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Chapter 19
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A Time for Strength Chapter 20
—Flashback— “Bronx, there’s a monster in my closet. Maybe it’s a witch.” I peek into his room. He’s reading a book. I bet it doesn’t have pictures. He says books with pictures are little kid books. I like books with pictures though. Maybe when I’m ten like him, I won’t like picture books anymore? That sounds boring. I’ll like picture books forever. “There’s no monster or witch in your closet.” He keeps reading. “It’s your imagination.” “No, there is! I swear!” My lip is shaky. I don’t want him to think I’m a crybaby, though. “I saw its eyes.” “So growl at it. If it’s hiding in your closet, it’s scared to come out.” He rolls his eyes. “Your wolf face will scare it away.” “Can you help me… please? Your wolf face is more scarier.” I don’t think he heard me. He still keeps reading. “Bronx, I really sawed it. It has glowy purple eyes!” Bronx slams his book closed. “Come on. I’ll show you.” He grabs my hand. When we get to my closet door, he stops. “How could you see glowing eyes if
A Time for Strength Chapter 21
“Luna, we’re waiting on those purchase orders to order food for the pantry for the next month.” “We need an inspection of the armory after we stopped three rogues from getting in there last week.” “We have to review training plans for the next quarter. Since the Council announced we need to send six more warriors, we have to look at pack members qualified to serve in the next wave of the draft.” “We’ve had a heavier snowfall than usual this winter. We need to send a team to reinforce the banks of Blood River so it can sustain the extra spring thaw. Also, fencing on the southern border needs to be replaced.” “The elementary school would like to know if you can attend their Saint Valentine’s day party.” “Sin’s rogues have been spotted closer to the territory than last month. We need a better plan of action to stop them from attacking.” “Put pins in all of that.” I point around the room at all the department heads. “Yes, Luna.” They reply in unison. “Doctor Nolan, how’s the Alph
A Time for Strength Chapter 22
“Luna, Lieutenant Fortier is on the line for you.” Carly’s voice comes through the intercom, startling me from reviewing budget requests. Alright fine. You caught me. I wasn’t working on reviewing budget requests like I’m supposed to. I’ve been staring out the window at an early spring snow shower. It’s beautiful. I almost never have time to myself anymore. Justice wants to go out and romp in the winter wonderland with her mate. Our warriors only have two weeks left before they come home. Will they have time to let their wolves out for a snowy run? It takes a second for my mind to process what she just said. When it does, my heart stops. I look at the calendar on the wall. It’s only Tuesday. Henri always calls on Thursday nights. He has been calling once a week to give me as much of an update as he can about the war so I can share with pack leaders. He’s not allowed to say anything about our individual warriors for security reasons. Most of the time, his updates aren’t much, but I’l
A Time for Strength Chapter 23
***Trigger Warning - This chapter begins depictions of wartime Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This theme is depicted in multiple chapters throughout the rest of the book. Since the triggers for this subject are different for everyone, this will be the only warning related to it.*** “Lenora, what do you want your birthday celebration to look like?” Ashley and Carly sit across from me with huge grins on their faces. “We need to begin planning now, but you don’t have to do anything. Just show up for the party. We’ll take care of all the details and planning.” “My birthday isn’t for three months and I don’t want a celebration.” I stuff the last of my sandwich in my mouth. “Honestly, I almost forgot about it.” “Come on, nerd. It’s your eighteenth birthday and you’re Luna now.” Ashley tilts her head. “People want a reason to celebrate.” “We’ll have our annual pack celebration on the summer solstice. That’s good enough. Everyone loves it. No one will know the wiser.” I wave my ha
A Time for Strength Chapter 24
“What the fuck was that about?” I look around. Did anyone else witness that? A nurse peeks around the corner with a cringe. “Are you alright, Luna?” “Yes, thank you.” I nod to her. “What do you expect from a psychopath like Saint?” Justice says as if she’s not surprised. Doctor Nolan approaches me. “We’ve already given him a sedative, Luna. We're avoiding a wolfsbane tincture to subdue him with the rumor that Elder Randall is visiting.” “You heard that already?” I pinch my nose in frustration. “Where’s Doctor Stanton?” “She’s at the Sanchez house.” He advises. “Mrs. Sanchez was concerned about the delayed arrival as well.” “Yeah. That tracks.” I feel my shoulders drop slightly. Poor Maria. She loves her youngest son so much. She and Javier come to dinner service occasionally. I pay my respects when I see them, just like I do with Tyree’s family and the Ikedas. James’s family lives off territory, so we don’t see them often. With Maria, it’s different. She never stopped calling m
A Time for Strength Chapter 25
“Luna, can I hold your hand so I can be the first one to give Uncle Milo a hug?” Elle runs up to me in the foyer and hops on her toes with excitement. She doesn’t know how exhausted I am and she shouldn’t. I spent most of my night helping guards chase off rogues. Their activity has jumped since I got the phone call that our warriors landed. A small piece of me wonders if Bronx is right. How would they know to attack now? Our men were supposed to be home by now. Whoever they were getting their information from wasn’t able to relay the delayed arrival. Maris advised that Elder Randall got drunk off of bourbon and went to bed early. But did he really? “I think we can arrange for that.” I bend down and help her zip up her coat. “As long as you hold still and salute the warriors while I give a welcome home speech. Don’t worry though, it will be quick.” “Rin, too?” She looks past me at her best friend. “Her daddy is coming home with Uncle Milo!” Hana is across the hall speaking to Tyre
A Time for Strength Chapter 26
Milo’s POVShe said yes. I asked Leni to marry me and she fucking said yes. If you tell me there’s a luckier son of a bitch anywhere in the world, I’ll tell you that you’re a liar. I can’t believe I get to be her mate and now I get to be her husband too. Ghost can barely control himself. My heart is beating out of my chest. Bluebirds, butterflies, little hearts floating around in the air. All that shit. The plan worked. The entire unit helped. I’m glad I spoke to Bronx yesterday. After he warned me about all the bullshit Elder Randall has been trying to pull, he made some calls for me.The drivers stopped so I could pick up the ring in town. The jeweler is a nice old lady who sells estate jewelry out of her home. Her house smelled like cat piss, but Luna Sandy is one of her best customers, so I knew I could trust her.I traded a few rubies and emeralds from a dragon’s lair we raided. She was so impressed with the quality; she threw in extra jewelry for free. There’s a matching pair o
A Time for Strength Chapter 27
“Milo?” A voice brings me back to Earth. “Huh?” I blink hard and look around. My heart is pounding and my cheeks are wet with tears. “How do you feel, son?” Doctor Nolan is sitting on the coffee table in front of me. Doctor Stanton is in the chair behind him looking at me with concern. “I-I must have gotten distracted.” I wipe the tears away and clear my throat. “Sorry, w-what were we talking about?” “It’s okay, Milo.” Doctor Nolan pats my knee and looks at his watch. “You’re done for today. You were distracted for about an hour, son.” “What? No, that doesn’t sound right.” I try to stand, but he gently pulls me back down. “Milo, we’re going to recommend you stay here for a little longer. We want to meet with you and the Luna to explain why. If you don’t want us to discuss your medical information with her, we won’t, but it will help her understand our concerns.” “N-no, that’s okay. You can tell her whatever.” I grind the heels of my palms into my pants legs and blink back the
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