Hello wonderful readers! Thank you for being so patient while I work out the comments. Thank you to those who continue to leave reviews, comments, and gifts on this story. I hope to see you all in the group. XOXO Emma Taylor
ELLE POV Tiberius' putrid breath fans my face and neck as he whispers in my ear, "why do you smell like that mutt still?" He questions aloud, the annoyance clear in his voice as his words get icier with each breath. "I don't know," I reply, keeping my body stiff and my face turned away from his as I sit in his lap, getting his scent all over me. I wonder how many showers it'll take to get this disgusting scent off me. "Don't lie to me, pet," he grips my face forcing me to turn and look into his eyes. Without effort, my dead eyes meet his so that he can check for signs that I am lying. Putting a finger against the pulse on my neck, his gravelly voice invades my eardrums, "why do you smell like that mutt?" "I don't know," I say again, not changing my voice's tone, volume, or urgency. Nothing in my heartbeat or breathing changed, infuriating him even more. Before I can brace myself, his hands push me roughly from his lap and onto the hard wooden floor with a thunk. In a flash, Tib
ANDREW POV My stomach has been in a perpetual state of angst since Damon was found the morning after his ball, especially after his parent's reaction, which was basically nonexistent. They didn't act as I expected them or like parents would in a situation like that. Hell, it was like they weren't even shocked. They didn't care, only nodding their heads in response before ensconcing themselves away in the office, only coming out in the late hours of the night. I thought they would have had men searching every nook and cranny they could but rather locking themselves away for days on end with my parents. **********Flashback*********** The morning after the ball The dawn creeps through the curtain of my bedroom window as my Alexa starts playing my morning wake-up mix, but I don't need it. I have been up the whole night, tossing and turning as one face keeps coming to mind; Theo. I don't know what it is about him, but I want to be close to him. I can't concentrate whenever he isn't a
DAMON POV I catch myself looking at my phone again, the angst in my veins almost unmanageable as it gets closer to six without Andrew returning. Where the hell is he? The longer his absence, the more I start to panic; what has he found out that could be keeping him so long? Or worse, he's found nothing and is running down every last option. "No offense, Alpha," Matt says as he watches me stare at my phone like I am trying to will the time to go faster. "But if you look at that phone one more time, I will chuck it across the field. You need your focus on the upcoming match." His word drip a seriousness only used in situations like this. His arms crossed, stoic expression plastered on his face watching pack members file onto the bleachers set up for events like this. Using the mindlink, I reach out to Andrew again, trying to get a progress report and finding nothing, but resistance, so he either has his block firmly in place or is out of range. What could he have found out that took
DAMON POV Barging into the packhouse with more force than necessary as the door slams into the wall behind me, startling the younger members sitting around the living room, parting like a shrapnel bomb when my fiery energy invades the space. "Alpha," they mutter with their heads bowed from the force of my aura. "Go home if you're not a warrior," Matt barks, hot on my heels, "warriors gather everyone here in forty-five minutes! Go!" "Aye, Gamma!" I hear the warriors shout as my heavy footsteps keep thundering down the hall toward my father's office. 'Our office,' Slade reminds me with a proud huff, enjoying the newfound strength we acquired with our win. Shoving the door open, I find Andrew pacing wildly, a tired look on his face, with heavy purple bags under his eyes. Clean-cut Andrew looks worse than I have ever seen him in all the years I have known him; what the hell did he learn to have him so unhinged? Even calm and collected, Demetri is on edge as Andrews's eyes shift back
ELLE POV Same time as the Alpha Challenge ************************************* I don't know how long we have been trapped in the cells but my body is stiff from resting on the concrete floors for days on end. Charity and I rarely speaking these last few days, instead staying in contemplative silence waiting for the jingle of cell room keys and the stomp of tactical boots to pull me from my dark thoughts. The longer we remain within the pack borders with Damon's attack the more comfortable Tiberius gets in his victory. Every evening coming into the cells to gloat about how he terminated Damon and would do the same to any Alpha who thinks they can have me. Today is no different as the keys to the cell clank against the metal framework of the door except everything is. I already feel the heat of a newfound power settling within my skin, Scarlett starting to stir deep within my mind for the first time since stepping foot onto the territory. While she remains hidden in the secret c
ELLE POV *******FLASHBACK****** The night of Elle's first shift The golden aura shining brightly above Charity, Theo, and I settles into our bones as the mindlink of New Moon falls away into the abyss while a new one forms between us. Not waiting for a second longer as the energy finds home and growth within my mind, I let Scarlett's massive form carry us into the forest as I look to the right and find Theo's mostly white wolf running alongside me. But something about his presence and wolf's ability to easily accept my proposal for Beta as a council member's son, he shouldn't be able to....unless...As if he can tell what I am thinking, I hear his baritone voice through the link connecting us. "Luna, I just realized something..."Theo trails off, his voice hinting at what I already know. Including Charity in the link, I figure we might as well clear things up right now. I let Scarlett lead us further into the forest, relishing the fresh dirt in between her paws. "First off, it'
ELLE POV ********FLASHBACK CONTINUED******* I have been sitting in this uncomfortable office chair in the security room for the last two hours staring at the code in front of me. A similarity screaming at me, but I don't remember where I had seen it before. The answer is sitting in my mind somewhere. I feel it like a heaviness sitting atop my head, begging to be remembered, but Goddess help me, I can't. 'Alpha,' Charity's cheery voice rings through my head as I stare blankly at the screen, lost for the first time when it comes to deciphering a code; there is a reason I don't have to waste my time with class or school. I can't remember where I am from, but I can remember every book I have read. 'We are back in the territory.' 'Security room,' is my reply while I crack open a Redbull I grabbed earlier from the mini-fridge. I am lost in my own world while Damon's playlist rings through the speakers at ear-splitting volumes. For some reason, I am calmer with it playing in my ears as
ELLE POV ***********FLASHBACK CONTINUES*********** "Oh?" I say, careful with my words, while I rack my brain to determine where I went wrong, "about what?" "You have chosen a path to take," She says as her eyes scan through the first before returning her piercing gaze to mine. While a serenity surrounds Selene, the same cannot be said about me. My heart is racing in a panic as my palms begin to sweat. If Selene is here, then maybe this is the wrong path to take, and I am about to royally fuck things up. "Are you confident in your choices and the possible consequences?" "Yes," I say without hesitation because I have accepted the possible consequences of my actions. I have accepted that I could lose Damon over this choice of keeping him in the dark. But I am choosing Scarlett's entire life work over him and Slade. My stomach is knotted with fear and apprehension as thoughts of Damon never forgiving me invade my thoughts. As if she can sense my internal struggle, the Goddess steps