at the same time." Dakota whispers in my ear. "I was wondering if I could shoot fireballs now." "Of course you were." It doesn''t escape me that several people in this room have called me ''the next Luna.'' I wonder if Ava said something or if they know something I don''t. Even the twins are acting like we''re mated. I didn''t miss Dakota''s ''baby''ment before. I shake my head. It doesn''t matter, there is a whole year before any of that has any reason to matter anyway, we have a pack to save. "What can we do about thest three points? They need to go. I want to go attack the Bedonna now and remove any other love spells that might be lingering." I try not to look at the guys at all. My focus is on Gentry and Elena. Yes, the thought of Kaley still having some kind of hold on them makes my blood boil and I know it''s jealousy, but I will never admit that out loud. But she is no leader, she''s no Luna, no matter where she goes. She isn''t designed to take care of a pack, let alone mine. She needs to be stopped. Her dad, wherever the hell he is, needs to be stopped. We have a hierarchy for a reason and not everyone can handle being at the top. "Is there any more grounding or focus work I can do while you are casting now that I kind of understand what the magic will do to fight back? I mean there''s four of us standing at the head of the protection circle. What else can we do?" I don''t hesitate to volunteer Cam, Oliver and Dakota for the job, they are leaders now too, they can take some of this burden. Chapter 0535 They both look at me with concern and I think they are going to fight me pushing this. I know it''s going to be hard, but when has anything I have ever done not been hard? Never. Obviously, I was designed more like a cat than a dog and we are going to use all nine of my lives before this is over. Somehow I think they are having a private conversation, but I didn''t think witches could mindlink. Maybe they can, now that they are very clearly mated to werewolves. "We can help you with some grounding, as well as your young men. We can be ready in an hour to take you to the Bedonna, if you are sure." Gentry asks. She''s never really asked me if I wanted to do anything. That should be a red g, but it''s not. I nod. "Bring stuff for the hemlock too." Her and Elena''s eyes go wide. "I won''t force anything, but if I can handle it I want to try. If I do not pass out, we will get these done. We need to prep for a fight and no one can focus with this sh*t hanging over us. I want control of my pack back. We don''t know if Mike is on his own. Maybe he''s a distraction for the Rogue King, we need to be ready for both of them. Let me do this." They both nod again. "Go eat, and I mean really eat. You will need your strength. Give us some time and we will gather what we need ande gather you when we are ready." Gentry looks over my shoulder. "She does not leave this packhouse. She needs food and water and rest, but so do you three if we are going to make you a part of the conduit." "Yes ma''am." All three say in the creepy twin speak. When did Oliver pick that up? We all parted ways and the guys were true to their word to Gentry. We sat, we ate and they would not let me do anything. But no one made me go upstairs and try to sleep, so I guess that''s a win. Conversation was almost nonexistent as we all sat outside looking at our forever fire until Lil sat forward. "What are they doing with the magic? I mean I know we are breaking the evil Kaley-b*tch spell, but there is still magic around the pack, right? What are they doing exactly? Do you know Midge?" "I have an idea, but it''s above my training to be able to give you a full tutorial. They are using me and basically the guys to take the spell and shift it into a protection spell. The same as the way Mike''s works, but less of a life detriment. We are all a part of it so someone would literally have to kill off every single person around the spell circle in order to break it and even then as long as our DNA is alive in someone somewhere the spell will be in effect. It will not forcibly bind anyone else to it. This is our burden to bear." "Oh damn. You really thought this through didn''t you?" "Yes and no. I can''t take all credit, just all tieshift of the binding. We aret this pack in one another, it made the most sense." "Wait? Does that mean I''m in your pack now? What about Wyatt and Nathaniel? They haven''t been in the circle thing." "They have been our sentinels during the spell, they are tied too." "So much for having a choice when I was done with my time in the Elites." Sheughs at me.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. "Like you were going to go anywhere else. How''s your arm, by the way? Still itching?" "Yeah, but ites and goes. I''m not due to lose it until the end of this summer, so maybe this is normal?" She raises an eyebrow. "What am saying? I''m teamed up with you, of course it isn''t normal." She smacks herself in the forehead and we allugh. "You aren''t wrong." Sierraughs and leans over to hug me. The guys have been trying, almost sessfully, to give us space. I think the mated ones can sense danger and are having a hard time being too far from their mates. The rest as a group are and have always been protective so they are here standing watch over all of us. "It''s time." Gentry''s deep voice is both calming and authoritative all at once. Chapter 0536 We load up, this has be second nature already, and head to the Bedonna patch in the Northeast corner of the ind. The forest here is so lush and green. I don''t normally run this part of the patrol. We don''t tend to get a lot of ocean based attacks so we patrol here, but it is light. I instantly love it here though. The sun is shining through the trees and I can see the individual rays that are sliced by the branches. As I look out the window I see a clearing, simr to the first two. The Bedonna is another beautiful nt With deep indigo blue purple flowers that look like little bells. I haven''t been able to wrap my mind around such beautiful things causing so much pain and sorrow. But I guess it isn''t the nts, it''s the casters taking the nts abilities and bending them to evil tendencies. We all walk out knowing our positions by now. This time Oliver is to my left, Cam is on my right and Dakota is behind me. It''s so funny how they can interchange their rolls in this and I don''t feel ufortable at all. Gentry is talking, but I don''t listen. I feel a little bad for that, but I am already locked in on the magic. The dark blue is like paint floating in water. There is no shimmer to it at all, but it is beautiful all the same. I have been forced into my worst memories and my worst fear. I wonder what I will endure today? I think knowing that it''s going to attack me personally helps. I won''t be blindsided necessarily. I just never know what it is going to do. The chanting begins and the magic swirls. This is thicker than thest two and more sluggish to move, but it does, reluctantly. I watch the magic and see the fuzzy images start to form in front of me this time. I am watching as if they were on TV in front of me not consuming my whole focus. The blue haze floats along the ground and I see fighting. Wolves and humans alike are fighting everywhere. Some faces I recognize, but others I don''t and yet feel a pull to protect them. I want to save all of these people from the fight they are being forced into. No one wants to be here, I can feel it. I see a man, absolute fear in his eyes as he attacks a wolf twice his size. They battle for mere moments before the wolf rips out his throat. Another woman is fighting a faceless warrior for her life. He sends a bone cracking punch to her face and she hits the ground hard and does not move again. I am stuck, powerless to help any of them. I am watching all of these people die for someone else''s self centered cause. I can feel the hot tears running out of my eyes, but I can''t look away. They all deserve to be seen if I can''t help them. I will watch each one of them fall and carry that memory with me forever. The scene shifts and what I see stops my heart. Sierra on the ground, eyes open, not moving. Sam,not two steps away from here with the same look. Lil, Wyatt, Nathaniel, Mateo, Jena all in heaps on the ground. I don''t know if any of them are alive. A hulking figure stalks towards me. I can''t see his face under arge hood pulled down to his nose, but I know it''s the Rogue King, that''s the only person who could bring this kind of destruction. His walk isbored and it takes me way too long to figure out why. He is dragging something behind him, making the walk slow and fumbling. I am ready to fight, there is no way I am getting out of this without one. When he stops, he drops three ropes at my feet. No words are spoken, but I don''t need them. My guys are bound at the wrists, arms over their heads, bleeding from more points than I can count. Oliver''s eyes are open and I let out a wail. He can''t be... He''s always just been there and been solid and dependable...No. Cam''s eyes are closed, but his neck is at an odd angle. I want to sink to my knees, but I can''t even do that, my body is frozen. Dakota looks like someone dragged their ws over his body over and over again. Who would do something like that? I let out a yell of pain. I can feel my body heating up and I hear a low rumble ofughter. "It''s just a matter of time, my special girl, then you will be mine. Right where you were meant to be. And as you can see, no one can stop me."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org. Chapter 0537 I blink and the figure is gone, but the people on the ground remain surrounded by the velvety dark blue ink swirling just off the ground unchanging, motionless. "I got you Smalls." "Take a deep breath Bitty." "Come on Tiny, some back to us." I hear the words, but I can''t believe them. I''m still staring at their unmoving forms. It''s their voices in my head because I want to hear them so badly. I can feel pressure on my arms, but I can''t look down. Why can''t I move? This isn''t right. Something is off. I focus back on my three guys lying on the ground, but their voices are all around me. "That''s it, blink, look at us, focus, Tiny." "We''re right here." I feel hands on my cheeks, but no one is there. What is happening? Is the Rogue King using magic to disorient me? Magic. Wait, what was I doing before this? Magic, Gentry and Elena were doing magic. I''m part of the spell. It''s not real. But, if it isn''t real why can''t I look away? I can''t turn off the vision. I try to pull away. "No, Bitty. Stay here. Don''t move. Breathe. Listen." "Tiny, let me have some of the fear. Let us help you." Dakota is talking to me, but he can''t be. He''s in front of me shredded and not moving. "I''m here, let me help." I feel arms tighten around my waist and my back is flush with a broad taught chest. I take a breath in. Cinnamon. I smell Dakota right behind me. "That''s it, Smalls. Let us help." I lean back, I hope my instincts are right. This whole thing is so strange I have two realities going on. The one I can see and the one I can hear and I can''t make the two match up. "We''re still here Bitty. Think and look, control it. See past the illusion." "I can''t" It''s all I can whisper. "Yes, you can, Tlny. We''re here, feel it." I can feelrge fingerscing with mine and then squeezing tight, almost painfully. "What is taking so long?" Someone behind me growls in question. "This one seems to have moreyers, multi purpose. This is one being used to control you boys as well as whatever illusions have been keeping everyone under control. There is a lot to unpack. Skr, I need you to fight this with us. Wherever you see, whatever is causing you pain right now, look through it, see through the illusion. Find the truth. This one is for you to break." So, no pressure or anything. Why can''t I just have regr lessons from regr instructors? Why is everything thrown at me and learn as you go? I can''t seem to open my mouth to make wordse out. She said see through the illusion. I can hear Oliver and Cam talking to me. I know Dakota is behind me, his arms around me. So he can''t be the bloody mess in front of me. I focus on that. I tilt my head back. He''s still there, his chest is supporting my head. His heartbeat is fast though. Does he see what I see? Or maybe his version of his loved ones dying? I breathe deep, warm, spicy Cinnamon. I squeeze my right hand stillced with Cam''s. My left is engulfed by Oliver''s. I flex those fingers too. Another deep breath, Honey and Citrus join the mix. They are here with me not on the ground. I can see the navy mist start to thin. I see Sierra and Sam, then Lil and Jena and Mateo. All my friends are looking at me with varying degrees of worry. The vision tries to pull me back in and it hurts, like ice burning my skin it prickles everywhere and I struggle to hold my focus, but if this is on me and I want to end this I have to fight. I take a deep breath and let the scents around me solidify my strength. I think about containing the evil magic that has been forced onto these beautiful nts. I imagine a ss bubble and siphon the navy mist inside where it can''t harm anyone else. My breathing is tabored and I am sweating now, but it is working. The visualization is helping me clear my vision. The whole clearing is in my view now. One more surge of ice shoots down my spine, through my heels and into the ground and then my body copses. "Damn, Smalls." Dakota picks me up, but for the first time since we started doing this, I am awake. "Great work Little One. You are tired and I am sure the Hemlock will be much of the same. Do you still want to try?" Gentry is close to me now. When did she walk over here? "F*ck no, she''s not trying another one." Cam sounds appalled. "Look at her, she can''t even stand." "I am looking at her, Alpha. This is the first time she hase out of the spell conscious and she dispelled this one herself. This is her decision to make, not yours or mine and I will respect either choice as will you." "We have to." "Bitty are you sure? That one was rough." "But not as rough as the first two and I''m starting to figure out theThis belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. magic. We only have a few more days and these have to go before we can deal with the fire back at the pack house. I''m okay, I will probably pass out and need you three to carry me home and snuggle with me, but if we all expect it then we can deal with it." I touch his cheek with my palm and he leans into it. I don''t totally understand this shift in our rtionship, but I''m just going to go with it. "You''re always going to give her what she wants aren''t you?" Cam asks from next to me and I smile a little. Oliver looks at me and winks. "Probably." Cam growls again as Dakota silently turns and walks back to the truck. We don''t get in the front seat though. He somehow maneuvers into the backseat without putting me down. Cam slides in near my head and Oliver slides in,ying my feet in hisp. Sierra and Sam jump in the front seats, like this is totally normal. "Sleep Smalls, we have about an hour to get to the next spot." I nod my head andy back onto Cam''sp. I roll on my side so I am facing his stomach and let his warmth and scent surround me. He starts to run his fingers lightly through my hair. Dakota''s warm hand slides under my shirt and rubs circles into my back and Oliver has my legs tucked up into him. With their warmth and scents and the gentle sway of the truck, I am out in no time. When they wake me up, I feelpletely refreshed. Without words we all step out of the truck and start the process over. This time Cam is behind me, Oliver to my right and Dakota to my left. Chapter 0538 Sitting around our never ending fireter that night, I am tucked into Cam''sp fighting sleep, but I don''t want to go up to the room yet. If I go then they will all follow and I have been avoiding facing this all day. "Well, one more to go Little Bit. Do you think you can handle that tomorrow? That will give us two full days to mess around with this fire. We need to figure it out. I still don''t totally understand what you are doing with the pentagram nts either, but I do know I feel better and you have never done anything bad to me...well except that time you beat my take down time..." "Oh and she beat you at capture the g..." Sierra helpfully points out. "Do you remember the time she beat you at Martha''s eating all those pancakes." Mateoughs. "Fine I take it back, you beat me at everything and do it graciously, so I still trust you. Better?" He asks the six of us still hanging out. "I feel better today. I am tired, but it''s nothing like breaking down the first two. I think the spells were stronger on the first two, but as the magic weakens the effects are still strong and hard to deal with." I told them about what I saw today as the magic fought me and reluctantly I told them about the other two crops'' reactions. I''m trying to hear what the guys told me the other day. Even Oliver, who sees me and basically knows what I''m thinking at all times, said I keep a lot of things to myself. I really wanted to throw up at the looks on their faces, but I told them every detail of the visions I got. "I don''t know if I will be ready to battle with the magic tomorrow, but I do want to train. I feel like I''m so off and I just need to run or something. I just need to move." "I''m sure they could move you around plenty." Sierraughs at me "Shut up!" I take that as my cue and stand up. I need to leave before any more s*xual innuendos start. "Wouldn''t matter anyway. I don''t work like that right now." I say flippantly walking inside the house before anyone else can add their two cents. I make it to the stairs when a voice stops me. "Skr, can we talk?" I freeze, one foot hovering over the first stair. I set my foot back on thending but didn''t make a move to turn around though. I take a deep breath, I have to still be in some part of the magic induced dream. "I wanted to know how you felt about my being mated to Elena." "You have never cared for my thoughts or opinions before. They don''t matter now. The Moon Goddess decided you needed each other and now she''s here." I go to move again, but his words stop me. "She never would have entered our pack if it weren''t for you. So I owe you a thank you at the very least." "Umm...epted. I''m going to go to bed now. We still have work to do."This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "No, wait. Don''t go. Not yet. How are you doing? With all of this, I mean?" I finally turned around to face him and tilt my head like a confused dog. I couldn''t help myself. Who the hell is this guy? "No." "What do you mean ''no?"" "Let me be perfectly clear then. No, you do not get to ask me how I am when I didn''t matter for the first sixteen years of my life. You now see what and who I am, so now you care. You are toote to make up for any of that. I have a job to do. Stay close to Elena and keep her protected, she is important to me." I turn to move up the stairs. Cam, Kota and Oliver are standing there waiting in silence for me. Like always, they follow my lead and say nothing to my dad. I can''t believe he wants to talk to me now. I mean, I guess I can. Having a mate changes your whole world ording to Sierra and Jena said that even she feels less angry just being around Mateo. So why not let my dad have his happily ever after? But, most of the sh*t I dealt with was because of or encouraged by him. He didn''t include me in anything unless he had to. I don''t owe him anything. I just roll my eyes as we make it to the second floornding. On instinct I move to the bedroom I share with Lil and start to search the door. Oliver was right and he shouldn''t be the only person looking for the bundles of herbs. I''m too short to reach the top of the door with even my hand, but Oliver doesn''t let me struggle long and hees over to help. Nothing. Hah? The twins find nothing over Wyatt and Nathaniel''s rooms either. I haven''t seen Kaley for a little while either though. That can''t be a coincidence, but I don''t think about it too long. I need to sleep and Sam is right. I have to get thest crop so we can look into this fire pit. Nothing out of the ordinary gues us over the next two days and we were able to get rid of the Wormwood, which it turns out is a hallucinogenic as well as a fire element. Gentry thinks it was thest crop to be incorporated into the spell and most likely allowed the forever fire to start. What we don''t know for sure is if this will weaken the fire. Once it was started, it is going to be the hardest thing to put out or transform. My wolf has been quiet in my head. I know that she''s still there, but she has been taking on as much magic as I have and she feels tired, but not weak. As I''m standing around the fire with Elena and Gentry talking through all of the magic that we had to dispel and what we could possibly be going against Nathanieles running out breathing heavily. "Sh*t''s going down. I think they know we shut down their spells." Chapter 0539 We scramble. I don''t look back at the witches, I know they can handle themselves and have apletely different way of handling situations like this. I run out the front door and shift as I leap off the porch. My wolf and I pull from an energy I didn''t know we had left in us. Our pack is under attack and this is what we are here for. ****They''re early!"*** Lil shouts over our mindlink, and to my surprise Cam answers. ***"Are you really surprised though? We knew this wasing."*** ***"That doesn''t piss me off any less. I was hoping for fashionablyte. You know, like when you guys are full Alphas, Midge has discovered all of her superpowers, things like that. Speaking of, Midge, have you figured out how to shoot fireballs out of your hands yet? That would be super helpful right about now."*** ***"No, but I will make sure to stand close to enemies when I''m getting pissed off and I can just explode around them."*** Sheughs at me. ***" Just remind me to not stand to close, that sh*t was scary."*** Wyatt barks out. "I wonder if Mike was able to detect that with his blood tests?" ***"Probably not. Midge is a phenomenon even science can''t exin. I''m surprised Doc Sylvia''s head hasn''t exploded yet!"*** ***"Shut up, I''m not that weird. You make me sound like a freak."*** ***"Boss, even I think you are scary." "*** ***"Do you always have runningmentary while you are heading into a fight?"*** Mateo asks. ***"YES!"*** My whole team, including me, respondsughing. ***"How do you focus?*** He sounds skeptical. ***"When you fight ny percent of the time, this is how we focus. It''s not a big deal. This is how we group and keep our heads, keeps everyone calm."*** Lil exins like it should bemon knowledge. ***"What do you guys do to get your heads in the fight?"*** ***"Seeing as we are not career fighters and assassins. We don''t have a pre-fight ritual. Although that sounds like something we should circle back to."*** Samughs at her. ***"Oh goody, newbies. I love fresh meat!"*** Lil cackles like the twisted person she really is. War and fighting brings out a new side of everyone. This is usually someone''s true nature. How you fight and react in a fight can tell a lot about a person. I can hear footfalls through everyone''s thoughts. I have essAll content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. to all of them and now my team, my found family, seems to be Bovene? connected to the family I was born I into, Lean''t even unpack the emotions running through me right now. So I do what I always do and stuff that sh*t down forter. ***"Nathaniel, talk us through this. We are going in blind and you know how much I hate that sh*t!"*** ***"On, it, boss. We just got hits from every sensor we set up on the entrance perimeter. About five minutes ago, nothing since. Predicting at least fifty, but you would have a better idea of numbers."*** ***" Jena, what do you think about numbers? I never got a good look, but I can guarantee this isn''t the first wave of fighters if this is Mike. He likes multi step ns with options."*** ***"There''s no way he only has fifty. Do you have eyes on any of them Nathaniel?"*** ***"I do now. All wolves. I count two dozen. Moreing in. Updates on the regr."* "*** ***"WHAT THE F*CK DOES THAT MEAN?!"*** Sam yells at us. ***"Code Baby, just find wolves that aren''t pack and take them out. We''ll exinter."*** Sierraughs at him. We finally make it to the Western border where our little penins meets the maind. I can see wolves running at us. They made it across our borders. I''m sure they figured out or were told our patrolet routes and wanted to give el.i themselves as much advantage as possible. I would do the same in their shoes. We put on a burst of speed. I want this over as quickly as possible. If Mike wants to attack us, I need to draw him out and he is azy f*ck. He will send everyone he can in first to tire us out and then step in acting all high and mighty like he did anything. I collide with arge gray and white wolf. He underestimates me because of my size and doesn''t try to submit me right away. We are all snapping jaws and flying ws, but my wolf is faster and better trained. It doesn''t take a whole lot of effort to subdue him. He is bleeding everywhere from scratch t and bite marks, there is no way he will heal. Even with our enhanced abilities. He deserves to die, but I won''t leave him bleeding out like this either, so my wolf rips his throat out ending his existence. These wolves are fast, but not coordinated and their eyes look a little wild, almost like they are drugged. Chapter 0540 ***"Anyone else notice the look in their eyes?"*** I call out taking out another wolf as I move in the direction they all came from. I am on a mission to find Mike. He may not fight alongside his warriors, but he is never too far from the fight so he can take credit. ***"They''re all bloodshot. What''s up, Bitty?"*** ***"Not sure, but be on the lookout. They could be enhanced and be a problem or they could be poisoned and under mind control."*** ***"It''s probably both, Midge. And whoever is controlling them isn''t very good at it or doesn''t give a sh*t what actually happens to them."*** Wyatt grunts out, still fighting. ***"We still taking them out, Midge? Or are you going to try and save everyone?"*** ***"I don''t think we can save them. We have to assume..."*** A huge wolf barrels into me knocking me to my side. What the f*ck?! All the air was knocked out of my wolf''s lungs and it hurts, but I don''t think any major damage was done. We look over, but all I see are wolves fighting. Several more of our warriors have joined the fight. ***"TINY!!! What happened? I lost sight of her. Anyone see her?"*** I try to say something, but it''s hard to talk even through mindlink. That hit was harder than I thought. I tried again, but we must have hit our head. I can hear my wolf fine, but the mind link is fuzzy. She tells me to try magic. I have no idea ''how'' to do that, but instincts have me trying whatever I can at this point. I focus on Oliver. He is the closest and can usually sense magic with me. ***"Something''s wrong. I can''t talk to her, but I can feel her. Bitty, where are you?"*** I reach out more, but I can feel the fight closing in around me. We are so dazed, standing seems like a hard task. ***"Got her!!! Don''t move Bitty, you have something sticking out of your side."*** ***"We''reing to you!"*** Dakota shouts and I look wildly at Oliver, hoping he understands. ***"NO! She''s the distraction. Take these f*ckers out. She''ll be good in a couple minutes." Oliver shifts into all his glorious nakedness and leans down to my wolf''s side. *** "Somehow they get a needle in you, Bitty. Probably the standard cocktail for you at this point. But, I don''t know why it didn''t force you to shift. That seems strange." He pulls whatever needle out of my side and I can feel relief immediately flood my whole body. Thank you Moon Goddess for the bonus speed healing. My wolf wimpers just in time to warn Oliver of a wolf jumping at him. He spins and manages to roll us both out of the way, then he sifts to take on this new wolf. MyWolf shakes her head again and we can feel our paws again. We stand up wobbly, but now I wonder If I should fight in human form so I can at leastmunicate. That was probably the reason for this concoction, cut me off from my team, but didn''t allow me to shift and use my human form. We keep fighting. The wolves seem toe in waves, slow and steady. I was right about wearing us down. We need to do something, my warriors need this to end or we won''t survive. I take a chance and risk pissing off every person that I love. I shift to my human form and shout. "MIKE, YOU COWARD, COME OUT AND FIGHT ME YOURSELF!" Then a wolf, that can''t even be my age runs at me, terror in his eyes. He is being forced to do this. He is aAll content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. child. None of the adults we have been fighting all day wanted to do this either, but they are adults and more than likely joined Mike because of whatever lies he told them. This kid doesn''t want to do this and his clumsy movements are probably him fighting themand. I am going to kill this motherf*cker with my bare hands. Then I feel it, my hands are warm, it doesn''t hurt, but I can tell I am all med up right now and as this kid reaches me, nda''s swipe at his side and he yelps, but he isn''t burned, just knocked sideways. He stood up shaking his gray and russet colored fur. His eyes have changed though, they are a brilliant blue. No longer the confused red. ***¡±GET THESE WOLVES TO ME!!! This weirdass fire in my hands breaks them out of whatevermand they are under."*** I keep going with my instincts and make a circle. All the crop patches were circles. There was a circle around Mike''s pentagram. I am clearly fireproof so we can just force them through. Maybe we don''t have to kill anymore innocent people today. Chapter 0541 Now all the warriors and my family are herding the rogue wolves to me. They are all confused, but no one questions the direction. They trust my brand of crazy and just go with it. ***"Nicks, I don''t know where Gentry and Elena are, but we need to do something with these rogues. I don''t want them fighting for or against us, even with whatever spell is broken. We can''t be sure that Mike can''t take control again or that this thing I am doing is permanent. Someone is going to get hurt or die if I just keep doing magic randomly."*** ***"As long as it''s aimed at Mike and the rest of his inner circle, kill away Little One."*** ***"Super helpful, Thank you. I need a witch, not a sarcastic ass."*** ***"They are on their way to you now. We will find a way to contain them as prisoners until we know the extent of the spell on them. Have you had a break where you are? We are still getting waves of wolvesing in groups of twenty or so."*** ****Same here. He''s trying to wear us down. I need to get over to you so you can start reversing the brainwashing too."*** ***"You won''t be able to save everyone, you know that right?"***Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ***"It''s not going to stop me from trying though."*** ***"At the cost of your own life?"*** ***"If that''s what it takes. I was born or built or conditioned for this right here. I am a weapon to be used, nothing more." ""*** ***"You are so much more than that, Little One. Do not leave your Alphas and Gamma. That is an order that you no doubt can ignore, but an order nheless."*** ***"Yeah, Smalls, don''t go anywhere without us."*** ***"F*cker."*** I should have paid attention to who he opened up the link to. Now they won''t let me out of their sight. ***"We won''t stop you from trying to save innocent lives, Bitty. But you aren''t risking your life to do it."*** ***"Yeah, Little Bit, what would these loser do without you? No Kamikazi sh*t today!"*** I go to flip him off and instead shoot a small fireball right in his ass! Iughed as he yelped. ***"Fireballs, check, I just need to go around flipping everyone off.¡±*** That got a round ofughs from everyone as they brought me more rogues. ***"I''m going to step out of the circle, I need to know if it maintains or spreads or does anything else weird while I''m not in it. Oliver, can you stay close and be my eyes?"*** ***"On it, Bitty. Cam and I can cover this side. Kota can follow you to Nicks. I''ll let you know if anything changes with distance. Do. Not. Leave. His. Side."*** ***"Umm. Yes, sir."*** I rolled my eyes. ***"If you''re gonna call him ''sir'' can I be ''daddy?""*** ***"NO!"*** Cam, Oliver and I all say to Dakota. ***"You''re an idiot."*** Iugh as I shift and take off leaving him to try and catch up. There seem to be pockets of fights going on, but it doesn''t look like anyone has gotten past our line. I just don''t know if they are trying to get past our line. They might be after me, they might be after our warriors, they could even be after the twins. Their birthday is tomorrow and they will get progressively weaker for about five hours before the time of their birth. They will be the weakest at the exact time of their birth and then take on their full abilities right after. We should be focusing on protecting them. Typically the next alpha doesn''t take the position at the same time they turn eighteen, but it asionally happens like in our situation and the results are not the greatest from what I have been told. As they transition to adulthood and take on the full powers of an Alpha their bodies basically reboot and they can''t defend themselves. It''s why we have Alpha ceremonies so the whole pack is prepared to defend the new Alpha from attack. Alpha Reggie has been talking with them regrly over the mindlink, trying to prepare them along with Nicks, Kyle and Brett and I guess my dad. Although, my dad keeps his distance since the twins aren''t usually too far from me. ***"Bitty, how far are you? The fire is still going, but it flickered. What''s happening?"*** Leave it to Oliver to catch a mood shift at the thought of my dad. Chapter 0542 ***"Almost there, about five miles away. Do you think it''s a good idea to split Cam and Kota up right now?"*** I can''t help but ask. I really want to know, but I also want to deflect his question. I don''t want to put them in unnecessary danger by having them apart. ***"We''ll be okay Tiny, just do what you need to do and both of you get back here as quickly as possible."*** Cam says it confidently, but I can hear the unease in his voice too. They don''t like to be separated. Ever. I shift quickly once I see Niks'' wolf. I look around and they seem to have more action on this side than we did. This is probably closer to where they are camped. I ry the information to the whole team. Nathaniel is narrowing his search to try and find where they areing from so we can slow or stop the flow. I don''t know how to turn on the me though. So far it has happened when I am pissed off and ready to protect. I''ll just have to join in the fight, but I don''t want to risk Dakota either. Like he''s reading my hesitation though, Dakota sts forward to add his skill to the frey. ***"You heard Oliver, Don''t leave my side Smalls. Let''s go!"*** Rolling my eyes I shift and begin to fight. Now that I know most of these people don''t really want to be here, I am having a hard time just killing them. That would be the easiest thing to do, and with a typical wolf''s ability to heal I have to find the fine line of injuring them just enough to keep them down, but also not making them suffer by dying slowly. I still haven''t seen or heard from Mike after calling him a coward out loud. But, he may not even be in the fight yet. I take on two wolves who are pretty big, but no bigger than Sam. Their eyes are the deranged red color too and they are running at me hard. This is not going to be fun. I can see Dakota in front of me engaged in his own fight, so I dig my heels in and get ready for the blow that''sing. One is just a head closer than the other so I set my sights on him first. Hees at me snapping his jaw, but he overestimated my size and was able to grab the skin on the underside of his neck and whip him to the side. Number two takes advantage of being out of my line of sight though and pummels me in the side, chomping at my legs, tyring to slow me down while I''m on the ground. The three of us start moving around each other, all legs and teeth and fur flying. Number one grabs me in the nk of my back leg and I let out a wail. ***"TINY!"*** ***"Son of a b*tch! That f*cking hurt."*** I''m still fighting through the pain and hoping that my abilities kick in quickly. ***"I can''t see you anymore. Where the f*ck did you go?"*** ***"Dakota, I''m in the middle of something here. Take your panic out on some of these rogues. Focus."*** A third wolf joins in and if I don''t get some help soon, I am going to lose this fight. ***"Dakota, I need your help. A third wolf joined my fight."*** "Wait, are you asking for help? Who are you and what have you done with My Skr?"All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ***"Shut up ande help me, Blg Daddy!"*** Iugh, sending one of the three wolves rolling back. Dakota growls over the link and it''s not a menacing growl either. S Before he gets to me though, another wolf with white gray and tan markingses out of nowhere and mps down on one of the three that is attacking me. I can hear the snap of its neck before he''s tossed away. The white and gray wolf shifts just as Kotas gets to me and takes out the other two. "Are you hurt, Sky?" He kneels down, kind of covering his manhood. "Yeah, I''m good..." Before I can get any more words out, he bends forward violently and falls to his side. "Robbie! What''s going on?" "He''s a rogue Sky, let''s go." It''s the use of my name that has me looking at Dakota. He''s angry at my concern for Robbie, but this is the second, or maybe third or fourth time, he''se to my rescue. Chapter 0543 "No. He needs our help." "He just wanted the glory of taking you into his Alpha." "Mike isn''t my Alpha, trust me." Robbie groans before doubling over again. "What''s happening?" "The order was to bring you in, not help you stay free. I''m pretty sure taking out high level lieutenants was against orders and this would be the punishment. It''s pretty par for the course with Mike. Everythinges with a level of torture attached. Since he can''t actually fight for himself. Go with your Alpha, I''ll be okay." "But..." "Go. I''ll be around to annoy you more, don''t worry." "Robbie." I look him in the eyes and I don''t know what I see, but it''s the same wistful look he gave me after he helped Jena and I escape thepound. "Woman. If you stay here any longer I am going to get injured more. Go with your Alpha and do whatever superhero sh*t you need to do to stop this." I roll my eyes and stand. Dakota is right behind me, an arm around my waist the moment I am upright. "Mine." He growls in my ear What?! We are in the middle of a battle and this is where he chooses to have a pissing match? I know what I feel and they have all but said it, but we don''t know if we are mates and iming that I am his to someone who hasn''t once tried anything with me other than being my friend set me off. It''s the fuel I need to me up though and I waste no time stepping out of his hold and making a circle around the three o us. I don''t know if either of them can withstand the me, but I don''t really care. This mate sh*t is pissing me off. It''s making me moody and unfocused. I feel like a toy that is being shared and we don''t have time for this when our pack needs us to f*cking focus. ***"Bitty? You''re giving me heartburn, what the hell is going on?"*** ***"Dakota''s letting his jealousy show and it isn''t super attractive right now."*** ***"Bullsh*t! That same asshole that dropped off Gentry just bounded out of nowhere. He''s ying the victim to get close to Sky."*** ***"Now who''s spouting bullsh*t? You don''t know him. Robbie didn''t ''bound out of nowhere'' he saved my ass from three wolves while you were handling yours. ***"HIM?! That guy basically threw himself at you that day too."*** ***"It''s not any more attractive on you, Cameron. Funny enough he told me to go with my Alpha after pulling a wolf off of me and sustaining an injury. Dakota, no more of that ''mine'' sht either"*** ***"Why not, you are ours, when are you going to get that through your thick head?"*** ***"Dakota, I am going to beat your ass if you piss her off any more, but I may not have too. Have you shot him with a fireball yet, Bitty?" ***"It''s currently at the top of my list, but I''m going to leave him here with Robbie in the middle of the fire circle and see if he can fight his way out."***chuckle darkly, stepping out of the ring and heading back into the fight. I don''t get far when he grabs me around the waist from behind. "You will pay for that Smalls." He growls in my ear and I justugh again. "*** "We''ll see." We head into thetest horde of wolvesing in, we are still fighting and I am still trying not to fatally wound anyone. I stay in my human form this time though. am strong enough to take them on like this which tells me they aren''t here to fight me in any real capacity. "There she is! I have been waiting for you for so long, my beautiful Skr." My skin crawls at the sound and I can feel myself stop breathing, but I can''t control the function either. ***"Bitty, babe, talk to us. What''s going on?"*** I don''t move. I don''t blink, nothing. ***"We are going to need you guys here now. I think we found Mike."***This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 0544 I can feel their heartbeats change pace, they areing for me without even a thought for anyone else and I can''t decide if that is sweet or stupid. There is so much more to deal with and Mike is here for me. They could be saving rogues and getting help to our warriors while Mike is busy talking to me, because one thing I know is he''s going to talk and talk and talk. He should be a cartoon viin with the way he likes to monologue. "Did you break her in for me yet? I was really hoping she would be primed and ready when I finally came for her." Mike saunters up nked by two wolves. Their eyes are red, but they don''t look confused or scared. These guys want to be here. They volunteered for this bullshit. Dakota moves behind me, wrapping an arm protectively around my waist again and I let him pull me back to his body. I definitely feel safer and stronger like this. He''s smart enough to know not to say anything yet, though. "Are you ready toe home, Skr?" "I am home, Mike. Leave and take your pack of jackasses with you. Stop harassing our pack." "Oh no, I must have my Luna and you are the one that I have chosen. My mother has been nning a long time for you, I would hate to disappoint her. She is right, you are perfect. You will be the perfect Luna to sit by my side, to carry my children and make me the most powerful Alpha so I can take my rightful position as the Alpha King." Dakota''s hands get tighter the more that Mike talks about how he wants to use me, but I can''t hear any of it. I startughing uncontrobly. I have no idea where it ising from, but with him right in front of me talking about how his mom wants to set us up, I can''t help myself. "I don''t think I would have pegged you for a mama''s boy." I keepughing as Mike''s face loses some of it''s bravado. "You really let your mom tell you who you are going to mate with? I figured maybe your dad had some kind of expectations for you. I mean being second best probably really does suck. I wouldn''t know though." ***"Smalls, what are you doing?"*** ***"I thought that was obvious. I''m pissing him off."*** ***"That much I gathered, what I don''t know is why."*** ***"I can''t wait for this lesson."*** Lil huffs augh. ***"You''re all still here?"*** ***"Yes we are... Big Daddy. Don''t you think that one is ever going away."*** The rest of my teamughs and Dakota squeezes my hip again. "Another thing you will pay for, Sweetness." Dakota says out loud. "Hmm! What does this one want to punish you for? I may want to keep you alive to watch those. I think I want to know what kind of ways she likes to pay for her sassy behavior Mike is musing out loud. Grossz "And yes, my mother saw youing. It''s why she made her deal with your Alpha eighteen years ago. It''s why we are all here now. She is smart and powerful and you are destined to be mine." ***"The fuck did he just say?"*** Cam snarls. ***"We are five minutes out, keep stalling Sky. Dakota, keep your cool, but feel free to insult him. He deserves it, the f*cking prick." Jena''s ETA is music to my ears. "What deal did your mother make? It''s not anything we were made aware of when we took over the pack." Dakota''s arm tightens around me as he steps to the side of me. "Considering she will be one of the next Alphas, I can see the appeal to your mother. Once she had Skr, there would really be no use for you. And you, Mike, are a disappointment."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Mike physically bristles at the idea. "What are you talking about? I got here all on my own and she can''t be an Alpha. She will be my Luna, standing beautifully next to me for all the world to appreciate while I rule." "I will agree she is beautiful, but if your only n''s are to try and keep her as a Luna, then you are in a world of hurt and so much more stupid than anyone has mentioned. I''m sure your mother figured that out quickly when you lost Skr and Jena. And from what I understand you can''t sire any heirs anyway, no matter how many girls you molest." This time, Mike does growl. "WHAT THE F*CK IS TAKING SO LONG! Will you just grab her skanky ass and let''s go. It can''t be that hard. I have sh*t to do!" Her screechy, loud voice could not have shown up at a more perfect moment. I thought Mike was going to lunge at us. It''s not that I''m afraid of him, but at the same time, I want the whole team here to subdue him. I know he isn''t the brains behind this and from what it sounds like his mom might be even more than his dad. We need her to make this sh*t stop. "Get your f*cking slut so I can have my Alphas like you promised." Kaley walks over and shoves Mike in the shoulder. I have no idea where she came from, but she definitely isn''t dressed to traipse in the woods, so that means there is a car nearby. And Mike looks pissed at her tantck of respect for him. "Dakota, get your arm off of her. You will be of age tomorrow and able to officially im me as your Luna and I don''t want anyone thinking that they can get your attention to stray from me." He just huffs augh at her. "What are you talking about?" "You and Cameron will be eighteen tomorrow and will be able to mark me as your Luna. No more stalling or nning or whatever is going on here." She waves a hand around at the wolves still fighting around us like it''s a minor inconvenience. "You said this would all be done by now. Stop stalling." She looks at Mike. "You have no authority, here you stupid b*tch. They aren''t even interested in you anymore." Mike makes a gesture with his hand and two more guys join us dragging Kevin between them. He''s breathing, but for once, I don''t feel bad for a person. He has never done anything but try to cause me harm and pain. "What?! You promised they would bepletely under my control by their eighteenth birthday. What the f*ck did you do wrong?" It''s like they''ve forgotten we are here, but I''m afraid to move and gain their attention. "I did nothing wrong. Your father however is so ipetent that he couldn''t evenplete a simple spell to maintain your hold over these two dimwits. That would make sense though,ing from this pack." I can feel Dakota tense around me. This time I do move just enough toce my fingers with his. I''m even afraid to speak over the mindlink. I don''t want to miss anything they might say about the magic or the pentagram. Chapter 0545 ***"We''re here. You have a full circle. Nathaniel has eyes on the car Kaley came in. Some of your guys were able to tten the tires. She isn''t going anywhere unless she wants to get dirty."*** Lil gives me the basics, she knows I need to focus, but knowing we aren''t alone helps calm my nerves. Kevin lifts his head up. "I did everything you said to do. It took years to make that spell work." He wheezes out. She changed the ingredients or incantation and it didn''t hold the way you said it would. You were never going to give us this pack anyway were you?" He asks and I can see his brain working. They made a deal to help get me and secure the twins for Kaley, but Mike had no intention of leaving my pack unharmed, more than likely including them. It was probably easy for him or one of his people to convince them to do the hard work of setting up the spell with the promise of power and the form of the future Alphas, knowing he was going to kill everyone anyway. It was a deal easily made. "Of course I changed the ingredients and the spell! I needed them to be mine, but one of you f*cked the whole thing up!" When is she going to ever learn to take responsibility? Who am I kidding, that has never been her thing and it never will be. "Who gave you a different spell?" I find myself asking. If there is another yer, I want to know, but I am also genuinely curious. "Adrielle said if I added a couple lines to the spell at each of the nt thingies, then it would be stronger for me." I think this is the first time she has addressed me and not insulted me. "But the guys I had do it must have done something wrong. You weren''t supposed to be here anyway." ***"If it really was Adrielle that gave her the things to change the pentagram, something else is going on. She didn''t want KAley to have the twins. Or something else."*** ***"Maybe she thought you wouldn''t survive the things you went through breaking the spells."*** Cam muses. ***"It might not have been Adrielle, but someone like Gentry and I that wanted to stop her."*** ***"Elena! Are you close? Is the fire breaking the spell on these rogues?"*** ***"Of course you are cornered by the enemy and thinking about people who were attacking you not two hours ago."*** "Enough of this bullsh*t. I want my Luna, hand her over." Mike demands, like Dakota would do anything of the sort. At that moment Oliver and Cam walk up. I can''t see them, but I can smell them both. Cam wraps an arm around my waist standing on my other side and Oliver next to him. I can''t help but feel like Oliver is too far away though. "Don''t worry Bitty, there''s plenty of time to get close." "Stop reading my thoughts, Oliver." I try for snark, but I can''t help smiling. "Not your thoughts, but your emotions. I would definitely like to have you closer, but we have business to attend to first." He turns his attention to Mike. "Unlike you, she craves our presence and our touch." He''s goading Mike too. But Mike''s patience is better than I thought. Kaley walks over to Cam. She has always sought him out over Dakota. "Cameron, honey, please see reason. Mike is going to destroy your pack all for this skank. Just hand her over and everyone will be safe and sound. We can go back to our happy lives." For a brief second, I have a sh of him saying something cating to her, just so she stops causing problems, like he always has when ites to her or the way his dad dealt with Kevin. She doesn''t get two steps from Mike though when he reaches out to stop her. "Stay right where you are. If your Alphas want you they can have you, your usefulness has run its course for me. But they must give me Skr in exchange." She winces and he must have given her wrist an unpleasant squeeze. "That''s easy enough. Boys, hand her over and we can get back to normal." She goes to move again, but he doesn''t let her go. Kevin whimpers to my right. He knows what''sing as much as I do. They won''t let me go and he will die. "Skr, do as you''re told, by your future Luna. Get over here!" She squeals this time. "No." I say dryly and I really want her to understand before she is actually dealt with. "First you are not and have never been my future Luna. I''m really tired of saying that. Second, have you thought this through? Mike wants me as his Luna, so he can be the next Alpha King." Mike''s eyes light up at the sound. "So if this exchange were to happen the way you want it to, I would be your Luna. You would have even less authority over me than you think you do now. As I see it though, I''m good here. You can''t have them. Not now, not ever. Keep Mike if he will take you, but I doubt you would be good enough." She growls and moves to lunge at me, Quick as lightning, I am shoved back into a hard chest, Cam and Kota in front of me. But the sight of Mike with his fist around Kaley''s neck is what surprises me. "You would attack my Luna?! How dare you? You got what you asked for. You got your spells and control of your pack. If you were not capable of handling the kind of magic you were given, that faultnds on you." Her eyes are popping out of her head. I can just barely see past their massive shoulders. Cont¨¦nt belongs "Kaley please. Just let it go. We will find you a new mate. A better one." Kevin is pleading from somewhere on the ground near us. "Never! I want my Alphas. I will be a Luna!" She wheezes, holding on to Mike''s hand at her throat. He must have her lifted off the ground. She''s so delusional. Even with her life being threatened, she can only think about being a Luna, about the title. "I told your father you weren''t fit to be anyone''s Luna, but he didn''t listen. You have worn out your usefulness: Neither of you can be trusted to follow orders correctly. You are both so blind and selfish, you made stupid mistakes to your own detriment." Her eyes go wide and she starts to il, making the pressure on her neck worse. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Then I feel the snap of the connection from Kevin. He''s gone, just like that. He should have suffered more for his crimes, but he is no longer anyones'' problem. "Are you sure you don''t want to try and save her? She is a pack member after all. What kind of Alphas would you be letting an innocent member die at the hands of your enemy?" Mike tries to goad the twin''s I can see Kaley looking at us, hoping, depending, that at least one of the twins will jump in to save her. But no one moves. No one says anything. She sealed her fate when she put the whole pack in danger, just to gain a title. Chapter 0546 "Cameron? Dakota?" She grunts, holding on tight to Mike''s fingers around her throat.. "You can''t let him do this to me. I love you! I''m your Luna. You''re supposed to protect me with your lives." "You have read far too many romance novels." Dakota says low, all his usual yfulness gone. Him and Cam move back to stand next to me, each grabbing one of my hands. Oliver doesn''t move from his position behind me. "No one deserves to be treated the way you have treated our pack members. You don''t deserve our protection. And you were never going to be our Luna..." "We have only ever wanted one Luna, and It wasn''t you. It was never going to be you. You lost the right to our protection as your Alphas when you put Skr, your Luna, in danger, when you put the pups in danger, when you went against the Moon Goddess to benefit yourself. You sealed your fate. The Goddess can have you." Cam growls. Her eyes go wider and she is crying for real this time. I don''t think Cam has ever directly told her ''no'' before. She really thought they would protect her from Mike even after everything that she did. She really is crazy. "Have you really done all those things to your pack? You betrayed them before you were instructed by me? Well, we can''t have that now, disloyalty can''t be tolerated. If you want to be a Luna, you really need to be better at following instructions from your Alpha. Maybe your Alphas are right and you should be returned to the Moon Goddess to start again, do better next time. Skr, my gift to you as my Luna." He thrusts Kayley towards us. She''s on her knees in front of us, Mike''s hand still firmly around her throat. "Her sacrifice will tie you to me. We will take over this pack and be the greatest and most powerful rulers anyone has ever seen. Her life is yours to take." He is legit crazy. "I won''t kill her. Not for you or anyone else. She deserves to suffer, but I won''t take her life, I won''t stoop to her level. She''s not worth it. I will never be tied to you. You are ridiculous for thinking like that. I will never be your Luna. You will never have a Luna." "You really should be more appreciative of the gifts that I give to you. No Luna should look down on her Alpha''s generosity. You will need to be taught better, my mother will see to that. But for now, I will show you what you mean to me. This lowly pack member harmed you,id hands on you, so I will do what no one else was willing to do for you." Too fast for me to even think of trying to stop him. Mike snapped her neck, I felt the bond break, and he let her body fall unceremoniously to the ground in front of us. I am speechless and just lean into Oliver more, his arms tightening around me. Cam and Kotace their fingers with mine and squeeze. They are all here for me. I hate that a life was taken, but I can''t bring myself to feel bad for her either. She brought this on herself and she didn''t deserve to be saved either. I will need a long talk with Ava and Luna Anne after this. Mike studies Kaley''s body for a moment and then looks at me. "I really should have saved her. What a shame, she really did have some talents that I should have had her teach you, my Skr. Today has been very exciting, I could have warmed up with her. But it doesn''t matter, I will have you my Skr." Mike''s tone goes from conversational to menacing in a matter of words. Then he lunges. All hell breaks loose. Mike doesn''t get past the twins and Oliver shoves me to the side, but other wolves are closing in fast. We have some time where we are surrounded. A few wolves try to grab at me with their jaws, but they must have some kind of order to not hurt me because they can''t actually mp their jaws down. I use their limited movements to my advantage and kick one square under the jaw, hearing a crack and watching his head fly back as his body follows in almost a slow motion. I have no idea if I killed him or if he is just knocked out, but he is down and doesn''t get any more thought from me as I move or to the next guy.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. My whole team has swarmed Mike''s guys. A group has hung back as back up in case he has more waiting somewhere we haven''t seen, but I just don''t think he was smart enough to do that. He sent his waves of wolves to weaken us, but he didn''t expect us tost as long as we have. I feel a sharp pain in my side that makes me stumble, but when I look around, no one is near me. Oh sh*t. It''s one of the guys, my guys. I am searching frantically in the melee for all three of them. ***"It is a gigantic pain in the ass to try and keep track of all three of you. You know that? Who''s hurt?"*** I try to keep my voice light, but inside I am panicking. That was not a small injury. ***"I took a bite to the side, I''m okay Smalls. And trust me we feel the same about you and there''s only one of you.'' Dakota tries to hide his groan. ****Can you imagine three Little Bits? With your gics, you better hope you only have boys cause if any of you produce girls, it will be a brood, and we are all f*cked."*** Sam has jumped on the runningmentary my team keeps up with amazing brilliance. Everyoneughs through the mindlink. ****Seriously, how do you do that? Focusing on everyone and Jena is starting to hurt my brain, and you all are making jokes. And I really don''t want to think about my little sister having kids right now, f*ckers. She''s sixteen. Keeping her alive is hard enough as it is.**** ***"You do realize how many times people have tried to kill me right?"*** I swipe at another wolf, just as another pain shoots through me. ****DAKOTA!"*** This time I know it''s him, I can feel it, feel him specifically. I don''t think he can hide it from me. I''m frantically searching for him. ***"I''m going to need some help. Mike fights dirty. I should have figured, but he has something in his hand. It''sced and I can''t move any more."*** I started looking for Mike. If Dakota''s on the ground I won''t be able to see him from here. My wolf finds her pull toward him and I follow her lead. We shift and barrel through dozens of pairs fighting viciously, bu I don''t care, I have to get to Dakota. Chapter 0547 I see my big, funny, sweet twin in a heap on the ground surrounded by three wolves. Mike is looking around using Dakota as bait for me. He really is stupid. He''s just going to stand there with two henchmen waiting to sedate me. He doesn''t know what I would do for a pack member or team member, let alone one of my mates. This f*cker is going to suffer and Jena and I will see to it that it''s long and painful. ***"Let''s go Bitty."*** I feel Oliver and Cameron running up close to me. We all take off, I lunge for Mike as my guys take out the other two. He tries desperately to stab me with whatever he has in his hands. Robbie was right, he really can''t fight for himself, he relies too heavily on others or magic to help him out. Those should all be extensions of your strength not the basis of strength. My wolf is uber pissed he tried to take out one of our mates and now he thinks he can take us by force again. Yep, she has already imed them, all three of them. I am so screwed. 7 She mps her jaw over and over snapping at Mike''s arm trying to make him drop the syringe he''s holding. Mike''s eyes are wild with fear. He never saw me or any other female as being equal or capable of fighting a male. We are breeders and ornaments to him. His underestimation is my absolute advantage and my wolf is here for the ultimate demonstration of our strength and skill. We grapple and fight, he finally drops the syringe, my wolf biting every inch of him to cause him a slow bleed. He will not die quickly, he doesn''t deserve it. I don''t know how long I have been fighting for but Mike''s will to live is pretty high. I finally got him on the ground and then I shifted. My wolf is letting my human form get a few hits in as well, we both deserve to have a hand in his torture. Someone grabs me around the waist and pulls me off of Mike. I keep fighting. I want him to feel all the pain I felt, Jena felt and all the other girls he took advantage of felt. "Tiny, stop. Please love, Dakota needs you." That caught my attention immediately and I stopped moving in Cam''s arms. Cam doesn''t set me down though. He pulls my legs up into a bridal carry and holds me close. I wrap my arms around his neck. He''s afraid for his brother and doing his best to hold it in, but he can''t hide it from me and he doesn''t try. We don''t walk far when he stops and sets me down. I can see a huge gash on Dakota''s side. It looks like a wolf bit him, but also something else was used to stab him. The wound goes from his hip bone to the bottom of his rib cage and it looks like they can''t stop the bleeding. Elena and Gentry are both here doing what they can to help him. Oliver is sitting behind him propping him up in a reclined seated position so he can drink whatever potion they are giving him. "Dakota." I breathe out, tears starting. "Hey, sweetness. Come here." He gives a little jerk of his head and I walk closer. "If I''m dying today I want one of those hot as f*ck kisses you gave Oliver." I let out a tearyugh. "Of course that''s what you''re thinking of as youy here mortally wounded." I move closer to sit next to him, but he''s not having it. He weakly wraps an arm around me and winces as he pulls me to straddle hisp. " I''m so sorry, I didn''t mean for anyone to get hurt." He grabs my waist and pulls me closer. I lean in intending to give him a small kiss on the lips. There are so many people here watching. I really don''t want an audience for this, but I won''t wait either, I can''t risk losing him without telling him how I feel. Once our lips touch, it''s just like with Oliver, I don''t feel any of the things that Sierra talked about, but it does feel right and calming, like we are one person that has been split apart and finally came back together. It''s peaceful. 3 He pulls me even closer so there is no space left. I grab both sides of his face leaning into the kiss. He doesn''t press for more than our lips touching though. It is sweet and simple, but I don''t want to break away. Just as I have that thought though, someone gasps. "What?!" I pull back rmed and Dakota groans. "He''s healing. How is he healing?" Lil asks, staring at Dakota''s side. I lean back to see he''s still bleeding, but the wound now looks days old, not minutes. "You are his mate, Little One, you can heal him, this is proof, it''s the only exnation. It would work faster and more effectively if you marked him though." Gentry says matter of factly. "How though, I can''t feel any of that stuff with the warrior brand in ce and I''m too young, aren''t I? If I tried to mark him now would it even work?" I''m hopeful and panicky at the same time. "We can take your brand, that is how yours was designed. I think your magic is powerful enough to override the age demand from your Goddess."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. I look at Dakota, then Oliver behind him and over to Cam, who has kneeled down next to us. Do I want to be mated right now? I always thought eighteen was too young to mate, but now that I have mine and it''s just as unconventional as everything else that''s happened in my life, do I want to wait? Dakota raises a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "No pressure, Smalls. I could just keep kissing you to heal until you''re ready, that would not be a bad thing either. You know you''re ours now. That at least sunk in." He tries for augh, but groans in pain again. Elena ces a hand on my shoulder. "You only have to mark him, and probably the other two as well." She winks at me, actually winks. "The rest you four can figure outter." She must have read the panic in my face at the thought of fully mating with them. I''m just starting to wrap my head around the idea of being with the three of them. I nod and give Gentry my wrist. There is no question. I need to do everything I can to save Dakota. Her unusually warm hands wrap around my arm above and below the warrior mark. She begins to murmur under her breath and I can feel my arm heat up, but it''s nothing like when I got the brand. The wind picks up around us. My friends and my whole team are here now making a protective circle around us, but I don''t actually know what''s happening. The wind is swirling like a tornado kicking up dirt and leaves and whatever else is on the bloodstained ground, but nothing touches us. I keep shifting my focus to my three mates. Three. I am in so much trouble. Chapter 0548 All of a sudden I get an urge in my stomach and my breathing picks up. I don''t know what is going on, but I am not nearly close enough to the three of them. I reach to the side and grab Cameron''s arm at the wrist and over Dakota''s shoulder for Oliver''s bicep. I look right into Dakota''s eyes and then kiss him again. This time it is deep and frantic. He wraps an arm around my back andbs the other hand into my hair. His tongue glides across my lips searching for permission to enter. I have no idea what I am doing, but I''m not nervous, surprisingly. My wolf is in my head pushing to take over. She wants her mates like I have been denying her on purpose. I remind her that we are still sixteen and this shouldn''t even be possible to feel right now so she can rx the attitude and im her first mate. I pull back looking into Dakota''s eyes again, feeling my canines extend in my mouth, my whole body is on auto pilot. He tilts his head for me, giving me permission with a heated look in his eyes. I leaned down to gently mark him, but my wolf had other ideas. She surges forward and sinks our teeth into the space where his neck meets his shoulder. Dakota gasps and then moans, both of his hands tightening on my body. I can feel every hard line of his torso against me like it''s all a brand new feeling. Which, I guess, for me it is. I also feel every inch of his manhood and somewhere in the back of my head, I''m panicking again at those possibilities as it dawns on me that all three of them are naked from shifting. I don''t get too deep in those thoughts though when I feel a prick at my own neck and a surge of energy passes through me. It feels like both pain and pleasure mixed together and I don''t hate it at all. All of a sudden I am overwhelmed with the pain Dakota is feeling as if it were my own and my wolf and I instinctually send healing energy to the wound. He takes a deep breath in like surfacing from water. Then he licks the wound on my neck to seal it. I don''t have time to process everything that just happened when I am being pulled into anotherp. Cameron''s emerald green eyes stare back at me and they are blown so wide the ring of green is almost non existent. "Tiny. Love. Please." He can''t even form a whole sentence. I grab his face and pull him in for a kiss too, taking in his Citrus scent with a deep, audible breath. His hair is shorter in the back than Dakota''s and I can''t get a good grip, but it doesn''t stop me from grasping the corded muscles at the base of his neck and pulling him into me. I earn a groan at that and his kiss is a little more urgent than I would have expected from my always-in-control twin. I pull his head sideways and he doesn''t resist. His hands dig into my skin as my canines once again find purchase at the neck junction. When I pull back he looks at me and gives me a tender kiss before moving to my neck. He kisses Dakota''s mark, which sends a violent shiver through my whole body then sinks his own teeth into my neck. I don''t get the surge of energy like with Dakota, this time it is a wave of calm. Steady and sure confidence takes over my whole being. I feel like I aming alive as Imit to them all, like finding pieces of me that have been missing my whole life, even though we have always been near each other, it''s never beenplete. I don''t get any further in these thoughts when he lifts me and turns me towards Oliver, who seems unsure. I remember his dream, the one where I leave him behind for the twins. I crawl into hisp and wrap my arms around his neck in a hug. I can feel how lost and confused he is. He doesn''t know why he is my mate when I also have the twins, but he doesn''t want to let me go either. What he doesn''t understand or remember is that he and I have been emotionally connected for so much longer. He was always meant to be mine, no matter what he said to the contrary. We have always been closer than any friends should be, or even a Gamma and a Luna should be. It''s always been more. I try to say that all with my embrace before pulling back to look into his deep, soulful, chocte brown eyes. I I had to put abel on it, I fell in love with him years ago, I just didn''t know what it was. "Are you sure?" He whispers to me. Even now, he''s trying to protect me and do anything to make me happy, even if that means walking away from me. "You don''t need me.....¡±Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. I don''t even let him finish the thought before smashing my lips onto his. He grunts into the kiss and this is so much more intense with the twins marks on me. I can feel all the lust and the love circting and it is very overwhelming. I don''t hesitate to grab his hair and pull Oliver''s head to the side and mark him before he says anything else that could be considered stupid. I barely have my teeth retracted when he responds just as aggressively. I got a heady energy from Dakota, calm confidence from Cameron, and now a dominant possessive strength from Oliver. We are both breathing heavily when he lifts up to look at me again. "You can''t get rid of any of us now." He says darkly, his voice so deep it sends another shiver straight to my core, all I can do is smile. But before I can say anything he convulses into me. "Oliver! What''s happening?" I look around to Cam and Kota. He has a tight hold on me, and I can feel him breathing into my neck, but I can''t link him and he isn''t responding out loud to any of my questions in his ear. Both twins nk us, each cing a hand on my shoulder as they kneel down close. When they both make contact with his shoulders the entire world lights up and I am blinded for a second with a brigh prismatic light. All four of us shout in unison and we can''t break our connection. It looks like we are in an opaque bubble. No one else is in here with the four of us. Oliver starts to shake underneath me. What the hell is going on? I squeeze Oliver tighter, It seems to be the only movement I have control over. I tried his nickname for me. "Oliver, babe, talk to me please. What is happening to you?" "I. don''t. Know." He groans out into my neck. "It hurts, my whole body hurts." I''m still in hisp, but his legs went from folded underneath me to extended straight out in front of him. I am still straddling his legs though. Chapter 0549 I hold myself close to him as I check in with my wolf and we try to send whatever healing we can to him. I should be able to feel any pain he''s in, but I can''t feel any pain or weakness or injury, so I am hoping it is a part of the mating process or magic or just something random to do with my weirdness. Now that we have marked each other, we should be able to take some of his pain away, in theory. I think about siphoning it and letting some of the pain filter through me, and by default Cam and Dakota. We should be able to share this. "No! I don''t want you to get hurt Bitty." Hls gravelly voice sounds distant when he realizes what I am doing. But he doesn''t pull back from me. Instead he actually hold me tighter. "You no longer have a choice in that. We are bound together, that is a literal part of the job description." I say into his ear and then lightly kiss the new mark on his neck to emphasize my point.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. He shivers and tightens his hold on me. "Don''t do that Bitty, or we will have other problems none of us are ready to deal with." I huff out a giggle. The light begins to fade and the twins pull back from their touch but don''t move away from us. I sit up to look at Oliver. He sounds okay and has stopped shivering under me, but I want to know that he is alright. We are all breathing heavily, like we just ran here. "Hey, babe." He breathes and then swipes under my eyes. I didn''t even realize that I was crying. "Please don''t do, whatever that was, again. That was so scary." I set my forehead on his. His hands rest on my hips. "I didn''t do anything. Being mated to you is going to be very eventful though. I''m okay, we''re all okay. You look good Bitty. I mean you''ve always looked good, but now you glow." He slides his hands into my hai and pulls me in for a gentle kiss. Then a hand reaches from my left and pulls my face. "Beautiful." Cam nts a gentle kiss on my lips. Then a hand pulls my chin from my right. "Gorgeous." Dakota also gives me a kiss. I move to get off of Oliver and he groans but lets me up. When they all stand up, side by side I notice Oliver is the same height and they have all filled out just a little bit. They were always hugepared to me, but now their size and build is almost identical, when Oliver was an inch or so shorter than the twins, but wider just this morning. I also don''t fail to notice that now they are all wearing shorts. No idea where clothes came from, but after all the mate talk I can''t say that I''m mad about it. It''s one less distraction anyway. "How does it feel to be Alphas now?" Cameron asks, looking between Oliver and I. I look down at myself. I don''t think I look any different, but I can feel the extra surge of power and the connection to the pack is different, but the same. All the energies are stronger. I can actually tell the difference in each pack member''s energy pull in my head. "Damn, is this what''s running through your heads all the time?" Oliver is rubbing his temples. "Oh, Sh*t! Does that mean we have your magic and can shoot fireballs too?!?" Dakotaughs, looking at his hands. "Sam is so screwed!" A manic gleam shes in his eyes. "I feel like I am buzzing, like a livewire." "Stop, focus. You can think about shooting Sam in the ass with fire when this is over." I shake my head and look at our surroundings for the first time. The tornado is still swirling, it''s just the four of us inside now. "Four Alphas. Have you ever heard of four Alphas before?¡± I look at each of them. They all now have the same build, the same ck hair. Dakota''s is longer on top, Cam''s is still military short and Oliver''s is somewhere in between, but the same exact brilliant color of raven ck. Their eyes are still their own colors, at least to me, but I can see a swirl in all of their eyes, like blue, green, gold and silver paint floating on water, but never mixing. It''s kind of trippy to look at for too long. I wonder if the rest of our friends will be able to tell the three of them apart now or if they have changed enough to look like triplets. Oliver''s tattoos set him apart from the twins, but we may have to change that too. The tattoos are a definite turn on. Where did that thoughte from? I shake my head finding I am easily distracted just by looking at them. Chapter 0550 "I don''t know if I ever have, but there is a first time for everything and you seem to be the one the Moon Goddess chose for firsts." Cameron says with a smile. "I''ve also never heard of mates like this, two brothers and a bonus mate."