Rider
I was heading to my mother’s office after receiving a mind-link from her that she and my father wanted to speak with me. Werewolves could mind-link each other, which was basically speaking to one another telepathically if they belonged to the same pack or were fully mated. But it only worked when they were in close proximate to one another. My parents, Trish and Erik, were the current alphas of the pack. They shared the title. Usually, a pack would have an alpha and a luna, but because my mother had alpha blood, they led the pack together as co-alphas. It never bothered my father that she took the alpha title instead of becoming luna. It surprised me because I knew I wouldn’t want my mate to be an alpha. It was a dangerous role and definitely not the job I would want my woman to take on. I wanted my mate to be safe and sound at home with our pups while I was out protecting the pack. I couldn’t wait to find my mate. I was confident she would be perfect and submissive. My nineteenth birthday was in a couple of weeks, and I couldn’t wait. Firstly, that was when my parents planned on handing me the alpha title, and second, that was the age when a werewolf could finally sense their fated mate. A mate was the other half of your soul. The Moon Goddess blessed every wolf with a destined mate. They were supposed to be your perfect match, someone who completed you. I reached my mother’s office and knocked. “Come in.” I heard her announce from the other side of the door. I opened the door and walked into the office. My mother was sitting behind her desk while my father sat on the couch with my younger brother, Rory. He was only seven months younger than I was. My mother got pregnant right after giving birth to me and a werewolf pregnancy only lasted six months. That was why we were so close in age. My brother and I were complete opposites. I was serious and disciplined, while he was laid back and a total prankster. Even though we were opposites, we still got along well. It didn’t seem to bother him that I was next in line to be alpha. He was quite supportive of me. I had already decided that when I took over as alpha, he would be my beta, the second in command, and my best friend, Matty, would be my gamma, the third in command. “Thanks for coming, Son. Take a seat,” my mother said, drawing me out of my thoughts. “What’s going on?” I asked curiously as I took a seat across from hers. “I just got a phone call from Alpha Samuel of the Dark Shadow Pack. Rogues attacked them last week, and they lost five warriors,” my mother replied in a serious tone, causing me to let out a heavy sigh. Rogues were lone wolves that either left their packs because they didn’t like following rules or had committed a crime and therefore been banished from their pack. Either way, the majority of rogues were bad news. Some even turn feral after living alone for so long. They lose contact with their human half and end up living as animals for the rest of their lives. Because of that, they were extremely dangerous. “Those rogues are becoming a problem. We’ve already lost three warriors this month alone to rogue attacks,” I replied while running my fingers through my hair. “That’s just it. Seems like we aren’t the only pack being attacked. A couple of weeks ago, a small pack to the south, The Raven Pack, was completely decimated. Half the pack wasn’t even found. They just disappeared, and no one knows what happened to them,” my father added. “What are we going to do?” my brother asked, sounding concerned. “I think we need to have an alpha meeting and devise a plan together. They seem to be targeting smaller packs like ours,” my mother replied. Our pack wasn’t the smallest, but we also weren’t considered big. We had around three hundred and fifty pack members, but our training was intense, so our warriors were stronger than the average warrior. Meaning we could handle ourselves even though we were a smaller pack. “That’s a good idea. Maybe some of the larger packs can spare some of their warriors to help protect the smaller packs,” I added, and my mother nodded. “I’ve already talked to Alpha Drake, and they'll send some of their warriors to help guard our borders,” my father said, and I immediately groaned in response. I didn’t have anything against Alpha Drake, but I couldn’t stand his daughter, Sophia. I spent a lot of time in their pack when I was a kid. My parents were close friends with her parents, Alpha Drake and Luna Isabella, so I often got dragged there. Sophia and I had never gotten along. She was so stubborn and opinionated that it drove me crazy. I still couldn’t believe that Alpha Drake was handing the alpha title to her when she turned nineteen a month after me. I mean, I knew she was the only heir to the pack, but still, she was a woman. I have nothing against women, but I firmly believe the alpha role was a man’s job. I would never dare tell my mother