MIDNIGHT WOLF

KENZIE GRAVES
Copyright © 2022 by Kenzie Graves
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any
resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events,
or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Cover: Manuela Serra Cover Design
Editing: Randomoscity Copy and Line Editing
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Created with Vellum
 CONTENTS

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue

Acknowledgments
About the Author
Books by Kenzie Graves
I t was a dreary day within the Ember Forest Pack.
Rain poured down as the funeral pyre burned the
body of Ellie, Sydney’s mother. She was a beautiful golden
blond woman known for her kindness. Ellie helped settle
disputes among pack mates in a way that no one else was
capable of. With her ability to calm wolves through
compromise, their pack had less Position Challenges than
most packs in the sanction.
Sydney and her father stood at the foot of the pyre
longer than any of the packmates. The smoke infiltrated
Sydney’s nose and caused her to cry harder as it irritated
her eyes. Her father held her close and told her to look out
to the forest and see the beauty that was left behind, just
like her mother used to always say. Ember Forest looked
even more like its namesake today. Between the bright red
and orange leaves and the smoke, the entire forest looked
like it was filled with smoldering embers.
It was unfortunate that Rogues plagued the sanctions
and tended to attack unsuspecting wolves when they would
venture away from the pack territories for a run. That’s
how her mother lost her life. She went out on an evening
run and was ambushed. Since she was mated, they had no
use for her. They killed her without an ounce of remorse.
Within six months, Sydney’s father, the Delta of the
pack, accepted that his Fated Mate was gone and needed to
move on. Especially to give Sydney a mother to lean on
during the years a girl needed a mother most. She was ten
and needed to learn things that her father would not be
able to teach her. Like how to become a woman and all the
things that come with it.
A she-wolf by the name of Theresa also lost her mate.
She had twin girls who were also ten, Draziel and Anaziel.
Theresa became an Omega when her mate died and
jumped at the chance of completing a Chosen Mate bond to
the Delta. Theresa paid attention to Sydney when her
father was watching but ignored her when he was not
around. Sydney did not mind. What her stepmother lacked
in nurturing, her father more than made up for. When he
would get home from his duties, he would shower her with
love and affection. Sometimes, he would even allow her to
climb onto his cinnamon brown wolf’s back and take her on
runs when doing patrols.
Even though her life was not what she expected it would
be, Sydney enjoyed it–until Fate stepped in yet again. A
wolf who did not like being on the lower end of the totem
pole as a Kappa, tenth and final position within the pack
worth noting, challenged her father for his position. Her
father gladly accepted.
Sydney had to remain in the house with the rest of the
children while the challenge was taking place. When the
Alpha came inside a half an hour later, she hoped that her
father would be in right after him. Instead, the Alpha told
her that her father lost. The Alpha was a kind man and
allowed her to cry on his shoulder. He even stood at her
father’s funeral pyre the following day.
When the funeral was over, the Alpha gave Theresa the
option to raise Sydney as her own. However, Theresa
decided that she did not want to raise the daughter of the
Delta that could not hold his position. Sydney’s rank within
the pack dropped to an Omega. Thankfully, the she-wolves,
and even the males within that ranking, were more than
happy to raise her as their own.
And that is how Sydney’s story begins.
I t has been ten years since her father’s death, and
Sydney has done her best to prevail through the
pack’s destruction. Many wolves followed the Kappa wolf’s
lead and challenged the higher-ranking wolves. The Alpha
tried to put a stop to it but was unable to due to Pack Laws.
Each of them followed procedure when they requested a
Position Challenge. Unfortunately, the top five wolves all
lost their challenge, and the pack was handed over to
wolves that were cruel. 
Bryan, the Kappa leading the turn in power, remained as
the Delta during the aftermath that he caused. The new
Alpha was Dante Romero; a tall, broad, dark-complexioned
man that ruled the pack with an iron fist. His dark hair and
eyes only made him appear more sinister, and his aura after
claiming the pack grew so much that it was almost
insufferable to be in his presence. Dante’s mate, Dahlia,
had the same dark hair, eyes, and presence. Dahlia’s cheek
bones were so high on her face that they seemed to make
her face more striking. Her curly hair reached the middle
of her back, and she used the pack’s bank account to wear
the clingiest material for clothes so she could show off her
body. Their son, Draxton, shared their looks and was the
same age as Sydney. Between the three of them, the pack
turned into a darker force than it ever was under Alpha
Boone. 
The new Beta was a daunting man that appeared
broader and more muscular than Dante. His bald head and
piercing blue eyes added to the reasons why most of the
wolves questioned nothing when he barked an order at
them. Brad’s nose was crooked from a Position Challenge
when he was younger that knocked him and his wolf
unconscious for so long that it healed that way. Some she-
wolves found it sexy; others felt it made him scarier. 
Even though he was someone no wolf should piss off in
any way, Sydney did not mind Brad. He had a softer side
but did not show it often. Sydney did her best to just keep
her head down and do what she was told, and this tended
to get her on Brad’s good side. He was one of the very few
wolves that did not go out of his way to make her life
miserable. 
The new Gamma, Clint, was a sleaze. When he wasn’t
hitting on every she-wolf in the pack, he was screaming at
the Omegas to clean up after every mess he made. He was
shorter than Draxton and Brad. They were both over six
feet, whereas Clint was just under it. He was muscled like
any other wolf, like humans described people with an
athletic build. Omegas tended to call him entitled and a
douchebag. Sydney would nod in agreement but choose to
say nothing. It was best to avoid saying anything. She
never knew who else was listening or who would tell the
pack leaders what she said. She trusted few and learned to
keep to herself more often than not. 
The three of them enjoyed their new positions in power.
Sydney did her best to mind her business and complete her
list of daily chores without mustering a single syllable to
refrain from getting into trouble. However, there were days
that Sydney did not do something quickly enough or made
a mistake with an order. After all, she was only eleven when
the Romero’s took over the pack. They believed in corporal
punishment, and it was not just a soft slap on the hands to
get the child’s attention that they did something wrong.
When they found it necessary, they used belts across her
bare ass to the point Sydney was unable to sit down.
Considering it was just for minor infractions in their eyes,
Sydney chose to become more diligent with her chores so
she would not experience their punishment again. 
It worked. At least when it came to the adults. 
Draziel and Anaziel were her main tormentors. They
loved to cause her as much trouble as they could–
convincing the other kids within the pack to pile on more
chores, undo the ones she just completed, and even steal
her clothes as she showered. From the crack of dawn until
she nearly collapsed from exhaustion, Sydney cleaned the
pack house from top to bottom. Once, she asked Alpha
Dahlia why she had more chores than other Omegas.
Sydney ensured that there was no malice in her tone, only
curiosity. Dahlia must have heard the tone she intended,
because Dahlia’s answer was not as malicious as expected,
at least her tone wasn’t anyway. Her answer was, “it builds
character. You have no family to teach you character and
honor. This is how you will gain it and prove to the pack
that you belong here.” 
Despite Dhalia’s response, it did not help that Theresa
became best friends with Alpha Dahlia. Theresa constantly
whispered in Dahlia’s ears whenever she saw Sydney. Each
time, another chore or task was given for her to complete,
sometimes with a time restraint. Sydney would always
complete it with a smile on her face. There was no reason
for her not to. She had a roof over her head, she was
provided meals, and she was given protection by
“belonging to” a pack. Before he died, Sydney’s father
taught her Pack Law and hierarchy. He wanted her to know
everything she needed to know just in case of an untimely
death, which turned out to be the unfortunate case, but she
was glad now that he had taken the precaution. Life as a
Rogue was not something to strive for unless the wolf
inside of the person’s soul could not accept pack life. With
Sydney being too young to shift, being a Rogue was not an
option. Rogues would kill her easily and not think twice
about it. 
Or worse, they would make me a child-bride and have
me bare them pups. No, thank you, she thought to herself
whenever she would think of leaving the pack. 
Sydney knew that it was in the best interest to stay
within her pack until she found her mate. She hoped that
her mate would not be someone from this pack. It was
something she dreamed about often–meeting her mate at a
ball, dancing while looking into each other’s eyes under a
full moon, being whisked away to a whole new pack that
accepted her and treated her with respect;That would be a
dream come true. 
There was one good thing that she could say about
Alpha Dante. Since she was one of the hardest working
Omegas, he allowed her to have a one-hour time slot to
herself during the day or evening. Some days he would tell
her she could not have that hour due to needing certain
things done around the pack house, but more often than
not, she was left alone. 
During that hour, Sydney would walk through the
woods. There were a few other Shifters that she knew that
would meet her out there to spend time with her that
created an escape. One was a Fox Shifter named Merida
who had Fox-red hair. She was often the one she would run
into since Fox’s tended to not run in packs. Some stuck
together for protection, but most were loners. Another was
an Owl Shifter. Her hair was naturally gray from her animal
half being a Great Gray Owl, but her radiant blue eyes
made her more striking than most Shifters in Sydney’s
opinion. Lucy lived in a tree nearby the pack house so
Sydney would always have a friend nearby if needed. There
were two Chipmunk Shifter brothers, Calvin and Chris, that
she would bump into from time to time as well. 
It was now September 14th, a week from her birthday.
Sydney just finished cleaning the kitchen after lunch and
felt the itch to walk. She knocked quietly on Alpha Dante’s
door and requested for her break, and he had no objection.
Within five minutes, she was deep within the trees of the
woods. The smell of dirt, leaves, and some flowers filled her
nose as she took a deep breath to relax. Unsure if her
friends were around, Sydney let out their secret whistle.
Merida’s bright orange coat bounced out of a bush, and she
yipped at Sydney’s feet. A moment passed, and the tall red-
headed friend stood before her stark naked. Merida’s curly,
reddish-orange hair fell around her breasts, her emerald
eyes sparkled in the sun, and her freckled body was
something Sydney was glad she did not have. Merida had
thicker curves than Sydney did, and usually girls would kill
for her body. Sydney was quite thankful that her curves
were on the smaller end so she would not gain any
attention from the males. She liked being able to disappear
into the background and not be noticed. 
“Hey, girl. I didn’t expect you to be in the woods so
soon,” Merida said as she grabbed some clothes from
behind a tree. 
Wait, this is Lucy’s tree. Where is she at? 
“I felt like taking my walk early today.” 
They fell into step and continued on with the walk after
Merida put her clothes on.
“Feeling anxious yet?” Merida asked her as she hopped
over a fallen tree’s trunk that was in the middle of their
path. 
“About what?” 
Merida scoffed in her direction. “Don’t give me that ‘I
don’t know what you are talking about’ crap. You know
exactly what I am talking about.” 
 “No. I am not feeling anxious about my birthday next
week.” 
“You know that is not what I was talking about!” 
Since September 1st, Merida had become obsessed that
Sydney was turning twenty-one. This meant that she would
experience her first shift into her wolf. More importantly, in
Merida’s mind, she could find her True Mate. 
“I am much more excited to meet my wolf than find my
mate right now.” 
“No idea how you are saying that. I haven’t found mine
yet, and it is killing me!” 
“Simple. I don’t think my mate is here.” 
Sydney never felt as though she belonged within the
Ember Forest Pack. It was difficult for her to have a friend
within the pack with Theresa making her life miserable.
Every she-wolf believed that Sydney was a man-stealer,
even though she had never gone out on a date or even
kissed a boy while growing up. It did not stop the she-
wolves from not trusting Sydney. It was another reason why
she kept her head down each day and just did her daily
chores. It just wasn’t worth trying until she was able to go
to another pack.
“Haven’t felt a pull toward anyone in the past year?”
Merida side glanced at Sydney to read her facial
expressions before she answered. It was her way of
catching people in lies before they even spoke. Merida was
a pro at reading people’s facial expressions. 
Sydney had nothing to hide. “No. Absolutely no pull to
anyone.”
“Hmm. That’s unusual. The Goddess normally doesn’t
keep her children that much in the dark.” 
“Maybe it is because my mate is not here.”
“Maybe you’ll end up mated to Draxton! Didn’t he turn
twenty-one recently?” 
Sydney kept her poker face on. “Draxton is of Alpha
blood now. He deserves an Alpha she-wolf to be at his side.
The pack needs a strong couple to lead them.” 
“I hate that you think so low of yourself because of your
status.” 
This was not the first time Merida had said this. Sydney
was used to being an Omega. She felt that the last ten
years as one was a sign that this is where she belonged in
the hierarchy. Being an Omega meant not being in the
limelight. That was what she was used to, and she would
not mind remaining in her current position with a new
pack. Merida believed that Sydney belonged higher in
ranks. Sydney had no idea why. She was not
confrontational and always chose to stay in the shadows. It
was easier that way. 
“It is where I belong.” 
“That’s not what Lucy says.” 
Lucy, being an Owl Shifter, liked reading the stars.
There was apparently a way to predict the future by doing
that. Sydney tried to learn how so she would be able to talk
more about it with Lucy, but never got the hang of it. 
“If the stars have something better in store for me, I’ll
gladly accept it. Since I have experienced nothing that
generous in the last ten years, I am going to stick with
believing that I need to mind myself without worrying
about interacting with others. It is the only way I will have
a stress-free life within this pack.” 
Merida sighed but dropped the subject. The trail that
they were on circled so they would be back at the house
just as her allotted hour would be up. That was why Sydney
loved this one over the others she had walked over the
years. It was just enough to clear her head and get her out
of the house so she would not get into trouble with the
Alphas. 
When they reached the end of the path, Merida gave
Sydney a hug and said she would not be around the next
few days. She also said that Lucy flew to the city for a few
days and that is where she would be as well. They would
both be back in time for Sydney’s birthday. 
“I’ll ask Dante if I can have a day pass away from the
house for my birthday. Maybe we can all go to the city that
day.” 
Merida clapped her hands as she stomped her feet in a
weird dance. “Yas! That sounds perfect. I’ll talk to Lucy
about it, and we will drop off a note for you so we can get it
all coordinated!” 
Her friend hugged her as tightly as she could and then
shifted back into her fox. Sydney watched her friend run
into the woods until she disappeared. 
Maybe I should be a rogue and just live with Merida and
Lucy after my birthday. We could be happy together. I’ll talk
to them about it on my birthday.
S ydney spent the rest of the day and half the night
working up the courage to talk to Alpha Dante. She
had never requested to have a whole day off before, and
she was insanely nervous to do so. Any time she had ever
asked for anything after her father died, it led to
repercussions that most packs would find abusive. 
Like being thrown in a cell for five days and not given
any food or water so that the wolf counterpart nearly
became feral. 
Thankfully, because she had not shifted yet, Sydney
never experienced the nearly feral part. She did, however,
almost witness the new Kappa nearly going feral after he
requested to go to the pack doctor with his mate for a
check up with her pregnancy rather than filling in for
another wolf that had patrol duty. His wolf did not like
being away from his mate, especially since she was coming
close to delivering her pup, and he nearly dug through the
ground to get out of the cell. Without anyone knowing,
Sydney was able to sneak food to him and daily updates
from his mate in a letter to stop him from teetering over
the edge. Since one of her chores was to keep the cells
clean down there, her scent was already going to be in the
area, and she used it to her advantage. 
Since then, the Kappa and his family would keep their
room cleaner and do their best to not make more chores for
Sydney to do. It was their way to sneakily pay Sydney back
for what she did for them. 
Instead of being thrown inside of a cell, Sydney would
usually get overwhelmed with chores. There were a few
times that she was the punching bag for Draziel and
Anaziel for their training. Theresa managed to get Bryan to
consider her as a Chosen Mate, so the girls were
considered part of the Delta line. Due to that, they are able
to train with the top wolves, unlike Omegas. Sometimes,
Dante and Dahlia thought it would be a good idea to force
the Omegas to be sparring partners to start wolves out with
training. Sydney was her stepsister’s favorite sparring
partner, especially when Dahlia was in charge of training.
Dahlia would turn her attention elsewhere as Draziel and
Anaziel would fight together to inflict as much damage as
they possibly could. It stopped, after one fateful day, when
Sydney managed to punch Draziel hard enough in the jaw
that it knocked her out and almost broke her jaw. It
increased Draziel’s need to find mud and cake it into the
carpets or spill things on the floor for Sydney to clean, but
it was worth it. Chores was something Sydney could
handle. 
The Alpha quarters were located on the top floor of the
pack house. Ember Forest Pack was not a large pack,
maybe thirty-five wolves altogether. There were ten
Omegas, and no wolves that were not part of the top ten.
Sydney’s stepsisters were the only non-ranking wolves in
the pack that were not considered Omegas. Draxton was
the soon-to-be Alpha, so he fell into the ranking wolves. The
house had five levels of bedrooms and looked like an
apartment building from the city in the middle of the
woods. One floor was dedicated to a “family room” for
everyone to mingle, a huge kitchen, and then a dining room
to eat in. Underground were the cells to hold the wolves.
Dante used a huge portion of the pack funds to build a
separate building with a ballroom on the top floor and a
pool on the bottom floor. If their pack was bigger, they
would have a small community, like the Solar Valley pack.
Which was the Southern Sanction’s highest-ranking pack. 
Sydney’s hands were shaking as she approached the
door. Her nerves were getting so high strung that she
almost missed several stairs as she climbed her way to the
top floor. When she rapped her hand against Dante’s office
door, her stomach twisted so badly that she wanted to
throw up. 
I can’t even turn back. I knocked on the door… he knows
I am out here. 
“Come in.” 
Dante’s voice was not daunting for once. His usual voice
was one that was deep and threatening in general. When
angry, it always grew deeper. At this time, his voice almost
sounded as though he was happy with how upbeat it was
through the door. When she opened it, she noticed that
Dahlia was wiping her mouth as she stood next to her
mate’s chair with her ebony hair tied back.  
Oh. That’s why. 
“Sydney, how may I help you?” His cold dark eyes bore
into hers. 