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. "I''m actually still trying to figure out why I''m here, trust me. I thought I was just going to be her Gamma. I knew she was going to lead our pack, but this is way more than I expected." "You get her, you always have. You understand the magic side of her..." "Still standing here, you do know that right?" Iugh at their musings. "Who knows why the Moon Goddess decided this," I gesture to the four of us, "was necessary, but we should expect more bullsh*t even after we deal with Mike. I can ask Luna Anne if she has heard anything from the Moon Goddess about all of these firsts. Maybe she can help." "I know another first I would like to get to sooner rather thanter." Dakota wiggles his eyebrows at me and mine shoot into my hairline. "Knock it off. We have plenty of timeter for that. We aren''t going to attack her now. We need to deal with Mike and his goons attacking us." Oliver chides him, but I don''t miss the wave of want rolling off of all of them. "F*ck I forgot about that guy." He rolls his neck like a petnt child. "So how do we get out of the wind storm?" "I don''t know. I thought it would let us out after we all marked Skr. I mean Elena said the rest of the mating stuff couldeter. What do you think, Sky?" Cam looks at me like I would have any idea what the hell is going on. "I don''t know. You all have marked me, I have returned the favor, I figured that would have stopped this storm. I wonder if this isn''t a part of our magic, but Adrielle''s. Do you think she is a part of this with Mike? I know she was the one who made the prophecy. Could we be in a trap?" I turn to look at the wall of dust and debris swirling around us. It''s a tube going straight up to a darkening sky. "How long have we been in here?" I muse out loud. "No idea, but obviously long enough. Let''s see if you can manipte the wind at all. Maybe it''s a natural protection you didn''t know you put up around us." Yep Oliver gets me, or at least the magic part of me. I raise my hand but nothing happens, I can''t even feel a pull to the wind element. I look at Oliver a little panicked. Wind was the element that was easiest for me. What is happening? I can feel the fear or uncertainty rise up in my chest and it brings on the warmth that lets me know my fire is right under the surface. Well that''s good I guess. I still have my raging element. He steps towards me, cing his hand on my shoulders. "It''s okay we''ll figure this out. Maybe this is why we are still here. You''re marked now, so your magic has changed." Chapter 0551 His words are meant to be pacifying, to help me calm down so I can focus. But the idea that my magic has changed sounds terrible. Especially when I just started to get a hang of the things I have been practicing. The magic I have been doing over thest few weeks has been all vicarious through Elena and Gentry. Or more urately their magic has been vicarious through me. I have just been the filter since I have a magic filter or metabolism and can''t fight off most spells and incantations. But what am I supposed to do now? How do I get us out of this? Our whole group could be suffering because I can''t get us out of a torrential tornado. "Okay, Oliver, I take back anything hateful I may have said out of jealousy for you being able to feel her emotions. Is it like this all the time?" "She''s actually just processing ''what if'' questions right now. Wait until she''s really worried or angry. Although, I wonder if I can feel the same from you two now or if your emotions filter through her to me. Since she is our link." Cam and Oliver continue to muse about the nuances of our connection while I stand here in the middle trying to find a way to get us out of here. My me is licking at my insides at theirck of urgency at the situation. "Hey, sweetness. Breathe, okay. I think you might be approaching this from the wrong angle." Dakota wraps his arms around my waist from behind and rests his chin on the top of my head. "What do you mean? We have to get out of here and I can''t make the magic work." I close my eyes and take a deep breath in spite of myself. "Oliver said that now you are marked, your magic probably changed and you said you can''t touch the wind with your magic, but I can hear it singing. It''s a protection, but how would I know that?" "You can hear it?" "Yeah. It kind of sounds like the pups when they are giggling at the training grounds, but also like a melody, but I don''t know the song. What if you had to hold onto all of the magic to get us here, but you weren''t meant to hold all of it forever, just until you were ready for all of us, or more likely, we were ready and worthy of being mated to you." "Can you feel the wind?" "I don''t actually know, but I am kind of interested in finding out. Will you help me?" He walks us forward and raises his arm in front of us and extends his fingers so his palm is facing the edge of the tornado. He tightens his grip on my waist as I raise my hand and ce it on the back of his,cing my fingers with his. I can feel the hum of the wind now, through his hand. It''s so cool to be on this side of it.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. I close my eyes and lean back into him, this is real magic. Being able to share this part of me with him, with all of them. I can feel the wind ying, like he said, but it''s not ready to subside yet. I never thought about the elements having emotions, but if I had to ce an emotion or personality on the wind, I would match it with Dakota. yful and warm on a good day, lightly caressing the skin, but harsh and erratic when angered. My eyes fly open. "What is it, Tiny? What did you figure out?" Cam walks closer, although I don''t know how we have any space to move around at all. The circle the tornado made around us can''t be more than six feet across and my guys aren''t exactlypact. "Let me have your hand." I don''t release the hold I have on Kota''s outstretched fingers, while I take Cam''s hand in my other hand and the sensation intensifies, but it is still just the wind element that I can feel. "The wind seems to have attached itself to Dakota, but I can feel it too and it intensifies when I have contact with you. I wonder if I adjusted to you, if I would also be able to feel the wind?" I think out loud. "There''s only one way to find out." He opens his arms andughs at Dakota''s protests fo my moving away. I reposition myself in his arms, the same way I was with Dakota, but neither of us feel the wind at all. I can still faintly hear it though. I close my eyes and just feel around to see whates up, maybe I shared a small part of an element with each of them. Dakota got wind, what did I give to Cameron and Oliver? Chapter 0552 I lean into thefort of Cam''s arms andce the fingers of my right hand with his. Where Oliver has always seen me and been able to read me, Cam has always been constant. He''s a steady and calm leade moving forward but bringing everyone along with him. Then it hits me, literally hits me in the center of the chest and I fall back into his chest. "Whoa, you alright, Love?" "Yeah. Do you feel that though? It''s like a pulse." He takes a deep breath and when he lets it out I smile as it blows stray strands of hair around my face. "Wow! Is it like this all the time?" "What do you feel?" "I can feel...something...flowing up into one of my feet and through my body and back down through the other foot, but it is like a pulse. Like a circuit with a pulse, but it isn''t energy or electricity, it''s more fluid. Does that even make sense?" "Yeah. Try pulling up on it, I have an idea." He does and I can feel the swirls of cool and hot in my arm. The fire that seems to want to live in my skin is being caressed by the cool water swirling from him. I lift our arms together and take aim... "AH!! What the hell?!?" "AHAHAHAHA! I am so d you didn''t tell me what you were doing! There''s no way he wouldn''t have known." Cam is still holding me,ughing his ass off, along with Oliver and I, while we stare at a very drenched Dakota. I can''t help the thought, encouraged by my wolf, that I really like a water logged, shirtless Dakota very, very much. "Where did water evene from? We aren''t near ake or stream or anything!" He shakes his hair out like a GQ model and tries, and fails, to look irritated. "We were able to pull it up from the ground, but I have to admit it is a good look on you" I wink at Dakota and his eyes go from his blue with hazel swirls to almost ck in an instant. Cam''s intake of breath and Dakota and Oliver''s quick movement to me, let me know I am in big trouble, but I don''t think it''s the bad kind. Dakota scoops me up by my butt and wraps my legs around his waist, then smashes his lips to mine and I can feel my entire body heat up and I don''t think it''s the fire magic. All three of them growl in surround sound and then Dakota pulls away enough to look in my eyes. "Keeping my hands to myself is bing more and more difficult and it''s only been, what an hour or so, since we whata marked you? How in the hell are we supposed to get anything done? You told me I looked good after you tried to drown me, I should be angry or irritated at the least, but all I want to do is take you up to our room and you are so not ready for that." He rests his forehead to mine and takes a deep breath. "How do you wind me up in one second and have the power to calm me down in the next?" I give him a small kiss. "Let''s be honest, it wouldn''t be me if it wasn''tplicated kiss him again and he lets me slide down his body. He makes sure that I can feel the state I left him in though and I just roll my eyes and look at Oliver. "Dakota wind, Cam is water, you must be earth then." He still looks unsure, but I don''t know what he would be unsure of. I marked him and let him. mark me. He''s a part of me, of this, of us now. I don''t know if I will ever get past this one insecurity that he has. Unlike the twins, I face him and slide my palms over the backs of his hands. I keep eye contact with him as Ice our fingers together. I could feel the deep, bass-like rumble the minute our skin made contact. We don''t have to say anything or even us think about it. The dirt around our starts to crack and swirl around our feet. He gives me one of his rare, blinding full smiles and I''m pretty sure my heart stopped and by the wink he gives me, he knows whatCopyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. that does to me. "That should not be hot, but it. so. is!" Dakota groans. "And it does NOT help that now I can feel both of their feelings for you." He points an using finger at Cam and Oliver. "I''m going to have a permanent hard-on!" I startughing. "It''s not that bad, is it?" "Are you kidding? Every time you say something smart, which is all the fucking time, this one lights up." He points to Cam. "But, I was, at best, able to ignore it. Now there''s no hope. And then you go and fight someone, anyone, even the pups, he gets excited and starts fidgeting around so no one notices the tent he''s pitching. And to top it all off, you get a rise out of me every time you just say my damn name!" "Dakota, seriously?!" He''s just being dramatic. "See!" He basically yells and points down at himself and Iugh. That''s all I can do. "I thought you said you liked it when I say your whole name." I feel bad if it makes him ufortable. I''ll have to watch it. I actually like calling him by his full first name when everyone else uses the nickname. It feels special, but I won''t if he was kidding. "Oh, he does like it, Bitty. The problem is, he likes it too much." Oliverughs in my ear, then kisses me on the neck. My whole body shivers at the contact and heughs again. "Well, I don''t regret marking all of you and I can''t take it back, so deal." I stick my tongue out at him. "I''ll give you something to do with that tongue once we figure out how to get out of here." Thement came from Cam this time and now I know we are getting into dangerous territory if his will is starting to crack and he''s making innuendos. I shake out my head and step back. "Can you all feel your element? My guess is we have to use them independently to get rid of this thing. We will probably have to figure out how tobine them too to deal with Adrielle and the Rogue King. Then we need to decide what to do with Mike and the rest of his goons. I feel like our to-do list doesn''t get any shorter, even with all of the things we keep checking off." Chapter 0553 We try for what seems like forever to get our elements to work. The positive side is that the twins now no longer need help to manipte theirs. The downside is we have no idea what to do with them or what else we are missing, and the tornado still isn''ting down. We have all tried firing at it individually and in everybination that there could possibly be. We can''t link anyone outside of it still and I am getting more and more anxious that something bad is happening and Gentry and Elena are keeping us in here on purpose. "What if it isn''t the magic? What if it''s something else we need to do?" Cam muses. "I mean we have tried everything that any of us can think of as far asbinations and sting our way out does not seem to be the answer. And I am not walking toward that thing after it flung Kota on his ass. Although that memory will live rent free in my memory forever." I sit on the ground looking up at the tornado. I can see the opening above us. The sky looks exactly as it did when we were first surrounded. So time has either stood still or it''s an illusion. "Oh sh*t!" I jumped up. "It''s not real!" I squeal. "What do you mean not real? How is this tornado, that I can feel, not real?" Dakotaughs half heartedly. "Part of learning about magic is being able to see it in action. Especially with mours. You have to be able to see past the magic, the mour, the illusion, to see what''s really there or not there. If that''s the deal, we have to all be able to see past this tunnel." "Okay, let''s say I believe you, because I really do, but I also don''t have any idea what that means. I don''t think expected to be a part of your magic, just that you would be a badass and better than all of us and I would live happily in your shadow." Dakota sits down and leans his back against my legs, which is probably a funny sight since his head still reaches my waist like this. I absently run my fingers through his hair while I''m still thinking. I can still feel the hum of the wind when I make contact with him. It''s trying to tell me something, but the message is garbled. Then a wave of envy washes over me and is gone almost as quickly as Cam sits on my other side, mirroring Dakota. I giggle as I start to run my fingers through his hair too. The short stubble feels good under my nails. I look down in front of me, a space clearly left, but not upied yet. I look for Oliver and he''s watching us with a curious expression. "I still don''t know how this works. You have two hands and two Alphas, and..." "Stop talking and get over here. There is clearly a space that needs to be filled, I clearly need you. Cameron and Dakota clearly need you. You are the missing piece. You were the first to connect to me. You were the go-between when everything was going down with 4 Kaley you managed to get them to pull their heads out of their asses." I pat the twins on the head. "You connected with the magic long before I did. And I think your doubt right now is what is keeping us in this f*cking hole" I say as sternly as I can, but I can''t hold it looking at him and his concerned puppy dog eyes. That is a look Dakota usually gives, and I can''t help but ease his mind with a smile on my face. "I need all my Alphas, are you going to leave me hanging here, missing one?" I try for my own pouty face as I tilt my head to the side. "We are so f*cked aren''t we?" He grumbles walking over to me and sitting in between my feet, leaning back on my thighs. "If she does this she could ask me to sit naked shaking a hos nest and I would do it without question." Dakota purrs. And I giggle at his ridiculousness.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 0554 I stand there alternating ying with all of their hair as they all rx into me. It''s funny, even with all of their weight, I don''t feel unstable, my muscles aren''t fatiguing at all and their dead weight is not light at all. How do I help them see through this illusion? Oliver won''t be a problem, he just doubts his ce. Hell, I denied mine for a long time, even when people t out told me what was going to happen, or at least their version of it. I don''t think anyone thought that we would have four Alphas, that I would be equal to the twins, that it was even possible for Oliver to ascend his rank. Then I see the ripple. It''s small and short lived but it''s there. We are getting somewhere. "Hey, Smalls. I like the hair pulling, but can you tell me what you are excited about?" I can hear Dakota''sugh in his words. "I saw the illusion ripple. We are getting somewhere, I just don''t know what we did to make that happen." I am talking fast now, but I can''t move or do anything with all of them leaning on me like this. Oliverughs and I can tell he''s holding something back. "What?! What have you figured out now? I''m actually kind of jealous that you see things so much faster than me." "I think that''s the point though. You finally saw the ripple when the three of us literally sat on you and made you stay still." He startsughing again. "It''s not always on you to fix things and if we are truly equal, then you have to let us help you, let us in on your thoughts. This is our pack now, not just Cam and Kota''s. All four of us carry the same weight, it''s already been a lot and we are just getting started. The answer to every problem is ''how are WE going to fix it?'' If I have to believe that I belong here as much as the rest of you, then you have to believe you aren''t alone anymore and Cam and Kota have to believe they are enough." Both twins gasp and turn to look at him. "Don''t act surprised. Bitty''s right, we are here cause we aren''t done hashing sh*t out. She''s still stuck in her own world, I am still in my Gamma mindset and the two of you are wondering why you needed two more people as Alpha''s to run this pack. Well, I don''t know if you noticed, but our mate is so special and rare that she''s a ma for the worst kinds of trouble. There was no way only one or two mates were going to survive the never ending torrent of bullsh*ting our way and she''s so much more than a Luna." "I''m actually d there are three of us." Cam starts and I have no idea where he''s going with this. "I would feel inadequate next to her if it was just me or me and Kota. At least with the three of us, she lives on a pedestal and we can bepared more equally." The tube shimmers some more. "Oh, yes!! I totally saw that!" Dakota goes to move and I grip his hair. To keep him in ce. Our insecurities are still there, not quite resolved. We kept talking, letting out all our doubts, many I didn''t realize any of these guys carried around and we would be readdressingter. As theThis belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. funnel dies down we the the surrounding area, it''s very dark. If we didn''t have our wolf''s sight we wouldn''t be able to see our hands in front of our faces. "I wonder where everyone is." Dakota whispers. "I wonder if everyone is okay." Oliver adds. "I hope Mike is strung up in a cell." Cam grumbles. "I want to know how long we were really in there." Chapter 0555 Dakota goes to move but I stop him again. "Wait, we don''t know what happened. We can''t just blindly walk around. There could be traps or guards that aren''t friendly if things didn''t go our way." "What are you thinking, Tiny?" "It''s obviously been long enough that there isn''t someone standing watch. I''m actually hoping that''s a good thing." "You''re thinking that if our side somehow lost they would have put a guard here." Cam''s following my train of thought. "Yes, but there are plenty of ces around here to hide out too, so we can''t be toofortable either." "You''d think one of your team would be here too. They are more protective of you than we are." Oliver smiles at me. "I know my team and they wouldn''t leave us without some kind of protection or overwatch. Nathaniel knows we''re out, but the question is, do we sit here and wait or head towards the packhouse? We don''t know what''s happened or what could still be going on. If we leave this spot will we be putting others in danger?" "Can you still link them now that your warrior link is gone and you are marked?" Dakota asks. "I don''t know, I didn''t even think to try." I take a deep breath and feel for that link in my head. I can feel Jena, but that might be because she''s mated to my brother and a part of my pack now. I search deeper for Lil, Nathaniel and Wyatt. I''m nervous as I search for them and almost give up, but then I get it. A spark, that little light that lets me know Lil is there trying to push through. I reach for it in my mind and tug. ***"Oh sh*t, Midge!!! Where the f*ck have you four been?**** ***"We didn''t go anywhere. We got locked in that tornado thing and it took us a little bit to get out.**** ***"Uh, no. Your windstorm took off with you like Dorothy. You''ve been gone for weeks.**** "Lil, says we''ve been gone for weeks." A chorus of expletivese from all my guys. ***"Where are you guys? Is it safe for us to head to you?"*** ***"Yeah, we''re good. Lots to tell you. We''re all at the packhouse, everyone''s gonna be so excited to see you." ***"We''re on our way."*** 11*** I take off, not even looking back at the guys, knowing they will follow without question. I shift and we run fast through the woods. Everything seems brighter, all the colors are enhanced now, the smells are sharper. ***"Wow! I can smell each rabbit and squirrel differently."*** Dakotaughs in my head. ***"Don''t get distracted, you can make friends with the tiny fluff ballster."*** Oliverughs at him. ****I was actually thinking tracking is going to be so much more precise. I''ll have to test it with the pups when they get back. They will never win at hide and seek again. Even with all of the tricks Smalls teaches them."*** We allugh.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ***" Of course you''re thinking about how to beat children at a game.'' .**** Cam digs at him too. ***"Hey, don''t knock it, they are ruthless."*** ***"I can see the packhouse!"*** I don''t know why that makes me emotional, but even in my wolf form I can feel the moisture build behind my eyes. We are finally running down our street and up to the frontwn of the packhouse shift without thinking twice. I have never been so excited to see a building before. I turn to look at my guys and notice they are all still in wolf form. They are all exactly the same size, but now they all have a ck triangr patch on their chest that is the same color as my wolf. ***"What''s up guys? Shift. Let''s go inside and figure out what''s happening."*** ***"Bitty, we haven''t learned the ''shift with clothes on'' thing and none of us is in a position to be in our human form naked in front of you." ***"Wha....Ohhhhh."*** *** ****I mean unless you want us to drag you upstairs and finish this." Dakota adds in a sultry voice I don''t think I''ve ever heard him use before. "I just want the options out there.**** ***"You''re an idiot. Love, will you go get us shorts please."*** Iugh, they are going to keep me on my toes, that''s for sure. "I''ll be right back." I don''t have to go far, we keep extra clothes all over the ce for quick changes like this. Once they have shifted and are properly covered we walk to the back yard where all of our friends are sitting around the fire. Once Sierra catches sight of us it''s pandemonium. Everyone jumps up giving us hugs and back ps. Lots of conversations that I can''t quite follow are going on. We finally walk over to join them at the fire so we can all actually catch up. "So what actually happened? One minute you were all marking each other, which was so hot by the way." Sierra fans herself. "Then you were surrounded by that swirl of wind and we were all kind of thrown back on our asses and it disappeared with you in it. Chapter 0556 "We didn''t move. Or at least I don''t think we moved." Cam says sitting down on a long bench and pullin me onto hisp. I will probably never sit in my own chair ever again. "Yeah, nothing changed for us, we were just trapped in the funnel." Dakota adds sitting next to us. "We had a few things to figure out before the magic that was trapping us would let us go. How long were we actually in there? Lil said ''weeks.'' How many exactly? And what''s been going on since we went in." Oliver asks, sitting on my other side. "Shorty''s birthday is in three days." Mateo looks at all of us. I gasp and look at my guys. We''ve been in there for almost a month. What the hell? "It felt like hours to us. That''s crazy." "That exins why I''m starving now." Dakotaughs at me, then stands. "You want anything Sweetness?" He asks, grazing my cheek with the back of his knuckles. "Umm, Yes, please." "That''s so weird to watch." I look over to Nathaniel, my confusion is probably clear on my face. "You''re letting someone do something for you and not fighting them. It''s just weird." All of our friendsugh and I join in, he''s not wrong. "I like it when you blush Bitty." Oliver whispers in my ear and grabs my hand. "We''ll have to find other ways to make her blush." Cam mutters back and I just shake my head. When Dakotaes back he has a tray of food for all four of us. We dig in while the others tell us about what''s been happening since we disappeared. ANd we tried to exin what was happening in the inside of the tunnel. But how do you exin insecurities to all of the people who are supposed to follow you? They brought Mike back and put him in one of the cells in the basement. Jena made sure that they pulled out all forms offort and shackled him to the wall by his arms and legs. Gentry has been in charge of his food, making sure he gets the same blend of herbs that was given to us. All of the guys have been taking turns going in to beat him each day. After some serious arguing, Mateo let Jena go in with him to deliver her own brand of torture to him. I don''t think my brother was ready for what she did, based on the look on his face when she re-lived it for us. Mike will not sit properly for a very long time. But he''s still alive for now. I feel like that is a ticking time bomb, and we are asking for trouble, but they want to see if they can get any other information out of him using his own tactics. Gentry and Elena have been trying different things for the fire, some of the protections around it have been brought down, but whoever set this up didn''t trust anyone and gave it more protections than necessary. They must have known that Kaley and Kevin couldn''t be trusted or might mess up the setup. As I sit here, listening to my friends, I find my focus going to the fire over and over again. I can''t help thinking now that have my primary element in fire, I wonder if I could touch it without getting burned. What if the solution is just that simple? All I have to do is reach in and pull out the source of the fire. I''m pulled from my thoughts though when Sam speaks up. "Alright, now that we have all the formal ''what''s been happening conversations.'' Is anyone going to mention the fact that the guys went in as twins and a Gamma and came out triplets? He''s looking around at everyone and I can tell he''s been holding that in for a while. "I mean that is crazy, right? Even their eyes match. Even Little Bit''s eyes are the same, somehow you got skipped over on the physical enhancements though, you are still the smallest person I have ever seen, but damn guys. I can only tell Oliver apart because he has tattoos. That is trippy, and you all give off the same aura. Eh, Little Bit''s is stronger. That''s probably the only not surprising thing about all of this." Heughs at his own joke after all his rambling. "Well now we have to get matching tattoos, so we can keep throwing people off." Dakotaughs, "But what I really want to do is sleep. We didn''t get any in that vortex thing and now I''m starting to feel it." "No sleep, huh? Are you sure you''re going to get any now?" Sam keepsughing. "NO, no! We are not talking about any of that. I can''t do it." My brother stands up waving his hands and I can feel my face going even more red. "Like we said it felt like only a couple hours, you d*ck." Oliver throws a pillow at Sam. "Stop making your Alpha self conscious." "Oh, damn. There are four of you as Alphas now. Who''s going to be our Gamma then? I mean, we don''t really have a Luna either, which is who the Gamma is for. You know, you make my brain hurt sometimes Midge." Lilughs. "We''ll figure it out. I''m sure the Moon Goddess has something nned. But, I''m tired too, let''s go and we can keep hashing this out in the morning with everyone. Cam stands with me in his arms, but for the first time in a really long time, he lets me walk into the packhouse on my own two legs.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 0557 We head inside and I move towards the stairs and an arm wraps around my waist. "Where do you think you''re going?" Dakota growls in my ear. "Upstairs." I point over my shoulder. "Not that way, Smalls. This way." He throws me over his shoulder and walks to the back of the staircase and we meet up with Cam and Oliver at the elevator. "I thought you said you weren''t ready to go up there." I try to look at them, but Dakota isn''t putting me down for anything. "We said we were waiting for our mate, or I guess mates. Now it''s the only ce any of us are going to sleep." "But..." "Don''t worry Bitty. We just want to sleep tonight, apparently a lot has happened and we haven''t slept for almost a month." "Sleeping is all that is happening tonight." Cam finished Oliver''s thought. "You are all doing the twin thing now." I grumble propping my elbow on Dakota''s back. "Well, I guess it''s a triplet thing now. I wonder why you weren''t triplets to begin with. You have all always looked very simr." "I think one of us needed the Gamma instinct or none of us would have been good enough to keep you close." Cam caresses my face the same way Dakota did earlier. I love the way that they are all touchy feely, but it''s also very overwhelming. I have not had this much physical contact with anyone, ever, outside of training. Even when Jena and I basically lived attached at the hip. I can already feel how attached to them I am. There''s no way I could separate from all of them for any length of time. The mate bond is so immediate. I wonder if it works the same for mates who didn''t know each other before. Like with Jena and Mateo. She resisted him, but I thought that was more due to her experience with Mike, but maybe she was resisting being with a stranger. I have at least known all of these guys my whole life. We make it up to the Alpha suite and Dakota lets me down in front of him and turns me around to face the entryway. It''s just like I remember. The soft chairs positioned in front of a firece and the floor to ceiling bookshelves. The firece isn''t lit this time, but it is just as beautiful as I remember it. Dakota sets me down as we move to the right towards the bedroom and bathroom. "You can shower first, I think mom moved all your things up here before we went into the tornado. If we have been gone a month, I can imagine all of our stuff is up here. She likes to reorganize when she worries." He walks me through the bathroom and opens the massive closet to reveal exactly what he predicted. Women''s clothes lined one whole side of the closet and mens clothes lined the other. "I knew she like you more than any of us." Camughs. "There''s three of us and she has us sharing one side of the closet." "We can move stuff. I really don''t need this much space." I look at him worried. "Stop, Love. I was kidding. Thanks to your magic and whatever else is going on we all wear the same size and will probably dress alike, just to mess with people even more. I see lot of Ong sleeves in our future until we can match the tattoos Oliver has." He leans down to kiss me on the forehead. "Shower and get ready for bed. I''m beat." I jump in to wash off the dirt and grime from whatever day that was. I was actually worried about taking too long, but couldn''t help it. All of the different jets just hit sore muscles didn''t know I had. I will say it was a little nerve wracking getting in and out though, since there isn''t an actual door on the bathroom. It has a doorway so it''s notpletely open, but there is definitely zero room for privacy. I have to keep reminding myself that these guys are my mates. They are going to see me naked eventually and I can''t be timid with three extremely hot mates. Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. I wrap myself in a towel and head back into the closet. I grab my own underwear and shorts, there''s no need to give them false hopes, but do grab one of the new t-shirts that''s meant for all of them and doesn''t have anyone''s scent on it yet and throw that over my head. I have to sneak past the shower with Dakota''s very defined butt on disy along with his chiseled back muscles flexing as he rinses off the front of his body. "If you stand there staring any longer, I''m going to think you want me to pull you in here." Heughs as I let out a little squeak and run into the other room and straight into Oliver. "It''s okay to look Bitty, we''re yours to look at, but remember we can feel your desire now too, even if it is muted." "I was wondering about that." Cames over from the entryway carrying a tray with sses and a te of something. "Normally new mates are attacking each other, especially after they have marked. The mating part is kind of the natural next step." "Maybe it''s different for us. Well I guess everything has been different for us. But we technically missed the full moon after marking. Isn''t that like an Alpha ritual or right of passage?" I ask. "Yeah, I forgot about that." Dakotaes in toweling his hair. "But we are going to go at your pace. We don''t have a reason to rush this and your desire is muted. I can feel you, but it''s like from a distance. There''s got to be a reason for that." I know I just ate, but the sandwich Cam made hit the spot as I waited for him to finish his shower. There is no shame in their game as all three of them sport boxer briefs and nothing else to sleep in. At least thest time we were like this they all had t-shirts on. Oh boy. "You are mine right now." Dakota grabs me. "Those two hogged you thest time." "That''s okay, she''ll end up over here eventually." Oliver challenges. "No way." "Wanna bet? She flops around like a fish. She''ll sprawl across Cam for a bit and end up next to me by morning. Same would happen if she started over here." "So what you''re saying is by letting Cam sleep in the middle we are both getting screwed." The three of them let out deepughter and I can''t help but smile at the idea that they are mine and for right now, no one is trying to take them away. Chapter 0558 I wake up before everyone, as usual and try to move as little as possible as I extract myself from all the limbs holding me down. Oliver wasn''t wrong though. I started the night in Dakota''s arms and somehow ended up on the other side of Cam, tucked under his arm, while Oliver had my hips pulled back to him with our legs tangled. It''s quit the extraction, but for once none of them wake up when I try to move. I don'' know if it''s because we have marked each other and I have basicallymitted to staying in the pack so their minds are at ease or if it''s because we are up in the Alpha suite and I technically don''t have to leave to do anything. There''s a kitchen up here that I know is fully stocked. The firece with the reading nook in the entryway, the full massive bathroom and closet and my guys are all up here. We could hide away for a while and pretend the sh*tshow isn''t still going on outside. And for just a little bit longer that''s exactly what I want. I head to the kitchen to make coffee and as I head back through the entrynding I notice a very familiar book on one of the tables next to the reading chairs. It''s the grimoire that Elena gave me, and new pages are marked. I sit in the chair and getfortable. I love that she doesn''t hover, but knows that I need the guidance and the time to just go through things at my own pace and ask questions when I need to. I have no idea how long I have been sitting here and so engrossed in this new spell that I don''t hear Cam walk into the room. I jump as he kisses me on the cheek.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. "Oh damn!! You scared the sh*t out of me!" "I''ll have to remember that you can bepletely distracted by a book and your reading room to the point of not being able to use your cheater enhanced abilities against us." He chuckles under his breath and sits in the other chair with a coffee in hand. Oh wow, I was so distracted that he made it by me, to the kitchen and back and I had no idea. "Don''t look so shocked Tiny, this is our safe space. No onees up here unless it''s absolutely necessary, you can let your guard down." "Unless you really don''t want to be attacked by us," Another kiss on the cheek. "Then I would keep a little of your guard up." Dakota sits on the arm of my chair. "We need to get a couple more chairs in here." He looks around the space. "We can just move to the living room..." I start. "No, you like this space, Bitty. The living room has the TV and a bunch of other distractions. You like the simplicity of this space, so we want to be here... with you." Oliver kisses my other cheek, but stays standing. "So what''s on the list of assignments today?" Cam asks over his cup. "The grimoire was here when I woke up. Not sure if it was herest night, but I don''t think so. There were a couple new spells marked for me to learn. I wish there was some type of description of what the spell is for or what it is supposed to do, though. Especially when they look superplicated like this." I turn it towards Oliver and he makes a face. "I don''t remember that one from before and I flipped through the whole book. Maybe I missed something?" He says it like a question, but we all know he most definitely did not miss anything. He doesn''t miss anything. "Well, let''s treat like information to know, but we won''t do anything with it until we understand what it''s for. At least Elena and Gentry are both here right now and Elena is going to be here permanently, so that will be helpful. You can train regrly on your magic and we can learn what the hell we are doing with these elements now that we all have them." I nod. "We should go check in with everyone. I want to know how all of our warriors are and get a rundown of any other damage to the pack grounds that we might need to handle before the Rogue Kinges our way, since we know he''sing, and anything we can put in ce now to protect us." They nod to me. "I also have one request." Cam looks at me like he''s going to say something I don''t like and I clench my jaw, bracing for it. "I don''t want you to go down to see Mike." I inhaled sharply, that was going to be my next stop after they woke up. I want to confront him. I need to confront him. ¡°Hear me out, Love: We didn''t kill him, because we need him to lure the Rogue King and this witch Adrielle out, but I talked to Mateo and other than the ramrod from Jena, he''s taken every single punishment with a smugness, that tells us he''s up to something. I trust Mateo''s judgment. I trust Brett and Kyle on this, something is off. It''s like he''s waiting, biding his time and you are the only thing he has wanted. Until we can figure out his endgame, will you promise not to go down to the cells? Not even to use the gym. Being in the house is too close for my wolf, and I am barely holding onto control of him." Chapter 0559 I roll my eyes and scrub my face with my hands. How can I argue with a request like that? Even though I want to so badly. I want my turn to beat the sh*t out of him, but I know if the situation was reversed and it was Kaley in the room, smugly waiting for my mates, I would ask them not to go too. They just sit there waiting for my answer patiently, even Dakota, who is only slightly more patient than Sam. I take a deep breath and run through every scenario in my head, anyway to get my turn, now, but I can''t find one. I roll my eyes at myself. They are my mates, and this isn''t a hard request, why am I being difficult? It''s the first thing he has asked of me, and he actually asked. I take another deep breath and nod my head. "Fine, for now, but I want my chance too. I deserve that much since I didn''t get to do anything about Kaley. He took that away from me too. That b*tch didn''t deserve the easy way out either." My eyes are focused on the floor in front of me and I can feel the tension in the room, if I tried I could probably taste it on my tongue. It''s so thick. "Will you ever tell us the whole truth about that, Smalls? I know we don''t deserve it and now there really isn''t anything we can do to make up for it, but I want to know anyway, when you''re ready to tell us." "Maybe. Someday. Right now I just want to get through this Rogue King bullsh*t." I sigh. "Well then let''s go see our team and get a game n together." We all get up and head back to the bedroom to change. "Speaking of ''our team.'' I was thinking about Sam''s questionst night." "What question, Bitty?"Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "The Gamma question. I didn''t think about it before, but everyone always thought about our connection as a Gamma to a Luna, but since we are mates and you are an Alpha now, we are in need of a Gamma." "Even if you are an Alpha too?" Dakota says muffled through pulling on a shirt. "For one thing Jena and Mateo should not be forced to deal with all four of us." Iugh. "And another thing we want a Gamma line here, we don''t know if the next female leader will be an Alpha or a Luna, we want to make sure we set up our pack for sess for any scenario, now that we know there is more than one possibility. I was thinking about asking Lil to stay. She''s a Delta from her pack, but she has always been my right hand with Elite Warrior missions. I also know her, Jena and I work well together. That has been tested time and time again as well." "That is something else I would really like to hear about, Tiny. Your time with the Elite Warriors. You gel were gone for almost two years, and I want to know about you as a warrior outside of this pack." Cam smiles at me, like he''s seeing me for the first time. "I was actually going to suggest Lil as well. Her and I were pretty much in agreement when it came to anything that had to do with you." Oliver nts a kiss on the top of my head. And that would give you a female team of your own essentially. Jena is your Beta, Lil would be your Gamma and Sierra is your Delta. When and if Lil finds her mate we will have our team rounded out too." "Well then! Let''s go ask if Lillian wants to stick around our crazy ass pack permanently!" Dakota throws me over his shoulder and Iugh as we head to the elevator. "You do know I can walk, right? I feel like we''ve had this conversation before." "Oh, I know, Smalls. But once you are in work mode, trying to touch you bes increasingly more difficult even though watching you work is probably the biggest turn on ever "Now we''re allughing as step in. Dakota does let me down in the elevator though so I can walk out of my own ord. "What about Wyatt and Nathaniel?" we "What about them?" Cam asks. "I don''t want to lose them either. They have been a part of my team since the beginning too." "I actually assumed they were a part of the ''Bitty package deal.'' If we got you, Lil and Jena, they would be like a special bonus." Oliverughs at me. "Really!?" I turn to look at all of them. "Anything for you, Love." Cam kisses me on the lips, then Oliver takes his turn. Not, to be outdone, Dakota grabs me and dips me down before he kisses me. And of course that''s when the doors to the elevator open...to everyone waiting for us. Chapter 0560 "Well that''s a sight to see!" Sierraughs at us and I can feel my cheeks re with embarrassment. Of course Dakota doesn''t let me up right away either, reveling in my difort like a true pain in the ass. "Get used to it Sweetness, this is your life now and I will take every opportunity to put my hands on you, no matter who''s in the vicinity." My eyes are wide in shock. "You wouldn''t dare?" I say it like a question, ''cause he wouldn''t possibly put me through that in front of pack members would he? "Try me." He growls in my ear. This time I put more force into him letting go of me. "Okay, we need to talk about the game n." I look right at Sierra who is trying and failing to notugh at me. "Shut up." I grumble as we walk towards the offices. "Did anyone get a chance to search the Alpha''s office for anything that can harm us?" "Yep, and we found plenty. Someone was really after your parents." Wyatt said, walking past us. "Elena and Gentry spent a lot of time here. They found the bundle in the desk, just like you talked about Midge. They also found some kind of crazy ass totem behind the family picture, that we think might have been Kaley based on how sloppy it was put together. So, they were clearly given directions on some things and went off the reservation on others. There was an extra barrier put on the windows and doors too, more than likely to keep Midge out and away, but that clearly had no effect on her. As far as we know, it''s clear. So Alpha Midge, let us know if your Spidey-senses go off." Iugh as we all file in and I look around the office. I haven''t been in here since that day. It looks exactly the same though. All dark panels and old wood. Like a mid centu library with gold entsContent from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. everywhere. All handles and pulls are a yellow gold colored metal, some small decorative statues and bookends are the same. "We are going to have to do something about expanding this office with four of us. I don''t want Smalls in another room." Dakota kisses me on the temple. "There''s a lot of things we will probably need to adjust about the packhouse with our setup." Cam muses, firing up theputer. "Okay, so first things first. The pentagram. Is there anything else we need to do to it?" "No, Alpha Cameron. The four of you disced it and Elena and I have been working to get things together to reset it once the fire pit is in our control." Gentry steps up from the back of the group. "What do you mean in our control?" I ask her. "Since Kaley and her father were assumed to have set the fire under orders, the control of the fire should have gone to the ones who set it free, which would be the four of you. Naturally, we thought that maybe our troubles stemmed from you. being stuck in your vortex. & +ince you have returned we still cannot work with or manipte it in any way, meaning someone or something still has control over it or no one has control over it. And that is detrimental in either scenario. The fire is still trapped or bound to something, We need to release it before we can reset the pentagram to be beneficial for your pack." "Umm, I know we just rebuilt the thing, but should we burn down the Cunningham''s house for good measure? You know, just in case they have other voodoo stuff lying around I mean no one is going to to live there after everything they did, so it''s going to sit useless anyway." I stare at Nathaniel. He has never said so many words at once that didn''t involve unintelligible code geek speak. Chapter 0561 "Is there a way for the two of you and Bitty to do a controlled burn so it only affects the house, but actually incinerates everything?" Oliver asks. That''s a thought. We could help her with that, I''m sure. Along with the rest of you Alphas. We also have the Rogue King to think of and Adrielle." Elena steps forward too. "Our sources tell us differing lines of information. So either their followers have no real idea what they are up to. Or, more likely, they have different agendas, but need each other to get to you, Alpha Skr." "The ''Alpha'' thing is going to take some getting used to." I mumble. "Everyone already calls you ''boss.'' What''s the difference?" Wyatt asks and everyone in the roomughs. "What are the different thoughts, Elena?" Cam asks, not letting us get off track. "The first is that the Rogue King thinks that he can absorb Skr''s powers by sacrificing her." A deafening growl shakes the entire room and I''m sure the windows would have been broken had we not been in a reinforced room. I head straight to my guys, sit in Cam''sp and grab Oliver and Dakota by the hands. Keeping contact with three of them when I only have two hands is going to teach me to get really creative. "Breathe, wee need to know this no matter how bad it sounds, because I can''t imagine Adrielle''s want for me is going to be any better." I look back at my witch friends. "No, it doesn''t get any better, Alpha Skr. She seems to want you to mate with Mike so he can absorb whatever extra abilities you will give to your mates and she wants you to reproduce with him since he is half wolf half witch." Gentry says softly. "WHAT?!" We all shout at the same time. "She is Mike''s mother and we know his father is the Rogue King. We are still trying to understand their different agendas for you, but either way, they both want you to mate with Mike to make him more powerful and then utilize you to achieve their other goals "But, she''s marked by all of us. He can''t im her now." Dakota squeezes my hand.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. "You haven''t mated with her yet. You are all still vulnerable, she is still vulnerable. You missed the full moon, and that might have been by design because we still don''t have any idea how the vortex formed or why it kept you for so long, but I''m sure the full moon yed a part. So, Alpha Skr will need at least two of you with her at all times." Gentry looks around the room and all of my friends lose a little color in their faces because they know how I feel about protection detail. "Ugh! It''s fine, it''s fine." I''m not sure who I''m trying to convince more, them or me. "I''m not typically alone anyway. Don''t make a big deal and I won''t actively be a pain in the ass." I let go of Oliver and Dakota and rub my hands over my face. "So, it still sounds like a lot of hurry up and wait. What can we do, right now, to be proactive? The Rogue King and his witch bride areing for me, that''s a given. Magic is going to be used against us, also a given. Mike is still being a cocky ass even though he''s locked up and being tortured, so there is something else at y. What. Can. We. Do?" I look at everyone in the tiny office. Chapter 0562 "I think we should move Mike. His presence here, so close to you, is not good for anyone. He thinks that he will survive this because of magic or whatever. He thinks that his mother will save him. He thinks that he will have you, still. If he is here, it''s a beacon straight to you." The deep growly voice of my fatheres from the back of the room and I just stare. "We have a location on our Eastern border, it is not something that is general knowledge, but it is something the former Alphas had for particrly nasty prisoners that they didn''t want in or near the packhouse. It will ce Mike the furthest from the maind entrance and from the Alphas." I just stare. I have no thoughts in my head at all. I heard my father''s voice and saw him speak... to me... but I still can''t process the idea. Where the hell did this 180e from? All it took was his second chance mate to treat me like a person? Or Maybe it''s because I am one of his Alpha''s now and his sense of duty and loyalty are still just ingrained in his job. "What do you think, Love?" Cam pulls me out of my shock. "What does your gut say? Keep him close or get him as far away as possible?" "I think that it would ease everyone''s mind if he was gone. The packhouse needs to be our safe space. I think I would like our warriors close when they aren''t on duty, though. Can we fit all the warriors in the ranked housing? I don''t want everyone scattered when they are off duty. With all the mind control stuff that Adrielle is capable of from a distance, I want to know where everyone is all the time." "I think that can be arranged. Ava and I will take on that organization." Brett raises his hand from near the door. "We''ll let you know if wee across anyplications." "Thank you, Dad." Oliver runs his hand up my arm. "How are the people we collected from Robbie? Did we capture or keep any of the people that fought us that day?" I try to move on quickly. My wolf is thrumming with the idea that Mike might still be able to take us from the guys and I don''t want an audience for that conversation, because if she gets angry enough we may shift. "The ones Robbie brought us are still at the school. Many of them have started helping with meal prep and organizing supplies for the warriors. They have been checked over thoroughly by both the healers and Gentry and Elena. They don''t leave the school, but we have allowed them to use the yground and outdoor eating area to give them a small bit of freedom. Only time will tell where their loyalties lie." Kyle says from near the window. "All of the fighters are being contained in the small fighting arena. We have temporary shelters set up for them, but we are still working through them with the healers. Many had injuries and all of them had the tracker imnted. They all seem very dazed and confused as theye out of whatever chemical control they had. We just don''t know if there is any other magic going on." "Anyone who died in the fight we did a mass burn. I hope that released them back to the Goddess. We did keep your pack members separate from the fighters that came with Mike so they could be celebrated. You only lost three warriors." Wyatt knew I needed our number. I always had a count. I don''t know why it matters, but it does. I just nod my head, my wolf is getting agitated. "Wyatt, can you help Daniel relocate Mike? Brett and Ava can work through organizing the warriors. Nathaniel will you need anything else since we will be moving warriors away from the borders?" He shakes his head. "I don''t think so, but let''s put a pin in it until I can reassess." "Kyle, keep working with the captured fighters. If they are anything like the people Robbie brought us, we might be able to offer them a home here after all this is over with. It seems like these people are unwilling participants. I don''t think we have seen Pet of their fighters." He now he worst at me. "I have a couple more questions for Gentry and Elena, and then the rest of us can start to work on this fire situation." "Wyatt, Nathaniel and Lil, will you three stick around for a second and then you can go to your assignments. Sam, Mateo, Jena and Sierra, we will meet you out back to discuss this fire thing in a few minutes." Cam finishes assigning tasks.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Once everyone but my team has cleared out, I stand up from Cam''sp. This feels like such a big deal. Cam looks to Oliver, who starts talking, walking around the edge of the desk. "We know how close you all are to Skr and our situation is beyond unusual. Now that I am one of the Alphas, being her mate." He rolls his eyes at his ownment. "Not gonna lie, that sounds so his face. He doesn''t like talki pretentious." He rubs his hand over about his own aplishments, unless it''s topete with me. "Our Gamma position is open. Lil, we have discussed it and would like you to fill that position, if you want it. You would round out our female leaders." Her eyes go wide and look at me. "Are you serious?" She breathes out. "Of course we are. I know your contract is up at the end of the summer and I want you here with me." I look at her hoping she says yes. "OH HELL YES!!" She shouts and pushes past Oliver to jump on me. "I have been trying to figure out how to talk you into letting me stay." Sheughs, squeezing my neck and jumping. "I''m so d you were such a hard sell." Dakotaughs. "And Nathaniel and Wyatt, you both obviously have a ce here too. Sky''s whole team means the world to her and you guys have proven time and time again why. Our warrior team would be lucky to have you." I walk over and give them both hugs too. They are happy, but not trying to strangle me like Lil is. They each shake hands with my mates. "Alright, Alpha Midge, we''ll see you outside." Wyatt follows Nathaniel, dragging Lil. We all turn to Elena and Gentry. "So tell us more about mating with Skr." Chapter 0563 "I thought that might be a sticking point with you four. You marked each other because of Dakota, to help him heal. No one was thinking about the fact that you are Alpha''s, or I guess at the time two Alphas, a Beta and a Gamma. We weren''t concerned with rights and rituals that you would normally take into consideration when marking and then mating. We were concerned with your mate living past the fight. We originally put the wind spell as a barrier to the fighters that were still attacking and sent more waves to try and recover Mike." "How many more people were harmed in this fight?" I interrupt, hating the idea that anyone was hurt while we were working through personal sh*t. "I know Wyatt said we only lost three, but that means they lost so many more." I sat in the chair Cam vacated. I know they were trying to kill us, but I also know that most of them are not fighting of their own ord. They are possessed, under the influence of some kind of drug or being manipted. "You were in the vortex for twenty-one days. The full moon happened just days after the fight. We would have been able to have your Alpha ceremony and you could havepleted the mating ritual as it was designed with no problems. I think the idea was to get to Skr in plenty of time to disrupt a ceremony for the next full moon as well. The longer you hold off the more opportunities Mike, Adrielle and the Rogue King have to im you for their own. You are all exceptionally strong now, but having the four of you in tune with magic collectively and the powers you all will unlock when youplete the mating ritual makes each and every one of you prime targets. But, as with all things rted to Skr, we don''t know if any of the general rules apply. Those powers show up following the full moon after the eighteenth birthday. Will she have to wait? Who knows. Will you guys gain powers even if she doesn''t because you are all eighteen now? Who knows. What I do know is that the full moon will rise on Skr''s birthday, we have been watching it closely. That is when we should be prepared. Too many things are lining up to be exceptionally amazing or absolutely life threatening." "Thanks for letting us down easy." Dakota mumbles. "So what can we do? What should we do? I feel like we just keep flying by the seat of our pants because no one has answers." I can feel his anger start to spike and it''s not a controlled burn, it''s threatening to take him over, so I stand up and walk to Dakota and wrap my arms around his waist. I can feel his helplessness and I hate it. I hate that it''s because of me and his need and desire to keep me safe "I''m sorry." He says kissing my hair. I tilt my head all the way back and look him in the eyes, giving him a small smile. "I just feel like we keep reacting to things and I know you are special, Sweetness, but you can''t bepletely unique, right?" He looks from me to Gentry. "I mean there has to be others in the Alpha King''s line that have had issues like us. With the extra mates and the weird ass magic abilities and someone trying to kill them every five minutes." "We don''t actually know. That''s the problem. The females from his line never really made it that far in life. Obviously, Skr''s mother and grandmother were exceptions, telling us that her bloodline is very strong. From what we know of the Rogue King''s lineage, he killed and or experimented on all of the females because of their enhanced abilities. No other Alpha King line that we have researched has had this kind of history. Each Alpha King line has some enhancement or attribute that sets their line apart from the others, but this is a unique situation as much as you don''t want it to be Alpha Dakota. My suggestion is to talk with your mother about the Alpha ceremony and if we can do it sooner rather thanter. She needs to be mated, for all of our safety." "F*ck, I keep forgetting you''re a princess too." Oliverughs darkly. "Can someone please exin why I am here? Like seriously, I don''t doubt my abilities, and I don''t regret any of this, I''m not giving her up for anything. But, she is literally the best warrior with every advanced enhancement a wolf can have and then some. Why is she mated to a basic Gamma?" He sits in one of the chairs that''s on the visiting side of the desk looking everywhere, but at Cam, Kota and I.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Chapter 0564 I walk over and stand right in front of him. With the height difference his eyes are right at my lips. He parts his legs so I can step in, but I shake my head and he looks confused until I push his knees closed and sit on hisp, thankful he chose the armless chair so I can scoot close enough to wrap my arms around his neck. His hands naturally find my waist and hold on tight. "You are not and have never been basic any more than I have been normal." His eyes fall closed as I rake my fingers through the short hairs along the side of his head and interlock them behind his neck and rest my forehead on his. "And you aren''t a Gamma, you were never meant to be a Gamma, you were meant for so much more. That''s why you never took the title, because you are one of my Alpha''s." I leaned in to kiss him and it started sweet and slow, but something snapped and I inhaled sharply, pulling myself as close to him as I could get and it still didn''t feel close enough. He deepened the kiss, wrapping one arm all the way around my waist and the other found the back of my head, and I didn''t hesitate to let him take over exploring my mouth with his tongue. I have no idea what I am doing so I follow his lead, but I think a lot of firsts are getting checked off of lists today. Just as the thought crosses my mind, I feel a hand grip my ponytail and pull my head back, exposing my neck to Oliver who doesn''t hesitate to start nting feather light kisses down the column. I open my eyes to see Cam''s emerald green orbs circling with gray, a sure sign a storm ising and I think it is aimed for me. He leans forward and with just as much urgency and a little more aggression than I would have imagined he explores my mouth, hungry to taste every inch, while Oliver continues to explore my neck and shoulder. I feel a sudden cool breeze on my hot skin and I gasp. It was enough of a distraction for Oliver and Cam to let me go for the briefest of moments when my shirt is ripped off my body and Dakota''s tongue is trailing up my spine causing a shiver to rock my body and goosebumps to erupt everywhere. "So beautiful." He whispers and starts trailing kisses along the different scars on my back. I froze for a moment. It''s been so long since I have even thought about them, I felt self conscious for a minute and I can''t look at anyone. "These are a part of you Sweetness and we love you the way you are." He nts another kiss to my spine, then Cam ims my mouth again and Oliver finds their marks on my neck and elicits a moan from me as he bites down. I arch into him pressing my sports bra d breasts into him and lean back into Dakota. Cam firms up his grip in my hair deepening the kiss, before pulling away. A whimper leaves me involuntarily and he smiles a wicked smile.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. "Don''t worry, Love, we aren''t done. But we aren''t going to take you here in the office, Like Oliver said, you''re a princess, our princess and we want to worship you." He leans in for another small kiss, but I grab the back of his head and deepen it, already addicted to his taste. I can feel his chuckle vibrate through my body and straight to my core. "Stop teasing her and let''s get her upstairs. I''m gonna blow, just from the smell of her arousal." Dakota growls and bites the back of my shoulder. I yelp in surprise and smash myself closer to Oliver. "Yeah, well I''m not doing much better the way you''re making her move on my c*ck." I bury my head in his neck to stifle my whimper. I like ovel? the dirty talk way more than I thought and yet it''s still embarrassing that they are talking about me. BANG. BANG. BANG. "You all better be decent! You have five seconds to hand over Midge, fully clothed. We have a problem." Lil yells and then starts counting down. I try to jump up but Oliver has his hands around me, Dakota has his hands on my shoulders and Cam has my ponytail wrapped around his head. "Guys!! She will actually barge in here no matter what you say and I don''t want her to see me like this." I am terrified and kind of embarrassed while still really turned on. I don''t hate the feeling, but I don''t love it either. Chapter 0565 They seriously try to hold me down as Lil counts, "5...4...3..." "Oliver, if you don''t let me go right now I will not let you touch me until AFTER my birthday." I have not been righted, standing on my feet so fast ever in my life and he looks a little terrified. "Well, we know who will cave first in a fight with her." Dakotaughs and then catches my eye and nches. "So you can keep your hands to yourself then." I say pulling my shirt over my head, thankful he didn''t rip it to shreds. When I pulled my head through I shot him a look and headed for the door. When I open it Lil just looks like she is barely holding down augh. "Should I be thanking my lucky stars that the Alpha''s office is soundproof? I figured that Gentry''sment about not being mated would get to them, but damn, they work fast." She giggles, like actually giggles at me and I know my face is on fire. "Shut up, nothing happened." I grumbled. "Nothing happened." I follow her down the hallway. I don''t have to look behind me to know my guys are following. I don''t want to look and see the states I left them in. I kind of feel bad, but she said ''we have a problem'' and I can''t ignore that either with everything that is going on. "Only because there wasn''t enough time. There''s three of them and only one of you. I''m sure the twenty minutes we all left you alone was not even enough time for you to rx your overthinking mind, let alone do anything else, but based on your crooked ponytail you did get some action." She wiggles her eyebrows at me as I frantically pull my hair down and try to smooth it into a respectable look before we get all the way outside and I hear my guys all chuckle low behind me.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ***" Just for the sake of proving a point, let''s drag this out."*** I tell my wolf and roll my eyes. She''s not super happy about waiting on the mating, but she agrees with Lil and thinks we are going to need lots of time since there are three of them and I am still a virgin. I''m not a nun, but I also hope they take their time. None of them are small by any means and I''m afraid one interaction might break me for days and there''s no way two will hold off if I give one a chance. We are going to have to suck it up no matter how sore and painful the first few times are. "What was such a big problem?" I tried changing the subject. I can still feel their desire and arousal and it''s a bit distracting. Who am I kidding? It''s a lot distracting, but I have to figure out how to tune stuff like that out. "You''ll see." She pushes through the door leading from the kitchen out to the back patio. All our friends are standing around the firepit. Nothing looks out of the ordinary to me, but we''ve been gone for a while so sol maybe I''m missing something. I look over at Lil and she seems confused. "It red up right before came to get you. It got at least twenty feet high, I swear." She''s not really one to exaggerate, none of my friends are. I look around at everyone and there is some kind of feeling or vibe around them. I can feel it more than I can see it. Something happened and they are or trying to understand ess what it was. They don''t believe they imagined it. "What the hell?" I say more to myself at my observation than to anyone else. "What is it, Bitty?" Oliver walks up behind me and locks my body to his with one arm. I always saw this gesture and thought it would feel suffocating or controlling, but the way Oliver does it, it''s reassuring, like he''s letting me know he''s here just for me. I open my mouth to speak and rx back into him when the fire jumps up a few feet and in response we all jump. Both Cam and Dakota grab my hands and the mes raise again. "See what I mean? Something weird is going on." I step away from my guys and towards the fire and as soon as the contact is gone the fire goes down to it''s normal height. "What did Gentry and Elena say?" "Nothing yet. They haven''t seen it. They headed to the Beta house to get a few supplies and then I think their n was to talk with Ava about the Alpha ceremony and what we can do to speed up the long ass process." I reach back and grab Dakota''s hand again and the fire gets brighter. Huh, I wonder... I pull him close to me and wrap my arms around him in a tight hug. He doesn''t question or resist, but squeezes me back, again the fire gets brighter. I look up at him and I know he can see where I am going with this, he leans down to give me a kiss and the deeper he makes it the higher the mes get. Chapter 0566 ¡°AH hahahahahaha! It''s a ¡®getting busy'' beacon for Midge." Lil and Jena both startughing hysterically at me and I bury my beet red face in Dakota''s chest. This is so embarrassing. I can''t look at anybody, because everybody knows what we were doing in the office. "It''s not just me." I say not moving my face from Dakota''s chest. "Yeah, but you are currently the only one who''s embarrassed" Jena Laughs. "I wonder what will happen when she''s full mated? Do you think it will explode? Maybe that''s how we get ride of this thing, by getting Midgeid." Lil sounds half serious as she suggests it, but I have no idea what her face looks like. "Considering that we all live in the packhouse, I don''t really want to test the theory." Nathaniel mutters. "So that means all of our Alphas are going to be sexually frustrated until we figure out this new connection?" Mateo asks incredulously. "I''m moving out, you guys can deal with that fall out." "Bitty? What''s the matter?" Oliver walks up behind me and kisses the crown of my head, but doesn''t pull me from Dakota. "It''s just another freak thing about me that''s making things difficult. I''m sorry. Mating shouldn''t be thisplicated, it wasn''t for anyone else. I keep my hands around Dakota''s waist, but lean back into Oliver. It''s so strange how fast I have taken to their presence as myfort space, when just months ago, I hated the idea of anyone needing tofort me. Lost in my thoughts I didn''t notice Cam walk close to us and he nts a kiss on my temple, then whispers in my ear. "We will figure this out. I don''t actually care if everyone knows what we are doing. In fact, we should make it a point to blow that bonfire up several times a day, everyday The fire res as my desire spikes at his words. I look him in the eyes and see his decook Ou zing. He''s always the peacemaker, the calm and controlled one. I wonder how that will trante when he finally takes me. "I''m pretty sure your fire is openly challenging us, Love. And if I wasn''t worried something might happen to you, we would all drag you upstairs and note down until after your birthday." I don''t even know if I''m breathing at this point, but I can feel the heat from the extremelyrge fire near us. He leans in to kiss me and it''s not the same gentle one that Dakota gave me. This one is heated, like up in the office. I hesitate, remembering the audience that we have, but my the wolf shuts my thoughts down, she needs this as much as I do. She wants her mates and we were blessed with ours earlier than anyone ever expected, she wants to im them after all this time putting up with Kaley and all the other bullsh*t we have been through. This is one thing that we are owed and we are going to take it. "Oh my! What do we have here?" The gasp breaks us out of our little bubble and I reluctantly pull away from Cam and lean back into Oliver, jumping forward after I leaned into the steel pipe in his pants.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. He chuckles and wraps his arms around me, pulling me back into him and breathing in my ear. ¡°That will never stop being hot, Babe. I will probably have a permanent hard-on just watching you kiss those two.'' My only response is a whimper and the fire grows bright for a second and then goes back to its normal height. I am so screwed. "Well at least the fire seems to be under your control, Skr. That is a good thing." Iugh sarcastically at Gentry''sment as we all turn to face her. Oliver shuffles me forward, not letting me put any space between us. "Yeah, but it changes with my contact with my mates. I''m not really sure I want to publicize what I am doing." The rest of my friendsugh and I am just going to have get used to it, no matter how embarrassing. If I show that it bugs me, they will keep making little digs andments and I really don''t want my barely explored sex life to be a joke. So I have to pretend I was mortified for a second, and now I have epted that there is a fire sending smoke signals when I am intimate with my mates and I''mpletely okay with it. Chapter 0567 "I''m sure if it was connected to Sam and Sierra, they would be putting on a show just to see how crazy they could make it." My brotherughs and I''m thankful for the attention shift. Gentry moves over by the fire and sits on the ground, Elena came though the kitchen with a book like my grimoire but this one is a bright blue. She sits next to Gentry and sets the book in between them. "Skr,e here please. Your mates can stay, but need to keep their distance. We need to see what level of connection this fire has to you specifically before we bring them in." Gentry calls to me. I squeeze Oliver''s hand, he''s reluctant to let me go. He''s seen what magic can do, how sensitive I am to it and is probably more protective of me because of that. I slowly move toward them and sit in front of the grimoire. The fire immediately turns ck with a purple tip. I can hear all the gasps around me, but like always with spell work I get lost in it and everyone else around me is a blur. My wolf bristles at the color and energying off of the mes. "It''s a domination spell with an emphasis on control and staying hidden. This is designed specifically for you Little One. I wonder why it hasn''t shown itself before now though? We have all sat in front of this fire for months, knowing about and feeling the magic and never feeling anything harmful, but now it is angry." Gentry doesn''t look at me while she talks, it''s more like she is speaking to the fire confirming its feelings like you would with a child. "Is it here to control the pack, or me, or the pack through me? How do we figure out what it''s meant for specifically? Is it angry with us, with me, with whoever set it?" I ask, not taking my eyes off it either. "Those are all great questions that will take some time to answer. But we will get our answers now that it wants tomunicate." They both start humming and chanting something I don''t understand, but the mes seem to slow down almost like they''re getting sleepy. I want to touch it. I have since we came out of the vortex. I''m drawn to the fire now for some reason, but that makes me hesitate too. Am I drawn to it because I can sense it''s my element or because of some crazy spell from Adrielle trying to trap me? "Does Adrielle know about my connection to the fire? Is that why it''s at the center of the pentagram? Or is that amon thing to ce at the center?" "The pentagram is used for so many things, mostly protection. She has manipted it to hold you here and control many members of your leadership. The everburning me is a rarity. Fire needs something of earth to consume making it difficult to sustain. I thought it might have been attached to the former Alpha, but it is still burning. I do not believe it is attached to the former Luna, but that is something we will have to test eventually. But the fact that the mes turned ck and purple on your approach tells us it is being used against its will." "You keep talking about the fire pit like it has a mind of its own, a personality." Mateo says from somewhere to my right. I forgot the rest of our friends were here with us.