“What was that,” Jun asked me.“A sign of war.” I popped the last tater tot in my mouth, forgetting to marinate it in ketchup.“But I can’t do that?” Draco crossed his arms.“Hello there,” Twinkle-Eyes greeted our table, his posse obediently stopping behind him. Glasses girl was hiding behind the built girl who didn't seem to notice or was used to it.“What do you want,” Jun asked bitterly. Half the table growled. Only the twins, Ermengarde and I stayed silent.“You seem a little on edge. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” Twinkle-Eyes tried to provoke Jun but I was very proud that Jun seemed to just brush it off. “Did you get that attitude from your mother,” Jun dropped his napkin on his plate. He was making a female dog joke that was so subtle I almost missed it. Twinkle-Eyes caught it unfortunately.“Funny, I just wanted to tell you that we mean you no harm and aren’t looking to encroach on your territory.”“Hear that,” Aura grinned, “they’re aliens, not wolves.”“We come in pe
I felt blood lust like I’d never felt before. Well, I least I thought I did. If this was instinct to protect my pack, it was in high gear. Lyall and the others were stunned about what I’d learned. I’d messaged Draugluin on my phone in class and no one tried to stop me. So far he remained silent on the matter but I was sure that he was jumping all over this information. If he wasn’t, it was probably because he likely didn’t have reception in his hidden cave.I was already overwhelmed with the sudden responsibilities of my job as a Theta, as a sister, as a pack member, along with my promise to Draugluin and going to school on a regular basis. Screw school. I didn’t care if I got held back a year. There were more important things happening.Alpha pulled the whole pack from work and school early for a family emergency. I couldn’t wait to leave the school that felt like a jail cell, surrounded by its new, electrical fence. I wanted to howl with glee and feel my paws beneath me, carrying me
“I’d be careful is all,” Uncle Benny hinted to me. I remembered our talk at dinner the other night and it had baffled me. Was he suggesting now that I was wooing Draugluin ? I looked up at the man standing behind me. Strong, brave, smart, handsome but also pushy, bossy and prideful. It was slightly surprising how much I knew him. Then again, we lived together.“We have to go,” Draugluin motioned for me to set Lupe down on the bed, which I didn’t do, putting him in his crib instead. Before I left, I changed his diaper and wound up the musical lamb. Lupe continued sucking the bottle but his eyes slowly got droopy. “The others are waiting outside. You are the last one I’m picking up.”“How many others are there,” Uncle Benny inquired as we left the dark bedroom. Was he jealous he didn't get to tag along?“Twenty-one altogether,” Draugluin scratched his head.“Twenty-one!” Uncle Benny almost seemed defeated. “Do you think that’s enough considering how big our pack is?”“Father thinks the l
I could begin to see a dim light grow brighter. As we reached a steep incline, I noticed a building that resembled a ski resort cabin sitting in the bottom of a valley. Seeing how far the light reached outward made me wince slightly. I bet if someone stared hard enough, the reflection of the light in our eyes would make them strongly aware of our presence.Marigold took the lead, following a deer path. I followed but kept my eyes glued to the house. I examined every window, door and room from what I could see from my vantage point. It all seemed oddly quiet but shadows moved along the walls. A growl rose in my throat. Something was wrong or perhaps I was just suspicious of everything but I wouldn’t throw any possibilities out of the window just yet.After a short walk, my group was in position. The side of the house was plainer than I’d imagined it to be. There was no pool or anything fancy, just an expanse of grass and a small deck with a few chairs dotted here and there. Two men stoo
Well those mongrels were surrounded by humans with guns and I didn’t feel like dying. It would take about thirty bullets to kill a werewolf my size but there were enough men to get the job done.“All you do is run. Run, run, run, run, run,” the angry man prattled. “I want results. Now!”“We’re giving you all we have,” a voice I didn’t recognize nearly shouted back at the man with restrained annoyance but also with a hint of fear. “My pack is more important.”“Well, you very well know your entire packs' lives are at stake.” The first man chuckled maniacally. My ears flattened in horror. That was the scariest laugh I’d ever heard.A sudden thumping distracted the first man. Then there was a roar of rage. “What?!?!”“Outside,” a new, younger voice spoke up. That boy on the porch! The little snitch!“You better not have called back up.” The gruff man seemed to be speaking to the pack’s alpha.“Who could I have called? All forms of communication with anyone outside your agency and my pack h
“Our territory isn’t going to be a fairy tale home anymore, whether or not he believes us,” I sighed solemnly.“Us?” Draugluin looked surprised.“Yes, us. You asked me to join you and showed me all of your research. We’re in this together, right?” I didn’t wait for his response before returning the child. As I walked away Draugluin made an announcement.“As Alpha Son of my pack, I am placing all of you under house arrest until further notice. This could be raised tomorrow or three weeks from now depending on your alpha’s cooperation. I suggest you all get comfortable because you are sleeping right here tonight.“And you, Alpha, what is your name,” Draugluin directed this question to the pack leader who still stood above his pack.“Jay. Alpha Jay of the Tundra Pack.”I stood guard outside the room Draugluin and Jay were in. I could clearly hear what they were saying but listening made it harder to keep an eye out for trouble.“Tell me Alpha Son, why have you come to harass my pack?” Jay