Sydney dropped her eyes to the ground before she held
his gaze for too long. The last thing she needed was for
Dante’s wolf to feel challenged. “Alpha Dante, I apologize
for coming to you without an appointment. I was unable to
find Beta Brad to ask if you were free at this time.” She
looked up briefly, and he bowed his head to tell her he
understood. “I have come to request an all-day pass on the
twenty-first. It is my twenty-first birthday that day.” 
Dante lifted his chin and looked up at the ceiling. A
glance at Dahlia made Sydney’s blood run cold. The She-
Alpha was clearly not happy about this request. Her
eyebrows were furrowed, and her eyes narrowed on
Sydney. 
“I don’t believe you have earned a full day to yourself,
Sydney,” Dahlia sneered, her words laced with venom. 
Dante looked at his mate with a smile on his face. “Now,
now, my sweet. I don’t think we need to be that harsh on
the young Omega.” When he looked at Sydney, her heart
began to race. It was frightening to see his wolf’s gold eyes
instead of his dark brown ones. “Seems as though Sydney
is coming of age. I can smell her wolf coming to the
surface. It might do her some good to have the day to
herself to get connected with her wolf.” 
“You surely don’t believe that she has earned this?”
It was awkward to stand before the desk that Dante was
sitting behind while he and his mate decided if she was
worthy to have a day off from her duties. Sydney stood
there with her arms behind her back to stop herself from
rubbing them together out of anxiety. It was hard to not
rock her body side to side or swirl her foot in the rug in
front of her Alphas. She knew if she would show her
“weakness” in front of them, it would be an automatic
decline to her request and possibly a beating. 
“This pack will never show weakness in front of others,
whether it is in front of their own packmates or another
pack. If any of my top wolves, or myself, catch any of you
showing weakness, I will have you running training
exercises until you bleed, until you truly are weak.” 
Sydney remembered Dante’s speech from the day he
took over the pack. As much as she wanted to say Dante’s
threat was empty, sadly, she knew it was true. The pack
used to be larger, but Dante caused quite a few wolves to
flee from the pack and others to die from his “training.”
Most wolves thought it was actual training, but it was
actually the top wolves attacking the “weak” wolf with
intent to kill. 
 “My sweet, she may not have earned it just yet.
However, she can.” 
Dante and Dahlia were still looking at one another as
Sydney’s mind drifted off. She was thankful for that since
that could have also caused an issue. When Dante looked at
her once again, his smile felt callous. 
“If you want that day off from your duties, you must
prove that you will go above and beyond before then. I
want this house spotless from top to bottom. If I find any
part of the house that is not perfect, I will decline your
offer. You have until eight o’clock in the evening the night
before. With Draxton’s coronation coming up, the house
needs to be ready for the guests.” 
Sydney bowed her head, “thank you for the opportunity,
Alpha. I will do as you wish.” 
It was a grueling five days for Sydney. The rest of the
day on which she had made her request, she cleaned the
bottom floor. That alone caused her muscles to be
extremely sore from being on her hands and knees
scrubbing every inch of it. By the time she was done, it was
midnight. She managed to get a few hours of sleep before
she woke up to do it all over again. 
Sydney knew it was going to be difficult to pull off
Dante’s condition. Keeping the pack house spotless with
thirty-five wolves coming and going until her deadline was
damn near impossible. The other Omegas noticed that she
spent twelve hours cleaning the basement level and
questioned her about it as Sydney began working on the
main level, starting with the kitchen. 
“Sweetheart, why are you killing yourself? Did Dahlia
request this of you?” Marie asked her. 
Marie was one of the wolves that took her in after her
father was killed. She was an older wolf, maybe in her
sixties. It would always be difficult to guess how old a wolf
was due to their slow aging, and some wolves, especially
Omegas, did not keep track of how old they were because
of the longer life spans. They did not have to worry about
Position Challenges or dominant disputes, and since that
was usually how most wolves lost their lives early on,
Omegas were not in any position for that to be an issue.
Marie’s brown hair was cut at shoulder length, but it was
always pulled back. Her brown eyes sparkled with kindness
and life, a reason why Sydney preferred to choose kindness
herself. Marie’s figure reminded Sydney of her own, which
made it easy to call her a mom. 
“No,” Sydney answered while scouring a pot, “I just
want to clean the house spotless so it will be ready for
Draxton’s coronation.” 
The look on Marie’s face said it all. Her eyes partly
narrowed, and she pulled her lips off to the side. She knew
Sydney was not telling the truth. “What did they order you
to do and why?” 
“Marie, there is no use in telling you because you won’t
be able to help me with it anyway.” 
Marie rolled her eyes and put her hand on her hip.
Great. I know what the hand on the hip means. She won’t
take no for an answer. “Tell me, now.” 
“I requested a full day off for my birthday. To prove to
the Alphas that I am worthy to have said day off, I must
clean the house top to bottom, and it must be spotless. If
that is not already enough to pull off, it must remain that
way until eight o’clock the night before.” 
Marie bowed her head and shook it. “Why would you
agree to that? That is impossible.” 
Sydney stopped scouring and turned her body towards
her adoptive mother, “Merida and Lucy will be in the city. I
want to go out and really celebrate my birthday, maybe
even freely run through the woods after I meet my wolf. For
once, I want to feel normal. I don’t ever feel that way here
because I am treated as if I am a slave instead of just an
Omega.” 
 She was enveloped into a hug before she knew it. Marie
nearly bear-hugged her so tightly that it cut off her ability
to breathe. “Oh, my sweet pup. I hate that it is coming
down to sinking yourself so low just to be able to celebrate
your special day.” Marie let Sydney go, but she kept her
hands on Sydney’s shoulders. “I will make sure the other
Omegas do their best to keep what you completed clean.
That way it does not appear that we are helping. Just looks
like we are doing our chores, too. I promise you, this house
will remain clean.” 
“You can’t do that. Dante and Dahlia will know.” 
A wicked smile spread across her usually innocent face.
“They think they know everything, but they don’t. They let
their arrogance misguide them. Keep doing what you are
doing, and the rest of us will do what we need to do behind
the curtain.” 
Marie turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen.
For the first time in her life, she was quite concerned of
what Marie had up her sleeve. It was unlike her to be this
disobedient. Omegas do not plot to play smoke and mirrors
behind a curtain after a command was given. Even though
there weren’t many Omegas, that would not stop Marie
from keeping her promise. 
Sydney did her best to push their conversation out of
her mind and focus on the chores she had to complete.
There was still a mound of dishes to get through before she
had to move on to the rest of the kitchen. Within the hour,
Sydney had the kitchen spotless. She was on her hands and
knees as she scrubbed the last section of the floor when
she heard the door from the “backyard” open up. Draziel
and Anaziel cackled at something Draxton said. Knowing
Draxton, Sydney was glad that she did not hear what came
out of his mouth. It was most likely foul anyway. 
“Oh Draxton, you naughty boy! What makes you think,
just because we are twins, it automatically means that we
are open to a threesome?” Draziel playfully swatted at
Draxton as she stepped through the threshold. 
“Shouldn’t you be saying, ‘yes, Alpha’?” Draxton
growled through his smile. 
“Maybe, I will on Coronation Day.” 
Sydney wanted to vomit. Draziel’s chestnut brown hair
was tied back in a braid while wearing a skin-tight dress
and enough makeup that a prostitute would throw her a
wet napkin so she could wipe it off. She also had leather
boots that ran all the way to her knee. Anaziel’s auburn
hair was in waves around her shoulders but was not
dressed like a skank. She was in a pair of sandals and a
sundress that did not hug her body. This was something
Sydney often noticed. Draziel was the slut, and Anaziel was
not. 
Three guesses on who ends up bagging the Alpha…
Sydney ignored their existence as she continued to
scrub the floor. It was best to almost make herself invisible.
Maybe then her three tormentors would leave her alone. 
But that will never happen. 
Draziel turned so she would not bump into anything and
noticed Sydney on the floor. The area where the three of
them stood was clean. Draziel obviously noticed that as
well and cleared her throat to make Sydney look over at
her. When Sydney did, Draziel stomped her boot onto the
floor and knocked off clumps of mud that splattered in
some areas as thick chunks fell off. 
“Oh, I am so sorry. Did you just clean this area?” 
“That’s okay. It did rain a few days ago, and we haven’t
seen much sun this week. Mud is inevitable.” 
Draziel growled and stomped through the kitchen and
into the hallway. Anaziel mimicked her sister and stomped
across as well. Draxton stared at the mess the two girls left
behind. At least, that is what Sydney thought he was
looking at. Her eyes left the twins’ aftermath and trailed up
Draxton’s tall body. It took longer than normal as Sydney
took her time. Something she had never done before, but
there was something about Draxton. He was wearing a
dark pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. His boots were gray
and seemed less dirty than the twins. It was almost as if he
purposely avoided walking through the mud and the twins
did not. 
What Sydney did not expect was Draxton staring at her
ass and slowly scanning her body as she was still on her
hands and knees. Sydney sat on her legs after a feeling of
being exposed struck her. 
Why is he looking at me like that? 
“Well, well, little Omega. Here I thought that not looking
at you twice was a good idea. Now I am not so sure. With
you on your knees like that, it is giving me ideas.” 
Sydney fought the urge to whimper at his words. Why?
She had no idea. She usually found him to be repulsive.
However, at this moment, she wanted nothing more than to
crawl over to him. 
Ew. What kind of thought is that? No. I don’t want that.
He is vile. 
“How about you crawl over here to me?” His voice was
sultry and deep. It beckoned her to do as he wished. 
SNAP OUT OF IT! 
“I am sorry, but I must get back to my chores.” 
Draxton walked over to her, careful to step around the
mounds of mud that the twins left behind. Sydney forced
herself to look back down at the ground and begin to scrub
it once again. 
“Your Alpha commands you.” The same sultry voice
floated through her ears. Another fight with herself to
whimper came over her and she, luckily, won. 
“DRAXTON WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Draziel
screeched. 
Sydney looked up to find her stepsister’s face a
burgundy red shade with her eyes narrowed at Draxton.
She knew that look. Draziel was known for this look. She
was about to have a fit that put Dahlia to shame. 
“Sydney was rocking her hips to lure me to her. I was
helpless. She must be going into heat!” Draxton lied to save
his ass. 
It worked. Draziel’s fury was now aimed at Sydney.
“How dare you try to steal my man! Did you really think
that seducing the next Alpha was going to work in your
favor? To get out of your rags and become the She-Alpha of
this pack?” 
“Draziel, I was just cleaning the floor. I did not try to
steal Draxton from you. I promise.” Sydney’s tone was
steady and calm. 
“Yeah, right! You’ve been sleeping around the pack in
hopes to rise ranks. Draxton is off limits. For your
punishment, I’ll be sure to make your life hell while you
clean the next few days!” 
Draziel grabbed Draxton’s hand and yanked him down
the hall. Sydney knew that Draziel’s threat was not empty
in any way. Her threats were never empty. 
The rest of the week was, in fact, hell. Everything
Sydney completed, Draziel undid it directly after it was
finished. It caused Sydney to do each task in each room
twice. Mud was caked in the carpet, clothes that were
washed were thrown into the dirt, food and dirt was thrown
on the walls, and the bathrooms… a horror scene of feces
and urine coated every surface. Sydney had no idea how
Draziel pulled off even half of what she did but powered
through it anyway. 
Sydney may have slept an hour a night the rest of the
week. Marie kept her promise and managed to assist
Sydney on every task since it was clear that one Omega
was not going to pull it off. The Coronation was in two days.
Eventually, Dahlia realized what Draziel was doing and put
her through an all-day training for punishment, not for
sabotaging Sydney, but because Dahlia was pissed that the
house may not be clean by the time Coronation Day was
here, and wolves from all over the sanction would be here
for Draxton’s day.The only reason Sydney knew Dahlia’s
punishment for Draziel was not to help Sydney was
because she overheard Dahlia screaming at Draziel after a
specific stunt she pulled. Dahlia caught Draziel red-handed
as she poured mud into the bathtub in the Alpha’s quarters
while Sydney was cleaning it. Dahlia made it clear that if
Draziel made one more thing filthy before Draxton’s day,
she would skin her wolf alive and put it on display for
Dashel, the Southern Sanction’s alpha. “Nothing will ruin
my son’s day! Not even you!” Dahlia screamed at Draziel
before bitch-slapping her across the face. 
Serves her right. 

I T WAS eight o’clock the night before Sydney’s birthday.

Dante walked through the house and dragged his finger
over every surface he could. Dahlia had a clipboard and
checked off each task in each room as they walked through
it. Sydney noticed that there were two boxes on each task
line, satisfactory and unsatisfactory, when they left Dante’s
office. Sydney was to wait there while they completed their
walkthrough. It was an excruciating two hours. When the
Alphas walked through the door, they almost seemed
disappointed. 
“We have completed the walkthrough. Every task in
every room was satisfactory. I have no idea how you pulled
it off, but I am a man of my word. You may have your
birthday off.” 
Sydney bowed her head as she responded, “thank you,
Alpha.” 
“When you return, I would like for you to shift in front of
me. I would like to log your wolf into the system.” 
 Dante kept a log of each wolf in a file. Height, weight,
fur color, eye color, and possible rank from the aura it gave
off. She was unsure if other Alphas did this. Sydney was too
young to remember if the previous Alpha had a list like this
before Dante took over. 
“Yes, Alpha. I will come to your office the following
morning for you to meet my wolf and log her into the
system.” 
“You are dismissed.” 
I can’t wait to tell Merida and Lucy! 
S ydney packed her bag with clothes she wished were
not hers. Most of her clothing was forming holes
because she was not given much of a stipend each week
from her chores to buy new ones. Even though she was one
of the best Omegas with the chores, Dahlia and Theresa
refused to increase her stipend each year. Every other
Omega has received a raise, but not her. She never
complained. It was clear after the Romero’s took over that
her life would not be easy. It did not matter to her. She had
Marie, Merida, and Lucy. They were all that she needed in
life. 
Her bedroom was a small closet on the main floor. The
other Omegas lived in a large room with bunk beds, but
there were no extra beds when Sydney became an Omega,
and this was the only room on the floor that she could take.
If she would have been higher in the hierarchy, she would
have been able to take a room on a higher floor. Instead,
she was given a seven-foot by seven-foot room with a small
closet. It was not much, but she did not need much when it
came to a bedroom. The only thing she did here was sleep,
and she had a full-sized bed to do that on. 
 It would be nice to have a bigger room… nicer clothes.
Maybe someday. Maybe I should leave this pack. I’m sure
Merida or Lucy know of one nearby that I can transfer to
that I would be happier in–one that will not discredit me
because of my status. I’ve heard of packs that care more
about their members than the hierarchy. I wouldn’t even
have to stay in this sanction! 
With her mind elsewhere, she did not hear someone
enter her room. A clearing of the person’s throat caught
her attention. Sydney jumped and turned around to find
Marie standing in the doorway chuckling. 
“I hope your wolf teaches you to keep your senses open
at all times. With your head in the clouds, you are opening
yourself to an attack if you don’t have your senses open.” 
“Marie, I have no idea what you are talking about.” 
“Of course you don’t. The Romero’s have done
everything to keep you from understanding what it means
to be a wolf.” 
Marie stepped inside of her room and sat on Sydney’s
bed. Marie always wore black dress pants with a t-shirt or a
long-sleeved shirt. It was a conservative look with her hair
always being tied back, but she pulled it off. She patted the
area next to her motioning for Sydney to sit down. When
Sydney did, Marie pulled out an envelope with a small box
on top of it and handed it to her. 
“Since you won’t be here tomorrow to celebrate your
most special birthday, the others and I decided we would
give this to you early.” Marie’s soft tone almost made
Sydney cry.
“You didn’t have to give me anything!” 
“We wanted to get you something. It’s not every day that
you turn twenty-one. It is a birthday to remember, and we
wanted to help make it special.” 
Sydney opened the box first. Her hands shook with
excitement as she fumbled with the box. She never
received gifts on her birthday. The other Omegas always
tried to at least bake a cake for her, but no one could really
afford gifts. When she got the lid off and saw what was
inside, Sydney gasped. Inside was a crescent moon pendant
made from moonstone. As Sydney stared at the pendant,
not believing that Marie would buy her such a beautiful
necklace, Marie reached over and took the pendant out of
the box. As Sydney looked over at her, Marie was already
wrapping the chain around her neck and clasping it. 
“Moonstones stand for new beginnings, and this will be
a new beginning for you. When your wolf calls to you
tomorrow, it’ll help you stay calm so your first shift will be
easier for you.” 
Sydney placed her hand over the pendant, which laid
perfectly over her heart. She could feel a warmth emitting
from it, the same warmth she felt when Marie would give
her hugs after a long day and her muscles were sore from
all of the chores she had to complete. When she looked at
Marie once more, the smile on the older wolf’s face said it
all. 
Marie has not found her True Mate. Inside of the pack,
she used to be known as the Mother Omega. The one wolf
who chose to take care of the pups so the mothers could
get some rest. She always wanted pups of her own, but
without a True Mate who would love her regardless of her
status, and no Chosen Mate due to her status as an Omega,
she never got that chance. However, at this moment, it did
not matter to Marie that Sydney was not her biological
child. All that mattered was how happy the present made
her. 
“I love it. Thank you, Mama Marie.” Sydney threw her
arms around Marie’s neck and bear-hugged her. 
It had been a few years since Sydney called Marie by
that nickname. When Marie first started to take care of her,
Sydney developed the nickname due to Marie taking the
motherly role in her life. Marie took over in teaching
Sydney what it meant to be a wolf and the hierarchy
lessons that her father started. Since Marie was inside of
the pack when her father was still alive, it was an easy
transition. Marie had also babysat her from time to time for
her parents, so a lasting trust had already been built, and
during the moments where she really needed her mother,
like the whole talk about puberty, Marie was there. Once
Sydney turned eighteen, the nickname seemed to fade
away, but Sydney never forgot it. 