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. "In a sense it does. This me was set with the intention to help capture Skr." The rumbling growls behind me remind me how much my mates hate hearing that, but they need to get over that sentiment quickly. "But since she has begun releasing the spells that are holding your pack hostage, it wants to be set free too." "Is the ck part of the me a curse or protection? It means both right?" I ask, not wanting to get too off track. Magic is a rabbit hole none of us are ready for a crash course in. "It does." Elena replies. "I think it was a curse to begin with, but it wants to protect. Remember magic is neither good or bad, it is the caster that makes it one or the other. In this, case, the magic was set to curse your former Alpha and your pack, nothing more nothing less. But, somehow setting the rest of the pentagram free from the curse gave this me something akin to a personality and it wants to be set free." Chapter 0568 "Can I touch it? Now that I know I''m connected, will it hurt me if I touch the fire?" Elena and Gentry look at each other. "We don''t know. And, until we know if it is harmful or helpful, I would advise not making contact." Elena pushes my hand down, I didn''t even know it was raised. I look at my hand confused. Why was I about to do that? "Let''s see if we can connect you to it now that it appears to have a consciousness of some kind. If you can connect with it we can make sure that Adrielle no longer has control which will protect your pack." Gentry holds her hand out to me and I take it without any hesitation. If I can protect my pack and keep all my mates and friends safe, there is no question of me doing everything in my power. "Wait!" Cam stops Gentry''s chanting. "What can we do? We aren''t leaving her to do this on her own, but we need directions." I look around and Cam, Kota and Oliver are only steps behind me, but not making contact like Elena asked. Jena and Mateo are to our left. Sierra and Sam are to our right. Nathaniel, Lil and Wyatt are across from me. None of our team has left me. They are here for anything and everything that is thrown our way. I look at all of them feeling kind of helpless. None of us know what we are doing or what could happen. I''m so sick of reacting to what Adrielle, the Rogue King and Mike are doing. If they want me they are going to have to f*cking fight for me. I can feel my temper re and my wolf''s anger at our whole life being threatened. The ck and purple fire in front of me res to match my thoughts. It has gone from a normal height to at least four feet tall. And I can see a red hue crawling up from the center of the basin it sits in. I can no longer hear anyone, but I can feel all of their fear and uncertainty. I can''t allow those three to inflict so much havoc on us. I watch the red crawl through the ck and purple me and I feel the mes rx as if the red color of my anger is burning away some impurity. Then the base of the me turns silver. This time eating through the ck and purple of the me leaving an almost invisible me behind. I keep focusing, letting my instincts guide me. My wolf says this is a clean te, we can build the protection the way that we want. I imagine my mates, my friends and family, the pups, all of the new wolves that havee to us for refuge from the Rogue King. An orange light shes in the mes. ***"For Endurance. Tost through the tests we are about to face."*** My wolf breathes out. Then three different shades of blue swirl in the me. ***" For intuition, healing and communication. Your new pack members need to heal just and Jena."*** I keep pushing the me for what can I what my pack. I will ept r it is willing to give. Gel swirls through this time. ****For Prosperity and it will help fight off any curses that are sent our way." Yellow swirls into the mix and the ck joins in, licking the edges of all the mes like a cartoon drawing. ***"The yellow is sess, pink is to return everyone safely and the ck is the protection to maintain these spells for everyone under your protection."*** ***"Is it done then? Are we free from Adrielle''s hold on the pack, for now at least?"*** ***"I believe so Little One."***Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. Chapter 0569 ***''Whoa! Elena. You can mindlink now?" ****Apparently so, being your father''s mate and epted by the leadership of this pack has allowed my magic to connect to the magic of your wolves. That is also a subject that we will have to navigate at some point in the future Little One. I have heard many different versions of your upbringing. I would like to hear your point of view, but for now you have more pressing matters. Like mates who are at their wits end from sharing you all day."***Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ****All day?! What do you mean ''all day?¡±**** ***"It took a significant amount of energy and time for you to undo each spell that was attached to your me. But it is ''your'' me now. I think you could even touch it if you still feel so inclined.¡±*** I blink a few times and feel the haze around my vision clear. I didn''t realize how hard I was staring at the mes while my wolf and I were releasing it from its own shackles. The sun has just started to set behind the forest. I have been here all day, breaking spell after spell. I''m sure I''ve had help. There''s no way I did any of this on my own. I was d my wolf was able to tell me what the colors and the spells meant. She has clearly tapped into our connection with Elena more than I thought. Maybe she was doing that while we were stuck in the tornado figuring out our feelings. Who knows. I have so many questions for so many people that will probably not get answered any time soon. But after today I feel more sure of my magic now than I ever have. I''m not drained and exhausted like I usually am either, which is a strange feeling. I actually feel light and energized. Maybe I was what the fire was tied to after Lucas passed, since I set him free, and it was burning away at my energy stores maintaining all of those spells. Just another question for the list. I am just about to open my mouth to ask when I am lifted off the ground by my armpits, tossed in a half turn and caught around the hips by Dakota. "Don''t even think about it Smalls. You are done working for the day. I thought it was tough getting Cam to clock out, but I think you are going to be worse." He leans in to give me a kiss and I smile wrapping my arms and legs around him and he groans when I pull away to look for my two other mates. "Right here." Reading my mind, Oliver grabs me in the same way and kisses me then passes me to Cam, who kisses me while walking into the house. He doesn''t take me upstairs though, he takes me into the dining room where a whole bunch of food has beenid out on the massive table. "You all have been working so hard today, well for many days if we''re being honest. We are going to get back to a few normal things since the world seems to be conspiring against our pack at the moment. I want to try to get everyone together at least once a week like we used to. I know you are all adults now, but I miss having you kids all here all together." Ava is on the verge of tears. I slide down off of Cam and walk over to her, wrapping her in a hug. So many things have happened to all of us in just thest couple months and we all have our different ways of processing. She is in ''mom mode'' right now. It''s her way of doing a head count like we are all her little ducks. She can see us and Know that we are at the and least alive and ounted for. Since that is about as good as any of us can give right now. None of us are okay, not really. And it''s going to take some time after the dust settles for us all to process our different traumas from this. We all move to sit with her. None of us want to sit at the head of the table, it still feels wrong somehow. Cam and Kota sit on one side of the head of the table and Oliver and ksit across from them. Mateo and dena sit next to the twins, while Sam and Sierra sit on our side. Lil sits next to Jena and Wyatt and Nathaniel divy up the middle of the table. The adults start to file in, filling up the second half of the table. "Umm, I know we aren''t supposed to be ''working,'' I air quote, "But, I am not tired at all and I really want to train a little before it gets toote. Are there people in all the training arenas?" I look down to Kyle and Nicks who have been handling all of the people we have taken in, but can''t really trust to help us in the fight yet. "The small arena is still open, Sky. If you want it, it''s yours." Kyle says without any hesitation. "Seriously?! You''re going to give her permission to go out and train? Tonight?!" Dakota asks incredulously. Kyle smiles, and I see where Sam got his mischievous look. I bet he was just as big of a handful at our age. "Are you telling me, that you are going to look at your mate, who can, not only beat you physically with her eyes closed, but can also now light your ass on fire, literally, that she can''t do the thing she wants to do? After she has been siphoning and filtering magic in ways you and I will neverprehend in order to save the whole pack. And since when has anyone, ever, given her permission to do anything? The minute someone says ''no'' she finds the workaround. I dare you to tell her ''no'' and see what happens." Chapter 0570 I want to say that I''m sitting right here, but this is way too much fun to watch. Dakota turns to look at me and under the table he rubs the inside of my foot with his. "I was kind of hoping we could hang out tonight, just the four of us." He tries to sound sweet. "We finally have you after waiting forever for confirmation that you''re our mate and now it just feels like everything is dividing our attention. I figured we could just be for the couple hours, hopefully, all the drama gives us a breather, that''s all.¡± I can tell Oliver and Cam are both listening intently, but they are both better at the poker face than Dakota. I bet they chose him to plead their case. They chose wisely, he''s very good at this, but I have a feeling they will gang up on me a lot if I give in too easily now. "What if wepromise? I actually feel really good right now. Better than ever, actually. I think the magic tied itself to me after Lucas passed, since I set him free and I think it has been draining me slowly. I think I was the source of the forever me." I look between Elena and Gentry for confirmation. "I was thinking the same thing, Little One. The fire seems to be of a friendly, helpful nature now." Gentry says calmly. "It is yours to wield now. Elena and I will begin working on adding to your grimoire so you can study and connect with it like you do your wolf to protect your pack." ***"It''s like another wolf in here. It''s so crazy to have a voice in my head."*** ****Now you know how I feel."*** Iugh at my wolf. ***"You have to understand I am used to being the voice inside the head. But, I canmunicate with the fire. Like, right now it is content to burn in the backyard, by itself, now that it is a part of your pack as opposed to being the spy." 11*** ***"What do you mean ''spy?""***Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org. ***"It was gaging the power in the pack andmunicating with someone, but it doesn''t know who was pulling the knowledge, just that someone was using it to see into the pack. It doesn''t think it was Adrielle though."*** ***"How can you talk to it, but I can''t? I feel left out of the multiple personality session in my head."*** I joke with her. ****I have only been able to talk to it since you set it free, so maybe in time you will too. It is a part of you just as much as I am. Give it time to warm up." ."*** Sheughs at her own joke and I internally roll my eyes at her. "Hey, babe. Where did you go?" Oliver squeezes my thigh and I can''t stop the gasp and the rush of heat that surges over my whole body. "My wolf has been able to talk to the fire, like it''s another voice in my head, but I can''t talk to it yet." I shrug like this is all normal, Like I am normal. I give him a smile. "Do you really want to train?" He sounds concerned almost, whispering to me even though I know the twins can hear him and I''m sure the rest of our team. "Yeah, kind of. It''s like my whole body is buzzing. Like it just woke up from hibernation. Does that make sense? For the first time in, I don''t even know how long, I want to train like we used to, at the training grounds, sparking, trying to best each other. I''m too amped up to just go upstairs..I''m sorry." I look from t him to Cam and Kota. Worried I might hurt their feelings or make them feel like I don''t want them. It''s the exact opposite, but I can feel my head spinning all over the ce, like I can''t keep a thought straight. I know that not being mated is really bothering them, and it''s going to take time since it will be my first time and there are three of them, but I just want to move for a little while with our whole team. The new team that we have pulled together, naturally. The new family we are creating through all of this hardship and heartache. "Please? Just a little while. I will even leave when you ask." I look at Cam, he''s going to be the hardest sell. "An hour?" I question. I can already feel Dakota give in and I know Oliver won''t stop me. He will just get me through what I need as fast as possible. "Seriously, we are so f*cked." He scrubs his face with his hands like he''s frustrated, but I can only smile. "Yes!" The adults at the other end justugh at us. I almost forgot they were here. "Yes, kiddo. You are f*cked. But, she will be worth the effort." Brett winks at Cam. "Your mate always is." Chapter 0571 I tried my best to concentrate on the conversations that are happening around the table. It sounds like Ava and Brett have a good start on the warriors moving to the ranked street. She seems to be enjoying having something to focus on. She doesn''t engage as much as she used to as the pack''s Luna, but I don''t know if that is from the loss of Lucas or because the guys and I have taken the titles or abination of both. It''s good to see her smile and engage with the other former leaders. I should sit down and talk with her like I do with Elena and Gentry, because this pack is going to be aplete circus when everyone gets back. It''s been months that they''ve been in the Alpha King''s pack. I''m just d that we were able to get the innocents out before anything big happened. But, maybe that was by design. Maybe Adrielle and the Rogue King let us get them out since their focus was on me. I can hear Nathaniel talking about theputers and surveince, but I can''t concentrate. Ever since I found out we were in the tornado for almost a month I have been antsy. I need to move, to train, to physically work myself over. And I want to do that with my team and my guys. "Okay, can we go please?!" I blurt, looking at Cam. I have a feeling he''s going to be my hardest sell on most things. I can feel his frustrations, both over being thrown into leadership and over the mate bond not beingplete, but I feel like I can''t even focus right now, like I am trying to shed a skin that no longer fits. I don''t know what it is. "Someone''s in a hurry." Dakota looks at me with an eyebrow raised. "Yeah, to kick your ass." I wink back. "Oh, it''s on, Smalls." He jumps from his chair so fast, but I''m faster. Soon we are all running out of the house, like the kids we are supposed to be, and headed toward the smaller of the three arenas. I can hear all of my friendsughing behind me as we make our walCopyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. I try to memorize the sound. d. know that something ising, my wolf and I can feel it in the ground and smell it on the breeze. We are not out of this yet and I hope we all survive to tell the tale. No one hesitates when we get inside the arena. We all immediately pair off and start doing basic arm drills to warm up. Everyone isughing and enjoying themselves. I will have to remember that this is something our whole team enjoys as a downtime thing. I know the deeper we get into this thing with the Rogue King the less we will have of this preciousmodity. We move into leg work and sweeps turn into who has the best reaction time, which then turns into ''who''s the fastest and every contest of strength and speed we can think of. I have no idea how long we are out here, but I do know that I have gone up against everyone at least once and I have raced Sam three times just from one end of the arena to the other. Naturally I won, and just as naturally he thinks I am using my hidden Alpha genes and magic against him. My brother being the egotistical Beta and big brother, challenges me to see if my abilities have changed since being marked. Cam was quick to point out that I could take him down before any extra abilities so it''s not going to be that hard, but my brother doesn''t back down. We start to circle each other and I can see he is favoring his left side. I''m not sure what that''s all about, but I don''t want to hurt him either. That doesn''t mean I''m going to let him win, but I should probably spot injuries sooner than this. Something my wolf agrees with me. Part of our job as one of the Alphas is to make sure our pack members are safe, even our warriors who are on the battlefield. If I can save their lives, by removing them from the situation, that''s'' exactly what I am going to do. Chapter 0572 Mateo lunges at me and I counter, by twisting out of his way. He can''t get a hold of me. I am going to y keep away for as long as possible. I want to see where he is injured since he won''t tell me himself. I spin and push him from behind. He reaches back to try and grab one of my hands, but he misses. As the Beta he should have more range of motion than that. We keep at it for a while. Hees at me, but misses. This is not like him, so I stop. Most of our friends are engaged together. My Alphas are watching us closely though, always on guard when ites to me. I know I wille to ept this eventually, but it still feels like they don''t trust me to handle myself, even going up against my own brother. Who seems more likely to injure himself than me right now. "Mateo, what''s going on?" I ask moving close, speaking low. I don''t want to make a big deal since it seems like he''s hiding something. "Nothing, I just haven''t worked out this hard in a long time. You were right to bring everyone out here. We can''t get behind in our training, like this." "Okay, that was a usible answer. Are you going to tell me the truth?" I cross my arms, not letting this go. "That was the truth. I appear to be out of shape against my beast mode, magically enhanced Alpha blood sister." I roll my eyes. "You know you have the same Alpha blood right? Like you and Jena are more than likely going to produce Alpha children as much as we are." I gesture to Cam, Oliver and Dakota. Mateo''s face goes ghostly white. "Can we hold off on the kids talk, please. I might actually throw up." He whispers and then steps closer. "You''re only just about to be seventeen, which is way too young. And we still don''t know if Jena can have kids. It''s still a sore subject. The healers said it''s highly likely, but she still gets in her head about it and I don''t think she''ll get over it until we actually have one. And I am not ready for any of that anyway. Especially after what happened to mom, or I guess what we thought happened to mom. That sh*t is scary." I smile and give him a hug, squeezing tight. I whisper in his ear. "You would tell me if your injury was really bad right? I can''t risk losing you in a fight because you didn''t say anything, or risk other''s safety either." "It''s not that kind of injury, Sky. I''m okay really. In a real fight I will give my all. Right now, I''m not going to push it, that''s all." "Will you tell me ever?" I questioned. I don''t like the shady run around. Just then Dakota wraps his arms around me and breathes in my ear. "It''s the kind of injury I''m hoping to haveter, Sweetness. Apparently, Jena likes it rough and your brother is learning to be submissive the hard way." I look between the two of them for what was probably way too long and then my intelligence kicked in and my eyes went wide and my brother''s grin spread across his face, along with an unashamed blush. "I''m good Sky, let''s just leave it at that. You can get details from your friend. I don''t think that''s something you want me to share with you." He winks and heads over to Jena and nts a kiss on her neck, right where his mark is. "I think we have indulged you for long enough tonight." Dakota grumbles. "Can we please take you home now?" He asks as he lifts me up in his arms, not really giving me a choice.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "I guess my answer is yes then." I giggle as Cam and Oliver follow us to the entrance to the arena, but we are met with my dad and Kyle. "We have a problem." My dad grumbles, "And it can''t wait." "I might throat punch the next person that says that phrase." Cam says and Oliver and Dakota grumble their agreement. Chapter 0573 "We have a problem." My dad grumbles, "And it can''t wait." "Someone had better be dying!" Dakota almost yells at him. "Possibly. We don''t know what''s happening, but we think Skr, Gentry and Elena should go together. Which means all eight of us are going to need to move. Now." My dad says. "Eight?" I question doing the mental math. "What happened that we need to go and our mates need to be present?" "You act like we would let you go anywhere near something so magically bad that all three of you would be needed without us." Dakota grumbles in my ear.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. I roll my eyes and ignore him. ¡°We have done magic so many times together, what''s changed?" I try to move, but Dakota won''t let me go. I turn awkwardly in his arms, hold his face between my hands and look him in the eyes. "Dakota, I know that you want to protect me, but I need to stand next to you, on my own two feet. I promise, I won''t be more than a couple feet from any of you and I will hear you if you tell me your instincts say it isn''t safe. I need you to treat me like an equal right now, okay." He leans his forehead into mine, takes a deep breath and then lets me down without any words, but keeps me right in front of him. I''m sure if he opened his mouth a whole string of profanities woulde out. But, he''s doing his best to treat me like an Alpha, not a weak female mate. I turn toward my dad. "What happened?" "Mike is glowing." "I''m sorry, what?!" Cam steps up next to me,cing our fingers. "What do you mean glowing?" "I thought his wolf and whatever magic was being controlled." Oliver rifies. "That''s all I know. Our warriors just let me know he started to glow and radiate a purple light about twenty minutes ago. No one knows what it means, but it''s Mike so we naturally assume it''s magic. We don''t know if it''s his magic or his mother''s, because his should be suppressed. But we have no idea what Adrielle has done to him or herself at this point. I really don''t want any of you anywhere near him, my gut tells me this is a ploy to get to you, but Elena and Gentry have insisted. As a Beta, my instinct is to protect the Alphas but let them do their jobs, as a father I have two kids at risk here, but I also know that none of you are going to stand by and just let things happen. So we are going to go cautiously. Nathaniel has a timeline for us, but there isn''t much to go on. He will fill you in on the drive out, he has our eyes active everywhere and we have added patrols."" l.n We didn''t hesitate to head to our vehicles. We could have easily shifted and ran, but we don''t know what we are getting into and we need to preserve our wolves'' strength just in case this is some kind of set up. Our group traveled to the south eastern border of the in several vehicles. Everyone seemed to decide the four of needed to be on our own, since no one joined us in Cam''s truck. The twins and Oliver are fuming over being interrupted again. I actually agree with them this time, and regret needing to train right at this moment. Once we get to the bunker where Mike is being held, our team converges and is standing guard outside while Cam, Kota, Oliver, Nicks, my dad, Elena, Gentry and I head inside. The door opens to a smallnding and a set of steps. We follow it down until the air bes cooler and we see the inside of a metal bunker containing five cells. Mike is sitting in the corner of the center cell glowing purple. He''s barely breathing, but I can feel that he is alive, but the vibe is off somehow too. Elena and Gentry step close behind us and says, "He''s been glowing like this for hours, ording to the guards and Nathaniel." "Has he done anything else? Spoken? Moved? Anything?'' Cam asks. "Not to anyone here, but that is why we are here. His magic and wolf should be suppressed by the foods and liquids we have been giving him. This has to be the work of Adrielle, but we don''t know how she''s doing it or why." Elena supplies. "We don''t feel anything unusual about him right now, is there anything off that you feel, Skr? Because this is probably a message for you." z"I can''t feel anything from here, I need to get closer." I move to take a step forward when a hand grabs each of my wrists. "The hell you are!" Dakota raises his voice. "You aren''t going anywhere near that f*cker." I want to be mad at his controlling nature, but I would feel the same if it was Kaley locked up here and they wanted to approach her. I take a deep breath to calm my irritation, I don''t know what to do. "I need to get closer. I know nobody wants me anywhere near him, but this is the deal. They want me, so they want me close, need me close. We need to y by their rules for now so we can keep everyone safe." No one says anything, which I take as a sign that they can''t disagree with me, even though they really, really, want a reason to make me stay back. I move forward cautiously, leaving everyone behind me. When I am about five feet from the silver bars of his cell, his eyes re open with the same purple me in them. He starts to speak, but the voice has a scratch to it, like an old radio Mike is not speaking for himself right now, but I don''t know if it''s Adrielle, the Rogue King or some other dipsh*t I have to deal with now. "I''ve been waiting for you, my Luna. I''m so d you havee to me and still innocent. I can feel your raw power and you haven''t even shared it with your mates yet. They must not be worthy if you are holding out on them. Pity for them, but so much better for us. WE will have you and your power, make no mistake." Chapter 0574 ***"''We'' my ass."*** My wolf grumbles in my head and I can feel that my mates think the same, but they are keeping their tempers under control for now. I just keep my mouth shut. He needs to let us know what he wants and I won''t be drawn into a conversation with him, which is probably what he wants. He like the sound of his own voice and I am content just letting him sit here and burn. He''s skinnier than thest time I saw him, cheeks shallow and eyes sunk, but he looks just as smug as ever, like he isn''t dying slowly. "I see that you are admiring my new look. Impressive, wouldn''t you say. I''m sure your Alpha stand-ins are envious of the power that I possess and all that I will obtain when you arepletely mine." I hear a huff behind me, but Mike doesn''t react so he either doesn''t hear it or is so full of himself he''s not going to give it his time. He thinks he''s in control, but he''s the one locked in the cage. I take in an audible breath and roll my eyes, letting him know I am not impressed and he needs to get to his point. He clearly chose to light up in purple mes now to get our attention, he has is and will try to milk this a bask in it for as long as possible. He stands slowly, his shacklesThis belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. tugging on his arms since he is so much taller than me and they have him in my shackles. His eyes are closed like he is in thought while he does this. WHen he is fully upright his eyes open, looking straight at me and they are zing the same color purple as the rest of his body. He opens his mouth but when he talks the voice thates out is definitely not his voice. "You are destined to be the queen and you will bring about the most powerful offspring for the mate that takes you. You will mate with Micheal and unite with our family to supply the right DNA. We areing for you. There is no stopping it, your pack will be decimated and we will enve anyone that is left." He takes a deep breath in and smiles a wicked, cruel smile. "I can sense that she is still unmated, which is perfect. Even deep down she knows that the Moon Goddess was wrong in her choice for mates. She is holding onto her innocence for us." Mike tilts his head to the side, seeming to look behind me. "She is not tainted by your low, basic Alpha blood." There are growls surrounding me, but no one advances. They can''t, they are frozen in ce by my wolf and I. No one knows the rage building inside me. It is a flowing current ofva and I''m sure smoke is probably steaming out of my nose and ears. They just threatened my mates, my pack and my bond. No one will take them from me. My muscles are quivering as I try to hold my wolf back, I won''t let her shift... yet. We don''t know what Adrielle can do and she is clearly possessing Mike right now. "Skr." Cam growls behind me. ***"You are not taking this douchebag on your own. Do you understand? We are not trying to stop you, but we are not going to let you do this alone."*** He links my wolf and I. ***"They want me alive. They won''t hurt me and even if Adrielle is controlling him. He can''t fight for sh*t, there''s no way she can improve those skills. I am not letting him anywhere near you three or any of you. You are all obstacles to kill, not capture. I won''t let that happen."*** Chapter 0575 "Sky, babe, you need to let us get closer so we can help."*** Oliver tries reasoning with me. ***"No! I don''t know how far his reach is, but with the shackles his wolf and powers can''t be used, I''m sure of it. I will not take a chance that she can kill you using him."*** Another ripple of growls behind me. "Good to see you keep them on a tight leash. When you stand with us and lead our armies, it will be good to have so much control for so little effort. Binding them to us was such an exhausting chore. You do it so effortlessly with the flick of a wrist." Mike''s mouth moves with a strange voice. It doesn''t sound male or female, so I can''t be sure it''s Adrielle, but there isn''t any other person with the skills to pull this off. I look down at my hands. One is balled at my side, I can feel the fingernails leaving marks in my palm. But the other is open and my palm is facing behind me. I don''t even remember doing that. Now that I am aware though, I can feel the power flow from my fingertips. It''s the sameva flow that I feel coursing through my body, but this is steady and slow, calm and controlled. It is my fire protecting the most important people in my world. I don''t know why I feelpelled to search for the real person in there, but I have to know if Mike is still in there or if he ispletely gone. "You never wanted this. And you will be discarded just like I will be once we''ve been used for our purpose. Adrielle doesn''t want you, but she needs you to get what she wants. Don''t give her what she wants. Fight her, Mike."Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. He just stares at me, the purple fire zing in his eyes. His sneer of a smile stays in ce. He just tilts his head side to side, like he is considering me. Then his lip curls in an evil look. Mike''s gone, and there''s no getting him back. I stand my ground ready for something to happen. Mike has no control and Adrielle can''t be stable. Mike moves towards me and strains against the shackles. He stared at me. "We will have you. I will have you. There is no way you will escape what ising." Then he breaks the shackles and moves towards the bars. "Sky!" Dakota screams. "Skr, no!" Cam breathes out. "Please, let us help you." Oliver says in an almost whimper. Mike grabs the bars and begins to bend then. I have to fight harder to hold my mates back. I can feel then starting to break through my control, I know they are afraid for me. I can feel the fear lick up my spine, but i won''t have them in danger. I know for a fact that Adrielle won''t kill me, not until she gets what she wants and I will kill Mike before mate with him so I will stand here between my mates and the biggest threat we have ever faced. I have to focus on holding everyone back and stand my ground and prepare for fight. I won''t be able to hold my guys back once we start fighting, I don''t 23 on Mike, so I have that kind of control, but twill be working on that as soon as all of this bullsh*t is over. Mike bends the bars as far as he needs to worm his way out and he heads straight towards me. I take a deep breath and focus on the right moment to engage. I let all of my warrior training take over. Chapter 0576 The space between where I am standing and Mike¡¯s broken cell is long enough for me to make a n. He¡¯s not in a hurry, moving like a predator towards me, watching me hold everyone back. He smiles that wicked smile, he thinks I¡¯m waiting for him. Good. ¡°My Luna, I¡¯m so d you¡¯vee to your senses. I can¡¯t wait until I can rid you of those foul scars on your neck.¡± He lets out a sound that is a cross between a growl and a purr. Gross. His dark brown hair is long and greasy from being left in the cell and the purple hue has taken over his hazel eyes. I do notice the purple isn¡¯t fire like mine. It¡¯s more like someone stuck a glow stick on him to create a silhouette. I don¡¯t try to stop him and I don¡¯t let the rest of my family go. This is my fight. Jena got her time to reciprocate his treatment of us, now it¡¯s my turn. I can hear everyone behind me yelling at me and I know I am going to be in so much trouble with Cam, Dakota and Oliver, but I want my shot at this asshole. Mike¡¯s eyes are zing and I can see his lips moving, but no more words areing out. I wonder if he is doing some kind of spell or if he¡¯s talking to himself, or more likely, his mom. I try to reason with my mates while Mike seems to be distracted or debating or whatever. ***¡±I know you don¡¯t want me here alone, but give me a chance to neutralize him. It¡¯s too distracting to hold you all off and focus on his movements. Please stop fighting me and I will take my hold off of you. Make it look like I am holding you back, looking pissed should be easy enough for you three to pull off right now.¡±*** ***¡±No! Let us go Love so we can stand next to you.¡±*** ***¡±Absolutely not! They will kill you to make it easier for him to mark me. I need you to stay back, it¡¯s the best way to protect me right now.¡±***N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ***¡±She¡¯s right, and you know it. They don¡¯t care about the three of us and we are in the way. The fastest way to remove our marks is to kill us. We don¡¯t know how good of fighters he is or whoever controlling him is. It¡¯s too many unknowns and Bitty will get caught in the crossfire. I won¡¯t let you risk her.¡±*** ***¡±Thank you Oliver. Tell everyone else while I try to keep his attention. I¡¯m going to attempt to take this hold off of you. Stay put.¡±*** ***¡±What do you mean ''try?'' You put it on us, just remove it, Smalls. ¡±*** ***¡±It''s a little different when I do magic unconsciously. If I don¡¯t know how I did it, I don¡¯t really know how to stop it. I love you guys.¡±*** ***¡±Nope! None of that. You can tell us you love us when we are punishing you for trapping us, Love.¡±*** I had to fight a smile and wonder what he meant by ¡®punishing¡¯ and why the idea excites me. ¡°Come to me, my Luna. Leave these lowly Alpha losers behind.¡± ¡°You keep calling me a Luna, but I''m not a Luna. I mean there''s nothing wrong with being a Luna, but that isn¡¯t my rank or my job. Why is that so hard for you to understand?" I want all of his focus. ¡°You will be my Luna. You will stand next to me while I rule the werewolf kingdom. You will bear my children and be thefort our pack members need. My soft and delicate Luina.¡± I couldn''t help it, I broke out into cackles ofughter. I didn¡¯t even try to keep my amusement at his stupidity in. Tears are streaming from my eyes withughter. He just looks confused, but he has stopped moving towards me. ¡°You must not have ever paid attention to me fighting. Soft and delicate are not words anyone who trains with me would use. I really am not theforting type either. You picked the wrong girl.¡± I keepughing and I can see his smile falter a little, just for a second. ¡°You keep talking like you would be doing me a favor, but really, I''m already more highly ranked than you. It would be a step down to be mated to you.¡± ¡°Well you will just have to be trained then. And if you are extra stubborn, I will have more fun breaking you.¡± He ignores myment about being a higher rank, then lunges at me and it''s almost like he¡¯s moving in slow motion. Chapter 0577 My wolf and I crouch, ready to spring at just the right moment. This reminds me a little of the elite trials years ago. My head goes straight in the zone, this is nothing but a training exercise. His movements are clumsy but better than what I expected. He aims to grab at my throat or my upper torso, I¡¯m not really sure, but I grab one wrist and use his momentum to propel him down. His free arm grabs into my ponytail though and starts to pull me with him. We both roll to the far side of the rectangr room and I end up sandwiched between him and the wall, the air knocked out of my lungs. It hurt for a minute, but I guess all the body ms I got from Wyatt paid off since I was able to recover pretty quickly and I kicked at his back to get him off of me. His hand is still tangled in my hair, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s on purpose, he¡¯s just an idiot. I grab at his wrist again and wrench it, pulling my snarled locks out of his fingers and hoping I dislocated something at the very least. I can¡¯t hear much over the sound of my own pulse running through my body. He turns to me and I take an elbow to the ribs. I grunt and hit the back of his head with the heel of my hand as hard as possible and then scramble to get up. ¡°I will never be with you. I will never mate with you. Your mother and your father will die for their crimes against wolves and witches and whoever else they caused harm by trying to take over.¡± He is crawling, trying to reach for my legs. I kick out and stomp on one of his hands. I¡¯m not quick enough this time and he grabs my ankle with his other hand and knocks me back on my ass before pulling me towards him. ¡°I will have you. I don''t give a sht what anyone else wants.¡± He pulls up to his knees and moves like he is going to sit on me. ¡°You will be my mate and I will fck you every way possible, including shackled to the floor, and I will start by taking you right here in front of them, while they are stuck on the other side of your barrier. I appreciated that by the way, it made it so much easier to contain you.¡± My wolf snarls in my head and I feel the tension from the hold I had on everyone snap as she surfaces in my mind. I jerk out of his hold and back to standing, he does the same. I have no idea how we put up the barrier or how we took it down, but I appreciate the timing all the same. I know my eyes are glowing by the look on Mike''s face. He isn¡¯t scared yet. My guys all reach me, but none of them grab me. They are showing Mike that I am an equal. My wolf and I surge all of our power, getting ready to strike. Mike has started to vibrate and the purple glow has gotten brighter. I have no idea what is happening, but I don¡¯t think Mike does either. ¡°Adrielle, stop! He''s your son. You cannot want power this much!¡± Mike''s head tilts to the side, and then straightens. ¡°You don¡¯t know what we want, he was brought into this world for this exact purpose, and nothing more. You will give me what I desire, and then the king can have you for your powers.¡± The creepy voicees out of Mike again. ¡°Never!¡± The purple me around Mike electrifies to a burgundy, and then a red, as his arms begin to raise, a spell ising.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. I open my hands to Mike, throwing him back into the wall where he leaves a crack and a dent where his head struck. He stands and charges again clearly not feeling the pain of his injuries. He¡¯s not his own person anymore. I know he''s not making his choices on his own, and I feel heartbroken for him, he can¡¯t even stop himself. I know what it''s like to not be wanted by a parent and in another life we probably could have been friends and bonded over that. I st him back, one more time, hoping to knock him out. He stands and runs at us again. So this time when I aim, my wolf takes control and ignites the me in my arm and shoots a bolt straight through his heart. Mike crumples to the ground but continues to try to move. It''s scary that Adrielle is still trying to move him around even though his brain and his heart are gone. His eyes are closed, but his body continues to writhe. Chapter 0578 This time my guys don¡¯t hesitate. They all shift and tear his body to shreds. It doesn¡¯t take more than a few seconds for the three of them, but they made sure no amount of magic could allow him toe back. They all shift and look livid. ¡°Burn that piece of sh*t now, and no one else leaves until it is allpletely turned to ash, understood?¡± Cam says to the rest of our team. Man he is hot standing therepletely naked dominating like an Alpha. He must have heard my thoughts, because as the words crossed my mind his head snapped to me, and he still looked pissed. He marches towards me and scoops me up in a fireman''s carry and storms out of the bunker and straight to the truck. He stops next to the passenger side of the truck and presses me up against it, kissing me fiercely. There is nothing gentle here and I don¡¯t think I will get anything gentle until he has worked out his anger at Mike wanting to take me away from them. I let him take what he needs from me. Neither my wolf or I mind really. It feels like heavenly punishment. He finishes with onest kiss then presses his forehead to mine. ¡°You are ours and we are going to fix a ring problem tonight. I know it¡¯s not what you wanted and way too soon, but I won¡¯t have anyone elsee for you because you are not fully ours.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I whisper. It¡¯s all I can say. I agree with him, this can¡¯t be the reason malese for me or femalese for any of them, because I know I would be the same way if the situation was reversed. I am just terrified. All of the stories have made me very nervous about my first time having sex and I have three mates to please. What if I don¡¯t please them, or can¡¯t? Would they reject me if I can¡¯t give them what they want? I am so lost in my thoughts, the next thing I know is Oliver is running his knuckle down my cheek. I don¡¯t even remember being put in the backseat of the truck. We are going way too fast, but I''m not about to tell Cam to slow down. ¡°Oliver, show her she was made for us. Make here just from sitting on yourp, and leave her clothes on. I don''t want anyone else to get to see that perfect little body.¡± Cam growls in this deep seductive voice I have never heard before. Oliver undoes my seat belt and pulls me to straddle hisp, pulling me in for a bruising kiss simr to Cam''s earlier. I start to rock my hips along the impressively hard ridge in his pants. He grabs my hips to help me find a rhythm. I don¡¯t know what I am doing but my whole body is on fire for a whole other reason tonight and it all feels amazing. I can feel a tingle creep down my spine and to my core. Oliver pulls away from my lips and I whimper until he moves to the marks on my neck and I let out a moan that is loud and involuntary. ¡°That¡¯s right, Baby, keep rubbing ¡®til youe. I can feel how close you are.¡± He presses my hips close to him and I start to move faster, needing more friction and less space. Just as I start to break a sweat my orgasm explodes through my whole body. My eyelids flutter and I see ck spots in my vision. Oliver helps me keep moving until I have worked all the way through my climax. I drop my forehead to his shoulder, breathing heavy. ¡°Wow! That was amazing.¡±This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Augh rumbles in his chest. ¡°Just wait until I''m inside that sweet wet heat of yours. It''s going to be so much better.¡± I moan a little into his shoulder. ¡°I want my turn. Get up here sweetness.¡± I look over my shoulder and Dakota is reaching for me from the front seat. Chapter 0579 I''m lucky I¡¯m small and don¡¯t disturb Cam driving at a ridiculous speed. I run my fingers through the nape of his neck and then squeeze his shoulder as I move towards Dakota. ¡°If you keep doing that Tiny, we will crash before we get home. Now let Dakota have his turn.¡± He doesn¡¯t have me face him though. He sits me on hisp facing out, watching the forest fly by in a dark blur. ¡°Spread those legs for me sweetness.¡± He moans in my ear, draping my legs on the outside of his and opening them as far as the space will allow. My legs are trapped to the door and center console now. I can still feel their tension floating in the cab of the truck, it¡¯s heavy and suffocating, but it¡¯s not all bad. They are all thinking of the things that Mike or Adrielle, or whoever was controlling him said, which in my opinion wasn¡¯t much. He insulted all of us, which is nothing new. But they took the thought of me not mating with them right away because I don¡¯t find them worthy to heart. And now I have to show them they are all that I want. I try to aim my thoughts on calming them while Dakota is running his hands all over me. It¡¯s very distracting, all my nerves firing little shocks with every caress. I reach back with my right hand, running my fingers in Dakota¡¯s hair, pulling his face closer to my neck. I try to find Cam with my left, but he¡¯s just out of my reach. I can brush his elbow on the armrest and another wave of desire ripples through me. ¡°Hands to yourself, Love. I told you we¡¯ll for sure crash if you distract me. Let Dakota love you right now. I¡¯ll get my turn soon enough.¡± Just as he says that, Dakota¡¯s hand reaches my center and I make a sound that is something like a purr. ¡°Do you like that Sweetness?¡± I drop my head back to his shoulder and nod. ¡°I¡¯m going to need words. You¡¯re going to have to tell us what you do and do like, very specifically.¡± He rubs me again through my leggings. I am hot and wearing entirely too many clothes. I just want his skin to touch mine. I start to squirm, rocking my butt back into his length. He is just as impressive as Oliver and my mouth starts to water as he groans. He pulls his hand away and I whine. Why did he stop? ¡°Words, Sweetness.¡± ¡°Hmm?" What words does he want? I will say anything to get him to touch me like that again. He huffed augh into my ear. ¡°Our girl is rendered a little unintelligent when she¡¯s horny. We¡¯ll have to remember that.¡± The other twough, but I have no idea what they are talking about. My brain is scrambled and I''m having trouble makingplete thoughts. Dakota grabs my inner thigh and then rubs his thumb down my center and I let out another moan. ¡°I asked if you like this, Sweetness. I am going to need an answer, or I might have to stop.¡± ¡°NO! I mean yes, I like it. Don¡¯t stop, please.¡± Myst words are drawn out as he uses the pads of his fingers to rub circles around my clit making me arch back into him. His other hand is massaging one of my nipples over my shirt and the dual sensation is making me crazy. ¡°She¡¯s soaked, I can feel it through her pants.¡± He groans, pressing me back into him.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. ¡°I need more, please.¡± I don¡¯t even know what I need more of, but my core is throbbing and I can feel my release building again. I can¡¯t believe I am this close again so quickly. Dakota licks up the side of my neck as he pinches my nipple hard and rubsrge, slow circles on my swollen nub. ¡°Come for us. We¡¯re almost home and I don¡¯t want anyone else to hear you scream.¡± ¡°I¡¯m...I...uh, oh f*ck! I''ming...Oh, yes, yes, ye....¡± I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m saying at this point and I don¡¯t have lips to muffle my sounds on. My vision blurs again with white spots this time. I have no control over my body as I go rigid and then be a trembling mess as he lets me ride out my second orgasm in the truck tonight. Chapter 0580 He wraps one arm around my shoulders and the other across my waist and he just holds me tight to his chest. We are both breathing heavily, but I can hear Cam and Oliver too. ¡°I never really thought about how good it would feel to share her. I am going to lose my mind, but beg for this kind of torture all of the time.¡± Oliver grumbles from behind me. He must have slid over when I wasn¡¯t paying attention. He¡¯s ying with my ponytail. I¡¯m not sure how I know it¡¯s him, but I do. Just a few momentster we are zing into the driveway and I am out of the truck and Dakota¡¯sp in seconds. Cam is carrying me bridal style, close to his chest. I bury my face and wrap my arms around his neck, inhaling his scent. I can¡¯t help myself and now that I havee down, barely, from my high in the truck, I decide to tease him a little. I start to ce little feather light kisses all over his neck. I¡¯m not on the side that has his mark, or I would really mess with him, but this is enough because his fingers are going to leave marks in my thigh and my sides. But he isn¡¯t making any noise. I¡¯m not the only one who will be fun to mess with. I know he¡¯s walking quickly through the house and no one says anything or no one is around. I don¡¯t lift my head to find out. The thought of everyone knowing what we are doing is embarrassing enough. Having to look at their faces while we walk by to go do what we are about to be doing will shut my whole vibe down. I hear the elevator doors open and we walk in. I can feel and smell the other two close by us. Their body heat is warming my back and my legs. ¡°You will pay for your teasing little mate.¡± Cam growls but kisses the side of my head gently. ¡°But not tonight. Tonight you be our matepletely.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. The elevator doors open and he walks me in, cing my feet on the bed and wraps his arms around my waist. Like this I am just taller than him so I have to look down into his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s time to get to know your body inside and out. We will take our time so we can learn what you do and don¡¯t like and we will show you the same. It''s only us here and we are all yours. Feel free to try anything you¡¯re curious about.¡± I nod my head. ¡°Words, Love. Dakota already told you and we will not tell you again. You will just be punished.¡± He kisses me hard, grabbing both sides of my head with his massive hands. Then I feel cool air rush all over my body. ¡°It¡¯s about time we got rid of those. You have been way too overdressed for way too long.¡± I look down and I am naked and my clothes are shredded on the floor on either side of Cam. ¡°Cameron! What happened to my clothes?¡± ¡°Dakota said you were less than intelligent when you were horny. We need to add unobservant to the list too.¡± Then he leans down and begins kissing across the skin of my chest, hands gliding up my sides, thumbs grazing my nipples. I really like when they do that. And I tell them. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s sexy or whatever, but they told me to say when I liked something. Then I can''t think about anything else as a hand glides up the inside of one of my legs while lips trail the outside. Chapter 0581 I grasp Cam''s shirt to steady myself. Hands and lips are all over me and I know where Cam is because I can see him, but for the first time I have no idea where the other two are, and I love the sensation. It''s the four of us, but I don''t know where they begin and I end. The hand moving up the inside of my leg reaches the apex, but just barely grazes the curls there before disappearing. I whimper at the loss. Cam smiles into my lips. "All in good time little mate. We have been waiting a long time for this, there''s no way we are going to rush it now." I can feel his passion, and lust, but there is something else too, underlying all of that, but I''m too distracted to focus on it for long. I feel a soft tongue trailing from the top of my hips up my spine. The bed dips and moves behind me, but Cam has a firm grip on me and even my weak knees are no match for his strength. My wolf is purring in my head, finally getting the time with her mates that she''s been craving.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "We need to get you ready for us, Love. I won''t risk hurting you for even a moment." Cam somehow manages to keep talking to me without taking his lips off of mine. I love the sensation of his warm breath and the rumble from his deep voice. I''m going to have to have all my conversations with him like this. "Love? I need words, tell me you heard me and understand that we are going to take our time." "Huh?" I pull back just enough to look into his eyes and he smiles his panty dropping smile at me. The heat in his eyes is enough to make me forget what we were talking about. His hands slide from my hips to my butt and he squeezes pulling me closer to him and I let out a little squeak. Heughs, "Skr." That gets my attention. He never uses my name. blink at him. "Do. You. Understand?" I just nod my head. I would agree to anything at this point as long as he puts his mouth back on me. His smile gets even wider, if that''s possible. Then he rolls his eyes. "Alright. Dakota, give her another fast one." "Huh?" That seems to be the only sound my body wants to utter out loud right now. But before I can do or say anything more, arms grab me from behind and I''m pulled against a chest A very naked chest. Oh sh*t! I am pulled right up against a very naked Oliver. His scent is swirling around me and I take a deep breath in, loving how calming it is. He buries his nose in my neck. "We''ve got you baby." I nod just as I see an equally naked Dakota crawling toward me from the end of the bed. I am in Oliver''sp, but that doesn''tst for long. He moves his knees in between my legs and spreads them wide, just like Dakota did in the truck. Now I ampletely naked and disyed for them all to see. It makes me both nervous and excited. I can feel my core tighten at the thought of what they are going to do to me. My breathing picks up despite Oliver''s calming scent, and no one has done anything but kiss me since we got up here. Dakota finally makes it all the way to me. It feels like everything is in slow motion. Dakota leans in to keep me deeply, pressing me back into Oliver and I hear them both groan. Dakota starts kissing his way down my jaw, my neck. He stops at my mark and gives it some special attention before moving down to my very stiff nipples. He licks and sucks on one, while Oliver toys with the other with just the pads of his fingertips. The two very different sensations have me arching back into Oliver and pressing Dakota''s face deeper into my chest with a moan. Chapter 0582 "She likes it when we y with these perfect tits." Oliver''s raspy voice makes my core tighten and I whimper again. "I''ll let you keep on that then. I want to explore the rest of this perfect little body." I can''t decide if I love or hate that they are talking about me like'' I''m not here. It''s like they are discussing a battle strategy for an opponent they''ve gone up against before. I don''t get much further in my thoughts when my legs are shifted further apart as Dakota settles his shoulders between them. "She''s so wet for us already." He takes a deep breath in. "I knew she would smell sweet too." He looks up at me and gives me his own smile that makes my breath catch, right before he sticks the tip of his tongue right on my swollen clit and gives it the smallest of flicks. It felt like I had been electrocuted. Oliver wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back against his hard, defined chest and c*ck pressed firmly in my buttcrack. "Do that again." Cam directs from somewhere on my right and Dakota doesn''t hesitate. I have an idea of what ising this time, but it doesn''t change my reaction. I let out another moan and let my head drop back onto Oliver''s shoulder. "Eyes on me, Sweetness. I want you to watch what we do to you." The moment I make eye contact, he dives right in and this time it isn''t just a little lick. Hetches his whole mouth on my center and starts moving his tongue from my opening up to my cl*t and back again. I know I am making noises, but I have no idea what I am saying. My breathing picks up and I can feel my hips wanting to move, needing to move against Oliver''s length behind me. He grabs both of my tits and starts massaging, adding to the sensations of Dakota''s mouth on me. My head falls back again, but this time lips meet mine and I give Cam ess. "You''re close, Love, I can feel it." I let out a sound that, I think, was agreement. "I want you toe all over Dakota''s face. Rub that little p*ssy into his mouth until he drowns."Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ¨¦t "Mm hmm." He keeps asking for words, but it''s not happening while they have their hands and mouths and bodies all over me. Dakota switches to a circr motion and can feel the pressure build inside me. "Oh f*ck! Just like that!" Yay, me, words. But it only takes a couple more swipes of his tongue to make me stupid again as my climax washes over me. Wave after wave ripples through me. I can''t see and I don''t think I am breathing and yet I am making all kinds of incoherent sounds. I am vaguely aware of my left arm behind me in Qliver''s hair, my right hand is digging into Cam''s arm and somehow I managed to get one leg loose and it''s wrapped around Dakota''s neck, pressing his face into my center. They let me ride out my orgasm and go limp in their arms before each one takes their turn kissing me gently. I am a limp noodle, but they have ns for me, so I don''t get to sit here for too long. Dakota pulls me forward, deepening our kiss and I moan at the taste of me on his mouth. I never thought that would be a turn on, but it so is and I grab the back of his head to hold him in ce. He lets out a little chuckle. "Don''t worry, Sweetness. We will each get our own one-on-one time with you and you can clean my lips of your juices as many times as you want, but it''s Oliver''s turn now." Chapter 0583 They move like the well rehearsed team they are. Dakota pulls away from me as Cam takes Oliver''s position behind me and Oliver moves between my legs. "Are you ready for more, Love?" I nod, but his growl shakes my entire body and adds to the aftershocks in my core. "Yeah...I... I think so. Ah!" No sooner are the words out, then Olivertches onto my swollen nub, electrocuting me before pulling away and kissing my inner thigh gently. I look down at him, his focus solely on my center as his fingers glide up and down my slit, spreading my juices everywhere. It''s like he''s mesmerized. "Let''s get you ready for us, Baby." This time he looks up at me as he inserts one finger into my wet heat. "Ah." The intrusion feels so good and he knows what he''s doing with those fingers sliding them in and out slowly. I have toys and have used them, but nothing has ever made me feel the things they are making me feel with just their mouths and fingers. I am going to be a mess when they do finally mate with mepletely. Cam is biting softly at my mark and ying with one of my nipples. They figured out quickly that it is one of my favorite things. Oliver continues to move slowly in and out of me with one finger, causing more juices to flow. "I''m going to stretch you now, Baby." Before I can ask he inserts another finger and curves them up hitting whatever nerve endings that make my breath catch. He''s starting to pick up speed and I can feel his knuckles pound into my flesh as he bottoms out his fingers. Hetches onto my cl*t again and sucks hard. This time I have no control over my body and both my arms reach for something to grab. One arm grabs Cam''s forearm again. He''s going to be covered in scratches. My other hand finds purchase on something unexpected. "Careful, Sweetness. I want to be able to use that in a little while." Dakota''s hand wraps around mine on his stiff c*ck. I squeeze a little harder at his tease. "Help me? Uh!" I look up at him as Oliver picks up more speed and pressure. Dakota grabs my hand a little tighter and helps me stroke him slowly. +can feel Cam get even harder behind me. The swirl of lust in the air and through our matebond is making everything more sensitive and responsive. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "Add a third." Cam growls from over my shoulder. Oliver doesn''t even hesitate and the burn from the stretch is painful and amazing all at the same time. I am sweating and sliding up and down Cam''s chest, his dick grinding into my buttcrack. "Come for Oliver, Love. Now!" He growls in my ear and it''s like my body ispletely under his command. I explode again, fireworks behind my eyes, my body stiffeningpletely under him. I can feel the taught muscles of Cam''s arms around my waist and Dakota''s hand on mine, keeping me from squeezing too tight. I am shaking and can''t breath from the force rocking through me. When I go limp in Cam''s arms, I am a panting sweaty mess and I don''t think I could take anymore, Oliver kisses the inside of my thigh and my body lights up again. I can feel heat licking through my body, I want more, need more. "Cam..." I pleading, but I don''t really know what for. "Are you ready, Love? We know your first time might be painful...¡± "Please..." My eyes are closed and I am begging. I have this need that is more painful than anything they could do to me physically right now. They shift again, my eyes open slowly,zily and I watch as Cam moves in front of me. He looks concerned. Oliver and Dakota push at my shoulders so I amying back on the pillows. This is it, we are finally going to mate, but why does he look afraid? Why is he hesitating? A ripple of anger rolls through me. He''s afraid of hurting me, like I''m fragile. I am not ying this game, not now want my mates and I want them now. My wolf surges her strength through me and weunch ourselves up and grab Cam by the shoulders and throw him on his back and straddle him. Chapter 0584 "Wha..." "No! I want my mates, now..." I growl as I straddle his hips and take him in my hand. "Tiny, Love. Go slow."Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. "Are you going to stop me, Cameron?" I move his tip to my entrance and I can see him starting to pant and gripping the sheets. "No." He says dryly, licking his lips. His gaze going from my face to where we are almost connected. The other two are nking him on the edges of the bed. "I''m ready are you?" I ask one more time, like he has a choice. I have given my firsts to each of them in turn and I want to give this one to Cam. "Yes." He breathes out and I drop down on him, both of us letting out a groan, mine a little higher pitched than I expected. I keep my eyes closed as I let the rest of my senses take over for a moment. The feel and burn of the stretch as he fills mepletely. His hips aren''t wide, but my short legs are stretched wide to amodate him, then I feel it. Tingles running up my legs, Little pinpricks letting me know my mate is touching me. I didn''t think I would get to feel these until I turned eighteen. I thought maybe that was going to be the one thing that was normal about me and my mates. In my mind''s eye I can see the green little pops of light as he touches me, letting me know it''s Cam. When the tingles get to my waist they stop as he squeezes me gently with the pads of his fingers. "Are you alright Skr? Did I hurt you, Love?" He''s changed from the domineering person he was moments ago. I take another deep breath in and slowly open my eyes and I nod my head, then lean forward so I can brace my hands on his chest and stomach and start to move slowly. I rock back and forth in small ??? movements adjusting to his size. His eyes rolled back into his head before closing. I don''t have anything topare him to, but he''s big for me and fills me uppletely. I let out a little moan as I rub my overused cl*t against the trail of dark hair dividing his adonis belt. It feels so good, I start to move faster, but he squeezes my hips to slow me down again and I let out a very udylike snort from my nose. "If you keep going like that I am going tost about three seconds." He groans out. "She''s so f*cking tight. This is amazing and we haven''t even done anything yet." He lifts me up like a feather and slides me back down and I can feel my whole core clench and gush at the friction. He''s right, this is amazing and we haven''t done anything yet. "Cam," I whine. "I need more, please." He opens his eyes and even though I can feel the other two right next to me, stroking my arms and sides, it''s like I got tunnel vision and can only see Cam. "I don''t want to hurt you on your first time, Love." Why is he pleading like that? "Cameron," I lift and m down onto him, making him groan. "You have body mmed me into the ground." I start rocking back and forth, letting my body just do what feels good. "Thrown punches at me." Another deep thrust. "And had me in morepromising positions than this on the training ground." I start to speed up, I can feel my climax building again. "Are you going to shy away now? I want my dominating Alpha, giving orders and watching them y out as all of my mates take me." He grips my hips and starts to thrust up into me. "There''s my Alpha." He ms into me a few more times and then lets out a guttural growl that makes my whole body vibrate and heat up as we bothe together. He keeps me moving while I ride out the aftershocks of my org*sm and then fall limp, pressing my forehead to his chest as he slides out of me. Chapter 0585 "I''m d you can''t get pregnant until you''re in heat. Cause I''m going to have an even harder time keeping my hands off you now." His light chuckle fans over my hair. He pulls me forward so we are face to face. He kisses me lightly and tucks loose, sweaty strands of hair out of my face. "I know you hate when I ask, but are you alright? Really?" "Yes." I kissed him. "That was amazing." "Sweetness? I know you''re sore, but we are literally dying over here. Can you handle more, or do you want to rest for a little bit first?" As soon as I hear his voice, my body is ready to go again. Clearly I am a machine, when I want to getid. I kiss the center of Cam''s chest and taste the salt from his sweat on my lips and just that has me dripping again. How am I going to get through the day with these three? I push up from Cam''s chest to look over my shoulder and the heat in Dakota''s eyes is almost feral. "I''m ready." I start to shift towards him.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "Don''t f*cking move." I stop in my tracks, is he angry? He sounds angry. "Back down on your elbows, Smalls. I want that pretty ass up in the air for me." I am still straddling Cam, what is he going to do with me like this?I can feel hisrge palms stroking the muscles of my ass, his thumbs getting dangerously close to an entrance I don''t think I want used. Not tonight anyway. I look back at Cam who is smiling, enjoying the show. "Rx, Kota won''t hurt you either, but we are all going to enjoy this." I can feel Dakota right up behind me, running his hard shaft through my wetness and on my cl*t. I let out a moan at the sensation. "Do you like that Sweetness?" He squeezes my ass with one hand while steadying himself with the other. "Mm hmm." Yep. I''m back to stupid again. He pulls back too far this time and I whimper at his loss, but stop quickly when I feel him line up with my entrance and thrust just enough to fit the e tip in. My mouth drops open, with each thrust he goes just a little deeper, taking his time, but he never stops moving. He continues to thrust at a slow, deep pace. Filling me up. This angle is so much different, but just as pleasurable. He starts to pick u speed and then I feel fingers cling my *t, the bundle of nerves were just waiting for the right stimtion. "Come for us, Baby. Squeeze his c*ck just like you did Cam''s." Just like that my climax rockets through me. My head flies back and I am screaming this time. At least I think it''s me, but they don''t let up until I ampletely jelly and copse back onto Cam and Dakota sandwiches me in. "Oof! You are not a light person Dakota." "You love it, Sweetness." He kisses my shoulder de but pulls off of me. I roll off of Cameron and right into Oliver, who kisses my cheek. Then looks me in the eyes. "Let''s rest a bit. I want you at full strength for me." "No!" Just like with Dakota, hearing his voice has me wet all over again. "I want you now." Heughs and kisses my nose. "Will you at least get something to drink, you''ve been working so hard for us." I nod my head, only noticing I am thirsty when he mentioned it. I don''t even know how long we have been up here. Chapter 0586 I lean in to give him an actual kiss and he keeps it very soft and sweet, no matter how much I want to deepen it. I trace my hands up his washboard abs and to the mark on his neck. He closes his eyes and groans. I kiss him again, this time tangling my fingers in his hair to keep him in ce, pressing my body as close to his as possible. He smiles into the kiss, but pushes me away. "Not yet little mate, you need to stay healthy for us and I won''t have you dehydrated on your first night." He sits me up, but doesn''t let me go. I am tucked in between him and Cam as Dakotaes to the side of the bed with a ss of water. My fingers brush his as I take the cool ss from him and the tingles are there. It''s like my body is waking up from a deep sleep and the pins and needles are a wee sensation. He doesn''t let go right away. Kota just looks into my eyes savoring the feeling as well as I see blue little pinpricks shing in my vision. I''ve never heard of ''seeing'' the tingles with mates before, but I don''t mind. They''re uniquely him and I love that I am getting all of them together and separately. They each bring something different out of me. I finally pull the ss to my lips, sensing all of them watching me like drinking water is the most sexy thing that I could do for them, and I am a little more self conscious. Their desire ising off in waves and kind of overwhelming. I have been lost in all of the sensations with them, and as I look around at the destroyed bed and all my naked mates sitting around me, an old feeling of wanting to cover myself and hidees over me. I slide one of my knees up to my chest and hug it tight, covering as much as I can, since Dakota has my other ankle in his firm grasp. "Don''t you dare." Oliver grumbles low, moving my arm down from my knee. "You don''t get to hide anything anymore." "We want all of you, Skr." Dakota runs his hand up and down my leg. "All your perfections and imperfections," Cam rubs my back, tracing the scars. "They make you the best person for us." I almost choke on my water at the emotion that takes over me. Oliver takes the ss from me as I continue to stifle little sputters of coughing from my throat. When he turns back to me, his gaze is soft. This heat is different than before, they all feel different. The desire and lust is still there, but my heart is pounding in my chest at the absolute love I feeling off of all of them. This is no longer a im to prove Mike wrong, or make a show for anyone else. This is about us, the four of us, now. Oliver leans in and kisses me, taking all of my breath away, leaning me back into the center of the bed. His tongue is slow with its exploration of my mouth. I can feel Cam and Kota on either side of me, kissing from my fingertips up my arms just as gently.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Oliver lines himself up with my center, easing himself into me slowly. This time it isn''t a tease, he''s just taking his time, savoring the sensation. "So f*cking good, you have no idea how perfect you are, Bitty." I have to smile at the nickname. I noticed they all switch back and forth, but tend to use sweet words when it''s just us, or in a small intimate group and their version of ''little'' when we are withrger crowds. But, those little nicknames were the first things they gave me, so it seems a bit more special this way. He slides in and out of me, taking me all the way to his hilt. This is a fullness and pleasure I will never forget. The pain of losing my innocence is long gone and now all my sensations are electric and sensual. Oliver pulls back so he is sitting on his heels, but he doesn''t stop his motion, he''s just allowing Cam and Kota to move in to give attention to my very sensitive t*ts. Their hands are all over me and they begin to take turns giving my mouth the same attention. Oliver starts to push deeper, harder. His grunts and groans letting me know he''s getting close. Someone nips at my nipple and my back arches up and I squeeze my core around Oliver''s throbbing d*ck. "Oh, f*ck! Do that again!" His eyes close and he begins to move faster. Both twins take themand literally, one nipping the other squeezing as Oliver picks up his pace. I can feel a warmth surrounding all of us, my breathing even feels hotter. I wrap my fingers in the twins'' hair and open my eyes to look at where Oliver and I are connected, mesmerized watching the connection as he slides in and out. Then I look up at him and he gasps. "Oh, sh*t Bitty you''re on fire!" He starts to slow down. "NO! Don''t stop, not yet. Keep going please." I can hear my wolf growling in my head, something is happening. I can smell the charge in the air and burning wood, then the air whips around our heads. "I''m close, please, I need more." No idea what I need more of, but that''s what fell out of my face. Oliver begins to move faster, someone grabs the back of my head, and every sensitive nerve ending is being touched by a hand. "Oh! I''me...I''m....f*ck...I''ming!!!! Yes... YES...OH!" My entire body ignites, literally. Everything glows a bright white and I can feel my mes burst out of me, my wolf is howling in my head. Pleasure licks up my body from my toes through every limb, even my hair tingles. Then everything goes dark. Chapter 0587 I gasp and grab the closest thing to me, and smell Oliver as I tuck my face in the crook of his neck and feel the surge of tingles where all of our skin is touching. The entire front of my torso is a live wire. My already sensitive nipples are almost burning with sensations. I grab the back of his neck and pull him in for a kiss. It''s frantic and forceful. He''s still thrusting into me, but I seem to have moved up onto hisp, while he''s kneeling on the bed. Then I feel a hand trail up one side of my spine and another trail down towards my ass. I savor all of the prickling in their unique hues in my brain. Oliver starts to move my hips faster, making me ride him like a piston. His moan in my mouth lets me know he''s close to his own climaxing. Cam''s hand reaches the back of my neck and holds tight, but it doesn''t hurt, it''s strong and safe. Dakota''s fingers graze my back entrance. "Oliver''s close Sweetness. Can you give us one more? One final orgasm to finish our mating." "Ah...I don''t...know." I manage to get out between thrusts. Then he circles the puckered muscles, making me drip even more. "Oh f*ck." "Oh, we won''t go there yet, but it might help you out. We''ve got you." He coos in my ear and continues to circle as he gives me a kiss on the cheek and works his way down my neck and to my shoulder. Cam turns my head toward him to take advantage of my mouth. He kisses me, but just on the lips before pulling back and looking me in the eyes. "Do you need it faster or slower, Love? This is all about you." Oliver continues to pound up into me deep, but slower. He''s listening for my answer. Dakota keeps ying with my ass. "Oh, I like all of this. But I don''t know if I have another one in me." "You''re our beautiful, strong, badass mate. Of course you do. Can I help too?" Cam asks gliding his other hand across my chest caressing both of my boobs before sliding down my sweaty stomach and to my cl*t. With all three of them hitting me like this I light back up. Lil was right, I''m never going to get any rest with the three of them. But, I don''t think I care if it feel this amazing. They are all working me over and I feel the familiar build low in my belly. My walls are starting to constrict around Oliver and every thrust feels better and better. "Oh, Babe, keep doing that and I won''tst. I want you toe with me." Oliver grunts out. "Oh, yes I will." I grip his shoulders and add my own movements to theirs and I hear Dakota growl as my cheeks squeeze around his finger. "Ok, sh*t, baby, I''m there... Yes, just...like that..." Oliver stutters before I feel him start to pulse inside me and I feel my own walls constrict around him. "Oh, f*ck. It''s tighter." He stills but I ride out my climax before copsing on him. "Such a good girl for us." Cam kisses my cheek. "Perfect. Made just for us." Dakota kisses the back of my head. "I may never leave this room again." Oliver chuckles underneath me and then hisses. "Oh, still sensitive." Cam climbs off the bed. "Let''s get you in the bath. You''re going to be sore after all of that. I don''t think any of us nned to be quite so aggressive with you." I reach for him and let him pick meThis belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. up. I don''t know if I could walk, even if I wanted to be stubborn and do it on my own. I thought I was flexible, but clearly that is something I am going to have to work on. My inner thighs have been stretched to the max tonight. He leaves the lights off in the bedroom and bathroom. We don''t need them with our enhanced vision, but I do notice that I can tell colors better in the dark than I could before look behind us and see the other two silently following. Dakota moves to the bath and starts it, While Oliver gets out a few bottles from a side cab. They both start working on the tub, getting a bubble bath ready. Cam steps in, still carrying me. This tub is more like a jacuzzi, clearly fit for all four of us. I don''t remember it when Jena and I were up here changing, but maybe it was something Ava added. I wasn''t really paying a ton of attention. Cam is lowering us extra slow and I can''t figure out why until I feeka very unpleasant sting in theher regions. Chapter 0588 "Oh sh*t!" I thrust my hips up out of the warm water, almost making Cam stumble. "Is it too hot? We thought warm water might help with all of the soreness." "Nope! Just give me a second, I wasn''t expecting it to sting so bad." I take a deep breath and try to move out of his arms, but he''s not letting me go. "Let us take care of you. You are finally ours,pletely." I just nod. Even if I really wanted it, there''s no way he''s going to let me break this little bubble of submission I have given them. Dakota and Oliver have moved to the shower and the sight of both of them in the steamy space, with soap and water running down all of their chiseled curves has me drooling. "Control those thoughts, Bitty..." "You aren''t ready for another round and just that little flutter of heat from you has me at full mast." Dakota finishes Oliver''s sentence, looking over his shoulder at me. I am pretty sure I blushed, but the steam from the tub is hopefully making the rest of my skin red enough that it''s not noticeable. Cam sits down in the bath water with me again and this time I expect the sting on mydy bits. I take a deep breath and let it out as I rx into the warmth and let my muscles soak. Cam doesn''t let me go until Dakota climbs in the tub. I am passed over so Cam can get in the shower too. Oliver joins shortly after DAkota and starts to rub my feet and calves. I am in heaven. Once Cames back, they work together to wash my whole body and my hair as gently as possible. The amount of attention I am receiving is so strange and yet, not at all unusual. This is what unconditional love looks like. When they are satisfied that I am clean and rxed, we all get out, me being handed from one to the other, never setting a foot on the cold floor. We walk back to the bedroom, where I am finally set on my feet on the plush carpet and someone towels my hair, while another does my body. My third mate disappears for only a moment, then a t-shirt is ced over my head. A massive t-shirt that goes to my knees. This one is Cam''s, I can smell the citrus strongly. I take another deep breath, the smell is almost overwhelming hoe potent it is. And then I can smell the cinnamon from Dakota to my right and the honey from Oliver to my left, both just as potent.