Loriann's POV
"Lori, I have a date with Alpha Romero."
A wide smiling Meg dribbles onto the chair opposite me. Her blue eyes are bright and her long black hair moves with the shake of her head as she looks at me. It is clear that she is thrilled with this opportunity that many long for but were too fearful of the consequences.
Right now, I am sitting in the school cafeteria at our regular place. I had been concentrating on reading a science website on my iPad while waiting for Meg to finish with the teacher. Her exclamation is like a sword slicing through my body.
'Goddess, not my only friend. Not Meg,' I pray to myself. I would hate myself if I had to get rid of her too. Like Louise, I would have to kill her, since her parents would most definitely not move out of Eclipse Howl. They are high ranking, maybe not of the highest level but still important enough for the pack. With widened eyes, I stare at her while frantically trying to contain myself.
"Aren't you happy for me? Ah, never mind, I won't hear from you anyway". She continues to waggle enthusiastically on her chair. But then she suddenly grabs my hand and gets in my face. "It's a scheme. The Beta has asked me to help investigate the matter surrounding the Alpha's disappearing girlfriends".
Relieved, I smile now and stare back into her eyes. Saved. I don't have to eliminate my friend. And then she tells me about Romero and his Beta's plan. So the Alpha suspects someone is behind his failed love life and wants to trap him. He thinks someone wants to make his life miserable. The painful part is that he doesn't get the idea that maybe he owes someone or has something to make up for.
My thoughts go back to that one day, fifteen years ago when Romero and I were in the playground of the preschool. Little Alpha had climbed up the steps of the slide without permission, out of sight of the teachers. And when he wanted to sit down to start his slide, one of his hands holding a bar got loose and he came down at high speed, unbalanced. At one point he was sliding down diagonally his head aimed at the bottom bars of the slide.
Without thinking, I ran towards him and dropped myself at the bottom of the slide breaking his fall. To his luck, he landed in the sand without injury. His scream had attracted the attention of the teachers, who rooted to the ground before rushing to his aid.
But a few had also looked after me, helping me stand up and wipe the sand off my dress. Of course, the Alpha and Luna had run to the school in wolf form to check on their only son.
"Thank Lori for saving your life, dear. You don't have a wolf yet, if you were seriously injured you would have to heal all by yourself," the Luna had gently persuaded him. "And might even have been left with injuries". Without hesitation, the future Alpha had run to me, wrapped his arms firmly around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.
"Thank you, Lori. You saved my life. That's why you will be my Luna. Once I grow up and my wolf is ready, I will make you my Luna and I will love you so much. Just like my Dad loves my Mom," he had childishly promised. All the adults around us burst into laughter. The Principal had even taken a picture of us at that moment which is still in the yearbook today.
From that day on, he had always been considerate of me at school. Every day he would bring extra pieces of meat and salad to share with me in the lunchroom. Like a true gentleman, he would put my portion on a napkin before starting his own meal. This went on until we were 10.
Then my parents, both pack doctors, were called by the Alpha to meet him in his office. Smiling broadly, they returned home to tell me the news. Alpha Thoseo asked them to assist Crescent Moon because their pack doctor had unexpectedly died. They had some members at the medical university but they were not yet fully qualified to run a hospital.
My parents had agreed because two other doctors were working in our pack hospital and they wanted a change of scenery. None of them had noticed how this news had affected me; I cried silently all those nights until we left. Saying goodbye to the future Alpha was hard, it took me months to come to terms with the loss of his closeness.
As Meg narrates the plan she has drawn up with the Beta, I take my wallet out of my handbag. Opening it, I see the withered rose there. It no longer has the fresh red color, the fresh scent is also mostly gone. But to me, it is more valuable than the most expensive precious metal.
I sniff it a few times like a junky on the purest of drugs.
"And of course, you're coming with me, Lori. Beta Jace is looking forward to getting to know you better," Meg suddenly remarks. And with that, she immediately demands my undivided attention. Why would the Beta want to meet me? We are from the same pack so he knows who I am, he even knows my parents very well.
"I warned him it will be a monologue. You barely utter a word. The Moon Goddess alone knows how the Beta can single-handedly keep the conversation going". At that, she bursts into uncontrollable laughter and pats me on the shoulders amicably.
I chuckle sheepishly, Meg is the only one in the pack, apart from my parents of course, who can put up with me. She loves her own voice so much, and has so much to say, that my silence is to her advantage. She can rattle on for hours, without expecting an answer. So our friendship is satisfactory for both of us.
I don't know how this will all play out, but I am curious to see how this day will continue. Finally, I get a chance to approach Romero very closely and test again whether he recognizes me....