that, or she would kick my ass. She had done it before when I alluded to the fact that women shouldn’t be alphas, and since then, I had learned to keep my thoughts to myself when it came to that subject. It wasn’t that I didn’t think my mother did a good job as alpha; it’s that I worried about her. She was so small, and it would destroy me if something happened to her. I knew it would ruin my brother and father too. “What’s wrong big bro? You worried about whom Alpha Drake might send over to help us?” my brother teased, bringing me out of my thoughts. I glared at him; he always knew how to push my buttons. “You’re the future alpha of this pack. You need to learn how to be civil with people you don’t get along with, Son,” my mother scolded and gave me a pointed look. I know. I’ll be civil if she is, but I’m not sure she knows how to be. I swear she’s the devil,” I replied with a frustrated huff. “You’re still upset about that epic wedgie she gave you the last time you saw her, aren’t you? Remember that one? You guys were sparring, and she had you pinned down, and then she...” my brother started, and I quickly cut him off. “That was like five years ago, and she didn’t pin me down,” I spat back, and he chuckled. “That was two years ago at most, and she definitely pinned you, but you deserved it for the shit you said to her,” my brother replied with a cocky smirk. “Enough, both of you,” my father intervened. Before he could continue, we all received a pack-wide mind-link. Rogues, northern border... one of the warriors on patrol shouted through the link before it disconnected. I could hear the panic in his tone. “Shit! We got to go,” I said as we all immediately stood up. I could see the concern on my parent’s faces. I tried mind-linking with the other warriors on patrol, but no one answered me. They were likely busy fighting and couldn’t reply. We ran out of the office and made our way outside. As soon as we were through the front door, I quickly shifted into my wolf, Chase. My clothes were shredded in the process. Chase was a large black wolf, and he could be ruthless at times. He hated rogues as much as I did. My wolf and I shared a body but had our own thoughts. We communicate with each other through our minds. I first shifted when I was sixteen, which was the standard age that we got our wolves. Ever since then, we have worked as a team. We ran through the forest. Rory’s wolf, Chaos, was hot on my tail, and my parents weren’t far behind him. Can you smell that? Rory asked through mind-link as a coppery smell hit my nose. Yeah, blood. I replied, while slowing my pace as we approached the northern border. My wolf, Chase, was on high alert. Things were quiet, but the smell of blood was getting stronger the closer we got. As we reached the border, I immediately spotted two of my warriors standing over something. They were looking down at whatever it was with their backs to us. As I got closer, I noticed a body lying on the ground in front of them, and I recognized it as one of my warriors. His name was Edward. I knew immediately by the gruesome sight that he was deceased. He had been completely shredded, with claw marks littering his body. I could smell the distinct scent of rogues in the area. They smelled like rotting flesh. It was a very distinct scent and unmistakable. I shifted into my human form, and my parents and Rory followed suit. I grabbed some shorts from a stash of clothes we kept in a tree at the border and quickly slipped them on before joining our warriors. “What happened?” I asked Larry and Warner, the two warriors. Upon hearing my voice, they both turned to greet us. “Alphas, Rider, Rory,” they said in unison. “He was attacked. I don’t think he saw them coming until it was too late. By the time we got here, he was already dead. We managed to kill two of the three rogues, but the third got away.” Warner added, and I could hear the pain in his voice as he looked down at his deceased friend. I scanned the area with my eyes. That was when I spotted the two dead rogues only twenty feet away. “If we had just gotten here a few seconds sooner, we could have saved him,” Larry added, his voice breaking as he spoke. It was clear he felt responsible to some extent. “You got here as fast as you could. I have no doubt about that. Don’t beat yourself up over it,” my father said as he patted Larry on the shoulder. I made my way over to the two dead rogues while my parents questioned the warriors. They were both lying on the ground in their human form, covered with various wounds. They probably fought in wolf form, but once they sustained serious enough injuries, their bodies automatically shifted into their human shape. One of the rogues appeared in his mid-twenties, while the other looked no older than sixteen. I frowned at the sight. Why would a sixteen-year-old be living like a rogue? And why attack our pack? “Find anything over