Marie released her, “sweetheart, you have something
else to open.” 
Sydney opened the envelope. It contained a cheesy card
in the shape of a puppy that had a short and sweet message
inside. “Happy 21 st Birthday, Anything is pawsible!” Then
money fell onto her lap, and that is when Sydney gasped
again. 
“Marie!” 
“Hush, sweetheart. Like I said, it is from all of us
Omegas.” 
Sydney grasped the money in her hand and began to
count it. “How were you guys able to spare this much
money?” 
“We have been saving since we started to take care of
you. That is why there is so much there. We wanted you to
have enough so you could truly have a remarkable day.
Merida and Lucy have a big day planned for you. There is
enough for you to do whatever you would like to do. There
is also enough so you can buy yourself some clothes, and
maybe a nice dress for the Coronation.” 
Tears rolled down Sydney’s face as she pulled Marie into
another hug. Warmth spread over her from the love she
could feel being poured into their hug. Sydney thought it
was from the connection they shared through the pack
bonds, but realized quickly it was not. The emotion of
motherly love was powerful enough that it could be felt
without the bonds they shared. 
 When Marie let go, she helped Sydney pack for her day
with her friends. Marie also walked her out of the house to
the woods where Merida was waiting for her. 
“Ready to party?” Merida asked her. 
“That depends. What kind of party are you planning?” 
“Why in the heavens would I answer that question?
Takes the fun out of everything.” 
Marie gave Sydney a final quick hug and a kiss on her
forehead. “Remember, sweetheart. This is your life to live.
Be sure to actually live it.” 
Sydney watched her adoptive mother walk back to the
pack house. She noticed Theresa glaring down at her from
her bedroom window. She was unsure why she would
receive a glare at this time, but Sydney ignored it. Merida
tugged on her hand, and they walked into the woods
towards the city. 
It’s time to start living. 

M ERIDA WALKED Sydney through a section of the woods until

they came to a road. When they reached it, Lucy was
standing next to a car to take them to the city. Lucy’s gray
hair was tied into a braid with a few feathers inside of it,
and it appeared that she had silver and black dots that
framed the mask of her eyes. Before Sydney could ask
about it, Lucy held up her hand and said, “I’ll explain later.”
The ensemble she wore reminded Sydney of Lucy’s owl
counterpart, which was also new. It was almost as if she
was now a part of a tribe instead of on her own. Most
animal tribes wear clothing that was inspired by the animal
that they could shift into. 
 The girls pulled out all the stops for Sydney’s birthday.
They found a hotel that had a salon and spa inside. Merida
and Lucy paid for the hotel so Sydney could use her money
on the spa and clothes. When they checked into their room,
Lucy had a smile on her face that Sydney was not used to
seeing. 
“You’re up to something,” Sydney called Lucy out for the
smile. 
“I am not.” 
“Mmhmm.” 
Sydney knew better. When it came to Merida and Lucy,
they always had something up their sleeves. Once they
planned a secret scavenger hunt for one of her birthdays,
and it was just long enough that it took her allotted hour to
complete it for her walk. 
Sydney almost expected a small party in their room
when she opened the door from all the side glances Merida
and Lucy shared along the way. It was not a party, but it
was decorated like one. Blue and silver balloons at different
heights were in each corner, a “happy birthday” sign was
strung up on a wall that was over a smorgasbord of snacks
spread out on a table. 
This is a dream come true! 
Bowls of different kinds of chips along with sauces to dip
them into, freshly baked pretzels that smelled of dough,
butter and salt, cookies, brownies, and even a few kinds of
cake. The mixture of salt, onion, and sour cream hit her
nose and made her mouth water from the one sauce that
was white with flecks of green inside of it. The cookies
smelled of vanilla, sugars, and chocolate. Sydney had to
stop herself from drooling from the combination of smells,
and it caused her stomach to growl slightly. 
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY SYDNEY!” They both yelled with
their hands in the air. 
Sydney giggled, “thank you, you guys. This is amazing.” 
“The party hasn’t even begun yet,” Merida said as she
grabbed Sydney’s hand. 
Merida led her to the bathroom that looked like a spa
itself. It had a shower big enough to hold five people inside
of it. The tub was separate, and it was the size of at least
three tubs put together. There were openings inside of the
tub, which is when Lucy told Sydney that it was a jacuzzi
tub and those were the jets. The bed situation blew
Sydney’s mind. There were small, individual rooms for each
of them and the main room where the table with all the
snacks were laid out. There was a small kitchenette with a
fridge, cabinets, sink and a microwave. On the wall with
the door, there was a couch to sit on and a TV on the small,
separating wall across from it. Merida began to walk over
to the couch when Sydney broke the silence after the
walkthrough. 
“How were you two able to pay for this? This is a mini
apartment!” 
“Lucy has a new sugar daddy,” Merida joked as she
flopped onto the couch. 
“What?!” Sydney exclaimed as she turned to her friend. 
Lucy sighed. “I did not want tonight to be about me.
Why would you bring this up, Mer?” 
Merida rolled her eyes. “You really think Sydney wants
all the focus on her? Besides, we are all friends here. We
tell each other everything. Why wouldn’t I bring it up if you
weren’t going to?” 
“Lu, of course I want to know! What are you hiding?” 
“See. No offense happening here.” 
“Fine. Just know I am not happy about this,” Lucy said
as she dropped to the ground and sat with her legs crossed
underneath her. 
Sydney jumped onto the couch with Merida and
anxiously waited for Lucy to start. 
“In some tribes, every so often, tribe members map out
the stars to determine the fates of each tribe and to seek
possible mates. The tribes that meet for the mapping
changes every time, so you aren’t stuck seeing the same
ones each time. Well, I was called to attend this time
because my predictions have been extremely accurate
lately. Turns out, I never met the Akiki tribe before… and
my mate was amongst them.” 
Sydney gasped as her hands flew to her mouth. “No
way! That is so exciting!” 
“That isn’t all of it, Syd. Wait until you hear who her
mate is.” 
Lucy glared at Merida. 
“Who is your mate?!” Sydney squealed. 
“Milo Sparx.” 
Sydney’s next gasp was mixed with a squeal, and louder
than the first. “The Great Gray Owl Alpha?!” 
“I heard his family line is from the original Archetype of
the Owls,” Merida added. 
“Yes, and yes,” Lucy confirmed. Merida joined Sydney
with squealing for their friend. Lucy finally smiled as she
watched her friends sharing excitement. “That is why I now
have the markings around my face. I am now a part of the
Akiki tribe. This is a symbol of my mate bond.” Lucy
gestured to the markings around her face. 
“Oooh! Do we get the details?!” Merida asked. 
Lucy narrowed her eyes. “No. That is private.” 
“Fine.” Merida rolled her eyes and sighed with
frustration. “I’ll change the subject then. Isn’t he also
friends with Nero Underwood, the Southern Sanction
Alpha?” Merida asked. 
“Yes. I believe Nero is another Archetype descendent. I
think both of their families are friends with one another.”
Lucy stood up and began to walk over to the snacks. “Let’s
start snacking. He is coming here by the way.” 
“Nero? Why would he slum it with this part of the
sanction?” Sydney asked as she followed Lucy to the table. 
“Draxton’s Coronation. Apparently, he was requested to
come here to attend.” 
“Why would he be requested for Draxton’s and not
Dante’s?” 
 “Oh, now I remember all these rules. Been a while since
I learned about them. Draxton is ascending to the position
of Alpha by lineage due to his father being the Alpha. Pack
magic kind of makes it easy on the children, even if they
weren’t born into that level of power. With Dante taking the
position by force, he had no Coronation. Draxton will
because it’s his birthright.” Sydney surprised herself with
her explanation. She expected to forget a detail or two,
especially since she has not used that information since it
was taught to her by her father when she was young. 
“That makes sense. You don’t get a party if you kill
someone; only if you rightfully obtain the position through
blood relations I can live with that,” Merida flippantly said
to the explanation. 
“I am still not certain on why you throw a ‘party’ when a
new Alpha is crowned, not to mention why Dante is
handing over the pack to that douche of a son of his.” Lucy
grabbed a bowl and scooped popcorn into it. 
“Usually, once an heir turns twenty-one and shifts, they
are eligible to become the Alpha. Most Alphas will hand
over the packs a few months after that when they know
their son has control over their wolf.” 
“No wonder packs are always changing Alphas. Why
would you want freshly shifted males running your packs?
That sounds like an inefficient way to do things.” 
Lucy had a point. Sydney wondered that herself from
time to time. Newly shifted wolves tend to make the most
mistakes. Keeping older wolves who are more experienced
with everything involving pack politics as Alphas would
make the most sense. 
“It’s always been that way. Don’t ask me why. I struggle
with that question myself.” 
“Back to Nero coming. He is still not mated, correct?”
Merida asked as she crunched on some pretzels. 
Lucy cocked her eyebrow at Merida. “As far as I know.
Why?” 
 “He’s been to every pack but this one. He hasn’t found
his mate yet. So maybe his mate is here.” 
“That would be kind of cool to go from a ‘small town’
type of pack to the biggest pack in the sanction,” Sydney
added. 
The girls continued to talk about various things. Mostly
about Nero being present at the Coronation. Eventually,
Merida and Lucy agreed to join Sydney at the party so she
would not be alone. Thankfully, it was an open party so they
would be allowed to join her. 
They all fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning.
Merida pulled out a cake at midnight for them to celebrate
Sydney’s day from the moment it started. Sydney thought
she felt the bonds with her wolf open up, but there was no
voice to verify that it happened. Usually a Shifter will hear
their animal at midnight on their birthday. Some experience
it taking longer, especially lower ranking wolves, so Sydney
did not worry. She would hear her wolf when it was time. 
Sydney woke up first and was surprised that it was eight
o’clock. She thought she would sleep longer since she
didn’t manage to lay her head down around three in the
morning. All three of the girls decided to pull their
mattresses out into the main living area so they could talk
until they fell asleep. It was something Sydney always
wanted to do, and now she was able to experience it. Lucy
and Merida were still inside of the cocoons of their
blankets and breathing heavily.
I am so happy I have friends like them. 
She made her way to the bathroom. After she took care
of necessary business, she decided to get into the tub.
Sydney turned nozzles and brought it to the temperature
that she liked. Since she was used to not having the luxury
of being able to take baths while at the pack house,
showers were faster and she always had to work, Sydney
went by the temperature she liked during the shower.
There were vials of bubble baths and bath salts lined up on
a shelf by the tub, and she wanted to use them. However,
she had no idea what each one of them would do. 
“COMING THROUGH! I NEED TO PEE!” Merida
barreled into the bathroom and rushed to the toilet. 
“Uhm, Mer. I’m still in here.” 
“Why would I care? We have the same parts. It’s not like
you would see anything new,” she said as she quickly pulled
down her pants and sat down, “unless you have a winkie I
don’t know about.” 
Sydney laughed but also blushed. Her life was spent
inside of the pack house, but pretty much under a rock. She
knew nothing of the opposite sex except that they had
different organs than she did. Instead of saying anything,
she continued to examine the vials. 
The toilet flushed and her friend stood beside her. “Syd,
I’m sorry. I know that kind of talk embarrasses you.” 
“No, it’s okay. I just don’t know how to talk about those
things.”
“Which I am sorry for. I know you don’t, so I should not
have said something like that to make you feel this way.” 
“Mer, it’s really okay. I am more embarrassed by the fact
that I have no idea what any of these bottles are. I’ve never
used any of them. Baths aren’t exactly a luxury I can afford
at the pack house,” she said as she pointed at all of them. 
“Oh. I have used some of these before, mostly when I am
actually visiting the Skulk nearby.” Merida grabbed a few
of the vials and examined them more closely. “I think you
should use some of this bubble bath first.” She hit a button
for the jets to close and then dumped the contents of a vial
under the spigot, and immediately, bubbles began to form.
The smell of lilac and lavender filled Sydney’s nostrils as
Merida put the contents back and grabbed another vial.
“Wait until the tub fills up a little more. Then turn off the
water and dump these in.” 
Sydney took the bottle in her hand and smiled, “thank
you.” 
 “Any time. And don’t be embarrassed by not knowing
what to do. Everyone does something for the first time in
their life, pretty much every day. We are all newbies at
some point or another. And we all feel embarrassed about
it, even though we shouldn’t. Please, ask me questions. I’ll
never make you feel stupid for asking questions to
understand what you don’t know.” 
Merida’s words made Sydney feel a lot better about how
she felt. Her friend was right. She should not feel
embarrassed. 
“Thank you. I am happy to know I have someone to turn
to when I don’t know something.” 
“Any time. I’m gonna go wake up the owl.” 
Merida gave her a quick hug and then left the room.
When she was alone, Sydney poured the other vial’s
contents into the water. The salts smelled of honey and
mixed with the scents of lilac and lavender beautifully.
Sydney stripped off her clothes and got into the tub. She
was thankful that there were small benches on the sides to
assist with sitting inside of this large tub. The water
seemed to seep into her skin and bring a whole new sense
of relaxation. She felt her eyes grow heavy and she closed
them. Not to sleep, but to close off the world. Her muscles
seemed to go numb as her mind drifted off into
nothingness.
Mmmm. I don’t think I have been this relaxed since I
was a kid. 
Something inside of her tugged on her soul. Sydney felt
a small opening form and grow bigger with each passing
second. Unsure of what this was, Sydney opened her eyes
and thought of calling out to her friends, but a new feeling
washed over her: 
A feeling of strength, protectiveness, acceptance, and
warmth. 
There was only one explanation for all of this. 
Hello?
 Hello. 
Are you my wolf? 
Yes, I am. My name is Silver, and I am so glad that
this moment has finally come.
S ydney was overwhelmed with emotions when she
heard her wolf’s voice for the first time. It was ironic
to Sydney that her wolf’s voice matched her name. The
wolf’s voice was silvery, as in light, clear, and pleasant.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt her wolf’s aura
spreading across her body, the bond fully opening up. 
I have been waiting for this moment, too. 
I wish I could have come sooner. It appears there
were many times that you could have used being able
to shift into a wolf judging by your memories. 
You are scanning my memories? 
Yes.  Wolves love getting to know our human half.
Especially since we are not able to connect with you
until your twenty-first year. 
It’s okay that you weren’t with me. I think I have fared
well enough. 
You have, but you could have thrived. 
Sydney was unsure of how to respond to her wolf about
that. A lot of things could have assisted her with “thriving”,
like being higher in the hierarchy. However, there was only
one definite way that could have made her life better, and
that was to leave the pack. 
Are you talking about leaving the pack? 
She was met with a wall of silence. Are wolf halves the
half of a shifter that is more like a permanent teenager? 
I am not going to dignify that with a response. 
Sydney chuckled at the remark from her wolf. So now
that I have this connection with you, does this mean I can
shift? 
Yes. But it is not the right time to shift. 
But why? 
We need the moon. 
It was part of the ritual to shift. The moon needs to
guide the magic of the Shifter so the person can take the
form of their animal. Most wolves feel the connection at the
stroke of midnight on the day of their birth and they can
shift. If the moon is full, and the wolf is high on the
hierarchy, the shift is easier. If it was a New Moon, that was
a harder shift for any wolf. No moon at all equals no
assistance with the wolf’s magic to be able to complete the
shift. Only once did Sydney witness that situation, and it
was awful. Draxton’s was on the day of the New Moon. It
took him hours, and assistance from his father, to complete
his first shift, and he was a complete grouch until the Full
Moon when the magic was more powerful. 
The good news was the Full Moon was the next day, so
when Sydney shifted later, it would not be too difficult–at
least she hoped it wouldn’t. Sydney was an Omega, and
none of her pack was nearby to coach her through it or use
their aura to help pull her wolf forward like Dante had to
do with Draxton. 
After the moment passed with her wolf, Sydney realized
she was hogging the bathroom. She drained the tub and
moved onto the shower with haste. Quickly she washed her
body and her hair. Once everything was washed off, she
stepped out of the shower and realized she did not bring in
new clothes. She looked over at the wall and noticed a robe
hanging on a hook. Sydney quickly grabbed it and wrapped
it around herself. The fabric was soft and reminded her of
Marie’s hugs. 
I wish I could take this home. 
Lucy knocked on the door and Sydney yelled out that
she could come in. The owl’s eyes were barely open as she
stumbled into the bathroom. 
“Well hello, Miss Sleepyhead,” Sydney joked at her. 
“I was not made to be awake at this hour,” Lucy
responded. 
Sydney laughed and stepped out of the bathroom.
Before she could get to her bag, Merida threw garments of
clothing at her. 
“Ah! WHY!?” Sydney looked down at the fabrics that fell
on the floor due to her not catching them. 
“Put those on. I finally got the Owl awake, and we need
to go shopping.”
“These aren’t mine,” Sydney said as she looked through
the clothing. 
“Yes, they are. My present to you. Now get dressed.” 
There was no use in arguing. Merida would not accept
any other answer than yes. Sydney quickly pulled on her
new clothes. She had a blue laced panty and bra set, a pair
of light blue jeans with a fade from her knees to the top of
her thighs and white patches in the front, and a tunic
length blouse with ruffles around the neckline that flowed
down to the collarbone. When she finished putting on the
clothes, Sydney looked at herself in the mirror. The
shoulders were a little stretchy and she could wear the top
off the shoulder. When she adjusted it to be that way, she
did not feel the confidence she needed to wear it that way
all day around the city. She then readjusted it as Merida
came up behind her. 
“I got you a pair of shoes for that outfit, too.” 
 Merida held up a pair of pale blue Converse shoes with
white on the bottom. It matched perfectly with the outfit,
and Sydney could feel her heart bursting with affection for
her friend. With a smile on her face, Sydney accepted the
shoes and slipped them on. 
“How did you know all of my sizes?” 
“Marie.” 
Of course. 
