2

ASTRID

I squint against the sunlight spilling in through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the hallway as I step out of my bedroom, stretching my limbs. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day in Denver, but I can’t fully appreciate it until I get my morning coffee. And speaking of, I can already smell it brewing. I breathe deeply as I pad barefoot down the long hallway, following my nose to the packhouse kitchen.

“Good morning!” I chirp as step through the doorway, finding my brother Cole and his beta Sam, perched in their usual seats at the table closest to the coffee pot. I reach up to sweep my unruly curls into a messy bun as I approach them, securing my hair atop my head with an elastic.

Upon my entry, Sam shoots up from his chair, tossing a smile my way as he heads for the coffee pot on the counter and starts pouring me a cup. By the time I reach the table, he’s back, holding the mug out in my direction.

“Thank you,” I breathe, taking the coffee from his hands greedily and bringing it to my lips. The hot liquid warms my insides as I swallow it down, my eyes sliding closed. “Mmm…”

Sam chuckles, slipping an arm around my shoulders and dropping a kiss atop my head. “Morning, lovely,” he murmurs, his voice still gravelly from sleep. He steps back over to his chair, sinking down onto it as I take my usual seat at the end of the table between Cole and Sam, sipping on my coffee.

Despite all the craziness that happened last night, it’s nice to wake up to the same ol’ morning routine I’m used to- sitting with Cole and Sam and sipping coffee in my pajamas in the packhouse kitchen. Given the impending attack from the shadow pack, we’re dealing with some heavy shit right now. Our defenses need to be shored up and big decisions need to be made. We’ve always had a motto in this house, though: the worries of the day can wait until after we’ve had our morning coffee.

“How’d you sleep?” Sam asks, picking up his own cup. As he looks over the top of it at me, a wisp of steam curls in front of his face.

I sigh, leaning back in my chair and pulling a leg up underneath me. “About as well as you two did, I’m guessing.” I dart my eyes between the two of them, not missing how heavy their eyes look this morning. During our pack’s full moon run last night, we were alerted to multiple border breaches- scouts from the shadow pack infiltrating our territory. Needless to say, we were all a little too amped up to get much sleep after that.

“Maybe you should’ve taken me up on that offer to cuddle,” Sam teases, waggling his brows and flashing me a devilish grin.

“Maybe,” I snort, and my brother rolls his eyes beside me.                     

The dynamic between Sam and I would probably seem a bit strange to an outsider, like we’re a little too close. Too familiar. And in a lot of ways, that’s probably true. Cole, Sam, and I grew up together in the packhouse, and the three of us were basically raised like siblings. My brother Cole is five years older than me, Sam two years younger than him. My father was the alpha of our pack, and Sam’s was the beta, hence the cohabitation. As children, the three of us played together, got into mischief, and fought with one another. I always looked at Sam like another brother… until I didn’t.

When we were teenagers, I suddenly started to see Sam differently. He was my first crush, with his bright blue eyes, golden hair, and sharp jawline; broad-shouldered and boyishly handsome, a dead ringer for Sebastian Valmont from Cruel Intentions. It turned out I wasn’t the only one whose feelings had shifted, and we endured an entire year of ‘will they, won’t they’ before actually admitting our feelings for one another and dating.

A year in, I turned eighteen and the full moon confirmed that Sam and I weren’t fated mates. Up until that point, we’d convinced ourselves that we were, so the realization was a huge blow- we didn’t know how to get past it, so we broke up. A couple of years later, though, we drifted back together again and dated for another year. It was easy to do, because things with Sam have always been comfortable, familiar. That second round lasted until I was twenty-one, when we mutually split, deciding we were better off as friends.

I’d like to say it was completely over between us after that, but in the three years since, we’ve slipped up and slept together a few times. What can I say? Old habits die hard, and it’s almost too easy to fall back into something that’s so familiar- especially when you live under the same roof. Despite our slip-ups, the two of us have an understanding and we don’t expect anything more from one another. So yeah, to an outsider, this thing between Sam and I might seem weird- but for us, it works.

“Have you heard back from Gray?” I ask, sliding my cup onto the table as I turn to my brother.

“Mm,” he nods, swallowing down a gulp of coffee. He turns his dark eyes to me. “He called shortly after you went to bed last night. They’ve agreed to send their warriors here to fight.”

A sigh of relief slips past my lips as my head falls back. “Oh thank god.”

“Do we know how many?” Sam asks, sitting up straighter and leaning his elbows onto the tabletop.

“Over a hundred,” Cole supplies. “And they’re going to take in our pack members that can’t fight so we can get them out of the territory and out of harm’s way.”

I quirk a brow. “Really? That’s so… generous.”

Sam brings a hand to his chin, squinting. “Too generous?”

Cole cracks the hint of a smile. “You two are far too suspicious for your own good.” His gaze slides between Sam and me. “Hasn’t it ever occurred to you that they need our help, too? We know how large the shadow pack has grown… let’s face it, neither of us stand a chance unless we join forces.”

I grab for my coffee mug again, wrapping my hands around it and shrugging my shoulders. “I guess that’s true. And I’ve never picked up any weird vibes from them… then again, I’ve only met Theo and Brooke, and what was going on between them at the time overshadowed anything else.”

I glance up as a few of our pack’s warriors shuffle into the kitchen, helping themselves to coffee and breakfast. I haven’t made it over to the buffet table yet, but the metal trays of food lined up on it are practically calling my name. The packhouse here in Denver is huge, and it’s always busy- not only do Cole, Sam, and I live here, but also several of my brother’s advisors and about twenty of our pack’s warriors. Then there’s the live-in staff, including our chef, who cooks a feast for breakfast and dinner daily, and two maids who do laundry and keep the place tidy.

