Summer rain sucked.It wasn't cold, or refreshing. It didn't help you cool off from the heat that the summer was going to bring. All it seemed to do was make BlackCreek ten times more humid than it ever was. Unless you were a kid and having mud fights while trying to avoid any screaming adult that had to clean up after you, it wasn't fun.Ah, those were the days though.He had been worrying the past two days. Worrying because of two things: the first being that Shiro was barely even messaging him, and it was usually just to tell him that everything was okay, he was just busy. How someone who wasn't even the leader of that pack be kept busy for so many days absolutely baffled him. He didn't exactly like the look on his beta, Geo's face when he mentioned that he was really busy with Sakdah either. He seemed worried, or like there was something wrong.The second thing he was worried about was this damn carnival being canceled. Considering it was the only thing that he had to be able to s

"Grandpa!" he whined. "Why do we have to drive there?! It would be faster if we just ran!""Patience, Shiro," his grandfather chuckled. "We wouldn't be able to carry all that's in this truck if we simply ran all the way here.""I could!" He puffed up his chest."Now, now, Shiro," the man patted his knee. "It's not wise to have that great of pride.""I thought you said that it was good to have pride?""Not when it blinds you from the reality," he told him. "That's where humility comes in. It balances pride. If you can master the art of pride and humility, then you will be a great leader.""You say that about every lesson.""It's all true, Shiro," his grandfather laughed again. It was great seeing him laugh. He had the happiness that spread to everyone else. "These are lessons that I had to learn to be a good leader."They turned the bend of the dirt path, dark trees all around them. Many people in the city feared them because of how dark they were and how eerie the forest was. But he c

"Eenie, Meenie," Alex pointed at the hunters that had all been disarmed. "Miney, Moe. Catch an asshole by his toe.""Let us go, you demon!""If he hollers," Alex gave them a devilish smirk. "Hear the blow." He pointed the gun at the man and shot. It went straight through his head. "Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe."Oh, they all looked so terrified. He almost felt bad for them. He would have, at least a little, if he didn't see them shooting at all the people he had known his whole life. Now, they got a taste of their own medicine."Alex!" Luke called for him again. "I kinda need your help over here!"He shot the rest of the hunters in both the head and the heart and ran over there. The other Valor warriors were fighting at the city's exits at the moment. Some of them were trying to escape. And that was just something that he couldn't let happen. Because, if any of them escape, that meant that they would come back.Like the idiots they were."You know, Luke," Alex helped him swing a hunter t

He trusted him. He didn't know why, but he did. Just because the man was his mate didn't mean that he should trust him with his warriors. There were a rare few that he would allow to take over in case something happened. Geo was one of them. He had trained hard with both him and Hiroko so that he could be just as ready for battle as they were. While Jin was great at silent attacks, Geo was the best at strategizing and finding the high ground. Miki was their defense, and usually took lead with the warriors that defended.He hoped none of them got hurt. He knew what he would tell them all if he had stayed in the battle. But he wasn't there. He was in this infirmary recovering from bullets that he had failed to dodge. All he could do was hope that Geo did well in taking command.It wouldn't be the first time. They had plenty of enemies that had tried to come onto their land. Sometimes Shiro would be stuck on the other side of the territory, and would leave the leading to Geo. When he had

"Be careful, Hound Dog. This puppy could have you on a leash faster than you could say 'Whoof'."He wanted to say 'woof' at that moment. His buzz was kicking in as he teased the beta. Now that he thought about it, and had sobered up some, the guy really did look like he had been pissed off beyond belief. But his drunk brain was too occupied with how fun it was to tease him rather than anything else that his senses could pick up. He was always fun to tease.And now, he was a tease.Alex walked into the empty bar. It was dawn now and they were closed for the night. He had been walking around to try and calm himself down the rest of the night, so he didn't try and chase after him.That scent was absolutely maddening when he smelt it. He was wondering why Geo had been running from him. At first, he thought that he actually did take it too far. But once he caught onto his scent, he knew it was more than that. Geo was smart, that was for sure. He caught onto it before even Alex. Sure, he en