Lucy walked out of the bathroom and shuffled over to
her room. Within ten to fifteen minutes, she walked out of
the room wearing an acid washed black denim jacket with
matching jeans. Underneath the jacket, which she wore
open, was a burnt orange tank top. To finish she wore ankle
high burnt orange boots with two-inch heels. Yet again,
Lucy had her hair in a braid with a few feathers tucked into
it. With her hair tied back, the markings around her face
were on full display.
Sydney complimented her friend. “Wow. I love your
outfit. It really shows off what kind of Shifter you are.” 
Lucy looked as though she would fall asleep standing up
if they allowed her to. “Mhmm.” 
Merida was in the kitchenette and walked out with a cup
in her hand. When she reached Lucy, she held the cup out
to her. 
“Drink up, Night Owl.” 
“Why must we be awake?” Lucy grumbled as she put the
cup to her mouth. 
“To celebrate Syd’s birthday.” 
“Mmm.” Lucy leaned on the wall as she drank her
coffee. 
“I’ll jump in the shower really quick and get ready while
she wakes up.” 
Merida did as she said, and it took around a half hour
for her to go through her routine. Sydney brushed out her
hair and kept an eye on Lucy. Within that time, Lucy drank
the cup of coffee and then another. By the time Merida was
out of the bathroom, she was completely dressed and ready
to go. Her outfit seemed like a combination of Sydney’s and
Lucy’s with faded burnt orange jeans like Lucy’s, but it had
brown patches like the white ones on Sydney’s. The shirt
was an orange tank top with thick shoulder straps with
ruffles around the neck. With a brown jean jacket and white
converse shoes to complete the look. 
“Where did you guys buy these outfits? They all look so
good!” Sydney exclaimed after looking over both of her
friend’s outfits for a second time. 
“We will take you there. Come on! We are burning
daylight.” Merida grabbed her bag and threw it over her
shoulder as she walked to the door. 
Sydney grabbed her faded blue jean jacket that Merida
pointed at as they walked out the door and put it on. She
did not have a purse to put anything in, so she shoved her
money in her pocket. Lucy straggled behind since she was
still not awake. Merida hailed a cab, and they all climbed
in. As they drove to the heart of the city, Sydney craned her
neck every way she could to take in everything around her. 
By the time they reached the strip of stores, Lucy
appeared more awake. Sydney thought that they would
start with shopping for clothes, but she was wrong. When
they stepped out of the car, they were in front of a store
front called Ember Forest Spa. Sydney looked at her
friends with her eyebrow cocked which was met with two
sly smiles. 
“Surprise?” Merida said as she lifted her shoulders and
had palms up. 
Sydney was blown away after she stepped into the small
building to find a paradise in tile. The colors of the walls
were variations of blues, greens, and purples with
fountains coming out of the walls to look like waterfalls.
When they reached the reception desk, Lucy and Merida
did the ordering for Sydney. She feared that she would end
up in a weird mud bath with the names of the services not
being direct, but knew she had to trust her friends. They
would never put her in a situation that would cause her to
be embarrassed. 
They started out with a massage. To help Sydney feel
more comfortable, both girls were in the room with her.
The feeling of the tension in her muscles of all the labor of
chores over the years slowly washed away from the
massage. There was light music playing that had no lyrics,
and the smell of jasmine and vanilla wafted in the air. If it
was not for the girls having small talk, Sydney would fall
asleep. 
After the massage, the girls had her go through a facial
and a haircut. Sydney protested at first, but the stylist said
that she would only cut off what was needed to keep her
hair healthy. They all talked about the Coronation party
tomorrow, and Sydney began to wonder if she should not
only embrace new clothes, but a new look entirely. 
“What if I dyed my hair?” 
Merida and Lucy gasped, then Merida began to bounce
in her seat. “I am all for this! Please do this?!” 
Sydney looked at her stylist. “What do you think would
look good on me?” 
Her stylist was a young wolf by the name of Wendy who
told them that she was a rogue and made a living here. Her
hair reminded Sydney of a unicorn with dark green eyes.
She looked Sydney over with her finger tapping against her
lips. 
“Would you trust me, and I surprise you?” 
Sydney looked over at her friends and they were
nodding yes. “Sure. Just not as flamboyant as your hair. I
doubt my Alpha will approve of it.” 
“You got it, Sweetie.” 
It took roughly two hours of work before Sydney’s hair
was done. Thankfully, Sydney’s hair was already golden
blond, or it would have taken longer. The stylist took her
time and layered the dyes until she was satisfied. Wendy
also turned her away from the mirror so she would not see
until it was all finished. Not much was taken off her length
when Wendy was cutting it, but Sydney noticed that some
layers were put in that as well. After Wendy felt it was
perfect, she slowly blowdried Sydney’s hair and styled it. 
“Are you ready to see the new you?” 
“Absolutely!” 
Wendy turned her around so she could face the mirror.
Sydney’s mouth dropped as she did not expect what she
now saw as herself. Wendy did an outstanding job. Her hair
laid around her chest still, but now was a mixture of blue,
silver, and dark gray. 
“Oh my gosh! This is amazing! I would have never
thought of this in my wildest dreams!” 
“I’m so glad you like it!” 
Sydney hugged Wendy as an added thank you, and even
gave a bigger tip than she originally intended. “I’m going to
tell every girl I know to come to you! Thank you so much.” 
After they all paid for their services, they left the spa.
Sydney asked if there were any more surprises, and they
said no. The girls both pulled Sydney in and out of each
store they saw a cute top or pair of jeans inside of the
store’s window. Sydney was not good at choosing clothes
for herself since she did not have much experience with it.
It got to the point that they would shove her into a
changing room and throw clothes over the door for her to
try on. Each time a new garment would strike her in the
head, she would laugh and yell out at them to watch where
they were throwing. 
Within a couple of hours, Sydney’s arms were
completely full of bags with brand new clothing and shoes.
Some were bought by her friends, and the rest she bought
herself with her birthday money. They stopped to eat at a
pizza restaurant that sold by-the-slice. As they looked at a
display of the pizzas, Sydney’s stomach growled viciously.
The girls chuckled and joked that if she didn’t eat soon she
might try to eat them. It was never a good thing for a
Shifter to go without eating. That could cause their animal
to become too ravenous and there was a possibility that the
human half could lose control of their animal half. There
were reports of a few Shifters that did, and they attacked
humans. Some of those humans did not survive. Sydney
could not choose so she bought four different slices. One
was pepperoni, another was meat lovers, another was
called a chicken ranchero that had ranch sauce with
chicken, bacon, and jalapeños on top, and the last one was
an ‘everything’ slice. Sydney’s mouth watered as she
carried her plate of food to a table and sat down. The
cheese melted so well that when she took her first bite of
the ‘everything’ slice, the cheese stretched as she pulled
the pizza away from her mouth. The mixture of ingredients
caused her to moan from the taste. 
“Girl, we need to find you a man to get you to make
those noises instead,” Merida joked. 
Sydney blushed, “the pack always eats at home. I’ve
never had anything like this.” 
When her stomach growled again, Lucy looked at her
with her eyebrows slightly furrowed, but her eyes were
slightly widened. “Syd, has your wolf started talking to you
yet?” 
“Yeah, this morning. Why?” 
Lucy and Merida exchanged a look but said nothing as
Sydney devoured her slices of pizza. Each slice set her
taste buds on fire and made her want to try more. The
cheese was chewy but blended well with the slightly acidic
taste of the tomato sauce. Each slice had its own flavor
combination that made her head spin. Especially the
Chicken Ranchero. The combination of the flakey crust, the
tangy ranch, the spiciness from the jalapeno, and
savoriness of the chicken and onion was her favorite.
Sydney stood up and walked up the counter to get another
slice. When she returned with two, both of her friends
stared at her with their eyes widened. 
“Are you okay?” Merida asked her. 
“Yeah, why?” Sydney answered as she stuffed her mouth
full of pizza. 
“Her wolf must be trying to prep for her first shift,” Lucy
said to Merida. 
“That would make sense. Syd, do you feel a pull or a
wanting to shift?” Merida asked and slowly tilted her head. 
Sydney licked her fingers and realized the bizarre,
unladylike action was why Merida was looking at her funny.
“No, I don’t think so.” 
“Mmmkay. How about we move on to finding dresses for
the Coronation.” 
Merida led Sydney out of the pizza shop by the hand and
down the street. “Mer, why are you pulling me away from
the food?” 
“Because I am afraid you will blow all of your dress
money on pizza.” 
“Why is that a bad thing?” 
“Generally speaking, it’s not. However, you need a
dress,” Lucy told her as they stepped into a dress shop. 
Sydney browsed through all of the dresses. She ran her
hands against the fabrics as she walked through the aisles.
Nothing jumped out at her as a dress she absolutely had to
have, and she wondered if this was the only store they
could find dresses in. That was when she heard the doors
burst open, and two men yelling out her name barrelled
toward her. 
“Calvin! Chris! It’s so nice to see you –”OOF. The two
brothers plowed into her and hugged her tightly. 
“Happy birthday!” they said in unison when they let her
go. 
Calvin and Chris were on the shorter side of Shifters
being Chipmunks, but that did not stop them from
becoming bulky. They lifted weights regularly to help their
five-foot nine-inch frames be muscled to make up for the
fact that their animal was small. They were twins with dark
brown hair and eyes. Their high cheek bones and rounded
faces made them look boyish, and it did not help that they
were always joking around. Their personalities  were both
on the feminine but somehow maintained a manly side. 
“Thank you! How did you know we were here?” 
“Lucy gave us a heads up,” Calvin said. 
“And we want our opinion to be added in on the dress,”
Chris finished. 
Before she could say anything, the two men joined
Merida and Lucy in looking through the dresses on the
hangers. They all practically looked at each and every dress
the store had to offer, and they did not find a dress that
Sydney would want to wear. 
“Is there another store?” Sydney asked as she put a red
dress that was nothing but ruffles back onto the hanger. 
“No, not really. This is the only one that has formal
dresses in town. We don’t have the time to travel down to
the other one in the Solar Valley Pack’s territory,” Lucy
pointed out. 
“Yeah, that’s four hours away. We don’t have time for
that.” Merida looked bummed at first and then her eyes
widened. “Wait. Look at this one.” 
It was a deep blue halter with a strapped neckline and
an asymmetrical waistline. It was pretty, but Sydney felt it
was too simple. When she voiced her opinion, her four
friends looked at each other with a small smile on each of
their faces. 
“Leave it to us,” Calvin and Chris said together. 
Sydney walked to the front and paid for the dress. She
still had money left over and mentioned going to dinner.
Calvin and Chris declined and took the dress saying they
would drop it off before the Coronation. 
When the group of friends stepped out of the store,
Sydney could feel the moon caress her skin in a way she
had never experienced before. Just when they began to
decide on a place to eat, Sydney’s skin began to itch and
burn at the same time. She mindlessly scratched as they
walked along the sidewalk. The boys took all of the bags so
the girls would not have to carry them. This gave Sydney
the full ability to scratch her skin. 
“Syd, are you okay?” Merida asked her with concern
lining her voice.
She could barely hear her friend as Sydney’s entire body
began to feel like, if she did not scratch, it would sear off. 
“Lu, she’s going to shift.” 
“Boys, get the bags to our room. Here is our key. Mer,
grab her other arm.” 
Sydney could feel her friends’ hands under her arms and
lifting her off the ground. Her vision began to blur as she
felt her eyes go into the back of her head. Her
consciousness was slipping in and out as her head rocked
from side to side. 
“We are almost in the woods. Hang on, Syd.” 
The sensation of her skin on fire grew, but then she felt
cold air hit her skin. Her vision cleared just enough for her
to see that her friends were taking off her clothes. 
“You’re getting ready to shift for the first time, Syd.
Taking your clothes off will help since as you change into
your wolf, it can tear your clothes. That will only make
everything harder.” 
Sydney could not answer. Instead she screamed out
when she felt her muscles spread and her bones begin to
rearrange. Her vision cleared slightly, and she noticed she
was directly under the moon. Its beam of light seemed to
cast a circle around her body. She felt something pull
toward the moon as her back arched. Another bout of
screams escaped her throat as a wave of pain washed over
her. She could feel her skin stretch as she tried to roll onto
her stomach and get onto her hands and knees. Her head
was thrown back as a howl escaped her throat. Sydney
wanted to move, but each time she tried, it felt as though
her bones were going to snap in half. She looked to her
friends, but they were several feet away from her. Their
mouths were moving, but she could not hear the words
they were saying. 
Help me. 
You are doing great, Sydney. 
The sound of her heart thrumming against her ribs
echoed inside of her ears. Sweat covered every inch of her,
and she felt as though she was going to vomit. Just when
she was going to ask for someone to end her life to escape
the pain, she felt her wolf’s presence emerge. Instead of
feeling as though her wolf was just a voice inside of her
head, Sydney felt Silver’s presence all over her skin. The
presence twisted inside of her, and it was a welcoming
feeling. As her wolf commanded her body to shape itself,
the sensation of her bones breaking and her skin stretching
began to recede. Everything went black for a moment but
ended as quickly as it came. Sydney reopened her eyes and
noticed she was laying on her stomach on the forest floor. 
What the… Sydney tried to move to her hands and
knees, but her body did not feel the same. She tilted her
head down and she noticed paws instead of hands. Woah!
She said to herself. Her fur was not a color she had ever
seen on a wolf before. It was a mixture of a gray blue, dark
gray, and white. It took her a few moments, but she
managed to get onto all four of her paws to stand. 
This is so weird. 
I agree. It is unusual to not be in ethereal form,
but instead inside of a body. 
How do we do this? 
Just like a toddler learning how to walk. With one
foot in front of the other. 
Well ,in this case, it would be paws. 
Sydney could feel her wolf’s presence still and had her
assistance as she attempted to walk for the first time on all
four paws. It took a few moments, but it began to come
naturally. Soon after that, Sydney began to notice that her
vision and senses of smell and hearing had heightened. 
I can hear everything inside of the forest! 
The whistling of the wind passing through all of the
trees mixed with different critters racing across the forest
floor was something she was excited about. Sure, she heard
these things before she shifted, but now it was so sharp
that she could pinpoint where every noise was coming
from. The sensation of itchy skin returned slightly, and
Silver shook her body and then it disappeared. 
Want to run? 
Sure! 
Silver dug her claws into the dirt, and the scent of it hit
their nose. Sydney sucked it in like it was the freshest scent
she ever smelled in her life. Before she knew it, Silver
threw her body forward and began to pound her paws into
the ground as quickly as she could. Sydney was able to see
everything Silver did as the wind ran through their fur. Her
muscles quickly loosened as if the wolf was chained down
to where it could not move for hundreds of years. They
followed a path that had twists and turns for them to run
along. Sydney felt free for the first time in her entire life. 
This is the most amazing birthday ever! 
The scent of a deer caught their attention. Silver slowed
down her pace to a crawl and hunkered her body down.
The deer jumped into view from in between a few trees and
then ran off in the opposite direction. Silver adjusted her
body quickly and chased after it. Before Sydney knew it,
Silver was one pounce away from getting it. 
Wow. I forgot wolves were so fast! Sydney said just as
Silver leapt onto the deer’s back and wrapped her jaws
around its neck. The metallic taste of blood poured into the
wolf’s mouth. Sydney was unsure if she would be able to
handle watching Silver eat the deer. 
 Go to sleep, Sydney. Everything will be fine from
now on. Her wolf told her as Sydney felt her consciousness
fading. 
Okay. Have fun. 
Sydney drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
Everything is going to be fine now.
S ydney “woke up” not too long after Silver took over
while eating her first kill. Silver ran to a small creek
that ran in the west quadrant of the sanction. It was just
inside the pack’s territory, thankfully, and roughly three
feet wide. Silver washed her face and paws in the water
and then drank from it. The water was clear, crisp, and
tasted far fresher than any other water she ever tasted. 
With her new keen senses, Silver heard footsteps from a
small animal approaching. A threatening growl emitted
from her throat. When a red fox leapt out in front of Silver,
Sydney chuckled. 
Is that Fox a friendly? 
Yes. It’s Merida. 
That’s disappointing. Foxes can be fun to hunt. 
Next came the flapping of wings. Silver lifted her head
and searched the skies for the owl. Silver sat on her
haunches and watched Lucy perch herself on a branch
above them. The moon was bright enough to illuminate
their area, and Silver kept moving her head back and forth
to keep her eyes on the two animals. 
They are my friends. 
 I know, but that does not mean you drop your
senses. Always be aware of your surroundings. 
Merida must have sensed that Silver would not do
anything until she knew what the others were planning to
do due to her dropping the front half of her body down to
the ground. As Merida’s tail swished from side to side,
Silver’s head cocked to the side. It was clear to Sydney that
Silver had not had the chance to be a wolf before. It took a
few moments until Silver caught on that Merida wanted to
play. Silver then mimicked Merida’s movement of plopping
the front half of her body down onto the ground and
yipping. Merida let out a gleeful yip and took off running
along the creek. As they ran, Silver could hear Lucy’s wings
flapping above them. 
The sounds of their paws connecting with the forest
floor echoed through the trees as they ran. Sydney enjoyed
hearing the flow of the water next to her, the whistling of
Lucy’s wings through the leaves, and the wind rushing
through Silver’s fur. It was a struggle for Sydney to
differentiate between what Silver felt and what she felt.
Even though Sydney was able to feel both at the same time,
she had some trouble understanding what was happening
to who. 
This is going to take some getting used to. 
After a few shifts it’ll come easier. 
They ran for a few hours, stopping occasionally to drink
from the creek. During the last stop, Merida shifted back
into her human form. 
“I think we should head back. Dawn is in a few hours.” 
Silver sneezed at her. 
“I know it’s hard to want to shift back after your first
time, but Sydney will need to get back to the house. It’s
best that it be sooner rather than later.” 
Silver showed her teeth at the mention of the house. 
“I don’t want her going back there anymore than you do.
However, that is where she needs to be for the time
being.” 
