DAYA POV
This feels so surreal. Hugging my sister for the first time in twelve years- this doesn’t feel real, but it is. Emmy is here. Yes, we have spoken regularly via video chat, so we have been able to watch each other grow up, but we never visited one another. None of us have. And, hopefully, in a few months, Emmy will help me be able to challenge Darius and take over this pack. And then we can bring our other three sisters here with us: Saph, Amy, and Pearl. All good things come with time- but when I really want something, it’s difficult for me to be patient. Luckily, patience is Emmy’s middle name. Literally, her full name is Emerald Patience Stone. Weird, but perfectly fitting for her. Me and Emmy get settled on my sofa and I start pouring us a couple glasses of Malbec. I always enjoyed a dry red wine. I don’t drink much, but this is a special occasion.
“I can’t believe you’re here. This is the best day of my life. How was your meeting with Alpha Douchebag?” I said excitedly for the first part and then changing my tone to annoyance at the thought of Alpha Darius. I don’t know what his deal is. Granted, I did offend him in front of his subordinates at our first meeting. But I can tell he is pretending to care about his pack and is just a power-hungry alpha like so many others I have met. He even tried to butter me up earlier today after my morning session. At first, I almost fell for his nice-guy act, but he seems like a fuck-boy. I overheard a bunch of the ladies during training. He is highly sought after. For some reason he hasn’t picked a chosen mate yet and a few girls were hoping that by becoming warriors, they would stand out to him more as “luna potential.” Ugh. This one girl, Mara, clearly has the hots for him and can’t go fifteen minutes without mentioning Alpha Darius. Emmy starts talking and pulls me out of my thoughts. Good, Darius doesn’t deserve any additional mental energy of mine.
“It feels really great to be here. I am so happy to finally be with you, Dye. I’m sure in time, Saph, Amy, and Pearl will make their way here as well. I’m sure that’s been on your mind.” This girl knows me so well, she is reading my mind. “As for my meeting with Alpha Darius, it went well. He seems to genuinely care about his pack members and their well-being.” My jaw dropped. Are we talking about the same Alpha Darius? This guy was an asshole to me when we first met and has avoided me my entire first week here until this morning.
“Really? What makes you think he genuinely cares about them?” I asked with true curiosity. I took a sip from my wine glass, getting more comfortable on the sofa.
“I mean, just the fact that he was willing to accept help from the both of us, without knowing us, shows that he is willing to trust if it means it will help his pack. And he admitted to me that whatever defensive systems he has in place are not working.” Emmy shrugged, taking a sip of wine. I let her opinion sink in a little. Could I have this guy all wrong?
“But then how did he come to be here in our territory? He must have had something to do with overthrowing Father in some way. All of the packs now living in our territory must have.” I said definitively. My brow furrowing and shoulders tensing up.
“That I don’t know. But, now that we are here, we can get some more information. Maybe try and find out what happened after Father sent us away.” Emmy said. Her tone dipping and becoming softer towards the end of her comment. She has a point that now we can try and find out what happened to Father and our territory. Even if Darius wasn’t the Alpha when Father was killed, he was still here. So, he must know something. This definitely gives me something to think about over the next few weeks. Maybe I can try to get closer to Alpha Darius. I’ve never been the flirtatious type. But maybe just trying to be his friend and get on his good side would help me learn more about his pack’s history. And I’m sure Emmy will be able to get information working with Gamma Lucas as a strategist.
“How about we stop talking serious stuff for now and just have some fun sister talk.” I suggested. Emmy smiled and nodded. We spent the next several hours just talking about how our lives have been. I told her about Andre and Ophelia taking their chosen mates under the full moon next week. Emmy would talk to them over video calls every once in a while, so it made her really happy to hear about that. Emmy was always more of a listener than a sharer. She told me Gamma Milo, her guardian, and our father’s gamma from our original pack, was doing well. He was proud to hear Emmy and I are back in our original territory with the intent to take back part of our home. After playing catch up, and finishing the bottle of wine, Emmy said it was time for her to go up to her apartment and unpack some more.