I sip down some more coffee as I watch the warriors slide into seats at another table across the kitchen, eyeing the bacon, eggs, and toast piled on their plates.

“What’d you get from them?” Sam asks, touching my arm to get my attention.

I turn back to him, setting my cup on the table in front of me again. “From Theo and Brooke?”

Sam nods.

“Just their connection,” I say with the wave of a hand. “I felt it the first time they came to visit, and it was way stronger the second time. And that’s when Brooke told me the fated bond had snapped in between them.”

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I’m not your average werewolf? When I was little, I started to realize that I was different- that I could sense things about situations and people that others couldn’t. Sorta like gut feelings, only they always turned out to be right. My parents picked up on it, and that’s when they told me that I had a gift, one that must’ve been passed down to me from my grandmother; I’m an ‘intuitive’. My grandma was also a seer, but I’ve never had visions manifest, just the feelings. I can’t control how or when they happen, they just do.

“And you never picked up on any reason not to trust them?” Cole arches a brow in my direction.

I give a little shake of my head.

“Good.” He tips back his mug, gulping down the rest of his coffee and setting his mug on the table. “So as I was saying, every able-bodied pack member will stay to fight, while those who can’t will seek refuge with the six-pack.”

I nod slowly, eyes wide. Allowing the reality of the upcoming battle to settle over me.

On my other side, Sam slurps down the rest of his coffee, rising to his feet and reaching over for Cole’s mug. “Want some more?”

Cole gives him a nod, then looks back to me.

I blow out a breath, reaching for my own cup again. “So what’s this exit strategy look like?” I ask as I raise it to my lips.

“Gray and I briefly discussed it,” Cole replies. “Each of the six packs are going to take people in, so we’ll split ours up into six groups and send them in waves, so there isn’t one big mass exodus from here that’ll draw attention.”

I nod again and Sam returns with their fresh cups of coffee, passing one to my brother and settling back into his chair.

“But I’d like someone to go down there ahead of time. be there when our people arrive to be their point of contact and get them settled in,” Cole continues, staring at me intently. “Someone the pack trusts.”

“You mean me,” I mumble, glaring at him over the top of my coffee mug.

He nods.

I’m not thrilled about the idea- being away from my pack in the weeks leading up to the biggest battle we’ve ever faced is fucking less than ideal. I’ll miss out on crucial strategy sessions with the warriors, intel gathering with our IT specialists at the hive… basically everything, if I go. But at the same time, Cole’s right- someone has to do it. The pack knows me; they trust me. I’m probably the best person for the job.

Damn him for being right.

I heave a sigh, setting my cup back on the table again. “Yeah, I’ll do it.”

“Atta girl,” Sam grins, placing his hand over mine and giving it a squeeze. He flicks a conspiratorial glance in Cole’s direction.

I glance between the two of them, shaking my head. “Oh please. You guys knew I’d say yes.”

“I mean…” Sam sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, looking from Cole to me before chuckling. “Yeah, of course. Who else would we send? The pack loves you, you’re like their unofficial Luna.”

I turn to Cole, who shrugs and says, “you know it’s true.”

“You know,” I sigh, pushing off of the table to rise to my feet. “Someday you’re going to have to get an actual Luna.” I smirk at my brother, tossing him a wink before spinning around and heading for the buffet table.

I load up a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast and return to my seat between Sam and Cole, sliding back into my chair. I pick up a piece of bacon between my fingers and start nibbling on it when I catch Sam trying to steal a piece off of my plate, swatting at his hand.

“Go get your own!” I laugh, scooching my plate farther away from him on the table.

“C’mon,” Sam urges playfully, tilting his head and giving me puppy dog eyes. He knows damn well that the face he’s making always works on me.

I roll my eyes, giggling softly and moving my plate back toward Sam to give him access. “Fine.”

He grins triumphantly, snatching a piece of bacon from my plate and taking a bite.

“You two done?” Cole teases, helping himself to some of my bacon. “Can we get back to logistics for this evacuation?”

“I don’t know, can we?” I arch a brow in Sam’s direction.

He shrugs, swallowing the bacon he stole. “Of course, Alpha.”

I throw him another exaggerated eyeroll, picking up a piece of toast and turning to Cole again. “Go on,” I say, smiling sweetly.

Cole chuckles, leaning back in his chair. “Alright. So once we identify and split everyone up, I think we can send the first group as early as this weekend, and then stagger the others three or four days apart from one another.”

“So when do you want me to go?” I ask between bites of toast.

“When can you?” Cole fires back. “Tomorrow? The next day?”

I shrug. “Sure. Probably the day after tomorrow. Then I can get the lay of the land a few days ahead of the first group arriving.”

Sam places his hand over mine. “Do you want to take anyone else? Chris or Sasha maybe?”

He’s referring to two of Cole’s advisors that reside in the packhouse, but I give a little shake of my head. “Nah, they should be here for strategy sessions. I’ll be fine on my own for a few days until our pack members start arriving.” I flash him a smile, then turn back to my brother. “Well I guess I should get packing, huh?”

I push my chair out from the table, rising to my feet. Before I go to walk away, though, Cole reaches out for my arm.

“Astrid.”

“Yeah?” I ask, looking down into his dark eyes.

He presses his lips into a tight line, giving me a little nod. “Thank you.”

In my brother’s eyes, I can see his apprehension hidden just under the surface. He conceals it well- if you didn’t know him, you’d think that he has it all together, all the time. He’s tight-lipped, all business. He’s a pro at remaining calm under pressure. I know him better than anyone, though, and I can see it- the little sliver of hesitation beneath his cool exterior. He’s scared of what’s to come. And I’d be a fool if I wasn’t scared, too.