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8
ASTRID
“Good morning, Alpha!” I greet cheerfully as I spot Brock descending the stairs.
He looks up at me as he hits the bottom step, grunting something muffled and barely audible in his typical response. It’s only my third morning at the Riverton packhouse, but one of these days I’m going to get a solid ‘good morning’ in response, damnit.
I feel like I’ve already fallen into a routine here- instead of my morning coffee with Cole and Sam, it’s morning coffee with Jared and Brent every day before catching a ride with Brock up to the squad complex. Then it’s training with the six-pack’s security squad in the morning followed by afternoons with IT. That routine changes today, though, because the first evacuees from Denver are set to arrive and I’ll be welcoming them.
“Coffee?” Jared asks as Brock enters the kitchen.
“Please,” he growls, running his hands through his hair. The man’s ha
C.J. PrimerSurprise! I found some time to write last night so I decided to post this chapter today as a bonus. I'll be back tomorrow with more Brock! :)
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ASTRIDI’m sinking a spoon into a container of yogurt when I feel it- the full-body tingles that have started hitting me more and more frequently when Brock’s around. I’ve never had my intuition be so persistent about a feeling before, like it won’t give up until I’m able to work out what it means. I usually pick up my ‘intuitive’ feelings about people when I touch them or when I’m right in front of them, and they don’t typically repeat whenever I’m in their proximity. With Brock though, it’s like the rules have suddenly changed- I don’t know what to expect from my intuition anymore, and it’s making me wonder whether my gift has gone haywire.I spin around, peering through the dark toward the staircase. I still have the refrigerator door propped open with my hip, and it’s giving off enough soft light to cut through the darkness and illuminate the
Alpha Brock 11
BROCK When my alarm goes off the next morning, I feel like I’ve barely just closed my eyes. Another fucking restless night’s sleep, if you can even call it that- I was tossing and turning and thinking about the vision Astrid said she had. Of course her first vision would be of the worst night of my life. Hearing Astrid describe the scene dredged up all of the painful memories associated with how things ended between me and Annalise. I remember the white tank top she was wearing and how her strawberry blonde hair looked almost pink that night under the light of the nearly full moon. I remember how fucking helpless I felt when I begged her to stay, to keep the promises she’d made and choose me, but she still walked away and ended it all. Except that wasn’t really the end, not even close- she’s continued to torment me ever since, relentlessly haunting my dreams and memories. Because I thought she was the one, and I was a damn foo
Alpha Brock 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
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
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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
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