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Then it hits me, I take another breath and fill my lungs. I haven''t smelled them like this in a long time. I could always tell who was who, but thest time they were this potent was before I left for training years ago. Like they have been muted or someone turned down the dial on their scent. "Woah! You guys smell amazing." I breathe out and they allugh. "I would hope so, we did just shower after getting you all dirty." Dakota nuzzles his nose into my neck and wraps his arms around me. I can''t help but smile. "No, I mean your scents are really intense right now." I breathe in again. "Like they were muted or duller before. I didn''t notice until now." Dakota takes a deep breath in. "You''re right. You''ve always smelted like vani, like a dessert." He nips at my neek and I jump away, bumping into Oliver, who catches me easily and take his turn. "It is stronger. That''s probably a mate bonding thing." He shrugs, moving us towards the bed. "I just wonder if that''s normal or something else that''s weird for just us. I also wonder if her heat will kick in normally or if it won''t happen ti next year." Cam climbs into bed. Oliver more or less shoved me in after Cam. "That''s right, Happy Birthday, Baby." Oliver kisses the side of my head as he climbs in behind me. "Happy Birthday, Sweetness." Dakota leans over Cam to give me a kiss. "Happy Birthday, Love." Cam kisses me on the temple and wraps me in his arms as we all settle in. Chapter 0589 It does not take any time for me to fall asleep. I think I might have been out before my head hit the pillow, but for the first time in a really long time, I had no dreams. Zero. I always slept better when I was with the guys and now I know it''s because more than half of them were my mates. But, this is different. I am aware that I''m asleep and not dreaming, but I don''t seem able to wake myself up or move. I wonder if I am recovering? Do mates normally have s*x for hours and hours on end when they first mate? I guess if Xander and Oscar are any indicator, they could barely keep their hands off each other. When they finally found Mina, they stopped pretending all together. I can''t talk to my wolf, but maybe I can''t do that when I''m sleeping either. Who knows. I''m done trying to figure me out. "I don''t have long, Sweet Girl. I can already feel her trying to push past your barriers."This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "Huh? Who are you, random voice in my head?" There is nothing to see or look at, but the voice is melodic and safe. I guess I can only go with it right now. "You know you are in danger. She wants you just as bad as he does. Use that against them. They both think they are the one in control, but neither of them can gain what they want without the other." "Is there any possible way that I could get a straight answer about something...anything, that is going on right now? I am so lost and confused and it actually sucks. I know people want to kill me or sacrifice me or both maybe and I kind of understand that dimented thinking, but what could I be doing to protect the people around me from getting hurt in the process? How do I keep everyone safe? Am I strong enough to survive what ising for me?" "You were born for this. You areing into your powers now. Many of which you have already started to unlock. I am so proud of you. I''m sorry it has not been an easy journey, but you would not be the warrior and Alpha that''s needed without your struggles and strength to ovee them." "We don''t need to talk about that, because if you made any of that happen on purpose, I am done here. I get that my training and experiences led me here and all of that fluffy sh*t, but no one deserves to be purposely put through the things I went through. I can''t wish my past away, but I don''t want to hear ''it was for my own good,'' or ''it made you stronger.'' "I did not orchestrate the bad situations, but I did influence the reactions andck of actions towards your situations. I am sorry, but I needed to know if you were worthy." "F*ck you! You can take your disembodied voice and f*ck right the f*ck off." "I understand your feelings might be more harsh towards me, but do know that my intentions have always been good. I want to save as many of my innocent pups as I can and you are the only way." "Are you going to tell me how to win in this war that we have been flying blind in for years. Or do I just get to keep making things up and finding out what works?" "Your body and mind will be ready soon and I won''t need to exin anything, you will know what to do when the timees. For now, your mates are getting worried and they need to see that you are alright. I will speak to you again soon." "What in the hell is going on?" That question is gravely as ites out of my actual mouth. "Oh thank the Goddess! I don''t thinkl could have taken another day. I thought we hurt you Sweetness." "What happened?" I try to roll over, but I am being held in ce by a massive arm and leg holding me down. "You''ve been asleep for days, Love." I tilt my head and can see Cam seated in a chair next to the bed. I appear to be in the center, with Oliver wrapped around me like a twist tie. "You were fine the first day and we just let you sleep, taking turns to stay with you." "The second day you broke out in a sweat and had the kind of fever that made your whole body turn red." Dakota continues the story. ¡°We even carried you to the bath and dunked your body in an ice bath, you didn''t move a muscle. We only knew you were okay because your breathing never changed." "Then you decided that you didn''t have enough party tricks so you decided to turn into a glowstick." Oliver grumbles into my hair. "What does that even mean?" He shifts me and I notice my muscles still don''t want to work right. He turns me to face him. "It means that your body started to glow, but from under your skin. Gentry said it was probably whatever enhancements you were supposed to get when you mated. So we waited and worried. You did drink for us, which must just be your body''s natural self preservation." "We started taking shifts to keep an eye on you. Yesterday, the three of us all copsed and when we came to, there were some differences." Dakota says yfully. "What do you mean?" "Just tell me you liked Oliver''s tattoos. You thought they were sexy right?" "What are you babbling about?" I roll my eyes as he moves into my view, pulling his shirt off of his head. "OH SH*T! What happened to you?" I try to sit up but my body won''t move. "Oliver, let me up. I want to see." "I''m not holding you down Bitty. That''s the problem, you really haven''t moved much. I don''t know if it''s because you''ve been sleeping, your new powers or all the things we did to you. Maybe abination." I look back to Dakota and then Cam, who also peels off his shirt. He literally has to peel it, like it doesn''t. fit anymore. I gasp. "Oliver got his over time, how in the hell did you. two manage to do that in days. Wait, how many days? I feel like Lam sleeping through this whole war. Maybe no one needs me at all." I say half joking to myself. They are both in ck pants, that''s all. They are bigger, more muscr. They already took up a ton of space, now it''s going to be worse. The tan skin of their arms and upper chest is covered in tribal tattoo artwork. They look mouth watering. Chapter 0590 "Apparently whatever spell you have over us decided that you preferred Oliver''s tattoos and we all needed to match." Dakotaughs looking down at himself. "I actually have gotten used to them now. I see the appeal. I''m just d I woke up like this instead of having to sit through them actually being inked on." I smile. "Is that the only thing that is different? I thought we were supposed to get new powers, more powers, whatever. I feel like a guinea pig just waiting to see what each experiment results." I really want to move, but my body is heavy. I guess that''s a good sign though, I can feel my own heaviness. "Apparently no one can tell the three of us apart anymore." Cam says. "I mean that isn''t unusual for us," He points between him and Dakota. "But now with the eye color, the tattoos and the size change, even mom doesn''t know who is who and she was pretty good at guessing when there were only two to pick from. I think three is messing with her head. She kept giving us funny looks all day yesterday." He smiles at the thought. "How many days have I been out? You never did say." "Only two days, one night. It was more like you needed sleep, not like anything was wrong." Oliver says, still behind me. "But, with your history, it didn''t stop us from worrying. I''m just d that you can''t shut us out anymore, but you have some weird ass dreams." "What do you mean ''I can''t shut you out?" "You were always able to hide what you were really feeling. Now we can all feel it and when you''re particrly emotional we can hear it. Who were you talking to?" Oliver turns me to look at him. My body is starting to wake up, but the heaviness is still there. "What makes you think I was talking to someone? Maybe I was just talking in my sleep." I shrug. "I could hear your side of the conversation, but not the other. And when you tell someone ''F*ck you! You can take your disembodied voice and f*ck right the f*ck off.'' and ''Are you going to tell me how to win in this war that we have been flying blind in for years. Or do I just get to keep making things up and finding out what works?'' I''m inclined to think that you were actually having a conversation. I thought maybe it was your wolf telling you something else stupid that you had to do, but I don''t get the feeling you would tell your wolf to f*ck off." He smiles at me and I can''t help but smile back. Then I turn to Cam and Kota. "Did you guys hear it too?" "Yeah, but I didn''t catch everything that you were saying. Maybe it''s a proximity thing, since Oliver was lying with you. Dakota was keeping watch and I was downstairs with the team." Hearing that, my body naturally wanted to shoot up to a sitting position, but I didn''t do more than il a bit in Oliver''s arms. "Wait! Did something happen while I was asleep?" "No, Sweetness, rx. Nothing like that, but we figured after all the bullsh*t that that Mike clown threw at us we should be ready for something to happen either on your birthday or after you were fully mated to us. We''ve been taking turns resting with you, keeping watch and working with the team. We finally got a report from Gwen too. The pack members are getting antsy with the Alpha King, feeling like a burden, but Mina seems to be making theirfort and care her personal responsibility. Osiston thinks she''s nesting." Dakota smiles at my friend''s antics. "She has been taking personal care of Lily and Sebastian and the other kids who have parents here still fighting." "I think they all feel helpless and useless. They want to contribute to the pack while they are there, but no one will let them, viewing them as victims." Cam muses. "I know Xander has tried to intervene, but he has his own duties and a very pregnant mate to take care of too. We haven''t gotten a lot of information from the Royal Pack, but I think that is still Adrielle. Gentry thinks she might be getting weak, maintaining all of the different magic that she has been casting. You put a pretty big damper on her forces when you took out Mike and the other fighters she had to maintain her control spell." "Okay. I''m sure this is too much info, but I really need to go to the bathroom and I can still barely move. Can someone help me please?" I look between the three of them, embarrassed that I had to ask a question like that. "Love, why didn''t you say anything sooner? Don''t be embarrassed. This is what mates are for, and let''s be honest we''ve explored a lot of your body. Let us help you." He rolls his eyes as he picks me up effortlessly and carries me to the bathroom. Cam runs me a bath and they all help me clean up. By the time I am ready to get dressed I can move freely again, but I still feel heavy. It''s not until I step in front of the full length mirror that I notice Ie up to Dakota''s shoulder. What? I have always had to strain to look at all of them, barely reaching their chests, and they have all gotten bigger, but I guess that extended to me too. I mean next to them I''m still small, but maybe, I''m a little closer to average now. I will only know when I stand next to my girl friends. The guys and I ate in our kitchen and they filled me in on what''s been happening more in depth. Osiston paid a visit and didn''t notice anyone hanging around our perimeter, but he wasn''t able to mindlink anyone, even Nicks until he crossed into our borders. I thought that would have been solved with the breakdown of the pentagram, but I guess we still have work to do. They did find out that cell service and other forms ofmunication could cross over, so our wolves and their link were being targeted. I tucked that thought away because they were either underestimating us or thinking too small. Which, neither option sounds right, but I don''t know why they would only want to separate our wolves.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. Wee up with additional things we want to check on and work through with our team, but to be perfectly honest the whole team knows us well enough that the list isn''t very long. The biggest thing is the magic part. The guys haven''t had any experience with magic beyond what I have brought here. My team and I saw plenty while we were out on missions, but avoiding being affected by magic ispletely different than having it and learning how to use it against our enemy on the fly. We head downstairs and I don''t make it two steps off the elevator before being assaulted by Sierra. She jumps into my arms, knowing I can handle her loving aggression, but she jumps back quickly to hold me at arms length. "Holy sh*t! Sky! You look amazing! Why didn''t I have a growth spurt when we mated?" She looks usingly over her shoulder at, I assume, Sam who I can''t see from here. Yep, still smaller than everyone, just not as noticeable now. No tattoos like your boys though." She pouts. "I thought maybe all four of you would match." "Yeah, cause that''s what we needed, four of them to tell apart." Samughs, wrapping his arms around her waist and smiling at me. "I''m d you were able to join thend of the mated, even though you cheated and got yours early." He sticks his tongue out at me and on impulse I move to snatch it and to my surprise I do. Everyone around me goes still as I stare at my pointer finger and thumb holding his tongue over my friend''s shoulder. Sierra looks from my hand to me. "I didn''t even see you move." "I didn''t make a conscious choice to move, my body just did it." "Don'' ell ee or asser ow." Sam mumbles around my fingers. "What?!" I ask letting go. "Don''t tell me you''re faster now. I''m really f*cked if you are." He whines. "We''ll have to test the theoryter." I look down at my hand, like I''ve never seen it before. "Are you all faster?" "I hope so. I''m tired of beingpletely out maneuvered by her." Dakotaughs behind me. "Well, you boys have had her for a couple days now. She''s ours!" Sierra grabs my hand and starts to drag me away. "You do remember that she was unconscious right?" Cam asks. "Technically speaking, we have not had as much time with her as you got with Sam when you first mated." "Yes, but you were also dumb enough to bring her down here where we could snatch her." Sierra shrugs her shoulders. "You all do realize ''her'' is right here right?" "Yes, but they wouldn''t let anyone up to see you while you were recovering, so now I need girl time. And your Gamma needs time to bond with you anyway, so suck it up boys, she''s ours." Iugh as she drags me away. And by ''drag me away,'' we went out to Ava''s garden in the back and straight to the hammock. It didn''t take long for Jena and Lil to join us. "Okay, tell us what actually happened, because those boys aren''t saying much and I need details like I need air!" Sierra squeals at me. "Uh, a lot happened since I saw youst, you''re going to have to be more specific." I shy away from her maniacal look. "You all came storming back from the bunker and then we didn''t see you for days and the tattooed triplets only came down one at a time. It took hours to figure out it wasn''t just Olivering and going, by the way. I don''t even think they realized at first. They even all smell the same. Actually you smell like them too, but I guess the scent thing makes sense since you are mates, but I''ve never seen anyone change physically. I mean Cam and Kota are covered in tattoos and Oliver grew an inch taller and filled out to match them. Even you grew!" Jena''s excited voice sounds dangerously like Sierra''s mom. We spend the rest of the afternoon just sitting and talking. I told them about the mating and how I kind of lost control and threw Cam around. I got pointers on what to try with them when I get alone time with each of them and for once all the sex talk didn''t make me blush or shy away. I am no expert, but I also lost any trepidation I had surrounding the idea of mating and being mated to three guys. They were right, I wouldn''t be satisfied with anything less than the three of them. Chapter 0591 Leslie Mihelich First I want to thank everyone who has followed Sky''s journey this far. I have been writing this story for a year now and it is surreal that we are still here. When I started it was for a contest just to see if the thoughts in my head could be made into something tangable and it has grown to so much more. My outline and plot has grown and changed as I developed characters further and deeper than I ever expected. I have learned and grown as a writer in this whole process. This is my third book on this tform and by far my best and most thought out work. With that being said, I want to address all the critics. I do actually read thements and take to heart the things I can actually improve on. Constructive criticism only makes me better and I appreciate thoughts and insights from readers. Many of you catch things I never would have seen and I truly love the character discussions. Your oustide perspective helps me grow the world I am creating in my stories. But... This is not my full time job. I do my best to post daily. I am a reader here too and I know what it is like to have to wait days/weeks for chapters to be posted. I am a teacher full time during the day, I coach dance and gymnastics and we are currently in ourpetative seasons. The children I influence and work with daily are my priority. I have two teenage kids of my own who got the gic capacity to be involved in tons of things. At this time my son is training forcrosse,ing off a full and exciting wrestling season. He is also a musician gearing up for shows in and out of school. My daughter is in the final tech weeks of her high school''s run of Beauty and the Beast, which she is a freshman and coordinating sound and lights. A job she ispletely qualified for and invested in at only 15, surpassing students older than her for her leadership skills and ability to work through things on the fly. (I got my Sky inspiration close to home.) She is also apetative dancer, a musician with three different groups at school and they are both in elerated programs for their schools. I don''t say this to brag, although my kids are awesome, but to let you know I am a real person with a real life outside of this app.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. I write during free moments each and every day. Most days I can produce word count that is worthy of posting as a chapter. Right now, I do have days where we are running from 5am to 10pm with barely time to eat. On those days and in those moments, I choose my family and my health over posting a mediocre chapter. I don''t want to miss anything in my kid''s lives and I know I have an obligation here too. I don''t use Al to write, the words are mine and typed out the old fashioned way, with my own two hands. I have no control over the cost of the chapters and my book is a part of a Beta program for formatting which affects the length of chapters. There is nothing I can do to change those things. I do have a group on the F* where I interact with my readers and post when updates go live. For many of you this might help with the waiting game. It is difficult for authors to interact within the chapters on the GoodNovel app, so that is where all the behind the scenes action is. You can look up my pen name to find us. I really do appreciate everyone for being here and supporting my writing. It means the world to me to know that I can reach so many people. Chapter 0592 The afternoon floated by and for a little while I forgot about being an alpha princess hybrid witch conundrum and I was just a girl talking with her friends about being a mate. It wasn''t until the sun was setting and Ava came looking for us that I realized we had been out here all day. We each took small breaks to grab snacks and go to the bathroom, but we didn''t leave this spot the entire day. I don''t even remember thest time I did that when we weren''t doing some kind of recon for a job. "Skr, I need to see you and the boys. Can you meet us at Brett''s house please?" She didn''t wait for an answer, just turned around and walked away. I looked at my friends confused. "Why did she seem afraid to talk to you?" Lil asks from my right. "No idea, but now I''m curious. Maybe she has information that might help?" I say it like a question, cause if something bigger was going on, she wouldn''t want to meet at a house, she would want action. I think. We all stand and stretch as we specte what it could be about. I feel like there are so many moving parts and people in the pack and a majority of our pack members aren''t even here. I have to trust that everyone is doing their job, but at the same time, I feel like I have been so caught up in myself and what I have been going through since I returned that maybe I have missed crucial things. The thought makes me feel terrible, like I am already failing at my job as a part of the leadership of this pack. I used to focus on everyone and now I have be no better than Kaley. Self absorbed and self important. I have to fix that, immediately. "What has you this miserable, mate?" Cam scoops me up from behind. I know it''s him without looking or even his scent, I just know, but I didn''t hear him approach either. Strange. "Just a personal observation, no big deal." I try to brush it off as his fingertips grip my waist and he catches a bare spot between my shirt and leggings. The minor skin to skin contact sends mes through my body have got to get this attraction under control, otherwise am liable to catch fire or turn into a glow stick or whatever happened to me when we mated, but in public. It''s bad enough the fire lets everyone know about my intimate endeavors, which my friends were so helpful to point out as we talked. Sierra was at least impressed with my stamina and that I couldn''t give her a count of how many org*sms they gave me, because I was too out of my mind to count. "When you are this torn up about it, it is a big deal. And you seem to be bouncing between two distinct emotions. One I don''t like and the other I like a lot." Oliver slides up next to us, pulling me out of my lustful thoughts with his sexy half smile. "Any strong emotion is a big deal. What''s up Smalls?" Dakota nks us on the other side as Cam settles me into a morefortable bridal carry. I huff out a sigh, I really can''t keep anything from them now. I don''t particrly like lying, but sometimes feelings are just meant for the person feeling them, nothing to be shared. It''s a way of processing, nothing more. "Ava came to get me and asked that we meet her at Brett''s house and she wanted to talk to the four of us, which shouldn''t be a big deal, but the look on her face said it might be. She almost shied away from us, which isn''t like her at all. I just feel like I have been so concerned with my own things that I haven''t been paying any attention to the people around us. I don''t want to be self absorbed." I let my chin drop to my chest.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "I guess it''s good she came to you. She has been avoiding us since we mated." Cam says, nudging my temple with his nose so I''ll look up at him. He''s looking down at me with real concern in his eyes. "I don''t know if it''s all the changes or maybe us mating brought something on. This whole situation is crazy and unpredictable, who knows how it''s affecting the rest of them. I think Sam and Kyle are the only ones who have maintained a normal rtionship. But, that''s probably due to the fact that we have been under an attack threat for almost two years now and they have worked together to make the patrols and training schedules since before you left for training." I notice he leaves it at that. That ''I left for training.'' We''ll have to circle back to that discussion. "Nothing about us mating has changed that for them. Dad dying set the rest of us on a crash course path to changing the leadership for the pack, there were bound to be growing pains. I don''t think Mom, Brett or even Daniel were prepared to have their whole job basically stripped like that. There''s usually a transition period, but with all of the attacks and threats, our transition wasn''t standard." Chapter 0593 ?Chapter 0593N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "I don''t think there is anything standard about our pack." Iugh more to myself, but they all smile at me. "I mean, you guys do realize that we are next in line for the Royal pack until Mina, Xander, and Oscar have their pup right?" Cam stops and looks at me, eyebrows raised. "What about Mateo and Jena? He''s older than you, wouldn''t that make them the next in line?" He continues walking us through the packhouse and out the front door. "I think the rank he and Jena chose puts them second. If Jena had chosen to reestablish her pack as the Alpha, then yes, we would be equally in line for the throne, but they are here as our Betas. It doesn''t make the thought any less weird." I try to wiggle out of Cam''s arms, but he''s not having it. "Can I walk please? I feel like I need to keep moving after being incapacitated for so long." Cam sighs and puts me down reluctantly between himself and Oliver. Dakota moves silently behind me. It only takes a couple minutes to walk to the Gamma house. I move to knock, but Oliver just reaches for the handle and opens it. I guess that makes sense, since he technically grew up in this house. I don''t know if the guys spent more time at the packhouse or at their own houses when they were younger. It was probably an equal mix leaning heavily on them spending more time at the packhouse. We walk in and Cam herds us back towards the kitchen so we follow the sounds. We walk through, single file, since the guys can''t even stand side by side in a normally sized area. I step into the kitchen first to find Ava wrapped in Brett''s arms, his lips on her forehead. They are clearly having a moment and we are interrupting. I stop short, causing Cam to step into me and knock me forward a few steps. He catches me easily and makes sure I''m solid on my feet. It must have been too quick for anyone else to notice since Cam got out a ''huh?'' before the two adults looked our way. "Oh my!" Ava almost jumps away from Brett, but he doesn''t let her get far. "How long have you been there? We didn''t hear youe in." "Apparently we are super stealthy now." Dakotaughs, making his way into the roompletely. "Is this what you wanted to talk to us about?" He gestures back and forth between them. "Cause you made Smalls nervous, and you have been avoiding us for a while." "How long have you known?" Oliver asks, and I can''t read his expression. Brett takes a deep breath, but doesn''t try to deny anything or cate us like children. He just jumps right in. "The pull has been gradually increasing since you marked Skr, The full bond kicked in the other night, I assume, when you finished mating." Brett answers looking at each of them, probably trying to figure out which one is his son. Brett takes a deep breath, but doesn''t try to deny anything or cate us like children. He just jumps right in. "The pull has been gradually increasing since you marked Skr. The full bond kicked in the other night, I assume, when you finished mating." Brett answers looking at each of them, probably trying to figure out which one is his son. Ava smiles. "I guess it''s fitting seeing how this turned out for you boys. I can''t get over the changes in you three, or the fact that I can''t tell you apart. I have never had to try so hard to figure out who is who. The only time I really struggled was when Cam and Kota were trying to be difficult." She gives them a distinct ''mom'' look. "Now even your natural voices and movements are the same." I look behind me at my mates, I can still tell each of them apart. They aren''t identical to me, but the twins never were, so I guess I''m not a good gauge for their transformation. "Come in and eat with us." Brett gestures towards the tableid out. "It might be the only time we can sit as a family. I don''t think the Rogue King is going to leave us alone for much longer, especially after Sky sted a hole in Mike. Any Alpha would have felt a pack member die, as his father the pain should have been more severe, but we also don''t know the state of his mind after talking with Nicks and Osiston." "Is he still here?" I haven''t seen Osiston in so long. Him and Alpha Reggie were my crazy uncles, pushing me to be better and get stronger, while still watching my back. They made sure I became my absolute best. They weren''t worried about me getting hurt. Then again, they saw me at my most broken and weakest. I could only go up from being the unconscious form in a hospital bed. Chapter 0594 Chapter 0594 ¡°No. He seems to be the only one that can go between our pack and the Royal Pack right now. We have sent scouts out and they can cross out of the border, but when they hit an invisible perimeter, they get, I guess ¡®sick¡¯ is the right word. We don¡¯t really know. There isn¡¯t anything that we can tell that would cause the reactions, but it has hospitalized several of our scouts for days. Gentry and Elena say it isn¡¯t magic ced on them, but that doesn¡¯t mean that magic isn¡¯t being used. Naturally they wanted to go to the site to examine for themselves, and as expected Nicks and Daniel both said ¡®no.¡¯ We don¡¯t know what is being nned, but we have to assume that they will attack the two witches working with us and our Alphas. You six are our priority, because you will be needed when they do finally attack. So you are confined to the pack grounds until further notice, not even going asfar as the pentagram sites.¡± He gives us a stern ¡®dad¡¯ look. A growl rips through the room and Ava cowers into Brett. It took me a second to realize the growl came from me and my eyes went wide as I pped my hand over my mouth. ¡°Sam let us know, we obviously haven¡¯t gotten around to telling our uncontainable mate.¡± Cam jokes and I scowl at him. ¡°That would have been good information to know before now, Cameron.¡± ¡°You were busy having girl time with your Beta, Gamma, and Delta. We figured you deserved a couple hours of normal since we seem to be living our whole lives reacting to sh*t hitting the fan. Can you fault us for wanting to see you smile, Tiny?" His eyes softened and that was all it took for me to melt and the anger to go awaypletely. I leaned my forehead into his shoulder and took a deep breath, the citrus is strongest with honey and cinnamon notes behind it. "At least I''m not confined alone this time. I should probably work with Elena and Gentry and try to see if any new magical abilities showed up while I was locked in aa for two days. We should see if anything transferred to you guys too. I mean, Oliver was able to help with a few things before. I wonder if you have some extra magical abilities now." I look over my shoulder at him. "We should probably test the elemental stuff too. I don''t really understand what to do with that." Oliver squeezes my knee under the table. "We''ll figure it out, don''t worry Bitty." At least I know who is who based on the nicknames they use." Avaughs. "So are we just going to skip over the whole ''you are second chance mates thing,'' or what?" Dakota leans forward, but there''s a smile on his face.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Chapter 0595 Chapter 0595 Ava blushes and it is adorable. She leans into Brett¡¯s shoulder and it looks like they might be holding hands under the table. ¡°We weren¡¯t glossing it over, because it really is a big deal and important to us, but since none of you seemed particrly phased by it, we didn¡¯t want to push the idea. Not everyone gets a second chance mate and to be honest we weren¡¯t sure how you boys would take it since it really hasn¡¯t been that long since we lost your father. We wanted to be respectful of your feelings and we know that your own mate situation has been a priority too. We didn¡¯t want to overshadow our new Alphas, but we are truly happy and¡± Brett smiles down at her and I realize for the first time that I don¡¯t think I have ever seen him look like that before. His mate died in a small attack when we were all really little. I only know that much of the story, but she was a force apparently. I don¡¯t know if Oliver even remembers her. But it has always just been Brett and Oliver as the Gammas as long as I can remember. Now that I see him like this, happy and content, it makes me a little sad to know that he raised Oliver alone. Then another wave of sadness washes over me because he raised Oliver. He somehow managed to put losing his mate to the side to be there for his pup and do his duty as Gamma. He was always pleasant to all of us and even helped Kyle train me on some asions when I was little and left to myself. That little voice in my head pipes up mentioning that my dad couldn¡¯t figure that out, but Brett did. I¡¯m once again pulled from my thoughts. This time literally pulled into Oliver¡¯sp. ¡±Don¡¯t do that, Baby. Our dads are different people and our situations were different. Don¡¯tpare them. You are just starting to build a rtionship with your dad. He needs a chance to exin himself.¡± I bury my face in the crook of his neck and take a deep breath in. I know the other two were listening and I¡¯m sure the exchange didn¡¯t go unnoticed, but neither Ava or Brett say anything about my mood shift. ¡°So, if we are confined to the center of the pack, what good are we?¡± Dakota shifts the topic, thankfully. ¡°We were all actually interested in testing your abilities now that you are fully mated. Usually the full moon ys a part in gaining abilities, but clearly you have all changed some, just in thest forty eight hours. I know Gentry and Elena had ns to test your magic as well. There will be plenty for you to do. Don¡¯t feel like you are being sidelined.¡± Brett tries to cate us, probably more me, since the guys were aware of the protection situation before me. ¡°It feels wrong to not be a part of patrols, though. What if something happens and we are miles from the fight?¡± Dakota asks. ¡°Wee to the ¡®fragile and needs to be protected box.¡¯ I¡¯m so d you can all feel the bullsh*t of the situation now.¡± Iugh at them and Ava winks at me. She has always been a big supporter of me giving all of the guys a hard time. ¡°Osiston will be our go-between right now, since he iscapable. I¡¯m sure that Alpha Reggie and even Xander could make it through whatever barrier is up. Which logically means that Skr, and even Mateo, should be able to as well since they are blood rted. But, we are not testing that theory.¡± He points right at me before I can even get excited about the idea. ¡°We know it¡¯s you the Rogue King wants. We are not handing you over on a silver tter just to test a theory. But, let¡¯s be honest, you will probably have to go against him at some point¡­¡± low, rumbling growls surround me. ¡°¡­And, that is something everyone in this room needs toe to terms with.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°It won¡¯t be our first move though, so I¡¯m okay with missing out if it keeps Bitty away from that c*ck sucker as long as possible.¡± Oliver wraps his arms around me tighter. I lean into him letting himfort me as much as I am him and then move back to my seat so we can actually eat. The rest of dinner is pretty mundane. My wolf and I are trying to wrap our heads around the idea that these are now family members, inws. We will do things like this all of the time for celebrations, anniversaries, birthdays, holidays and eventually with our pups. Oh f*ck! I cannot be thinking about pups right now. And I need to turn this panic off before someone notices and asks. My mates are too observant on a normal day, now they are super attuned to me emotionally. They either didn¡¯t notice the brief moment of panic or decided it wasn¡¯t worth mentioning. I lost track of time being with them, but it waspletely dark when we headed back to the packhouse. ¡°So our parents find out they are second chance mates right around the time we all figure out we are mates. Iwonder if they knew before we did. Like were we brothers before the Goddess confirmed all three of us were Sky¡¯s mates?¡± Dakota muses as we walk up the front steps. ¡°No idea, but maybe that was part of the n. At this point, I¡¯ve stopped trying to keep up with what the Goddess has going on.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time!¡± Liles running at us. ¡°You had a visitor and Sierra is super pissed.¡± ¡°Huh? Who the hell would visit, especially now?¡± I ask as we move through the house towards the back door. I¡¯m not surprised to find everyone around the fire pit. ¡°F*cking Olympia, that¡¯s who.¡± Sierra growls from her seat on the opposite side of the fire. ¡°Why in the hell would shee here of all ces?¡± I wonder out loud, moving towards the long bench I know my guys typically upy. I just wait for them to get situated and decide whosep I¡¯m going to sit in. I¡¯ve given up trying to sit in my own seat out here. ¡°Hold the phone. Who¡¯s Olympia?¡± Mateo asks. ¡°This b*tch who gave Sky and Mina a hard time when they would visit Xander and Alpha Reggie at the castle.¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t the worst though. Charlene wanted to rip my eyeballs out, but that was more because I told her off and embarrassed her in public.¡± ¡°None of that information tells us why she woulde here though. It sounds like she would not want to do over and more try to be friendly.¡± Mateo¡¯s not wrong. I have no idea what she would want, but she wasn¡¯t the one actively plotting against Mina and I, so maybe she decided I¡¯m abetter person to be on good terms with since I am friends with the future King and Queen. Chapter 0596 "You might be right about that," Lil says. "I only had to put up with her briefly, but she was a spoiled pain in the ass. Her dad was the one you had to watch for. He''s an elder in his pack and one of the more sneaky ones." "Yeah, her dad was not happy about me attending meetings with Alpha Reggie, Luna Anne and Xander. Or that I was allowed to help with protection ns and strategies. And his Alpha was kind of an idiot. That was one of the more fun conversations I had during the conference." "From what I understand you were the first person to shut that Alpha up during a nning session...ever." Lilughs. "That''s because he''s stupid and I said as much without saying the actual words. We helped his pack while providing assistance to the surrounding packs that actually got attacked that year. Kyle and I worked with them on a defense strategy that he never implemented and then he wanted more help in the form of Royal Pack warriors doing patrols around his pack. I think he just assumed no one knew about our pack''s involvement in that situation and no one would question his needs." "Wait, which Alpha is that? And when did you help Kyle with pack assistance?" Dakota asks from behind me. Squeezing my hip, teasing me for yet another thing they don''t really know about me. "I helped Brett and Kyle forever ago. It was the first time I was allowed off of pack grounds to do anything warrior rted. We really didn''t do a whole lot, but helped with patrols while their warriors healed and helped with some extra training and strategies to be more efficient. Alpha Br thought that he should have gotten help too, even though his pack wasn''t attacked at all. His is one of the packs bordered by the sea on one side and surrounded by the three packs that did actually suffer from attacks. He imed that they were in more danger because of the ocean ess. We gave him strategies and even drew up watchtower ns that, at the time of the conference, he still hadn''t constructed. He just wanted Royal Pack warriors to patrol." I shrug, because I still don''t understand his logic. "You putting an Alpha in his ce doesn''t tell us why one of their Elder''s daughters came to you here, now. And how the hell did she know where to find you and get here? I thought Brett said no one but Osiston was getting in or out of whatever barrier, perimeter thing is keeping us isted." Dakota keeps going with his questioning. "Maybe it''s only against our pack members getting out?" Sam suggests. "I mean no one wants any of us to test the theory and Osiston said that warriors are on standby, hidden not far from that location when we need them, but he doesn''t want toe in and scare off whoever is out there right now, prolonging the eventual fight. Maybe she was able to just waltz in." He shrugs. "Or maybe she''s working with the Rogue King." Jena adds. "I never got to meet her, but she was one of two that was pretty upset at how close you were to Xander, right. I know one of them threatened you, or something." All three of my mates barely contained their growls. "Okay, ''threatened'' is kind of giving Charlene too much credit. She tried to attack me like a political princess, not a warrior, it was stupid and I made sure she knew it too. Olympia''s pack was one of the packs that Kyle and Brett helped after an attack, it had a ton of damage, the most if I remember right. But I think her and Charlene were probably at the Royal Pack or somewhere else out of harm''s way, since I met almost everyone from the packs that were affected and I didn''t meet them until I was with Xander and Alpha Reggie for the conference. I don''t know if she would work with the Rogue King of her own free will, but she did seem alright ying her dad''s puppet willingly. Who knows." "We are going to circle back to you helping with a pack relief effort and none of us knowing about it, Shorty, but where did Olympia go, since she obviously didn''t get to see you?" I look at Sierra and Jena, who sound like they were the ones who saw her, and raise my eyebrows. I wouldn''t put it past either of them to wee her in and then put her in a prisoner cell just for being b*tchy to me one time. "What?! Do you think we would do anything to her before getting information?" Sierra tries really hard to look offended. "Yes, I very much think you would. I think sometimes you are more defensive of me than the guys are." Iugh as a chorus of ''heys''es from all sides of me. "You know we would defend you Smalls. That''s not even a question." Dakota squeezes my ankle. "I do know that, but the difference between guy friends and girl friends is the level of petty my girl friends will stoop to on my behalf." "Hell yes! And no we did not chain her up somewhere, but I do have a couple ces in mind if she turns out to be one of the bad guys. I figured shouldn''t jump to conclusions since our allies are so few Jena chimes in and we allN?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. laugh again, although / all serious. she''s "So where is she then?" I raise my eyebrow at them. I know she isn''t in afortable ce if she''s here somewhere. "She''s in one of the border houses, under guard, locked in a bedroom. She isfortable and we made sure she was fed, but she wouldn''t talk to anyone but you and seemed perfectly content to be contained until you came to her. So she is either here to spy or she doesn''t mind a night of protection from whatever is out there even if she is locked up." Jena finally tells me. "And you are not going to see her tonight. You just got your mates and you are going to just sit here for once and hang out. She will be there in the morning and if anything happens the guards will let us know." Chapter 0597 My jaw dropped at her tantmand for me to leave something alone. I know she means well and I have no intention of going anywhere right now, even if my mates would allow it. She just knows me that well and I hate leaving things unfinished. Just another one of my fatal ws. "Well, I guess I know what we are doing in the morning then." I look at my guys to see if any of them have a problem with the n. They all just nod. Since we are on lock down, there isn''t much anyone is going to allow us to do We sat outside for a while just talking with everyone. Just like dinner with Ava and Brett, it felt so normal and I never realized how much I craved ''normal.'' I lean back into Oliver''s chest, talking andughing with our friends. Dakota has not let go of my ankle, just rubbing circles up my calf and Cam has been ying with the fingers of my left hand. Everything has been so gentle and light, but the message is clear, they want me and are making sure I know it. They are just waiting for any sign from me to go back upstairs and continue getting to know each other on a deeper level. I can feel Olilver starting to get antsy under me, his length is pressing into my butt and I know it has to be ufortable. Dakota''s hands are actually sweaty, but he keeps contact with me, now gliding his palm up and down my whole leg, being a little less subtle about what he wants. Cam seems to be the only one who is in control of his outward actions, although I can feel his inner desire amping up just like the othe two and I know I shouldn''t torture them, but I keep the conversation going for a while longer, until it just feels mean to keep teasing them. They are doing their best to not tear me away from my friends, knowing what these connections mean to me. I finally start to feel tired and it only takes a look to Oliver and he scoops me up wordlessly and my girlfriends giggle as we all but run through the house towards the elevator. I can feel how close the twins are behind me. Oliver shifts me as we step through the elevator doors so I am facing him, arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He is holding each of my butt cheeks in hisrge hands and pressing me into him so I can feel exactly what I''m doing to him. I let out a little gasp as he shifts my hips to rub my core up against him and I love the sensation that shoots through me. "Do you like that, baby?" I just nod, not breaking eye contact. "He needs words, Love." Cam growls right against the shell of my left ear as he slides his hand up the center of my stomach, but he doesn''t grab my boob like I thought he would, he keeps going until his fingers settle around the top of my throat, turning my chin towards his face so I can kiss him. I whimper into the kiss and again when he pulls away. "Tell him what you like or he''s going to stop." Oliver tilts my hips again and he just pulls random incoherent sounds out of me, but Cam won''t let go of my face to look over at him. "I love that." "He''s going to need you to be really specific, Sweetness." Dakota runs his nose in my hair at the base of my skull. They are so overwhelming like this and I love it and can''t focus on anything all at the same time. "I..I like it...when all of you touch me like this. It kind of scrambles my brain." Oliver rubs me against him again. "Oh, f*ck! Yes, that feels so good." I let my head rest in Cam''s hand, letting my eyes close sol can focus on feeling. "Can you handle more, Sweetness?" "Yes, please." Oliver adjusts his hands on my ass and I almost whine when I feel a third hand rub in between his down between my legs and I''m sure he can feel how wet I am through my leggings. Oliver keeps rubbing my cl*t against his c*ck and Dakota continues to rub me on the outside of my clothes from behind. "I need more, please, Dakota." He growls in my right ear. I open my Bel.ne eyes and look right at Cam. He leans in to kiss me again. Dakota''s hand moves to the waistband of my leggings and slides his hand in tracing down my butt stopping briefly to graze over my puckered back entrance and I gasp into Cam''s mouth. "We will be visiting that soon, Love." He whispers against my lips, just as Oliver tilts me again and Dakota glides his long fingers further through my wet slit and straight into my center. There was no warning, just an absolute intrusion that shot energy through me and I grind into Oliver again. We all moan and Dakota pulls back and slides his finger in again. "Yes! More, please." I try to look over my shoulder, but Cam won''t let my chin go. Dakota pulls his hand back again and I feel a shift before the intrusion is intensified as he enters two fingers. Every time he thrusts his fingers in I rub against Oliver. They have a good rhythm going and it feels amazing while Cam continues to kiss me, exploring my entire mouth with his tongue. I can feel my climax getting closer. My whole body is starting to vibrate and I am struggling to hold onto Oliver''s shoulders. "She''s close." "She''s so wet." "Send her over the edge, now."Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Both Oliver and Dakota increase their movements and it only takes a few more thrust to send me crashing. I moan into Cam''s mouth. He doesn''t release my lips until I have ridden out my climax and go limp in Oliver''s arms. "Such a good girl, so responsive for us." I don''t know why that praise makes me smile, but I can''t fight it as I tuck myself into Oliver''s neck and the elevator opens to our floor. "Let''s get you in the shower, baby." Oliver walks straight through to the bathroom and manages to get both of us undressed without putting me down. Cam and Dakota turned on all of the shower heads and stripped down too. I guess we''re all getting in together. Chapter 0598 The shower was actually just a shower and I don''t know if I was more happy or disappointed about that. They each took their turn washing every single inch of me and I love this side of them, the side just for me. Cam wrapped me in a towel and then led me out into the room. Dakota and Oliver came out before us and had theforter pulled back and ready for all of us and a t-shirt wasying out for me...only a t-shirt. I guess I should have expected this once we mated, I will probably wear very little clothing when we are up here. I climb in between Cam and Oliver, leaning over Cam to kiss Dakota goodnight before doing the same to him. Then I turn around to kiss Oliver as Cam pulls my back into his chest. I fell asleep almost instantly. I woke up before the guys for the first time in forever. This feels like old times. The faint light of dawn breaks through therge windows. As Oliver so eloquently exined, I flopped over the guys and ended up in Dakota''s arms on theplete opposite side of the bed. The benefit of this is that Dakota seems to be hoarding me and I am on the outside instead of being sandwiched between two of them. I wiggle out as slowly as I can, handle my bathroom business and head straight to the cozy seats in the library area. I don''t even remember thest time I just sat down and read a book for fun and I guess now is as good a time as any since we can''t go anywhere beyond the training grounds. I would love to run a patrol and really get a feel for what my senses and powers can do now that I am mated. I figured out yesterday that I am faster, but how much faster? I have always been strong for my size, but I want to be able to measure it. And the magic, I need to test what my magic is like now that I am different both physically and emotionally.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. I am too wound up to really focus on anything specific. I tried a romance novel, but it was a slow start and it doesn''t match my mood. I found a murder mystery, but it wasn''t what my brains wanted. As I was putting that back on the shelf I noticed an old green leather bound book. There is no title on the spine, but it has been loved. The leather is soft to the touch and from what I can see of the edges the pages are yellowed in ces. There is a brown leather strap marking a page, so I take it to the chair I have been upying and start there. I get a feeling with this book as lopen it. I can feel the magicing off of it, like my grimoire. I wonder if that is what this is someone''s grimoire, maybe Lucas''. I wonder if he would have had one to follow through with Adrielle''s spells or whatever she had him doing. The thought makes me cringe and want to close the book and throw it across the room, but my curiosity gets the better of me and I have to remind myself that magic is not bad or good, it''s the caster and the intention behind the spells. I am careful not to read any words out loud or even move my lips to sound out unfamiliar words. I don''t want to unintentionally cast a spell that I might not have control over. I only get through a couple pages when a warm hand glides over my shoulder and a kiss is nted on the top of my head. "Good morning, Bitty. Why didn''t you wake us up?" I love all their gravely morning voices, but Oliver''s deep tone sends shivers down to my toes. I have to fight the need to visibly shiver. Chapter 0599 "You all are so cute when you sleep and I didn''t want to disturb you if you all were taking shifts watching me the other night. I''m sure your bodies are changing too and you probably need the rest. "Let''s go get breakfast started. Cam and Kota should be out of the shower quickly, it was just to wake up." "You three shower an awful lot, you know that?" "Well, it is the second best way to wake up in the morning." "What''s the first best way?" I ask sitting on the stool at the ind. Oliver slides me a cutting board and veggies to chop up for omelets. "Getting our little mate dirty and sweaty with some naked cardio and then needing another shower." He winks at me and I giggle. "So is someone going to bring Olympia here to talk with me, are we meeting her at whatever house she''s being held at? What''s happening today? We''ve only been on house arrest for long enough to sleep and I am already antsy at the idea of being stuck here. Although, I like your cardio idea." "We are going to meet her halfway. Brett and Kyle said around ten. I think they were being generous with their time, just in case we had trouble leaving the suite." Cam walks up behind me and kisses the back of my head then moving to the stove to start working on breakfast that Oliver and I started prepping. Dakota wraps his arms around my shoulders and hugs me tight, like he can''t get enough of this position. "Do you want to train today after we talk to her and see what we can all do cause don''t know about you, but I am dying to know if any of us are faster than you. I also really want to watch you destroy Sam. They allugh at that and I try to hold it back, but I have to join in. We eat and get ready in workout clothes, not nning toe back to the packhouse after we talk to Olympia.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. When we finally make it outside, as expected, our whole team is there and I never really grasped how big it is until now. We have four Alphas, two Betas, two Deltas and one Gamma, but I''m sure Lil will find her mate and round out the number. I also have Wyatt and Nathaniel, who will always be a part of my team, we have been through too much at this point. We head out to meet with Olympia and find out what she has to say. I haven''t decided if she is the type of person to carry a verbal message or threat for her dad or if sh*t really hit the fan and we are closer to her pack than the Royal Pack. I had to beg to get them to let us shift though. My wolf wants out, she has been itching to run since we marked and mated and we just haven''t had the chance. Shifting waspletely painless and almost instantaneous, I''ve never felt anything like it in my life. No bones cracking and popping, no difort and it happened in the blink of an eye. I thought I was fast before, but this is a whole other level. When I turn around I notice my guys have shifted just as silently as I did. ***"Well that wille in handy." Dakotaughs in my head. "Do we look different, Smalls? Am I bigger, sexier? You can tell me, Cam and Oliver won''t be too jealous."*** ***"You''re an idiot, but yes you are bigger. You are dark gray all over and you have new markings. Actually..."*** I look at all of them now. Really look at them. ***"Oh, sh*t! They''re identical!" Lil hums at all of us. Through the link. Chapter 0600 ***"What do you mean ''identical?""*** Oliver asks, his wolf''s head swiveling side to side. ***"She means you look exactly the same. All three of you."*** Sierra trots over to us. ***"It was weird having you three look the same in your human form, but you were all pretty close to begin with so it wasn''t a stretch of the imagination. But we could even tell the twins apart in their wolf forms because they were inverted colors. You all seem to have blended your versions of gray, but Sky''s right, what are those markings?"*** Mateo''s wolf circles them, checking them out from all the different angles. Their fur is an ombre of gray, light near the skin and getting darker at the tips. Each of them has a ck tipped tail and thick ck markings at their shoulders going down their forelegs, simr to the tattoos they all now share. I don''t think Oliver''s tattoos were ever visible in his wolf form before though. I can''t help but notice the size increase too. They were all big before, Cam and Kota were more than a head taller than me, making me look like a pup next to them, and Oliver was wider set like the protector that he was made to be. Now all three havebined sized features. I know I have grown a little with the magic and enhancements thate with mating, but I am still dwarfed by the three of them. ***" Just another thing to add to the long ass list we have going about being mated to the princess."*** Dakota jumps back before my wolf can snap at him with her jaw. We have gotten faster. ***"Let''s get this stupid interview over with so we can actually test some of this sh*t out. I''m done trying to guess what we can do and being surprised in the moment when weird things happen."*** I don''t really want to talk to Olympia. I agree this is more than likely some kind of trap or test. But, I can''t ignore a possible ally or a request for help. ***"Alright, here''s the n..." Brett and Kyle walk up to us in their wolf forms, clearly this is a party no one wants to miss. They go through what is expected of all of us and exin that as newly mated Alphas we are still vulnerable until the full moon. I''m reminded, again, how much I despise all the rituals that go along with transitioning ranked members. Why can''t mates, just mark and mate and that''s that? Why all the hoops and red tape? Something else to ask the Moon Goddess when and if I ever get the chance. We finally get on our way and nothing eventful happens and I think some of the warriors that have the wide perimeter around us were really hoping for some action. Everyone is actually getting bored waiting around for this damn fight. We know it''sing and we know they areing for me, but getting rid of the Cunninghams and Mike seemed almost too easy. I figured they would be disposable to a degree to the Rogue King, but there was no retaliation, no threat after their deaths. Complete radio silence and that doesn''t track with the way that wolves work, real pack wolves I should say. When we finally see the group surrounding Olympia, I am actually relieved. I need something to do, someone to ask questions and right now she is my target. I shift quickly and move right into walking towards her without a missed step. My mates are on my tail, nking me in their new diamond pattern. The rest of our team stays in wolf form ready to tear her apart if she so much as looks at me wrong. What they don''t know is they''ll never get a chance. If shees for me, she''s mine to take out. "What can I do for you Olympia?" I ask as diplomatically as possible. I won''t pretend to be nice, but I''m not going to be outwardly mean to her for no reason. "My dad is dead and I don''t know where Alpha Sharp is, he might be dead too. The Luna is no true leader and neither are her daughters, even though they have at least fifty percent Alpha blood. My pack is falling apart slowly with no real. guidance. There has been a ton of movement around our borders, but no one has crossed directly through. They are headed your way. I know my dad and Elder Chandler weren''t super happy with your involvement with the Alpha King and his family, I thought you should know." She''s twisting her hands together. She''s nervous. She''s never had to ask for help before and I''m going to let her figure it out. "How did you get through the barrier surrounding our pack?" I ask, not giving any details. I need to know if she knows about us being basically locked in. "I was given this pendant and told it would help me pass through any barrier protection that packs might have around their borders." She pulls a long silver chain from under her shirt. It ispletely unremarkable, so one would ever think to check something so in for magic. It''s genius. "Who gave it to you and when?" Cam asks from over my left shoulder.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. She doesn''t shift her focus from me. "I''ve had it for a couple years now. Daddy told me to never take it off and I just never really thought about it." "Why are you here now?" Oliver asks from my right. Again, not looking away from me she answers the question. "Skr knows our packnds and the border patrol schedule, she set it up. My pack has been neglected long enough that it is starting to be noticed. I''m not an Alpha, but I guess am the closest thing to met I leader that our pack has right now and want to help the innocent people. I don''t know what''s going on, but I do know that Alpha Br and Alpha Sharp were up to something and if it has something to do with them siding with the Rogue King, I don''t want to be a part of it. I don''t know what''s going on, but I think my pack needs help and we have a never ending supply of wolves I don''t recognize, traveling just outside our borders, but making no effort to contact us or connect with us. What can I do to help my pack?" "First, I really don''t have anyone to spare to help you. And if the rogues aren''t bothering your pack members, you should be fine for now." She looks disappointed, but that''s all we have right now. "If you are nervous for them, move them to a central location in your pack, as far from where the rogues are traveling. And whatever you do keep any non-warriors away from the border closest to ours. We know the Rogue King ising and he doesn''t care about innocent bystanders. As far from our pack as possible is going to be your safest bet for now." "Can you offer up any information? Do you know anything else about what your Alpha might have been up to and if we need to be on the lookout for another attack other than the Rogue King?" Dakot asks from behind me. Chapter 0601 She''s nervous now, I can see it, but also smell it on her. It''s rolling off in waves. Her skin is visibly getting mmy. How is it possible I can ''see'' mmy skin? "Olympia, what aren''t you telling us?" I ask slowly, watching for her physical reaction more than I am listening to her answer. ***"Something is happening, everyone be on your guard. Patrols take a second look at your surroundings and report back."*** I link out to everyone. No one from my team moves or looks like anything has changed thanks to their extensive training. But they are ready for a signal from me to engage. "I...I just want...my pack to be safe. They are being tortured left and right and now it will stop." She doesn''t look at anyone, but has enough pride to not look down at the ground. She thinks she is doing what is best, even if it is misguided and setting my pack up for harm. She took someone''s word at face value. No one will leave her pack alone. ***" Alphas, North side of the pack. They areing across the water about two miles north of the main entrance. I think she was supposed to stall longer, they aren''t even halfway across."*** One of our warriors reports. I link my mates and my team. ***"She''s either really bad at this or she knew that she could fulfill whatever order she was given and allow us time to prepare to fight by making us suspicious. She doesn''t want to be a part of this."*** ***"How many are crossing and is there any other sign of attack?"*** Cam asks our warriors. ***"About fifty, all in wolf form from what I can see at my vantage point Alphas." "*** ***"Nothing from the main entrance, Alphas. Extra help has joined us though, we are doubling patrols."*** Another warrior reports. ***"Southern edge is clear, but we are downwind and the air is stale and without any scents at all, not even the forest. More than likely that same damn spell with a second wave of rogues waiting for a signal to attack."*** I love that our warriors take nothing for granted. They take every experience and make it a learning lesson. ***"We agree. Northern border, take out whoever you can as theye across, the waters are shallow there, use it to your advantage. No prisoners. We don''t know what kind of magic or maniption is being used and we have already found out that many of them will die because of the spell cast on them anyway."*** Oliver doesn''t even converse with us to give the order. It''s like we can see in each other''s minds. I wonder if we will ever disagree on anything. Like he read my thoughts... ***"We will disagree on plenty, Love. Like, for starters, if you even hint at separating from us I will lock your ass in the bunker so fast, you won''t be able to use any magic against me..."*** ***"And as much as we don''t want you in the fight, we won''t stand in your way, but we won''t stand by and let you get hurt either, Sweetness. Get over it now, mate. The only people in our pack are warriors who can fight for themselves so you are our priority."* "*** ***"Don''t get so lost in the fight that you lose sight of us. I know we can link from probably any distance, but I want to be able to see you."*** Oliver jumps in before I can protest Dakota''s demands. ***"You do know that you are all targets now because you are mated to me, right?" They all humm in agreement. "And, that they will probably try to kill you three to get to me, but no one will hurt me, not here. The Rogue King wants me... alive. It would be better if..."*** ***"NO!!!"*** They all shout in unison making me flinch. ***"I was not kidding about the bunker, Tiny, and Nathaniel and Wyatt have already volunteered to keep guard and for good measure Mateo and Sam would probably add Sierra and Jena with you." Before I can let my anger re back another reportes in. "*** ***"Alphas, more wolves have started crossing the borders, we are engaging, but could use back up." "*** My anger subsides as my training kicks in. I look around assessing who''s with me and the information I have. "Mateo, Jena, Sam and Sierra. Take a team to the northern border and assist them. The attack has doubled." I fook at my mates. "I want to go to the southern border, where there is no scent. I think our skills are better suited there." They nod at me "Wyatt, stick to the main entrance. I want to know what''s going on there. Nathaniel, do what you can to get me eyes in the sky. I want to know what''s going on, but stick with Wyatt as back up." "Yes, ma''am." They both reply and then turn to get to work. "Lil, I want you with me. Something tells me I''m going to need my feral Gamma." Sheughs and rolls her eyes. "I''m going to need that story sometime, Tiny." Cam whispers in my ear, giving me chills. Oliver divides the rest of the group with us and Brett takes Olympia back to the house she was being held in. We are assuming that she is being tracked somehow and don''t want her any further into the packnds than necessary. Then we all move out. ***"Northern border, give us an update."*** ***"Still fighting, they are better than average wolves, but not super fast and none of them seem to have a personality, if that makes sense. They are mindless and just keeping out of the woods like ants." ***"Help is on the way."*** We move swiftly without wasting any energy on speed. I have a feeling we are going to need it. As we moved I took in the sights and scents. I can tell exactly the moment we cross into the area being tel blocked. It''s like I got a sinus infection and lost all scent. I can''t even smell the guys right next to me. I can hear noises though, so I know we are getting close to our team here. We all lower ourselves to the ground and belly crawl towards them just to make sure. I can''t trust my sensespletely now. I don''t know how or why the magic affects me this way, but I get some things and not others. ***"Oh Sh*t! How are you doing that?!?" Lil basically scolds me. ***"Doing what?"*** ***"Unless you are moving, I can''t see you, that''s what."*** ***"Huh?!"*** ***"Your fur turned the same color as the forest around you, that''s what."***N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Chapter 0602 ***"She''s right babe, you blend inpletely."*** Oliver scoots closer to me as we slow down to get a better feel for the area. I look at him and I can still see him, but there is a shimmer to his fur. Not like glitter or metal, but a shift in the colors of his fur to match the surrounding area directly behind him. I keep turning my head and notice Cam and Dakota are the same, then look down at myself and I can see the fur, but as I move or the breeze blows, the colors change to match what''s behind it. ***"All three of you are the same. How are we doing this?"*** ***"Part of your magic, I guess. We''re about to find out how well it works. You were right though." Oliver bumps my shoulder. ***"You''re going to have to be more specific. What am I right about this time Oliver?"*** His wolf gives me a lopsided grin which is adorable. ***"It would have been nice to test our basic abilities before we get caught up in a fight, smart ass. It is kind of annoying toe into this knowing we have enhanced abilities and magic, but have no idea what those abilities are or how to use them."*** ***"This has been my whole life since Alpha Reggie told me about my connection to the royal family. No one knew what that connection meant for me and what I would be able to do and now I have three mates, some type of prophecy surrounding me and the Rogue King, magicing out of every orifice I have, not to mention being somewhat of a freakshow before all of that."*** ***"Well, we love you freakshow, always have. Now tell us what your spidey senses are telling you. Cause I can''t smell a thing out here anymore except the three of you and it sounds like the forest kind of turned off."*** Dakotaes up on my other side. ***"Me too."*** Both Cam and Oliver say in the crazy twin speak. ***"That''s interesting. I can''t smell anything, but I can still hear really well. Like, I can hear the conversations of our warriors about 2 more miles out. Don''t ask me how I know that distance."*** Iugh as I try to exin myself. We keep moving cautiously towards our warriors, looking around at everything, trying to notice anything out of ce or just off. We made it to their camp without any incident though. I say camp loosley. We don''t have homes on this part of our packnds so there hasn''t been anywhere for our warriors to stay while they run patrols here, so several tents like the big ones we used for my trials have been set up to shelter them. They are more sturdy than camping tents and can be set up and broken down in record time. Lil and I shift ahead of the guys and just start walking into the group of warriors, not really thinking about the fact that it is still unusual to many of them that we can shift with our clothes still intact. ***"I still wish we had that particr skill."*** Dakota grumbles behind me. ***"Being naked after shifting has never bothered you before. What''s your issue with it now?"*** I ask, smiling back at him. ***"I have a mate now, Sweetness. And all of this manliness is just for you now, no one else gets to see it."*** ***"Lil will get you all clothes, just shift behind me, you''ll be fine for now. I don''t think anyone really cares, when we have bigger problems to worry about."*** I roll my eyes at his dramatics. I''m sure everyone here has seen his junk in full swing and I don''t even want to know how many of the females here have experienced him. A shudder runs through me at the brief thought. Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. "Lil, can you go roundup some shorts, apparently Dakota is being weird about shifting and being naked right now." She gives me a look and I can only shrug then she takes off. She''s never really seen them outside our group of friends, with everything going on and they have never been shy before. ***"Bitty, you do realize that even though you are a tad bit bigger, you would barely cover one of our thighs right? None of us want to shift out here. It''s almost like we can''t."*** ***"How would that work in a fight then? This is so stupid. Just shift, don''t make this any more weird."I''m looking at each one of them and even in their wolf form they look ashamed almost. I put my hands on my hips. "Cam...seriously, just shift, please. We have things to do. I don''t know why this is such a big deal."