Prologue
Cole
I had been an Alpha for around as long as Chase had, and yet for me, it felt as though I was an amateur while Chase fought the vampires in battle after battle.
I looked down at my hands, knowing I needed to be stronger than this. Needed to be better. I was the Alpha of the Central Pack.
It always made me laugh inside when Chase mentioned that he was the cursed Alpha, the one who was trying to clean up after his father’s sins.
The Aspens hadn’t lost their magic. Hadn’t been relegated to nothing. Hadn’t lost all forms of bonds and blessings from the moon goddess herself.
No, that had been the Centrals. That had been my people.
I stood at the entrance of my small den, knowing that we didn’t have the hustle and bustle of the others. We lived and worked outside the den most times because there just wasn’t enough space. It was safer for us to blend in with the humans rather than keep all of our people in one place. Or maybe it was because we had blended in before we had become a Pack, and it was harder to leave that practice.
My wolf pawed at me, knowing it wanted to run, to see someone.
But that wasn’t an answer.
My wolf wouldn’t allow them to be the answer.
I needed to focus on my Pack, the powers that weren’t strong enough, and the fact that the Aspens needed us to be at their side. What would happen once they realized that we were not the Pack that they thought we were? We didn’t bring anything to the table except our hearts and what little power we had. The Talons and the Redwoods were the ones with all the strength. I felt as if we were failing.
I shook my head and knew I needed to be better. Chase had learned to believe in himself, so damn it, I could too.
Because we weren’t a large Pack, it was my turn to be on patrol. We guarded the small territory between the Redwoods and the Talons on the north side of the neutral zone. And since it was my turn to be on this side of the land, I was nearest to the Redwoods, and our paths crossed more often than not.
So that was why I scented him.
The person that I shouldn’t.
It was odd because Nico was nearly my age, but I felt so much older than him. He was the son of the former Healer and a human and a wolf. The son of the Redwood triad, the legendary power base that had brought honor, respect, and hope to the Pack itself.
And there was something special about Nico.
Something that angered my wolf.
Just like someone else angered my wolf.
But an Alpha didn’t get to think those thoughts, and I had to remember that.
I turned the corner, knowing that we were probably on patrol together. Nico and Skye often ran together, but I knew she was healing, and now her patrol would be completely different since she was the Aspen Pack Alpha alongside Chase.
I still couldn’t believe I hadn’t guessed at her powers. Of course, I had never met someone like her before, having only thought it was a bedtime story, not something that could be true.
But there were so many surprises in that family, in all of us.
It was a surprise to everyone that I was the Alpha. I shouldn’t be. But here I was, and there was no going back now.
“Are you getting all grumpy again?” Nico asked, grinning up at me.
“I’m not grumpy.” I growled the words, sounding grumpier. “Shit, I can’t help it. I was thinking.”
“If that’s what you think,” Nico said with a laugh. “You in the mood to run?” he asked.
“Honestly, yes.”
“Sounds good to me. I would say things have been a little quiet here, but that would be a lie.”
“And bad luck,” I growled.
Nico just shrugged, and we began our run in silence, since we needed to keep our senses tuned in to the area around us. I was a strong wolf, could shift faster than most, but Nico was fast in general. The magic that he used was a thing of beauty. And sometimes, it took me a lot more than it should to stop staring at him while he moved. I wanted to think it was just admiring his magic, but now my wolf had other ideas.
“Hey there, you guys,” another familiar voice said, and we both stopped, Nico nearly tripping over his feet, very unlike him.
Adalyn stood there, a smile on her face as she waved at us, Lily by her side. Adalyn was an Aspen Pack hunter, a beautiful wolf who could fight like nobody else, and Lily was a witch of the Aspens, with barely any power, but used everything she had to protect her people.
They were our friends, but it was odd to see them up here near the Central den.
“Hey there, Addy, Lily. What are you guys doing here?” Nico asked.
Addy? Since when did he call her Addy?
Why was I jealous?
And who was I jealous of?
“I’m just escorting Lily here to meet with the Central Healer,” Adalyn answered as Lily waved.
“Yes, there are a few things we’re going to go over book-wise, and Adalyn wanted to drive.” Lily beamed at us, and the four of us stood there, alert since we were still on patrol, but it felt good to be here, to talk to them.
But my wolf was confused.
Just like the rest of us.
“Are you guys on patrol?” Lily asked.
“We are,” Nico answered easily. “Do you want us to escort you to the Central den?”
That should have been something I said since I was the Alpha, but I didn’t mind Nico speaking since he was better at it, and my tongue seemed to be tied. Something odd was going on, and my wolf and I didn’t like it.
“We’re good,” Adalyn said. “But if I see you on my way back, I’ll join you. I’m off for the day, but I could still use a run.”
My wolf pushed at me to say something. Anything. “Just keep an eye out. You know why.”
There I was, grumpy and growly again.
Adalyn gave me a look Nico seemed to share, and Lily just looked confused.
“Is everything okay?” Adalyn asked.
But I didn’t have time to answer. Instead, Adalyn’s eyes were wide, and then Nico was growling, and I was throwing myself over the three of them, Lily’s scream echoing in my ears.
There was a flash of light, a shrill voice, heat, a burn, and then nothing as a bomb went off in the middle of exactly where we had just been standing.
Chapter
One
Cole
All I wanted was a large cup of coffee, the moon shining through my fur, and a place to nap. Maybe not even in that order. But I was the Alpha of the Central Pack. I didn’t always get to rest when I wanted to, nor did I get what I wanted.
Maybe I was doing this Alpha thing wrong.
My wolf pushed at me slightly, taking a big stretch. We had been up for most of the night, cuddling a new wolf pup who missed his mother. Kayt, the boy’s mom, was out east visiting her old Pack, her own mother having grown ill from a wasting sickness that was rare but not unheard of in Packs. In fact, I had never met anyone with it before, but her mother was ill and needed her daughter and the moon goddess. The infant was too young to travel that far, and she didn’t want her baby near that sickness just in case. So, the father, my Pack, and I took care of the pup.
I was grateful that it seemed that Kayt’s mother was well on the way to recovery and Kayt would be home the next day.