LUCIUS “Wren, will you stop!” I’m practically chasing her through the woods. “Wren! Talk to me!” “Leave me alone, Lu!” She yells back. She’s been acting weird since breakfast with Luke and Alexi the other day. She was quiet at the council meeting with Malakai’s bone headed requests. She hasn’t been to my house since then either. So, I confront her. Demand to know what’s wrong? Which is why we are now stomping aimlessly through the woods, thoroughly pissed off. I sigh. “Come on Wren! What did I do?” “Nothing! Just forget it!” She stomps through the brush. “Wren!” I kick some brush aside. “Look. You’re going to get lost. Just stop!” She turned. Stopping in her tracks. “I said leave me alone!” “I can't do that, Lovebird. You know that.” I say as I get closer. “Don’t say that word!” She shouted. “Baby, what’s the matter?” I plead to her. She holds herself and looks everywhere else, but at me. I can see her face heating and her eyes glass over. “Please, just leave me alone.”
WREN I’m not alone. Not anymore. My love for Lucius may not be the same, but it’s true. He may be harsh. Roughed up by the wild forest, but I found him. The Lu I loved before the Dragons brought death to our door. He’s right. He is the same Lucius. He’s just more somehow. Strong, brave, yet gentle. He knocked down my defenses and I sunk. I’m drowning in his ocean blue eyes, completely in love with the Alpha of the forest. I smile from my perch in the treetops while I make some improvements. I strap the extra quiver and arrows to the platform when I hear him call. “What are you doing?” I lean over the edge and peer down. I smile because he’s been gone all day hunting. I grab the rope tied to the tree and swing to the platform he’s next to and jump down. “Hi.” I chirp. He smiles. “You really like it up there.” He points to the sky. I look up. “I do.” I look back at him. “How was hunting?” He turns to walk toward his cabin, or I should say our cabin now since he insisted, I mo
LUCIUSI sat, staring off into the forest, knowing my Wren was gone. Knowing my village was destroyed and knowing exactly who’s to blame.My eyes are angry, my face is red and my mouth is small. My fists are in my lap. I’m squeezing so hard; I start to shake.There’s only one thing to blame or should I say…one organization.I spin off my knees to my feet and head back to the village.The morning sun revealed the destruction.I walk slowly, almost in a daze, as I watch my people clearing the dead into a pile. I see the smoke of dying fires rise from what was once my home.I climb the hill to the village entrance.I stand and stare, helplessly, at our once vibrant home that has now been reduced to ashes. I watch as my people try to salvage what they can from the piles.As I look around, another tear slips down my cheek. My people's faces look the same as mine. Their eyes follow me as I walk slowly toward my own ash pile of a house. The trees around my yard have been reduced to trunks.I
WREN‘Lovebird…’“Mm…Lu?”‘Lovebird…wake up...’“Lu? Where are you...”‘…You have to wake up…Get up.’“Lucius…Help me…”Slowly, my head drifts into reality. My eyes are having trouble adjusting to the light.My hands slide out on either side of me. I feel soft fabric. I pull them back in. My eye opens to a slit. My sight adjusts to what I allow it to see. I see white curtains blowing inward from two doorway to outside.“Lu?” I put my hands under me and try to lift myself up and I fell back down. My head is throbbing. “Lu, what happened?” I mumble.I open my eyes a bit more. This is not my house.I lift my head as my eyes adjust more. Looking around, I take in decorative walls, a fancy headboard on a King-sized bed and a door to a bathroom.Where the fuck?...I groan as I lift myself up.I roll over and slide backwards off the bed, practically fall on the floor. My legs barely work. I observe the space I’m in as I hang off the end of the bed.My head slowlu turns to my feet and I glide
WREN “Mia. Where’s Alpha Lucius?” I stop running. I bend over, holding my broken arm to my chest and my other hand rests on my knee. I catch my breath with the blazing afternoon sun overhead. I don’t know the temperature, but it’s hotter than hell out here. “On the other side of the compound.” She huffs. “Back there? Where we came from?” I thumbed over my shoulder. She nods. I stand and whine. “Why didn’t you tell me?” “I don’t know! I was scared!” She defends. I growl and turn around. Lucius is that way, but so is Xavier and his men. I don’t know how long we ran for, but it felt like a really long time. I can’t shift until I get this damn collar off either so, I’m stuck on two feet. I look from one side to the other. It’s nothing but sand. “We need to get back there.” I say. “But the Alpha?” She said in a worried voice. I turned to her. “Mia. When we find Lucius and he’ll take care of Xavier. I promise you, but we need to get to him now.” She nods. “Ok. Let’s go.” I wrap
LUCIUS“Remember! Xavier’s mine!” I growl as I fire a gun that Luke gave me.I ran into this battle with full force. Every Dragon I kill is feeling my revenge for hurting my Wren. The man in charge will feel the most of it when I get to him.“Go! We got this!” Luke yelled.I handed him the gun and shifted. Running through the fight, I shredded as I went. They won’t be holding me back this time.I’m painting the desert floor with Dragon blood and I’m loving every second of it. I’m running on pure hatred right now.The Dragons have been our hell for years and now I’m going to be the one to pull all of us out. By spilling the contents of Xavier’s body all over this Alliance.I fight my way to the entrance of the compound and I’m hit from the side. I’m sent skidding across the sand. I stand and shake the sand off and search for the one who’s dead next. Out of the dust, blood and fur, a very large, shaggy black wolf prowls my way. He’s drooling and snarling.Devlin.My wolf lowers his head
WREN“Uh…What’s that?” Lucius points to the bed.I look at the black and white suit on the bed. “It’s a suit.” I look back at him.“I’m not wearing that.” He crosses his arms and scowls. He looks so cute standing there with a white towel wrapped around his waist pouting like a kid.I grab him, spin him around and push him toward the bathroom. “Yes. You are. Now go have a shower.”“Wren, I don’t do suits.” He pouts more.“I’m sorry, Lu, but you can’t go to your very first council meeting in ripped shorts. As sexy as that may be.” I smirk.He growls and squints his eyes.He stomps into the bathroom as I get the rest of his clothes ready.We’re in a hotel in Falcon Ridge. With the Nomads now discovered and the threats down to a minimum, the council wanted to meet the newest member of the Alliance. Though our agreement will be a lot different from everyone else’s. First, any decisions regarding the function of the pack will have to go through both of us. The council will have to recognize
LUCIUS OK. So far, I haven’t killed anyone, so it’s probably a good sign that I’m able to survive being on the outside. It’s not that I don’t remember what it’s like out here. I still kind of remember normal life at seventeen, but the world out here has changed a lot. And it’s freaking me out. I don’t deal well with agitation. Wren has been a total God send getting me through this. I would have probably gone off if wasn’t for her. With just a touch or when she holds my hand, I get this calming feeling all over. Like there’s something in her touch that was designed to specifically calm me down. Wren wanted me to get the whole experience of what it’s like to be part of the Falcon Ridge group. She says I need to have fun. Honestly, I don’t. I just want to lay naked in the sheets with her now that my council meetings done. And because that’s what I want, I’m now walking toward a bar called The Falcon with Bastian, Luke, Jayson and River in front of me. They showed up at the hotel say