*** His wolf nods his head at me and I can see the telltale signs of his body beginning to shift, but it looks more painful than normal and not nearly as fast as when they shifted to their wolves earlier. It''s almost like he''s fighting himself. Eventually shimmers and his bones stop cracking as his body settles in front of me. Holy f*ck! He''s fully clothed, but even bigger than before. And somehow hotter than an hour ago. His height didn''t change, thank the Goddess, but he''s filled out more. His clothes look like they are two sizes too small. He went from being an eighteen year old boy, to a man right in front of my eyes. His muscles are more defined spe his jaw is filled out and sharper all at the same time. Everything seems to have matured on him in the span of a shift. "That shift sucked, what the hell happened?" Cam rubs his face and looks at me. "Why do you seem small again Tiny?" I''m not smaller, but I don''t think I can exin this one. At least you have your clothes, but I don''t think they willst if you move around too much." I smile up at him and his inquisitive look. "Just trust me, you''ll see when these other boneheads get moving." I look at Dakota and Oliver with my best re. They start to shift and it looks just as awkward and painful as Cam''s. "I look like I tried to put on some little kids'' clothes." Dakotaughs. "Damn, we look good." He smiles at the other two and starts to flex. I just roll my eyes. "Your ego didn''t need the intions." Iugh at him. "I''ll show you ego, little mate." He scooped me up so my legs were wrapped around his waist and kissed me deeply. I almost got lost in it and forgot where we were, until someone clears their throat. "Your feral Gamma found shorts that might actually fit the Alpha males that can''t seem to stop growing. I don''t know what happened to you Midge, but for some reason, you''re not allowed to grow." Sheughs at me and we all join in. "Ah, it''s about time the Alphas showed up. You know it doesn''t look very good for your pack''s safety if you don''t arrive at a threat in a timely manner. People could get seriously hurt due to yourck of initiative and response." "Alpha Br, I would hardly call you a threat." I step forward. Chapter 0603 "I was talking to your Alphas child, do not interrupt. You aren''t here under the arm of the Alpha King. Things work differently out here in the real world." Oliver growls in his chest behind me. I reach back and grab his hand to calm him down. ***"He''s trying to goad us. Stay calm and talk very little. He likes to have control, by riling people up and getting them to react. He can''t fight well and his warriors are poorly trained."*** I told all three of my mates. Oliver squeezes my fingertips, letting me know he understands. "What do you want, Alpha Br? We are clearly not avable to entertain." Cam asks. He''s always been the better peacekeeper. It used to make me angry when he would do it to cate Kaley and Kevin, but I can see how having a level head and appearing indifferent wille in handy. Br shifts his focus and I can see the wheels turning in his head as he takes in the three massive guys behind me. They are clearly making a statement in their usual positions around me, but he seems confused. "Charlene, I believe you said the new Alpha''s of Blue Crescent were twins, not triplets. That is a detail I would have remembered. It''s notmon." He looks over at his shoulder and I see her step out of the shadows of their warriors to take her ce, not at his side, but just behind his right shoulder. I have to smile at the idea that she wants power, but at the same time will take a back seat to an overbearing Alpha with a superiorityplex.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "That is the information the little blonde mouse gave me when we spokest. She did say that they had a less than worthy mate. I can see she was at least half right." Charlene smiles at me, but it doesn''t reach her eyes. I think she''s trying to intimidate me, but she just looks like she''s in pain. I roll my eyes in response. "Well, either way, I am here to offer my daughter as your chosen mate to ally our packs during this time of distress. Us neighboring packs must stick together and an alliance like ours would be most advantageous." ***"Yeah, for him. Moron. I bet he still hasn''t done the improvements we asked about when I first went to warrior training two years ago. He wants protection and status without any work on his part, he''szy and self righteous. From what I have seen Charlene is the same. He couldn''t even exin the patrol strategy, that I helped Kyle set up when I was thirteen, to Alpha Reggie when he was asked about it." I tell our whole team. "Don''t underestimate him though, he''s vindictive."*** "We have our mate and are very happy with the choice the Goddess made. And trying to infiltrate our pack is not the best way to form an alliance, wouldn''t you agree?" Cam asks. "How are your patrols and border protections?" Dakota asks, with a knowing smile. Alpha Br''s eyes fly to me and back to them. "Our patrols have always been superb, Alpha..." He doesn''t know who is who, even if he knew the twins names in the first ce, now there are three of them and I''m sure he couldn''t be bothered to figure out the Gammal name. He wouldn''t think it necessary. Gamma''s are servants to him and nothing more. None of my guys answer him. He doesn''t deserye to learn their names. I can see Charlene taking a tel. mental inventory of the people around us. I know that several of our warriors are still out patrolling. haven''t heard from them, so tam hoping everything is alright, but every warrior that was here at camp has stopped to watch the conversation. Chapter 0604 I''m not sure if Alpha Br has caught on, but they are all in a strategic position. Our little tent city is two rows running perpendicr to the forest and Br made his entrance at one end, very dramatically. Each tent has at least two of our warriors standing in it as we all talk near the center of the row. Each of them can have his group surrounded in a blink if needed.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. ***"I need a status update from the area surrounding the camp. Does Alpha Br have any more warriors hiding out? You probably won''t be able to scent them, you''re going to need to get a visual confirmation."*** All the patrol warriors let me know they heard me and we get a running check in as they scour the area surrounding us. "Daddy, I''m sure the Alphas would be morefortable if we sat down and negotiated with some refreshments. I know alliance treaties can take such a long time to make sure everyone gets what they want." She ces her hand on his shoulder. "Where are your Alpha quarters? I''m sure Skr could get something whipped up for her Alphas in no time. I would love a chance to get to know you all better. Miss Cunningham said that you are all very handsome, but I don''t think her description did any of you justice." She walks over and links her arm with Cam''s. It''s all I can do to hold still. I can''t risk anyone getting hurt because she''s flirting with him. She''s not wrong, they are hot and I''m sure other women will flirt, so I am going to have to figure out how to handle jealousy without starting a fight, at least initially. "That sounds like a great idea my dear, see Alphas, she''s already taking to her Luna duties, caring for the Alphas that are important to her. It''s just a natural instinct." I roll my eyes. "No." "NO? You refuse to serve your Alphas, your superiors? How dare you? You are just a Beta warrior. You are lucky they are letting you stand in front of them, let alone anywhere near them." Br snarls at me, letting his ''nice neighbor'' act slip. "You are not worthy of being their Luna, step aside and let the superior ranks handle things." "You do know that she isn''t our Luna right?" Oliver states and Br''s eyes light up like his birthday came early. Charlene giggles next to Cam as he tries to pull his arm from hers, looking horrified. Serves him right for always being cating. He was the same way with Kaley and he couldn''t seem to get rid of her either. I take a deep breath, I can deal with her groping his arm, for now. "I was not aware, you had not taken her as your Luna. Even better. Less mess when you take your chosen Luna." "You misunderstood him, Alpha Br. He said she''s not our Luna, not that we didn''t im our mate. In fact, she imed us as an Alpha of this pack." Dakota says. "Are all three of you exactly the same everywhere? How does anyone tell you apart?" Charlene.is trying to coo in Cam''s ear and can feel my heart rate rising. She needs to step away from him. "That''s absurd. No female is an Alpha." Br scoffs. "We actually now know two, so again you are incorrect. With your levels of misinformation, I don''t think an alliance would be the right move for our pack. We value all our members equally, not just the ranked members. Each pack member brings something to the pack and contributes." Cam finally extricates his arm from Charlene. Chapter 0605 "Oh, that is so wonderful how you care for everyone, I can''t wait to be your Luna." She looks at Cam like she might jump on him again, but moves for Oliver behind me instead. He pushes her away, I can hear the scuffle. I want to turn around, but my instinct tells me that Br is the bigger threat and I don''t want to turn my back to him. Dakota grabs her by the shoulders and holds her out in front of him. "We don''t want a Luna. Do neither of you listen? We have our Alpha mate. Our female Alpha. Now, we have other matters to handle within our pack. Please see yourselves out the way you came in." Dakota shoves her enough that she moves a few feet back from him. "But I am prepared to bear your pups. That little thing probably couldn''t carry pups as big and strong as yours will be." She flicks her fingers at me and my wolf growls. "I don''t even mind being shared. I would let you im me right here, if that''s what you wanted. I bet with three of you, someone is always watching." She smiles a little maniacally as she starts to pull up the skirt of her dress like she would bend over for them here, even in front of her dad. That''s when I lose it. This b*tch has gone too far. She can stupidly flirt while insulting me. I could give two sh*ts about it. I know they don''t want her, but now she is disrespecting everything that being a mate stands for. The intimacy that goes with being a mate is not shared with other people and she is trying to literally offer up her p*ssy to them in front of me and everyone here. I lunge and send her flying into one of the tents making it copsepletely on her. "I don''t share, go find your own Goddess given mate and quit trying to take mates that don''t belong to you." I snarl out at the pile of canvas she''s wrapped up in and let my Alpha aura out for good measure. Br looks at me astonished and angry. "You attacked a ranked member of my pack, now it is war you will get." He lunges at me and all hell breaks loose in the camp. I hear as all the wolves around me engage, but I only have eyes for this weak ass Alpha in front of me. He misses as I easily step aside and let his over enthusiastic lunge send him flying right on past. He turns, but it''s like everything is in slow motion for me. I can see him take a breath and decide where he''s going to attack me next. ***"Why is everyone so slow?"*** Dakota asks. ***"I don''t think they are slow, I think we are faster."*** ***"It''s kind of messing with my head, like in a dream where you can''t force your body to move but your brain is on hyper speed and can see what''s going to happen before it does and there isn''t anything you can do about it."*** Is heughing? ***"Well our element powers work at our speed, that''s for sure."*** Oliver says,unching a clod of dirt across the camp to hit an Irontooth warrior in the back of the head as he goes for Lil. ***"I''m just impressed that we can have an analyzing conversation while in the middle of the fight. Are we keeping Br and his daughter alive, Love? You know them better than us. Would he have information we could use?"*** ***"I actually don''t know them well at all. I only had a couple of interactions at the pce. That would be better suited for Osiston or Reggie."*** ***"What do you need, Little One?"*** ***"Uh, how did you know I needed to talk to you, Osiston?"*** ***"It''s a gift. What do you need?"*** ***"Alpha Br is here, trying to pawn his daughter on my mates. As you can imagine it wasn''t a well received idea and we need to know if we should keep them alive as prisoners or if anyone will miss them when they die."*** ***"No one will miss them, but take them as prisoners for now. I wille and collect them. Keep your link open, we will be there soon."***N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ***"Capture the warriors and Alpha Br and Charlene will be collected by Royal Pack members."*** I say to my warriors. ***"What if I already have a few who are less than conscious?"*** Lilughs at me. ***"Nothing we can do about it now."*** ***"If we have to keep them alive, can you just submit them all with your super powers, just in case there''s another wave behind this one?"*** Sometimes I forget I have extra powers, or I just like fighting. Maybe a little of both. I stop moving and see the smile that crosses Br''s face, he thinks he''s winning or slowed me down. When in reality, I was able to have that full conversation while batting him away like a fly Treach in for my wolf and let her help me with my aura. I still don''t understand this most basic power that ranked pack members have and it''s the one I am the most familiar with. It pulses out of me like a ripple from a water droplet and all of the fighters who are not a part of my pack drop to their knees, including Br and Charlene. She managed to extricate herself from the tent, but was not fighting. I huff, just another girl who wanted a title, but had no idea there was actual work involved with being a Luna and she would have to know how to defend herself and her pack with that title. Cam walked over to Br. "If your daughter was a true Luna and if you were a true Alpha you both would have been able to put up a fight from that submission. But, I''m going to be honest, you would have still been submitted. I don''t know anyone who has gone up against our Female. Alpha. Mate. and won. And I''ve seen our girl fight a lot of people, including the future Alpha King. You chose the wrong pack to challenge and didn''t even bring a real fight." He picks the Irontooth Alpha up by his shoulders and frog marches him to where his daughter is unceremoniously dropped by Dakota. Oliver walks a little way from the trashed camp and starts moving his hands. I see dirt flying, but I don''t understand what he''s doing. I walk over and ask too curious to leave it alone. "We don''t have any cells out here and I agree about keeping all of these people away from the center of the pack in case they are being tracked by the rogue king. So I''m digging a trench to drop them in for the time being. That way you don''t waste too much energy keeping them under your Alphamand. We need our girl ready to fight. This was just a test." I smiled up at him. I love it when they all call me ''their girl'' and use all the crazy pet names I''ve been given over the years. Chapter 0606 I grab his shoulder and pull him down to me. With thetest growth spurt, I am back to being just taller than their elbows again. He looks at me a little surprised as I kiss him full on the lips in front of everyone. I guess I''m getting past being shy about public disys of affection. He stops what he''s doing to wrap his arms around me and pick me up for better ess. Iugh into his mouth. We keep it PG, but he kisses me several times before I pull away and ask if I can help him. He slides me down his body slowly. "I would never turn down the chance to spend some one on one time with you, Baby." We get to work, and ourbined effort makes digging out the trench only take about twenty minutes. We had to make it deep enough that they couldn''t jump out, and wide enough that they couldn''t climb, we''ll see how smart they are though. This was actually a task Lil, Jena and I had to figure out at training. It can be done, and without magic. But if these guys think anything like their Alpha, they don''t think outside the box very well. "Alright, you got your moment. I want my good job kiss." Dakota whips me around and the other twough while the rest of our warriors put silver cors or wrist cuffs on the captured warriors and toss them into the trench. Lil was more aggressive than necessary, but she seems to be enjoying herself so I let it be. He walks us away from the crowd and basically devours my face. I have to press against his chest with a good amount of force to extract myself from him. "Dakota, slow down!" "I can''t help it. It is so hot watching you take charge and put all of these losers in their ce. I really, really want to take you home right now, but I know we have work to do, so you are just going to have to give me enough to tide me over." Iugh and kiss him again, which he takes full advantage of, then hands me over to Cam, I never hit the ground. "You really are impressive, Love. We''re never going to stop saying it." His kiss is just as hot but not as demanding as Dakota''s. "We need to go check on the Northern border and Wyatt and Nathaniel." "Someone should..." "Don''t even finish that sentence. We already told you we are not splitting up." Oliver puts his hand up to stop me as Cam''s fingers tighten on my thighs. "In any other normal situation, you are right, we should split up so someone can meet Osiston when hees for Br and Charlene and check the two other locations. It would also help to keep an Alpha aura on them, but this is not normal and you are not going to be out of our sight of any of us outside of the packhouse. Next topic." "Well, that was final...and spoken like a true Alpha." I wink at him as I jump down from Cam''s arms. "I guess you all are going to have to keep up." I take off, shifting mid run. I really want to know how fast we are, my wolves, their wolves. I can hear all themotion in my head, but I can also turn the sound down, it''s interesting. The fight is still going on on the Northern border, but it''s not dire. It doesn''t sound like they are actually trying to fight us, but if the point was to distract us for Alpha Br and Charlene, then they should be done now. The fight is still going on though, that doesn''t make any sense. ***"Nathaniel. ANything at the main entrance?"*** ***"Yes and No, Boss."*** ***"You are going to have to borate on that, Nathaniel. Not all of us are super geniuses that can read your mind."*** Cam chimes in. ***"There are no wolves or any people here, but there has definitely been movement. Patterns show that someone or something has been moving in and out using the same path for a while now. I can''t tell from the drones if it is surveince or if they have been bringing things in or taking things out. I really need to get close and get a first hand look."*** ***"Absolutely not! We are not risking you for surveince with flimsy information like that."*** I can''t even imagine risking Nathaniel''s life for something so stupid. He''s be another brother to me. He doesn''t need protection, something many of the Elite Warriors thought, since he is more quiet than any of them and really good withputers so he tends to be overwatch in a tent or vehicle ying home base. He is an amazing fighter and became our secret weapon on missions. We would use the stereotype to our advantage. ***"Your Alpha has spoken." Dakotaughs. "I love how protective you are, Smalls."*** I just giggle. I have always been protective. That''s probably one of the first things I recognized about myself. That is one thing I can thank Kaley and her dad, and if I am being honest, my own dad, for during my youth and teen years. We continue to run. My wolf is makingments about how we move, but I''m not really listening, I am just feeling. Feeling the breeze in our fur, feeling the dirt under our paws. I don''t even have to think, our body just moves through the trees, we hit nothing and don''t have to make decisions on which way to move to dodge or jump obstacles. We can just feel the forest, it''s almost like it is talking to us through our connection to the ground and it feels wonderful. Warm andforting, like a hug from Sierra when we first met. SHe didn''t know me, but pulled me into her sphere of brightness and I couldn''t pull away, didn''t want to pull away. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. We reach the Northern border in less than fifteen minutes. It would have been a forty five minute drive in the truck. That has to be a record. But, what I see when we get there is mayhem. Chapter 0607 There are bodies everywhere and it looks like the attacking wolves are just attacking no matter their state of injury. What the hell is going on? I don''t care what my mates say, I take off aiming for a wolf that is trying to attack my brother from behind. My wolf mps down on his hind leg and whips her head back. I can feel the leg break in her jaw just before she releases him and we watch him fly fifty yards behind us. THat should have been enough to put him out ofmission for at least a day, but as we look back we can see him stumble to stand on his three remaining good legs, the fourth bent at an unnatural angle. His eyes are red and his gaze is focused on us. ***"This is a trap for us! Jena and I were supposed to see these wolves. They are possessed the same way the wolves holding us captive were. We didn''t kill them when we escaped, just kept knocking them down long enough to get away. I think Tyler might have killed a couple though. He thinks we won''t kill them again. They are too deep into the spell, their only way out is death and you are going to have to break their necks to free them."*** My voice cracks as I say thest words. I hate the idea of killing innocent wolves, even if they signed up thinking the Rogue King''s mission is the best way, they didn''t sign up to be sacrificed. I hope the Moon Goddess gives them a better life the next time around. We dive in and I keep my mates in my peripherals at all times. As much as I scoff at them for their overprotectiveness, I can''t help but be aware of their safety at all times too. I will never admit to keeping close enough to reach any of them in a single jump, they would never let me live it down that I wanted to be close to them. Wolf after wolf goes down, but they were right, they just keeping. ***"Is this what took so long to attack? He was building up numbers against us?"*** Mateo asks. ***"More than likely." My dad grunts as a wolf barrels into his side, sending him and the wolf locked in his jaw sideways to the ground. "This is the attack to wear us out." He calls out casually breaking his opponent''s neck and turning to handle the one who knocked him down. "They didn''t expect the level of fighters we would have though, based on how little fighting experience they seem to possess. They also can''t seem to differentiate the higher ranking targets versus the warriors. They are attacking whoever is closest to them. You would think if they were supposed to target our Alphas, they would have all gone after you four when you got here." I am going to have to table the thoughts and emotions surrounding my dad having an actual conversation with me and calling me an Alpha out loud for the first time. ***"So, you are telling us that the faster we get rid of these idiots, the faster we can take our mate home?"*** Dakota asks. ***"Not really the thought I wanted in my head, man"*** My brother gripes and my dad huffs in acknowledgement. ***"Deal asshole. Remember, my room was next to yours when you found your mate."*** That is thest thing Dakota says before he jumps in and starts tearing wolves apart left and right. Cam, Oliver and I do the same staying close. It takes another two hours to get through the hordes of wolves that just continue toe out of the water. They finally stop crossing and we are able to wrap it up quickly. Our speed allowed the others to stop and watch the work being finished in moments, while they gathered and tended to wounds and minor injuries caused by the attacking wolves. Once thest attacking wolf was disposed of we all shifted to human form and joined in with the healing. "Still no smell. I wonder if that is so we can''t tell they areing or if it keeps us from finding out which packs they are from or what." I''m thinking out loud as I move through helping dress wounds that will need a few hours to heal. We have all huddled close to go through what happened today. "Probably a mixture of all of those things, Little One." I snap my head to the side and can''t help the smile that spreads across my face. "Osiston! When did you get here?" I ran for him and he scooped me up like the tiny person I still ampared to him. He gives me a hug and then sets me on the ground. "Alphahood suits you, Little One. Though I thought you would maybe get a little bigger." He pats me on the head and I roll my eyes. "You know I got bigger, jerk." I mutter. "But ''bigger'' for me is nothingpared to you and my mates, who seem to also get bigger with each new thing thates our way." I p my hand at the three of them looking smug since they now stand taller than him, but only by an inch or so. His royal Alpha blood gives him more advantage than it ever gave or will give me. "We have been scouring thends around your pack and haven''t found any sign of the Rogue King or Adrielle. The Alpha King and I have both been personally searching, hoping our heightened senses would help, but we havee up empty handed." Osiston exins once we are back at the packhouse, sitting around the table on the patio.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. Elena and Gentry insisted on putting up barriers that would warn us of another attack so we could lighten the number of patrolling wolves to give them more time to rest and recover from today. They also helped the healers with salves and tonics that would speed up the healing process, just in case another attack came tonight, but none of us think that will happen. This was some sort of test and possibly a disposal. Kyle and my dad stayed to help with the first run of patrols and Brett and Osiston are on the next shift. Martha an dLenny made sure that we were all fed . "Do you really think he was trying to lessen his numbers?" Cam asks Osiston. "That doesn''t make any sense if they were tied to the spell keeping him hidden." "It is, if the spell works both ways?" Gentry starts and we all look at her confused. She smiles. "Not all magic ispletely under the control of the caster. Think of it like giving a BUT child a direction to clean their room, but nothing more specific than that, There are hundreds of ways to interpret the direction and a clever child will find a way to follow the direction while also notpleting the task, if they want to be a pain in the butt. Depending how the cloaking spell was cast, maybe we are cloaked in a way from the Rogue King and he needed the attack today to get closer to us. This is something that Adrielle would have known and would have nned for, leading us to believe they are not working toward the exact same goal, but you are the object of both of their desires." She looks at me. Chapter 0608 Everyone disperses to their own activities since there are a few hours left in the evening. Dealing with Olympia and fighting with Br and Charlene didn''t take nearly as long as one would think. The fight with the neverending zombie wolves took the most time. We were home by normal early dinner time, which I haven''t been on time for since the beginning of my Elite training. Cam stands up andces his big fingers with mine, helping me up. We walk silently to the Alpha''s office. "I agree with Dakota, we need to change this office space up a bit so the four of us can work here together." He closes the door and I look around at the space. The dark masculine walls used to make me feel intimidated. No one ever got called in here unless you did something really bad. Lucas really only used this space to ce orders for the pack and go over financials. He didn''t like meeting with other Alphas in here, he said it was pretentious and he didn''t need to participate in the d*ck measuring contests. He would walk them around the pack, more interested in showing off what the pack was actually doing than the mary value of the stuff in his home. Cam broke me out of my memories, guiding me around the desk to sit me in hisp in therge, formal chair. He pulls my back tight to his chest, presses his nose to the base of my neck and he takes a deep breath. "This, my little mate, is how we have taken care of the pack for thest two generations. When you inevitably find something wrong with it, we will adapt and move on." He huffed augh into my hair. "Actually, Oliver is better with the numbers than I was. We should have him look over it. Do you want me to call...him?...Ah." I barely got my question out as he nibbled my neck and squeezed my boob. "No," His voice is low and growly. Not aggressive, but firm nheless. "I want you all to myself for just a little while. Dakota and Oliver are giving us our time." "Huh?" I can''t think with his lips on the back of my neck and shoulders like that. "But, I thought you all wanted to share." I managed to pant out a whole sentence. Every touch feels so good. The three of them are overwhelming in the best way. My brain literally short circuits. But Cam is dominant and demanding. His movements are controlled and borderline painful, without feeling unsafe. "We love sharing you, Skr. But we each want your undivided attention too." His hands are roaming everywhere. One is on my torso, the other, squeezing my thigh. "Don''t worry. No one is keeping score, we will all get our time with you and you will get whatever you want from us. Just tell us who and what you want and it''s yours." "Okay." My head drops back to his shoulder as I drape my legs wide open over his as he kneads my clit. "I need your face between my legs." His speed leaves me dizzy. I amying on my back, all my clothes shredded on the floor. He has my feet propped up on the arms of the desk chair as he looks at me spread wide open for him.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. "Is this what you wanted, Love? To be on disy for me so your juices drip all over my desk and I will be able to smell your scent every time I sit down to work?" "Yes." I had no idea this would be just as big of a turn on for him as it is for me, but have no problem with him thinking of me like this when he works here. That was all the invitation he needed. He dove right in, iming my p*ssy for his own. My back arched off the desk in response, but he has my hips pinned down with his massive forearms. "Oh, f*ck! Cam!" He is doing some kind of swirling thing with his tongue and my body must have been more wound up than I thought or my mates can just get me from zero to sixty in a matter of moments. "I think the other two are enjoying your show, Love. Should we give them some more?" He looks up from between my legs, but his lips brush against me as he talks. "What? I don''t under...Oh, yes!" He presses his stiff tongue inside me and I hear a groan, but it was inside my head, not from him. Camughs. "This is going to be the I best part about having you all alone. Seeing who can maintain theirposure while you are attacking our minds with your overwhelming lust. You are a naughty girl in that head of yours." He slides two fingers inside me, watching as my body reacts and I hear the moans in my head again and I know it''s Oliver and Dakota. He''s messing with them as much as he''s messing with me. "Should I go faster, Love? I can feel how much you are squeezing my fingers, so close now." "Please, yes. Faster, harder. I need more of... more...yes, like that. Oh, Cameron, don''t stop. Yes. Yes. Oh f*ck, YES!!" His scissoring fingers, thrusting in and out of me at a punishing pace, would have probably left marks before we mated. Now I am holding his te in both of my hands, riding out the high ofing all over his fingers and his mouth and I know we are nowhere near done yet. "Are you going to f*ck me like this too? I think I would like it." I can feel howzy my speech is, but I can''t help asking. He said I could have anything I wanted when it came to s*x. "Throw my legs over your shoulders and just pound into me." Chapter 0609 "Just like that, Love. You want me to pound into you?" "I want you inside me, now." "So much sass. I might have to spank you for it." "I think I would be okay with that too." I think I sound drunk, but I''m not and I know what I am asking for. If I want to do anything rough, Cam is going to be my guy. Now I just need to convince him I''m on board. "Only for you, Love." He stands and adjusts me to the edge of the desk. He somehow got his clothes off, maybe while I was figuring out what I wanted, anyway he''s a naked God and it really just isn''t fair. "Still like what you see? Even with the changes." "Not a lot has changed. Not for me. I''ve always liked the way you looked. You''ve always been...impressive. Uh, yes!" He fills me to the hilt, but stills so I can adjust a little before he starts to move. At least he''s making involuntary noises too and not all of them are deep and manly. I don''t have the mental space to think of a way to make fun of him, because every delicious thrust has me thinking other thoughts, like how can I get him deeper? He is holding my legs, but I am sliding along the surface of his very clean desk and I am not quite long enough to grip the end to hold myself in ce. "Come again, Love. I can feel how close you are." I smile and shake my head ''no.'' "Not without you." He thrusts harder. I want the spanking he promised. I don''t know why that excites me so much, but it does and he can''t do that if I amying on my back. He slows down when I grip his wrists and only looks at me confused for a minute when I shift him out of me so I can turn my body, nting my feet on the floor and leaning on the desk on my forearms. He grips my hips, digging his fingers in. "So demanding, now that you have your full Alpha status. What should I do about that?" "I think you owe me a spanking and I think my mates have waited long enough to feel us bothe hard together, don''t you think?" I wiggle my ass at him and watch the gleam in his eye turn from yful to dominant in an instant. He grips my hips again pulling me back towards him, rubbing his hardened length through the wetness that is now dripping out of me. I whimper at the sensation. He repeats the motion and I swear stopped breathing. He rubs my butt cheek with his right hand, like he''s warming it up for me. He thrusts again, still not entering me, just teasing. I''m about to say something when a ''CRACK'' echoes in the room. I barely get a sound out when he thrusts into me, hard. "Is this what you wanted, Little mate? Someone to dominate you in something for a change?" "Yes!" He keeps thrusting hard, holding my shoulder with his left hand to make sure he fills mepletely each time. ''CRACK!'' I flinched a little at the second spanking, but he started rubbing it immediately with his hand, not once letting up on his punishing pace. can feel the spot warm with blood flow, it''s going to be red for a while after this, even with my heating ability. "Such a good girl, taking her sassy punishments from me." He kisses my shoulder gently, changing the angle of his thrusts. "Are you going toe for me now, Little Mate?" "Oh yes, I''m so close."This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org. "What do you need, Love?" "Your hands... your hands rubbing my cl*t...and keep kissing me...on my neck... OH F*ck! Yes! Just like that. Come with me Cam, please. Yes, like, that. AH!" He thrusts in me as I see stars and spots explode behind my eyes. I can''t understand what he is mumbling in my hair, but I can feel him pulsing inside of me and it just extends the aftershocks that feel like they could just keep going. I''m sure if Het him keep it up I coulde again. I sag against the desk, but he doesn''t let me stay that way for long, pulling me into hisp and nuzzling into my neck. "You are perfect, Skr. I love you." "I love you too Cam. That was amazing. Do you think it bothered the other two too much?" "I f*cking hope so." Heughs. "You know it''s going to be apetition to see who can get you off and distract the others in the most inopportune moment right?" Chapter 0610 "What?! No! You guys wouldn''t do that would you?" "Did you feel how intense your org*sm was? I can guarantee that wasn''t just the two of us. It was hard to concentrate on anything else with you sprawled all over the desk like that. The image of you leaning forward ready for me, tight little ass in the air." He groans, and I hear other faint, muffled sounds in the back of my head, but Cam''s hand moving erases the thoughts immediately. "I hope my hand printsts long enough to show it off." He gripped my butt with just enough force to remind me exactly where he spanked me. "Do you really have work to do in here or was it just an excuse to get me alone?" I ask shifting sideways to sit across hisp and look at him. I''m tracing the patterns of the tattoos that are now on his arms and he is gliding his fingertips up my spine causing goosebumps to raise all over my body. "Would you be upset if I said both, but more thetter?" He has his chin tucked and his eyes are focused where my hands are on his arm. "No, I''m not upset. More curious about the location. Why not take me upstairs and tell Kota to find another ce to nap?" "Because I spend the most time here. Dakota was trained to do the financials too, but it''s never been his thing. I think Oliver will take to it better than Kota ever did now that we have him too. But this is my space, forck of a better term and I wanted you here in my space, just for me, with me." I can''t help but smile at him. He can be so intense and serious, but when his sweet sidees out, it''s just as intense and I just melt. I lean in to give him a kiss, which esctes quickly. I manage to gain control of my senses and push back from him.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "Will you show me what you actually do in here?" He smiles and gives me another small, sweet kiss. We managed to look at a few of the financial books once we collected them off the floor with everything else that went flying when he threw me on the desk. He tried a few times to show me how he works, but he would not keep his hands to himself and I was not about to stop him. His touch set fire through my whole body, they all have that effect on me, but one on one is a different feelingpletely. By the time he is done with me it is dark outside and I am wrecked. We used every chair in the office, he had me pinned against the door at one point. His dominating personality shone through in every way. Sometimes rough and sometimes sweet, but always dominant. velin? We don''t say anything as he pulls his shirt over my head since mine ended up in shreds on the floor. I tuck my head in the crook of his neck as he carries me to the elevator to our floor. I don''t hear any voices or sounds. Everyone must have gone to bed already. I''m going to have to work on my concept of time. The having mates distraction is making that a problem. He does set me down on my feet once we step off the elevator. I was confused and sad for a second and then irritated at myself for getting toofortable being carried everywhere. No Alpha gets carried and just the thought of needing to be carried used to make me cringe. I head for the bathroom, where I can hear the shower already running. I love how quickly I have gotten used to being around the three of them without being covered up. My scars stopped bothering me a long time ago, but for some reason a twinge of nervousness, shyness, insecurity maybe, something passes through me when I look at them. They are allrger than life and gorgeous and I am just little old me. They were built like gods when we were younger and they just keep getting better as we get older. The Goddess was not stingy when she blessed my three guys. More muscles, more size, even tattoos. I just gained enough size to stay taller than their elbows. I am not jealous or angry, I could stare at them all day and not get bored, but this is when I understand Oliver''s point of view, wondering, why me? Chapter 0611 I pull off Cam''s t-shirt and step in behind Oliver. Speaking ofrger than life and gorgeous. He has always been tall, dark and handsome, but the addition of the extra cut muscles that are rippling and flexing with each small movement he makes has me almost drooling, just staring at him. He looks over his shoulder and smiles at me with that half smile, making my breath catch. He doesn''t stop what he''s doing or say anything, just watches me out of the corner of his eye as I step into the stream of water he had on and warm for me next to the shower head he was using. I shower quickly before this turns into more than can handle. We both stepped out and dried off, another t-shirt wasid next to my towel. This time it is Cam''s shirt and I have to smile. I finish getting ready for bed after Oliver leaves the bathroom. It''s sometimes overwhelming to have all three of them around all the time, but I also don''t think I would want it any other way after spending so much of my youth alone. I would choose this chaos everytime. "Laying a im there brother?" Dakota asks as I walk straight to the bed andugh. "Just thought it was fitting, that''s all. You''ll have her all day tomorrow. I wanted to remind her which triplet is superior." Heys back with his arms behind his head looking smug. "I wonder if that will ever stop being weird to hear?" Oliver slides in next to me. "Get used to it. Tiny is the only one who can tell the three of us apart. It''s actually kind of funny to watch people guess or not say our names when they talk to us. Even Mom and Brett can''t tell." Cam shrugs. "Not gonna lie, that''s also an adjustment. I mean, I''ve never seen dad with anyone, but to see him with the Luna is strange for me. Are you guys okay with that? I mean, it''s been what, three months since your dad passed. That''s not a lot of time to grieve, if she even has. We''ve all been kind of busy." Oliver ys with a strand of my hair. "I actually think that might be l.n helping her, especially now. They were always close, like you and Tiny, there''s always been a tight connection, She''s a Luna, even if a former one, and she''s worried about the pack and now all of us. We finally have our mate, the person who is going to have our pups and that is something she has looked forward to for a very long time. Now that we know what we do about Dad and Adrielle and all of that stuff, I wonder if they were worried about us even surviving this long in life. But that is a conversation for another day. It has been a long one and I worked over our little mate here. She needs her rest." "We''ll just have to wait and see which triplet she likes the best when we''ve all had our time alone. She can''t base her decision on you alone when there are two others to choose from. Dakota climbs in and leans over his brother making a show of kissing me deeply and I jus smile into it. He winks at me and pulls I away. "I have a whole day with you." I ignore them. "What''s tomorrow?" "We are training. You want to see what we can do and Jena, Lil and Sierra are the best people to spar with since they know your moves the best. We have been informed that they have given us enough time with you and we need to share." "Wait! Why haven''t they said anything to me about that?"This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "They know you and know that you will put them first even with the new mate bond in ce, so they have been talking to us through their own mates. Don''t ask, I stopped trying to figure gut girls'' thought processes a long time ago. Bottom line they miss you and I''m sure part of that was being stuck in the tornado. It was more than enough away time for them, but for us it was hours." Cam caresses my face. Chapter 0612 "Are you both not going to be there?" I look from Oliver to Cam. We will, but Gentry and Elena want to work with us on our magic, so we will be around but with other focuses. With the Rogue King right around the corner and Adrielle doing who knows what, we all need to be prepared, but to be honest I''m not interested in being too far from you either. The thought used to make me sick when we were just friends and I thought I was going to be your Gamma. The idea that there''s a threat and you are going to be on the other side of the training arena makes my skin crawl. The only thing that is keeping my wolf calm about it is the fact that Dakota will be with you."This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. I lean in and give him a kiss, then turn to Cam to do the same. He tries to heat it up to rile up Dakota and Oliver, but Oliver snatches me back against his chest. I fell asleep almost instantly. I wake up early again. It''s nice to have some kind of return to a schedule. I have been so off for so long. THis little calm before the storm of the day is nice. I find myself back in the reading area, Ava was right, this is my favorite ce, I am sitting with the dark green leather Grimiore again. I haven''t seen mine, which I n on asking about when we see Gentry and Elena today. Maybe they have it to add to it. This time when I open the pages, my fingers feel cold. I''ve never had that with the grimoires before. Everyone I have ever handled has felt warm to the touch, like it was inviting me to read. This one almost seems like it''s warning me off, but there is a different page marked and I can''t get past my curiosity. This one has swirls of ck ink that are sharp and pointy like thorns. The paper also has an acrid smell like when stic is burned and the smell lingers in the air, stuck to everything. I can''t decipher the words. THis is anguage that Elena never went over when we studied back at the pce. I''ll have to ask her about it today. "Hey Baby." Oliver kisses the back of my head. "Good morning, Love." Cam kisses the same spot. "Hello Sweetness. You ready for a nice looooong day with me?" Dakota scoops me up off my chair as carries me into the kitchen. "I want to go on record saying that whatever you got up to with Cam yesterday was hot and I did have to spend an unusual amount of time in the shower, and I would like to return the favor." He kisses the side of my head again. "Hey! Can you wait on the favor return until after I am done working with Gentry and Elena? I think one day of embarrassment with them is enough, don''t you?" Oliver points a spat at him. "Wait, what happened?" I hope I didn''t get him in trouble. "Let''s just say that not only does your personal firepit go off when you are messing around with us, but the mates you are not actively having s*x with can and will org*sm like it''s the fast climax they will ever have no matter who is standing around." "NO!!" My hands are on my cheeks trying to hide the embarrassment. "It was probably the best I have ever had by myself and I didn''t even need my own hand." He walks over to me and wraps me in a hug while looking at Dakota who shrugs his shoulders shamelessly. "But I was hard all day and came more than once. One even dropped me to my knees. I couldn''t move for about five minutes and all those two witches did wasugh at me, they tried to hide it at least, but not well. So I would appreciate some sympathy today." Chapter 0613 I move the green grimoire to the counter and turn to give him a hug. "I am sorry that happened. I will try to be more aware of where everyone is." "Don''t, we don''t want to interrupt your time with any of us. It can be so chaotic and there are three of us. You do whatever you want with us, we won''tin, I promise." He kisses me on the forehead and pulls me in for another hug. "What''s this Bitty?" He reaches for the book. "It''s a grimoire, I think. It''s not mine and I don''t know of anyone else who has one. It was on the bookshelves. I thought maybe it was given to Lucas. It feels cold and angry when I open it, like the book doesn''t want me to read it. I was going to ask Gentry and Elena about it today." "If it isn''t friendly, let''s not open it any more and get down to them sooner rather thanter." Cam jumps up to help cook, ending that conversation abruptly. He''s been the most wary of the magic since he found out about the deal his parents made. Dakota and I get out tes and make coffee. It feels so domestic and foreign and yet familiar all at the same time. I lean back against the low cabs separating the kitchen from my sitting room and watch them like I used to watch all the guys from the patio when they would clean up after big dinners by the pool. "What has that smile on your face?" Dakota walks over and grabs my hand to bring me back to the ind. "Just a little deja vu, watching you guys in the kitchen together." I smile and follow him to the ind. They actually let me sit in a chair this morning, all by myself. We ate and talked about nothing in particr and then got ready like this is our normal everyday. As soon as we hit the main floor I am attacked by Sierra. She acts like we didn''t see each other at all yesterday. Well, I mean it was busy with the random wolves attacking. "Let''s go test your fighting abilities now, and please promise not to kill anyone alright?" She sing-songs as she leads me out the door, not caring at all who is following along. We go to one of the smaller arenas, we still haven''t had the time or man power to remove all of the broken obstacle pieces. It feels wrong to just leave it like that, but we have bigger problems. I do want it fixed before we bring the pups home though. We move to the farthest edge of the arena and Sierra turns me towards her. "Okay, now I really need to know. Are you happy? I mean, you always wanted to find your mate and basically ride off into the sunset with him. Now you have three mates, are here permanently and you''re an Alpha because you are too good to be a Luna." She has her hands on her hips and I can feel Jena and Lil behind me. We are upwind from them, but I can catch faint whiffs of their scents. Their presence is like a pressure at my back. Without looking I can tell how far they are from me and at what angle they are to my back. ***"Dakota, have them test your blind spot, just past your peripherals." "I am happy. I only wanted to leave because of Kaley. I figured they would find a way to make her Luna and the abuse would just continue." "But you came back a warrior. So even if Mike didn''t help us take out the trash, you would have been able to beat her." Lil starts. ****Smalls! This is so cool, I can feel them behind me, like radar or something. MAteo is getting pissed. Haha!"*** "I would never harm my Luna, even if it was Kaley. That''s why I wanted to leave. And what''s wrong with being a Luna? Ava was a great Luna, so is Luna Anne." I ask, now realizing that they set me up in the center to be teamed up on. They all start to circle and I try to follow them with my eyes when my wolf reminds me to use all of my senses. I know I can feel them around me, so I don''t actually need to look. I can smell each one of them individually, so I can even tell which way they are circling can hear the sounds of the dirt shifting under their feet and I have been with Lil and Jena on plenty of missions. I know they make no sounds to the non enhanced ear. Lil strikes first, she''s the most impulsive of my team and usually the first to strike. We tended to n around that simple fact. She moves at my left side, which was my weaker side, but I grab her wrist before she even gets two steps closer to me and whip her around into Sierra. Jena takes her chance. She tries to jump at me from my right side, I just duck and let her jump over me. It all seems pretty standard sparring so far. They keeping at me and I keep dodging them, not really putting in any effort. My wolf isughing at whatever their wolf''smentary is, she won''t tell me though, ''it''s a wolf thing.'' Whatever. I''m still not great with the passing of time when I am working out and training, but they are panting and sweaty. I look over to Dakota and he looks just as calm and collected as I feel, but my brother and Sam are just as rough as the girls. "Okay, I think you and your mate need to spar for a little while." Lilughs. "I haven''t been this tired and sore since started Elite training camp more than two years ago. You suck Midge, I''m just saying. I love you but I also hate you a little right now. F*ck you''re fast and you were fast before, now it''s like you can read minds." "Yeah, it''s like they can anticipate what''sing. I''m d it''s just the two of you. Having all four might actually kill us." Mateoughs, walking over to check on Jena. Naturally she pushes him away with a fake scowl. "Well Smalls, what do you say? Wanna take me on?" "I don''t know if you could handle me Dakota." I wink at him.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "I''m pretty sure I handled you plenty the other night. Do you need another demonstration?" "I think that might have been a one time thing, and you did have help?" I hear Cam and Oliverugh from somewhere in the arena, but I don''t take my eyes off Dakota. He''s being yful, but the look in his eye says he''s out to make an example right now and I ampletely here for his absolute take down. He lunges at me and I just smile. Chapter 0614 Dakota grabs for my waist, but I turn out of his hold and aim a strike at his back. He counters and grabs my wrist. He pulls me towards him with a smile on his face like he''s already won and he wants to steal a kiss, but he has another thinging.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. I let him pull me close enough to reach out and push up on his chin. I don''t hit him, but I grab as much of his face as I can and drive his big ass back and down. I catch him off guard enough to get him off his feet, he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me with him. His bulk overpowers me no question. We tumble backward and he rolls so he ends up on top of me, but I still know how to use my size to my advantage and I slide out from under him through his legs, leaving him on all fours. He scrambles at me like a wolf and I raise my hands to protect myself, I''m not far enough away to do anything more, but I am met with a shower of dirt, a stunned Dakota and gasping friends as I open my eyes. "What the hell, Oliver?! No cheating. You''re not allowed to protect her, although I''m impressed with the distance, man." "What the hell are you talking about?" Oliver turns towards us, dropping his hands and whatever Gentry had him holding in the air. Elena and Cam stop too, looking over confused. "You aren''t allowed to put up dirt walls between her and her opponents, that. Is. Cheating. But, again, that is a great skill to have. "I didn''t do anything. I have been trying to work with Cam,bining earth and wind as a weapon. There is no way I had enough concentration to make a wall." "Then who did?" "I think the answer is obvious, Alpha Dakota." Gentry says the title, like she is trying to soften the insult of him not paying attention. "Your tiny mate clearly can control the earth without the assistance of Oliver. It''s not her main skill, but it came out in a time of need when her mind and body could think of no other way to escape from your attack. You were able to easily break through it, but it gave her and would give anyone else enough time to counter or get away." "I would also like to see your wolves. Can they control the camouge that Lil was talking about?" Elena walks over. Cam and Oliver don''t hesitate to get as close to me as possible. "I''m interested in this wall you made." Oliver kicks at the small mound of dirt left behind after. Dakota rammed through it. "Do you think it was only a reaction, or can you control it?" "I''m not sure. I didn''t even know I did it until you all said something.¡± "Why don''t the three of you attack her and she can see what happens, because I''m sure the rest of us would leave singed and missing limbs." Samughs, but looks a little worried. "Yeah, Dakota got the best reactions out of her and they were better matched. You guys are so fast, it''s hard to watch." Jena adds in. I just shrug. I''m all for testing things out and my muscles are loving the full on workout. I can actually feel the t¨¦nsion leaving my body the more that we move. "No f*cking thank you!" Lil shouts somewhere to my left. "Did you see that? THey all went into predator mode together and no one knows who is who, that is freaky." That was all my guys needed to start circling me. "She knows." My brother praises me. "She was the only one who could tell Cam and Kota apart and that was when there were only two of them and before any of her enhancements really kicked in. There''s three of them now, but do you remember the trials? She was the only one who was double and triple teamed and she wasn''t even really supposed to be that far in thepetition in the first ce. She was too young." Chapter 0615 "What do you mean trials?" Jena asks. "Oh, babe, you missed it." Mateo starts going into detail about how the trials worked and how I got special permission after Osiston and Niks saw me during our regr training in the pack. But I had to stop listening, I needed to concentrate. None of my guys are going to give me any sympathy. Dakota already said he wanted to make sure I didn''t make him look like aplete idiot. All three are in a fighting stance, they''ve stopped circling since they know my brother is right and they won''t confuse me, so looking alike isn''t a benefit for them. I can tell that they are talking to each other. They aren''t talking out loud or using their mouths at all, but it''s as if I can read their minds like someone would read lips. They are deciding who is going to attack first. They aren''ting at me all together. Interesting. I would have two attack while one watches for the reaction and initiates a second attack. They still don''t want to hurt me, I am still their biggest weakness. I just shake my head, but I keep all emotion off my face. I am not going to egg them on or look intimidated. I can see Cam''s muscles tense. He''s going to strike first. My wolf and my body are ready to counter him. He''s on my left and Dakota is on my right, leaving Oliver at my back. He''s two steps further than Cam and Kota. Maybe he can read my mind and is hanging back to be the next attack. All of this plotting takes only a matter of a minute or so. I''m getting ready to go on the offensive and mess up their whole n, when Elena mindlinks me. ****Skr, try to only use magic. Just do what you feel. Your mind and your wolf won''t let you harm your mates. But they won''t see iting and they think they don''t have to work as hard because there are three of them and they have the size advantage."*** She has taken to this wolf thing very well. I really need to sit down with her and talk through all the things going on with me and my dad and how all of this is supposed to work when we are finally done with the Rogue King. I take her advice, but keep my stance, not letting them know I have changed my tactics. My wolf and I focus on what is around us. There isn''t anything fire based near, and I don''t think that would be my first line of attack. It can get too out of control too quickly. That''s the major thing I have learned from all of this magic stuff, each spell has its limitations, but magic cast and left alone with no direction can be catastrophic, even for the caster.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org. The earth around me is plentiful. The whole arena is a dirt patch. I can feel water running under the ground, but it is too deep to pull quickly. I might be able to make a trench or moat if needed though. The wind is also freely avable, so I think a dust storm is what they are going to get. I Camunched himself at me and I countered the same way I did with Dakota earlier, only this time I moved straight in Dakota''s path and he almost grabbed me, catching the hem of my tank top instead. I duck and spin, twisting his arm in it as Cam makes another run at me. I duck under Kota''s legs pulling him down with me, causing Cam to m into him instead of sandwiching me. I wasn''tpletely aware of my surroundings though, Oliver grabs my hips and pulls me back. My shirt is still fisted in Kota''s hand though so he follows his arm through his legs and flips onto his back, pulls me out of Oliver''s hands and across his chest. Chapter 0616 "You didn''t think it was going to be that easy did you, Smalls?" "I don''t think anything about this is easy, Kota." Iugh, turning over and finally getting my shirt back. I try to maintain my stance and not fight like Elena suggested, but Cam starts towards me again. Cam swipes at me and we are now both throwing and dodging punches. Being a foot taller than me makes it weird for both of us. He has to aim correctly so he doesn''t hit me in the face every single time and I have to aim higher than normal to hit him anywhere other than in the family jewels. I have decided I rather like them and would like them to function beyond today''s training. He''s backing me up and I can feel Kota behind me and Oliver to my right now. THey are trying to corral me. I let them get a little closer, thinking they have me. My wolf and I dig in and feel the magic just hanging out deep in my chest like it was just waiting to be called on. It starts slow, unsure, like it''s attached to my emotions. I know we won''t hurt them, but that is always a concern. I never want to hurt anyone unintentionally. I have plenty of people to take my wrath out on that deserve it. I let go of the fear, I have to trust my magic and my wolf to know the difference between people who I care about and people who are enemies. The wind starts to pick up and I can feel the specks of dirt as they pass me to start encircling my guys.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. "What the hell?" Oliver catches on first. Of course he does. I try not to let him get too far into his realization so I just amp up the dust storm. It''s amazing! I''m in the middle of it, but the flying debris doesn''t seem to bother me at all. I can see all of them, like looking through water, but they are all struggling, arms over their faces and ducked down to avoid dirt clods pelting them. It seems I have it contained around the three of them though, sweet! ***"Try to make your sphere around them smaller force them to the ground. With your size this puts them at a disadvantage and in a cage of sorts."*** Elena coaches me through trapping them and now I smile, this is so much fun and so far, it''s easier than fighting. We''ll see how I feel when it''s all over. I think of packing a snowball, keeping my hands domed and pressing in making it tighter and morepact. The three of them get closer and closer, eventually squatting down looking like the tiny animals Elena intended when my wolf and I finally let them up. "Oh damn, Bitty. You''re going to have to teach me that one." Oliver brushes dust out of his hair. "Definitely not fair with the multi element sneak attack, Smalls." Dakota smiles at me. "But I like that you can pin people down and out of the way. Is it stupid that I know you are a beast and I still worry about your safety? It kind of makes my head spin." He grabs me in a hug and nts a dusty kiss on my cheek. "No, it''s not stupid. She''s special, we will always worry about her safety. She''s our Alpha mate, but also our Luna, the one person we can''t live without turn in Kota''s arms, Cam is talking to him but looking into my eyes and I am locked there. He brushes his thumb across my cheek. "Even covered in dirt and whatever else she threw at us today, she''s perfect." "Hey!, back off you had your day. No goo-goo eyes for you." Dakota pulls me further into him and Iugh. Chapter 0617 "I was just getting some dirt off of her face, that you put there, that''s all." He just smiles and I stop breathing. Man. These men of mine and their little panty melting half smiles. I am such a sucker. "Well, it''s my turn to clean her up or get her dirty. So just step right on back to your magic training." They bothugh and Dakota starts to turn me around when we bump into Oliver. That''s the only time I don''t register a presence next to me, when they are trying to and seeding in riling me up with their ability to turn my hormones from zero to a hundred. "Cam''s right though, you are perfect and we will worry about you no matter what badassery you can do. Never forget that." Oliver rubs his thumb over my other cheek, like he''s leaving a little piece of himself with me when he walks away to work with Cam, Elena and Gentry.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "No offense, Little Bit, but I am so d I don''t have to share." Samughs at us, wrapping Sierra up in his arms. I just roll my eyes. Of course he would need to be the center of attention in his mates world. She doesn''t even acknowledge hisment though. "So sweet! Does it take a ton of energy to maintain? I know the pentagram magic made you weak and almost unconscious." Sierra asks. I see so much of her mom in her now that I have met her parents. She can''t help being curious. "That one didn''t feel too bad. More like stretching a muscle I don''t use very often than an energy drain." "Not gonna lie. It was kind of hard to watch you fight the three of them. I don''t know if can look past the ''little sister'' thing. But it is fun to watch you put all of them in their ces at the same time laugh and gives me a hug. "We are going to head out though, running in the next patrols are I want to get some sleep in while I still have the chance." He takes Jena''s hand and starts to lead her away, but she hesitates and stops to give me a hug. "We really need an actual girls day, when we aren''t under an indefinite imminent threat. I miss you." She whispers in my ear. I hugged her. "Miss you too and I agree. Go, make my brother happy and calm." I whisper back. She giggles and lets him drag her off. I get the Sentiment. I want to hang out with just her and Sierra and Lil, but I also cannot even fathom ggut being out of sight of my mates right now. It''s weird being of two minds about it. Lil and Sierra both hug me too then head off with Sam. "I think we have had enough training. for one day What do you say we eat and then get cleaned up and just see where the rest of the day takes us?" Kota picks me up and spins me so I am facing him with my legs sittingfortably on his hips. And just like that he throws my need to keep them all in my sights out the window with the deep look of desire in his eyes. "I think I like the sound of that n." I screech and thenugh as he takes off out of the arena. Chapter 0618 He ran all the way to the packhouse, straight through the front doors and out the back patio door. I braced myself for being thrown in the pool, but he veered off to the left and around to a side I¡¯ve never had a need to go to before. It has a fence and I always assumed it was where practical things were stored and hidden away from the pretty aesthetic that Ava had. I was wrong. ¡°What is this?¡± I asked,pletely taken aback by the beauty of the space. It doesn¡¯t even look like it belongs here. Just past the fence, which is easily eight feet tall so I can¡¯t see a thing over it, but I¡¯m sure the top of this wonderful greenhouse can be seen by my guys and a normal sized wolf. It is a ss box framed by thick ck metal supports. It probably looks like a giant spider from above with each and every wall ss or whatever clear material was used. In each pane I can see green leaves, like a rain forest is inside. The windows are streaked with water that collected from the air. It is probably the size of the room I called mine for a little while on the third floor, which is not to say it¡¯s small, but it looksfortable. Dakota lets me down, but takes my hand and leads me in, letting the gate shut andtch behind us. ¡°This was my mom and dad¡¯s ce. He built it for her, withhis own hands. All her favorite nts and flowers are here and no one was ever allowed in here...until now.¡± He stops at the door and looks back at me. ¡°Wait! You¡¯ve never been in here? Cam¡¯s never been in here? We should all go in together, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Sweetness, he knows I¡¯m bringing you here, they both do, and we wille here all together at some point, but I want some time with you and I know that you will love this, my mom loved this and she loves you and she wants you to have this. No one but the two of them were allowed in here. We have the same rule. She cleaned and maintained everything, it¡¯s the one escape that no one but those of us in the packhouse knew about. I know that you like your safe space and your alone time and we want you to have this, all three of us. Buuuuttt, I really want to open this door now. Okay?¡± I feel apprehensive getting to experience something so special and personal when Cam hasn¡¯t yet, but Dakota¡¯s face is so cute. He is so excited to give this to me. And I have to believe that he talked to Cam and Oliver about this. They wouldn¡¯t keep secrets like that from each other. I squeeze his hand and nod. He opens the water speckled door and my jaw drops. It is an oasis. That¡¯s the only thing thates to mind, a tropical oasis. A riverstone path leads into the space. About five feet in the path divides to the left and rightaround the edge of a long thin pool. To one side of the pool is a sitting area with Ava¡¯s signature cushy chairs and couch with a table for small snacks and drinks. I bet this spot gets great morning sunlight. I will have to test that theory soon. The other side features many nts and flowers. Some are set in the big nting boxes lining the walls and probably built to open right into the ground. Others seem more delicate and have their own pots. I move to the left first where the nts are, gliding my hand gently over each one. I think every color is represented here, but it is obvious that Ava¡¯s favorite color is pink. At the far edge of the greenhouse is a waterfall that circtes the water in the pool. It smells amazing, not like chlorine or chemicals, but like fresh water and it is so calming. I raise my hand up and without even thinking I start to y with the water, pulling droplets up and spinning them before letting them fall back into the stream. ¡°I never thought to use the excuse to train with water in here. I could have had you in here so much sooner.¡± Dakota whispers as he wraps one arm around my waist and the other is just above my hand repeating the water droplet dance I just did. ?? We move together this time and the water dances around each other before falling back into the stream. We continue to move like this, but Dakota adds his lips to my neck and my water falters for a second. ¡°Concentrate, Sweetness, we wouldn¡¯t want you to get distracted when you¡¯re training, would we?¡± He keeps making trails from behind my ear down to where my neck and shoulder meet and I have chills all over my body, but now that I know he¡¯s trying to distract me, it¡¯s a game I want to win. I breathe in slowly and let out a little sigh the next time he kisses behind my ear and I tilt my hips backward, knowing what I am going to find. He gives up on the water maniptions entirely after that, but I¡¯m not giving up just yet. He moves to glide my shirt up my body. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I breathe out. We are the only people here. I have no idea why we are whispering, but it just doesn¡¯t seem like the ce to talk loudly, let alone a normal voice volume. ¡°I need my mate naked and in the pool, now.¡± He pulls my tank over my head and rips his own shirt off. ¡°Awe, but I was just getting the hang of this.¡± I bring a quarter sized droplet of water up to his cheek and trail it down the side of his face, his neck, angling towards the center of his chest where there is a gap between his defined muscles and I let the droplet go. I can feel it trail slowly down the ins of his pecs and over each bumpy ridge of his abs until it reaches the waistband of his shorts. As I raise my eyes back up I can see his chest heaving deep breaths.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "You didn¡¯t even touch me and I am ready to blow. How do you do that? How can you affect me so thoroughly with a drop of water.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be a very good mate if I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that, it¡¯s you. You have always had an effect, it¡¯s just more intense now.¡± He leans in to kiss me. He is sweet and slow, picking me up again and walking us back toward the door. I thought he would take us over to the sitting area, but he turned abruptly to the zero depth entrance to the pool and waded us in. ?? The water was heaven, like bath water. Warm enough to soothe muscles, but not jacuzzi hot. Chapter 0619 Don¡¯t open 3-148 until I post another author¡¯s note. I am testing the look of something with formatting, but my preview screen doesn¡¯t match what is shown on the readers feed. The chapter is currently iplete. Just so there¡¯s no confusion. Remember I ALWAYS post chapter updates on the Miss L Writes socials. That is the best ce to get updates, notices, chapter inspiration pictures and chapter discussions. I have the I***a. Gram., but I am most active on Face. Book. I¡¯m doing my best with the busy time of the year. Check the Book for ourtest sports adventure.... Love you all. Thank you for following this long.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Chapter 0620 3-148 ¡°Probably should have dealt with these before we got in.¡± Heughs tugging at the waistband of my leggings. ¡°I don¡¯t mind you having to work for it a little bit.¡± I lean in and kiss him again. Heughs into my lips. He backs me up to the farthest wall where the water is the deepest. Once I am bnced between his hips and the wall, he slides his hands up my ribcage, catching my sports bra and freeing me from the restricting fabric. ¡°You are so perfect. I know we keep saying it, but you are. You are perfect for us.¡± He¡¯s just exploring slowly, like we have all the time in the world. Here it feels like we do. He¡¯s right, I love this ce already and knowing it¡¯s just for us makes it even better. My nerves are sparking under his fingertips, lighting me up and turning me on. I know where I want him to touch me, but he is in no hurry kissing deeply, slowly. Hands trailing up my arms, down my back, across my stomach. He finally brings his hands and barely grazes the pads of his thumbs over my very peaked nipples and I sigh into his mouth. ¡°Did you like that, Sweetness?¡± I nod, eyes closed, enjoying the tingles spreading out from his hands. ¡°I¡¯m going to need words.¡± He pinches just enough to send my hips jumpforward grinding into him as a squeak slips out of my lips. ¡°My little mate likes it a little rough, huh?¡± A dark look crosses his face when I nod again. ¡°I like everything you guys have done to me.¡± I manage to pant out while he¡¯s still working my sensitive nubs. He might make mee just working my tits. I lean back onto the edge of the pool, opening up my neck and thrusting my chest towards him. He takes the invitation dly and kisses his way down my neck leaving no inch of skin untouched. When he finally takes a nipple into his mouth I can¡¯t even help myself, I grab the back of his head with both hands and hold him in ce. The vibrations from hisughter just add to the sensation and I continue to grind against him. My body is on its own program right now and he is just following my lead. He gives both girls equal attention, using his hand when his mouth is otherwise upied. ¡°You¡¯re close, Sweetness, I can feel it.¡± He only pulls away far enough to move his lips against my skin. ¡°Are you going toe just from my mouth on your tits like a good girl?¡± ¡°Oh, yes! Dakota!¡± He sucked hard on one of them and grind my clit harder into his shorts d length. ¡°More, like that, please.¡± He lifts his head and takes one in each hand, not breaking eye contact with me. ¡°Like this.¡± He pinches both and then massages them out. ¡°Oh, f*ck!¡± ¡°Or like this?¡± He leans in and barely brushes his tongue over one and the sensation is just as intense. ¡°Both. All of it. Uh! Keep going.¡± He grabs my butt with one hand, pulling me in to ride him harder, using the other hand to continue to massage one breast while biting the other. That bite is what sends me over the edge. ¡°Ahh. Yes. Yes. Yes!¡± My movements are clumsy but I ride the wave with him. ¡°My beautiful Skr, falling apart just from my mouth on these perky little tits.¡± He trails light kisses up my neck and to my mouth. My breathing is stilling back down to normal, but hetches onto my mouth in a bruising kiss and takes all the air I have left without a care, just bringing my pulse back up to racing. ¡°We really need to get you out of these.¡± He snaps my waistband again and hoists me onto the pool¡¯s edge. He¡¯s less gentle and loving now. He¡¯s in his predator mode. These pants get ripped off and tossed somewhere behind me. I¡¯m not going to have any clothes left when they are done with me. I don¡¯t get too far into that thought when he mps his mouth roughly over my swollen cl*t. ¡°Oh, f*ck!¡± I nt my hands behind me because apparently all my body wants to do is thrust into him. He lowers himself in the water enough to throw my legs over his shoulders and tilts me back onto the silky riverstones lining the floor of the green house. The contrast of the hand rockspressing into my back and his soft, plush lips on my center is blowing my mind. I don¡¯t know how many more ways they can take me, but I¡¯m loving the discovery process. I am so close again. I just don¡¯t understand how my body is so quick to respond to what they do to me. I couldn¡¯t hold out if I wanted to. I¡¯m going to have to work on that, maybe learn to tease them a little. ¡°Ah!¡± It¡¯s like he knew what I was thinking and cut my train of thoughtpletely with two fingers straight to my center. ¡°Watching you is so hot, do you know that? I could just sit here and watch you fall apart for us forever.