Silver grumbled and began to walk in the direction from
which they came. Merida shifted back into her fox and led
the way. The whole way back, Sydney envisioned her life if
she would leave the pack for good. Now that she was
connected with her wolf, it was possible. She would survive
running through the forest to find her way to a different
territory and pledge her allegiance to them. 
Maybe I will after the Coronation… 

A FTER S YDNEY RETURNED to human form, Merida and Lucy

hugged her goodbye at the end of the tree line before the
pack house. Sydney had tears welling up with each hug and
thanked them for giving her the best birthday she has had
in years. They told her they would see her later tonight and
walked into the forest. 
Marie greeted her at the door and completely fawned
over her new look. Sydney was thankful to learn that Calvin
and Chris dropped off all her clothes, otherwise she would
have a hard time rushing to Marie to pull her into a hug.
Marie chuckled and hugged Sydney back the same way she
always has. 
“Did you have a good birthday, Sweetheart?” 
“The best! Thank you for making it possible.” 
Marie had Sydney’s hands on either side of her face. The
smile that Marie wore said it all. Everything that she
worked for since she became Sydney’s adoptive mother
paid off. The only thing she wanted was for Sydney’s
twenty-first birthday to be a memorable one. It was clear,
even in just a few words, that her goal was achieved. 
Sydney smiled back at her, but then her eyes caught
sight of something behind Marie. When she shifted her
focus, Sydney’s smile faded. Dante stood in the door frame
of the kitchen. His Alpha aura could be felt from even
across the room and that could only mean that Dante was
not happy. His dark face was pulled down into a frown, and
his eyes appeared darker than usual. Sydney could not
think of why he would be angry with either of them, but it
could also just be that the Coronation would be later. Marie
stepped aside after looking at Sydney’s face and bowed her
head. 
“Alpha,” they said in unison. 
“It is time for your wolf to be cataloged,” Dante said to
Sydney. 
“Yes, Alpha. Would you like for me to step outside?” 
“Yes, that would be fine.” 
Dante stepped forward and Sydney stepped aside for
him to walk out first. As he passed her, she could not help
but notice that his aura was not affecting her the way it
used to. The thought left as quickly as it came as she
followed him outside. She would dwell on it later when she
had time. Once they were both out in the open, Dante
stared at Sydney and waited for her to shift. Sydney took a
glance over her shoulder and noticed that Marie was still
standing at the door. A soft hoot came from the trees and
Sydney spotted Lucy on a branch. 
“Do I need to force your wolf out?” Dante practically
growled. 
“No, Alpha. I’m sorry. Not used to shifting, yet.” 
Sydney did not like that she had to remove her clothing
in front of Dante, especially feeling like she had more eyes
on her than just Dante, Marie, and Lucy. However, she was
wearing a new outfit and did not want to ruin it. A pair of
faded ripped jeans, a periwinkle button up shirt, and the
converse shoes that Merida had gotten her was the only
outfit that she had at the hotel before coming back after
the Chipmunk brothers brought the rest home. It did not
help that Dante stared at her as she took off each article of
clothing and placed them on top of her shoes so they would
not get dirty.
I’ll take over from here. 
Sydney felt Silver’s presence, at first inside of her chest,
but quickly over every inch of her skin. There was no pain
like there was the night before, but Sydney could feel her
body rearranging. Sydney did notice that there was a flash
of light this time. Hmm. Was I in too much pain last night to
notice this? Sydney hoped that Silver would answer the
question but was met with silence. Before she knew it, she
was once again on all fours and fur covered every inch of
her. Silver shook off the remnants of the magic of the shift
before sitting down in front of Dante. 
Is it just me or does he seem impressed? 
He probably did not expect you to have a wolf like
me. 
“Your wolf has a magnificent coat. I do not believe I have
seen a wolf with gray-blue within it… or have ice blue
eyes.” 
Dante walked around her and continued to do his
assessment. Once he completed one circle, he asked her to
stand up. Silver listened, and then he completed another
circle around her. Dante then knelt down and asked her to
put a paw in his hand. Silver did, and Sydney chuckled at
the fact that her paw took up half of it. He quickly
examined it and then stood up. 
“I am honestly impressed with your wolf. She is on the
larger side of females with a very unique coat. I am also
sensing that you are no longer an Omega. Not sure where
you would fall in our ranks, but today is not the day to
assess that. Shift back and assist Marie with anything she
needs today to prepare for the party. You may get ready at
four yourself for the coronation. I assume you bought one
while you were in the city?” 
Silver gave a curt nod as a response. 
 “Good.” Dante began to walk away. “Oh, and the new
hair is very fitting now that you have your wolf.” 
Sydney forgot that her hair was similar to Silver’s coat.
Remind me to thank Wendy again for giving me this new
hair. I don’t know how she knew to give me this color, but
the world needs to know about her skills! 
I agree. 
Marie spent the next several minutes gushing over
Silver and had to run her hands through her coat. At one
point, Sydney heard her mutter “thank you for finally
coming to her.” Sydney wondered if Marie knew something
that she didn’t and thought of asking her once she shifted
back. However, when she did, Sydney thought better of it. 
Do not worry, Sydney. All of these questions you are
asking yourself are just part of the magic of the first
shift taking effect. It can mess with thought patterns,
especially with it being a full moon as well. 
So, I am just going Moon Crazed? 
No. The moon and my presence is just
overwhelming your system. Take some deep breaths.
It’ll pass. 
Sydney listened to her wolf and took a few breaths.
Silver talked through shifting back once more, and again, it
did not last as long as it did the night before. Once she got
dressed, Sydney walked into the house with Marie. Over
the next several hours, Sydney worked alongside Marie on
finalizing every detail before the Coronation. After the
restful day with her friends the day before, the work did
not seem as tiring as it used to be. Marie also reminded her
that she had her wolf to thank. Along with shifting into an
animal and heightened senses, Sydney now had higher
endurance, faster speed, and higher strength. 
As she completed the work, Sydney could hear everyone
whispering about her new clothes and hair. It did not seem
like something that deserved this kind of attention, but
there was no way to stop it. Marie shooed away several
wolves to their rooms and told them to get ready, but
Sydney could still hear them talking about her. 
“Don’t worry about it, Sweetheart. You know how they
are.” 
“I do. It doesn’t bother me. I knew that this would cause
a lot of fuss. I was in rags for the last few years, and I
changed my hair. That’s the nature of being a woman.” 
“Unfortunately, it is; at least inside of this pack
anyway.” 
It was not grueling work as usual, but instead just
cleaning up the party area and decorating it for the
ceremony. Marie told Sydney that the Southern Sanction
Alpha would be coming, so Dante wanted things to be set
up to impress. No Omega griped about it for they also
wanted to be sure that the Alpha would be impressed. 
As a matter of fact, when the females of the pack were
not discussing Sydney’s new look, they were bringing up
that Alpha Nero would be coming. With him not being
mated, their hopes were that he would find them as a
possible mate. Sydney did not join in that conversation
even when she was asked. A part of her was hoping that
someone from another pack would be her mate so she
could leave this one, but she did not want her hopes up in
any way. 
Four o’clock came by quickly. Dante made everyone stop
what they were doing and prepare themselves for the
ceremony. Marie helped Sydney with her hair and make up
after she quickly got dressed in a little black dress. Sydney
joked with her when she noticed that Marie still had her
hair up, but this time in a bun. Marie shushed her and got
to work. When Sydney looked into the mirror, she smiled at
her reflection. Marie had her hair in a half up do and the
strands that were down were curled. Sydney noticed that
the eyeliner and mascara made her blue eyes pop in a way
she had not seen before. 
“Thank you, Marie.” 
 “You are welcome. Now. Where is your dress?” 
“Chris and Cal were supposed to drop it off!” 
“Oh. Well they didn’t with the rest of your clothes. Are
you sure they were-”  
Knock, knock, knock. 
Marie answered the door, and another Omega by the
name of Sherrie had a garment bag in her hand. She was
slightly older than Marie, but plumper. “Hey Syd. I love
your new hair color! Two guys dropped this off for you.” 
After saying thank you, Marie closed the door. When she
opened the zipper, she let out a gasp. 
“Oh my! I haven’t seen a dress this pretty in years,”
Marie said as she pulled it out of the bag. 
Sydney had to agree. The boys added more tulle to make
the bottom of the dress more full. They also added silver to
the straps as well as the neckline. The small details did not
change the dress much, but just enough to where Sydney
did not find it too simple anymore. 
Marie helped Sydney into the dress. With the new
necklace around her neck and two-inch heeled silver shoes
to complete the look, Sydney was ready for the party. 
“I meant to ask you, did you wear the necklace during
your first shift.” 
Sydney frowned, “I actually forgot to wear it. Explains
why my shift was so different last night compared to this
morning.” 
Marie’s eyebrows raised slightly, “it was that much of a
difference?” 
“I guess so.” 
Dante’s voice boomed over the loud speakers
throughout the house, “if you aren’t ready in the next ten
minutes, don’t bother to show up!” 
Marie rolled her eyes and walked out the door. Sydney
followed her but needed to use the restroom. When she
walked back into the hallway, she came face-to-face with
Draziel. 
 “Don’t think that changing your looks will help you get
Draxton into your bed. It won’t work.” 
“I assure you that I did not do this for him. I did this for
me.” 
“You know, I don’t even understand why you bothered
with a dress like this anyway. It does nothing for you.
Though I don’t think any dress would be able to help with
making you not look pitiful.”
Sydney looked at Draziel’s dress and smiled. It was a
gorgeous pink dress that hugged all of her curves in the
right way. The simplicity of a sweetheart neckline and the
cut of the dress that opened on one side to show off her
legs made Sydney wish she would have found something
like this when she was shopping. 
“You look gorgeous, Draziel. Compared to my dress, you
look flawless.” 
“Don’t try that fake nice shit with me.” 
“I’m genuinely loving your dress. It is perfect. I wish I
had found something that nice for myself.” 
Draziel’s eyes shifted to gold and a growl erupted from
her throat. Before Sydney knew it, Draziel’s claws were
slicing into her dress. All it took was a few swipes, and the
dress was ruined. The straps were no longer holding up her
dress, the waist was in pieces, and the tulle that Calvin and
Chris added was practically cut off. Sydney held her breath
to stop herself from crying. 
“Now you look like the Omega you will always be.”
Draziel’s words cut through Sydney like the claws to her
dress. 
With a loud cackle, Draziel walked away from her.
Let me out so I can show her proper respect! 
No…it’s not worth it. 
Sydney let out her breath and allowed her tears to fall.
Just when she tried to turn into her room, Theresa and
Dahlia walked through the hall. 
 “Oh my, Sydney, your dress looks awful! This simply
won’t do!” Dahlia exclaimed.
“I… I am, ssssorry. Draz-“ 
“Don’t you dare blame this on my daughter! You did this
to yourself so you can get a wolf into your bed using this
fake damsel in distress routine. It won’t work!” Theresa’s
voice hitched up to an octave that made Sydney’s ears
hurt. 
“Do not show up to the party tonight,” Dahlia told her as
she grabbed Theresa’s arm and pulled her down the
hallway. 
Sydney’s legs began to move on their own as tears
blurred her vision. She had no idea where she was going,
she just knew she could not stay there. Before she knew it,
she was in a section of the backyard that had a small
garden and a large fountain. There were times her father
would sit by the fountain with her, and they would throw
coins into it. Each coin was a new wish. It was a place
Sydney found herself from time to time when she needed to
think but  did not feel like walking. 
Just when she reached the path to the fountain, she
heard giggling and the sounds of people kissing. 
Just when I think my night can’t get any worse. 
A scent wafted into her nose. The smell of amber and
pepper caused her feet to continue to walk toward the
couple. 
Mate. 
Sydney stood before the couple and held back a groan.
It was Draxton and Draziel. She tried to turn back toward
the house, but she could not move her feet. The urge to
push Draziel away from Draxton was a hard impulse to
fight. Just when she thought she was going to lose against
that feeling, Draxton said one word that she did not
expect. 
“Mate.” 
Draziel’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “WHAT!” 
 It was Sydney’s turn to say the word she never thought
she would say. “Mate.” 
Draxton slowly looked Sydney down and then back up.
His eyes were nearly black as his wolf was fighting for
control. Sydney did not move a muscle as she waited for
Draxton to make the next move. It took several moments
before he did. While they stared at each other, Draziel was
screaming at the top of her lungs. Sydney hoped that
Draxton would make her stop. When he opened his mouth
to speak, it was not what she expected.” 
“I, Draxton Romero, future Alpha of the Ember Forest
pack, reject you, Sydney Danvers.”
D raxton’s words felt like a dagger piercing Sydney’s
heart. Pain radiated through the bond that was just
starting to form as it snapped from the rejection. Sydney’s
knees went weak as her breathing came sharp and ragged.
The bond was not severed entirely, and the pain would not
stop until she completed the rejection. She felt the concrete
connect with her knees as she collapsed to the ground. The
pressure on her knees from her fall was merely a dull ache
compared to the intense overwhelming pain she was
currently experiencing inside of her. The Rejection Ritual
needed to be completed, but she felt the rejection through
every fiber of her being. 
A True Mate was not meant to be rejected. The Goddess
created the mate that she knew would be the other half of
that person, the one that would complete their soul. If one
of the mates rejected the other, it was a slap in the face to
the Goddess, as this was comparable to spitting on her
plans. Sydney had heard of the Goddess keeping the
“Rejecter” from finding a new mate, to “seal” them from
the opportunity of finding a mate bond and cursing them to
a life of isolation and never finding fulfillment. Depending
on the person that was rejected, She would give them a
Second Chance Mate. That was a rare incident for that to
happen as the Goddess did not have a reputation to be
merciful to those who would impede her will. 
What made the situation worse was it happened in front
of Draziel. The one person she wished would not have seen
her go through this pain. All of their lives together, Draziel
tried to find ways to humiliate Sydney, to make Sydney look
like a lesser wolf than anyone else. Now she witnessed the
one thing that Draziel could hold over Sydney’s head.
Something that would make Draziel’s dreams come true
and make Sydney look like the low Omega that Draziel
thought her to be. To be rejected was also something that
made other wolves question the worth of that person.
Sydney would be a pariah among her pack. Lower than low,
and in some circles, an unperson. 
Tears streamed down Sydney’s face as Draziel cackled
at Draxton’s rejection. “Why are you surprised, Omega? Of
course he rejected you! You are not worthy of an Alpha. You
are a low level wolf with no family. No ties to a possible
empire! The only mate you would get is another Omega.” 
Silver pushed on the edges of Sydney’s mind. She
wanted to fight the wolf off but did not have the strength to
do so. The wolf’s presence brought some relief from the
pain, something she did not know that wolves could do for
their human counterparts when it came to emotional pain.
Sydney thought that was the reason Silver wanted control,
but she felt a shift inside of herself. Silver commanded
Sydney’s body to look at Draxton square in his eyes. 
“I, Sydney Danvers, Omega of the Ember Forest Pack,
reject you, Draxton Romero, as my mate.” Silver completed
the Rejection Ritual. 
Draxton collapsed onto his knees and screamed out in
pain while clutching his chest. Silver smiled as Draxton
cursed from the rejection. When he looked at her, he
glared, and Silver’s smile grew. He did not expect her to
complete the ritual. Draxton must have thought that she
would remain broken and watch from the sidelines as he
moved on. However, he did not take into account that she
was now connected to her wolf. 
And Silver was pissed. 
“You truly thought I would remain connected to you
when you had the gall to reject me? Pitiful.” 
“The only thing that is pitiful here is you. I am going to
be Alpha! I will have whoever I want as a mate. You will
most likely remain mateless. If I don’t want you, who else
would?” 
“Someone who understands the meaning of being
chosen by the Goddess to be fated to another.” 
Draxton threw his head back and cackled. It turned
Sydney’s stomach to hear it. She was thankful that Silver
took over. The words she was using were exactly what she
would love to say to him, but never would have dared to let
them come out of her mouth.
“You are not welcome at my Coronation. You can wallow
in self-pity that you were rejected instead.” 
Draxton grabbed Draziel’s hand and dragged her toward
the area where the Coronation would be held. Draziel laid
it on thick by burying her head into his neck and Sydney
could hear slobbering sounds against his flesh. 
Silver returned to her normal state inside of Sydney’s
mind and soul. The pain from the rejection was dull, but
still an ache that caused Sydney’s tears to return. She
never expected to be rejected by her mate. No one ever
expected such a thing to happen to them. 
But I also did not expect Draxton to be my mate. 
He was not worthy of your kindness. 
The Goddess thought so. 
Maybe if his family did not become Alphas of this
pack and de-evolved into the monsters that they are,
he would have stood a chance. 
Or I am not good enough. 
 None of that. 
Sydney pushed Silver further into the depths of her
mind. Even though Silver was making points that Sydney
should listen to, she did not want to hear it. Being rejected
consumed her thoughts and made the ache of the bond
being severed increase. Sydney walked over to the fountain
and brought herself to her knees. She threw arms on the
marble and laid her forehead against her arm. Within
seconds she was reduced to sobs and could hear them echo
against the trees. 
Suddenly, a faint whistle blew around her within a warm
breeze. A sound of fabric brushing against the marble
caught Sydney’s attention, and she could feel a powerful
presence that she did not recognize. It was not a wolf, but a
different power that she could sense that was a creature
like a Shifter. Sydney lifted her head to find a beautiful
woman sitting next to where she was crying. This woman
had long black hair that flowed down to the middle of her
back, pale blue eyes, pouty lips, long tanned legs, and
curves that were accented by her deep navy blue, sparkling
dress that clung to her skin. Sydney scooted herself back,
not knowing if this woman was a friend or an enemy. 
The beautiful woman cocked her head sideways and
seemed to take in the sight before her that was the
disheveled mess that Sydney had become. “Tell me child,
why are you here crying instead of celebrating the new
Alpha?” 