The next few days went like clockwork- wake up early, run morning training, eat, shower, run afternoon training, go for a run, eat, shower, sleep. I love a predictable routine. I had dinner with Emmy every night and she was really taking to her new role. She said Gamma Lucas was easy to work with and they were coming up with some great ideas together. They called a meeting for all of pack leadership, which includes me now as the lead female warrior and trainer. I was surprised to have the invitation extended to me given how new I am, and I’m not even an official pack member- I can’t mindlink with anyone here and Alpha Darius hasn’t pushed for me to join the pack since this is a temporary assignment. I wonder why Emmy couldn’t give me a head’s up on what would be discussed in this meeting.
I got settled into my seat at the conference room in the packhouse. It’s a standard meeting room, large oval-shaped table with enough room for 10 large chairs around it. A big tv screen at the front of the room to share presentations or to have people from outside this pack join in a meeting via video call. From what I understand, the Running River Pack, like most packs after the plague, and with being in a constant state of war, has no true allies. That was a big reason why Darius said he wanted Emmy to join his strategy team because she helped create several alliances for her pack out in California. I look around the room as the rest of the leadership team files in- Emmy is sitting in the seat next to me, and to her left is Gamma Lucas. Beta Tobias was sitting towards the head of the table, in a seat to the left of the chair that Darius will most likely take. Another minute later, Justin, the lead warrior and trainer walked in. He and I have talked every day about our training plans and the progress of the female warriors. We are planning on doing mixed sessions in the next few weeks since a lot of the women are progressing quickly, and they need to get used to fighting men. Justin sat in the seat to my right. Finally, Darius walks in and takes his seat at the head of the table. Tobias gets up and shuts the door. Darius clears his throat to speak.
“I was told by Gamma Lucas and Miss Emerald Davis that they have an important theory that could be explaining the increase in rogue attacks. I don’t think I need to say this, but since Miss Tannerman and Miss Davis are visitors to our pack for the next few months, I want to restate that whatever is said in this meeting is confidential and does not leave this room. Our pack’s safety and well-being are at stake.” Darius scanned the room, and we all nodded our heads in agreement. Shit, what is this meeting about? “Gamma Lucas, you and Miss Davis have the floor.” Darius nodded to Emmy and Gamma Lucas, and they stood. I could tell Emmy was feeling nervous, but she was good at keeping a poker face- not wanting to be appear unsure of herself.
“Thank you, Alpha.” Gamma Lucas began. He was a good looking guy- all these men were. Darius had darker features, with wavy black hair and almost black eyes, and he was tall, maybe 6’4 and incredibly muscular. Can he wear a shirt that isn’t struggling to cover his biceps? Lucas had lighter features with light brown hair, swept over to the side and hazel eyes. He was tall too, at about 6’1 and Tobias looked like Thor, with longer blonde hair and big muscles, and dark blue eyes. Between the three of them, I’m surprised this pack is attacked so frequently by rogues- they are intimidating to look at. “As you know, the number of rogue attacks our pack has experienced has significantly increased the last year. It is not uncommon for rogues to attack, but they are rarely well coordinated. The most recent attacks this year, the rogues seem to know how to get into our pack territory without our guards noticing them. They have also been trying to attack specific areas, such as the cottages in the forest- not far from where you live, Alpha.” Lucas paused. That was interesting information. Darius, the Alpha doesn’t live in the packhouse? That’s usually standard protocol for Alphas to live in the packhouse. It’s the biggest building on the territory and there are staff who cook and clean for everyone who lives here. Seems odd that Darius chooses to live alone in a cabin.
“Are you suggesting I am a target? That’s not new. Most rogues would love to kill an Alpha and take over the pack.” Darius fired back, his thick black eyebrow arching and a frown forming on his face. He ran his hand through his wavy hair, causing it to loosen and start to fall across his forehead. That’s a nice look for him- kinda disheveled. What am I saying? Focus Daya!
