ANDREW POV Standing in the driveway with Elle and Charity, we watch as the SUV thunders away. Once the car is no longer in view, my entire focus turns to the girls standing next to me. "What’s next, Alpha?” Sighing, the worry lines become noticeable when she turns her gaze to me. Poor girl, taking on and handling more in her young age than some Alpha’s do in an entire lifetime, but it’s taking a toll. The door pops open, Damon and Matt joining us, battle gear already on. “Plan for war,” Damon responds. “Both packs are at a level five security threat.” “What about the rogues?” Charity asks. Her question has Matt throwing her a curious glance, but she doesn’t even respond to him, her stare locked onto the Alpha couple. “I would like for them to hide in one of the bunkers we have….but…they won’t,” Elle sighs, “especially without Xander and Fletcher home. I don’t know how I can make them see reason. Could you try?” She asks, her Gamma startling the petite blonde. “No,” Matt says, his

NORA POV Clutching my brother’s lifeless body, I look up at Hakeem, his figure a blur as I peer through the tears obstructing my view. “Why? He loved you like a brother…” Sitting back on my heels, my body shaking as I realize I am completely alone in this world…. “And my sister is dead because of his recklessness….” he sneers, his voice washing over me like a bucket of ice. “He should have sent you away months ago…but no, he had to keep you around and look what it did.” His words incite a white, fiery rage coursing through my body. Not caring about the pebbles pushing into my palms, I scurry to my feet, my small stature barreling towards him like a missile. “Your sister brought her issues upon herself!” I scream, my fists beating into his chest. My fury turning hysterical as I continue pushing on the statue in front of me. “She’s the reason she’s dead, Hakeem, and you’re dumber than you look if you don’t realize that!” Hitting the nail on the head, his fist rising to strike, when

XANDER POV The drive to Northern Lakes was the longest two hours of my life, each second feeling like I am dying all over ago. The undefined mark on my neck burning, begging me to be reunited with my Luna. To finish the mark and make her mine. Fletcher has remained relatively quiet, only speaking when talking strategy. Pulling into the field where the other cars sit, rogues and pack warriors mingling together. Andrew pacing off to the side, a phone pressed against one ear. Matt and Charity are standing in the back, his back facing us while he turns a piece of hair around his finger and she laughs at whatever he is saying. Noticing our arrival the Gamma’s eyes flick to us, but it’s not me she is looking at. Her stare locking with Fletcher’s for the briefest of seconds before she looks away, slightly ashamed. Noticing her distraction, Matt throwing us the scowl permanently reserved for my Beta. Rolling my eyes, I unbuckle, ready to get out of the metal box. Sighing, Fletcher opens th

NORA POVViola hasn’t stopped growling since the door to the helicopter shut behind my captor. My skin burning hot from his touch, as his hand resting on my knee, his thumb drawing circles.His voice is in the headphones we were all required to wear. He hasn’t stopped chattering. His obnoxious voice coming out in sweet dulcet tones, but underneath lies something dangerous and menacing. “You’ll love Willowa, Dove.”His special little nickname for me is akin to feeling nails running down a chalkboard. “It has beautiful scenery for you to paint. You like painting, yes?”His question throwing me for a loop. How does he know I like to paint? And exactly how long has he been stalking me to know this? My refusal to answer him has his anger lashing out like a whip as he pinches my chin in between his fingers. Forcing me to look at him, he growls low, getting closer to my face.I try not to let him see me cringe, or smell the fear rippling around my aura. “You will answer me when I am asking yo

ANDREW POV “I’m sorry.” That’s all Xander has to say to me. His useless apology does nothing but provoke the fireball of rage to burn hotter than before. Demitri’s paws bounding through the soft dirt, trying to work through this anger before we do something stupid. Beginning to rue the day that we ever invited Xander and Nora into our lives. I told the Alpha couple it was a mistake, but does anyone listen to me? No. I KNEW that Nora’s presence in Silver Run would lead nowhere good…and now the love of my life is at risk. Memories of Theo and I’s relationship playing in my mind like a movie. The many mistakes perpetrated by hand. All the time I spent refusing my attraction to him, pressuring myself into a mold that I believed a Beta should act….Why? I don’t even know. Looking back through the years, I realized that my parents never mentioned the gender of my future mate. Not once did they specify that my mate needed to be a female, and yet I clung to the misconception in a death grip