Sydney sniffled and wiped underneath her eyelids to
wipe away the tear drops that were unshed. Silver’s
presence was strong once more to assess the situation. 
She is a Witch. 
Should I run? 
That would be the worst thing for you to do. 
“The Alpha commanded me to stay away from the party,”
Sydney whispered. Afraid to speak too loud and have
another wolf overhear her. 
 “Perhaps it is because you would have stolen the show.”
The smile that the Witch gave her seemed kind as her pale
eyes had a softness to them.
“I doubt that is the reason. My dress is in shambles.” 
The Witch’s smile grew bigger. “From a jealous she-wolf
as it seems.” 
Sydney opened her mouth to respond, but the Witch cut
her off. “I sense the presence of the she-wolf on the fabric.
Including the intentions she had when she maliciously
raked her claws through it.” 
“I doubt she is jealous of me. She has much more than I
do.” 
“It is not your possessions that she-wolves hate. It is
your aura.” 
It was time for Sydney to cock her head sideways. “I
don’t understand what you mean.” 
“May I see your hand?” 
Sydney was hesitant, but Silver was not against it. She
slowly got to her feet, and then sat down next to the Witch.
When she held out her hand, the Witch took it. With one
hand just underneath Sydney’s, she could feel the power of
the magic that the Witch wielded. Sydney’s breath got
caught in her throat from the sheer mass of it. With the
other hand, the Witch took her pointer finger and traced
the lines inside of Sydney’s palm. 
“Mmm, yes I see. You have had your fair share of
darkness in your life. To lose your mother and father at
such a young age must have been devastating. Then, to live
your life below the rank that you were destined for had to
be grueling.” 
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just wait. I am not finished.” Sydney thought the tone
would be threatening, but it instead felt like the tone that
Marie tended to use when speaking to her. “Ah, yes. Right
here. This line here tells me that the kindness inside of
your golden heart is why most females despise you here.
They seem to believe that treating you horribly will bring
out the hidden beast that you keep locked away, but they
don’t seem to understand that you have no such beast.” 
Sydney looked at the small line near her thumb where
the Witch was pointing but did not understand how that
told the Witch anything. Before she could ask a question,
the Witch continued. 
“Oh, well. They are going to just love what the future
has in store for you.” 
“What do you mean? What is my future?” 
The Witch continued to softly smile at her. “I cannot tell
you that, my dear. If I would, then it may not come true.
This future of yours, it is much too important for it to not
happen.” 
Sydney looked down at her palm, and her confusion only
grew. “How are you able to see what the future has in store
for me by looking at my palm?” 
“I see my reputation has not reached here yet. I am
Rosalind, and I am the Witch that sees everything.” 
“As in..” 
“As in the Speaker of the Fates.” 
Sydney knew who she was after all. Rosalind was the
only creature that was able to speak to the Fates. It was
known that the Divine Entities foresaw the future, and
according to some, planned the destinies of all mortal
beings. However, should a Fate interact directly with a
mortal, they would be overwhelmed by their majesty and
go insane. There have been tales of Alphas, nobles, and
common humans alike all going stark raving mad by only
catching a glimpse of one of these creatures. The Fates
collaborated with the Gods and Goddess of this world. 
“It is an honor to meet you.” Sydney wanted to slap
herself with that being her response. “What are you doing
here?” 
That is not much better. 
 “I felt a disturbance of Fates’ wishes, which seems to be
happening a lot lately. I’ve had to fix at least three other
timelines now, and it is becoming insufferable. You mortals
seem to think you know everything.” 
Sydney blinked several times while she tried to
understand what was just said to her. “Excuse me?” 
“Oh nothing. My immortality is showing.” Rosalind
waved her hand like she was trying to brush away what she
just said. “I am here to correct a wrong.” 
“You are fixing the mate bond between me and
Draxton?” 
Rosalind threw her head back and laughed at Sydney’s
statement. It was more melodious than Sydney would have
thought, and the sound alone caused her to smile. 
Is this what magic does to people? 
Not that I am aware of. 
“You are silly, Sydney Danvers. No. What needs to be
fixed is this dress. You are going to the Coronation as
planned.” 
“I have been forbidden by the Alphas. I can’t break the
command.”
Rosalind’s kind smile returned, but Sydney felt a hint of
threat in it. “Ah, yes, but pack magic has nothing on mine.” 
Rosalind held out her hands for Sydney to take. Sydney
hesitated for a moment, but Silver took over once more and
had Sydney’s hands move to Rosalind’s. Sydney felt the
power that Rosalind gave off before through Rosalind’s
hands. It became a warmth as if Sydney’s hands were on
top of a burning stove. Before she could comment on it.
Rosalind stood up and guided Sydney to do the same with a
slight tug on her hands. 
“Now, the dress you had was magnificent. Simple, but
elegant. Exactly what you needed for a Coronation.
However, Draziel got her claws on it. Let’s see what I can
do here.” 
 Rosalind used her hands to hover over Sydney from
head to toe. Once she stood back up and removed her
hands, she placed her hands on her hips as if she was
disappointed in a way. There were a few “hmms” as
Rosalind walked around her. Sydney felt exposed as her
tattered clothes were hanging off her, and a cold breeze
brushed against her. She reached out to Silver and was met
with the wolf ignoring her. Before she could scold her wolf,
Rosalind excitedly clapped her hands. 
“I think I got it.” 
The next thing Sydney knew, Rosalind’s hands were
glowing royal blue. Rosalind moved her hands in a swirling
motion, and royal blue smoke and sparks shot out of her
hands as she did. Sydney took a step backwards, unsure of
how to feel about magic possibly touching her. 
“I assure you, this will not hurt.” 
A few seconds later, the royal blue smoke and sparks
were swirling around Sydney’s body. Soon she was unable
to see anything outside of Rosalind’s magic around her. She
looked down to see the fabric of her dress changing into
something else. The fabric underneath the tulle was now a
light shade of pink and the tulle was now a light shade of
navy blue. A belt made of metallic black beads wrapped
around her waist, and then the same fabric was on top and 
criss-crossed over her chest. She now had a sweetheart
neckline, and the straps were thinner than she expected
they would be. Her shoes were now the same color of blue
as the tulle on her dress. 
The magic dissipated, and Rosalind was holding up a
full-length body mirror for Sydney to see herself. Rosalind
wore a smile as Sydney’s jaw dropped at the same time her
hands flew up to cover it. She had never seen a dress like
this, and never would have thought of something like this,
even in her dreams. Rosalind also seemed to have fixed her
make-up and made it to be the way it was before her tears
made it smear down her face. 
 “Thank you, Rosalind. This dress is so beautiful!”
“No need to thank me. I am just doing my job. Now, to
fix that whole pack magic issue…” 
A snap of Rosalind’s fingers and Sydney felt her tie to
the pack disappear. She felt her eyes bug out of her skull in
response to what the magic had just done. 
“What did you do? Am I a Rogue now?” Sydney’s voice
sounded more horrified than she intended. 
“No. This is temporary. My magic will stay in place until
midnight tonight, which is in three hours. I just made the
pack forget who you are for the time being. You are being
given a second chance, Sydney. Your future awaits, and I
can promise you that it will be better than you think.”
Rosalind leaned her head slightly to the side for a moment.
“I think you need one more thing. If your pack cannot
recognize you, let’s take this one step further.” 
Rosalind cast her magic into the garden. A large
pumpkin that was growing inside of it raised  its roots up
and crawled out. As it came toward Sydney, it grew into a
large blue carriage on wheels. The ridges from the
pumpkin were still slightly present, but no one would ever
be able to tell that it was once a pumpkin in a garden.
Rosalind cast another ball of her magic into the forest.
Sydney was unsure if her magic worked at all until she had
multiple creatures running towards them. Before she knew
it, there were two black horses trotting toward the
carriage. Rosalind wiggled her fingers and the carriage
connected to the horses.
“Those two aren’t Shifters, are they?” 
Rosalind made a contorted face. “I don’t think so. If so,
they are only stuck in this for a few hours. They’ll be fine.” 
Sydney laughed at the statement and shook her head.
Rosalind held out her hand once more, and Sydney did not
hesitate this time. The Witch then walked Sydney to the
carriage and helped her get into it. 
 “Remember Sydney–three hours. You may want to leave
the party before your time is up. Once my magic fades,
everyone will be able to recognize you, and everything will
return to its natural state.” 
“Thank you for everything, Rosalind. I know you said
this is your job, but I appreciate it more than you know.” 
“Just make sure you live your life, Sydney. Don’t allow
anyone to stop you from doing anything you want to do. You
are more than just an Omega.” 
Sydney smiled at Rosalind, not wanting to say thank you
again. Rosalind closed the carriage door and snapped her
fingers once more. Within a moment, Sydney was no longer
near the fountain. Instead she was at the beginning of the
driveway, heading toward the house where the Coronation
was going to be held. She took a deep breath to steady her
nerves as she felt the carriage move and its wheels rolled
across the cobblestone path. 
There is nothing to be nervous about, Sydney. 
You’re right. There’s not. She took another deep breath.
Are you ready?
I am if you are. 
Then let’s do this. Let’s see what the future truly has in
store for us. 
O ver and under and then through? No. 
Nero fumbled with his bow tie, but he kept getting
it wrong. The side loops were constantly asymmetric, or the
ends would just come out as tiny stubs from the knot. He
attempted again. 
Under and over then through the knot. Screw it, close
enough.
He sighed as he looked at himself in the mirror. The
bowtie was off kilter, but it was the best outcome he’d had
after fifty tries. He looked at the cummerbund laying on a
chair on the other side of the room, and then he looked
back at his reflection. The tuxedo he was wearing was
already uncomfortable as this was not the kind of clothes
he would normally wear. He looked back at the
cummerbund and then back at himself one more time. 
Yeah, I am not wearing that. I look enough like a clown.
In the mirror stared back the dark brown, almost black,
hair that was currently spiked which he inherited from his
father and the moss green eyes that he inherited from his
mother. With his high cheekbones and rectangular jaw
covered in dark facial hair, he wished he could go in a full
mask instead of without one. Everyone in the Southern
Sanction knew who he was, and every female threw
themselves at him. They would gush over his broad
shoulders, thick arms, and muscular torso–not to mention
the fawning over the fact that he was the Alpha of Alphas in
this part of their country. 
None of them care about anything else. They only care
about status, money, and power. 
It repulsed him. 
Unfortunately, he had no choice but to go to this
Coronation. 
Nero took a deep breath and sighed as he left the
changing room he was in. He took some comfort in the fact
that he adhered to the barest minimum for decorum, but he
would be hard pressed to make any more effort. Nero
despised the way the Romero family took control of the
region, and he wished there was something he could do to
cast them down but for now his hands are tied, and he must
stick to royal etiquette.
This damn suit itches.  
The Romero’s were a power-hungry couple. They
attempted to take over two other packs before they
managed to overthrow Alpha Boone. Nero was told that the
challenge was proper and no foul play happened. However,
Nero struggled to believe that it was all by the book, and
every policy was adhered to. The Romero’s did not strike
him as an honorable family. 
Nero discussed with his father about not showing up to
the Coronation, but his father would not have it. Now that
Nero was the Alpha, he had to attend every event that
required an Alpha to attend. Unfortunately, this rite of
passage event was one he was required to attend. 
Can I have that rule be erased? 
Doubtful. Kane, Nero’s wolf, responded. 
The only thing that brought a little joy with having to
appear at this event was that there was a chance he would
find his mate here. Nero has been looking for his mate for
four years now and wondered if he would ever find her. He
knew that most wolves did not find their True Mate. More
often than not, they had to take a Chosen Mate in their
lifetime. Though that was not what Nero wanted. No she-
wolf had tickled his fancy. Throughout his teen years, Nero
spent his time with his father to learn what it meant to
become an Alpha of the sanction. He did see a she-wolf
within the pack for a few years, but when he turned twenty-
one and found out she was not his True Mate, he did not
want to waste her time. Since then, Nero had traveled
throughout his sanction, one pack at a time, to find the one
that was destined for him. 
No one knew when and where they would meet their
True Mate. It could be within their own pack or from
another. There were even times that the mates were in two
different sanctions and were only able to meet because of a
dispute. Nero hoped that his search would be over while he
visited this pack. Otherwise, he would have to travel to the
other sanctions to possibly find his mate. 
I’d rather not. 
Me either. 
Nero was instructed to meet the Romero’s in the party
house before the ceremony. Dante wanted his son, Draxton,
to be introduced to the Alpha of the Southern Sanction to
understand what it was like to be in the presence of a true
Alpha.
I don’t trust this wolf as far as we could throw
him. 
That is why I brought Warren and Jacob. 
Warren was Nero’s Beta. The six-foot two mountain of a
man sometimes made Nero look like he was the Beta
instead. His light brown hair, green-brown eyes, and a
smile that made females’ panties wet caused Nero to roll
his eyes, especially when Warren would wear a pair of
jeans and a cowboy hat. He had she-wolves throwing
themselves at him left and right. Nero would remind
Warren all the time that he was a representative of the
Solar Valley pack when he would prowl around for women,
and that is when he would be on his best behavior. 
However, when it came to protecting his Alpha, Warren
was an entirely different man. Warren was a man that was
fairly laid back until it came to keeping Nero safe. While
growing up, if Nero would get into any kind of scuffle with
a pack member around their age, or someone from school,
Warren would jump in and punch the guy before Nero
could. It was never to undermine Nero as an Alpha.
Instead, it was to keep Nero out of trouble and to show
anyone and everyone that Nero was not alone. 
Jacob was a little different than Warren. He was the
Gamma and the levelheaded one out of the two. Jacob stood
at the same height as Warren, but less bulky, similar to
Nero. His blond hair and hazel eyes were a contrast
between the three of them. He was also a man of few
words. When he did speak, it was golden. 
Nero did not go anywhere he did not trust without these
two by his side. Between the three of them, he knew they
would be able to handle whatever Dante might try while he
was inside of the Alpha’s territory. What Dante did not
know was  the power the three of them wielded with their
wolves, if they used it together, would cause the entire
pack to submit. 
When he reached the separate house where the pack
threw parties, Jacob and Warren were standing outside the
doors. Both men were dressed the same way as Nero,
which made him feel better about his decision. 
“Do we have to stay long, boss? This place is a drag.”
Warren added a yawn for dramatic effect. 
“Just long enough to see the new Alpha take his
position,” Nero replied. 
“How long is that going to take?” 
 “You were present during my Coronation. You should
know how long this takes.” 
“I don’t remember it.” 
“It was two years ago, and your coronation was that day,
too! How do you not remember that?” Nero chuckled. 
“I remember a blond. That’s about it.” 
Nero shook his head and stepped into the building. It
was not decorated much like he expected it would be. The
tables, when he first walked in, were at least covered with
cloth and red napkins were folded in a fancy way. There
was a dance floor after the tables and a DJ table set up off
on the left side. Against the back wall was a small stage
where Draxton would have the ceremony that made him
the official Alpha of the Ember Forest Pack. 
Dante, his mate Dahlia, and Draxton were standing on
the dance floor discussing how the ceremony would go.
They immediately looked his way as Nero’s Alpha aura
reached them. Nero meant to shut that down before he
walked in here but was sidetracked with thinking about
meeting his True Mate. It was not polite for an Alpha to
have his aura cast at any given time. However, it may be
appropriate for him to do this since he did not trust this
family. 
“Alpha Nero, it is a pleasure to see you! Thank you for
joining us on this special day.” Dahlia bowed when she
finished greeting Nero. 
“You are welcome. It’s a pleasure to be here.” 
So you say, Kane grumbled. 
“This is our son, Draxton.” 
Draxton held out his hand for Nero to shake. When Nero
took his hand, Draxton gripped his hand tightly as if he was
trying to make a statement that he could be stronger than
Nero. Kane growled at Draxton inside of Nero’s mind for
thinking that this was okay to do. Instead of humoring the
wolf with the power play, Nero did not damper down his
aura and firmly shook Draxton’s hand. 
 “Are you ready to become the Alpha of your pack?” Nero
asked him. 
“I was born ready.” 
Wow. This guy is cocky. 
Arrogance will get him killed. 
Dante slapped his son upside the head. “You will show
manners, Boy. Alpha Nero will oversee how you do as an
Alpha. You address him as Alpha or sir.” 
Nero wanted to tell Dante that he did not mind but
thought it might show that Nero was too lenient. 
“I apologize, sir. I have shadowed my father for the last
five years. I believe I am ready.”
Kane grumbled inside of Nero’s mind again. I don’t
think his attitude will serve him well. 
Not in my sanction it won’t. 
“Good to hear. Hard to prove.” 
Footsteps approached outside the doors. Nero turned
his body away from the Romero’s and walked toward the
table that was designated for himself and his pack mates.
Within seconds, the doors opened, and the Omegas that
were assigned to cater the party filed in. 
Let’s get this over with, Nero said to himself as the
Romero’s prepared for the Coronation. 
They chose to hold the ceremony outside to be closer to
the Goddess. Behind their building to have parties, they set
up a section where they would be directly under moonlight.
Nero, Warren, and Jacob were just off the side to bear
witness to Dante handing over being Alpha to his son. More
traditional packs choose to do the Coronation under the
moon and some less traditional packs choose to hold it in a
banquet type area.
At least the Romero’s are traditional. 
In this sense, anyway. 
The moon bathed the field in a bright, almost blue,
tinted light. Shadows were cast off of the coronation
attendees as they formed into loosely formed rows creating
a gap in the center of it all. Along the middle avenue there
were candles lit marking where royalty would be walking.
Among the masses, the attendees chattered and conversed
with one another. There was a wolf howl and all of the
chatter ended. It was as if the brakes were slammed ending
all of the banter. The night fell deadly silent, and even the
crickets and bats took pause. Down the center of the aisle
walked Dante and Dahlia. Their arms were locked together
as they strolled down the aisle in perfect lock step. Behind
them walked Brad and Clint, their Beta and Gamma
respectively. Both of them were wearing white suits with
epaulets and other honors given to them merely by being
members of the Romeros’ court. The rest of the court
followed suit and began to huddle behind Dante and Dahlia
at the front of the pack. 
