The pier on the edge of Stay’s Landing was the only place in town I had ever known true peace.If I had known what the winter would bring I would have spent more time out on this pie
The story of my namesake always made me feel warm inside, and it made me love my hair early. I was the only person in all of Stay’s landing with red hair, which could have so easily been a curse. It was long, curly and wild- it often took ages to do anything more than a simple bun or braid, but the curls helped make it look a little more put together. I smiled inwardly as I gazed at my locks in the mirror, quickly snapping out of my trance and pulling them back in a thick braid out of my face. I quickly brushed my teeth, washing the stale coffee aftertaste away with the cool mint. I dabbed some chapstick on my dry lips and swept some mascara over my long eyelashes. I was lucky t
My legs burned with each pedal, but I relished in what was left of the summer air. It was September now, and the heat would only last a few more weeks before the dull of fall would set in, chilling the air and dampening the sun. My legs had gotten strong, a mix between the midnight runs I took with Sage and the many years of biking and hiking the Stay’s Landing hillside. Mom and I only took the car out when we needed to, during torrential downpour and when the snow was too thick to traverse by pedal. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d attempted the 4-hour drive through the mountains to the city, we only did it when we needed something Stay’s could not provide, and that was rare.
I stepped out into the cool air and locked the back door behind me, once again tugging to make sure it was tightly closed. Sage was bubbling over, fighting to come forward. I resisted, first scanning to make sure the coast was clear. I ducked behind a stone wall and took off my clothes, shuddering in the cool breeze. As werewolves we were all too used to nudity, but I still tried to cover myself as I scurried to tuck my clothes in my bag, hanging it from my bike handlebars. It was one thing to catch a glimpse of someone in the woods, post patrol and slipping something on. It was another to see them in the buff behind the libra
I stumbled backwards at his words. Inherently, I knew they were true. Only Alpha’s could open a mind link within a pack, so it was at least true he was ancestral of the Ember Pack elders.“How? Who are you? Our Alpha had no offspring.”
Ibolted in my house out of the sudden rain, breathless and awestruck by what had become. I said a silent prayer as I crept up the stairs, begging the Moon Goddess not to wake my mother. I made it to my room without stirring her and quickly peeled off my wet clothes, pulling on the softest flannel pajamas I owned and burying my exhausted body into the well awaited warmth of my bed.
I heard the blood rush in my ears as soon as the Alpha's hand met mine, my body became numb and I counted my breaths, trying to leave my mind open as a vessel to contact my pack. Since Beta Friendrich's death we rarely comminucated through the mind link anymore. It was mainly used in emergency situations or to announce the arrival of visiitors. I could almost hear the sound of the door opening, rusty and creaking in my mind. Before long Alpha Rhode's voiuce rang out, clear through the routes and tunnels of the link, visiting every pack member."My name is Alpha Rhodes, I hereby lay claim to this pack. The Ember Pack will now be joined with the former Kronos and Genesis packs of the West. Any and all questions will be answered in person this evening. Theo Martin will explain the details."I felt the snap as my mind link became my own, now with the murmerings of nervous pack members across the entirety of the town. I swallowed hard, before speaking "Al
The sound of my alarm blaring stirred me out of bed, and I sluggishly pulled myself from the comfort of my blankets to silence it. I was exhausted, my whole body yearned for rest. It had been alert and on edge for twodays now, having been battered unwieldingly by the rapid changes around us. "Don't expect it to stop anytime soon!" Sage warned me, but I knew she was right. Something told me that this would be the first of many days in a row spent training under the guidance of the new Alpha, and my already sore muscles were about to be beaten to submission.I stumbled to the bathroom, hastily brushing my teeth and pulling my thick hair into a bun at the top of my head, securing it with a thin elastic headband and several bobby pins. While I was physically fit enough, I was by no means athletic and my stomach turned thinking about the battering I was to endure. I slipped into a pair of tight wrestling shorts I had bought ages agoto wear when I wore a dr