Julius’ side of the bed was cold by the time I woke up on Monday morning, his scent fading as the minutes ticked by. Part of me wanted to mind-link him, to start my day with his deep, velvety voice echoing through my mind, but it wasn’t long before the rational side of my brain talked me out of that idea. Wherever he was, whatever he was doing… it wasn’t my business. The small digital clock on the bedside table told me I had twenty minutes before I had to be at training, so without any further thoughts of Julius, I jumped out of bed and got ready. I arrived at the gym with enough time to keep Dean company while he unlocked the doors and turned on the lights. Surprisingly, he actually greeted me with a smile instead of rolling his eyes. Progress. Soon the room was full and Dean took his place up the front with the other warriors. I stood expectantly to the side while he delivered his instructions. “Today we will be practicing in wolf form.” He started, his hands held behind his ba
“Just come out and show me.” Maeve whined from outside the dressing room.I swung open the flimsy door to reveal the hot pink dress she had plucked off the sales wrack for me, not bothering to hide my disgust as she covered her mouth to muffle the cackle that escaped her lips. “I honestly thought this would look okay but you resemble a walking confectionery.” She laughed. Maeve and I had been together all morning, chatting about the excitement of tomorrow night’s event as we sat and had breakfast before she eventually led me to local boutiques. “You knew this would look horrendous, don’t lie.” I joked before heading back into the change room, chuckling to myself as Maeve’s laughter continued to fill the small store. “Okay, okay, serious options only from now on, I promise.”“Thank fuck.” I called. “So the Alpha was fine with you coming tomorrow night?”“Yeah… about that…” I replied nervously as I stepped out of the dressing room. I was yet to tell her that Julius would be coming
Maeve really did put Jake to work, making him collect, flatten and dispose of all the unused cardboard and lift every heavy box she could find, but to my surprise he didn’t so much as shrug his shoulders with each command she threw his way. I was tasked with stocking and organising the bar, a role I volunteered for considering I would be helping serve the drinks to guests. It was almost therapeutic to work at my own pace, polishing glasses and bottles as chaos ensued around me. With all the ‘volunteers’ Maeve had recruited, the place was ready within hours. I marveled at how quickly it had come together, and how beautifully it had been designed. Maeve’s family had spared no expense, decking out the dining areas with travertine tables and lining the floors with tiles that resembled the white sand of Greece’s beaches. The bar was made of rose quartz which dazzled underneath the dim lighting, surrounded by rows and rows of mirrored shelves consisting of more luxurious bottles of liquor
Julius POV“ROGUES!” Maia’s scream rang through my mind, her panic seeping into my bones as I instinctively looked around the room for her, only to find she wasn’t here, she hadn’t been since I’d returned downstairs. Without hesitation I excused myself from the conversation I was having, something about town planning which I’d only been half paying attention to anyway, and stormed to the front of the room. “Everyone, I need your attention.” I announced. “We are under attack by a pack of rogues. Anyone who can fight, follow me. For those of you who cannot, remain here for now, you will receive updates via mind-link.” I didn’t pause to register the worried glances exchanged by those around me, I didn’t need to. I could feel their fear as if it were my own, fear that we were about to lose everything all over again. “I’ve checked in with patrols, they’re all fine, none of them even had anything to report.” Dean was by my side in an instant as I practically ripped the front door off h
Julius POV“Can I come in or is someone naked” Dean called from the hallway. I rolled my eyes and yanked the door open before returning to Maia’s side, briefly admiring the blush that stained her cheeks as our eyes met for just a second. “What was so urgent that you had to come here at three in the morning?” I sighed, folding my arms across my chest. “Clearly you were up, so it’s-“ he paused, scrunching his nose. “Oh, I was interrupting. My bad.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a sharp breath, my patience far too thin to deal with his lack of self-awareness. “Get to the fucking point, Dean.” “Okay, okay, sorry.” He said, putting his hands up in surrender as he slumped on the armchair facing us. “So when I got back from the… disposal… of that last rogue, I reached out to the neighbouring packs to see if they had had any similar attacks. Obviously I expected that I’d hear back in the morning, but surprisingly Marco got back to me straight away.” “Alpha Marco of the Cr
Maia POV“Come on, is there a bicep muscle where your brain should be? Just let me in!” A familiar loud, sassy voice whined from the front door. Dean and I had been in the lounge for the better part of the morning, abiding by our house arrest as we watched every serial killer documentary our local streaming service offered, when an unrelenting sequence of loud knocks had come from the entrance to the pack house. I looked over to Dean, who looked completely oblivious to the outside world as he watched the latest Jeffrey Dahmer series with nothing but pure worship in his eyes. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the next documentary that came on was about him. “So?” I finally asked as I stared at him incredulously. “So what?” He replied, not so much as sparing me a glance as his eyes remained glued to the screen. “Are you going to answer the door?” “Why? They’re not allowed in.” He said bluntly. “Fine, guess I’m going then.” I huffed, standing from the couch. He let out
Maia POVI awoke from my involuntary slumber to the sensation of gravel digging into my skin through the fabric of my cotton pyjamas. The telltale smells of damp earth and shit lingering in the air told me I was being held in some kind of dungeon, but as my eyes fluttered open all I could see was darkness. The room was completely void of light and sound, and as the hours dragged on I almost began to feel as though I was floating in another realm altogether, unable to see myself or hear the outside world. The only indication that I hadn’t died and moved on to the afterlife was the searing pain radiating through my skull from where it had been smashed against the doorframe. Surely the Goddess wouldn’t be so cruel as to make you feel pain after death, right? After what could have been hours or days later, the sound of a door opening pulled me from my existential crisis. I jumped to my feet, ignoring the ache in my stiff muscles as I tried to prepare myself for whatever Adrian had planne
**TW: sexual abuse Maia POVSomehow I had thought that this place would have simply been swallowed up by time, ceasing to exist in all realms except my memory, however as I looked around at the plywood walls and stained, crusty carpet that sat beneath the fold-out bed I was currently chained to, I realised it had been wishful thinking. Wes’ trailer looked almost exactly as it had when I left, only covered in an added layer of grime and filth that seemed to indicate that he, or at least someone, was still living in it. I waited for my heart rate to spike, for the anxiety to creep into my gut at the thought of seeing him again, but surprisingly, it never did. Instead, a feeling of anticipation washed over me, an eagerness for conflict that was completely foreign yet oddly exhilarating. “Home, sweet home.” I murmured to myself as I inspected the silver cuffs restraining me to the bed. As expected, they looked impossible to break and each one needed it’s own unique key. On the plus sid