¡± I smile, because I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to that either. He pulls me gently towards him. The stones of the floor rub against my back, but nothing hurts. Nothing ever seems to hurt when I am with any of them like this. He wraps my legs around his waist and I sp my hands around the back of his neck as he walks us out of the water. I whine a little. ¡°I liked it in there.¡± He just smiles. ¡°I know, Sweetness, and we will get back to that, but I can¡¯ty you down and make love to you in there.¡± I think my heart exploded. He walks us over to the seating area andys me down on what I thought was a couch but up close I can see it¡¯s a veryrge daybed with a canopy of vines hanging from hooks in the roof. ?? ¡°This is something we added so we can alle in here together. And, you know, rx.¡± Iugh and kiss him. ¡°I love how you all n ahead.¡±N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ALPHAS! ATTACK AT THE MAIN BORDER! We¡¯re on our way. Cam calls out. How many are there? Oliver asks. I am going to murder someone. Dakota growls as he lifts me up and looks around. He runs over to where our clothes are discarded. ¡°Here, I want you to wear this.¡± He tosses his shirt at me. ¡°Dakota, it¡¯s fine we are going to be in our wolf form...¡± ¡°If we have to fight in our human form, nobody gets to see you but us.¡± I just roll my eyes at my caveman, throw the shirt on and head to the door. We take off for the border, shifting as we go. There are a couple hundred from my guess. Nathaniel calls out. They all have red eyes Midge, this is not going to be good, and they seem to be popping up out of nowhere. Like they are stepping out of some invisible hideout. I wonder if we will get to actually see this Rogue King today or his witch or if they are just going to keep hiding. behind their hordes of warriors.*** Wyatt asks. Don''t engage unless you have to. Let''s see if they will stop and wait for us or if they have orders to just try and kill and get killed. We put on a burst of speed and I can feel Cam and Oliver getting closer. This beacon thing with my mates is veryforting. I won''t have to wonder where they are or if they are alright at least. They caught up with us a few minutester and I kicked it up another gear, I cannot have any more people hurt unnecessarily because of this. As we arrive I see that Wyatt and Nathaniel weren''t able to avoid fighting. Everyone is engaged with a rogue wolf. We split off and start relieving our warriors and friends. Osiston and Niks are in the fight too. I can''t see Gentry and Elena, but I can feel them. Maybe they are hidden, giving us magical protection. Speaking of that, I reach in and connect with my magic, mentally letting it know that I will follow its lead in protecting my mates, my friends and my warriors. I know enough about magic to treat it like a sentient being and it will work with me effortlessly in return. ?? A dirt wall shoots up in between Sierra and a wolf with blood on its muzzle. Someone is hurt already. I try to feel for someone in my pack that might be injured, but I can''t feel anything off, so I keep going. Jenaes up on my right and nks me as we head deeper into the fray. Chapter 0621 I have updated chapter 3-148 or 620 depending on the version of the book you have. GN does have to push the update through and Singapore time is opposite of us. I wish I could respond to thements here on GoodNovel, but that is not a feature that is easily essible for authors on the desktop. This chapter is a little over 1500 words on my end so I believe it will be 2 when it updates. As I get closer to the end of the book, I am going back to rify things for continuity. If you catch something...And I know you will, this story is over 550k words when it was originally supposed to be like 80k TOTAL LOL. Please let me know on my Face. Book page under my author name. I get and check those messages, and respond, more regrly. I am also going to put my version of the chapter title (3-148, 3-149, etc.) in the text. This is more for me than anything, but if you don¡¯t see it, that just means the chapter is a continuation...so not ALL of the cliffhangers are my design ;)Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. Thank you all so much for following for so long. I published the Prologue for this book on April 4th 2023. We have been at this for a year now and it has been a real journey to say the least. I appreciate each and every one of you!! Chapter 0622 Everyone is fighting a rogue wolf or two and it is chaos. These wolves are possessed like when Jena and I broke out of captivity. They have no care for their personal well being, they have no mind of their own. I don¡¯t want to hurt them. Deep down I know this is just another form of abuse and maniption, but I also can¡¯t help the people I care about if I let them live. They are here to do one thing, kill all of us, or I guess all of them and take me captive. Lil meets up with Jena and I and it¡¯s like old times running missions for the Elite Warriors. We fall back into familiar habits and training. We attack head on, not letting anyone get in between us. This triangle formation has probably saved us more times than anything. All sides are covered while we continue in a forward motion while taking out as many rogues as we can. Sierra catches up to us as we approach the section ofnd that connects our penins to the maind. All the fighting seems to be behind us and a sense of dread drapes over me slowly like thick slime. I want to turn around and run back to my pack members, but my wolf presses us forward. We need to finish this and I can¡¯t act like a scared little girl. I need to be the Alpha I was chosen to be. ¡±Bitty, where the fck are you? I can¡¯t see you and your pull is faint. What happened?¡±* ¡±We¡¯re on the other side of the fighting, crossing onto the maind. I can feel the magicing just past our borders. Jena, Sierra and Lil are with me. Keep working through the rogues. We have this.¡± ¡±The fck you do, get your ass back here, Smalls.¡±* ¡±Dakota, watch your tone. I am not a helpless little girl. Mate or not, I am a warrior who will protect my pack. I am not alone, I have my team with me. The same team that I have been working with for years. You do your job and I will do mine.¡± ¡±Tiny, I can barely feel you and it hurts. What is going on?¡± ¡±You shouldn¡¯t be in pain. I¡¯m not leaving or being taken. Handle those fcking rogues ande after us. This is going to be unpleasant.¡±* I can feel the magic surrounding a grove of trees. The closer we get the more I can see the shimmer of a mirage surrounding them. ¡±What are you looking at Midge?¡± Lil asks so only the four of us can have this conversation. They, no doubt, heard my fight with my mates, who were too panicked to have a private conversation. ¡±Can¡¯t you see the shimmer on the trees? That has to be where the Rogue King and Adrielle or both are hiding.¡± ¡±Whoa, slow your tits Alpha. We are not running in there blind.¡± Lil¡¯s wolf jumps in front of me. ¡°We have to get some kind of feel for this ce first. Your mates are already going to skin us alive for letting youe out here without them and I am sure Mateo and Sam have expressed simr sentiments.¡± ¡±Sam may have mentioned taking a page out of Mike¡¯s book and wants to chain me up when we get back.¡± We allugh at Sierra, because I wouldn¡¯t put it past Sam to try or Sierra to enjoy it. ¡±Can you guys see it though? That¡¯s my biggest question right now. If I¡¯m the only one who can see the magic, then maybe I¡¯m the only one who can get past it.¡± ¡±You can stop that train right now. You may be able to put your mates in their ces, but that hot Alpha girl routine will not work here. You go in with us or not at all, got it.¡± ¡±What I was saying, asshole, is that we need to figure out if you can go in with me. I don¡¯t have a death wish, Lillian. Can. You. See. The. Magic?¡± ¡±I feel cold, like something is off, but I don¡¯t see anything. What am I looking for?¡± Lil asks. ***¡±I see the haze on the trees, but I don¡¯t feel anything.¡± Sierra¡¯s wolf looks at us. ***¡±The sound has changed.¡± Jena steps next to me. ¡°Likewhen I am here next to you, the only thing I can hear is us. But, back here,¡± She trots about fifteen feet behind me. ¡°I can hear all of you and the warrior¡¯s conversations too. I just don¡¯t know if that is a Midge thing, a Rogue King proximity thing or a spell on the area thing.¡±*** ¡±Who knows, but we can¡¯t wait for the guys. We need to check this out. Now.¡± ¡±Well, you sure as shit aren¡¯t going first, just in case that magic is designed to trap you.¡± Lil steps forward ahead of me and every fiber of my being wants to pull her back by her tail and jump in front, but I know she¡¯s right, someone else has to test it although the thought that she might get hurt or worse from it makes me want to throw up. I nod at her and Jena steps in front of me. ¡±What are you doing?¡± I can¡¯t keep the snark out of my voice. ¡±If it¡¯s a trap she shouldn¡¯t be in there alone and it shouldn¡¯t be you. You need to be out here working on how to get us the fck back out. I will go in with Lil, if we can pass back through to you, then you and Sierra can follow. If it closes behind you Sierra can still call for backup.¡±* ¡±I don¡¯t hate this n.¡± I say begrudgingly. I chose them as my found family when I needed one and now they are my permanent family and my team, I have to trust their judgment now just like every other mission we have everbeen on. Lil steps through first muttering a continuous stream of profanities so I can tell if I can still hear her link on the other side. No problems so far. I nod at Jena, who moves to the edge of the trees where Lil disappeared. She steps forward and once two paws are past the treeline, she also disappears. I give them a minute to gauge their surroundings and report back.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. While we wait, I turn to Sierra. ¡±When are you gonna make your announcement? Does Sam know?¡± ¡±Announce what? What are you talking about?¡± I just look at her waiting for her toe clean. She doesn¡¯t usually keep secrets. But the longer my wolf and I look at her the more we realize she has no idea. ¡±Sierra, when was your heat?¡± My wolf sits on her butt. The other two are muttering to each other on the other side of the magic, I tune them out this is important, especially if we go in there and get captured. She just looks at me for a second and then her wolf¡¯s eyes go wide. ?? Chapter 0623 ¡±Last week, but how did you know that I had it?¡± ¡±Your scent has changed. I noticed earlier, but I thought maybe it was just being around everyone and all the hormone stuff going on with me finding my mates, but I can still smell the difference now.¡± ¡±What are you saying Skr?¡± She slowly sinks down on her haunches next to me. ¡±That I have a suspicion and you need to be careful in here and not give them a reason to harm you unnecessarily or use you and my niece or nephew as bait. The other girls didn¡¯t say anything and I assume Sam hasn¡¯t either, meaning it¡¯s really early and I can tell because I¡¯m your Alpha or because my sense of smell has always been more intense. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem in there, but all this is new for me too. I just didn¡¯t want you to go in there and not know, just in case someone wee across has the same senses as me.¡± She leans into me, tucking her furry head under my wolf¡¯s chin, which only works in this form since we are closer to the same size. ¡°We should tell the girls too.¡± ¡±No! They¡¯ll just worry more, and I am kind of freaking out enough for everyone right now.¡± ***¡±That¡¯s kind of the point. We are all important and necessary, not just me. You are currently carrying ourfuture. We can¡¯t have secrets, that will only give them ammunition to use against us. Let¡¯s go get this over with so we have a future to be in.¡±*** ¡±Are you twoing or not?¡± Lil finally gets through to me. ¡±Yep, we have an amendment to the n.¡± ¡±What are you talking about? I¡¯m kind of done with twists to the n.¡± Jena grumbles. ¡±We have an additional passenger. It¡¯s a new development and we are all sworn to secrecy.¡± ¡±Midge, enough with the riddles. Spit it out and get over here, I can smell at least ten wolves, meaning they run a patrol or hangout here for some reason. We need to find cover.¡± ¡±Sierra¡¯s pregnant. Don¡¯t let anything happen to her and don¡¯t let anyone else know about it, including the guys. I think I am the only one who can smell it, but that doesn¡¯t mean the Rogue King or Adrielle won¡¯t know. And they will both use it against us if they find out.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. I finish as we step through one at a time. I know they would make a half-assed effort to make her stay behind to protect her, but she is a warrior and carrying a child isn¡¯t a good enough reason to stop what we are doing right now. We won¡¯t have a home to raise our kids in if we don¡¯t stop these two psychopaths. And she is safer with us than trying tomake it back to the guys, who will be distracted at hering back without us, causing more problems. Their wolves both jump at Sierra, rubbing up against her and congratting her. Zero fear or hesitations. This is what makes this group of women the best. Just because we are women isn¡¯t going to stop us from doing what we need to do to protect our pack, including being on the front lines. We move about twenty feet into the cover of the trees, getting out of sight the best we can. ¡±I can¡¯t tell that anything¡¯s different, so that¡¯s good at least. We can hope it¡¯s just you and your freak sense of smell.¡± Jenaughs at me. But I give her a stern look. She should have had her heat by now. I wonder if she might be expecting too, but I notice my sense of smell is off here now that we have moved away from the border. I can¡¯t smell Sierra¡¯s scent at all anymore, or the others. ¡±Magic¡¯s being used against us right now, that¡¯s for sure. Stay close.¡± They are all on high alert now and we walk forward. The grove is still a grove. I wasn¡¯t sure what I expected walking through the veil of magic, a castle or creepy looking house at the very least, but it is still just the forest that we saw from the other side. Tight clusters of trees making small natural pathways through the trees. Looking around there are several paths, all leading toward the same point. I assume the center is what we will find if we follow. Chapter 0624 Naturally, we veer off the beaten path parallel to what looks like the most used path and stalk through the brambles and bushes as close to the ground as possible. ¡±Alright, now you¡¯re just showing off. Do we all get the camouge thing or is that just you and your mates?¡± Jena mumbles at me. ¡±I have no idea. I can¡¯t even tell that we are turning it on and off. I can see you all, can you see me? What does it actually look like?¡± ¡±When you move you kind of shimmer, but if you stay really still, your fur blends inpletely. I can still feel you though, I know exactly where you are, but I can¡¯t smell anyone. I assume that¡¯s how you know magic is being used against us.¡± Lil follows up. ¡±All of you try holding still, let¡¯s see if you have the camo too, or maybe I can share it somehow.¡± They all crouch low, not moving a muscle except for their eyes constantly checking our surroundings. I can still see them like always, but it¡¯s something we need to test with someone who is not me. I think about sharing the ability too, but I get nothing. I have no idea what my abilities allow me to do and not do out of the norm. It seems like some things are based on the situation and purely instinct. Forsome reason this magic affects my sense of smell like everyone else though. I don¡¯t understand that, but I pack it in the ¡®figure out when we aren¡¯t about to die¡¯ part of my mind. ¡±I can still see you, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not working. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. The trees begin to thin out as we creep along, making almost no noise. This was one of the most intense trainings we did. Being silent in our movements was sometimes the difference in life or death. We finally find an edge to the forest and what I see makes even my wolf¡¯s jaw hit the ground. It¡¯s apound. Not just any make-shift, temporary set up of tents, but a whole set of buildings. Where the hell did all of thise from and how did none of us know? Niks and Osiston have been running their own version of patrols trying to find the Rogue King and he really has been right under our nose the whole time. Is he that much smarter than we are? Or is this just several generations of nninging to light? This is insane and we have a big problem. The wolves we have been fighting are disposable, because he has at least a thousand more to follow up with. I wonder if they are all under a spell like the one Mike had been using at his camp or if there is something more here. I link the guys and fill them in on what we found. It took a solid ten minutes and a full Royal Alphamand to getthem to shut up long enough to listen after I told them we found the hideout. We took turns giving them all the details we could from our vantage point. ¡±What about that boyfriend of yours, Little One? Is he there? Do you think he would help you from the inside if you found him?¡± I think Nikloas has a soft spot for Robbie after he brought Gentry back to us. My mates have no such emotion towards him, especially after that little jibe from Nik. Asshole. I¡¯m already in enough trouble for taking off. I can only imagine what their possessive asses are going to do when we get back. Chapter 0625 ***"I will try to find him, but he can''t be our whole n. There is too much going on here. From where we are it''s a whole ecosystem. We need to get an idea of what kind of supplies they have and how long they can oust us. I think they were hoping for a better showing from Br and his goons, but we still don''t know if they are all working together or not. Br is just a greedy asshole, he may be on his own n."*** ***"Bitty, Babe. You need to keep this link open and let us know what you are seeing and what you are doing at all times. We can be there in minutes if needed."*** ***"I will keep the link open, we always do, but you all cannote running until we ask for back up. And before anyone protests look at Osiston and Niks. They can vouch for us. This is how we do this. We are on a mission like any other mission right now, this is what we do, this is my team, it''s exactly what we have trained for. I can guarantee that Wyatt and Nathaniel are doing their jobs like any other mission. Go find them and they can help you wrap your minds around us being out here working and probably give you four different visuals too."*** This is as calm as I can be for them. I don''t want to fight or start a fight, but they can''t juste running after us and leave the rest of our warriors stranded, especially if the n was to get me here and separated. They are targets, all of them, but my mates specifically. I leave the conversation there. We need intel, not discussions. I know that Nik and Osiston will handle them now that everyone has been called out. As promised I don''t shut down their link, but I do shut out theirments, wish is mostly just grumbling and groaning about safety and mate trust and other bullsh*t. ***"So far, only three big buildings that we can see from here. There is still no scent that we can track. We need to decide if we should test if being inside the treeline changes that."*** Lil starts our observations ***"Still tracking about four hundred on the ground, but they don''t seem to be in any active state, just going about general business." Jena adds on. ***"We need to figure out what each building is for. One for sleeping, one for eating and probably some type of office and one for supplies, but we need to be sure since they are heavy on the magic use too."*** I add. ***"Since their wolves are disposable, we can probably assume there isn''t much in the way of a healing space. Maybe we can use that against them. Find a way to attack the masses here and they won''t be able to recover."*** Sierra continues our verbal note taking. We continue to stay in the treeline and move toward where the majority of the wolves are. I find it odd that they are all in wolf form here. There is not a single human form around. The rest of the girls agree with me. ***"These buildings give nothing away. They are all big metal rectangles. No windows, t roofs, no garage doors that we can see, so they might not have any vehicles here either."*** Jena says as we continue to belly crawl forward. Once we get close enough we canThis text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. see what they are doing a little better. They are walking around, but in more of a patrol fashion than what we thought. The buildings make a U'' shape with two parallel and one closing off an end. They are at the open end moving around what can only be another fire-pit-magic-link-control thing. F*ck my life. I don''t want to deal with another one of these. I brought the girls attention to what I was seeing. It''s like they are just pacing around it aimlessly. No rhyme or reason. I just don''t understand. We move closer. I can''t sense any magic from here, but I can smell the wolves now L was right, the scent masking was just around the border in the trees. Thick enough to make them feel safe, they just weren''t counting on us to be nosey and follow through with our search. ***"Stay here, I want to see how close I can get and we are not testing your camouge abilities with this many opponents. Don''t argue."*** I hiss at Lil, she knows I am right and wants to protest because I''m sure everything in her big Gamma heart is telling her to go before me. It''s not happening. Before she, or anyone else, can say anything, I start crawling forward more slowly than I have ever moved in my life. I know the camo only works when I am still. Or, at least, that''s when we have noticed it working the best. I get about twenty feet from the outside line of wolves. They are pacing in a circle around a tform that is three shallow steps above the ground. It''s almost like they are in prayer or meditation. There is a small gap and I take my chance to scurry through towards the center and then nt myself at the bottom step and take a deep breath. There is a light gray wolfying on the tform facing the fire. His head is moving up and down and in circles. It doesn''t seem to be a pattern, but there is a rhythm to the movement. His eyes are closed and he seems to be the only one solely focused on the fire. Based on his size, this must be the Rogue King or someone high up on the leader rung. He''s not as big as my guys but about the same size as my brother with muscles he clearly uses. His fur has a matted quality to it, not unkempt, but like he lives outside, in this form most of the time. "So good of you to finally join us. I was hoping you would make your way home sooner rather thanter." Where the hell did that voicee from? It wasn''t the wolf at the tform, he hasn''t moved a muscle. "You are just as beautiful as my son described, I can''t wait to congratte him on a fine choice in a mate." I stay put, I can hear the voice like I would hear anyone in their human form, but there are no humans here. "Oh, I''m sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Vincent, I am Micheals'' father and the true Alpha King." Chapter 0626 I am trying not to move. I don''t know if this guy actually can see me or if he can just smell my scent. I thought I could mask it, but I have never put any conscious thought into it until now. Something my wolf and I agree was stupid on our part. The big gray wolf on the tform still hasn''t moved or opened its eyes. I don''t think he''s the one speaking, but looking around as much as I can without turning my head, there isn''t anyone else here either. What the hell is going on? "I haven''t heard from my son in a while, I hope he is treating you well as his chosen mate." Huh? This guy is crazy. And how does he not know that Mike is dead? I sted a hole in his ass for threatening my family. All wolves can feel when a direct family member passes back to the Moon Goddess. "Come out, child. There is no need to hide from me." His voice is silky and smooth. Something enticing threatens to pull you in if you don''t know he''s the worst type of psychopath around. I kind of understand why he has so many followers. Just the rumbling deep tenor makes you want to listen. "We are family now and will be so much more soon." Now we are officially at creeper level, but I have to do something, he knows I''m here, I think. I stand slowly, my guard uppletely. I can feel my fur tingle with electricity. Magic is crackling along it with some kind of protection I don''t understand, but appreciate all the same. ***"Can you guys hear him? Tell me I''m not crazy." I call out to my team and I know everyone else can hear too. "I can''t see him though, what is going on?"*** ***"Skr, give your wolf control of your eyes, you can share your vision with us. It shouldn''t impede yours at all."*** Gentry directs in her gentle tone. ***"Oh, shit! Do you know how many times we could have used this on other missions? This is going to be so helpful in the future."*** Lil exims. ***"F*ck off!! There had better not be a repeat of this f*cking situation."*** Cameron growls. He''s not usually the one to shut down ideas of my abilities so quickly. That''s usually Dakota and my brother, but all three of my mates are radiating the same aggressive emotion right now. I feel like Lil, Jena and Sierra are the only ones who see my abilities for their possibilities, like I do, instead of the dangerous positions it might possibly put me in. ***"Knock it off! All of you. Help me look for something, anything to let me know who''s talking to me. I''m going to start moving around, they are clearly expecting me. And he doesn''t know Mike is dead, what''s up with that. He thinks Mike has mated with me." My mate''s growls turn into a roar in my head. "STOP! Or I will block you! He can tell I''m mated, but not who I am mated to. Gentry, what''s going on? Osiston and Niks muzzle my mates if they be a danger or just a bigger pain in the ass." "*** ***"I''m not sure dear girl, but it probably has to do with how far he has gone down the path of dark magic. There are abilities he has gained, but clearly he has lost or given some up in the process.'' ***"I''m going to shift, he knows I''m here so I don''t have the element of surprise anyway. Can you still see through my eyes if I do?"*** "*** ***"We will find out, remember everything you do is experimental from this point forward. Your magic will be tested, your faith in the Moon Goddess will be tested and your mates are already being tested and at their breaking point. Choose what you do and say carefully and withplete intention. If you don''t know what to say, say nothing at all."*** I think that is the most direct advice I have been given since I started using magic. I shift and send a silent thank you for Dakota insisting I put on his shirt. I don''t want to give Vincent any ideas. "You asked me to show myself, but I can''t see you. I believe courtesy dictates that you show yourself as well." I called out. I can feel my girls fanning behind me but staying just beyond the treeline. I hope their scents are masked as well. Wol. ne seem to have a nonverbal agreement to stay silent. I don''t know if his magic allows him to hear my thoughts or the mindlinks attached to me. That must mean that they can see through my eyes though, since no one is asking any questions. "You are right dear girl. What kind of father-inw would I be if you didn''t have the opportunity to know me? You will understand who the superior portion of the Royal bloodline is." Vincentes from somewhere in the center of the pacing wolves. I see him out of the corner of my eye and whip to my right. I don''t want him in any kind of blind spot. He''s too big to miss, but there was no way he was standing there when I crawled over. I am frozen as he saunters, at least I think that''s what he is trying to aplish, towards me. I just stand and stare at this cartoonish looking, arrogant asshole. He is huge, way bigger than my guys, with long, stringy hair the same midnight ck shade as Mike''s and the same hazel eyes. Those are the only family traits though. Vincent''s shoulders have got to be as wide as I am tall, but his waist is tiny, like him and I probably could wear the Same belt tiny. It gives him a top heavy look. The muscles in his shoulders and chest are puffed up like balloons and he has no neck. I think this would be the equivalent of a human getting stic surgery and taking it too far. The problem is I don''t know if those muscles are for show or can actually function, and the only way to find out is to piss him off enough to fightThis content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. me, and no one in my current mindlink group is going to appreciate that. He stops in front of me, breaking me from my wild thoughts. "My you are a little thing aren''t you? We will have to do something about that so you can bear strong Royal pups." The look on my face must tell him how I really feel about that idea since he just smiles showing off perfectly straight white teeth. "Such a well trained female, you don''t speak much, that is always a plus. Micheal did say you were very intelligent. It looks like your father brought you up very obediently. That will be helpful when we start working through your Royal attributes." Seriously! How many times can one person say ''royal'' in a conversation? I decide to test the waters and see how far I can push him. "There actually hasn''t been anything to say. You haven''t asked me a question that needs an answer. I am just here to figure out what you want and why you are attacking my pack." I shrug like he is barely worth my notice. I need to keep him talking anyway. Chapter 0627 "If your Alpha would have followed through with our deal, then there would be no need to go to such measures, but as it stands, he wanted to keep you all to himself. The prophecy was not wrong, you are powerful, I can feel it. Alpha Lucas is lucky to have sired such a powerful female Alpha." Oh, sh*t he believes the literal version of that prophecy. Adrielle never told him I was mated to the twins, making me their daughter through the mating. I wonder if she knew I was destined for three mates? Or will she be just as confused? Either way, this dude has a rude awakeninging. ***"Keep him talking Little One. He clearly doesn''t have all the information. Maybe we can use this against him. We need to know where Adrielle is. She''s going to be our bigger problem I think."*** Osiston coaches me.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "I think you might be a little off when ites to the prophecy. Alpha Lucas didn''t ''sire'' me. I am the Beta''s daughter." I say with all the disgust the sentiment requires. "And I sure as hell won''t be mating with your weak ass son. He was not worth the energy." Hepletely ignored my insult. "You are already mated, I can smell it and feel the power you only gain after mating. There''s no other way for you to have gotten so strong." Even in my human form I can feel my fur bristle under my skin. He thinks because I am a female I can''t be strong or powerful. "Micheal! Show yourself and handle your mate!" He shouts out to the trees. I can hear my girls chuckle over the mindlink. "He''s not here. You are right, I am mated to an Alpha, three to be exact. And I am no Luna, which is probably why you are so confused." "There is no way Micheal would have allowed you to be mated to anyone else. No Alpha shares what is his. He would have killed anyone who so much as looked at you." ***"I actually would have liked to see him try that. I believe thest time a guy tried to tell Midge what to do, because she was a girl and didn''t ''know better,'' lost the function of his hand for the day."*** Now Wyatt decides to chime in? What the hell? Vincent is starting to get agitated. He''s not outwardly showing it, but his body''s scent has changed and I can taste the tang of uncertainty in the air between us. I open my mouth to say something smartass, but a loud scuffle in the trees behind me and the ''ompf'' soundsing from my friends lets me know they have been found. I will not turn my back on Vincent though, my friends all let me know they are alright. We came up with a code of sounds a long time ago. Being female warriors, these men need to feel superior and by giving them that false sense of security we have won many fights. "Well, without your Alpha mate to protect you at least you didn''te alone. Although I don''t understand why you continue to do things the hard way. Male warriors would have been far superior and necessary for your protection. Micheal should have seen to that. You are too important to have been harmed by these disgusting rogues. His lip curls like the wolves pacing monotonously around us have the worst scent. "You are the Rogue King, how can you call them disgusting?" He roars, showing emotion for the first time. He catches the slip and schools his face quickly, but it''s there, and now I know how to really piss him off. "That stupid name my cousin gave me. I am the Alpha King, the rightful heir to the throne he sits on. He and his father stole it and have been destroying this kingdom slowly for generations." His fists clench and unclench at his sides. I can still hear the scuffling behind me, my girls are putting up small fights to try and wear down their captors. I just hope they aren''t using too much energy, we have a fighting. "I believe enving all of these wolves to fight for you is what''s destroying this kingdom." "Subjects should bow down to their superiors. My son and I will rule this Kingdom and make it the greatest it''s even been. When he fills your belly with pups our lineage will continue with greatness." My mates lose it in my head and give me an instant migraine. ***"Will you three shut up!!!! The f*cker''s dead, morons, and, if you''ll remember, he couldn''t sire shit even when he was alive."*** Jena has never willingly mentioned the time she spent with Mike or what he did to her. It did the trick "Well, I have it on good authority, that he tried to mate and ''sire'' pups and he didn''t get the job done on more than one asion. He did not live up to your expectations. Your inferion gics weren''t meant to be passed on even if he were still breathing." The wolves around us stop moving. No one turns to look at me, but the tension in the air is suffocating. "What did you just say to me? How dare you insult your King. I don''t care if you are destined to be the next Luna Queen, you will be taught to speak to your superiors with respect.¡± He steps sme a and this time the massive gray wolf on the tform gets up and nks his right side. His eyes are just as soulless as the rest of the wolves here. I wonder if they are even alive at all or just puppets, zombies to do his bidding. "You are not my king and I know the future Luna Queen, it''s not me. And unless you have another son to pass on your gics, you are thest of your line. Your weak, arrogant, untrained son was no match for me. I destroyed him in a matter of seconds." "You lie, little tramp! I will show you what devious little sl*ts get for punishment." He lunges at me and I jump and roll away before he can touch me. I can hear the frey''s sound increase around me. Everyone is locked in battle with someone. These wolves areing from everywhere, but Vincent only has eyes for me and they are perfectly fine leaving us to our own fight. I leave my team to handle them for now. Vincent isn''t as fast as me, I don''t know if it is his bulky size orck of training, but his weight is a problem. Even with solid punches and kicks, not much seems to be affecting him. He can''t seem to get a hold of me either though. I''m just going to have to wear him down and hope I can figure out how to take this ficker out. My wolf wants to lend me her strength, but I won''t let her. We will need her strength and speed to take him out. I don''t want to burn us both out too early. This is going to be a long fight. This is one of those times I wish I had all the gear the guys got me, this would be a perfect time to have the extra weapons. Chapter 0628 I hear a whimper to my left, it''s Lil and she doesn''t whimper. I risk a look, she''ll tell me she''s fine even with a bonepletely in the wrong direction. ***"LIL! Talk to me."*** That was all it took for Vincent to get a good left hook in and send me flying across the open space and into the side of one of therge buildings. Motherf*cker! That sucked. It''s been a long time since someone got the drop on me like that and knocked the wind out. I have been a little preupied and clearly I''m being reminded that even mates are not a good enough reason to skip training. This vantage point does give me the chance to scan the area though as Vincent has to wade through the groups of wolves surrounding and fighting my teammates. ***"Why don''t you talk to us Alpha. How was that toss?"*** Sassy b*tch. ***"Such an asshole, Jena. Everyone still good? Kill these fuckers, I don''t know if any of them are alive enough to save even if we kill Vincent."*** ***"Ooooh! You rebel, calling him by his name not his title. You should do that out loud and see how hard he tries to hit you then."*** ***"Lillian! Stop giving her stupid ideas!" Oliver shouts through the link. "Bitty, you good? My whole face hurts."*** ***"Yeah, I''m fine, he got a lucky shot after Lil got hit. He''s got them possessed, I don''t think we can save them. They are still fighting even when logic and injury shouldn''t let them. Send them back to the Goddess."*** I screech as I dodge a punch from Vincent. He hits the side of the building and doesn''t even flinch. "We need to draw Vincent out of this protective circle. I don''t know if he''s stronger here, but we aren''t getting anywhere. Any ideas?"*** ***"We areing to you Tiny. Don''t argue, the fight here has basically died out since you went to them."*** ***"Almost clear on our end, Alphas."*** One of our warriors calls out. No argument from me. I don''t know how I can beat him on my own. I can hear the scuffling around me, but my focus is solely on the puffed up man in front of me. ***"I wonder if his wolf is just as jacked up as he is? He''s clearly using magic to enhance his size. Can you get him to shift?" My wolf asks me. "He''s not using magic either. I don''t think he can. Maybe send something small his way and see if he will counter."*** At this point I will try anything. Dodging his fists isn''t getting me anywhere and she''s right, he hasn''t done much but try to hit me. Either he can''t or he thinks very highly of his fighting skills and is ''trying not to hurt me.'' I keep rolling and dodging, moving around the tform, trying to keep track of my team who is doing a fantastic job of taking out the wolves here. There are still so many, but the numbers are quickly going down. I just need to hold out a little longer and I will have help. I tell my wolf to start summoning my magic, while I focus on not dying. I will take anything that is willing to step forward right now. Fire, earth, water, wind anything. I breathe out as I dip forward while Vincent tries to grab me. I''m so d he can''t actually close his arms. His muscles have been my saving grace. Proll through his legs and take a deep breath in and then let it out. As I let the breath go a fierce wind whips up around us and takes out the legs of all the wolves in my line of sight. Jena breaks one''s neck with her massive jaw, while Sierra stops another one from jumping on her back. I move to intercept another as my whole head is ripped back by my ponytail and Ind hard on my ass. ¡°Oh, sh*t! What the f*ck?" I groan looking at the swollen face above me. The closer I get to him the more he looks bloated, not muscr. "I want my son you little b*tch, where is he?" "I told you, I took him out." I grunt trying to loosen his grip. "He threatened my family and pissed me off in general." "I want his body!" He growls close to my ear, a little of his spit hitting my face. "Why, so you can bring him back to life like the rest of these zombies? Well. You can''t have it." I twist and try to stand, he rips me onto my back again. I stare into his eyes and smile my best innocent smile. "We burned his worthless, sorry excuse for a wolf. I sent him to the Goddess for judgment. Let''s see what she thinks about your sorry excuse for a son and your constant attack on her females." "Aaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!" He roars at me. I can see his skin ripple. I almost have him. "NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!" He raises his fist, it is aimed for my face, but his grip in my hair won''t let me move. I refuse to close my eyes, he won''t see me cower at all.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "ABSOLUTELY F*CKING NOT!!" Liles out of nowhere, shifting midair and sts into his side. The force and surprise cause him to loosen his grip on my hair enough for me to move and I can feel the surge of power in my arm right before I st him with a fireball. He doesn''t go down easy, but I get a small break. Hees back full of pure rage and his ws are out, but still in his human form. He swipes at me again and again, sometimes making contact, other hits missing wildly. He''s out of control and aplete danger to anyone in the vicinity. "Shift you f*cker." I mumble under my breath ducking under another hit and making contact with his ribs with my own fist. His body jerks, like his wolf wants toe out, but still nothing. ***"What if he can''t anymore? He''s not using magic and he''s not using his wolf. The two things he prizes most in this world and he''s using neither."*** Sierra calls out to me. ***"Baby, where are you? We''ve crossed onto the maind."*** ***"You are going to have to trust your instincts and follow your pull to me, we''re a little busy."*** I groan at Oliver. I think Sierra''s right, but that doesn''t make him less formidable. His pouches and kicks are still painful and too many will be lethal. And his focus is one hundred percent on me. Chapter 0629 I am now scraped up and bruised, at least on the inside. The outside of my body is doing exactly what it is supposed to do for an Alpha, but that doesn''t stop the pain I feel throbbing in my muscles and joints from this seemingly never ending fight. "I will have you. Your fight is futile. I can''t believe the Goddess was stupid enough to ce so much power in the hands of such a small and weak little girl. None of the other females in our family could handle their powers either. You have no idea what you possess and no one to teach you how to use it." "Umph." I roll and dodge yet another kick, he''s starting to slow down. "Were you nning on teaching me? This is an odd way to show me you want me around. Your son at least pretended to be a friend before he tried to r*pe me. He got what wasing to him and so will you." "I will have you and your power." He swings at me and misses my face, but grabs my wrist and hauls me up off the ground by one arm. "Your son never had me, you never will. You were not good enough for the Goddess to bestow gifts upon. You are the one who is nothing, who is worthless. Where is your witch when you need her? She''s not here to lend you her magic, since you have none of your own. Your wolf is clearly too weak toe out and join us." I look him right in the eye and I can see the moment he snaps. His mind goes feral. RRRRROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR! He throws me and starts thrashing around. He''s not near anyone I care about so I take the chance to take an inventory of where my friends are and how many wolves are left. Too many in my personal opinion. I step over to help the girls get rid of these wolves. They aren''t strong and like all the rest that we have gone against, they aren''t really fighting us that hard, they just outnumber us a hundred to one. ***"BITTY!"*** ***"TINY!"*** ***"SMALLS!"*** My mates all shout over the mindlink as they burst through the tree line followed by my brother and Sam and then Wyatt, Nathaniel, Osiston and Niks. ***"Finish off these rogues. We have an Alpha King to take care of. Don''t argue. Jena and I need this closure. Can you all deal with that? You are here and we will let you know if we need you, I promise."*** They each rub up against me as the rest of my friends'' mates do the same. Wyatt and Nathaniel mimic us by rubbing up on Lil. Assholes. They take the focus of the rogue wolves while we approach the Rogue King still thrashing and tearing up anything in his way. ***"Time to see if we can do magic in your form."*** I tell my wolf and she is giddy at the idea. I like the thought of being in the passenger seat of the fight and focusingpletely on the magic. I send a fireball toward his chest as we shift. It hits him square in the chest, leaving a ck mark, but he doesn''t so much as stumble. ***"He can be wounded, but clearly it doesn''t do much. I just wish I understood the magic better."*** ***"Don''t overthink it, Little One. You do understand the magic. You understand it enough to work with it, not fight it. You respect what magic can do and what it cannot. You understand it is to be worked with, notmanded."*** Osiston is always in teaching mode. I let my wolf take overpletely and concentrate, drowning out everything around me. I trust my team and my family to do everything to keep us and each other safe. "I don''t want to take a life, but I don''t see any other way to subdue or control Vincent. I don''t know what to do I say in my own mind hoping the magic is listening and feeling a little foolish at the same time. "How do we stop him if he can''t be killed? Are we supposed to? Does the Moon Goddess even want him?" Oh damn, I never thought of that. What if he''s here because he did something in the realm of the Moon Goddess? Maybe she can''t contain him either and wolves are dying or whatever is nonexisting for them. ***"No worries, Little One. As soon as you are done with him, I will have him contained for a very long time. His poor wolf is trapped and has been that way for several of your decades. Vincent had him locked away to keep him from resisting et Vincent was corrupted by the dark witch. She wants tobine her magic with that of a wolf''s. Our magics are not meant for what she intends. Her Goddess will take care of her, but you are right your biggest threat is before you." I hear a grunt from my wolf but I fight to not break focus. "Your magic is Chaos, ites from within, bringing order to the unordered without the formalities of traditional incantations."*** ***"I think you just called me crazy, difficult and unpredictable inside apliment and teaching lesson."*** ***"The point is, don''t think, just feel and do. There is no book for the things you can do. It''s why you were chosen. You will find the best and right ways to take care of our kind. You will bear this responsibility with all the care and respect it deserves."*** ***"But, you want him dead right? I just want to make that very clear, so I don''t get in troubleter and get shot in the ass with a lightning bolt or something." ***"It is your decision to make. Will you, can you, spare his life knowing the things he''s done to our kind, to you and your family."*** ***"Thank you for being clear, I appreciate it." Sheughs at my sarcasm. "What about Sierra and Jena? Am I right?"*** ***"I''ll make you a deal. Come out of this with all your pack members and team intact and I will answer that question."*** "*** ***"SKYLAR!"*** ****What?!"*** I yell back at Jena. ****Shoot this asshole again. What the hell were you humming about?"*** ***"That is so ater conversation, with a lot of drinks. I have an idea. I think I can put a barrier on all of you so you can attack but he can''t harm you and make you strong enough to do real damage. Care to try?"*** ***"You started that with ''I think.'' Being your guinea pig tends to get things blown up. I''m in!"*** Lilughs dancing out of Vincent''s reach, while Jena and Sierra both punch him on either side.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org. **** Jena, Sierra?"*** ***"If it makes this sh*t stop then yes! We''re in."*** I reach in again this time looking for the colored magic. I just feel for what I want,watching ans little wisps float off my wolf like smoke over water and towards my friends. ck and orange vapor wraps and surrounds them. This time I don''t feel any drain or weakness though. The magic understands Lam trying to eradicate amon enemy. I feel the tingles in my wolf''s fur again, MAybe I was giving myself protection magic without even meaning to earlier. Chapter 0630 ***"I''m getting Halloween vibes right now, Midge. What''s with the orange and ck smoke?"*** Lil asks. ***"At this point I am going to trust the magic that''s helping us out and I will sit down and have it exin all the nuances to uster. I think I remember from the color clearing though that orange gave strength and a bunch of stuff like that and ck was definitely protection."*** ***"I will take both and thank the magic for me. We should name your magic since we seem to think of it as another sentient part of you." Jenaughs. "It''s like you have another person in there with you and your wolf. We can''t just keep saying ''it'' when we mention it."*** I never thought of that, but she''s right. I have started talking about my magic like I talk about my wolf. ***"Do you have a suggestion?"*** I ask, this time dodging a rogue wolfing at me. This one easily went down with a broken neck. They shouldn''t be this easy to take out. Especially with the numbers they have. ***"STEVE!"*** Lil shouts at us. ***"Why ''Steve?'' Where the hell did thate from?"*** Jena asks as her wolf takes another chunk out of Vincent''s arm. At this point he is just going to bleed to death fighting us. ***"Well, apparently Steve likes his name cause Skr is on fire, literally."*** Sierraughs at me. ***"OH SH*T! Go run a few of these random f*ckers over. You are seriously a fireball!"*** Lil shouts at me. With the four of us in our wolf form the odds are so much better in our favor. I can feel the spike of adrenaline coursing through our veins. This is like old times, Working off each other''s strengths and using every moment of opportunity to drive a damaging blow to the most vulnerable spot. He still hasn''t shifted, we are tearing into his skin with our teeth and ws and he won''t or can''t shift. I''m not going to feel bad about it though. He chose to be this petty, greedy person instead and now he''s paying the price. We are moving too fast with the magic protecting us. He is trying to keep up, but can''t focus on all four of us at the same time and it is making him outwardly frustrated. I feel like I have endless energy and he is just getting weaker and weaker with each blow. There are still plenty of sounds around us. I wonder if reinforcements came in. Everything is moving so fast and yet so slow all at the same time. I don''t dare look even though every fiber of my being wants me to force my wolf''s eyes just enough for me to see my mates are alright. I can feel them, I know they are fine, but I can at least sympathize with their being angry earlier. I hate this feeling. The pull to constantly check on them is very overwhelming and irritating. I can feel them, I don''t need to be stuck to their asses twenty four seven. I need to add that to the list of things the Moon Goddess and I talk about. We continue biting and shing and finally get him to his knees. Sierra has one arm, Lil the other in their mouths, he''s too weak to fight us anymore. I don''t believe for a second he''s given up though. He''s gone to so much trouble to get here, I don''t think stopping is an option. We are all panting and covered in dirt from rolling around and being thrown around. Even without shifting he has been able to withstand the four of us and the rest of his wolves have been keeping our guys busy. Jena stalks towards him, death is the only look in her eyes. She didn''t get to kill Mike. I regret taking that closure from her. My reaction to Mike was uncontrolled and he should have suffered far worse than he did and she should have had a hand in his final moments. But she will take this life for all her suffering. Before me, she was the one Vincent and Mike had chosen to carry on their bloodline. They killed her family because she''s an Alpha female and took her from her home, then abused and r*ped her repeatedly. Causing the kind of trauma my brother will be helping her heal from for the rest of their lives. Her wolf opens its jaw wide to take in his whole massive neck. The entire area rumbles and quakes. Static in the air crackles.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ***"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING BITTY?!?!"*** ***"It''s not me. Be careful, the ground is starting to open up in ces."*** I yell to everyone. Green mes fly past my head and straight at Jena, but barely miss causing her to drop down to her belly. This time I do look around, but see nothing. Where the hell did thate from? Another round of green mes much I know. Would Adrielle let us I get this far in harming her so-called mate? Now wolves descend from everywhere. I can''t tell if they areing from the warehouses themselves or just around them, but they are massive, enhanced like Vincent. They have red eyes and are foaming at the mouth like they are rabid. I rememberter, thinking this is really going to suck as I am knocked flying from the side and I lose consciousness for just a moment. My wolf stands up and shakes her fur. I can still feel the tingle of the protection magic working. ***"We need to remember that the protection magic does not work against a resulting concussion."*** groan to my wolf. I take stock of our surroundings. Jena is protecting Lil and Sierra, but a wolf is dangerously close and crouches to jump on Sierra''s back while she is still restraining Vincent. I don''t think just react and a st of dirt tosses him to the side. My wolf digs her paws into the ground and we can both feel the vibrations of the earth pulsing around us. I tap into that feeling and just let the magic fly. Spikes of dirt shoot up impaling wolves around my friends. I notice the only wolves that go down and stay down are the ones I hit in the ribcage area. ***"Either rip their heads off or pierce their heart and lungs."*** I shout instructions to anyone who will listen. We pull from the fire and send mes in all directions. I''m not worried about hitting any of my pack members, my magic knows who to protect and who to attack. I can''t send them much farther than about ten o fifteen feet from me, so I can''t just stand here and take everyone out. I''m going to have to work for it a little bit. Vincent managed to get away from my friends as these back-up wolves started to focus on them. I can see him slinking away into the shadows of one of the buildings. But, we can''t follow, a wall of the same green me has risen around all the buildings and I won''t risk any of us trying to find out if we can make it through. We keep fighting these red -eyed wolves until someone shouts ***"SMOKE!"*** Over the mindlink. I turn to see a plume of thick ck smoke rising from our home. Chapter 0631 NO! I don''t even know what happened to me. It''s like my body and mind separated. The absolute feeling of despair, hopelessness, hatred, anger, defeat all licked up my insides like a white hot me. While we were here distracted, someone or something else attacked our home. All the people waiting for us to bring some level of good news, where are they? Are they safe? Did they see iting and get to safety?? Are the people we are holding prisoner safe? I didn''t want them to die fighting for another person''s obsession. I know I am breathing heavily, but I can''t gain control over myself, I can''t hear my wolf talking to me if she''s trying. I''m drowning. My chest is caving in and I know I am breathing, but my vision is lined in red. I will destroy these rogues and everything they love for what they have done and are doing to my pack. I let out a scream and a wave of energy sts out from around me. My vision goes ck for a moment. Thick arms wrap around me from behind. I can feel the tingles run up my skin, I know they are supposed to calm me down, but it''s not working this time. I am pulled back into a hard chest and I can feel breath on the back of my neck. Another set of hands grabs my cheeks. Again, I feel tingles, but I am so lost in my destructive thoughts, I can''t for the life of me figure out who has me. I do know that my legs are noodles, I don''t think I could stand if I wasn''t being held up. Wait! I know someone is holding me up. I''m in my human form, how did that happen? When did that happen? Someone is talking to me, but it''s like speaking underwater; muffled, incoherent sounds. I still can''t focus my eyes on anything but the plume of smoke eating what may be left of my home. I need to move, we need to move. Why am I trapped? My body isn''t following instructions.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. I think I am telling my body to move, but I don''t seem to be going anywhere. Then heat trickles down my body like slowva, from the top of my head, through my fingertips and to my toes, thawing out whatever had frozen me in ce. I gasp and feel the needed air fill my lungs. "Bitty, Baby, focus. Focus on us. Come back to us, we need you." "Sweetness,e on, we''ve got you. Don''t try to do this alone." "Tiny, Love, we''re here, always here. Breathe, Love, just breathe." An electric jolt snaps me back into my body and I look around. My mates are surrounding me. Cam has me bundled in his arms from behind, Dakota to my right and Oliver to my left. They all have their foreheads pressed to my head, speaking to me softly and it''s enough to break me out of my panic. I feel the tears running down my face. "Can you turn it off baby? I think you got everyone here." Oliver doesn''t break contact when he asks. "Huh?" I look up and blink as I take in our surroundings. Every tree from the grove is gone, the ground is singed ck, except for where we are standing. We stand in a circle of bright green grass. I blink a couple more times and notice the rest of my family in simr polka dots of green surrounded by ckened earth. I can see what Oliver is talking about though, a white me with ck tip is burning slowly across thend. I reach into my wolf and my magic and ask it to stop. Just like that, it obeys me and the me recedes into the ground. I don''t know how I know, but no one else will be able to ce magic here, it is now protected. The buildings are still standing as if nothing happened, but there are no rogue wolves. All that''s left of them are heaps of ash. I hope the Moon Goddess takes pity on the ones who ant to be here. I''m sure, like many were taken and forced into this servitude. "We need to check on Ava and Brett. I don''t know where they were supposed to be. Lenny and Martha were in the packhouse. Gentry and Elena are probably fine, but I need to see everyone. This is all my fault. They are here for me." I am sobbing and I can''t make it stop. "Why can''t I make this go away? This is like Kaley at school all over again." I grip my hair with both hands. I can''t stop the feelings. I know I''m spiraling, but they just won''t stop. People are getting hurt no matter what I do. I''m not enough to make this situation better. The Moon Goddess chose wrong. Anyone else would have figured it out by now. Why won''t she just stop this suffering? "Baby, you need to stop, now." Oliver''s whisper is only loud enough for the four of us to hear. "You have always been enough, Tiny. Enough to bring all of us together to handle this." "You have always been ahead of the pack, give us a minute to catch up, that''s all. Let us help, all of us." Dakota kisses the side of my head. "Are you ready to run, or do you want a ride? You know, for old time''s sake?" Oliver lifts my chin and smiles that small half smile at me. All of a sudden my stomach is full of little butterflies. He has always known how to just shut down my nerves and over thinking. I shake my head trying to focus. "I can run, but is everyone here all good? I don''t want to run into the next fight with our best warriors running on empty." "You shut your mouth over there, Midge! Our training was worse than this, and the only one actually trying to kill us then was Drina." Lilughs and Wyatt, Nathaniel and I all join in. My mates all grumble. "Drina was just trying to kill Midge. The rest of us didn''t put her precious leader position in jeopardy." Nathaniel jogs towards us after testing the ckened earth to make sure it was safe. "Are we going to run towards the danger or what?" "You are not usually the first to willingly run to the fight, what are you up to?" Jena asks. "Are you kidding? Do you know how many times I finally get called into a fight only to get there and Alpha Midge and her band of female badasses have destroyed everyone? I''m tired of missing out." He shifts and takes off, everyone else falling into step behind him. Chapter 0632 "Sierra!" I shout before she can shift and run away. "It''s time." She looks like she wants to kill me, but I won''t risk her or her pup and she knows it. "Time for what?" Cam asks, but the grip on my stomach tells me he knows exactly ''what.'' She growls and says nothing. I open my mouth, we don''t have time for her pride, she blurts, "I might be pregnant." She covers her face. "It''s not confirmed and Sky with her freak nose is the only one who thinks so, but..." Sam stands there with the dumbest look on his face and I wish I could take a picture, it''s adorable. His shaggy blonde hair is all disheveled from the fight, but his dark blue eyes are wide as the truth ps him in the face. "I''m a...I''m gonna be a...wait." He looks at me, that giant smile falling slowly. "You think she''s pregnant with our pup." He starts using his hands to wildly gesture. "You clearly knew before you came into this fight, told her and YOU STILL LET HER FIGHT THAT LUNATIC!?! WHAT THE F*CK WERE YOU THINKING SKYLAR?!?" I don''t think he noticed Jena and Lil step in front of Sierra during his outburst. "She could have been hurt! They both could have been hurt, we could lose our pup. I can''t f*cking believe you." He is so pissed at me, but he isn''t shaking or ready to fly at me. His wolf is keeping him from doing anything stupid. Telling me their wolves have probably already had this conversation. "HEY! Slow down." Dakota steps in front of me. Both his hands raised showing he doesn''t want to fight. I take a deep breath, letting her fight was always going to be a touchy subject. Once I know I am calm, I wiggle out of Cam''s arms, immediately missing his body heat, and step around Dakota. A warm hand slides up my back and rests gently on my shoulder. My mates won''t let me battle anything alone again. "Watch your tone, Delta." I let a little of my Alpha aura out. "My Delta was given a choice having all the information we had at the time. We decided that she was most safe with us, not alone. She decided she wanted to fight for a home and future to raise your pup in. I made her tell you now, knowing we are going into another battle that is going to be heavy in magic. That is less predictable and I don''t think she should be in the fight, but it''s not my choice to make. You deserve to know, no regrets today. You two can debate whether she should fight in the safety of this ruined camp." I gesture around me. I step to my friend and pull her into a hug. "I love you." I whisper into her ear. "Love you too, traitor." She squeezes me back, then hugs Jena and Lil. I turn and follow the path Nathaniel started toward our unknown disaster. We all shift quickly and I do another check in with everyone. Maybe the Goddess is helping somehow. Because Martha and Lenny are alright, they were with Ava and Brett moving the prisoners out of the pit and to the underground cells. ***"Osiston, Niks, Gentry, Elena. Do any of you have any idea where all of these wolves areing from? Some of them seem like they aren''t even alive. It''s like they are zombie puppets. At least thisst group was. Does she have that kind power?"***Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. ***"I''ve only heard of reanimation a handful of times and they were all in the kinds of stories you tell little kids to make them behave themselves. But all stories have some root in the truth though. So it''s possible."*** Gentry calls out and sounds out of breath. ***"Gentry, what are you doing? Are you guys under attack? I thought everyone was safe."*** ***"Little One we are alright, but as you have noticed, your pack is under attack. We will need your help sooner rather thanter."*** ****Skr, we need you and your mates. There isn''t anyone that we can see, but fires are starting everywhere."*** My wolf trips over her own feet at my surprise hearing my dad''s voice in our head. We run harder and pack that away to think aboutter. When we run through the pack it ispletely destroyed. There''s no way this is only an hour of work. Most of the buildings are on fire. I can feel the magic reaching out to me. It''s angry, but not at us. It is mad at used for destruction for no reason. I try to pull it back and set it free? I know I am doing it right when I feel a gentle warmth in my chest before some of the mes go out. It helped that one instance, but this is going to be way too slow to put everything out. ***"Try your element. I was able to pull some of the me out and release it. The magic doesn''t like what is going on, but it doesn''t have any control."*** I say to my mates and they don''t even question what I am asking of them. All of our wolves spread out, but none go further than twenty feet apart. We slowly walk through the center ???? of the pack where the most important buildings are located. I continue to pull at the mes and thank them for doing as little damage as possible before releasing them.Oliver uses dirt to snuff out mes inwns and gardens. Dakota is pulling water from bird baths and swimming pools to dump on the houses seeing the most damage. Every few feet Cam stops and takes a deep breath then lets it out slowly. ***"Cam, what are you doing?"*** My wolf walks up next to him and rubs the side of our head along his neck and under his chin." ***"Remind meter that we really like it when you do that." Heughs in my head. "We discovered that if we focus, we can pull the oxygen specifically out of the air and smother the fire."*** I don''t say anything in response, but I do rub under his chin again, stepping forward letting The curve of his neck run along our back and our tail curls around his muzzle before I move on to check my other mates. Cam''s wolf purrs as we walk away. We finally get to our street and this is where the heart of ck smoke ising from. The packhouse and surrounding homes are decimated. There is nothing left to salvage. What I find most interesting is I don''t feel anything. I never realized how little attachment I have to the ces and things here. My only attachments are the people that are currently surrounding me. ***"Let''s handle this so it doesn''t spread any further into the ind."*** Oliver calls out to us. We all get to work. Some in human form, some in wolf form. Dakota and I found that we work best in human form, but Cam and Oliver stay at my side in wolf form. I do notice that Cam has constant contact with me. When I ask Elena about it as we work she says that his wolf is using me to keep him grounded and level. My mates'' energy seems to deplete more than mine when they use it. By leaning on me I am sharing my magical endurance. Chapter 0633 Hourster all of the fires are out and everyone is ounted for. There are several injuries to attend to and we are all getting a crash course in coven healing. Field training was necessary for warriors, but this is a whole other level. Since they don''t have the enhancements that our wolves give us, many herbs and other remedies moremon to humans are used along with magic. All the injuries that our pack members sustained in the fight are strange. A bite that should have healed in minutes is still oozing even now. Gentry said it''s the magic that has encapsted the rogue wolves. It''s almost like their saliva has a toxin in it. "This is like what happened to you, Sky." Sierra has taken to helping with and is a natural at mixing the herbs and oils that Gentry and Elena have introduced us to. It makes sense considering what her parents do for a living. I almost forget that she has a whole other skill set in alchemy because of them. "What do you mean? I was unconscious for that whole thing."N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "We did so many tests and took so many samples. No one could figure out how you survived with everything that was running in your system and at the levels you were given." "I think my wolf and I decided that no matter what we would never die at the hands of Kaley and her meatheads." I didn''t even think about the words that I just let fall out of my face. All my mates, my brother and Sam stop what they are doing and face us, not even pretending they aren''t listening in now and move toward the table we are working at. I have never fully confronted the situation with Kaley out loud to them. The girls know bits and pieces, but with her dead, there is no retaliation they can do and I don''t n on mentioning it again. She was never worth the mental effort to even think about when she was alive, now I just feel like her karma came back and smacked her in the best way possible. No one will talk about her, no one will remember her, she died in such an unspectacr way, so many other exciting and scary things have happened, she became unimportant. It was always her worst fear and she did it to herself. "So it was her?" Dakota whispers in a defeated tone, standing next to me, hip propped on the table. "It was always her in some way." I let all the implications sit in the air, thick and stale. Then I turn to Sierra, changing the conversation. "You are really good at this Si, I think I am going to have you stay and make sure everyone here is cared for and ready to join when Vincentes back and Adrielle finally shows her face." I raise my hands to stop her protest. "You are the best person. You know the forms for all of these potions and salves. You understand the toxins and poisons that are being used. You are quick on your feet, especially if the fight gets this far, and it will make every single one of us more calm and less distracted to know you are here. And everyone here knows and trusts your knowledge of all this nt sh*t." "Sierra, you have our future inside that wild bossy stomach of yours, please listen to Sky." My brother approaches her like a skittish animal. "Mateo, I can''t just sit by waiting, that will be torture." I''ve never heard her desperate before. "Look around you, do you really n on being bored?" They both share a small smile "I was going to ask if you would be able to duplicate this stuff on your own." Cam shakes one of the little vials with a green slime looking substance. "With Adrielle in y, we are going to need Gentry and Elena with us, guiding our magic. I still have no idea what the fu*ckam doing and I am sure I will have my ass handed to me. You can work with my mom and any other warriors avable to keep the healing suppliesing." "I want all of you to know this is under absolute protest." She pouts, and Sam slides up behind her wrapping her in a hug. She never would have stayed put if he had asked as her mate. She would have yed it off as him being too protective and dug her stubborn heels in. But, two of her alphas giving her operational orders that really will be helpful, she can work with. Three warriors make it over to us. We have set up shop in the school''s gym. It is the only ce we have found in town that is structurally sound. It works, for now. "Alpha''s the North side of the territory has been thoroughly investigated. The few houses that were up there cannot be salvaged. The forest has been unharmed though, along with your shrines with the Bedonna and Wormwood." "Thank you, Zayn. Make sure you all get food and rest. We will send out another patrol soon." Cam directs him. They thank us and go on. Lenny and Martha have been keeping supplies here for the warriors and the few rogues that we collected when we got Gentry back It has been easier to keep everyone fed like this, simr to what the Elite Warriors do at thepound. These rogues have been so helpful today. They know what we are going through, I''m sure many of them lost their packs this way, but we have one thing they didn''t. We have the power of knowing the war ising. Most can''t fight, but that hasn''t stopped them from asking to learn. Many of our warriors have gotten past the fact that they came from the same rogues we are currently fighting and brought them into our folds. They have proven so far that they want to be with us and side with us. I won''t stop anyone who wants to help us get rid of this disease. They want a home, a pack to belong to. I hope we can give them that too. "Osiston and Niks should have been back by now. Has anyone heard from them?" I ask the group around me. They went to check the Southern part of the packnds where Charlene and Alpha Br threatened us. I hate that I feel jumpy and anxious when I don''t hear from someone every hour. I think I have been hard wired for check-ins since warrior training, but these constant attacks are making it worse. I need to be in constant contact with everyone just to know they are safe. "They are fortifying your pentagram. Adrielle was able to break through and obviously do damage to your pack." Elena begins. "Gentry finishes. "We think she was able to get through because all four of you were outside the pack borders. That is something we will have to research in the future. Your pack must be safe without the need to leave one of you behind. That sounds more like a curse to me." Chapter 0634 "No offense to either of you, but I''m f*cking over magic." Sam mumbles from the crook of Sierra''s neck.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Elena side-eyes him. "Well, it''s here to stay pup, and you have a direct line to it. I would apologize before your magic decides it is over your wet dog smell and stops working." "You all may want to pray to your Goddess, the winds are shifting." Gentry gets out as a lightning bolt cracks along the sky. "Get everyone to the tunnels, Sierra, NOW!" We scramble. There was no time for ''I love you''s'' and ''see you soon''s.'' I just hope this wasn''t thest time I speak to any of these people. When we get outside along the main street the air is thick and green, wind is whipping around us in short bursts. The lightning is crawling across the clouds, no start or end point, just the static in constant motion. "What the f*ck is that?" Wyatt skids to a halt next to me. "We''re under attack. She''s here, I can feel her." I keep my focus forward, I think she''s waiting for me to be distracted. I pull at my fire magic, wanting it to be ready to hit anyone that pops out of the shadows. I am starting to enjoy the way that my skin crackles just below the surface. The fire is warm and inviting to me, but can be deadly when needed. Two sides of the same coin. Lightning cracks and Thunder apanies it in surround sound, swirling around us. We all move into protective circles, as ready as we''ll ever be. "ROAR!" Several of our warriors are tossed past us from my back, then the volume of grunts and growls raise quickly as we are surrounded by a monsoon of red-eyed wolves from every direction. None of us think, just act. I shift immediately, not wanting to get injured in my human form, and head straight for the roguesing at my front. These are faster, more refined in their movements. Vincent and Adrielle saved their top warriors forst. My wolf ducks and slides under one rogue only to collide with another. Jaws are snapping and biting at every avable piece of fur. I sidestep my hind legs as I feel one approach from behind, but the slight movement and distraction was enough for the rogue in front of me to get a decent nip on leg. The poison in their saliva stings, but it''s like a bad rash for me, nothing more. That''s good to know, my fur can handle it. With that knowledge, I dive in with a deeper desire to take these guys down. The initial fear is ebbing away to determination mixed with anger thrash at anything that isn''t my fr with adrenaline as we bite pack. don''t want any survivor n¨¦. from this hoard. My heart is racing, and sh through these wolves. It takes more time than usual to take them out since my wolf and I are not aiming for prisoners, but a death toll. We are grabbed by the scruff of our fur and tossed back. I don''t see much as we''re flying through the air, but the sweet decay of apples lets me know it''s Vincent. My wolf is brilliant and just as agile as I am. She twists so we cannd on our feet, but the sight that finds me has my blood running cold. Vincent is here. I''m not sure how he got in front of me when he''s the one who tossed me, but he''s here, unscathed. His form hasn''t changed, but the energy surrounding him is so much stronger. His red eyes are more wild. He snarls and backhands me before I can observe any other changes about him. I feel that in my soul. Our whole left side is throbbing with the pulse racing in our veins. ***"SKYLAR!"