Patrick’s POVI’m driving Marie back to Blood Moon in my car. Alpha Liam, Luna Claire, Ike, Sam, and Alexis are in the SUV behind me. It’s a sixteen-hour drive. We make several pit stops.“When will you challenge your dad?” Marie asks as we get back in the car after our final stop. We have talked about everything. Plans for the pack, Marcus and Cleo, Darcy, a lot about Darcy.“It’s not a challenge really, I just have to beat him in a spar. Marcus took his dad out in one move. Cleo beat her dad yesterday. Marcus kept interfering, so he was excluded from the grounds until the fight was over. Today, when we arrive, I’ll get my chance. As long as you are there, I won’t lose.”“Why are you so sure?” She is flirting now.“I don’t want you to see me lose, so I won’t lose,” I flirt back.“Where is my room in the packhouse?”“Far from mine!” I tell her, taking her hand and kissing it. “It’s killing me to wait, but I can’t risk marking you.”“So, you aren’t going to have sex for two years?”“T
Marie’s POVI had a long talk with my parents. I’m sleeping with my mate. They can get over it. I’m legal, we know we are mates. I'm staying at Blood Moon for the entire school break that just started. I have to learn Luna duties at Blood Moon while I contemplate going to school or being Luna full time. Let’s not pretend my parents don’t screw like dogs in heat. I will be careful, condoms, birth control, the whole nine yards.I can’t be marked, so I can’t participate in tonight ceremony, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t look the part. Alpha Luna Kassandra never had a ceremony, but she knows I should wear crimson red and black, the pack colors.She gave me the dress she was going to wear for the ceremony she never had. It’s beautiful. I can’t believe she never wore it. I am a little shorter than her, so I had to have it hemmed, but the fit is perfect.I am staying in Patrick’s room now that we sleep together. I’ve showered and I’m sitting at a vanity he had brought in for me, doing my
Patrick’s POVI’m about to make my speech and start dinner, when the Alarm sounds. The warriors at the boarders are reporting Lycans. I get to Marie and make sure she knows what to do. Of course, she knows, she takes charge of the packhouse, and I take off toward the breach. I’m flanked by Marcus and Cleo. We shift as we run. I see a Lycan about to rip into my warriors, I take what uncle Taylor taught me, extend my canines and jump right for the throat. Once I’m latched it dies in seconds. Next!I see my mother take a second one down. My father is fighting his own Lycan, my mother finishes off another one. Marie and I will fight like that someday.I jump from Lycan to Lycan, with my extended canines, killing is easy.I see mom doing the same. Some warriors have paired up to kill. We are trained and we are winning.I push a mindlink to my warriors-Push the line away from the pack house! I see the line moving back further into the woods. Lycans can’t move as much in tight forests, w
Patrick’s POV Marie is full of fury and anger. Her parents had agreed for her to stay until school started, but now I’m asking her to leave. “Can we talk about this in another room?” I ask, looking around. All the Alpha’s look sympathetic. They all have Lunas, and Lunas be crazy. As we leave, I hear the other Alphas laughing and taking bets. I follow Marie to my office, thank you goddess for soundproofing. “I’m not leaving, Patrick,” Marie yells, as soon as the door is closed. “Yes you are,” I say directly. “It’s not safe right now, as soon as it is safe I will bring you back.” “This pack already recognizes me as Luna, so I can’t run and hide.” She stomps her foot for emphasis. “You can if you don’t have a wolf and you don’t, so it’s better for you to not be here. The pack needs protection, and you can’t defend yourself.” Oh, shit! That was the wrong thing to say. “Want to bet asshole!” Marie screams. The next thing I know I’m thrown to the ground and Marie is standing
Marcus’s POV I go back to the room I shared with Cleo, leaving Cindy and Patrick. I breathe deeply. Her scent is everywhere. I’m the Beta of Blood Moon, I have responsibilities, but I feel dazed. I lay on the bed, only hours ago I was making love to her in this bed. Her skin was next to mine, her lips were pressed tightly to mine. Her arms were pulling me to her. I smell her cum mixed with mine in the sheets, I smell our sweat. Her pillow is full of her scent. I pull it to my chest and cry. My Cleo, my mate, I need her to survive. I’ll never get over this, I’ll never move on. Was this a cruel joke? So much happiness, so much love ripped away. We should have marked each other. We should have made a baby. If she had gotten pregnant, she wouldn’t have been in the fight. She would be safe; I’d be holding her right now. Why did we want to wait? There is a knock on the door. I wipe my eyes and answer it. Carlisha is there. I don’t realize I’m still holding Cleo’s pillow. “I came b
Patrick’s POV“Are you sure you can trust me with the pack? Are you sure you trust me to keep Marie safe?” Marcus asks me for the hundredth time this morning.We are packing the car with mine and mom’s things.“I wouldn’t be going in person if I didn’t. Most of this could be done by phone, but mom and I agree, looking these assholes in the eye will be best.“Pat I don’t want anyone to ever feel like it do, least of all you. Are you sure you don’t want my dad to take over for a while?” Marcus and I are away from everyone. I look at him, he is still hurting. My dad is here to back him up, but Marie’s safety is squarely on him. “Marcus, you were born the Beta of Blood Moon. There is not a warrior here who can beat you. Including your father. I need the best to protect Marie, and you are the best, even at your worst. Cleo would be so angry if you used her as an excuse to dodge your duties. So do her proud,” I say hoping it hits him right. I watch my broken friend holding it together by
James’s POVI’m a lot less feared than my brother-in-law and his pack. I’m seen as tough, but approachable. So, when I requested a meeting with Dallas, he accepted my request and offered me safe passage. I can kill five at a time, so I wasn’t nervous until Kass told me that she trained these bastards. Great, if I have to fight my way out, it could hurt. But my goal is simple, kill the witch and get Dallas to agree to attack the Lycans. If all that fails, Patrick is ready to challenge Dallas head on.But, for any of this to happen I have to kill the witch. Not my favorite thing to do. Killing a witch causes a ripple effect in the world of magic. All witches feel the loss. If he has any friends I could be hunted down, since I can’t be hexed, they will likely hex my Luna or daughter, who are not immune to magic.I am at the gate with my “driver”, actually my Second Beta, Cliff. They check us over.“Remember Cliff, keep your Beta Aura in check,” I remind him.“Taylor has been working with
Patrick’s POVUncle James sent word that Hunt and Dallas are now allies in the fight with the Lycans.Now it was time to face King Archibald himself. I set up the meeting in Frontière Sand, since neither of us trusted the other to be on home turf.We met in a clearing 200 yards from Lycan Territory. Thousands of Lycans could have easily ambushed us, so we had our forces hidden, but not too far away.“Luna, we meet again,” the king bowed to my mother. My mother nodded only. “Alpha.”“Your Highness,” I nod.“I have paid the compensation per the treaty,” the king started. “I have fired and beheaded four generals for conspiring with Archimedes and the pack he controlled. I humbly ask your forgiveness for my deceit in telling you of my eldest son's death. In truth, I believed he was behind the attack on your pack, and I wanted to punish him, but let him live. He did not conspire with Archimedes; I can assure you.”I stood in silence, waiting to see if he had anything else to say. Claire an