“First,” Draugluin turned his body completely towards Twinkle-Eyes to address him head on, everyone around them stood or sat in absolute stillness and silence, “pack is family and is the most important thing second to one’s mate. Your pack is not ours and your alpha was not our alpha. Second, your alpha led all of you and Imperium Sicariorum into our territory clearly knowing it belonged to other wolves since we mark our territory quite plainly-which is especially infuriating since he was under direct orders of humans who don’t want a single werewolf on the planet-and didn’t even think to protect his own kind from this evil organization that follows this pack like a plague. Why should I feel sorry for a cowardly wolf who doesn’t want to save the lives of other wolves himself? His actions are a disgrace to our kind."“You make him sound selfish!” Twinkle-Eyes countered. “He was doing what he could to protect our pack!”“Really? If he was doing all he could, why did he slit his own throa
We parted ways to get in a couple hours of sleep before we had to get up and start a new day. Poor Draugluin had to give a full report to his father before he could even thinking of his head hitting the pillow. That boy could sleep like the dead, I'd tried to wake him before in the past. I could be college or he's just a deep sleeper.When I got to my room, the sky had already brightened slightly to a grey-blue color. Uncle Benny was sound asleep with Lupe and Freki laying against him. The small lamp above Uncle Benny’s head illuminated an opened fairy tale book on the table. I gave a small grin as I saw a bit of drool pooling at the corner of Freki’s mouth. It must have been a hard night for them. Freki may have found a way to get Uncle Benny to tell her where I was and what I was doing as she could be a master manipulator. I don't know where she learned it from or if she figured out how to do it on her own but it was fun to watch unless she was trying to manipulate me. I sluggishly
Draugluin strapped my clothes tightly around me. We'd have to go the speed of sound in order to get back on track. The two of us stretched some before charging at full speed. The ground rose and dipped. While running, I got a to see a flash of police car lights. Two nice looking cars had had a head on collision. Out of three police officers, two were separating the two angry drivers who were shouting violently at one another. One gentleman was in a suit while the other was in casual clothing. The man in the suit looked up but I doubted he saw anything but the dim outline of wolves darting away.Soon, the landscape changed drastically. The forest turned into fields. We kept moving at a fast pace but made sure no one would see us. Draugluin and I reached the edge of Paris by sunset. We quickly morphed and dressed before trying to casually walk through the mass of bodies. The traffic wasn't too busy but the sidewalks were congested. Young couples smiled and chatted, a mother and daughte
We both dug in, yanking away the outer skin to tear into the meaty flesh. I barely chewed. All the energy I had exerted in running and the adrenaline pumping through me to keep me going had slowly made me hungry. Though I could have made it to America without eating, I was glad that this small feast allowed some rejuvenation."We'll have to bury this as discreetly as we can," Draugluin paused after getting a drink from the stream. "It will be evidence for Alpha Jon about our location if he passes through this area.""Won't he see a giant mound of dirt with poorly placed grass lumps covering it?""Not if we bury it in the slope. That's where I caught it. There's actually a little outcropping not too far from here. I was above the deer and dropped on him before he saw. It was an easy kill. We can dig into the dirt towards the bottom of the slope which will look more natural.""We'll drag blood through the grass." I felt like Miss Negative."It's the best we can do for right now. Our onl
"But-""Keep watch," Draugluin interjected. He poked his head into the dandelion-yellow lit sidewalk. I watched the back of his head swivel side to side, his muzzle peeking out from behind the thick furs of his side. Though it was spring, Draugluin still had his winter coat and it was thick and bushy like a beard but soft as bunny's fur. I wanted to snuggle my face into it. If only my fur was the same.When Draugluin crossed the street, I leaned my head out and sniffed the air while glaring intensely in every direction. My fur wasn't beautiful. At least I didn't think so. It was rough and striped with a bright, neon rainbow that didn't lay even on me at all. My green stripe was usually thicker than my pink and purple while the blue looked like a fading hair coloring. They red and yellow strips were the only consistent colors that weren't too thick or thin or too bright. I never outwardly complained because I had it easy. My curse was so tame compared to others' like Freki. My eyes dr