*** Jena calls my name as we right ourselves. I immediately send my fire into our fur, hoping to the Goddess that we can wound him or slow him down at least. Chapter 0635 ***"Careful, he''s worse."*** I call back to her as we charge him. I can get more leverage in my wolf form. I don''t think there is any way we would survive in human form, but it would be nice to just punch him in the throat, just once. We are fully engaged now, biting and wing at anything avable. He is responding with just as many hits and kicks. The ones that make contact really suck, but our fire is scalding his bare skin when ites into contact with our fur. So, now we are working on shredding his clothes to gain as much skin contact as possible. ***"You are dooming all of your loved ones, just to stay alive. How can you live with yourself being so selfish? Give me what I want and I will set them free."*** His silky metallic voice coats my thoughts. ***"I don''t think any of the wolves fighting for you right now would consider themselves free."*** Don''t let him bait me. Don''t let him bait me. Don''t let him bait me. ***"You are the host of powers you are not worthy to wield and don''t even understand. You don''t deserve to have them. Hand them to me, willingly and your pain will be minimized."*** Did he just tell me he would kill me nicely? How is he so calm and collected when he''s talking about killing me while fighting me at the same time? Another backhand to our face tells me this is a trademark move and to be aware of it so it can''t happen again. He is clearly trying not to harm me so badly that he can''t use me, but he is a masochist. He has a gleam in his eye every time he strikes me and draws blood. My wolf and I are holding on, but it''s just us again, while the rest of our warriors are dealing with the rogues. "Where''s your witch, Rogue King? §Ö I think you might be getting slower and need a magic reboost."*** I have to find a tell and weakness. He won''t go down any other way. He hates the title. Let''s see how much. He charges at me as fast as his bulk will allow and we jump, extending ourThis text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ws to their fullest lengths. The sh we rip down his side sends him into a screaming fit. Landing behind him we turn so he is never out of our sight. He reaches back attempting another backhand, but we see it and dodge only to be hit with the other hand following through this time. He''s learning as fast as we are. My wolf hits the ground and he jumps, using the momentum to pin us down. His hand on our throat sends me into a panic. My wolf tries to calm me down, but I just can''t think, can''t breathe, can''t move. We are too weak, he keeps beating us at every turn. It''s like Kaley and her meathead minions all over again. I was never strong enough to stop them either. No matter how hard we train or study or work, it''s never enough. I am struggling as hard as I can. My legs il, arms pulling against the hold his legs have on me. Wait! What? When did we shift back? I can''t be in human form, he''ll kill me for sure. Our human form can''t handle the amount of torture he''s been giving us. "You will give your powers to me. You should never have been given the gift in the first ce, None of you have been worthy to hold and wield the gifts of the Goddess." I can''t respond or even think. My body is growing weaker and weaker, He''s going to take my powers and take me from my mates. I just got I them and haven''t even had the- opportunity to appreciate what have with each of them. I think that is what is holding my hostage, the pain they will feel when he finally takes myst breath. Chapter 0636 "NOOOOOOOO! Motherf*cker! You are done taking from us!" Jenaes out of nowhere, ws extended from her hands, slicing at his neck. Again and again and again. She is rabid in her efforts, but he hasn''t released me yet. I still can''t breathe, but I am so proud of her. She is closing this chapter finally. He is trying to hold the wounds on his neck closed, while continuing to hold me down. He''s losing this fight. I know it, he knows it, she knows it. She is going to take him out of this world, freeing his wolf for the Goddess to judge. I don''t care where his human spirit goes, but wherever it is I hope he burns slowly. I''m just happy she gets this closer and I can''t forget what the Goddess said. I hope my niece or nephew has the best ce to grow up in after their mom rids the world of one of the worst monsters. Her eyes are wild, scratching, wing and biting, with her human teeth. Her face and ws are crimson, but he won''t let go of me to fight her properly. That is how messed up his priorities are. All I can do is il, but I am getting weaker by the second. Jena and I make eye contact, she knows I will let go if it will save them all.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "Don''t even f*cking think about it Alpha!" She pulls one of my silver daggers from her waist. I don''t even want to know where it came from. I haven''t had my gear on in days, which is stupid considering. She drives it into his neck over and over again. This asshole is not dying easily. Finally, after about ten deep stabs he copses forward on me. I try to push his big ass off, but the way he had me pinned down it''s hard to move, so I do what anyone in my position would. I explode into mes. He will note back a third time. My wolf and I concentrate as hard as we can to burn hot and bright. In minutes he is pounds of ash covering me. I am ripped up into arms holding me tight. "Bitty! What the f*ck was that?" I hold Oliver as tight as I can. "I don''t know, but we aren''t done." He sets me down and Cam and Kota down attack me the same way, but I only see Jena and Mateo. He''s holding her while she cries. I put up a barrier around the six of us. We just need a minute. The fighting will still be there when we emerge and Jena needs me. I hug her tightly and she doesn''t fight the separation from my brother. "need you to go and be with Sierra right now." I pull back to look at her. "You have your closure and now your next chapter begins. Can you do that for me?" She looks at me confused and then it dawns on her. "What are you saying?" "I don''t really know, I didn''t get a lot of clear answers, but you and Sierra need to stay close to each other, and not here." Her eyes are shining. It''s the one thing she didn''t know she wanted until it might have been taken away. "Sky..." "I need you safe and alive. That is what will keep me going. Mateo, take her to Sierra, Now." My brother doesn''t question anything. If he suspects what our conversation was about, he to his mate. He pulls her an talk quickly, heading back to the school. As soon as they clear the enclosure I have created, the clear safe bubble I created, turns green. Chapter 0637 "It''s about time that you started serving your purpose." This soft ethereal voice wraps around us. "I am done waiting for mindless,zy wolves toplete tasks." Several rogue wolves drop just outside the bubble. My mates move in closer to me, everyone of them has contact. The air gets warmer and I can''t feel the magic that is holding the barrier up. I don''t have control over it anymore. We are stuck here. It''s the tornado scenario all over again. I raise my hands letting all my anger and fear build in my palms then try to st through the barrier with a fire st. The mes just hit the ss like structure and glide along its edges, dispersing into the air. "Don''t try to leave or overpower me. You are not trained enough or strong enough to resist, pups. You do not belong in any form of power. You belong in my service. Your magic can be used so much better with the right guidance. You are here to be collected by me. The only way you will survive this is to leave with me." "That''s not gonna happen." Cam growls into the open air. "It''s not a choice child. Your little mate decided to share her gifts with you, so now I have to endure all four of you. It was a mistake to gift magic to wolves. So emotional, never thinking with their heads. Selene should not have shared our magic with your Goddess. It belongs to us. You are an abomination." "You were mated to a wolf and had a child that was a wolf. How can you say that?" I still don''t know where she is and I think that makes me more nervous. She could be miles away, tucked safely in another warehouse while we are fighting for our lives. "It was a weak attempt by Selene and the Moon Goddess to unite our kinds. To create bnce in magic. Even the child I was given was weak, but he could have been so much more with you and you could no follow the n that was set forth." A sharp tingle runs down my spine, she''s going to attack, I can feel it. I squeeze Cam and Oliver''s hands and lean back into Dakota behind me. The bubble is starting to crackle and spark. A low hum of chanting is starting, I''m not sure if it''s in my head or if they can all hear it, but I can''t seem to ask either. My mouth doesn''t work and my mindlink is stifled. The bubble around us shatters like ss, the humming grows louder and I can finally see someone approaching. Green smoke is billowing around her like an extension of her ornate dress. It surrounds us. The circumference is like a fence. The warriors closest to us start to drop. The ones in wolf form are gagging with their tongues hanging out writhing on the ground and the humans are grasping at their throats choking on no air. They can''t breathe and she hasn''t taken her eyes off of me. How is she doing that? "GET BACK! ALL OF YOU!" Gentry and Elena shout together. "Adrielle, stop this madness." Gentry pleads.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Finally, someone with a voice. No one hesitates to listen though, dragging themselves and each other past the border of green smoke. I thank every higher power that is out there. The suffocation seems to leave them the further away they are from us. I''m not sure if they could cross back in if they wanted to. She''s isting us from everyone, but as long as the pack is safe, it''s fine. We can deal with this. I can deal with this. Even her own wolves were affected and had to leave the space. They are milling about patrolling the perimeter, no longer fighting, but curious to what is happening. None of them seem like they n on shifting to human form though. My dad and Niks look panicked on the outside of the barrier watching their mates fight and they are powerless to help. "You are a traitor to all witches." Adrielle spits at Gentry and looks away from us for the first time. "You choose to protect these mongrels, these pets." I try to adjust my muscles, but I don''t want to move from my mates. I think once we break contact I won''t be able to get it back. The slight shift was all Adrielle needed to focus back to me though. "Skr!" Elena shouts as Adrielle takes a deep breath and lets out this slow hissing sound and a shimmering aura sts out of her ripping my mates from me and tossing them out of the barrier, leaving Gentry Elena and I. met I am shaking with fear, but I don''t look away from her. She continues to move towards me. Gentry and Elena stay put but continue to murmur encouragement to me. can''t understand it but I can feel it. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. Whatever they are doing it''s calming. I am the only one that Adrielle wants, she won''t let anyone closer. "That moron thought he could siphon off your magic, as did his father and grandfather with all your ancestors. They thought they could just take it, like a jacket, because they wanted it. Killing both witches and wolves to gain power. And your Goddess and mine decided to force me into mating with that filth. He didn''t want a mate, he wanted to control magic." "Why help him then? Why let him do the things he did? So many people could still be alive." "Because I saw the prophecy. It was given to me. You would be a hybrid, a true hybrid of our kinds with powers beyond anything we have ever seen. The one who mated with you would gain those powers as well. But the prophecy did not show your mate because you would be allowed to choose." Chapter 0638 What does that mean? Did I choose my mates? Were they not my Goddess given mates? Did I take them from someone else? Their true mates. My body is still vibrating with all of my emotions. I don''t know what to do or who to believe anymore. So many people have told me so many things about me, but nothing adds up or makes any sense. She is just looking at me wil a smile on her face like she knows what is running through my head. "Why would you be given a prophecy about me? I have nothing to do with you." I half whisper. I need to understand what I am meant to do, where I belong. "You have everything to do with me, child. I am the High Witch in my coven..." I hear a grumble from either Gentry or Elena, "You should never have been given the title Gentry, you know as well as I that I am more powerful." She nces a look over my left shoulder. "Power is not the only thing that makes a High Witch, Adrielle. You choose selfishness and greed over your coven and their safety." "They are witches, they should be able to defend themselves at the very least. If they can''t perform that simple task, why are they even allowed to join?" "All witches need to learn and be taught. We are taught to work with the elements to make the world better." "I am making the world better. Shifters are an abomination. They are not natural and should be removed from this earth." "All three of you are mated to wolves. Clearly it''s not a mistake or an abomination. Your Goddess and mine are trying to tell us something." I don''t even know why I am talking, Gentry had her full attention. "They made me some kind of freak hybrid. I was given my mates. I don''t know what you think the prophecy was about, but this isn''t right." She''s going to fight me. Her whole goal is going to be to kill me since I''m not going to willingly help her and I don''t think she''ll be able to mind control me. "You are a tool, and nothing more. Did you never wonder why you were never wanted? Why no one paid you any attention unless they needed something from you?" She smiles an evil smile, knowing her insults hit their mark. I was never wanted. My dad didn''t want me, he already had his heir and my mom died bringing me into the world without the right help. I never had friends until Sierra, no one wanted to talk to me unless they needed help with assignments or they were being bullied by Kaley. "That''s right child, you were not meant to be here, you were not meant for any of this. You are not designed to handle these powers even now. You can''t do something as simple as control your element and release these wolves from my control. Your mates have left you here to deal with me on your own. You were never theirs. They only sumbed to the call of your power, nothing more." Hot tears are streaming down my face. I know she''s trying to hurt me, to distract me, but I can''t help hearing her words and feeling their truth. Did I somehow trick them into being my mates? Is that why I have the twins and Oliver? Oh, Goddess! What if I did take them from their given mate because I was too selfish to be without the three of them. I can feel my ribs constricting around my heart. The shallow breaths hurt. I love them, all three of them with everything in me and I don''t even know if it''s real. She raises her arm in a flowy pattern. I can see she''s going to cast like she''s moving in slow motion. Something about the movement is familiar, but I don''t know why. I''m mesmerized by the dance and the swirls of color in the air in front of her. No, not colors, just one color, green. Everything with her has been green. Her dress is made of a long and heavy green fabric with runes iid in a deeper green shade. It''s almost as if they were branded into the fabric. Green. What does green mean? Why is everything about her green? Then something hits me. "You!" I don''t shout, but I am heard loud and clear. "It''s your grimoire I found in the library." "What! "Skr, what are you talking about?" Gentry and Elena say together. "I found a dark green Grimiore in Lucas'' library. I thought it was odd to have a second one in the pack and it is older than mine."How long have you beening into the pack?" I notice the storm outside our secluded space getting far worse. I hope that my mates and pack members have found safety. This is not a normal storm. It is designed to keep them all from me, to keep me alone. I still have Gentry and Elena, but they can''t seem toe any nearer to me. I wonder why Adrielle hasn''t killed them or sent them away like the rest of my pack?N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Adrielle just stares at me, studying, then she starts to chant a melody. It isn''t happy or sad, just sound. Then I lose sight of everyone. I can only hear the melody which slowly starts to turn into words. Beneath the azure crescent''s glow, A wolf shall rise, with powers to show. Born of witch''s blood, a moonlit heir, In her, two worlds unite, rare. From royal lineage, her path unfolds, A queen of shadows, as story foretold. In choosing mate, her power blooms, Their bond shall reign, the world consume. Through woods they''ll roam, in shadows dance, A union strong, in wild expanse. With shared dominion, races blend, Their rule unbroken, until time''s end. "What the hell was that?" My words are still soft, but they break the spell on my eyes and I can see Adrielle in front of me, not moving to harm me, not walking away. Just studying. 1 y the words over and over in my head. I don''t know how I remember them. But, like song lyrics, they stick and repeat on a loop. "Your destiny and mine. You will now give me the power you never deserved. Why Selene chose you, an untrained unworthy dog to handle our greatest power I will never understand. But, you will give it to me." ? Chapter 0639 "You''ve been trying to take it my whole life haven''t you?" I don''t know why I am surprised by this thought. "Not necessarily. I wanted it before you were born. The prophecy only talks about a child, not the mother." I gasp. "You came for Lucas? Did you seduce him? Did he cheat on Ava?" "I was the one to decipher the prophecy and figure out the child would be born in this pack and would be someone of rank. Why not start with the Alpha." She shrugs like that''s no big deal. "I don''t have to go into heat to conceive and I didn''t care if he had his Luna, what is she to me? No one would know. Micheal, as the oldest child, should have been given the powers the prophecy foretold..." "But, Lucas wasn''t the carrier passing on the magic, my mom was. So It wouldn''t have mattered how many kids you had with him, you never would have gotten what you wanted. Why did you keeping back? How did you hide it?" "The prophecy spoke of a girl, not a boy. I was not foolish enough to believe Micheal would be anything special. I needed a girl. The prophecy says the girl got to choose her mate, so I thought Micheal wasn''t aplete waste after all." I couldn''t hide my shock. Cam and Kota were half brothers with Micheal and didn''t know it. I killed their brother and she talks like he didn''t matter at all. I have felt hurt and disappointment, shame and loneliness all day. Right now though, I feel anger. Pure, blinding, white hot anger. The storm around us rages. Lightning sears the sky and rain is pelting down, but nothing touches us inside Adrielle''s barrier. I am angry at Lucas for starting this whole mess. And all the adults around me just kept making emotional decisions in reaction to Adrielle and Vincent and all of their bullsh*t without actually thinking things through. I hate Kaley and her dad for being a part of this. She was more than likely influenced by Adrielle too. It exins a lot if she was. We have all suffered for years because Adrielle wanted a power someone told her wasn''t hers to wield. I am angry that even though Micheal was a d*ck, had a reason, he wasn''t wanted anymore than I was. A product of selfish behavior. I am angry. No ''angry'' doesn''t evene close to describing the rage or animosity I am feeling at suffering with so many other innocent people at the center of someone else''s stupidity and greed. I can feel the earth beneath me rumble. I feel the air around me press into my skin. The rain just out of my reach is fighting to get in, pelting the barrier Adrielle has up. The me under my skin is bursting to get out. It wants to take over like with Vincent and just incinerate the problem that Adrielle is. I just don''t think she is going to go out as easy as he did, and there was nothing easy about that. ***"Skr, my sweet girl. Do not give into the hate and anger. It will consume you and take control. Fight and defend, but do not give your control away, you will never get it back."*** I can see Elena has her hands up in my peripherals. I can''t tell if she is showing submission or ready to cast. ***"I just need to end this, now!"*** ***"You know good and well it won''t end here. Don''t let her control you too. Don''t let her force you to use your magic She lives to control it, she has never understood it is a of her, of you, of all of us. M not selfish or kind, it works with the intention of the caster. The more negative the emotion the more is energy it takes from you. She''s trying to make you weak before you even begin."*** Gentry is making some kind of gentle swaying motion with her arm, definitely casting. ***It all hurts so much, I don''t know if I can control it."*** ***"But you are. Can''t you see? She is not making the storm outside, that is a reaction nto your emotions. It''s all you, sweet girl. But it is getting intense out there and we all have et people we love in the storm. Think of them, ease your rage, reign in your temper. You will get your chance, but don''t follow in the footsteps before you and sacrifice all that you love for something as useless as hate."*** N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Oh Goddess, NO! She''s right I can feel it now that she''s said it. The storm is mine and I am hurting people with it. What was I thinking? I''m not better than Adrielle. I can''t fet that take my focus from her either. I see what Elena meant. If I analyze her like a warrior she is waiting for me to break down or unleash wild magic that will drain me so she can attack. I wonder if it works the same for her since she was born a full witch? I can feel the rage inside me calm the longer I process her ande up with a strategy. My wolf is giving me hints to her movements. Adrielle isn''t as fast as us, but I''m sure that is due to her magic use. She probably doesn''t have to do any kind of hand to handbat because she is so powerful. But she''s never met anyone who has everything to lose and will not put self preservation first. "Give me my magic, mongrel." ***"Baby, Everyone is safe..."*** ***"Love, let us in, don''t fight her alone..." "*** ***"Sweetness, we''re ready to fight this to the end with you..."*** Behind Adrielle, just beyond the border of the barrier, my mates stand tall and strong. Ready to back me in this. Then my brother and Sam nk them followed by Osiston, Niks, Lil, Wyatt, Nathaniel and all of the warriors who are still able to fight. Chapter 0640 Adrielle doesn''t see them, I hope. I think she is so locked on me and she keeps telling me to give her the magic. I don''t understand what she''s even asking for though. I can''t just hand it over and I really don''t want to. The magic feels like just as big a part of me as my wolf, I wouldn''t give it up any more than I would give her up. Now I have to figure out how to get rid of this stupid barrier that she''s put up. I need to get them in here, and figure out how to break these rogue wolves from her control. Maybe some of them will be like the ones that helped rescue Gentry and just surrender. Or better yet, help us defeat the ones who are determined to help her. ***"Gentry, Elena, can you move? I need to do something with this barrier. I need to let the guys in. They will make me strong enough to battle her right? But they have to be closer, or at least on the inside of this barrier."*** ***"She has us pinned in ce. As her coven leader, I can break the spell, but it will take some energy. She has not behaved like a member in quite some time, but she has not ever renounced our coven, I do have some control. Like your pack members, we have an innate desire to belong to a group. Depending on what you need from us, I might be able to do something from here."*** ***"Yes, they will make you stronger, our partners always do."*** Elena answers my question looking out at our family. I''m sure she''s looking at my dad and as much as the mere thought of him hurts me, she ispletely in love with him. I take a deep breath. ***"The storm is mine, the magic in the air is mine. Can I use it to take out this barrier?"*** ***"Let''s try something. I know we are kind of out of your sight, but can you see us enough to mimic moves? It will be easier than trying to talk you through a spell. We will just continue your trial by fire training."*** I nod my head. The conversation was so quick. I feel like everything I am watching is in slow motion, or I am just moving really fast. Adrielle is still standing there like I am going to walk up to her and ce my magic in her hands. I take another deep breath, look past her to my mates, making eye contact with each one, letting them know to be ready. Then I start to move. I start to copy Gentry''s movements and I see Elena is too. Maybe they can bolster my magic if we do it all together. A blue mist starts to form around me and Adrielle''s eyes go wide. "What are you doing you stupid brat? You don''t even know how tomand your magic, it will never do anything properly for you. You will never learn to harness it. Don''t embarrass yourself trying." She is still solely focused on me and I will use her weakness to our advantage. She chose the wrong words if she was trying to get me to stop. Maybe if she had paid more attention to the things that really motivated and influenced me she would know telling me I can''t do something is not the best routeN?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. go. Mymates have caught on to what we are doing and are mimicking the movements outside the barrier. The blue mistis forming around them too, creeping its way along the ground just outside her barrier. It makes me think of the twins'' eyes and the argument I had with everyone forever ago about them having different colored eyes. Even when they themselves thought they had teal eyes, I saw them separately as individuals. Now though, all three of my mates share the mixed hazel eyes. I imagine our blue mist mixing with Adrielle''s green and consuming it. And like it always does the magic listens to my thoughts, swirling in and out of the dense green fog saturating the color turning it that beautiful teal color. I smile at Adrielle, more proud of myself than anything, but I''m sure it came off as taunting based on the red shing in her eyes. ***"I have never seen that before!"*** I link to everyone. Then Adrielle screeches. The banshee sound sends a shock wave through me, but it has no effect on me. The barriers break and wolvese charging from all directions. My senses are on overload and yet I l.n can sense each and every wolf in my vicinity, pack and rogues alike. We start moving and every motion makes contact with someone trying to hurt us. My wolf has all her hackles up, but doesn''t want to shift yet, just in case Adrielle is waiting for the brief second of distraction. Two wolves try to attack from each side, I have my fire magic ready to st them, but it isn''t needed. Oliver and Dakota intercept and break their necks before they get within five feet of me. Chapter 0641 All my guys shift one at a time around me, moving faster with the strength and speed of their wolves. No one is getting anywhere near me with the three of them standing guard so I start working through my magic. Adrielle has been a step or several ahead of us for far too long. I know the grimoire was nted in the Alpha suite, I wonder what else was there? I wonder if she was able to make some other kind of connection to me or the guys or even Ava. ***"Bitty, Babe. Whatever you''re thinking, you need to do it now. These wolves are not staying down. Even the dead ones. We need to do some kind of magic to break the spell keeping them animated, even when their heads have been broken a hundred and eighty degrees." "*** I need to know if she has some kind of connection or spell tying us to her somehow. We can''t risk killing her if it will also kill us too. I need to get closer to her, make contact. I have no idea how I know this, it''s just a gut feeling, but my mates will never allow that, unless we are fighting. I just move, no thoughts, exnations or second guessing. She wasn''t prepared for me, but she is faster than she appears. I jump up aiming to get a hit in, backed by my wolf''s strength. She ces her hands up in a shield-like posture and I hit an invisible forcefield. Then she takes a wild swing at me. So we are at least evenly matched. She''s not great with hand to hand and I''m not great with casting. She thrusts her hands forward and I go flying back only to be caught by two strong hands. "End this, Skr. For all of us." My eyes flick up. My dad has me cradled in his arms. He''s looking down at me with no more emotion than he has ever shown me. But, he spoke to me, used my name and asked me to help the pack. My chest is heaving with shallow breaths. It''s the first time he''s spoken to me without hate or disgust in my life. He sets me down gently, looks at me for a brief second and then returns to the fight, staying close to Elena. I turn my head back to Adrielle, only to see a green ball of light flying at me. I put up both my hands to block it. I watch the st explode in front of me hitting my own invisible shield. I thank both of the goddesses for allowing my magic to be intuitive. There is still so much chaos going on around us, I keep throwing whatever my magic thinks is right at Adrielle only for her to block and throw it away like the spells are annoying little gnats. Nothing I am doing is working. What if she''s right and I can''t do this? ***"She''s not right and you damn well know it. What she and you both need to get is that your mates are the lunch pin. You need them to be strong enough. That''s why you magic was shared amongst the four of you."*** ***"They don''t know any more than I do. They are just going to get hurt being in the line of fire. I can''t let that happen. I can''t lose them."*** ***" And they can''t lose you and that is exactly what is going to happen if you try to stay separate from them. Adrielle was never going to be strong enough for this magic, because it''s about trust and using it together. She never trusted mate. Hell, she didn''t even her own kid. Let them help you or we areCopyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. all going to die."*** ***"Gentry, Elena. Can you cover us?"*** They both shout yes, not even questioning what I am asking for. ***"Guys, I need you with me. It''s time, we need to take her out together."*** I know they aren''t far from me and I can feel then all make contact before I have even finished my sentence I can feel the magic radiating through us like we are a connected vein. None of us are sure about anything, but if this is thest thing we do, it will be together. Chapter 0642 I take a deep breath in and I can feel the blue magic swirl around us, bolstering my confidence. Everything feels so much better with the three of them close like this. The flow of magic is less muddy. It''s a fine wisp swirling between the four of us, yful and happy even in this situation. Their fur is crackling with the magic they possess. We move forward as a unit, she is throwing st after st of magic at us. So far nothing has hit us, but I think that is more Gentry and Elena than us. I know they can only help us for a short period of time, bu I will take all that we can get right now. I am finding that my magic is speaking to me, guiding me as my arms start to move of their own ord. I am sending out all sorts of different colors from my fingers and hands. I can recognize what is an attack spell and what is a protection spell at least. Some are aimed at Adrielle and others are towards rogue wolves attacking near us. "Aaagghh!" Frustrated, Adrielle screams and this time the surge of power she sends knocks me back into Dakota''s wolf behind me. That little stumble was the invitation she needed. She jumps forward, dodging Cam''s wolf and swipes at my face with her nails. No, not nails, ws. What the f*ck? ***"Where the hell did she get ws from?"*** I ask my mates still dodging swings and countering with my own. My mates are snapping at her with their massive jaws, but her magic is more advanced than ours and she''s keeping them far enough away that they can''t harm her. I can feel warm liquid run down my cheek and can only hope that the wound heals properly. She''s trying to separate us, but they are staying close, something she can''t seem to counter with her powers. The closeness works for the magic, but not for the fighting. She finallynds a kick to Oliver''s side knocking him away from me. I am able to get in a full swing that she doesn''t anticipate though. The force I put behind it after she harmed Oliver was enough to send her flying back ten feet andnding on her ass. I''m sure he was barely phased by the hit, but watching him take any kind of hit set my wolf off. She doesn''t stay down for more than a minute though. As she barrels back to us she is throwing spells from each hand. To her right she is keeping Oliver busy and to her left Cam, while still sending shots towards Dakota and I. I start towards her too, hoping to distract her from my mates and maybe they cane at her from behind. I''m not as fast as normal though and the sluggishness is pissing me off. I can still hear the grunting and groaning of the fight around us. I can''t tell who is winning, but I haven''t felt any of our pack member''s link break. That has to be a good sign. Then I hear humming in my ears. Adrielle starts to invoke a spell. It sounds beautiful and calming, but the earth begins to shake as chunks of dirt begin to rise from the ground around us, vibrating with her words the dirt is suspended in the air. Her movements are slow and methodical. Before I can ask what she''s doing. The small shards shoot randomly through the air, parallel to the ground like small daggars. We dodge them easily, but it hits me what she''s doing when one of our warrior''s wolves howls in pain and drops to the ground. He is surrounded by crimson almost immediately. ***"NO!"*** Oliver shouts over the link. He runs to the warrior, shifting to human mid stride. Another of our warriors joins them. Standing over the fallen warrior Oliver starts waving his arms and the clods of dirt heading in his direction fall to the ground. His magic is scattered with his emotions. Simr to mine with the storm. The warrior tends to our fallen and I try to think of how to fix this. The storm! I can use the storm, my storm. I have to get Oliver on track. I''ve never seen him this emotional, ever. ***"Oliver! He''s weak, but alive for now. Help me trap her. The storm is mine. We need to use it to capture her. Dakota, can you help Oliver with the dirt?"*** Oliver moves back to me schooling his face and rounding up the flying particles as he goes. They follow him like a ma. I can feel his anger radiating off of him. He is angry that he didn''t protect a pack member, a warrior that is under his protection. Adrielle keeps throwing the dirt shards our way, but nothing touches us. Dakota has shifted and is moving his hands causing the dirt surrounding Oliver to swirl back towards Adrielle. Her look of shockN?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. is something I will never forget. She begins throwing more and more earth at us. Rocks now join the debris, but Oliver is a force of his own right now stopping the motion and putting the projectiles in Dakota''s path to circle back to her. They are trapping her in the tornado of her own design. Cam shifts next to me and directs the rain from my storm into the chaos we are creating around Adrielle. She has her hands up protectively, keeping the shards from harming her, but that is all she can do. Her eyes are wild with fear and determination. I wonder if she''s ever had a real opponent? The water is mixing with the dirt and the mud is beginning to stter through her barrier, soaking every part of her. The ornate dress is bing heavy with water and mud and weighing her down causing her to stumble. Her arrogance is part of her downfall. The guys add more and more until all that can be seen is a deep brown sphere surrounding her. I step forward and let my fire consume me. Weing the protection and safety it provides my pack, my mates and I. Cam stops the rain and stands behind me. His strong hands on my waist, lending me his energy. Dakota and Oliver close the sphere in as tight to her as it can go and I encase the whole thing infire. The sphere heats to a bright orange, like y in a kiln, but I don''t stop there. I want to guarantee she can''t hurt anyone else ever again. She can go back to her goddess and be dealt with. Oliver and Dakota each touch a shoulder and I can feel their energy blending with mine. The meing off of us is white hot. Then the sphere bursts into millions of tiny little pieces. I wonder for only a brief second if we actually got rid of her or if she somehow escaped in the moments we couldn''t see her, until rogue wolves started dropping left and right. The dead ones stayed dead now. My mates and I immediately shift and jump in to fight those rogues that still think they have a chance. These assholes chose to fight with her for power and they are not leaving here alive tonight. Chapter 0643 I let my wolf unleash her wrath on these morons, she hasn''t been able to fight much today, knowing the magic side of me was needed more to deal with Adrielle. Right now she is living her best life tearing through the wolves who have decided to fight for this useless cause until the end. My mates never stray too far and each of their wolves find mine to rub against us as often as possible as we weed through the rogues. Once we have dispatched all the rogue wolves back to the Goddess, everyone helps to take the bodies to thepound we found outside our packnds. We set them up in rows and light a pyre. These wolves will get a chance to meet the Goddess and she can decide if they were working of their own ord or if their human was forcing them to go against our kind. We also took the time to search thepound buildings. I''m amazed at what we found. The space must have held hundreds of wolves as farm animals. There are no facilities here at all. No beds, no bathrooms, no kitchens, nothing. I''m sure the only reason it doesn''t smell like a toilet is because she kept them in their wolf forms and they had a whole forest to use. She really didn''t give a sh*t about these wolves that were following her and Vincent thinking they would have a better life. They weren''t cared for at all. Maybe that''s why they fought so hard, they felt like they needed to prove themselves for her to give them affection or they felt stuck and betrayed. Either way they were angry and our pack was the only ce to take out that anger. Oliver, Cam, Kota and I all climb in the truck together. I lean my forehead on the cool window. The exhaustion hit me all at once. "I need to check on Sierra and Jena and we should probably check in quickly with everyone, but I just want to be with you guys right now. Is that bad?" "No, Sweetness, it''s not. I just want you right now too. But I guess I can share you with these two if I have to." Dakota pretends to huff and it makes me smile. "I was not done with you in the greenhouse when we were so rudely interrupted." "Oh, Sh*t! The greenhouse, the packhouse, all of our memories. They''re gone." I didn''t even think about that until now. The entire ranked street waspletely demolished with the attack. Tears fill my eyes at the loss. Oliver wraps an arm around me and slides into the center of the bench seat. "Don''t worry, Babe. We''ll make new memories and I''m sure there''s things that are salvageable." "And besides," Cam looks at us from the rear view mirror. "We can do what we always joked about with mom." I tilt my head in confusion. "What''s that?" Dakotaughs'' "I forgot about that! It would be perfect. Especially now." "What are you two talking about?" I turn to Oliver, when they say nothing. "What are they talking about?" He just shrugs and now I know they are up to something. Oliver can''t lie to me, so saying nothing at all is his way of keeping their secret.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Cam cleverly changes the subject. "So did I hear you right? Jena is pregnant too?" I roll my eyes, but give in, if it was really important they would say. They''ll tell me when they are ready. "I think so, but I have no idea for sure. The Moon Goddess talked to me and suggested heavily that they both might be and I should be careful with them. Sierra thought so before I said anything, but it is really early. Her scent has changed though, at least I can smell a change. As far as Jena, who knows and her scent is the same. We weren''t even sure if she would be able to carry pups because of Mike. He was rough with her, it was aweful. I really hope so though. They all deserve this good news after everything we have gone through." "What about you Bitty?" "What about me?" "What kind of news would be good news for you after all of this?" Oliverces his fingers with mine. I look over at him and every hormone in my body lights up suddenly. "Right in this moment a shower and the three of you naked would make me very happy." My boldness is new and it shows on his face, but I can''t take them for granted anymore. We have all been too close to death too many times to not say what we want and need from each other. Without warning he pulls me into hisp and I can hear Cam and Kota groan from the front seat when I kiss him. I run my fingers through his gritty mess of hair and deepen the kiss. There is just something se hot about the fact that they are all covered in dirt and grime and whatever else because they were helping to keep the pack safe. I pull back and look into his eyes, the four colors swirling together, but his chocte brown is most prominent. I am so lucky to have the three of them. He grips my hips tighter and pulls my whole body closer to him. I can feel every hard line in his body. "We might not get to the shower part if you keep looking at me like that, Babe." "Is that so? What about if I do this?" I lean back and reach for Kota''s shirt, pulling him sideways. "Mmmmm." Kota melts into the kiss, cupping the back of my head and exploring my mouth gently with his tongue. "Definitely not showering before we take you. You might not make it out of this truck." Oliver grinds me into him again and a small whimper escapes my lips. "Somebody tell me why I always have to drive?" Camins behind me, making me giggle into Dakota''s lips. "Because you are what we lovingly call a control freak, bro." Kota says against my lips. "But we shouldn''t leave him out Sweetness." He ces sweet feather light kisses in between each word. I shift and turn in Oliver''sp to face the driver''s side and kiss the stubble on the edge of Cam''s jaw and keep kissing until I get to his chin and then reverse my path back up to his ear. "Does that make you feel better Cameron?" "If you keep that up we won''t make it home safely." He clears his throat, but doesn''t move away from me. "Well, we can''t have that. I need you all in one piece." I kiss him again and then move off of Oliver and back to my own seat behind Dakota, smiling to myself. I like teasing them, sof change topics like I''m not a horny mess. "Do we know where everyone is staying? I know there are a few houses still intact and I feel bad but I also want to be a little selfish and have one for ourselves." "First, c*ckblock much man!" Oliver groans and adjusts himself. "Second, It''s not selfish, it''s practical. As much as people would love to have us all with them at the gym while we figure this out. They also would never leave us alone." Chapter 0644 "We would have to be ''on'' all the time. That''s why mom and dad had the rules about who could be on which floors at the packhouse and keeping the greenhousepletely private. It was so they could have moments away from everyone, even if they were only small bits of time." Dakota''s tone is just as strained as Oliver''s but they are both trying to reign it in. It makes me smile. "Alright, I just want time alone with you guys, whatever that means." I say as we pull up. "But first..." I practically jump from the truck before it''s in park as Oliver tries to grab me. I use Sierra running at us as a distraction. Sheunches herself into my arms, which is a sight, I''m sure. "Oh wow, you and your mates need to go find a dark corner for all of that s*xual tension." She giggles in my ear making a point to take a deep breath in. I ignore herment and look at her closely like I should be able to detect a change in her after being apart. "How are you feeling?" Sheughs. "Not much different than a few hours ago. You''re going to be as bad as Sam aren''t you?" "And all the rest of the guys!" I giggle at her. "This is so exciting!" It feels so good to have something to smile about. "I''m fine. I was able to get in touch with Mom. Her and Dad will be here in a few days and will more than likely overstay their wee." She yfully rolls her eyes. I know how close she is with them and they are amazing. I wouldn''t want anyone else here with her and Jena. "Can you me them though? This is so exciting!" I pull her in for another hug. "Well it won''t be just me for long with the way your mates are looking at you right now." She looks pointedly over my shoulder and I follow. They look like Alphas observing a scene, but to those of us who really know them, they are wound up tight. I don''t know why I am in a teasing mood all of a sudden, but making them wait a little longer seems like the best course of action right now. "Stop! I haven''t even had my heat yet and for once I would really like something about me to be normal and not happen early." I bury my face in my hands feeling bad about feeling so selfish. I want kids, but not yet. I feel like we haven''t stopped to breathe since we have been here. There is so much more we still need to do to put the pack back together. "What about you is normal?" Jena asks as her and Lil walk up and hug us both. "Cause from where I''m standing ''normal'' isn''t even in your vocabry." "I told her her mates look like they want nothing more than to knock her up, but she doesn''t want to hear that yet." "Yeah, you have three of them. That''s three times the chances. I''m surprised you aren''t pregnant now." Lil bumps my shoulder with a big sh*t eating grin. "Everything else happened early, why not your heat? And aren''t you like part witch? They don''t need to go into heat, remember?" Jena shrugs. I grimace. "So not helping." Oliveres up behind me and wraps his arms around my shoulders. "Why are you giving Bitty a panic attack? What are you four up to?" Just his smell has me rxing. Jena waves her hand in front of my t stomach. "We''re taking bets on when the future alpha will be conceived. It''s making her squirm." They all giggle. So much for girls sticking together. At a choking sound behind me, I look up. I don''t know if I''ve ever seen Oliver''s face go ck. As the realization dawns on him. I couldn''t help butugh. He''s not ready for any of this either, good. "Come on big guy, let''s go get everyone settled." Then I need a shower and a nap, I think. The rest of the day was a blur of moving people into the homes that were still standing. We did our best to cluster everyone for now. I''m just so d that we didn''t have pups and our older members to deal with. They were all still safe in the Alpha King''s care, but that was going to be my next project. We need to bring our pack members home. This war zone needs to be turned back into a home... "We will do all of those things Tiny. But first you said you wanted a bath and a nap."Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. I pped my hand over my mouth. "Did I say that out loud? We need to do one more check, to make sure everyone is covered..." Dakota pinches my lips with his fingers. "Enough, you have done enough. We are not under any imminent threat. All your warriors are fed and happy. All of your friends have left to go take a well earned break. You have been switched to ''fight mode'' for too long, don''t think you even know where the ''off'' switch is. Let''s go." He tries to turn me around. "But..." Cam throws me over his shoulder. "No ''buts'' Skr. You are ours for the rest of the night. And let''s be honest all day tomorrow." "But..." I try again, propping my hands on Cam''s butt to push myself up. CRACK! "OWW..What the hell." I squeal. I can''t see who smacked my ass but all three of them areughing. "That might actually leave a mark." "For about five minutes, you''re an Alpha." "It''s still my favorite sight." Oliver groans and I roll my eyes, just before I am thrown back in the truck. "Wait, where are we going? All the houses are within walking distance." "Not ours. We told you, boundaries are really important. This is one we are making and you are not getting a choice in." Why is Cam''s assertiveness giving me goosebumps down my arms? "Okay. So where exactly is our ce?" I am ignored. We are driving through the ?? wilderness. I love our packnds. We have so much area that is protected and won''t ever be built on, it just lives in its natural state. Not manicured and trimmed up to fit the public demands. I lean on Oliver''s shoulder and let myself drift off. It''s finally over. Chapter 0645 It''s been twenty minutes and no one will answer my question. We have talked about all kinds of things, just not our destination. We have talked about finding a time to see Mina, Xander and Oscar and their new pup. Because in all reality we can''t leave until our pack is put back together. We talked about improvements that we want to make since we are building so many things from the ground up. They did finally let me in on their n for the packhouse. When they were younger they used to joke with Ava and Lucas about making one giant house for all of them to live in together since they were together all the time anyway. They would spend at least four nights a week at the pack house. They want to do just that, turn our street into one massive packhouse with all of the ranked families getting an area to themselves and also having a ce for visiting guests. They were more excited about the idea of lots of pups running around together than I ever would have thought boys could be. It just made me smile. I''m still not interested in being a mom at seventeen, but it doesn''t scare me with the three of them. I really need to talk to Alpha Reggie about that whole thing too. I''m hoping that Elena will be a big part of helping me through having pups. It''s so weird to think that I will have a mother figure now. I wonder if she wants kids of her own. I wonder if dad will be around more now that he has a mate again. I don''t know if that makes me happy or sad. Before I get too lost in my thoughts Cam pulls up to this cabin right on the edge of ournd. I can see the ocean just beyond. It must be set into the beach. I climb out of the truck slowly. I am too in awe, it is so simple and beautiful here. "What is this ce? I don''t think I have ever seen it running loops around the pack borders." Cam slides behind me, wrapping me in his arms and whispering in my ear. "This is the most Eastern point of the territory. The border patrols usually don''te down this far since the ridge back there gives us a better vantage point." He points behind him to the elevation we just came down. "This is another perk of being a ranked member of the pack. Our parents would sneak out here to hang out. Sometimes all together, sometimes just as couples. This is another one of those ces where no one else is allowed and for the foreseeable future it is our home." Oliver and Dakota eachce their fingers into mine. They all give me time to take in this incredible sight. This lightwood cabin is almost all windows, the wood is really just the skeleton framing in the massive ss. All the lights are on meaning Lenny or Martha or both were here to set this up for us. I can see straight through from the front walls to the ocean, there is no hindrance to the view, It is incredible. THe main floor has an open concept kitchen and living room with arge staircase going up to anding in the center. Under the staircase seems to lead out to a back deck. The upper level hasplete walls, which must mean a bedroom. "Are you just going to stare all night or are you going to finally put us out of our misery Smalls? I would really like to repeat the kiss in the truck and finish up what you started." I just giggle and take off. I''m not headed for the house though, I''m headed for the beach. I want to see if I can get to the water before they catch me. I start throwing my clothes off as I go. I could just shift, but I don''t even know if I remember how to shred my clothes shifting or not. I can hear themughing as I throw the different things their way. I let all my insecurities go and tear my sports bra off and then my panties. The satisfying groan I hear and the faster steps I hear behind me tell me they are all in to have some fun in the water. I get about three steps into the water when I am scooped up, but we don''t stop. I am hauled in, clinging to Oliver''s arms. "You can''t outrun us for long Baby. You gave us that superpower." The deep throaty growl in my ear sends a shiver down my spine. He turns quickly and I am faced with a very naked Dakota and Cameron. Oliver squeezes my back tight to his bare chest, I can feel his arousal poking me in the ass. And It only gets harder as Cameron takes my mouth with a bruising kiss. Oliver joins him, nipping at my neck. I reach out for Dakota blindly, but he knows what I want. I need contact with all three of them right now. "You are perfect Sweetness." He coos, bringing my knuckles to his lips, Then kissing up my arm to my shoulder. "Do you want us to take you here?" My voice is barely a whisper. "Yes, please." Oliver''s hand slides down between my legs, making small circles around my cl*t. His other hand takes my arm not being devoured by Dakota and brings it up to hook around his neck. Just as I wonder what they are doing, Cam lifts my hips up as I lean back on Oliver. I''m suspended between the two of them, my legs over Cam''s shoulders, my head back on Oliver''s shoulder. "Perfect! A buffet of Sweetnessid out just for me." Kota sucks one of my n*pples in his mouth just as Cam licks my slit slowly and Oliver bites down on their marks.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. "Holy F*ck!" They feast on me until I am a mumbling mess, but they won''t let mee. It''s payback for teasing them earlier. They circled me, each taking a turnpping at the different parts of my body. "Please! I need you. All of you right now." I''m so horny and my brain is fried, I just need release, and I need it now. My vision is blurry and the ocean is making it hard to tell them by scent. I''ve lost track of who is where and the unknown is kind of exciting. "I want her on the couch, now!" Oliver''s growl. "We are going to take you from every possible angle and then on every surface of this cabin." "Yes." I wrap my legs around Dakota, who is in front of me and we all move out of the water. I get chills as the wind blows across my wet skin, but I''m far from being cold. He walks me up the short flight of stairs to the back deck and we walk past Cameron holding the door open for us and straight to therge couch set in the middle of the main level. He pauses for only a moment when we get to the couch. When he turns me, Oliver is sitting with his arms open ready for me to straddle hisp. I take the invitation and slide down to him, hovering just over his massive erection. He slides down the couch so his head is resting just below the top and I can brace myself on either side of his head. He lines himself up and wastes no time thrusting up into me making me cry out. It is pure heaven. The slight burn and stretch has be one of my favorite feelings ever. He continues at a quick, deep pace and my org*sm follows quickly. I wasn''t sure why until he pulls out and I am impaled deep from behind. Dakota has a firm grim on my hips and the pping of our skin has me panting again. While they are bounding around in his face, Oliver alternates between my tits, giving them each soft loving attention mixed with sharp little nips that are making me crazy. Just as I feel the first flutters of my second release. Cam walks up behind the couch fisting himself. The sight does me in and Ie hard all over Dakota. Dakota continues to slowly slide in and out of me as Cam approaches. "Can you take all three of us Love? Are you ready?" I nod, still panting. I want all three of them like I need to breathe. "I need your words, Love, we''ve talked about this." "Uh, yes." It takes a couple more breaths to get the sentence out. "I want all three of you in me...now!" Dakota pulls out of me and glides his fingers through all of my juices, smearing them all along my back entrance. Oliver positions me on top of him and glides in easily, then Dakota lines up my ass and enters slowly, inch by glorious inch. Once they are both seatedpletely they start to rock in a slow rhythm. I look up to Cam and lick my lips, I''m just missing one mate now. He saunters closer and I instinctively open my mouth for him. He matches the pace of my two other boys and the sensation is so mind blowing, Cam doesn''t get very many thrusts in before I am humming and gagging through my org*sm. It feels like itsts forever which is amazing. They continue to thrust until they alle grunting and panting at the same time. I am dozing off as they take me up and clean me off in the shower. One is working on my hair while another is gently rubbing a cloth along every inch of my body as the third is holding me up. I can''t even tell whose hands are where. They are one unit working in tandem to take care of me. I don''t know how I got so lucky. I am wrapped in a towel and my hair is dried in another. Then we are all bundled in the massive bed. I am out before my head hit the pillow. They did not lie. I think I have beenid out across every surface in the beachhouse. The left me alone long enough to eat and nap, but even then someone was touching me at all times. For the first time though, I don''t mind their hovering at all. Chapter 0646 We spend the next several weeks helping everyone get settled and then making ns. Alpha Reggie and Luna Anne came out to help and I couldn''t have been more excited to see anyone. He brought the same contractors that worked on the Castle improvements. We came up with ns and they toured the territory. We actually found out that Adrielle targeted the central part of the pack, knowing where the packhouse was located thanks to Kevin. There was definitely a path of destruction that we needed to fix, but not as much damage as we feared. The guys and I decided to divide the nning so more got done. Lil, Sam, Sierra and I were in charge of the school and training grounds. We decided on a dorm like the one we had at Elite training attached to the training grounds. We want the trials to continue here and to be an outpost for training warriors. That is one thing that I thank the Goddess every day for. Our warriors have always been well trained and we have always required everyone to have basic defensive skills in their human form and when they get their wolves they train too. I have also been in close contact with Olympia, who happened to get lumped in with our warriors during the fight and managed to not get harmed. She is determined to do better than her father with her pack. I think I had more fun redesigning the pups training grounds. I wanted them to have their own ce after all of the traumatic events they went through with ourst one. I may have added more obstacles for them to have to get past in our games. I also made ns to have a dorm for any of the pups of warriors who lost their parents in this fight or have parents out on a mission. Losing pack members is hard, but warriors put their lives on the line to keep the pack safe and their pups are sometimes left to their own devices. They were some of the most disadvantaged before. When Ava and Lucas were in charge there was a home for them if a family member wasn''t avable to take them in, but they had the bare minimum and I only found out recently it was Kevin who was in charge of taking care of their needs, meaning he gave them nothing and pocketed any other funds that were meant to help. That will never happen again on my watch. They will be loved by the pack their parents are protecting. I am still waiting to hear the final list of warriors lost. Several took hard hits and bites that were magically enhanced and their healing time is much longer than it should have been. Elena and Gentry have been helping our healers while teaching me some basic healing skills. I hope I will have very little use for them in the future, but there is always some threat lurking so it''s good to have. And let''s be honest, my friends and I aren''t exactly careful when we train. Just the thought of getting back to training after years of torment and the hijacking of lives gives me the chills. Mateo and Oliver take the northern half of the territory. More homes are on this side of thend. The elevation in the center of the pack gives us an easy divide. It is cooler on the Northern side, so it''s better for homes than crops. Dakota and Cam take the southern half, where our crops and farms are more plentiful. We work as a leadership group in the evenings designing the pack center on the teau of the central elevation of the pack. I am hoping that we can bring back pack members by the end of the month. I have this need for everyone to be home and safe. Avaughed at me when I asked her about that. Like having the pack divided up is making my skin crawl. "Oh, Sweet Girl. You may be an alpha, but you are this pack''s Luna too. You have a connection to them the boys never will. They have an innate need to protect everyone, but you, you will feel everyone. All their emotions, their happiness and sorrow. You are the light that holds the pack together. That is why the Luna is so important." "How can she be both an Alpha and a Luna?" Lil asks across the table. We are having a rare girls'' day. Our boys are working with Alpha Reggie, Osiston and Nicks getting supplies in and organized. Sam and Mateo have figured out that their now showing mates won''t stay out of anything unless all the girls are forced to sit on the sidelines too. So here we are. It is so cute to see the little bumps in their stomachs start to develop and no matter how many looks people give me when I get excited for my friends, I am still hoping to have some more time to be just me. Ava pulls me from my thoughts. "How has she been able to do anything in her life? She''s special, that''s how. She''s both a wolf and a witch. She''s a leader and a team yer. She is an Alpha and she is a Luna. Speaking of which, I think we should do a Luna ceremony when everyone gets back. I know that your alpha aura is the strongest, but it will bond the pack after all of this. So much has happened since we sent everyone away. We lost Lucas and gained four Alphas in the process. They will be so excited you have joined the boys." "Yes! I want you in a dress... FINALLY!" Sierra ps her hands. "I have been in a dress. You missed out because I was on assignment." I point at her. "Yeah, but those pictures and the guys'' reactions were epic! I would like to see a live reaction." "Wait! How do you know what their reactions were?" I have my hand halfway to my mouth, suspending a chip with salsa dangerously over myp. "I may have snuck into their camp. It was not new or an unusual thing actually. They all snuck around like any otherrge mass of teenagers would. We were just hanging out actually and a text came through to Mateo, because Xander is not su cidal. Now, the reactions make total sense. Then, it was, because they were so extreme towards someone they imed was ''just a friend'' or ''a beta, so you''re close." "What did they do?" Jena leans forward eating this gossip up. "I''ve only known them since we got back and anyone with eyes could see all three of them were in love with her."This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "Honestly, it was pretty much the same before, but everyone was so young and all of them were scared of the ''mate'' word. Our little Sky here had all of them wrapped around her finger the minute she bested them on the training field." We all startughing. Chapter 0647 "They didn''t even notice me before you showed up. It''s all your fault." I threw my napkin at her. "Nah, they would have caught on eventually. It just happened a little faster with me. I still watch the videos of your birthday when we went shopping. I thought your head was going to explode when I brought out the first hideous dress. It was so big and poofy you looked like a porcin doll." She scrolls her phone and starts handing it around. I haven''t forgotten this day, but I don''t remember their reactions being this dramatic. She takes her phone back and flips to something else and then hands it around. It''s a video from theke at the Alpha King''s castle. They are all just goofing around when Mateo gets a message. He stares at the screen then almost drops the phone as he scrolls. "What the f*ck?!" He asks the air, which gets the attention of the others, who huddle around him. All their faces go ck, then Sam''s glowing smile breaks across his face. "Yes! Go Little Bit. You guys are f*cked. She looks like that around all those hoity rich bastards. She''s nevering back. They know she can fight, they know she''s smart and now," He whistles. "She''s a prize. At least she''s with Xander. They look good together." I can tell by the look on his face that he is messing with them, but the rest of them are so serious. Mateo looks like he might puke. Oliver wentpletely rigid behind him. Dakota has his jaw on the floor and looks like he might cry and Cam is pissed. If he were a dragon, there would be mes shooting out of his nose. "I''m going to kill him if heys a hand on her." Cam growls and Sam ps his shoulder. "Hate to break it to you, but that''s his hand around her waist, holding her real tight, and if she''s meant to stay close to him all night, then that is probably going to be what you will see in every picture. You should have grown a set when she was still with us." There''s more, but I pause it. I look up at Sierra. "What the hell is this? Why have I never seen this before?" "First, don''t shoot the messenger. And second, you cannot be that blind. They were all in love with you, even Sam. But we are not talking about that because he is mine and my wolf is already territorial about him, this kid is making it worse. I''m so d it''s quick though. I was talking to Elena and humans take like a whole year to grow a baby. Bleh. I''m two months into my six month stint, I can''t imagine all these hormones for a year." Jena threw a cucumber in her mouth. "Yeah, I about ripped Mateo''s head off this morning for putting a ss down too loud on the counter and then cried for thirty minutes for yelling at him. He thinks it''s hrious, which makes me want to punch him even more. I am less emotional I around you all." We all startughing again. We were all over the moon when the pack doctor confirmed that she is pregnant and everything looks healthy andpletely normal. "That is the female bond you have. Everyone here has the capacity to go through pregnancy and hormones the way you are right now. Your wolves are very close well. The female wolves will always protect and help their pregnant pack members. They are carrying the future." Ava looking at each of us. "All your children will be close too. Look at the boys and Sky" She looks at me and wiggles her eyebrows. "Oh, no you don''t. We are not talking about this. First Sierra what''s to y dress up and then you are trying to get me pregnant. I''m sure you can find other ways to torture me." They are allughing again. "We know you''re not ready, Sweet Girl. But that doesn''t mean that I''m not ready. And I will never stop asking. I hope you have a dozen." She rubs her hands together, like a cartoon viin. I about choked on my water. She has lost her f*cking mind. She did let the subject go after that, thankfully. And just to make sure it didn''te up again I mindlinked Gentry and Elena to train with me so I would have an excuse to leave. All the girlsined when I got up to go, butas the resident workaholic, they all know I can only sit still for so long. We did actually work though. I am learning nature magic and how to feel through the grass and dirt. I can actually hear the treesmunicate even from the center of the pack all the way out to the maind. It is so cool, but takes a lot of concentration, which is hard right now having so many decisions needing to be made. I think this will be one of my favorite ways to meditate and rx though. Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Chapter 0648 It only took a few weeks to get enough housing done in the southern part of the pack for the agriculture omegas to move in and begin tending to the damagednds our produce grows in. The rogues that came through here were focused on getting rid of our food supplies, not the ces where wolves who grew the food lived. Nothing is growing yet, that just takes time, but the sight of cleared farnd brings hope to everyone. We also brought in pack members who had any skills in building so the projects could go faster. It''s been great getting a few trucks of members arriving every week or so. We are bing whole again, piece by piece. We still don''t have the pups here, but Gwen checked in with Kyle yesterday and said they were training hard, keeping the warriors on their toes and are ready to prove they cane home and help keep the pack safe. It made usugh to hear some of the things that they are getting up to. I miss all of the little voices ying, yelling and just consuming the pack in theirughter. We finished the dorms first since it is the most centrally located, it''s housing everyone who is working for us and we can feed and care for them more easily. It was also the most simple to build and furnish. Martha has returned to her diner which is surprisingly, still standing. She won''t let any of us in yet, not even to help. She wants to wait until the ''whole pack has returned.'' We justugh at her, but no one messes with or crosses Martha. It''s fun to see the pack returning to life. After a long day of building and moving more people into their new homes I showered and changed intofortable clothes. Waiting for my mates to get back from the jobs they have all taken on, I am just lounging in the hammock that Oliver set up for me on the beach staring out at the water. He built it big enough so I couldy out here by myself, but more importantly, with any one of them and they would fit much better than ''the tiny little one'' I had in Ava''s garden. I am totally in love with this beach house. I don''t think I am going to share it with anyone but my mates when everything is all said and done. It''s only downside is also it''s upside. It is so far from everyone else. love having the guys all to myself and the sound of the ocean in the background is perfect. It helps me feel calm when my mind starts to wander and I remember I am only seventeen, just a kid. Some of these pack members were around when I was born and now I have to help lead them and keep them safe and happy. I am supposed to help teach and guide these people, help make decisions that affect all of them, and that is a scary thought. Am I ready? Are any of us ready? I rub my eyes. This pup thing is going to make me a little bit crazy too. I know that my friends are just giving me a hard time, but the rest of the pack members that are here just assume that since I am mated to the guys that we will start popping out kids any day now. I have had to get creative with diverting those conversations when theye up. What they don''t know is my family''s history with pregnancy and how really very serious and scary it is. I need to have a good long conversation with Uncle Reggie about it, but that just seems super weird. So, Elena and Gentry have been my go between with him so far which makes the conversations about pregnancy and delivery so much less awkward. It will need to happen eventually. I need to know firsthand what to expect so I can prepare. That seems to be the consensus in the women who lived through the delivery. The witches areing up with a n that soundspletely usible with spells and herbs. But I haven''t even had my heat yet and I hope the Moon Goddess hears me and will just let me be for a little while longer. After all the recent problems and what happened to my mom, I think Mateo is just as afraid of me having pups as my mates are. They still don''t like to talk about what the first female goes through. "What are you thinking about so hard out here, Bitty?" I heard his footsteps, but he still manages to startle me. "Can you hear my inner thoughts going crazy as much as my emotions?" I giggle as Oliver picks me up andys in the hammock with me sprawled on his chest. "You have a look, that''s for sure, but sometimes your more intrusive thoughts reach out to me. What''s up?" I rest my stacked hands on his chest, propping my chin on the backs looking up at him. "I was just thinking about how young we are and we are supposed to be responsible for all of these people. And wondering if we are ready?] leave out the part about having pups. He gets quiet for days when we talk about the risks. It has also been a huge topic with Jena and Sierra running around hormonal and showing. Any pack member anywhere will talk about pups all day long if you let them. This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "I don''t know if anyone is ready for this, really. Even if you are born into it like Cam and Kota. At least they knew what the expectation was. I know I was nning on being the next Gamma, protecting the Luna and maybe, hopefully, bing one of her best friends. I didn''t n on falling in love with her and then getting lucky enough to be one of her mates." My breath caught. "You were in love with me before we were mates?" Chapter 0649 His rumblingugh shook my whole body. "ording to everyone else it was obvious. Apparently I was only good at hiding it from you. I thought you might be mated to the twins, that match seemed pretty cut and dry. So I figured when I found my mate it wouldn''t be a problem because that part of my focus would belong to her. Turns out the Moon Goddess likes me a little and gave me to you along with the twins." He wrapped his big arms around my waist, holding me close. "When did you know you had feelings for me?" It''s been years and he never said a thing. I guess I understand why, kind of. "We all thought that maybe the attraction was because you were the only other female in our group since Sam and Sierra hit it off immediately. You were one of us, it wasn''t about status for you. Then the trials came and that was seriously the second worst experience of my life. I broke one of the chair handles in the Alpha''s box." "What?! What do you mean?"" Heughed again. "Yeah, none of us did well watching you go through trials even though we knew what was going to happen. Lucas gave us a heads up right before the trial started. Now, I think it was to keep us in our seats and not to try and jump in to save you. Then the threat came and you had that scare in Ava''s room. I knew the moment I kissed you I was f*cked. There was going to be no other girl for me." His stormy eyes swirled with emotion, looking at me but not seeing me. "Then the night of the mating ball happened. That was the absolute worst moment for me, for all of us really, but I got to you first." He took another deep slow breath and it shuddered out, but didn''t look away from me. "You couldn''t open your eyes and there was blood everywhere and you told me... told me to... to just let you die..." tears rolled out of his eyes as he took a shuddering breath under me. "I almost didn''t get to you in time." He squeezed my hips and pressed me tighter to him, like he was back in that moment and couldn''t let me go.