here?” my mother asked as she came to stand beside me. “Wow... He’s young,” she added before I could reply. “Yeah, he is. They both are,” I stated, and she slowly nodded without taking her eyes off the rogues. “Your father and brother are going to take care of the scene. Come back to my office. We need to make some phone calls,” my mother said, and I nodded before following her toward the packhouse. We were both silent as we walked. It was clear that the attack was bothering her as much as it bothered me. What exactly were these rogues up to? They usually live on their own, so why suddenly are they working in groups? We reached my mother’s office, and she took a seat behind her desk while I sat across from her. She let out a sigh before finally speaking. “I want you to run this investigation and work with our neighboring packs to devise a solution. Your father and I will be here to guide you, but I have complete faith in you as a leader to deal with this. You’re taking the alpha title in less than a month. Let’s call this a tryout,” my mother said in earnest. “I can do that,” I replied with a nod. “That means working with people you don’t always get along with,” she added with a pointed look. I knew exactly who she was talking about. Sophia. I cringed at the thought of working with her, but the alpha title meant more to me. Therefore, I would do my best. “Of course, I’ll do my best,” I replied. “Alpha Drake’s pack is our biggest ally. We need their help,” she said. “I know. I’ll call and give him the heads-up on what happened here today,” I replied, and could see the satisfaction on my mother’s face. As much as I didn’t want to make the call, I knew I had to. I guess I would be seeing the she-devil herself sooner rather than later. I knew Alpha Drake was going to send her since she was their head warrior, and also, since she was going to be taking over the alpha title soon, her father would want her involved in the investigation.Sophia I was training the warriors with my two best friends, Emma and Conrad. Emma was going to be my beta in a couple of months when I took over the alpha title, and Conrad didn’t know it yet, but when I did become alpha, I planned on promoting him from warrior to gamma, my third in command. The three of us were extremely close and usually did everything together. Emma’s younger sister, Maya, hung out with us on occasion, but her interests were a little different from ours. She was more of a girly girl, not really into training and pack business. Not that there was anything wrong with it, but she would rather spend her time at the mall or reading gossip magazines. That was probably why she didn’t always want to hang out with us. Emma was a month older than me. She was five-foot-eight with a slim yet muscular build. She had curly dark brown hair that reached mid-back and hazel-colored eyes. I would describe her as easygoing and always in a good mood. Conrad was two years o
Sophia I spent the night packing, and when it came time to sleep, I mostly tossed and turned, pondering all the new information my parents had given me. It still bothered me that they didn’t tell me sooner about Cole, but I also understood why they kept the information from me. Even though I would never have treated him differently, they were trying to keep him innocent of his mother’s crimes. I couldn’t help but wonder if what they told me had anything to do with his disappearance. Did his uncle, that Thomas guy, take him from us? That alone disturbed me. His uncle didn’t sound like a good guy. What would he want with Cole? Would he hurt him? Emma and Conrad had helped me pack since we had made plans to hang out. They knew something was bugging me, but luckily dropped the subject when I told them I didn’t want to talk about it. I was grateful that my friends knew not to push me and that I would tell them when I was ready. It was seven in the morning. I took a quick shower
Rider When Sophia and her warriors arrived, I was speechless. I couldn’t believe how much she had changed since I last saw her. She used to have a boyish body with a flat chest and no ass, but now… all I could say was, wow. She had really filled out in all the right places. She was around five-foot-seven with an hourglass figure and legs for days. Her cleavage was on full display in that tight little black tank top, and it had my cock twitch to life. Even in her comfy clothes, she looked sexy as hell. My wolf was growling at the sight of her, demanding I bury my face between her perky tits. I had to settle him down; he was getting all worked up over her. I almost forgot how much of a brat she could be until our eyes met and she glared at me with those mesmerizing sea-blue eyes. Thank Goddess, I pulled myself together before she caught me checking her out. She, on the other hand, wasn’t fast enough. I didn’t miss her eyes shamelessly roaming over my body. It seemed the devil he
