*Maddox*I get out of the car in front of Alpha Bryant Logan of Hill Country packs mansion. It’s huge, though it’s no castle. Still, it looks a lot more modern than the place I live in, a lot homier.As I make my way up the long path to the door, I daydream about downsizing a bit but getting something where the electrical wires are actually in the walls instead of along them since my castle was built about four hundred years ago before electricity was even an idea.Beta Seth clears his throat behind me, and I know he’s nervous. He always does that when he’s uncomfortable. I turn and look at him, and he adjusts his tie like maybe it’s choking him a little.“It’s just Alpha Bryant,” I remind him. “He’s on our side.”Seth nods, but I know he doesn’t quite believe that. I don’t either, but we’re here. We may as well see what the fuck he wants.Besides, I have to think he’s not choosing to side with Maple pack over me. If he was, he never would’ve let me know what he’d found along the rive
*Isla*I try to process what my mom is saying to me, but something about her words isn’t computing. I’m not sure why. What did I expect her to say? Yes, she did use to be the queen of an island kingdom called Maatua, and yes, I used to be a princess?I mean, it’s not as if I really expected what Mystica said to be true. What are the changes, really, that my family is from royalty? For most of my life, I’ve required safety pins to keep my socks up. That doesn’t exactly sound like the princess life.Still… there’s something about my mother’s tone that makes me think she’s not being completely straightforward with me. Her voice has that little quiver to it like it did when she told Ben that his cat went to live on a farm outside of the city. I had seen the cat’s body lying by the side of the road earlier that day, so I knew that Otis wasn’t going to live out a peaceful life chasing mice in a barn. Otis was dead.Mom wasn’t a good liar.“Oh, you’ve never heard of the place at all?” I ask
*Maddox*I stare at the young woman in front of me for a long moment before I return my attention to Alpha Bryant. Rage washes over me as I figure out what is going on here. “Is this your niece?” I ask him.He shrugs. “Not by blood.”The young woman is sniffling, and I can’t help but think she has to be… seventeen? Maybe eighteen at most.“What the fuck?” I ask Bryant, turning on him. “What did you do to her?”“Hey, King Maddox,” he says, holding his hands up between us again. “I didn’t give her nothin’ she didn’t want. She’s a little tramp. I wasn’t even sure the baby was mine until I did a DNA test on the little bastard. Pretty much every guy in my pack has gotten some of her.”With that, the little girl starts crying even harder.I am furious. It looks like I’m about to have a second pack without an Alpha.But I have to be more careful with this one. I can’t just force Alpha Bryant out the way that I did Alpha Ernest because there are forces here that will fight back. Unlike Ernes
Beginning of Season 2*Isla*I am ashamed of the fact that I am crying when I get back to my room. I want to scream and break something. I think about how it was when I first arrived at the castle and that old witch, Mrs. Whateverthehellhernamewas got mad at me for accidentally running into something. Now, I want to pick up an antique and toss it across the room.I can’t believe what’s happening! Not only did my own sister refuse to answer my questions about where we came from, King Maddox just described me as a friend to a very, very pregnant little girl.I lay down on my bed and pull a pillow over my head, angry sobs coming out. What in the world have I gotten myself into?How the hell did I think I could actually stroll into the castle and mean something to the king?He’s the KING, after all, and I’m nothing. I’ve never been anyone.Even if my parents truly were once the king and queen of Maatua, they certainly aren’t now. That island has been described as cursed by everyone who ha
*Isla*What the hell do I think I’m doing?I can’t answer that question because if I pause to ponder the absurdity, I will turn back immediately.Who in their right mind sneaks out of the castle after sunset when some crazy woman who has already tried to kill her is on the loose? And I don’t even have a fucking clue where I’m going!But… I keep running anyway.Because… at this point… do I even have a choice?As soon as Poppy left my room, I tossed a few items into a backpack that I knew I could carry on my back in my wolf form. I’m not used to shifting. I’ve only had my wolf for a short amount of time. Most of us don’t get them until we are fifteen or sixteen.I got mine at eighteen.And there was never any reason back home to shift. I was always too busy working in the factory or wherever, and that requires thumbs.I have shifted a time or two in my life, but I’ve never really let my wolf run. Now, with the darkness of the forest enveloping me, I run as fast as I can.Sneaking out wa
*Isla*I am not alone….I know that as I continue to run through the woods. My pace has slowed dramatically, though, because it’s clear to me that there are wolves all around me in the darkness, and in front of me, too.Why am I continuing to run from the man who has already done everything he can to save my life into what could potentially be a death trap?I can’t help but think that I am the stupidest woman alive….Slowing my rate significantly, I peer off into the distance, looking for movement. I think I see a pair of glowing eyes up ahead. With that knowledge, I change my course, heading to my right. I wonder if I could potentially circle back to the castle and get away from these wolves. They could be castle guards that King Maddox or Beta Seth has sent after me.But in my gut, I have a feeling that’s not who they are at all….The idea that it would probably be a good idea to call for help also comes to mind, but I can’t do that, not now, not when I’ve screwed up so royally alre
*Maddox*I walk ahead of the stretcher carrying Isla and try not to pull my fur out. If I had thumbs, I might’ve already pulled out enough fur around my forehead that I’d look bald.Images of a wolf with a receding hairline come to mind, and I almost laugh. But nothing is that funny right now.What the actual fuck was she thinking?I already know the answer to that question.As much as I want to blame Isla for all of this, it’s my fault. She left because I was rude and dismissive. She left because she was upset with me. What else could it possibly be? She hasn’t been feeling well, and I didn’t even check on her today while I was gone to look for the missing kidnappers.The castle comes into view ahead of me, and I’m glad to see it. I’m not as energetic as I was before, so I don’t leap over the fence in a single bound. Instead, I call ahead, and the side gates are open when we get there. Using the mind-link, I call for a servant to open the door for me as well, and I trot down the hall
*Maddox*I stare at Isla in bewilderment, not sure what to say to her. I should probably be down in the dungeon trying to break Alpha Jordan, trying to figure out where the hell his fucking daughter is hiding, but I came here because I wanted to talk to Isla to make sure she was all right.Apparently, she is not.Sighing I walk over to her bed and sit down next to her, my hip near her knee. “What do you mean?” I ask her. “Replaced… by who?”She runs a hand through her hair, blonde curls tangling around her fingers, before she grimaces and untangles herself. She likely forgot about the cut on her head. “I don’t think I need to tell you,” she says, folding her hand in her lap. Her eyes are wide as she looks up at me.Puzzled, I stare at her for a long time, trying to figure out what the hell she is talking about. Why is she mad at me exactly? I expected her to shout at me for being cross with her about the office. I don’t think I’ve done anything else.“What?” I shake my head. “Replaced