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. I sat up quickly, straddling his torso. Cupping both of his cheeks in my hands, I forced him to look at me. "What was your response to that?" I raised my eyebrows. "Never." It was almost a whisper. "You did get to me in time and you are the reason I am still here." I give him a gentle kiss putting all of my feelings for him into it. But I don''t linger, he needs to process this too. He growls low, pulls me back in, and he deepens the kiss, but it isn''t hurried or dominating like usual. I want him to feel what I feel for him through this kiss. I have no idea how he feels my emotions, but I think about opening that pathway and my wolf is reaching out to his, strengthening their bond. Soon the kiss turns from sweet to needy. My hands rake through his thick hair as his hands run under my shirt up my back. I gasp and pull away. I can''t help it. My scars are a part of me. I''m not ashamed of them anymore, but something about them being touched pulls me out of whatever moment I am in. Then a thought dawns on me. "Why did you never know what Kaley was doing to me? Since you seem to be in tune with my more extreme emotions." He doesn''t pull away or drop his hands. He actually starts to trace them more. "Actually, I did, but I didn''t know what was going on at the time. Do you know why I started getting tattoos in the first ce?" I hesitate. "No." "Shortly after we shifted for the first time, I got these. I never knew why. I think I do now." "What are you talking about?" He takes my hand and ces it on his bicep where an ornate tribal tattoo wraps around. He continues to glide his other hand up and down my back. "This one," He moves my finger so it traces over a triangr shaped scar toward the back of his arm, while he finds a simr pattern on my back. "Came first. Then this one," He traces two identical lines that have slight curve, both with my hand on his arm and his other hand on my back. "Showed up a few dayster. And then these were thest." Six little jagged shes about two inches long each. I remember this one, because it felt like they used a barbed tip on the end of the whip that time. How is it possible you have these and I never noticed before?" "I covered them with tattoos almost immediately and the silver in the tattoo ink can leave some small scarring giving me the excuse I needed. I thought they were some kind of result of shifting and that maybe something went wrong or it was a sign that I was a gamma. But, just like the asthma attack I got when you were in Lucas'' office hearing about going to warrior training or when you stopped breathing when Ava told you about the threat made to the pack, it was a sign that you needed me and I wasn''t where I needed to be." His eyes start to fill up again. He keeps tracing my scars. "If I had paid better attention to the gifts the Goddess gave me, maybe you wouldn''t have gone through the things you did." He closes his eyes and lets the tears fall. "Hey, hey. Look at me." I keep my voice gentle, but it''s a fight. Even dead, Kaley is causing me problems with my mate. "Stop. Now. You were exactly where you were supposed to be, just like me. As much as it sucked and I would never wish to go I through it again, had I not, I never would have ended up here with you now. We all had to go through everything we did so we could take out Adrielle and Vincent. There was no way around the life experience that we had to have to do that and we all had to walk our own paths. You are perfect for me, just like this." I let go of him to take off my shirt. I have stopped wearing underwear and bras when I am here. I''m tired of them getting ripped off by them being too in a hurry to do it right. His throat closes audibly and he chokes for a second. "All of this is just for you and Cameron and Dakota. There is no other way we would be all together. Now kiss me before I p you silly." He does not hesitate to follow instructions. Chapter 0650 I''m not really sure what happened but there has been a formatting error on several chapters. I didn''t realize it until now. My author page lookspletely different. I''m in the process of fixing the abrupt cutoff when they first reach the beach house. There are about 6 paragraphs are missing And I don''t typically re-use chapter content. I am working my way through from there to fix any other errors that havee to my attention. I apologize for that. I write everyday in the time I have. The end of the school year is busy as a teacher. I do post on my Facebook page regrly. That is the best ce to let me know of any errors you catch in my work, ask questions and in genreal interact with me. I actually don''t have ess to respond toments here, outside of these author notes. As for chapter length, that is also out of my control. That is a general GN formatting set-up that I cannot change. This keeps the chapters more simr in length for Premium subscribers. Thank you for following along in Sky''s journey so far. We are so close to the end!This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Chapter 0651 He is no longer sweet and gentle, but hungry...for me. One hand firmly grabbing my waist, pulling me into him. The other has my pony tail in a strangle hold while he devours my mouth. Here''s my fierce protector. He yanks my neck to the side and works his way down my throat and to my chest. I''m sure our panting can be heard for miles, neither of us care though. The warm sun beating down and the sound of the ocean set the tone for this very hot interaction. He takes one n*pple into his mouth and I moan from the sensation. He gives just as much attention to the other while he rocks my hips, grinding our still clothed lower halves into each other. "Oliver, I need more, please." I pant out. He shredded my shorts. "F*ck, baby. Have you been naked under these all day?" He digs his fingers into the flesh of my thighs and I giggle. "How often do you do that?" "Whenever we are home." I look at him through my eyshes biting my lower lip. He growls and pulls my mouth back down to his and rubbing my slick center against his shorts. The sensation only made me more wet for him. His hands can''t stop moving over every inch of my skin. It doesn'' take long for me to get frustrated with hisck of nakedness and I lift up enough to release him from his shorts. I can''t pull them off all the way since his feet are nted and keeping us from toppling off the hammock into the sand, but it''s enough for me. I stroke him while he quickly removes his shirt and tosses it aside. "That is a problem." He says into my mouth. "How so?" "How the f*ck are we supposed to get any work done when we know your hot little ass is there for the taking?" Just to emphasize his thoughts he squeezes my hips hard and drives me along his length. "It''s only one lessyer. It''s not like I''m walking around naked." "But if I know all I have to do is slide your shorts over," He rubs my cl*t with his thumb, "Or slide your leggings down a few inches to find heaven, I''m not going to be able to keep my hands to myself." "Maybe that''s the point." I smile at him, letting out a moan as he pinches my very swollen nub. "Please, Oliver, more." He lifts me effortlessly seating me on him to the hilt while taking a n*pple back into his mouth. I start rocking on him letting the friction send delicious waves of pleasure through me. It doesn''t take long to get close, it never does with any of them. I feel like exploding the minute they touch me. He picks up our pace as I start to tighten around him. He''s starting to grunt, getting close himself. He has full control now mming me down on his thick d*ck, a sweet pain in my pelvis as it connects with his. Then the little sparks of my org*sm starts to fire. "Yes, baby, like that. Yes, ve harder, please, I need more. Ah, ah, ah, YEEEESSSSS!" I''m riding him so hard I can''t keep a grip on his shoulders. UT "Keep, f*cking her." A gravely hoarse voice sounds from behind me. Then a hand glides down my back straight towards my ass, reaching my wet heat and dragging it up to my back entrance. "That''s our good girl. Watching you ride Oliver from the window has me ready to blow. Do you want more?" Cam growls at the shell of my ear, his fingers still circling my tight little hole. Without waiting for a response he works a finger in and I can feel both of them move in me. Involuntarily my hand reaches back and I find his exposed erection ready for me. "Were you jerking off to us?" I ask breathlessly.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Chapter 0652 "I have a need to stroke myself when I watch you do anything. Here I don''t try to hide it." I squeeze him harder and he glides his finger in further and faster. "That''s it, Love. Rx for me. Make Olivere so hard he cks out." Oliver heard themand and thrust a couple more times before exploding inside me. He will leave a handprint on my hip and my boob, but the pain only sends me over the edge with him. "OH F*CK, I''ming again!!" Cam keeps me bnced while Oliver helps us both ride out the climax. As Ie down I realize I only have two of my mates with me. "Where''s Dakota?" Oliver must have felt my guilt wash over me at not including all of them in our little tryst. Oliver strokes my cheek. "Hey, it''s okay. We talked about this, remember, he''s okay. You won''t be able to be with all three of us all the time..."This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. "As much as we would love that, we also have a job to do. Besides, I think he has something special nned anyway. Let''s get you cleaned up." Cam lifts me off Oliver and they both take me inside to shower. Whatever they have to show me must be really important, because they were on their best behavior while we cleaned up to go meet Dakota. They gave me no other hints to what they are up to. We drove in the truck, me front and center. I finally started to recognize where we are going and I can''t hide my excitement. The streets look so nice, everything ising along with the rebuild and it is so much better that could have imagined. We make our way further in and I can imagine what it''s going to look like when the grass and trees grow back in. We make a familiar left turn and butterflies explode in my stomach. There''s no way, absolutely no way it''s ready. I can feel my pulse pick up, I ''m not sure if I''m more excited or afraid of what I am going to see when we make the next turn. "Breathe, Bitty." Oliver grabs my right hand andces our fingers. Cam mirrors the movement on my left. We make a right turn and I stop breathing. What on earth have they been up to? "There''s no way." I whisper. "It''s nowhere near done, Love. But these are the bones of our new home." Cam squeezes my hand. I have no words. I can see the image these five boys had as children. This massive structure is forming. He''s right, it''s just the bones, the framework, but I can see it, our home. It is a ''U'' shape, just like our street was always set, but everything is interconnected. The central part of the building has the Quter walls up ready for whatever facade they chose so I can''t see through to the back. The right side seems to be the next phase with partial outer walls, wiring and duct work. To the left, just the concrete base is set. It looks to be about four stories if the central part is anything to go by. "Oh, wow!" I''m still whispering, but I can''t make my voice do anything else. ? The street has been converted into a circle drive and Cam takes us right to the wide double front doors. Once he''s parked, Oliver steps out and helps me down. As soon as I turn around Dakota is stepping through one of the main doors and jogging towards me. "Not gonna lie, that was hot." He rumbles in my ear and I pull back to look at him confused. "Apparently, distance doesn''t not stop us from feeling your absolutely sweet org*asms. And these guys have very active internal dialogue ording to my wolf. Which he decided I needed a y by y. I had to step away from everyone until you all finished, so I could finish and act normal." We were allughing with him now. I''m d he didn''t feel left out. It''s one thing to give them one on one time, but taking two and not three somehow made me anxious once I realized he was missing. "Come with me Sweetness." Chapter 0653 Heced our fingers together and walked me to the double doors before opening to a massive open concept room. "What is this?" "We will show you the nster, we actually need your input on a couple things. What I have to show you is over here." Dakota keeps walking me through to the back. There isn''t anything here to indicate what they want to use this space for, so I couldn''t even guess, but the windows set in the back wall almost make me cry. They made sure to recapture the entrance to the patio. It was always my favorite thing about the kitchen in the packhouse. But, we don''t stop here like I assumed. He keeps pulling me along, his grin getting wider as we go. "What are you up to?" "Me? Why would I be up to anything?" He just winks and takes a few morerge steps. I''m starting to have to jog to keep up, he''s so excited to show me whatever it is. "Okay, Skr, close your eyes." Oh, damn. He is serious. I think he''s used my given name less than a handful of times in my whole life. I don''t even hesitate to shut them.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. He steps behind me, cing a hand on each shoulder and starts to guide me forward. I hear a metal click, a whoosh, and then I''m hit with warm humid air. "There''s no way!" I whisper again. It cannot be possible. Our entire home waspletely ttened in the attack. He moves me forward a few more steps. I can hear water trickling not far from me and smell the damp earth freshly tilled and nted. I can smell roses andvender, jasmine and eucalyptus. It is heavenly. We stop and he shifts me a few times and I have tough at him trying to get the angle right. "Dakota! Can I open my eyes yet?" I whine at him, but with a smile. He kisses me gently,ughing at his ability to get to me. Once he returns to my back and ces both hands Con my shoulders, he whispers, "Take a look." I open my eyes slowly and I am lost for words for the second time today. It is gorgeous. It''s our garden, but so much more. The pool is still in the center with the zero depth walk in, but instead of being rectangr it is a circle in the center of the room. To one corner is a massive lounge area that was definitely made for all four of us to fitfortably. In another corner a vining nt looks like it is being trained to climb the wall over a ck iron dining table with four chairs. To my left the soft riverstones line the floor and walls where a rain shower head is concealed in the ceiling. To my right raised nting beds house many different nts that I would take a guess pertain to magic somehow. There is a stone path that surrounds the pool and leads to all the corner pockets of the space and nts are everywhere. It is amazing. I turn to Dakota and bury my head in his shoulder and let my happy tears fall. They did this for me. "Wee home, Sky." He whispers. I look up to thank them all, but it''s just the two of us. I pull back confused. "Where..." "It''s my turn. told you we would all have plenty of time in here together." He leans forward, asking for permission and I don''t hesitate. This is so amazing. I can''t wait to share it with them all, but I can give Kota his time. Chapter 0654 Epilogue 1 - Sky''s 18th Birthday "Why are you not ready yet?" Sierra yells at me from the door of my bedroom. "What are you talking about? I have been ready. What else is there to do?" I look down at myself. I have the dress she chose, the hair style and make-up we have practiced at least three times this week. I had to beg Sam to keep her busy to give me some peace.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. He took it like a man and told her he wanted to redecorate the boys'' rooms. Their second son is due in just a few months and Sam has actually been holding her off from redecorating since the baby stuff shouldn''t really change in his opinion. I agree with him, but I will never say that out loud to my best friend. She has been extra moody with this pregnancy. "Ugh! I have to make sure everything is perfect! I can''t have my best friend look ridiculous when she is bing an Alpha Luna." The title she has given me is so stupid, but another thing I can''t say because she will either try to fight me or burst into tears and she''s right, today is not the day for things to go wrong. "Hey, breathe. It will be perfect. You have done such a wonderful job on everything. Now take a deep breath and stop stressing my nephew out." I reach out to rub her baby bump. She is such a natural mother. She has even taken on the kids who lost their parents in the war with Adrielle and Vincent. The packhouse is a revolving door of children and we all love every second of the craziness. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I know, I know. It''s just really important, and everyone is here and it''s your birthday and we haven''t done anything yet and I know that we always do something special for birthdays, but the packhouse is jammed full of people so we are missing out on that too." I jump up from my chair and put my hands on her shoulders making her take my seat. "Stop! Right now. Don''t make me Alphamand you. It will be perfect. Everything you do is always amazing. And we are doing something for my birthday, it''s just a little different than normal. Everyone agreed that this was the best day for everything to happen. I turn ?¦Í¦Å eighteen, there''s a full moon tonight, we have the Luna ceremony It''s all supposed to happen tonight and everyone will stick around for a couple days and then we will have the house to ourselves and we can sit by the pool and grill burgers to your little pregnant heart''s content." "SILAS! NO! YOUR MOTHER IS GOING TO KILL YOU AND THEN ME AND NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER!" We hear the yell from outside and both of us rush to the balcony. I love this view. The way the guys designed the packhouse is perfect. The ''U'' shaped design has the mainmon areas in the middle and the living space''s on either side. We are in the west wing on the top floor and I have a balcony that takes up the whole wall that overlooks the massive pool we have in the back. The rest of our Alpha Suite has windows that overlook the central courtyard or the forest that surrounds the packhouse and my greenhouse. Just as we get to the edge of the balcony I see Ss take a running jump from one side of the massive waterfall that circtes the pool water, to the other side. The boy is only six months old and already a handful He has scaled everything that is possible to climb and he learned to walk and run on the same day. It takes all of us just to keep track of him. Sam is running after him screaming about keeping his clothes clean and really wanting to be alive to see him reach at least five. We are bothughing hysterically. There is no way either of theme out of this chase clean. "I told Sam those were his clothes for the ceremony and he had to stay clean or else he was sleeping with the pups in the dorms for the foreseeable future." She giggles holding her tummy. "Even I know you wouldn''t dress Ss until about thirty seconds before he has to run down the aisle, how does Sam not know that?" "Men are stupid." She shrugs. "I think Jena is having just as much trouble with Mack, but he knows how important today is for you. That boy''s sense of duty for his beta blood is stronger than yours ever was. I would send him after Ss if theirmunication skills were as advanced as their physical ones." Sheughs again. "Okay, we really do have to head down. Is there really something I am missing, or were you just being dramatic?" I walk away from her a little and do a spin. I don''t bother looking in the mirror, she''s better than any piece of ss at making me look my best. Chapter 0655 I have this gorgeous white gown that has all the pizazz Sierra thinks it needs, but it is still my simple style. It is a mermaid styled dress with a bunched satin material making up the top of the bodice. The rest of the dress material is a matte white hanging from the satin, hugging all my curves in the right ces. The bunched satin continues over my shoulders and crisscrosses between my shoulder des and wraps back around the front creating this sexy wrap look. It finally finishes in the back, just above my tailbone where the satin attaches and hangs like a pleated train to the floor. Sierra has my hair loosely pulled to the side and over my shoulder. The beach waves are pinned strategically to look effortless, but they will not move at all. Luna Anne sent my silver shoes so I could wear them and tease the guys a bit since Xander got to see me in a dress for the first time before them. They probably won''t even notice, but the nod is still funny to me and Xander is sure to bring it up if he notices. "No, you look perfect. Let''s go." Sheces her arm with mine and we walk out together. Lil and Jena meet us as the elevator stops on the next floor down. "Oh yes! They are going to die when they see you!" Jena coos and Lilughs. "I bet Dakota tries to get you in the greenhouse for a quickie before the ceremony starts." "You''re on!" Jenaughs. "There''s no way Cam is going to let anything stall this ceremony. It has taken too long to happen as it is. And besides him and Oliver would never let Kota have all the fun while she looks like that. I bet you go into heat immediately." I look down at my feet knowing my face just turned beet red. I don''t know why it still embarasses me to talk about my sex life. At this point we are all adults and everyone here, but Lil, is mated and two of my friends are mothers. This is not new territory, but something about my sex life with three mates fascinates everyone and I don''t enjoy it when ites up. "At least now she looks like the innocent little Luna she''s supposed to be and not the well versed bedroom goddess she is." Lil prods, sending my embarrassment through the roof. "I''m actually surprised you can walk most days." "Oh, stop." I cover my face trying to reel in the heat in my cheeks. "You act like we do nothing but have sex." "I mean... if my mate looks like you or any of your guys, I probably wouldn''t leave our room for a month. So, take thepliment. You are hot, they are hot and so far you have had the adight luxury of being mated, early I might add, with no heat or any of that craziness to deal with. If it was me, they would be tied to the bed, ready to ride." "You need to getid, my friend." Jena pats her shoulder. "That would be great, but my brand didn''t conveniently disappear so I could find my mate early like some of us. So, you all will just have to deal a little longer with me living vicariously through you." "Is it weird to be able to think about sex and mates and all of that? Bepletely aware of it, but not be able to act on it." Sierra asks in research mode now. "Yes and No. I mean, I don''t have any urges, but I can appreciate a good looking person when they are in front of me." She looks at me and wiggles her eyebrows. "I guess the real question is, are you hoping for a male or female mate?" I ask her, liking that the conversation has deviated to her. "Can''t I have both? Why should you be the only one with multiple mates? It would never be boring!" She elevator doors open and she stepet out to look around. "The coast is clear Looks like everyone is where they are supposed to be. Do you two want to wrangle your gremlins for their adorably crazy entrance?" She looks at Jena and Sierra who just roll their eyes andugh, but don''t argue as they walk off. Lil is in Gamma mode now. She is my right hand and I couldn''t ask for anyone better. We have just a few minutes of silence and then she turns to look at me. "It''s time boss." She winks and I roll my eyes.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Chapter 0656 Epilogue 2 - Alpha Luna Ceremony The ceremony was beautiful. I don''t think there was a dry eye in the area. Sierra and Ava did a beautiful job with the clearing behind the packhouse. It''s now a retreat for all of us with benches and flowers strategically nted amongst the natural growing vegetation. It''s a nod to the small garden that Ava had for me here at the original packhouse and the maze that Uncle Reggie would let me get lost in at the Royal packhouse. We love it, the kids love it and anyone in the pack cane here for a bit of peace. As we all thought, my nephews stole the show and I am d to not be the center of attention for a little while. Their cute and wiley ways kept most of the attention off of me as I took my ce with my mates as the new leaders of the pack. Much to my dramatic friends'' dismay nothing exceptional happened at the Luna ceremony. I don''t know what they were expecting, but lightning did not strike, the Moon Goddess did not visit us, no otherworldly tornados to lock us in time, nothing. Actually, I shouldn''t say nothing, all of our pack members got to wee all four of us as their new leaders and we officially epted the positions. We said a farewell to Lucas and took the titles of Alphas of the Blue Crescent Pack as a normal Alpha and Luna ceremony would go. It was never in question who the next Alphas would be, but like Ava, Brett, Kyle and my dad pointed out, our members missed a lot of the chaos and they came back to a pack that was destroyed and without the alpha they knew and loved. This ceremony was a way to bring them back and give them a feeling of control over what was going to happen moving forward. A sense of peace. We decided to relight the forever fire. That was a debate that went on for days. So many were afraid of the magic that was used against us, but in the end Elena, Gentry and I won out. Magic is a part of this pack now, whether anyone likes it or not. We will not hide it or shield our members from it. We will educate our members on what it means to have magic among us. For those of us who have been given gifts from both goddesses, we want them to befortable in their skin and know they have a ce here with any of their gifts.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. We have even opened up our pack to Gentry''s coven since Adrielle decimated thend they were on as well. They love the ocean and have taken well to pack life. My brother finds me off to the side just watching everyone as they mingle around the pool and inside the kitchen. This is what we always wanted, full inclusion, while still maintaining some sense of privacy for those of us who live here. I want everyone to feel wee and wanted. "What are you thinking about so hard over here, Shorty?" "Nothing really. Just enjoying the bit of normal that we finally get to have. Is it strange that I still look over my shoulder, expecting something bading our way?" "No. For you I think it ispletely normal. Have you ever had a day when you weren''t looking over your shoulder?" His brow furrows after he lets the words all out of his mouth. I just shook my head. "I actually can''t think of a time, no. Is that bad?" I look at him really wanting an answer. I still sometimes think that am too broken to be in the position that I I am a warrior and I just I am fought the biggest war of my life. What am I supposed to do now that it''s over? Oliver was right my ''switch'' has been turned on to fight mode for so long, I don''t even know what it means to be ''off.'' "No, it''s not bad, and you are meant to be here. You were always meant toe home. I am so sorry that what took you away was tortures happening right under our noses will never stop being sorry for that. But I can''t be sorry for the person you are, the Alpha Luna that changed our world." He nudges me with his shoulder using that stupid title of Sierra''s. I just rolled my eyes. "So, when are you going to tell them?" I look at him sharply. "What are you talking about?" "Apparently there are things you can hide from your mates and friends that your brother can see straight through. You are doing a great job suppressing the aura and scent, but I don''t think that willst much longer, especially now that the whole pack will be hounding you." He smiles widely and winks. I stay quiet and look back at the group surrounding the patio and pool behind the packhouse. Chapter 0657 Uncle Reggie has Milo, Ss and Mackpletely enamored with a story about the war his grandfather fought for the throne. He can barely stay in his seat with his wild gestures and exaggerated faces. The fire from the fire pit is adding to his dramatics. To them he isn''t the ''Alpha King'' or some celebrity. He''s just a Grandpa or an Uncle who tells great stories and he is fully in his element. If he is this excited about all the boys that have been born into our ranks I can only imagine what will happen if Mina, Xander and Oscar have a girl. She will be the most spoiled, well trained, full of spice princess they have ever seen. These boys have no idea what had to happen to make the world that they now know, but we will make sure they know all the stories and struggles that shaped their future. All the kids will know. The pack is still young in its rebirth, but we won''t let the past die. Our goal is to make sure that none of our offspring make the same mistakes the generations before them did. "Are you avoiding the question little sis or are you still in denial?" Heughs at me.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. ''I am not sure what you are talking about." I wink at him and walk toward my mates who are all looking extra handsome with their different levels of dress down from their suits. They all lost their ties almost immediately and the top buttons on the cors were let loose showing off the little peek-a-boo tattoos crawling across their corbones. It''s one of my favorites looks on all three of them. Just a hint of danger hidden under controlled ss. Dakota offers me a ss of champagne, but I shake my head. "I have one more announcement to make and then I am tired and I think I pam going to turn in early." "Anything you want baby, this is your day." Oliver, pulls me back into his chest, wrapping a protective arm around me. He is always quick to give me my way, especially with small things like bed time. He saves his fights for the bigger things. I should have told the girls so we could take bets on reactions, but I think this will be more fun. I clear my throat, getting the attention of the people around us, the rest will follow suit soon enough. "I want to thank all of you for joining us today. Thest year has been a trying one for all of us and we are on a path to strengthen rtionships with old friends." I wink at Uncle Reggie and Xander, which earns me a growl from Cam andughs from anyone near enough to hear. "And establish new friendships and connections," I look at Elena and Gentry and nod. "And bring in the next generation to an era of eptance, hard work and dedication to the positive growth of our pack. Our future Delta and Beta are proof of that..." "YES!!! We are going to be THE BEST EVER!!!!" Ss interrupts not missing a beat, followed by a roar ofughter. Once the noise dies down, I continue. "I hope our future alphas have the same enthusiasm as their cousins. Although I think the boys are going to need it to keep up, they are going to have their hands full with three alpha females." I finish, smiling, and just let my words sink in as I look around. Who''s going to catch on first? "ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?!?!" Yep, she''s my best friend for a reason. "THREE? You''re having three?" Sierra is barreling towards me as everyone else catches on to the announcement. They all begin to cheer and celebrate all over again My mates haven''t moved behind me and Im almost afraid to look. She coffides with me, wrapping her arms around my neck and shouting nonsense into my ear. She pulls back, cing a hand on either side of my face. "How did you not tell me? How did I not know? I mean you''ve known for a while in order to know you were having three...and girls! Holy sh*t! This is so awesome! Who did you tell first?" "I had to talk to Elena and Gentry. No one else knew until right now. It''s actually really scary for me and for the girls, so I needed to be ready. We have a lot to do." I give her a watery smile. This should be a happy moment, but I can''t help but be scared. This is how so many women in my bloodline died. It seems so archaic with all the medical advancements we have. But, it''s the magic part that science can''t always ovee and I am scared, but excited all at the same time and I know I won''t do it alone. She kisses me on the forehead then steps back. Chapter 0658 "We''ll talk more about this tomorrow." She turns to run at Sam, I''m sure crying again. This hormone sh*t is no joke.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. Before I can even think about her fast retreat, I am scooped up and carried away. Oliver''s honey scent doesn''t surprise me as I bury my face in his neck to calm my nerves. We obviously need to talk and they aren''t going to wait untilter and no one will question it after my announcement. The warmth and humidity of our greenhouse hits me like a warm nket and I rx immediately. They brought me to my safe space, they know I am afraid to have kids after what happened to my mom. But they want me to spell it out for them. I can feel it. Oliver sits me on the enormous lounge bed we have and they all stand in front of me, waiting. "I''m going to need you to repeat that little deration with very clear words, Tiny." I just smiled at all of them. "I thought I was very clear, Cameron. I. Am. Pregnant. With triplet girls. You guys are in trouble." I let out a giggle as Dakota dropped to his knees in front of me. "Really?" He whispers. I grab both his cheeks. "Really." I give him a gentle kiss, then he jumps up and spins around. "I''m going to be a dad! We''re going to be dads!" He stops. "I''m going to throw up!" He goes pale and sits next to me thenys in myp. I giggle again then look at my two serious mates. "Are you both okay with this?" I''m worried they are more like me and think we are too young for all of this. "Baby." "Love." They kneel and say together. Sometimes I think Oliver is more Cam''s twin than Kota. "We are worried about you. Are you okay with this? We didn''t even talk about it or n for it. I don''t even really know how it happened. You haven''t had your heat yet." Cam doesn''t usually ramble. It''s how I know he''s nervous. "Well, our best guess is that I am part witch and witches don''t have a heat, so I may never have one and can get pregnant at any time. It''s the only logical exnation. We''re not even sure if the triplets are one from each of you or any other no "Why does that sound like a challenge?" Kota mumbles from myp. We allugh, but I p his shoulder. "It''s not and it''s not a theory to test either." I look at Oliver. "What?! I didn''t say anything." He strokes my cheek. "You were thinking it." I narrowed my eyes at him daring him to deny it. "Well, considering your most scary and potentially life threatening pregnancy is happening now, I don''t see why we couldn''t just see how quickly you''re able to get pregnant after you have the girls. You know, once you''re healed and we know you''re safe. The practice would be fun." "Ugh, you guys are impossible." "You know it''s three girls?" I nod and Cam puffs out his cheeks and blows air out slowly like he''sposing himself. "You''re right, we''re screwed. When you said it outside my mind literally jumped to Ss, Mack and Milo and how we all were then and as younger teens. I mean,m going to string up any guy who even turns to listen to them speak and just stands too close." He scrubs his face with both hands. Dakota sits up abruptly, looking startled. "We are homeschooling them, no boys, no outsiders, nothing. They can''t leave our sight until their mates walk in and fight all of us for their attention. And they better wir or the Goddess better have a n B." "Oh stop! Do you think for a second any daughter of mine is going to let you lock her up? Have you seen Ss and Mack? Keep in mind they were born to work with and protect our girls. If they are that crazy, ours are going to be worse." "And they are all going to look like you." Oliver whispers, leaning his head into my vacatedp. "You are going to have to handcuff me to keep me from gouging eyes out. don''t think I am ready for this. The Goddess must hate us. We must have done something terrible in a past life to deserve this torture.¡± I giggle again. "Well, they areing, we really don''t have a choice. The biggest things we have to worry about right now is my tiny body growing three of your big ass offspring and surviving the birth of our first born girl. After that everything is cake." Chapter 0659 Epilogue 3 "What do we do? What can we do to make this better for you?" Cam climbs behind me, resting against the wall of pillows behind us and pulling me back between his legs. Oliver''s head drops to the bed unceremoniously. "Not okay man." He half grumbles, halfughs, then crawls towards me to resume his position in myp. I lean back into Cam''s shoulder. "I''m not really sure yet. Elena and Gentry have walked me through what a standard birth with multiples would look like. And we have been going to the healers to take small doses of blood so we have plenty on hand since we know that blood loss is a big factor. They have also been talking to the elder healers in the Alpha King''s pack about the birthing process for us. They actually have a lot of records and information, so I''m pretty confident in that. The biggest unknown is how the magic part works. Will it help the situation or intensify the bad stuff? We just don''t know. I think the biggest thing for you guys is to work on your wolves and keep them in check. This is going to be hard and none of you can interfere if something goes wrong. And the healers need to do their job to save the girls no matter what." I run my fingers through Oliver''s hair "And you Bitty, they are going to have to save you. We can''t do this without you, please don''t talk like that." He pulls my hand out of his hair toce our fingers together. Dakota climbs beside me and takes my other hand. "Yeah, Sweetness, you need to be around so we can see how long we can keep you barefoot and pregnant." He smiles at me while he traces the lines in my palms.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. I smile at him. "You do know how miserable that sounds to me right?" "And yet, you didn''t say ''no'' to the idea." He growls and leans in to kiss me. "Did we tell you how beautiful you look today?" he whispers against my lips "I think so. Maybe once or twice." I smile and lean in again. Cam kisses my shoulder. "So f*cking beautiful.¡± "I think it''s time this dress came off though. You are way too overdressed for what we have in mind." Oliver rolls over and slides the delicate silk off of one shoulder and then the other, making room for Cameron at my neck and exposing my breasts. "I thought these might be getting bigger." He looks up at me through hisshes with a devilish grin. "You are perfect, but I''m not going toin about more of you to share." He attacks one n*pple making me jump back into Cam''s arms with a squeal. "Uhh, Oliver!" Someone else massages the other. I love when they alle at me like this. I can''t tell who''s doing what and it is pure bliss. "Can we take you to the water, Love?" "Uhh, yes. Please." I am hypersensitive everywhere and I love it. I may not be as opposed to this whole pregnancy thing after all. But, I will never say that to them out loud. They think it will keep me here in the pack and not out working and handling pack business or working with Xander and Reggie in the Royal pack. They have a rude awakeninging, but I''ll wait to exin that when they are done with all of this delicious torture. "DAKOTA!!!" "WHAT?! Is it time? Should I get the guys? Let''s go!" He runs into our shared office and scoops me from my chair. "Put me down, idiot." Iugh at him, but he doesn''t put me on my feet, he sets me gently back in my chair. "Trust me you will know when it''s time, but I do need you. I have to pee and I can''t get out of this squishy chair by myself." We bothugh as he picks me up a little more gently this time. "I can walk. I''m actually supposed to walk as much as possible." "Yeah, but you''re actually letting us help you, I''m going to milk this for all it''s worth." He kisses my temple. They have been super sweet and attentive through this whole thing. I me the three, very active girls growing in my stomach right now, but my emotions have been all over the ce, which is normal ording to everyone. But I hate every second of the outbursts. I have cried overa log being wrong in the fire pit, gotten angry because a shirt was the wrong shade of blue. We discovered early that my magic is attached to the emotions I am having and I torched Oliver''s shorts after I couldn''t get a jar lid open. I dropped the jar on the counter and clenched my fists, knowing I was being irrational, but not in control and mes shot out and set his clothes on fire. Thank the goddess he''s fast and they all thought it was hrious until water started spraying out of every faucet on our floor with my crying when I thought I hurt him. It was ridiculous. My wolf has been in mama mode too. She gives me updates on the girls from her perspective, which is interesting. She can already sense their wolves and says they will be strong. I really want to shift and again. think that is what I''m missing most right now. I stopped shifting when we hit the four month mark and I am so big that most of my workouts are basically impossible. I mean, walking is okay, once I am in an upright position, but even that simple action is tough. I just feel sluggish and slow and it makes me sad and angry all at the same time. We are in a wait and watch situation too because of the multiples. Ava said she went intobor at five months with the boys. Everyone started watching me like a ticking time bomb when we hit the five month mark after she made that announcement. Everytime Open my mouth to speak, the reaction is basically the same as Dakota''s right now. I feel like the boy who cried wolf, no one is going to believe me when I do finally go intobor, their nerves will all be fried by then. "Anything else, my lovely little balloon?" "You know, I am saving up all the cute little insults for when this is over so I can just kick your ass right? And yes, I have to actually get off the toilet too. I bet you guys never thought of this part when you were all excited about me being pregnant did you?" "Sweetness, I have seen you rip wolves to shreds, blow things up, show up covered in half the forest and five different guys'' blood. Not to mention being intimately aware of your entire body." Is he purring right now? Gross. "This is normal, like actually, for real, normal. I love all of this." "Well, that''s great. Help me up, please." Heughs and pulls my hands then kneels to put my leggings back into ce. He looks up at me. "You know, we haven''t been out to the greenhouse for a few weeks. We could probably sneak out real quick..." Chapter 0660 Epilogue 4 "No! Stop that thought right there. Once we start that, I get nothing done the rest of the day." I put my finger up in his face then move past him to wash my hands, which is another amazing feat since I have to stand sideways. He justughs behind me. They used to try to hide when they wereughing at my newfound obstacles, but I can''t chase or catch them anymore so it''s just open season. "Asshole." I mutter. "What?! It''s cute." He walks up and nts a kiss on my forehead and then leans down to kiss my ever growing belly, which immediately shuts down any irritation I have. We start walking down the hallway back to the offices when my whole body seizes. "Kota!" I choke out sinking to my knees. Everything is in slow motion. He runs to me. I hear Oliver yell my name from somewhere behind me. Someone scoops me up, but my vision is blurred. We are moving. Whoever has me is running, but this haze at the edge of my vision is making it hard to focus. People are talking and I think I am talking back, but it''s like being locked in my head. I don''t know if I am in control right now. "On the table." A female voice says stern, but calm. "The closer you are to her the better she will feel, but I will not hesitate to remove you if you be a danger to anyone in this room, including yourselves. Is that understood, Alphas?" Damn, I like her. I need her around all the time. Movements. I feel my body being moved and adjusted. First my arms, then my legs. I still can''t see through the fog or move on my own. ***"What''s happening? I can''t see. Is everything okay?"*** My wolf responds. ***Yes. I pulled you back to lessen the pain. You are aware enough to keep your mates from being annoying, but far enough in your mind that you can withstand the process." ***"Are the girls okay? Why is it so painful?**** ***"Your magic is trying not to divide. It may be intuitive for you, but it isn''t sentient. It doesn''t understand that you are producing your children and with that they get a piece of your magic. Your magic is resisting being siphoned off. It''s a defense. It''s fighting back **** ***"How do you know that? Why didn''t we know that before? Is this why all the women in my family have had trouble with birthing?"*** ***"I didn''t know until now. I''m sorry child. I wish we could have known sooner. I''m not sure why it''s something that isn''t in the healer''s notes We should look at that when this is over. You are doing so wonderful though. Look."*** I shift my focus from my wolf and blink my eyes a few times to get them to focus. "There you are, Babe. I''m d you''re back. Look what you did." Oliver tilts his arms and I can see he''s holding a little pile of nkets. "What?" My brain is still fuzzy. "What happened? Where am I?" My voice is scratchy as I look around still feeling slow and confused. "*** "Love, you are so amazing." Cam also has a smile pile of nkets. "Take a deep breath, Sweetness. What do you smell?" I''m confused, but do what he says. I inhale and take in their spicyforting scents The cinnamon, citrus and honey wash over me and I feel my mind settling. Then I get it. A new scent hits me. It''s floral and light, ¨¤ clean vibrant scent, no, wait, scents. Three distinct scents. Jasmine and rose and juniper, all "What is that? Who is that?" I ask, trying to sit up, but finding my body does not like the motion one bit. "Why do I feel like I got hit by a train?"This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. Chapter 0661 "I think you''ll find giving us three pups will wear you out a bit." Oliver says sitting next to me gently tilting his pile of nkets. The tiniest most precious face I have ever seen peeks out. She''s barely the size of his forearm, but lookspletely at home snuggled into him. I look at Oliver''s face as he studies the tiny girl in his arms. He''s already in love. I look at Cam and Kota and they have the same wistful look. My girls. They''re here and I''m here. We''re all safe and...and...here. I feel the tears start to fall immediately. Why was this so hard? Why was there no one around for my mom? "Hey, Love. Don''t cry. You were amazing. We on the other hand were a mess. Your dad, Kyle, Brett, Mateo, Sam and Xander had to remove us. Alpha Reggie had to eventually submit us in the other room." My hand flew to my mouth. "No! Why? What happened?" "It was every sh*tty thing that we were told to expect, but couldn''t handle, Smalls." Kota sat on my other side with his bundle. "When you have recovered," He put his hand up, "Fully recovered, we will tell you all about it. It''s too soon for me to talk about it. My wolf just about tore through the wall over there and he is not in a hurry to rehash that memory. It''s only been a few days." "Days? Why is it always days? I hate waking up in the hospital." I grumble and then look up sharply. "If I''ve been out for days, who''s been taking care of the girls? Feeding them?" "We all have. We are not as inept at this whole thing as we thought. The healers have been pumping for you and the girls eat like their mother So that''s basically all they do when they aren''t sleeping." Dakota winks at me. I wish I could lift my foot to kick him, but those muscles are not functioning right now. I look around the room as a distraction. It''s kind of a disaster, but also huge. "We''re in the hospital?" I can''t help but question. I don''t remember this room at all. "After the situation with dad," Cam looks at me seriously, "And then talking to Alpha Reggie and Gentry about you giving birth we added annex so we could all fit I look around again. "But there aren''t any cribs for them." There''s a changing table that seems to be fully stocked on one wall with a door that must go to the bathroom, based on the towels I can see hanging. The opposite wall has a long counter with a sink and cabs above and below. A drying rack full of bottles can be seen. I am sitting in the middle of a standard hospital bed, but next to it is a massive bed that is rumpled and unmade. "Do you think we could put them down for more than a few minutes? It''s hard just handing them over to Sierra and Jena when they stop by." Dakotaughs at himself. "I thought I was possessive over you. This is so much more intense, Bitty. They sleep with us, everynight." "That will be an interesting habit to break once I am all healed up." Iugh as I watch them process. "I mean, based on the way I feel right now, it''s going to be a little while, but still..." Chapter 0662 Epilogue 5 "Yep. On it." Dakota blurts, momentarily disturbing the tiny girl in his arms. He recovers quickly whispering to her, holding her close to his face and smiling like an idiot, but she loves it smiling at the sound of his voice, or maybe his familiar scent. I''m not sure what they can sense right now. He doesn''t look away from her when he asks, "Should I get three cribs or one big one for them to share?" He jumps up, but makes sure not to disturb her again now that she is settled and starts pacing the room, I''m sure mindlinking someone. I justugh before I groan at the soreness. "What! What is it?" Oliver pats me with one hand, they are so natural at this. It''s like they have been training for holding babies their whole lives. He continues to rub my leg while he is using the other hand to hold... wait I don''t know their names. I shake my head from the distracting thoughts. I thought that side effect would go away when I had the girls, I guess not. "Nothing, I''m just sore, but what are you calling them? Did you name them?" "We''ve been waiting on you, Love. I know we talked about it, but nothing was ever decided. Is there anything in that magic little brain of yours telling you what they should be called?" They all sit back down and I get a good look at my girls for the first time. Fat little pink cheeks and button noses. They all have little blonde chick fuzz poking out of the tops of the nkets they are wrapped in. They are all sleeping so I can''t see what their eye color is. Cameron hands me his bundle. She squirms just a bit as she settles into my arms and he is instantly on edge, ready to snatch her up if she even squeaks. I have to give him a re before he settles down and takes a breath and leans back. I adjust the nket around her to get a better look. As soon as her full head is exposed it''s like she knows I want to see her. She looks at me with these wide, piercing green eyes just watching me and her name hits me as she smiles. "Charlene. Charlie." I smile back at her and then nuzzle her sweet face into mine wanting her baby scent burned into my memory. She''s my jasmine girl. After a few more snuggles I hand her back to Cam who starts cooing her name immediately while rocking her. Oliver is next to hand over his gift like she is made of ss. I look her over the same way as Charlie. Her warm golden eyes look like the sunrise and she smells like sweet roses. "Oriana. Ori" I whisper and look at him. He holds my gaze for a brief second, but only has eyes for his little girl. I don''t know if his smile has ever been that wide. Even for me. He takes her back and starts pacing like Cam, just whispering nonsense and looking way too adorable for their own good. Dakota slides over with his cargo. "You really are amazing, Smalls, you know that?" I just smile at him and look at our daughter as he ces her in myp. She''s moving more than the other two, trying to stretch and get her arms free of the cumbersome nket, looking a little miffed at being confined. I have a feeling I know what color her eyes are going to be before she looks up at me. "Danielle. Dani." I don''t even hesitate with my blue-eyed, juniper girl. Iugh as she wrinkles her nose at Dakota''s kisses. "How are you going to tell them apart?" He looks up at me, he can''t stop smiling. "Are we really going to have this conversation again?" I roll my eyes, but he looks confused. "Uh, yeah." He sounds unsure like I asked him a trick question. "They smell the same and they are identical...in every way. Trust me we checked." Iugh and Dani smiles as she bumps around on my belly. "Well, you three are going to have trouble, they are going to give you a run for your money and I am going tough the whole time." "Are you serious? They look different to you?" Oliver sits down again. "And their scents are different, just like Cam and Kota when we were younger and now that the three of you are identical, I can still tell you apart. What color are their eyes to you? What do they smell like? Does everyone else see what you see?" "Yeah, they each have a bracelet on their ankle that just says ''Baby 1'' ''Baby 2'' and ''Baby 3.'' We knew we needed to keep track of the first born." Oliver starts. "And they don''t have any other obvious markings. Their eyes match our crazy swirling hazel." "And they smell like a garden." Dakotaughs. "All flowery." "It''s all been recorded in Alpha Reggie''s family book and Elena started one for us to continue here as well." Cam finished the thought "Ori was first, just so you know. So far they all seem the same. Even Sierra''s parents stuck around after Brock was born to help us with all of the tracking. I bet they will want to know what you see and smell just like with us." "Just so you know, I think all the girls got some kind of magic. I mean, how do you exin them having everyone wrapped around their little fingers just days after breaking free? Ss, Mack and Milo stand guard when they are here. Even Brock is calmer the closer he is to them and he''s only a month old." §Ö I smile. They are adorable little girls, who wouldn''t be awed by them? "Maybe the same way I was always able to calm all of you. Even Sam reacted to me." I just shrug. We''ll understand more as they get older. "Did the healer say how long had to stay in this bed?" I look longingly at the massive, pillow soft bed next to me. "She doesn''t want us to jostle you just yet. I asked yesterday. We can ask again when shees to check the girls and all of your vitals now that you are awake." Of course Oliver did. I just nod and go with it. My energy just seeped out of me all of a sudden.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! "Sleep, Love. The girls are due to eat soon and we have enough stored to leave you alone for a couple days." "But, I want to feed them too." I whine. I just want to hold my girls, but we won''t all fit here in this tiny hospital bed. I can feel tears starting to well up. I want to spend time with them and I feel guilty for being so tired. I blink as a hand caresses my face. "Tell you what. Sleep, give it another day of rest, just for you to heal, and I will move you tomorrow, no matter what, and you can snuggle them all you want. Alright, Bitty?" I blink back the tears. "Okay, thank you Oliver." He leans in to kiss me on the lips and I get a kiss and snuggle with Ori. Cam and Kota follow with Charlie and Dani. They manage to help me get snuggled in myself and I am out before my head hits the pillow. Chapter 0663 Epilogue 6 I was kept in the hospital for a full week after I woke up. Sierra''s parents took all kinds of samples for testing and actually packed a bunch up from me and the girls to take back to theirb to see if they can find a pattern or a way to help our family in the future. Elena and Gentry made sure that we had all of the best healing herbs and spells too. Everyone was extra careful with me and I got it...sort of. I know that no one knows what is going to happen, but ording to the legend of our family, having the first female was supposed to be the most traumatic part. No one actually talked about the healing part after or what happened when it was over. So we are just winging it as usual when ites to me and my weird abilities. No one has said anything, but I know everyone wants to know if Ori will have gifts or if all three girls will. ording to our legend, it should just be Ori as the first born, but the guys and I have talked about it and nothing has been ording to n when ites to me, so we can''t rule out that all the girls will carry whatever crazy gics I have. We also have to assume that any other kids we have will carry the genes too. Any kids we have from now on should be normal pregnancy and birth. I don''t think my mates are going to take any chances though. I can''t believe I am already thinking about ''next time'' but I know there will be If I can get pregnant at any time without a heat, then we are going to end up with a brood. 2 yearster "AH! What are you doing? Don''t teach her to do that! What is wrong with you?" Ava shouts at Dakota who has Dani standing on his shoulders ready to dive into the pool. The rest of us areughing. There is no stopping Dani when she gets an idea in her head. If she wants to try something she''s going to whether we approve or not. So we have just learned to keep her as safe as we can. Ori is standing on the sides observing. She is all in on this too. She actually came up with the idea to jump from higher and higher surfaces to see how high they could get. But being the thinker of the three she made it sound so exciting that her daredevil sister had to try jumping off Daddy''s shoulders first. My Charlie girl is coloring at the little table we have by the pool, pretending not to pay attention. She is more quiet than the other two, but no less daring. She''s going to have to be the one we watch the most, she will be sneaky. The three of them together spells absolute trouble and they''re only two. ****Alphas! You are needed at the border. We have a situation."*** It wasn''t a panicked message, but I could feel the urgency. I look at my mates as we walk in and I can tell they are mindlinking together. "If you even suggest that I stay behind you will not getid for a month. Understand?" I shoot a look at each of them. It''s been two years since the girls got here and three since the battle with Vincent and Adrielle. I think that they have some form of PTSD now and always think someone ising for me or the girls. We leave Sierra, Jena, Ava, Elena and Gwen in charge of the kids and we all head out to the border. Mateo and Sam weren''t going to be left out. They follow behind in a second SUV and Lil will meet us, she''s running a patrol. We pull up to our newly renovated border. The humans don''t know why it was adapted, but it ispletely for our safety. There is an entry road and an exit road about five miles apart with a dense grove of trees between. It adds to the ambiance of the preserve we live on and has actually attracted more tourists which is good for us. The money has helped many of our families get back on their feet after the battle and with our pack members running almost all of the stores, shops and hotels we can keep an eye on everything. Several of our warriors actually do guided hiking tours. This keeps the humans happy and our wolves safe to roam. A young warrior named Liam is standing over someone on their knees. He''s too big for me to see past, but I can tell it''s a guy. I take a deep breath and freeze. There''s no way. "What is it, Bitty?" Oliver has his arm around my waist immediately feeling my hesitation. The pound of his heart keeps me focused. Cam walks up to Liam. "What''s going on?" He stands next to the warrior looking down on whoever they have in custody, looking like the intimidating Alpha he is. He, Dakota and Oliver have actually put on more weight since I had the girls, and it''s not in a dad-bod kind of way. They started training more, training the with the pups more. They have taken this protective dad thing to a whole other level. I have to shake my head, I can''t let my libido distract me. I can feel Oliver chuckle behind me, he knows what just ran through my mind. Warriors more, and wining t "This guy says he has business with the boss, but he won''t say what. He hasn''t said anything since he asked to talk to Alpha Sky." Cam looks over his shoulder at me, this is his biggest fear, someoneing to attack me or the girls. He''s actually woken us all up with his nightmares. "It''s okay." I tap Oliver''s arm around my waist, Cam needs me right now. I need to be in contact with him so he''ll let me see who this is. I think I know, but I have to see it with my eyes to be sure. I grab Cam''s hand and ce myself in front of him, he wraps his other arm around me and pulls me back to his chest. "Figures you find a way to bypass being a Luna and be an Alpha." Robbieughs. He is scruffy and filthy. Thest couple years have not been good to him. He looks emaciated and worn out. "I''m here Robbie, what do you want?" I have to stay neutral. I haven''t seen him since he brought Elena to us. I assumed he died in the fight with the rest of the rogues. Cam squeezes my hand when I say Robbie''s name. He wasn''t prepared for me to know him, let alone be familiar enough to have a casual conversation. I don''t know if he recognizes the name from when we rescued Elena or not.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org. "Actually, Alpha...Are you really an Alpha?" I roll my eyes and nod. I tilt my head to let him know to get on with his story. His small attempt at bravado slips. "I was actually wondering if you had a ce in your pack for me. I know you took in a bunch of people from Vincent''s uprising and I tried to stay away and live on my own, but, well, you can see that isn''t going so well for me." Chapter 0664 Epilogue 7 "You couldn''t just ask one of our warriors for a meeting? You had to interrupt our family dat and demand we see you here." Oliveres up next to me. "Seriously? There''s no way any of you would have seen me, and you never would have let her talk to me. If she was my mate, I wouldn''t let anyone talk to her either." All of my guys growl, this is not going to end well for him if he doesn''t get it together. "I would have been given food and a bed for the night and then sent on my way with an ''our alphas wish you the best of luck but we are full."" Clearly he''s heard this line before. "So I yed the only card I had and I''m hoping for Sky''s good nature toe through for me since we have a pretty close history." Probably not the best way for him to phrase that. All three of my mates growl again, Mateo and Sam step forward. "How do we know we can trust you? You worked directly for Vincent." Dakota grumbles from our other side. "Are you kidding? I worked for his dumbass son. I saved her and she saved me. She''s the only person I wouldn''t lie to." He closes his eyes. "That came out wrong, but not really. We are even, but that kind of experience leaves a mark. I saw how she cared for and treated others and I know she could beat the sh*t out of me if I stepped out of line. Not to mention that she is such a beast that the Moon Goddess had to give her, what, three mates. Yeah, I did what I had to do to survive, but she''s one person I can''t go against, never could. I actually think she has some kind of magic that prevents it, or makes me do the right thing or some sh*t like that. It''s kind of creepy really, Sky." He doesn''t know about that part of me, but looks at me right in the eyes and I can see his desperation. He needs to belong, a ce to call home, like so many other people Vincent almost destroyed. Cam growls when he doesn''t look away from me though. I know my guys don''t know all the history, but even I can see how the longing in his eyes might look. It''s not me he wants, it''s what I have the power to give him. "Eyes off our mate, or you won''t keep them." Oliver''s deep voice rumbles next to me. "Huh? Oh, right. Sorry." He looks anywhere but at me, which also seems stupid. "It''s just been a while and you look different, but exactly the same. It''s strange." "I think that was apliment. What would make us want to consider you as a part of our pack? How are you going to prove loyalty?" Dakota huffs. "I helped Sky get away and I brought Elena to you. I know that I made choices and I have to live with them, but it was all in survival. We had to survive, that was the only thing to do at the time. Like I said, Sky is mag and for some reason I couldn''t harm her or do anything against her. I couldn''t let anyone else harm her either." He looks right at me and I know exactly what he is talking about. He managed to keep Micheal and the other guards away from me, but not Jena. "I am a decent fighter, but I will take any ce you give me. I can''t be a rogue anymore." "You can''t just protect me, you know that right? As a pack we protect each other as a whole. Are you prepared to do what it takes to take care of this pack?" I won''t bring Jena up, my brother would destroy him. That story needs toe from her. And he will still have to fight Mateo. "Whatever you need me to do. I''m ready toe home, no matter what it takes." That was all I needed to hear. He called us ''home'' something he hasn''t had in almost a decade. I nod my head. "Liam, give him a bunk in the warriors dorms. He will be on probation for the next ny days."+ look at Sam. "He needs to train with you on how our warriors support our pack and he needs to be supervised twenty four seven during his probation. ce him on patrol rotation with his supervisors." I look at Robbie. "You are here now, our pack is not just important but sacred, precious. Do note in lightly,e in ready to work for your ce. If you don''t, you won''t leave us alive. If you do the work and prove you''re loyalty we will inductThis text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org. you in." I can see him visibly swallow, but he nods. I can''t take any chances now. We have pups, mine, my brother''s, Sierra''s, I won''t risk them for someone who could be key if they think power is somewhere else. I nod to Liam and turn out of Cam''s arms to head toward the truck. "You''re just going to let him in, just like that?" Dakota hisses at me as he climbs in behind me. When I was pregnant I was too big to sit in the center seat and we have just maintained this arrangement. It''s nice actually having a seat. "Yes, like he said, there are situations that can''t be exined that lead you to trust someone, even if no one else understands. He is on probation, he knows what''s at stake. I know what he wants and have the power to take it from him." "What situation, Babe?" "I need to talk to Jena first, it''s not just me." "Oh F*ck No! He was a part of all of that?" "You guys forget or, my guess is,partmentalized things too easily. But, yes, I need to talk to her, she needs to know he''s here and I need to know how she feels about that now. If she says she doesn''t want him here, I will call Xander. Robbie deserves a ce to call home, but I won''t dredge up memories after this long if I don''t have to. She is more important and Robbie knows that." Chapter 0665 5 yearster. "There''s no way you''re going to make that happen." Ss is challenging Mack to a timed speed race. "What''s going on here?" Cam des up behind me, wrapping me in his arms. "The boys just heard about the challenges we used to do and that I beat all of you guys at one time or another. They came up with their own course. This should be interesting." "They''re eight! When we were eight we were still just goofing off. I think Kyle spent more time telling us to listen than actually training us." Heughs. "What do the girls have to say about this?" He looks over to our very not innocent looking daughters. I giggle. "Who do you think told them about the challenges and designed the race?" "What did the boys do to earn their well hidden wrath?" "They all got caught sneaking back in this morning." "Wait, WHAT?!" How did I not hear about this?" I grab his forearms as he squeezes me. "Don''t worry. They didn''t go far and we had tabs on them the whole time. I really wanted them to think they got away with it, but they made the mistake of being cocky anding in through the back door. Lenny was getting started on breakfast and they were all covered in dirt. There really wasn''t anything they could say and they''re too little to think on their feet. But the boys all threw the girls under the bus to try and save their own hides." 2 "They''re seven and eight! We didn''t think about sneaking out that little. What the hell? I don''t think we snuck out until we were at least ten, maybe twelve."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! "I was six." "Damn, really?" "Yeah, I was hungry and I had been in my room for the whole weekend. I don''t even remember why now, but that was when I learned how to get out and in my window undetected. Not all of us had as much freedom as you boys did. You probably would have started sooner if you were feeling restricted. The girls get like this when we are a part, testing boundaries and acting out. Dakota and Oliver have been gone for two weeks and that is just as hard on the girls as it is on us. They have started including the rest of the kids in their antics." We watch a little longer as the kids set up and decide on rules to make everything fair. Mack and Ss take "Speaking of your mates being gone. They should be back this evening. Do you need to stay and supervise or can I monopolize your time just a bit longer?" "You three are insatiable." Iugh at his low growl in my ear. "That is your fault and I am going to have to go back to sharing you very soon. I actually don''t hate the idea, but I still want as much time as I can get. We should talk mom into taking the girls tonight and we can spend some time in the greenhouse, just the four of us. You know Dakota is going to be a baby since he has gone on thest two trips." I side eye him. "I would love to go and work with Reggie if the three of you are over it. I''m sure Robbie would dly be my detail." "Not a chance. I''m still not convinced Robbie has good intentions. And... Thest time you left us with the girls I thought the whole pack was going to go up in mes." "Stop! It wasn''t that bad and they were four." He scoops me up and starts walking off. The kids pay us no attention whatsoever. My girls are out for blood after being med. The warriors won''t let it get too far, but I told them a few years ago to step in as little as possible. These kids need to learn quickly from their actions and any kids of mine are going to learn the hard way unfortunately. "Where is my Sweetness? I am in need of attention and loving after all of that." Dakotaes into the greenhouse dramatically, Oliver following behind in his usual quiet manner. I jump up from the lounge and let Kota sweep me into a hug and deep kiss. "I''ve missed you too." I giggle into his shoulder. "I was telling Cam earlier that I would dly go in your ce if you guys are tired of traveling." "NO!" All three of them say loudly and we allugh. "That was almost as bad as the first time you made us do back to back training with you. I legitimately thought we were going to die. I didn''t sleep the whole time you were gone. Dani wouldn''t stay in her bed. That was when we figured out she could climb the furniture...silently. Charlie refused to eat. I thought Cam was going to blow a gasket worrying about her. Ori decided to hide all of their clothes except their suits when we wouldn''t let them swim. Mom was no help. The screaming tantrums made me feel like the worst Daddy on the and they were making us feel bad on purpose. I know it! And that was just what happened during bedtime! You can''t leave us here with them. You won''t have any mates or kids when you get back!" I tap his cheeks with my hands. "Don''t be so dramatic. I already told Cam, they were four, you guys are all older and wiser now." "So are they!" Dakota whines. I walk over to Oliver who is patiently waiting his turn to greet me. He wraps me up in a hug and stands so I have to wrap my legs around his waist. He buries his nose in my neck and takes a deep breath, once, twice, then grips me tighter and takes one more deep breath before looking me in the eyes. His smile tells me he knows. "We said you probably wouldn''t be able to leave the pack much. Clearly we weren''t kidding." He growls low, but Cam and Kota hear and stop talking to listen. "Wait a minute!" Dakota sounds offended. "How long have you known this time?" "It''s hard to get all of us together at the same time right now with all the training we are doing at the Royal pack. So yes, are you guys ready for round two?" Their shocked looks tell me everything I need to know and I wish I thought to get a video of their reactions. "What do you mean round two...exactly?" Cam whispers. "I need very small words in short sentences." Iugh. "We...are....having...three....boys. You guys don''t mess around." We haven''t really talked about growing our family, but obviously haven''t done anything to prevent the growth either. The moon goddess decided to bless me with a break, after everything and knowing our girls were going to be a handful. When they alle out of their shock they surround me, overjoyed. "They are going to be so much worse aren''t they?" Cam asks. "Worse? No. A part of the problem. Absolutely. We will officially be out numbered." Chapter 0666 ?Chapter 0666 Thank you all so much for reading my story and sticking with me for the long haul. This book was over a year and a half in the making and all the support andments have truly been inspiring. I appreciate you all more than you know. I am a new writer and learning as I go and you have all shown kindness and patience when the learning curve was steep. And there were plenty of dips! You all kept me on track and motivated to get up and write every single day. I love creating and this has be one of my favorite outlets for that creativity. I have so much backstory and side story for these characters that I will definitely return to them. Make sure you get notifications when I post new chapters. I don''t have a timeline for bonus content just yet. I am in the throws of my next book "The Unwanted Luna'' Which JUST GOT APPROVED FOR PUBLISHING TODAY!!!! So that is where my focus is at the moment. Go check out the unlocked chapters and let me know what you think. I read as manyments here as I can, but if you want to interact, my facebook page is Miss L. Writes. I also do live writing sprints on the ''clock'' app same user name everywhere. Just check the picture, apparently people pirate pages too (Insert massive eyeroll) I do jump into thements about three times a week for all of my stories. I also post inspirational pictures for my locations and characters. I still exclusively publish on Good Novel. If you see my work anywhere else let me know on face book and Good Novel and I will take care of the piracy. I guess you know you''ve made it when your stuff gets taken about three times a week ;).Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! There have been requests for extended stories for Beta Daniel, Lil and Jena. Robbie also became a favorite for everyone. If there are any other characters you would love to hear more about, jump into the discussion and let me know. I have thought about challenging myself and writing from Adrielle''s POV or maybe a minion''s POV of her. Kind of a ''why is she like that?'' vibe. The question is would you read it if I wrote it? Thank you all so much!! And Happy Reading. The end Thank you all so much for reading my story and sticking with me for the long haul. This book was over a year and a half in the making and all the support andments have truly been inspiring. I appreciate you all more than you know. I am a new writer and learning as I go and you have all shown kindness and patience when the learning curve was steep. And there were plenty of dips! You all kept me on track and motivated to get up and write every single day.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g! I love creating and this has be one of my favorite outlets for that creativity. I have so much backstory and side story for these characters that I will definitely return to them. Make sure you get notifications when I post new chapters. I don''t have a timeline for bonus content just yet. I am in the throws of my next book "The Unwanted Luna'' Which JUST GOT APPROVED FOR PUBLISHING TODAY!!!! So that is where my focus is at the moment. Go check out the unlocked chapters and let me know what you think. I read as manyments here as I can, but if you want to interact, my facebook page is Miss L. Writes. I also do live writing sprints on the ''clock'' app same user name everywhere. Just check the picture, apparently people pirate pages too (Insert massive eyeroll) I do jump into thements about three times a week for all of my stories. I also post inspirational pictures for my locations and characters. I still exclusively publish on Good Novel. If you see my work anywhere else let me know on face book and Good Novel and I will take care of the piracy. I guess you know you''ve made it when your stuff gets taken about three times a week ;). There have been requests for extended stories for Beta Daniel, Lil and Jena. Robbie also became a favorite for everyone. If there are any other characters you would love to hear more about, jump into the discussion and let me know. I have thought about challenging myself and writing from Adrielle''s POV or maybe a minion''s POV of her. Kind of a ''why is she like that?'' vibe. The question is would you read it if I wrote it? Thank you all so much!! And Happy Reading. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!