“No, it isn’t new for rogues to want to challenge an Alpha, sir.” Emmy cut in. “But based on what Gamma Lucas has told me, only people within your pack know you live outside the packhouse in your own cottage. So, the question is, how do the rogues know where you live? How do they know how to get past the guards on patrol without being noticed?” Emmy’s tone was serious. All eyes went from her back to Darius. He nodded and his gaze drifted down towards the table. His fists were clenched, and his jaw was twitching. He quickly stood up and started pacing back and forth. Nobody was saying anything. But it was clear his wolf was agitated his eyes went from a dark brown to a bright gold. Darius took a few deep breaths, in an effort to rein in his wolf. He looked back up to us all sitting at the table and slammed his open palms down on the table. I flinched at the loud sound, knowing that had to sting his hands. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was low, and growly.
“We have a traitor in the pack.”
A traitor in the pack?? Looks like Daya isn't the only one looking to challenge Darius. Thank you for reading! -J.N.S.
DARIUS POV A rat. A fucking rat. How could this happen? Why was this happening now? My pack members seem happy. Nobody complains, but then again, if people were unhappy with me, would they truly bring it that complaint to me- probably not. It felt like a knife was being driven into my back. I guess, metaphorically, I am being stabbed in the back. But by whom? Who amongst my pack members would stoop so low to associate with rogues and offer my head to them? And on top of that, endanger the rest of our pack. Rogues are unpredictable wolves. Not having a pack to call their own can make them become wild and feral. We have been lucky that we haven’t lost any pack members this last year during the rogue attacks, but many have been injured. Several of our warriors were close to losing their lives. And a few of the females were targeted as well- it’s common for rogue wolves to kidnap young and unmated she-wolves to force mark them and rape them. This ties the she-wolf to that rogue under the
DAYA POV Emmy and I left the packhouse to walk to our apartment complex. I was not expecting this. I knew the Running River Pack was dealing with a serious rogue problem, but I did not think it could be due to them having traitors within the pack. “What are we going to do, Emmy?” I asked my sister. Feeling confused about going forward with my initial plan. “I want to be alpha, but not like this. I do not want to see anyone from this pack hurt.” I added. “Let’s talk once we are inside. This is not a conversation to be had outside in the open.” Emmy rolled her eyes at me, conveying the message that I need to be more aware of my surroundings. I usually am very vigilant, but after leaving that meeting- after seeing how hurt Darius looked at the news that one of his own is betraying him- I guess I feel guilty. Was this whole plan a mistake? We reach my apartment and close the door. We haven’t even taken our shoes off and I asked Emmy the same question that has been burnin
DAYA POV I woke up the next morning genuinely excited for the training session. I mean, I’m always excited for training sessions. But today, the new female squad will be joining the male warriors. I’m curious to see everyone’s reactions. The women have only been training for two weeks, but a lot of them have been progressing quickly and showing a lot of potential. I made my way over to the training fields and I was surprised to see Alpha Darius and Beta Tobias already there. I typically get to training half an hour early to mentally prepare and do my own warm up, so I’m ready to go before all the women arrive. As I get closer to the fields, I can see that the two are already breathing heavy and have a light coating of sweat. It was difficult not to notice how Darius’ muscles had a good pump already, making his fitted shirt even tighter. Jeeze, Daya, snap out of it! Like I’ve never seen a guy in workout clothes before. I could feel my wolf stirring in the back of my mind at the sight o
