“Anything else I can help with?” I brush my hands on my pants and look around at the classroom.“I think that will do it for now, Alpha.” Mrs. Khan looks around, satisfied with the way her room looks. “Now Loretta and I can focus on making lesson plans for the first marking period.”“Glad I can help. I'll stop by next Tuesday to read to the class.” “Don’t be surprised if other teachers ask you to help during reading time when they find out you're doing it for us.” Mrs. Khan winks at me.“Alpha, can I have a word before you go?” Loretta takes a step forward. There’s a look of concern on her face.“Of course.” I wave her toward the door. “Let’s walk and talk, if Mrs. Khan is okay with you taking a break.”“Oh, yes, that’s fine with me. We’re way ahead of schedule now.” Mrs. Khan waves her hands. “Please, Loretta. Take as much time as you need.”I hold the door for Tyree’s mom and close it behind me. “What’s on your mind, Loretta?”“Alpha, first, I don’t know how to show you my apprecia
Saint presses the wood deeper into the impostor’s neck, creating a thin red line of blood along the sharp broken edge. Half an inch and we could completely sever the artery. No one could save this bitch. I can’t let him kill her yet. She fucking deserves it, but we need to know what she did with Reggie and Minnie. We can make her life a living Hell until then. “Where is Reggie?” Saint’s lip curls in anger. I can feel his composure disintegrating. He wants the kill as badly as I do. The sooner she confesses, the sooner we can bleed her dry. “And what did you do with Minnie, you bitch?” “Saint, let me talk to Bronx. Please. Please, I’m not a witch or any other sort of shapeshifter other than a werewolf. And I don’t know where Minnie is, but I wish I fucking did, because she’s probably the only one who could talk sense into you right now.” The fake Reggie’s eyes squeeze shut. He tries to swallow, but the added pressure causes the skin to rip further open on the sharp wood. Bright red b
Lenora’s POV “Leni, you’ve got to be joking.” Bronx looks at me in disbelief. “You can’t do that.” “I can, Bronx. I don’t want to, but I can. If we let you take the lead and there are any incidents like the one that happened in the hall today or what happened with Randall a couple weeks ago, we’re all fucked. I wouldn’t be able to stop the Council from taking over the pack.” “So, what do you want me to do? Go to therapy? Take the stupid pills?” “The only way to reverse course is if you take your mental health seriously. We have seven weeks based on Ryuu’s warning. Two weeks after that is Randall’s last bullshit visit. If Doctor Tanaka hasn’t seen you change your attitude… like genuinely want to get better, making an honest hard working effort to focus on bettering yourself, not just going through the motions, then Ashley and I take it to the Council. She and Reggie would leave after Milo’s ascension. You would remain a member of the pack, but unranked. Even then, attacking any mor
“Elder Randall, Luna, a treat for you.” An Omega comes into the room weighed down with another platter of snacks and flights of amber colored liquor. “We just received a delivery and wanted Elder Randall to get to try some rare bourbons before we offer them to the rest of the Council. Mrs. Miller put the brand and year for each one on the tray.”She sets the platter and long flight tray on the coffee table between Randall and me. She gives me a wink when she turns toward me to refill my wineglass. Then excuses herself from the room.“Wow, what a treat!” I feign surprise. “Elder Randall, you’re the bourbon aficionado between us. Why don’t you take the lead?”Randall’s eyes swim for a moment. He wipes his nose with his sleeve, then he picks up a glass. “Of course, Lenora. We’ll start with this one.”“He really is a vile creature, isn’t he?” Justice scoffs.“If there is a word worse than vile, he’s that word.” “A Stymphalist wandought.” She says, sounding disgusted.“Mmm, yeah… don’t ho
I’m so stupid. Why did I have to know? Why did it matter so badly? It didn’t. I’m being jealous for no reason. It makes no sense for me to be insecure.I rub my fingers over the engagement ring on my hand. Milo has been nothing but loving since he came home. Hell. Even before then. I think about the letters locked in my desk drawer.“Hey Leni?” Bronx comes through a mindlink.“Now’s not really a good time, Bronx.” I sit on the counter and slump my shoulders.Today has been a roller coaster. I know I should have gone to the hospital wing to see him, but dealing with Randall took longer than I thought. Just another excuse. I need to suck it up and stop being selfish.“Mmm yeah. Milo was just here… umm… maybe you should go talk to him?”“Go talk to him?” I didn’t even hear him leave. “Where did he go?”I look at the clock. It’s ten-thirty at night. Milo left? The pressure of panic builds in my chest. I need him. He can’t just… go.“He said he fucked up and needed to go for a run.” Even B
Outside the netting, I hear movements. I grip Milo a little tighter, praying he’ll wake up. Instead, he sighs contentedly and kisses my forehead. For the first time, I damn the medications that help him sleep through the night. “Justice? Can you tell what’s happening?” I try to hold still. “Can you feel it?” She whispers in my mind. “Mavri magea.” “What the Hell is mavri magea, Justice?” Every part of me wants to rip the netting off, but I stay in place like Hana warned. “Dark Magic.” She sounds like she’s in awe. “Lenora, don’t move. We're in danger.” She doesn’t come forward or help me heighten my senses. Is she enchanted? That would mean I am too, but I feel fine. “Dark magic?” I hone my focus to see if I can feel any magical effects. I can hear guard wolves in the distance growling at something and changing formation. I don’t smell any rogues. The air feels heavy and empty the way it did when the portal opened for Sin. Milo whines silently in his sleep and stretches his bod
“Milo, it took two weeks to get this info?” I drop my forehead into my hands and look at the sheets of paper. “So you’re saying Paars and Minnie are what? Aliases?” “Hard to say.” Milo looks over my shoulder with his hands on the arms of my chair. “There’s no record of a Paars de Wees in Council archives for over a hundred fifty years. Before that, records are shoddy. There is a Wilhemina Visser, but she was born in the Netherlands over a hundred years ago in a pack called Vrede Berg. It doesn’t exist anymore. Merged with a larger pack eighty years ago. There is a record of her having a daughter, but I couldn’t find a name.” “Why would there be no registered names?” I sit back in my seat and brush my fingers on the underside of his chin, making him smile. Things have been different for us since the night in the meadow. Justice says it’s because I’ve stopped hiding and opened myself up to Milo. I mean, I’ve definitely been open to new things with him. Most of them require my legs to
“Alright Luna, you have two calls this morning. One with a vendor for a new cafeteria food service and one with an existing client who would like to add additional services, but first there is an in person meeting with a potential client… a guy named Yee Walker. We have him in the small conference room on the third floor.” Carly hands me pages of information. “I blocked this afternoon out for uninterrupted work time.” “Uninterrupted work time?” I furrow my brow. “You’re falling behind on getting paperwork signed, but I’ll help you get organized. The digital signature system works well for pack business, so we are working with IT to integrate it for MasonCo.” “Um, shit. Okay.” I frown and look up at her. “Sorry.” “We can do a little more to help with administrative work, Luna.” Hana smiles at me sympathetically. “Thanks, Hana.” I tuck the papers into my folder. “I’m going to drop my stuff off in my office then go to the conference room.” “I’ll escort you.” James volunteers as we