Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
My mom came in with a copper bowl, stirring its contents and shooing away my Alphas who were waiting outside to escort us.
“Sweethearts, come, put this on your skin. It will help,” she said.
I trusted that and went straight to her.
I started massaging it into my body under the cloak. Ryleigh hesitated then did too.
“Rosehip?” Ryleigh asked, smoothing it over her tan skin. It made it shine.
Mom nodded, “It smells lovely and adds some elasticity to your skin. Now I am not sure if that’ll help in transformation but it’s worth a try. And if it doesn’t, well, at least you’ll have nice beautiful skin with a glow,” she smiled. She was wearing a white cloak with a grasslands clasp over a full gray dress. Her hair was in braids running either side of her head with some little white flowers in it.
She was smiling, talking with Ryleigh about the Rosehip.
She seemed so happy and content. It was peaceful for a change and I savored it on her face.
“Ladies, I don’t mean to interrupt but we need to go down to the clearing,” Derik said through the door.
We finished moisturizing our skin with the oil and then left Ryleigh’s room.
Derik led us down to the lobby where Brax and Kai were waiting, each with a twin wrapped to them.
Vaughn was holding Althea.
Cain and Beenie were in the shadows of the lobby, both with looks that said they would prefer to be anywhere else.
Cain hadn’t been a fan of hanging out with the pack since his mother had passed and the few times I had gone up to see them in the tower, they had shooed me out. I was pretty sure they were working on a revenge plan.
I was going to have to get them to open up before they put us in another war but before that, we had to get through tonight.
The first full moon after winter. Ryleigh’s first shift.
It was a big deal, apparently.
Vaughn had a matching cloak to Mom’s, in white with a silver clasp. I wasn’t sure if that meant spectator or human because Cain wasn’t even wearing a cloak.
Kai and Brax had the same black cloak as Derik and I, that must be an Alpha thing.
The silver cloak stood out the most on Ryleigh, and I knew she would hate that but she was the honored guest.
Galen was in a grey velvet cloak with a gold clasp like Beenie and the rest of the pack.
“Spitfire, you’ve corrupted Derik. He’s never late,” Brax teased.
I shrugged, “I have needs.”
His eyes flashed hungrily as he came over kissing my lips then trailing his affection down my neck, pressing his lips against my ear, “I’m well aware of your needs,” he whispered.
I shivered, feeling his abs through his cloak, licking my lips.
It was like a switch inside me and they flipped it, every time they were close. It was addictive but it was an addiction I welcomed.
“Soon, Spitfire,” Brax promised. I kissed him back, then grabbed his hand and let him lead me with the others. I pressed a kiss on the top of Zale’s sleeping head, going outside and following down the cobblestone path.
Kai came up beside me, laying his arm over my shoulders, and tucking me into him. Enzi smiled at me from her wrap, and I blew her a kiss.
She giggled and grabbed a strand of my hair.
She loved hair. Especially Brax’s. His blue braid was her favorite toy.
Mine too, Enzi, I grinned.
Derik led us all to the clearing that looked incredibly different than the last time we had been there with the vampires.
There was a bonfire in the middle with candles everywhere, encompassing the clearing in warm light and smoke that billowed into the sky.
The smell of the fire, and the wolves, felt like home and settled in my chest with a warmth that had me smiling.
A small wooden platform had been put down for us, like when we had the heat, and Derik led us over to it.
Mom, Galen, Cain, and Beenie stood next to it with Vaughn and Althea.
I stood on the platform with my Alphas and Ryleigh, facing the pack who were all wearing gray cloaks of velvet with gold wolf territory clasps.
So many bodies faced us, all waiting to be instructed. All so loyal to us. All accepting of the weird little family we had created.
It made my eyes sting with tears. They were proud tears, happy tears, ones that not only showed that I was in an emotionally vulnerable state but also that the connection between us all ran deep.
The moon was already creeping up in the sky, highlighting us in the clearing.
The feel of it on my skin had me drawing in a deep, soothing breath.
My magic swirled inside me, reacting with the moon rays. The darkness of the power I wielded turned innocent as it danced to the beat of something only it could hear.
It was happy.
So was I.
And it was light in me. Even my shadows were light. It was as close to peace as I had been since my blood moon ceremony.
Derik let out a booming howl over the clearing, the sound echoing in the night. The other wolves copied him, the harmony in their howls resonating deep in my bones until I couldn’t help but join.
When the chorus of howls stopped, the night was silent. Only the crackling of the fire and gurgling of our young making noise disrupted it.
The pack waited.
And it was the first time I had seen the pack in its entirety.
The heat was always just the adults, the unmated ones usually.
The war had been for Kai’s pack, the brute force, the warriors. For Brax’s water wolves, the ones who were a little more stealth than bite. And Derik’s council with his wolves holding the protectors’ spot for the ones who couldn’t defend themselves.
But during those times, the ones who couldn’t fight had been making more weapons, lending their strength through the pack, never together.
But tonight, everyone was present. Even the cubs.
We were a mass of bodies in cloaks waiting for the moon to be at its peak so we could connect fully.
I couldn’t wait.
Something in the atmosphere made me excited to be a part of this, despite never being a part of it before and not knowing what to expect.
“Wolves. It’s that time again. The first shift after winter. And things are a little different,” Derik announced, eyeing me and then Ryleigh who blushed furiously. “We have been able to shift this winter so the first shift won’t be as brutal, thanks to your Luna,” he called.
The wolves all howled and whistled.
I nodded towards them, acknowledging them, staying between Kai and Brax.
“And we have our first Beta!” he called.
The wolves went crazy, and more howls ripped through the night. The excitement tingled in the link, and I smiled at Ryleigh, who was wide-eyed.
“We know the stories, the myths, the tales we have been told about how a beta will affect us. But we’re changing the rules now, wolves!” Derik called out, greeted by stomping feet and excitement. I laughed as their happiness overboiled in the link, spilling everywhere.
Kai stepped forward then, bringing me with him. “The Luna has accepted the Beta! Our links are safe, our pack is stronger!” He said, holding my hand up with his.
It was making them all mad.
I raised a brow at Kai, and he grinned, leaning close to me. “Accepting the beta link is a huge deal, Little Luna. The last mate of a bonded beta got murderous. The fact that you haven’t means the bond will be stronger for it. The pack in turn of that,” Kai whispered to me.
I grinned up at him, grabbing the sides of his face and pulling him down for a kiss, the urge overwhelming me.
The cheers got louder.
I pulled away, both of us grinning as the link spiked with power. It always did when I fed my magic lust–or death.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?