DAYA POV I couldn’t get off the training field fast enough. I can’t believe I almost let my guard down around him. I wasn’t alone in how I was feeling; I felt my wolf becoming more relaxed in that moment, almost like she wanted comfort from Darius. I blame Emmy. She put the ridiculous thought in my head about having a crush on Alpha Douchebag, and now I worry my wolf is developing a crush on him. Too bad he won’t be alpha of this pack for too much longer. Once we figure out who has been leaking information to the rogue wolves, and deal with that threat, I’ll challenge him. However, after seeing him during training this morning, I need to step up my own training. Darius is strong, and surprisingly fast for a bigger guy. I’ll continue studying how he fights to learn his weaknesses; we all have them. The rest of the day went by quickly. Before I realized it, my head was hitting my pillow and I was fast asleep. I was startled awake by my alarm clock. I sat up and reached over to my
DARIUS POV (8 HOURS EARLIER) I was leaving the packhouse after wrapping up a meeting with Tobias and Lucas. Nobody stood out to us during the morning training session as a potential threat, or traitor. We will go back in the morning to continue watching and observing. The walk to my cottage isn’t far, maybe a 15-minute walk. I was about halfway there when suddenly my wolf began to stir, and my body felt like it was being electrocuted. I’ve have had minor shocks and static zaps occasionally, but this feeling was radiating all over my body, and it felt…amazing. I was sensitive all over and I was smelling the most incredible scent in the air. Seconds ago, it smelled like pine trees and fresh snow. Now, I feel like I’m walking along the beach, smelling sea salt with hints of tangerine and orange blossoms. I feel more and more energized with each inhale. Without realizing it, I find myself walking in the opposite direction- my wolf has taken control. What is happening? My
DAYA POV I’m not sure how Emmy got me to the pack’s medical clinic. The pain didn’t stop. The stabbing pain in my chest became deeper. It felt like I was being pierced through my chest and the blade was coming out my back. The coldness- I’ve never felt cold like that. It felt as if ice was coursing through my veins. All I could do was scream and writhe in pain. The lead doctor- I don’t remember his name- asked me what happened. I just continued screaming. I’m not sure how long the pain lasted. Eventually, the stabbing pain lessened and the iciness pumping through me thawed. I don’t remember much else; I must have passed out. I came to later that morning. Emmy immediately shot up out of her seat the moment my eyes opened. “Oh thank everything supernatural, you’re okay!” Emmy clutched my hand, concern flooding her big brown eyes. “What happened?” I asked. My throat sore from screaming for who knows how long. My body was achy, like I had been beat up by the entire warr
DARIUS POV The last 24 hours have been crazy. The other night, under the full moon, the fated mate bond decided to appear out of nowhere for the first time in 30 years and tell me that I have a mate somewhere in my pack. It took all my self-control and mental strength to resist the urge of the bond. Then, I stupidly fucked Mara. Granted, that took my mind off the mate bond, but my wolf was disgusted with me… and I hated myself for it as well. Then Daya had some mysterious ailment, which has made it impossible for her to leave the medical clinic. She was so convinced she would only have the one episode, but a few hours after I left the clinic, she had another episode. I was in my office when I got the mindlink from Richard. He sounded so scared for Daya. Not proud to admit that when he mindlinked me, I was with Mara again. I didn’t want to. I was in my office looking into that girl, Saph Bellos, that Daya and Emmy told me about. Her full name is Sapphire. What is with these gi
DARIUS POV I raced to my office after the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately mindlinked Lucas and Tobias. ‘Meet me in my office, ASAP!’ I shouted through the link. ‘Darius? Is everything okay? I’m on my way. I just finished meeting with Justin.’ Tobias responded. ‘On my way as well!” Lucas said hurriedly. They both arrived, confusion and concern clear on their faces. I was pacing back and forth behind my desk, unable to get words out- my mind was racing, and anger was building up inside of me. “Alpha, what has happened?” Lucas was trying to break me out of my thoughts. He has always been more formal than Tobias. Being a couple of years younger than I am, he wasn’t expecting to be given the position of Gamma. He is quiet, smart, and rational. For my first few years as Alpha, it was just me and Tobias, and we realized we needed another member within the pack leadership to help with the rebuilding of the pack, and to help us in moments like t