Breanna. Where are you?
Wanting to get to know someone was an odd feeling. Tristyn had known me since we were kids, but I’d never been close to anyone else.
Wonder what her favorite color is? What kind of music does she like?
The stars twinkled as I walked along an old deer trail. Maybe Breanna was out there staring up at the same stars. Doubtful. A woman as beautiful as she surely didn’t have to spend her nights alone.
In the distance, limbs snapped. The thrum of Alpha power rushed through the forest.
Get away from here now.
My wolf bristled for attack.
Go. Deeper into the forest. Go. Now.
My wolf fought for total control. He wanted the blood of my Alpha, the blood of my father.
What the hell is wrong with me? Sons don’t kill their fathers.
I dove farther into the brush. My wolf demanded his due.
Alpha compulsion pushed through the darkness, my father commanding me to stop.
Wolves should bow to the dominance of their Alphas. Wolves wanted to be with their packs. Why didn’t I feel pack bonds? Why didn’t I feel compelled to obey my Alpha?
The crashing of limbs was closer. If we fought, one of us would die.
Fine. Let it be me.
I crouched in the clearing and waited. The Alpha stopped. It seemed like an eternity before the soft footsteps of my father in human form tracked closer. My wolf sensed victory, my father no match for me in wolf form.
“Lucas?” he called. “We need to talk.”
I couldn’t see him yet, but his dominance was choking. And enraging.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
He would have felt the pain or anger or fear of a pack wolf. With me, there was nothing. He stepped into the clearing. I met his glare with my own and forced my wolf to take a step back. I had never bowed to his dominance, but I would acknowledge his status.
“If you feel so strongly about not taking Tessa, I will entertain other choices for your mate.”
If I’d been in human form, I would have smiled. My father was trying to work with me. That was a first.
“There are women who would help create an alliance between the French and Italian Packs. I will speak with Alpha LaPierre regarding his niece, Morganza.”
My heart sank. This had nothing to do with me.
“She is not an attractive woman and I understand she is difficult. However, the mating would greatly strengthen our ties with the French. With the Croatian wolves becoming more aggressive, it would be in our best interest to bolster our defenses.”
The mark of a great Alpha, always thinking of the safety of his pack.
“I intend to host a pack run Friday night for out-of-town guests. I expect you to be here.”
My father nodded before disappearing into the darkness. My wolf wanted to follow, to stalk him and end it all tonight, but I held onto the slimmest thread of control. Sons did not kill their fathers.
By the time I trudged home, the sun was cresting the horizon. My house was twenty kilometers from my father’s estate and the walk left my leg thrumming. I ducked into the heavy brush and changed to human form. Naked and starving, I punched the key code and slipped through the gate onto my property.
I tossed on a clean shirt and jeans and headed into the kitchen. Alpha power rushed into the room. My father would be arriving any moment and he never bothered to knock. Too tired to avoid him, I scavenged for food. Sustenance would appease my wolf while I dealt with my father’s demands.
Josef burst in the door as I finished my third sandwich.
He dropped my phone onto the bar. “I have spoken to Alpha LaPierre. Morganza is not interested in meeting you.” The sheer disappointment in his voice was like a gut punch. “However, I expect you to be at the pack run. We will have guests and you need to make an appearance.”
There was no time for me to protest, not that it would have mattered. He never listened. He knew I didn’t do pack runs, no matter how much he snarled and grumbled. Too many werewolves. Too much contact. Too many memories.
Chapter 5
Breanna
The windows of the training hall of Camp Ederle shook as the obnoxiously loud sounds of American rock music filled the air. I delivered kick after punishing kick to the heavy sand bag hanging helplessly before me. The bag hadn’t done anything wrong, but was still taking the full brunt of my frustration. I couldn’t stop thinking about the warm brown eyes of a certain werewolf.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” I grunted as I landed three consecutive roundhouse kicks onto the bag. “Not your wolf,” I panted, punching the bag with a vengeance.
“Hey, Bre, you all right?” Celeste asked as she padded into the room.
“Yep.” The bag shook from my spinning whip kick.
“Uh, okay. Have you seen Simon?”
Combination punch. Left, right, left, right, followed by a heel kick. “Nope.”
“I can’t find him anywhere.” She sat daintily in a chair nearby. “I thought he was with you.”
Front kick left, front kick right, punch, punch, punch. “Nope.”
I had a great sweat going when I realized she was watching me with puppy-dog eyes. “Do you want me to look for him, Cee?”
She leaped up and threw her arms around me. “Yes, please!”
I toweled off and headed to the double doors, Celeste trotting beside me. She chatted about the stars in the sky, the crickets chirping, whatever crossed her abnormally happy mind. I’d learned to ignore the chatter or I’d have strangled her.
We stepped into the orange glow of the sodium lights surrounding the parking lot. Musk and a faint whiff of vampire tickled my nose, but it was the unusual energy in the air that made my hair stand on end.
“Bre? What’s wrong?”
“Something weird’s going on around here,” I answered, scanning the flat expanse of asphalt.
Celeste peered into the dim light. Typical elf, she hated any type of negative energy and there was plenty to be felt tonight. Not really black magic, just a strange vibe. The wind whipped the angry clouds, adding to the already spooky atmosphere.
“I’m going to look around. Why don’t you go back to the barracks?”
Celeste shook her head. “I’m not leaving you.”
It would be hard to sneak across an open parking lot and harder with an elf hanging onto your arm. How could someone so small make so much noise?
Someone stormed around the corner and mowed into both of us. Celeste shrieked and I went into attack mode until I realized it was Simon.
“What the hell are the two of you doing out?” he demanded as he helped Celeste to her feet.
“Looking for you,” I replied, brushing the dust from my pants.
“I asked Bre to find you,” Celeste said. “I was worried about you.”
Simon didn’t bother to hide how much her concern meant to him. “I am sorry to have worried you, my love. An unexpected situation required my attention.”
He