I swear my breath left me. Everything we'd been trying to avoid—working so hard to avoid—was coming true, and from what I heard, there was no stopping it. I didn't take my eyes off him, but I also didn't speak either. It was totally unexpected, and I now knew what Malissa meant when I first told her of it all. To me, it was almost second nature—an Ancient Alpha, a curse, an amulet. But now, hearing that Leo had the blood of this vile monster, and that his fate was tied to this awakening…it was a lot. "Say something…" Leo coaxed. I blinked and finally turned away. "I will," I assured him. "I just—are you sure?" Leo nodded, and I deeply inhaled. "Alright, alright…" I found myself repeating. "What do we need to do?"I looked back at him, and he was staring at me in amazement."Do?""Yeah," I agreed. "What can we do to prepare for this? I can alert the pack, let the community center know. We can have Erylis and Orene send word to nearby packs so they can prepare. What needs to
When I woke the next morning, I rolled over to outstretch my arm over Leo's chiseled torso, only to find his side of the bed empty. Groggily, I lifted my head to find a note on the bedside stand. I reached over and grabbed the paper, reading it in its entirety. 'Had to run into town. Call if you need anything.Leo' I grinned to myself as I set it back on the table and then rolled over onto my back. Leo said he loved me last night, and showed it in the most beautiful way. I couldn't stop picturing the way he moved against my body—we fit perfectly together and it was unlike anything I imagined the bonding process would be and then some. The thought of desiring to be alone without a pack or mate seemed so foreign to me now. That person was entirely different from the one I was on the path to becoming, and I wasn't eager to stop it any time soon. Was this what the Alpha connection was like? As I stared up at the ceiling, another thought entered into my mind. It was what Leo had said
My hands trembled as I typed in my father's name. I was assuming Leo's meeting was to decide how to warn the other packs, but I needed to tell my father everything that had been happening before it was too late. I listened to the dial tone ring through four times before it went to voicemail. I hung up and immediately redialed, hoping to get through on the second time, with very little success. I cursed as I tapped the red button again and typed him a text to call me, then shoved it into my pocket. I leaned my head on the patio post and sighed, staring out at the driveway. The front door creaked open, and I spun around—half expecting for Gwenna or Erylis to be there—only to find Malissa. She smiled as she closed it behind her and sat down on the step beside me. "Hey," she said softly, nudging my shoulder. "That was quite the scene back there. How're you holding up? Really?" Her eyes were large, and I couldn't deny her the truth. She'd been through just as much as me since we got h
After Malissa left to go back inside, I made my way to the training facility. The last place I wanted to be was inside that house. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to look at Erylis again after that encounter. Not until we figured out what was happening to him, at least. I reached the doors to find the hatch still unlocked. I opened it and headed inside, making sure to close the doors behind me after flicking on the light. I still couldn't get over the size of this place. It was definitely a master class location, and probably one of the reasons Leo and the rest of the Bloodmoon pack were so combat ready. I stripped down in one of the cubbies and put my clothes inside, then shifted. If I was to keep my promise to Malissa, I needed to practice my training. There was no guarantee what we were walking into and with the Ancient Alpha more than likely on the way, it was best that I could handle myself. I scraped my paw against the dirt, feeling the pieces of natural earth between my
I exited the training facility and closed the door behind me, my conversation with my mother still replaying in my head. My grandmother experienced the same thing I was going through now—maybe another threat, another image, but it was still the same premise, and as I walked back to Leo's house, I found myself wishing she were still alive for me to confide in. I rounded the corner to go up the patio stairs when I came into contact with another body. "Leo," I said, surprised. "You're back." "I am," he replied. He then looked behind me at the direction I had come from and smirked. "Were you training?" Sh*t, I was probably covered in sweat. How attractive after the night we'd spent together. I wiped my brow quickly with the back of my sleeve."What if I was?" I tried to tease back. "Well," he began, leaning in closer to me. "I'd say next time take me because I'd love to wrestle you to the ground sometime." I blushed at his words, my body freezing on their impact. He placed a s
The sounds of the forest played in my ear as I laid beside Leo on the rock—birds, leaves, the water. I breathed in, taking in the sense of calmness and relaxation I felt. Leo's arm was outstretched under my head and his fingers played with my curls. The mating ritual seemed so far from where we currently were. Some couples needed months to get used to one another, really know each other's strengths and weaknesses. I guess that was the advantage of facing a deadly curse and uprising—it really expedited the 'love' process. "What're you thinking about, princess?" Leo asked, using the name so tenderly. I turned my head to look at him and smiled. "You," I answered. "And how crazy it is that we're here, like this, right now." Leo chuckled lightly. "Wild, isn't it?" "Almost unbelievable. It's like it was fate," I taunted, scrunching my nose when he tapped the tip of it. Leo fell back into position and looked up at the clouds that were peeking out just behind the treetops. He looked
The Ancient Alpha? No. This couldn't be happening right now. I heard Leo take a step forward and snarl, but I could feel his confliction. Erylis was long gone—that much was clear. Whatever the Ancient Alpha had done to him, he had completely taken over. Only, it was still his best friend's body, and that was enough to let some complication seep in. "Oh, Leo, must we be so harsh?" Erylis' voice asked. A smirk ran across his face, and I pressed my paw into the ground in front of my father. He hadn't transformed yet and I needed to ensure he was safe in his human form. At least until he decided it was time to shift. Feet stomping from inside Leo's house forced everyone's attention to behind Erylis' body, where Malissa quickly appeared. Her usually pristine red hair was in disarray as she raced toward us."Nia! Stop! It's a—" Erylis' hand quickly ceased her by the throat, and Malissa let out a whimper followed by a gurgled cough. "Now, now, Malissa. What did we just talk about? We
Regardless of everything I had on Gwenna—the overheard conversation, the note, the book—I couldn't piece together why she was here. Where the hell had she and Orene been this entire time? I looked behind her to spot him, but he was nowhere to be seen. An uneasy feeling grew again in the pit of my stomach."Gwenna, how nice of you to join us." Ariston smirked, his gaze darkening again. "You said I'd be the one to end it," she sneered, ignoring his greeting. She looked at Leo with utter disgust. "To end him. I brought you back. It's the least you can do." "Oh, I wasn't going to kill him. Yet," Ariston replied, eyeing his victim as he turned him around in the air. The purple swirls of his powers encircled Leo, who was hanging helplessly in his grasp. "Just having a little fun before we go and meet the townsfolk. I'm sure they'll be eager to meet their Alpha Supreme. Actually. Let's head down there now, shall we? I'm getting tired of this little four-on-one fight. It's been years si