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12
ASTRID
“I’m not taking no for an answer, we’re going,” Brent says, throwing an arm around Jared’s shoulders as I emerge from the hallway into the packhouse kitchen.
“I never said I wouldn’t go,” Jared laughs, shoving him away playfully.
“Go where?” I ask, shuffling past them to get to the refrigerator. I’ve been shut in my room since I returned from the squad complex today, digging into some IT stuff and video calling my brother and Sam. I know it’s silly to say since it has only been just shy of a week, but I miss those guys like crazy.
“To the bar in Stillwater,” Jared supplies, picking up an open beer bottle from the kitchen island and bringing it to his lips.
I pull the fridge open and glance inside, searching for something to eat as my stomach rumbles in protest.
Brent polishes off his own beer, setting the bottle down and looking my way. “Hey, you should come with us. It’s ladies’ night so
C.J. PrimerThis probably should have been two chapters- I definitely got carried away with the length. Whoops! I have a feeling that may happen often with this book; there's a lot of story to tell. Hope you enjoyed this super-sized, split-POV chapter, and I'll be back with another one tomorrow to cap off the week!
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Alpha Brock 13
ASTRID I’m groggy when I wake up the next morning, and the first thing I notice is the throbbing pain in my left temple. This is exactly why I try to pace myself when I drink- because even shifters can get hangovers, and they fucking suck. The second thing I notice is the snoring coming from the other side of the bed. It catches me off guard and I sit up abruptly, peering down beside me at a still sleeping Brent. What the hell did I do last night? I pull the sheet tight to my chest, pressing my eyes closed and rubbing my temple with my fingertips. My memory is a little hazy, but it slowly starts to come back to me. Brent kept me up drinking with him, and even when I insisted on going to bed, he followed me to my room, still chatting away. I went in the bathroom to change into pajamas, and when I came back out, Brent was sprawled out on my bed. He propositioned me, I politely declined, and then I guess we just
Alpha Brock 14
ASTRID It’s early afternoon by the time Theo and Brooke drop me off back at the packhouse in Riverton. The arrival and placement of the second group of evacuees from Denver went off without a hitch- the Summervale pack is one of the larger ones in the six-pack, so we were able to place over eighty refugees there. Greeting my pack members and the placements themselves didn’t take long, but I hung around with Brooke for a while afterwards to catch up on some developments with IT that she discovered late last night. I’m not sure when the girl finds time to sleep. According to what Brooke uncovered, the shadow pack coordinated an attack on a smaller pack in a neighboring state just last night. It seems they may be making a last-ditch effort to increase their numbers even further in preparation for taking on Denver, which doesn’t exactly bode well since we’ve already called in all of our backup. Brooke is staying in Summervale for
Alpha Brock 15
BROCKThe night air is cool, but the thick undercoat of my fur keeps me plenty warm as I traverse through the forest on the outskirts of Riverton’s territory. It’s no surprise that I had to let my wolf out to run tonight after the way the last twenty-four hours have gone. I was already agitated enough following the events of last night and this morning; topping it off with Astrid’s little performance in my office this afternoon had me ready to explode.Shifting into my wolf form and going for a run is cathartic in itself- and tiring out the beast within does wonders for keeping my temper and baser urges at bay. With Astrid around, I need to do all I can to dull my animal instincts because the girl is clearly a walking, talking trigger for me. It’s a miracle I was able to walk out of my office today without tearing her clothes off and having my way with her, especially because it was obvious how badly we bo
Alpha Brock 16
ASTRID What’s the female equivalent of blue balls? Because that’s totally what Brock keeps giving me. I’m not sure what’s going on between us and mister hot-and-cold isn’t exactly making it easy to figure out. I’m starting to get whiplash from the constant push and pull between Brock and me. While playing this game with the king of indecision is exhausting, there’s just something about Brock that keeps pulling me back in. Maybe it’s because when I see broken things, I want to fix them. Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment. Or maybe my intuition’s right- we’re supposed to be something to each other, and this is the universe’s way of throwing us together over and over to make sure that happens. Whatever it is, if that steamy make-out session in the woods last night is any indication, then I feel like the roller coaster ride he’s taking me on will be worth it. I’m enjoying my morning coffee with Jared and Brent in the
Alpha Brock 17
ASTRID It’s after dark by the time I return to the packhouse that night. I stayed late working with the IT unit and Quinn was kind enough to give me a ride back here afterward. I was so busy all afternoon that I didn’t have much time to think about Brock or how dismissive he was on the practice field this morning, but it returns to the forefront of my mind as I make my way up the front walk and twist the knob on the front door to let myself in. When I push the door open, my eyes immediately land on Brock. Damnit. He’s straight ahead in my field of vision, lounging on a couch in the great room in a t-shirt and a pair of grey sweats. And of course, as soon as my eyes land on him, he looks up and our gazes lock like magnets. I quickly look away, stepping over the threshold and pushing the door closed behind me with a hip, toeing off my gym shoes and sweeping them aside under the bench. I can still feel Brock’s ey
Alpha Brock 18
BROCK“Damn, you’re up early,” Jared comments as I stroll into the kitchen on Saturday morning.“Don’t get used to it,” I groan, going straight for the coffee pot and pouring myself a cup. My nose twitches as a delicious scent wafts my way from the oven. “Damn, what’s that smell?”“Your mom brought a quiche over,” Jared says, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back against the kitchen counter. “I think it’s bacon and tomato this time.”“Nothing gets me out of bed faster than the smell of Mom’s quiche,” Brent laughs, sauntering in. He looks my way, narrowing his eyes. “Bacon and tomato again, really? Isn’t that your favorite?”“Sure is,” I smile smugly.When we were growing up, my mom would make a quiche every Saturday for breakfast, changing up the types of veggie
Alpha Brock 19
Astrid I blink as I look up at Brock, his words registering. He didn’t just call me ‘Anna’, did he? But the look of horror in his eyes tells me that he did. Behind me, I hear Jared choke and Brent snort. Yup, he just called me ‘Anna’. And from the things I’ve heard about his past and the vision I caught from him last week, I’ve already put two and two together as to who Anna is. The ex. My mouth drops open, but no sound comes out. I’m truly at a loss for words. “Shit, I didn’t…” Brock grumbles, shaking his head and scrubbing a hand over his face. “I meant…” He’s completely panicking. Thanks to my intuitive abilities, I can feel his panic register as if it’s my own, prickling my skin like icy shards. While I haven’t yet processed my own reaction, my immediate reaction to his panic is to calm it. I reach out, pressing my palm to his chest as I look up into his eyes. “I
Alpha Brock 20
Brock As soon as I turn the key in the ignition, I know that the drive back to Riverton is going to be tortuous with Astrid sitting beside me, looking and smelling like sin. The girl is hot as fuck; way too damn tempting for her own good. So fucking sweet, too, but with the heart of a warrior. I know I shouldn’t let her get too close, but how can I resist her? I pull out of Goldenleaf onto the main road, glancing sideways at the beauty seated next to me. I can’t help myself from reaching over to touch her exposed thigh, gliding my fingers all the way from her knee to the hem of her little black dress. It’s way too fucking short- every guy in the place was checking her out tonight. Probably why me and my wolf were both slowly driven into a frenzy watching her, and why I couldn’t waste another second before getting her out of there. Her eyes are alight with the golden shimmers of her wolf as I run my fingertips along the hem of her dre
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