Several miles from the border of Eclipse Howl... "Please stop. Please let this stop. Have mercy on me, this is too much". A young woman groans from the pain inflicted on her by her assailants. Exhausted as she is, she cannot even feel her legs, her body is completely numb. But the men keep ramming into her, relentlessly and insatiably without caring about her screams. And this has been going on for several hours now, the woman is on the verge of passing out. A few days ago, she fell half dead into the hands of a group of lecherous rogues, always prowling at the pack's borders in search of defenseless prey. They dragged her to an abandoned cave where they holed up, removed the arrows from her arm and shoulder and smeared the injuries with some herbal herbs. Patiently, they waited for her wolf to heal her completely and then threw themselves at her without pity. No matter how much the woman begged them, they were merciless. It is not every
Her scent fills my nostrils, tantalizing me and drawing me irresistibly to her. My eyes are glued to her face as I carry her to Rachel's cave, I try to imprint her beauty in my memory. Her head has fallen against my chest, leaving her neck open and exposed, and I can't stop my lips from curling and my canines from stretching. They itch to be buried in that alluringly fair neck, my wolf trash in my head, demanding that I mark her. 'Mate! Mine!" Xander bursts in my head, almost giving me a headache. 'Mark her, human. She is ours!' He does not want to know that the woman in my arms is now unconscious and must also give us permission to claim her. For the moment, even her wolf is disabled, especially after the men's assault. I have yet to deal with them, all those who attacked her I will finish off as soon as I coordinate with the Alpha. Alpha Alvarez hates it when his orders are disobeyed. These men under him are like unguided missiles, they refuse to l
Still Beta Zalev Never before have I enjoyed killing wolves so much. The rage I felt gave these rascals no chance of survival. When I freed them, they thought they had regained their freedom. The look of surprise on their faces was worth its weight in gold when I told them what the actual case was. They all knew they were dead when they saw my face. The destructive energy emanating from me was palpable to everyone standing around us. The men all tried to attack me at first, their only hope of hurting me. How wrong they were! Cries of pain and the thudding sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed around us. A few soon gave up and began to beg for their lives. But I was too far away, vengeance was coursing through my blood. Xander clawed to take over, but then it would be over too soon. I wanted to see these assailants of my mate suffer before they closed their eyes forever. They didn't feel sorry for her then so they needn't expect that no
Louise's POV The bright light seems to want to blind me. After blinking a few times I get used to it and can keep my eyes open longer. And now I realize that the light is coming from an old lamp hanging from the ceiling. But otherwise, it was dark all around me. I try to raise a hand to feel my face, it is heavy, but I manage to lift it anyway. "You're awake." I am startled by the voice next to me. And when I see the person who has just spoken, I am shocked. A witch. Have I been lying here unconscious with a witch around, I ask myself in horror. She sees my reaction and smiles. "Don't worry, you are safe with me. I am not a black witch and will not harm you". Of course, I know that witches are anything but trustworthy, but if this one has kept me alive I do think I owe her the benefit of the doubt. I continue to stare at her as she looks back kindly. "What's your name? I'm Rachel,
Again Louise's POV Zalev is the perfect mate. Every day he comes to the cave and has lunch with me. We talk about all kinds of things, except the future. He told me he is originally from Blue Moon, a pack near Georgia. The Alpha of the rogues, whose name I now know is Alvarez, was the Alpha's second son. His brother, the first son, was such a weak leader. To save the pack from ruin, Alvarez wanted to succeed his father, but the latter refused. Alpha Alvarez then challenged his father but lost the fight. Normally the Winner should kill his opponent, but the man could not find it in his heart to kill his own blood. So he banished Alvarez, who chose to go rogue. Being Alvarez's best friend, he decided to go along and leave his parents safely behind in Blue Blood. Despite this sad story, Zalev is relaxed. He has a great sense of humor, often teasing me and putting a smile on my face. Then I can relax and t
Loriann's POV And here I sit, high on a rock above a ravine overlooking the access road from Human Town to Eclipse Howl. But at the same time, I can also keep an eye on the path through the jungle near the pack border. Xanna, the white witch arrives by my reckoning today. She has been invited by Alpha Thoseo to inquire about his son's allegedly failing romance. “Come, Alpha. Tell your son to keep his promises,” I whisper acidly into the wind. I scan the area for the umpteenth time and still see no sign of Xanna. If the situation were not so serious, and if it were not just a matter of consolidating my position, I would laugh at this whole affair. What could be more ridiculous than the Alpha thinking that someone has cast a worthless spell on his son and Meg revealing Romero and his Beta's secret plan to me of all people? No, now is not the time for me to be amused by this whole episode. I have to stay alert until Romero t
Loriann’s POV still "Xanna". On hearing her name, she stands still and turns towards me. At first, she does not recognize me and stares at me in astonishment for a few seconds. But then recognition comes and a broad smile kept her lips. "If it isn't Loriann," she jokes. "What are you doing so far from the pack? I was expecting to see you in the library". But then she notices my face is tight and my eyes burn a bright fire. "Is something wrong?" she asks uncertainly now. I pull an arrow from my back pocket, cock the bow and point at her. Xanna flinches and takes a step to the side, out of the arrow's range. I aim and let go. And when Xanna turns to see the result, her eyes go wide. The arrow pierces a small woodland grape into the trunk of a tree. It was shot with exact precision, even the witch has to acknowledge that. Her mouth falls open and she stares at me feral. Our eyes lock for a few seconds, before her face drops.
Meg's POV Helping the Alpha's son out has really become fun. I couldn't have guessed that so many privileges would come from it. With Romero, I have now been able to forge a strong friendship, his temper and free spirit make him a great guy. We can discuss all kinds of issues for hours, he is broad-minded and his love for the pack pervades through every statement. I predict he will be a great leader when he takes over, but he will really need a decisive Luna by his side. And so far he doesn't really seem to be managing to charm the female sex. And so far he doesn't really seem to be able to charm the female pack. It seems that he will just have to wait for the Moon Goddess to be kind to him and let his mate appear in a few years. But still, it would be such a waste to let such a wonderful guy go through life lonely and single. I am now his constant companion, Lori and me. With his Beta included, we now are the power four of Eclipse Howl. This ne