LOGINZahra's POVLincoln leads me downstairs to the first floor and towards what I assume is the living room he mentioned."My father removed the Luna's office not long after my mother died, and he expanded the other offices on this floor instead. If you'd like, we could convert one of the bedrooms upstairs. Or you could do what the other female units do and we could share the Alpha office."I can hear the hope in his voice."Do you, by any chance, like the idea of me sharing your office?" I ask with a smile.He nods."Very much. I like the idea of having you beside me. But if you'd prefer a more traditional approach, we can sort something."I smile."Nothing about this is traditional. I'm happy to share your office."He grins down at me, pulling me into his arms, and kisses me hard. His hand finds my hair, and mine finds his chest, as we make out in full view of anyone in the corridor.When he pulls back, he's breathless and, judging by the tent in his trousers and the scent filling the c
Zahra's POVI've never really spent much time in a pack house. In Bloodmoon, the units reside separately, and I never really had cause to visit one. The Silver Dawn one was so modern and sleek compared to this, and even then, I wasn't there very often. Seb usually came to the Alpha House if we wanted to spend time together, so I rarely visited the pack house myself.The first floor comprises bedrooms, I think."These are rooms for anyone who's not yet been assigned a family house. Unmated, over-age wolves who want to leave home can come here, and a few warriors who defend the pack house. We have more barracks out the back that we built because we're trying to increase our warrior numbers, but a lot of them choose to live in their family dwellings when they're not on duty."I nod. It's strange thinking I'll need to know all of this by heart soon.The next level up seems to be offices."The unit offices are up here, as well as the Head Omega's. Janice keeps a small office up here, but s
Zahra's POVHe opens his door as the others open theirs, then hurries around the truck to open mine.Xander and Tobias move to the truck bed to get the bags as Lincoln leads me towards the front steps of the cabin. Every wolf in the vicinity has stopped what they're doing and is watching us.An elderly man kneeling in the dirt by the steps stands, brushing his hands on his trousers."Alpha!" he says with a bow."George, how are you?" Lincoln asks, shaking the man's hand."Well, thank you, Alpha. We've missed you. It's good to have you home."His eyes flick to me with open curiosity before returning to Lincoln."It's good to be home. George, can you ask Janice to prepare a good dinner tonight? I have an announcement to make to the pack."Lincoln beams at me before George smiles too."Of course, sir." He bows again, then hurries off around the house."George is in charge of the house and grounds, and his mate, Janice, is in charge of the kitchen and household staff.""He seems nice?" I a
Zahra's POVWe drive up through the mountains, the road winding through the trees and under large rocky outcrops. For some reason, I wasn't expecting Shadow to be this high. My ears keep popping as we drive; the altitude is surprising. I find myself focusing on the climb, on the endless bends in the road, anything to stop thinking about what waits for us at the end of it. We're not far from Night howlers and the Royal Pack, but they aren't at anywhere near this kind of elevation.I'm so nervous, the butterflies in my stomach are having a field day. Every time my mind drifts to what's about to happen when we arrive, I feel sick.I'm in the front seat next to Lincoln, who's driving Xander's truck. Xander and Tobias are behind us. Tobias's hand has been on my shoulder the whole journey, and from time to time, when he feels my anxiety ratcheting up, he massages it gently. Xander's hand finds my arm where it rests on the centre armrest, and Lincoln's hand finds my knee.We talked and talked
Max's POVI continue; "Anyway, last summer I started dating Zahra. We spent a few weeks together at Royal Pack, while I was at camp and she was training with the task force. It was the best summer of my life. I fell in love."I can't keep the smile off my face as a tear slips out."But then in the autumn, she was kidnapped by those rogues who were taking girls."I look up and see them both giving concerned nods, and I manage to swallow the sob down."She was missing, tortured and abused for months. Nearly six months."My voice breaks."She escaped and came home to Bloodmoon.""Is she alright?" my grandfather asks gently.I nod."She'll get there. It's been tough on her. So much has happened, and now..."I trail off and inhale deeply."On her birthday, we discovered we were mates."I decide to leave out the whole knowing she was my mate for a year and the poisoning debacle. It's just too much drama."But she also recognised Xander as her mate."They inhale sharply."At first, I was oka
Max's POVMy uncle holds the door open for me as I enter the office, my grandfather behind me. I had hoped to do this without him, but I guess that's not going to happen."Take a seat, Max," my uncle says, indicating a sofa against the wall facing two armchairs.They both claim the chairs, and I internally groan. Looks like this will be an interrogation then. This move is one of Lucas's favourites for an initial soft interrogation before the dungeons are called for.Great."Start from the beginning. What's going on?" my uncle says, and I frown, playing innocent."What do you mean?"He scoffs."We've not seen you in years. Your family made it pretty clear we weren't welcome in your life, and now you turn up here out of the blue, an Alpha and with a strange scent."I sigh, resting my face in my hands."I had no idea my parents told you that you weren't welcome in my life. I was told you didn't want to be in my life, that you didn't agree with Mum's choice to mate a Beta.""What?" Granda
Xander's POVI watch as Max’s eyelids flutter in his sleep. He’s restless, and every now and then he shifts like he’s agitated, and I’m fairly sure he woke me up talking or calling out, because about twenty minutes ago I jolted awake like someone had shouted my name.His dark eyelashes fan his chee
Tobias's POVI stare at my phone. Still nothing.It’s been a fucking week, and there’s still no reply.I thought we’d cleared the air that night. The night I exposed my neck and bared my soul to her. I cried. She cried. She let me hold her. And then she’s just… ghosted me since.The small part of m
Zahra's POVTwenty minutes drags like an hour when you’re sat under fluorescent lighting with nothing to do but anticipate. I watch the door. I watch Grady. I watch the other warriors and try to read their shoulders, their hands, their breathing. Everyone is pretending not to give a shit. Everyone
Tobias's POVThe afternoon is a blur. I’ve no fucking clue what I did, or didn’t do. After seeing the stricken look on Max’s face, I don’t remember anything else.I’m back in my suite now. I’ve showered, and now I’m sitting staring at the blank TV in silence, my mind a weird combination of static an