I walked up and pressed my body against his. Touch was very important for wolves and I felt that, despite our rank difference, Draugluin needed some sort of comforting. I could feel Mozzy's muscles tense then relax before tensing again. "It's okay," I reassured him. "Let's go but using our heads.""Alright." He stepped onto the road for a couple seconds. "We go straight for half a mile then turn right, continuing on for another two miles."After he returned to the cover of the trees, we took off. Now that I had calmed Mozzy, I mulled over what he said to me. What was bugging me wasn't the deadly poison that could be released on us. Draugluin had been taking poison over the years for immunity? Did Jun and Maengun also do it? Did Alpha Mother? What were the effects of starting to take poisons over time as children into adults?'I don't know anything about Alpha or his mate and sons. What's really going on within the pack?' I peeked at Draugluin before dodging a tree that I nearly kissed
“What do we do,” I whispered to Mozzy. With him practically covering me, I couldn’t see what was going on behind me. I almost whined in fear.Why was I acting like a frightened pup? Perhaps I didn’t want all the hard work Draugluin and I had done in Paris ruined in an instant. Maybe I didn’t want to lose the taste of freedom.There was a crunch of boots against gravel and dragging steps. One pair was getting closer to us. I trembled. I couldn’t move! The steps were coming closer!“Je peux les sentir,” it was Bayard and I hoped he wouldn’t call Alpha Jon over. The steps slowed then stopped. There was a shuffling of denim before I heard the pant of a wolf. I felt the urge to see what Bayard looked like as a wolf but I couldn’t turn. “Alpha Jon, avez-vous trouvé quelque chose?”“Non,” the alpha called back.“Merde!” Bayard snarled and...stepped down into the bushes!I shut my eyes and focused on taking deep, slow breathes. In. Out. I tried to swallow but the book was pressed against my th
than expected, Alpha had to bribe the few construction workers and carpenters of the pack that, if they could create a new, large extension of the house in the back left side before the pups were six months old, the workers wouldn't have to pay their monthly pack contribution for an entire year. The men were already planning what they would do with the extra money they'd have left over. One said he'd take his mate on a long needed vacation for the both of them. If only an alpha could take a vacation every once in a while.Alpha Mother came in with Alpha's hot mug of coffee accompanied with a side of cheese, crackers and sliced salami. Her quick barefoot steps were silent on the red, velvet carpet. After setting the tray down, she sighed. "Have you heard anything from Alpha Jon?""Not yet," Alpha took a swig of the coffee while his mate sat in one of the chairs before his desk, fiddling with the tray she'd brought all the goods on. The tapping against the bronze made Alpha's ears itch
I didn't retaliate. Now wasn't the time to squabble, playfully or no. When we reached the first level, there were two, very familiar faces standing in our path: Julias and Bayard. "Hi," Bayard sneered and tried to jump me, but Draugluin was already in his wolf form, sending the boy flying against a wall. Bayard rubbed his head but was ready to fight once more. Julias was already leaping at Mozzy, trying to tear into him but he wasn't big enough to take Draugluin down. Bayard was about to go into wolf form when I punched him down again. "Aw, did the wittle baby get a booboo? Poor baby." I taunted him to keep him distracted. Draugluin needed to take down battle experienced Julias. "You American rat. Why don't you go rot in sewers where not even the scavengers will feed on your flesh?!""What's that reference," I ducked a punch, readying my arms to block a knee. I winced as I blocked, but not from the impact. The corner of the book dug into my stomach when I ducked so low."Out of sha
It was no longer common for new wolves to integrate into the Grey pack, but so many wolves had entered in the past that mating within the pack was safe. Most of the wolves weren’t related by blood. But if Lyall’s parents met and married for love, why were they pushing him to be with Marigold?Lyall slowed and laughed, enjoying the rain that slithered down his body. How had his mind changed from Lucian to his parents trying to force him into an arranged marriage? Could it have been a distraction his mind set up?“You might get sick.”Lyall peered upwards to see Marigold holding a striped black, blue and white umbrella. She looked irritated.“I’m sorry. Did Alpha send you out here? How'd you get in this school with the gate closed?” Lyall shook his hair, hands on his hips. Why hadn't he heard her coming? He would have at least heard the rain bouncing off the umbrella.“I was looking for you and peeked out the window. I thought to myself that you were an idiot, running in the rain, but
Draugluin was shaking his head. I couldn’t tell if it was disapproval or disbelief. Whichever it was, he didn’t hesitate to break up the conversation by stepping on the treadmill and changing the setting. Julianna quickly restarted her stopwatch as Draugluin started running.The show-off didn’t follow my plan at all. Instead he ran at a steady jog for fifteen minutes. Then he ran fast for ten minutes before slowing and stopping.“Twenty-five minutes and fifty-nine seconds,” Julianna lifted the watch to Alpha Jon’s eye level. He didn’t look happy at the results but didn't complain like he did with me. Hopefully he did consider the possibility that we were slightly out of shape; or doubting the Grey pack's ability.Draugluin sent me a grin. He was looking down on my tactic! His didn't seem to be much better. I balled my fists, feeling my nails dig impressions into my skin but I wouldn’t squeeze so hard as to draw blood. That would be annoying to explain and take care of. Draugluin gentl