I don’t know any of these asshats. 
When the rest of the court found their places behind the
Alphas, Dante and Dahlia released their grasp on one
another. Dante stepped fourth and gestured to Brad to step
forward. Brad cleared his throat and shouted, “Ladies and
Gentlemen of the Southern Sanction, we have come here
today to see a truly momentous moment of our pack’s
growth. Our Alphas, Dante and Dahlia Romero, have led
our pack with dignity and distinction for nearly a decade. A
decade in which we have thrived and celebrated our
growth and prosperity.”
 So that’s what they call rampant corruption these
days. 
We don’t know that for sure.
Agree to disagree.
Brad continued, “However, seeing as how they have
accomplished all they have wished to accomplish, and
craving the opportunity to enjoy the remainder of their
years together free from the burdens of power, our Alphas
have decided to abdicate their responsibilities to their son,
and rightful heir, Draxton. If I may be so curt, could you
please tell us what you will do when free from the throne.”
The crowd lightly chuckled at Brad’s moment of levity. It
was a break from the formalities of royal affairs. Dante’s
face twisted into a beaming grin, and he proclaimed boldly,
“My mate and I wish to travel and see the world outside of
our sanction. We simply couldn’t see the beautiful scenery
from the Alpha quarters.”
“Indeed that is something I think we can all support,”
Clint shouted. 
Ass kisser. 
Dante looked at Brad and Brad began to shout again,
“Without further ado. It is time for Dante Romero to bestow
the honors upon his son Draxton. Draxton. Please come
forth.”
Draxton walked down the center of the pack wearing his
royal garments, white pants with a white jacket. A silvery
blue sash crossing his torso hanging from his left shoulder
shimmered in the moonlight. His suit was so bright that the
light reflected off of him creating a corona around him. He
approached his father. 
“Kneel,” Dante said to Draxton. 
Draxton took a knee.
“My Son,” Dante said, “I hereby resign from my position
as Alpha of the Ember Forest Pack. I release my control
over our territory, citizens, subjects, lands, and resources
over to you. From this day forward I am no longer directly
in control of the pack, and I hand over all responsibilities to
you. Do you accept?” 
Dante put his hand on Draxton’s shoulder. Nero could
feel the pack bonds shift inside of himself as Dante pushed
the bonds into Draxton. In that moment, Nero wondered
why Dante would hand over the pack so soon. Nero’s father
waited two years after he was eligible before he handed the
packs over. 
 Warren, I want tabs on Dante and Dahlia as they travel,
Nero said through mindlink.
You got it, boss, Warren responded quickly. Thinking
that this is happening too soon?
I’d rather be prepared than left in the dark. 
“I do,” Draxton responded. 
“Then rise.”  
Draxton rose to his feet. “Father. Upon this day I will
assume control of the pack and its territory, citizens,
subjects, lands, and resources. I swear to honor our
customs, people, and the culture we uphold. From this day
until my last as Alpha, I will do what is right for our family
and our people.”
“Draxton Romero, I know give you the title of Alpha
Draxton, ruler of the Ember Forest Pack. May the Goddess
watch over your reign as she watched over mine.”
Brad boomed, “All kneel for your new Alpha: Draxton
Romero!”
Goddess, save us all. 
Everything quickly shifted to the party to celebrate the
new Alpha. Nero wanted to leave once they entered the
building again, but Warren decided to enjoy the party,
which convinced Nero to stay. The reasoning… 
“Check out all the babes! Come on, we need the break
from royal life. Let’s kick back tonight.” 
Jacob ended up agreeing, which left Nero having to stay.
As much as he wanted to find his mate, he did not feel the
pull that she was here. Which was the reason why their
original plan was to go home after the ceremony. However,
he could not leave his right and left-hand men behind here,
especially when he did not trust this pack with their lives. 
Instead, Nero decided to try to dance with each
available she-wolf. When he danced with two of them, the
doors to the building opened, and in walked a gorgeous
she-wolf he did not remember seeing at the ceremony. Her
dress of navy blue and pink complimented her in ways he
could not fathom. It hugged her small curves to accent
every area the right way. Nero trailed his way up to her
face and her piercing blue eyes caught his attention. From
across the room, he felt the need to walk over to her to look
into her eyes more closely. Her blonde hair in a fancy style
caused him to think only one thing: I’m usually not
attracted to blondes. 
Nero could not keep his eyes off this she-wolf. He did
not feel the pull of a mate bond, but something made him
feel drawn to her. He continued to dance with the unmated
she-wolves but could not wait to get to her. She wore no
mark of a mate, so she was still up for grabs. Even Kane
kept wanting to get close to this she-wolf and practically
whined until he did. 
When Nero approached this she-wolf, he gave a slight
bow as he held out his hand. The she-wolf giggled, and
Kane almost threw them to her feet at the melodious
sound. She took his hand and he kissed it. Something he
did not do with any of the other she-wolves. 
“My lady, may I have this dance?” he asked her. 
“Sure,” she whispered as if she was afraid someone
would hear her. 
If she is afraid of any of these wolves, I’ll kill
them. 
Nero led the she-wolf to the dance floor. He tried to take
in her scent, but she did not have one. It made no sense to
him, but he did not care. All he did care about was having
her in his arms. The way her skin felt against his as he held
one of her hands and glided her across the dancefloor was
not like anything he felt before. Tingles spread across his
skin, and he felt the need to pull her closer. 
Then he examined her face and noticed that her eyes
kept shifting as if she expected someone to stop them from
dancing. 
“Are you okay?” he asked her. 
“I feel like everyone is staring at us.”
 Nero looked around the room and noticed that many
eyes were in fact watching them as they danced. 
“How about we take a walk instead?” He suggested. 
She nodded in response, and he repositioned his hand so
he could lead her outside. 
Don’t let anyone follow us, Nero told Warren and Jacob. 
On it, they obediently answered. 
Nero walked the she-wolf out to the fountain that he saw
when coming over to the building. The she-wolf tried to
leave as much room between them as she could, and she
continued to look everywhere around them. It was clear
that she was not comfortable being alone with him and
possibly afraid that she would be in trouble for being alone
with him as well. 
He stopped walking and stepped in front of her. “We
don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” 
“No, it’s okay.” 
“I just wanted to get to know you. Is that okay?” 
For the first time, the she-wolf looked into his eyes. The
pools of blue sparked another feeling of wanting to step
closer to her. Since the she-wolf appeared too nervous for
him to do that, he fought the urge. 
“What is your name?” 
The she-wolf hesitated for a moment. Nero wondered if
she did not want to give it to him. After a moment, she
finally answered, “Danny.” 
Nero could smell that it was not the full truth but did not
think it would be a good idea to push that as an issue. If
she wanted to give half truths right now, at least it was not
a full lie. 
“I am Nero.” 
“Everyone knows who you are, Alpha Nero.” 
“Please, no formalities. This is just two wolves trying to
get to know one another.” 
Danny smiled, and Nero felt a flutter inside of his heart.
“Why did you arrive late to the party? Are you not from this
pack?” 
The she-wolf sat down on the fountain’s edge and then
looked back into his eyes. “I had a little mishap with my
dress. I had to pretty much get a new one.” 
Well that was the truth, so maybe she is not as nervous
now. 
Nero sat down on the fountain as well but did his best to
not get too close. “That sounds like a pretty big mishap.” 
“You could say that. Can I ask why you were dancing
with every available she-wolf?” 
Oh good, she is asking questions now. 
“I have not found my mate yet. I was hoping that
dancing with the she-wolves would help me find her.” 
Her head slightly tilted to the side. “True Mates are
found by first sight. Wouldn’t you have already known that
the she-wolves here were not your mate?” 
Intelligence and not afraid to challenge me. 
I like her. 
“Not necessarily. Alpha Aiden has recently found his
mate, and he did not know for certain it was her until his
curse was broken.” 
“Well magic was at fault there. Are you cursed as well?” 
The coy smile she wore while asking that question made
Nero want to figure out how to cause her to wear it more
often. “Not that I am aware of.”
“Is that why you brought me out here? You think magic
is at play?” 
“No.” 
“Then why did you?” 
Don’t blow this. 
“To have you to myself. You didn’t only catch my
attention when you walked into that room.” 
Danny nervously looked away. “I doubt that.” 
Do not push her. Kane grew anxious with his
questioning. 
 Nero changed his questions. Mostly to ones he found
lame to ask, but he did not want to make her look away
nervously like she did. He wanted to know everything there
was to know about her. Time seemed to fly inside of the
comfortable bubble that they created. Nero learned her
birthday was yesterday and she shifted for the first time,
that she loved to take walks in the woods, and has recently
learned that she loved pizza. He learned so much
information, yet it did not seem like enough. 
One moment, everything seemed like they hit a groove,
and they would spend the rest of the night talking until the
sun came up. The next, she stood up looking panicked. 
“I need to go.” 
“What?” 
Did I do something wrong?
“I’m sorry. I have to go.” 
Danny took off running into the forest. Before he could
process that she ran off, Danny disappeared in the trees.
He wanted to go after her, but Kane pointed out the one
thing that would assist him in finding her. 
She did not have a scent. 
We need to find her.
S ilver pushed until Sydney allowed her to take over
and shift. While getting to know Nero, Sydney felt the
magic beginning to wear off. Unsure of how it would
happen or how quickly, she rushed to get away from the
one guy that did not appear to just look right through her.
Once Silver shifted, she took off into the forest. With how
hard her paws were hitting the dirt, Sydney was terrified
that Silver was leaving footprints for Nero to follow. 
That would not be the worst thing. 
While Silver ran into the depths of the forest, Sydney’s
mind traveled back to thinking of her time with Nero. It
was incredible to be looked at as a person instead of as just
a maid. From the moment their eyes met, the rest of the
room fell away. Nero touched her hand, and it felt like it
was set on fire anywhere their skin met. She felt as if the
world fell away when she looked into his eyes, even if it
was for only a few brief seconds. Never in her life did she
feel that way before, and it only intensified when they were
alone. 
Sydney felt all eyes in the room staring at them when
she broke eye contact with him. Nero seemed oblivious, but
she knew this pack. No one would be happy that the
Alpha’s attention was not on them, and she was right.
Every she-wolf was glaring at her, but something else
surprised her more. 
Every male in the room was glaring at Nero, too. 
Part of her feared that the pack recognized her and
would attack Nero for trying to claim the Omega that they
all loved to push around. However, the mindlink within the
pack began to buzz. It shocked her that the link was
working since Rosalind told her that her bond to the pack
would be on hold for the time being as her magic was cast
upon Sydney. Though she was slightly disappointed that it
was working… She was shocked at things that were being
said.
How the hell did he get the blond? 
Have we even seen her before? 
I don’t see a mate mark. She is available, and of course
he got to her first. 
He better only dance with her once like the rest of the
she-wolves so I can get a turn. 
Since when was Sydney the most eligible she-wolf in the
pack? This was certainly new to her, and it made her
uncomfortable to be in the center of attention when she
would usually be a wallflower and unnoticed. Then, when
Nero asked for her to go outside, she could hear the wolves
outraged that he was leading her away from them. 
Once outside, Sydney felt as if she could breathe again.
No one was staring at her anymore. No one was screaming
inside of her head about her being with Nero. It was like
the mindlink had shut off entirely when the doors to the
building closed. A weight was taken off her shoulders, and
she was able to relax again. 
Then something new came to Sydney’s attention. While
she and Nero were getting to know one another, the world
began to fall away once again. The more they talked, the
closer she wanted to scooch her body toward Nero. She
had to fight the urge to do so because the last thing she
wanted to happen was for a wolf to interrupt them and
challenge Nero. With her thoughts going immediately to
something so dark, Sydney wondered why she would be
concerned with such things. Nero was not her mate. 
But I feel as though there is something here. Is the
magic causing this? Did Rosalind create this magic to make
Nero fall for me? Is this a part of my future? 
Sydney could feel the magic beginning to slip away. As if
there was a coating on her skin that was being washed off,
Rosalind’s spell was fading. That only could mean that
Sydney’s identity would be revealed. 
He cannot see that I am an Omega. Then this entire time
with him will be wasted! He will want nothing to do with
me. He is an Alpha! No Alpha of his caliber will want an
Omega as a mate, especially if it is a Chosen Mate bond.
What Alpha would choose an Omega?
That was when Sydney quickly pulled away from Nero’s
presence and ran into the woods. She could not handle
being rejected twice in one night. There was no chance that
Nero would want her after he learned that she was an
Omega and not nearly as intriguing as Rosalind’s magic
made her to be. 
Silver ran so far into the forest that they were nearing
the end of the Ember Forest Pack’s territory. She knew she
could not cross the lines of the territory without being an
open target. There was some land in between packs that
were not claimed, so rogue packs could and did travel
through without having to answer to a pack Alpha. As open
of land as it was, Sydney was still an unmated she-wolf.
That could draw attention to her as soon as she crosses the
line. Even with the Full Moon providing her an extra boost
in magic to shift, and power to assist with fighting, Sydney
had no experience with that. She would be easy prey to any
wolf she encountered. 
 Instead, she ran along the pack’s territory. Sometimes
Silver would push to run as fast as they possibly could to
burn off the energy the moon was providing. Other times,
she just walked along it and admired the brilliant blue hue
of the moon that was a contrast to its usually bright white.
There were no clouds in the sky to dim its beauty, and it
provided all the light she needed without tapping into her
enhanced sight from being a Shifter. 
When Silver got them back to the pack house, Sydney
was thankful to see that all of the lights were off. That
meant that no one was awake to see that she was just
coming in. Sydney shifted quickly to open the door and
dashed down the hall to her room. Once inside, she
rummaged through her new clothes and got dressed. When
she noticed that the clock on her small dresser read 6am,
Sydney set the alarm for eight and walked over to her bed
to get a little sleep. Instead of finding her bed made just
how she left it, there was a dress laid out across it. 
Not just any dress. The dress Rosalind made me. 
Sydney walked over to it and noticed that there was a
small piece of parchment with neat calligraphy writing
scrawled onto it. The ink strokes on the sheet were
immaculate as the delicate curves of the letters looped and
sloped across the page. She lifted up the parchment to read
the note. 
Sydney, 
Remember to live your life and that you are more than
just an Omega. 
Sydney smiled down at her dress. Thank you, Rosalind.
She then gently lifted it thinking it would be shredded from
her shifting while wearing it. Instead she found the dress
completely intact. There was a hanger that was not in use
that she took out of her small closet and carefully put the
dress inside of it. She had no idea why, but she felt like if
she did not treat the dress with care, it would return to its
normal state. 
 Dealings with a Witch will do that to you. 
Do you not like Rosalind?
She seems okay for a Witch. I just don’t trust
magic. 
She is the Speaker of the Fates. I don’t see her using her
magic against us after she helped last night. 
Agree to disagree. 
Once her head hit the pillow, Sydney took a few calming
breaths, and sleep claimed her. 

S YDNEY WAS ONCE INSIDE of the carriage leading down the

path toward the party building. Nerves were getting the
best of her as she twisted her hands against each other,
and her foot would not stop bobbing on the ground.
Thoughts of jumping out of the carriage crossed her mind,
but Silver would not allow her to. Instead of the magic
making her unrecognizable, Sydney was just herself. Her
hair still remained silver and blue, her hair was still in the
updo, but her dress was still the beautiful dress Rosalind
created for her. The carriage stopped and Sydney stepped
out of it carefully. While she walked toward the building,
she took a deep breath. I got this, she told herself, and then
pulled the doors open. Sydney walked inside to the party.
Heads turned, females growled, but she did not care. Her
eyes locked with Nero’s, and he briskly walked across the
room. 
“Mate,” he said to her when he closed the distance. 
“Mate,” Sydney responded. 
Nero led her back out to the fountain so they could be
alone. They were lost in each other as they got to know one
another. When the moon hung directly above them and
shined its brilliant blue aura over them, Nero asked if she
could be his forever. Without hesitation, she told him yes.
Just before his incisors penetrated her skin… 
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. 
Sydney’s alarm jolted her awake from the dream. She
groaned and threw herself back onto the bed when she
realized it was not reality. 
It’s probably better just to try to forget about last night. 
Why? 
He is the Alpha of our sanction! He is out of my league. 
He chose to take you outside, not the other she-
wolves. 
Only because of Rosalind’s magic. 
Silver sneezed at her within her mind. Blasphemy. 
Sydney ignored Silver and swung her legs to the side of
her bed. Slowly she made her way to her closet and looked
through her clothes knowing that she had to hurry,
otherwise Theresa and Dahlia would be knocking down her
door wondering why she was not cleaning. A pair of jeans
and a purple short sleeved shirt is what she settled on for
her attire for the day. 
Marie was passing Sydney’s room as she opened the
door. A warm smile greeted her. 
“How was your night, sweetheart?” Marie asked her. 
“It was wonderful!” Sydney stopped herself before she
continued. She shouldn’t know I was at the party… “I
shifted into my wolf again and just ran under the full moon
all night. It was amazing. This time when I shifted, it didn’t
hurt! All thanks to your necklace.” 
Sydney went into detail of her run with Silver as they
walked down the hall. She brought up how it felt as if she
had the energy that she could run for days. Marie chuckled
and told her how it was part of being connected with her
wolf half. The wolves had higher endurance which gave
them the ability to run for extended periods of time. 
Orders came down from the Alpha for the Omegas to
clean up the party. Sydney knew that would happen due to
the new Alpha being Draxton and continued to walk with
Marie. When they reached the building, the cleaning had
already started thanks to the rest of the Omegas. Sydney
started by giving them all a hug for helping Marie put
together the money for her birthday. They all told her there
was no need to thank them. They also complimented
Sydney on her new hair color. They all thought that the
color suited her, and she should return to that spa to
continue with this look. Then they all got back into their
work. Marie and Sydney tag teamed getting the
decorations down from the walls. Sydney thought that she
would be able to go the entire day without hearing about
the party, but she thought wrong. 