Rider I stayed in my office for most of the day. I figured if I avoided Sophia, maybe this stupid fascination I seemed to have developed for her would go away. I had just gotten off the phone with one of the neighboring alphas when there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I announced before the door opened. I let out a relieved sigh when I realized it was just my soon-to-be gamma, Matty. He must have just gotten back from The Dark Shadow Pack. I sent him there yesterday to get more details about the attack on their territory. “What’s up with you?” He asked curiously as he took a seat across from my desk. He was always good at reading my mood. “Nothing, just on edge because of these attacks,” I replied, but I knew he could read right through my lie. After all, He was my best friend and could always tell when something was bothering me. “Hmmm... OK. Now that we have that lie out of the way, why so tense? I mean, you’re always tense, but today you seem extra edgy.” H
Rider I tossed and turned most of the night and when I glanced at my alarm clock, I saw it was five in the morning. I knew I wouldn’t fall back asleep, so I got up and decided I would workout before meeting with the others. I threw on some gym shorts but didn’t bother with a shirt. I left my room and made my way out of the packhouse. It’s pretty quiet at this time of the morning. Warrior training didn’t start till six, so the only people out and about were the warriors on night patrol and the omegas working in the kitchen. The rest of the pack members were all still asleep. I was jogging through the forest when I heard laughing coming from the training grounds. My eyebrows furrowed together as I wondered who else was up this early. My curiosity got the better of me, and I made my way over to see who it was. In the middle of the field, I saw Sophia, Emma, Conrad, Rory, and Matty standing in a circle joking with each other. Even though there were five of them, my eye
Sophia At first, I was frustrated when I started sparring with Rider. He was so cocky and arrogant; I knew he intentionally tried to push my buttons. He kept demanding I surrender, but that would never happen. It surprised me how strong he’d become since the last time I fought him and he was definitely giving me a run for my money. Given my royal bloodline, few people could beat me, but a couple of times throughout our fight, I thought he might. After a while of us sparring and going back and forth with who had the upper hand, I found myself enjoying the challenge. My frustration faded and was replaced with excitement. I always loved a good fight. From the look on Rider’s face, he also seemed to enjoy himself. At one point, he was lying on top of me, trying to pin me to the ground. I had my legs wrapped around his waist and my arms locked around his neck, holding him tightly against my body. I felt something hard poke at my core and quickly realized he was turned on. His
Sophia I kept running, following the smell of blood that was getting stronger and stronger the closer I got. I hadn’t heard any more screaming, which was alarming. Was I too late? Conrad tried mind-linking me again, but I ignored him. He told me that Rider had ordered me to wait for backup, but there was no time. Someone needed help. I could feel it in my gut. Plus, that asshole isn’t my alpha. I don’t follow his orders. I had been running for fifteen minutes when, suddenly; I heard snarling, followed by a faint whimper. That sound made my paws move faster. I knew someone was in trouble. As I got closer, several scents assaulted my nose: blood, rogues, and was that the aroma of vampires? I started second-guessing myself. Was this a trap? Maybe I should have waited for backup. It was too late to turn back now. I reached a small clearing, and that was when I spotted him, a large gray wolf with matted fur coated in blood, towering over something on the ground. I knew immedi
Sophia My mouth opened and closed several times as I tried to formulate a reply. What was wrong with me? I was never lost for words, so why was I struggling to speak? Was it perhaps because Rider stood only a few feet away from me, completely naked and furious? I knew it wasn’t the best time to ogle him, but I was struggling to keep my eyes above his waist. I noticed his eyes trailing down my body as he took in my disheveled state. He paused for a few minutes on my leg, the one the feral wolf had bitten. The wound had healed, but there was still a lot of dried blood on my skin. Rider’s eyes softened slightly, and there was concern swirling inside his dark orbs. “What happened, Sophia?” he gritted out as he took slow predatorial steps toward me. “I just came across a feral wolf, no big deal. I took care of him.” I tried to sound calm when I was anything but. The closer he got, the faster my heart was beating in my chest. “Why didn’t you wait for backup, Sophia?” He