“Does anyone know who that she-wolf was that came in
an hour late and stole Alpha Nero away?” Corinne, an
unmated Omega a few years older than Sydney, asked the
group. 
“Never seen her before in my life,” Marie answered. 
Why does it feel like she is lying? 
You got that feeling too?
“She must be from another pack within the sanction. No
other sanction was invited to the party,” Corinne continued
huffing about Sydney’s disguise. 
“How does it matter?” Marie rolled her eyes as she
pulled a tack from the wall that hung up a decoration. 
“How does it not? She walked into the room. She
smelled of nothing but wolf. Nero saw her, and then no one
else had a shot with him!” Corinne sat down so hard in a
chair that Sydney heard it scrape against the floor. 
“He was searching for his True Mate. Alpha Nero
danced with every available she-wolf in the pack.” 
“His eyes were on her from the moment that she walked
in–even while dancing with the other she-wolves!” 
Marie rolled her eyes again. “Do you not understand
how True Mates work? The bond forms the moment that
their eyes connect. She is most likely his True Mate. He
could have just danced with the rest of the available she-
wolves so he did not appear rude. Remember, we are
Southern. We are known for manners.” 
“I know for a fact that he didn’t leave with her. If she,”
Corinne’s voice dripped with disdain, “is his True Mate,
why didn’t they leave together?” 
“Maybe it was because he is choosing to court her.”
Corinne let out an exasperated sigh. “Gross.” 
Sydney stayed quiet during the conversation. She tried
to remind herself that she was not allowed at the party
anyway, so she would not know details to add into the
conversation. 
“Why weren’t you there, Sydney?” 
There went that plan. 
“Alpha Draxton commanded me to stay in my room.” 
Sydney did her best to keep her voice flat. However, the
mere mention of his name made her blood boil, though she
no longer felt any pain from the broken mate bond. 
That’s weird. Shouldn’t I still be in pain? Sydney asked
her wolf. She was met with silence. 
“Why would he do that?” 
“I pissed off Draziel.” 
That isn’t a lie. 
“Oh Goddess. What did you do to warrant that?” Marie
questioned her. 
“I don’t know. I complimented her dress, and she got
mad about it. She said I was trying to steal Draxton away
even though I wasn’t.”
“I don’t get why she would think that you were trying to
steal Draxton,” Corinne pointed out. 
Does she ever do work? She is still sitting. 
“The other day when I was cleaning the floors, he came
in from outside and made a pass at me. Draziel noticed
what he was doing and freaked out. Then, last night, I
stepped out of my room wearing a brand-new dress, so she
thought that I was still trying to steal him away. I tried to
convince her that I wasn’t, but that didn’t happen. I saw
them later by the fountain together. She thought I was
ruining their moment, so Draxton ended the argument by
forbidding me to go to the party.” 
Sydney did her best to create the lie in hopes that it felt
like the truth. She was the youngest of the Omegas, so they
were all connected with their wolves and would be able to
sniff out the lie. 
“That is ridiculous. You could have gone to Alpha Dante
about this.” Marie’s suggestion came too late. Though
Sydney did not think that would have helped her anyway. 
“It was fine. I got to spend the rest of my night with my
wolf. Second best night of my week.” 
Sydney went into talking about her birthday with Merida
and Lucy to get the wolves off the scent of her lie. The best
thing to do in those situations was to change the subject
quickly with things that were the truth so the scent of the
lie would get overpowered. It worked. The women were
asking her about the clothes that she bought and what
stores she bought them in. Then they asked her what her
wolf looked like. Everyone seemed amazed that Sydney
ended up having a very rare wolf coat color and asked her
to shift for them to see it. She wanted to, because she
absolutely loved Silver’s coloring, but said she would later
instead. 
“Let’s not piss off the new Alpha. We should really get
this cleaned up.” 
They all agreed and got back to work but looking
forward to seeing Sydney shift in the near future. Between
bringing down the decorations and boxing them for
probable future use and scrubbing off the tables and walls,
Sydney made a joke that wolves were filthier creatures
than she realized as she constantly came across sticky
patches on both the tables and floors from spilled drinks
and food. Marie laughed and said that lower tiered wolves
from the hierarchy were creating small sling shots with
rubber bands and flung food across the room. Due to
Draxton being the Alpha, there was no reprimanding. It
caused Dahlia and Dante to be thankful that Nero left the
building and did not return. 
“He never came back to the party?” Sydney was shocked
to hear that. 
“No. He mindlinked his men that he was going home,
and then Beta Warren and Gamma Jacob rushed out of the
room after him.” 
“And you said the she-wolf didn’t follow him?” Sydney
was now intrigued. 
Did he follow us, and we never noticed it? 
I would have felt them nearby. Nero’s aura is very
powerful. He would not have been able to mask it that
well. 
“Not that anyone saw. For all we know, she did and that
is why they all left,” Marie answered.
No one knows it was us. Rosalind’s magic worked. 
Well of course it worked, Sydney. She is a very
powerful Witch. 
Why do you think he didn’t come after us? Did he not
like us? 
I do not know. 
Sydney did not think that her wolf was going to be of
any help. She could sense that Silver was trying to not say
more than what she did. Sydney wanted to ask Silver if she
knew more than what she was letting on but decided
against it. 
“I saw her take off into the woods,” Corrine stated in a
haughty tone. 
“Why would she run away from the most eligible wolf in
the Southern Sanction?” Sydney tried to sound nonchalant
and hoped it worked. 
“She could have been playing hard to get, but it didn’t
work. Poor wolf stood there dumbstruck. Then seemed to
scream out of frustration and stormed off to his carriage.” 
 “That must have been when he mindlinked his Beta and
Gamma,” Marie called out from the other side of the room. 
Sydney did not add into the conversation anymore.
Instead, she went back to her usual working mindset. She
kept quiet and worked until dinner. After that, she went to
bed. 
Why do I care? He never would have wanted me. 
You don’t know that, Sydney. 
I am an Omega. Alphas never want Omegas.
Rosalind told you to not think this way, did she
not? 
Yes… 
Then listen to the powerful Witch. 
He said he wanted his True Mate last night. I am not his
True Mate. 
Silver, again, stopped talking, and again, Sydney
wondered if that was because she knew something that
Sydney did not. Before she pushed her wolf further to try to
figure out if she was keeping something from her, her eyes
grew heavy. 
Maybe I could have Nero… ha, yeah right. Maybe once
upon a dream, but not in reality.
T he morning sun seemed to blaze through the
curtains into Draxton’s room. Annoyed that he had
to start a new day, a groan escaped him. He felt weight
across his stomach and saw Draziel’s arm wrapped around
him. Draxton growled as he pulled himself out of the
entanglement of arms that was the she-wolf, Draziel. It was
not as if she wasn’t a good lay. Draziel was wild and would
do absolutely anything to please him. That should have
been more than enough to keep him going. Sadly, it wasn’t. 
All because of that bitch Omega. 
Given the fact that he was to become the Alpha that
night, Draxton thought for sure that the Omega would be
willing to prove that she was worthy to be his mate in front
of Draziel. Instead, she crumpled from the pain of the
rejected bond. That was a pitiful response. He thought she
would grovel at his feet, beg for him to reconnect the bond
since it would elevate her to She-Alpha. 
Instead, the bitch rejected me! She did not care one bit
that I rejected her. The Omega looked up at me and
completed the rejected bond. As if it would be disgusting to
be my mate! 
 No matter how many times he screwed Draziel to forget
her over the last few days, Draxton could not push her out
of his mind. His wolf was no different. If anything, his wolf
was extremely pissed off that Draxton rejected the mate
that the Goddess had given them. 
It is a blessing to be given a mate chosen by the
Goddess herself! You threw her away without a second
thought! Drake yelled at him. 
She would not have given us strong pups to continue our
reign inside of the Ember Forest Pack! 
You are a child! That is why the Goddess gave her
to us in the first place. Pups from a True Mate pair
will always be stronger than the ones from a Chosen
Mate bond! Regardless of either of the wolves’
status. 
That is not what I was taught. 
I do not care what you were taught! She had power
through her aura. How did you miss that? She is not
just an Omega! 
Yeah right. If she had more power than an Omega level,
my father would have allowed her to train with us all. 
Imbecile. Your father knows nothing. 
Draxton growled again when he felt Draziel’s hand
reach out to touch his hand. His wolf was repulsed by
Draziel due to her not being his True Mate. Even though
Draxton did not mind Draziel, his wolf caused Draxton’s
body to react the way that his wolf wanted to react. This
has made Draxton not reach a climax here or there when
he was with Draziel. 
“Come back to bed, Baby,” Draziel cooed at him. 
“Not in the mood,” Draxton grumbled. 
“I can try to help with that.” 
Draziel positioned her body, so she was able to crawl
across the bed toward him. Draxton was still naked from
their night together, so it would have been easy for her to
do whatever she had planned to make him want her. The
only thing that was stopping him from even getting
remotely hard by the crawl alone was his wolf projecting an
image of the Omega for Draxton to be focused on instead. 
When her hand wrapped around his shaft, coaxing it
toward her mouth, Draxton smacked her hand and pulled
away. “I said I am not in the mood.” 
“Well damn, Drax. There is no reason to be rude. What is
pissing you off now?” 
Every time he had rejected Draziel’s advancements on
him this past week, it started this conversation. He
practically snarled at her this time from hearing those
words once again. 
“I have no reason to share that information with you.
Get out of my room.” He did snarl this time. 
“Baby! Why? Just tell me what you want, and I will do it.
Anything at all,” Draziel purred at him to convince him. 
“Get out of my room.” Draxton used the Alpha Command
on her to force her to listen. 
She whined while her head was hung low as she quickly
walked past him. Draxton wanted to care, but he could not
muster a feeling remotely like that. It was not in his nature
to care. 
All of his life, Draxton was told that emotion was
weakness. Anything other than confidence shown by him
had been beaten out of him. When he was younger, just a
pup, he thought his parents were kidding and ignored their
warnings. Then a fateful day came when he cried after
falling off a large rock and nearly breaking his leg. When
he was released from the pack doctor, his parents’ warning
was proven to be true. They punched and kicked him until
he pissed his pants from fright. He cried more as he got the
beating and that only made it worse. 
He never cried again. 
When he felt the snap of the Mate Bond breaking from
Sydney rejecting him, that was a moment he wanted to cry
once more. It was excruciating as it ripped through his
soul. He wanted to beg the Goddess in that moment to
forgive him and to take the pain away. Then he saw the
prideful look on the Omega’s face that she had inflicted
that pain on him. That was when he got angry. He thought
that walking away with Draziel would make her regret her
decision. He looked back at the fountain just before he
walked into the building. He saw the Omega sitting on the
fountain, looking as if nothing happened to her. Like she
was not affected by the mate bond being severed in the
least. 
Whatever. At least she would not be able to have fun
with everyone else. That can be her punishment. 
The party seemed to be a hit. Everyone appeared to
have fun. Not many of the wolves were sitting on the
sidelines. Just the older wolves that did not seem as up to
dancing as the younger wolves. 
Then the Alpha of the sanction danced with the available
she-wolves. Every single one of them was hoping that he
would be their mate. It was hilarious to watch. It was clear
that none of them were his True Mate, though that did not
stop a single one of them from trying. It annoyed Draxton
that the only she-wolf that appeared to want to throw
themselves at him was Draziel. Now that he was an Alpha,
and a single one at that, shouldn’t that have made him just
as much of an eligible bachelor as Nero? He was sure the
answer was yes. 
He is Alpha of the Southern Sanction. You are an
Alpha to a small pack within that sanction. Do you
really believe that you would have won out over him? 
Draxton ignored his wolf when he said that. He did not
want to even consider that as an answer. That should not
have mattered. An Alpha was an Alpha no matter where he
was on that tier. Alphas meant status, money, and power.
Any smart she-wolf should want that. 
No respectable one would. 
 Last night, when the doors to the party building swung
open, in walked the most gorgeous blonde she-wolf he had
ever seen. His wolf even perked up inside of him as he
scanned her body from top to bottom. She had long legs, a
dress that hugged her curves, and lips that he would
scream immediately if they connected to any part of his
skin. He wanted to dash across the floor and mark her as if
she was his mate. He knew that was not the case as he had
just rejected his True Mate only a short time ago. 
Draxton scanned the room to see if anyone else noticed
this she-wolf in the way that he had. His eyes landed on
Nero and knew that he was staring at the same wolf.
Draxton was speaking with the Beta and Gamma that Nero
had brought along with him. He hoped that getting in with
those two would help him with creating an alliance with
Nero and knew if he just walked away mid-sentence, that
would not be the way to make himself look good. The Beta
would not shut up. All he did was practically brag about his
conquests with the she-wolves in Solar Valley. It did not
seem as if he would be able to pull away from those two
goons in time–and he was right
After the current song ended, Nero walked over to the
she-wolf and led her onto the dance floor. After one dance,
he led her outside. 
That was the last time he saw either one of them. 
It pissed him off that Nero was able to snag that she-
wolf. She seemed to radiate power but in a more subtle
way. If Draxton was not paying attention, he would not have
caught the power at all. 
She must be an Alpha and turned off her aura so she
would not be noticed. Draxton thought to himself when he
thought about it. 
As he grumbled about the events of his Coronation and
the week that had passed since, Draxton had to think of a
way to help him through this mess. He felt like he was
easily neglecting the pack because of him being emotional
about the severed mate bond. The only thing he had done
since he had come into this position was force the Omegas
to clean the house spotless. He thought that would provoke
Sydney to confront him, but that never happened. 
Because she is not like the others. 
Draxton pushed his wolf into the depths of his mind to
stop him from talking anymore. He hated it when Drake
talked to him that way. It took a few moments for Draxton
to think of a plan to help him through this, but one thought
jumped out at him. 
Ugh, I did not want to have to go to my father about
this. 
His parents were still in the Alpha’s Quarters. They
needed time to make the switch to a new room as they had
acquired a lot of stuff over the last ten years. Draxton just
believed that they wanted to keep that room and hoped
that Draxton would not force them out. With him being the
Alpha and could command them to leave, he allowed them
some time to get things moved to a new room, but he would
eventually force them out if need be.
With a knock on the door, he stifled a snarl. He hated
talking to his father. All the wolf ever did was talk to him in
a condescending way. He did not want to deal with that
right now, but it seemed to be his only option. Even though
his father never went through a severed bond himself, he
was older and had to know of a way to power through this. 
“Come in,” he heard from the other side of the door. 
Draxton did and found his father sitting at a small desk
inside of the room. Thankfully, it appeared that his parents
were actually packing up to move into another room. There
were boxes everywhere and they were all labeled. His
father was the only one in the room at the moment,
something else to be thankful for, and looked annoyed that
Draxton was in there with him. 
“How can I help you, Son?” 
 “I feel restless, like I can’t get comfortable in my own
skin. I can’t get Sydney out of my mind, and I want to know
how I can get over this stupid severed bond.” Draxton did
his best to not spit out the words in a rapid way. 
Dante’s facial expression went from annoyed to enraged.
“You found your True Mate?” 
“Yes. The Omega.” 
“And you rejected her?” 
“Why would I want to be tied to an Omega?” 
Dante did not even see his father move from his chair.
He only felt Dante’s palm collide with the side of his head.
“BECAUSE THE GODDESS FOUND HER TO BE THE
PERFECT MATCH FOR YOU! THAT’S WHY!” Dante
shouted. 
“I did not want a chance of my pups ending up as
Omegas! I did not want an Omega to be at my side as I lead
this pack!” 
“Why are you this stupid? We have raised you to be
smarter than this! That is not at all how mates work, you
dumbass! She would not have been an Omega! She would
have been an Alpha. Her father was a Delta! You would
have had strong pups!” 
“Then why has she been an Omega for the last ten
years?” 
“Because I made her to be! The last thing I wanted was
for her to understand what her worth was. There was no
other pup in the top ten before we moved in. Her wolf
could have easily been a contender just from being high in
the ranking from her father! Her mother was from a
higher-ranking bloodline as well. It was a power move! And
it worked. The Goddess paired you with her because of
that!” 
Draxton thought about what his father said. No one ever
explained things to him like that before. He thought that
Omegas could only be on the bottom. They were born with
no power and that was why they were on the bottom. Now
that he learned this information, he realized his mistake
and why his father was angry about it. “Can I mend the
bond?” 
“No, you dumbass. She accepted the rejection. The bond
is severed. If she has not made any advances on you since,
her wolf accepted the rejection as well.” 
Did not need to hear that to know that information. Her
wolf assisted her in the rejection. 
“Then what can I do? My wolf is pissed!” 
“AS HE SHOULD BE!”
“Enough.” Draxton used the Alpha Command on him. He
did not know if it would work since his father was the Alpha
just a week ago, but it did. His father shut up. 
“Tell me how I get myself through this,” Draxton said
through his teeth. He did not want to keep using the
command, fearing that it would trigger his father into
challenging him for the title back. 
“You are going to have to take a Chosen Mate. Your wolf
is missing his mate. Now you need someone to fill that
void.” 
“I can choose whoever I want?” 
Dante rolled his eyes. “Your wolf has to agree on who it
is. Otherwise, it will not work. It would have been different
if you hadn’t found your True Mate. The Chosen Mate bond
would be able to take effect without any conflict. However,
your wolf has felt the connection of the wolf that was
chosen FOR him, so now you have to appease him.” 
Great. That is going to be difficult. 
“I have been seeing Draziel.” 
“Decent choice. She is of a Delta line as well. A
contender, if you will, with Sydney.” 
Something flickered inside of Dante’s eyes. Draxton was
confused at the micro-facial expression that passed on his
father’s face in just a few milliseconds. 
Is he hiding something from me? 
“Got something else to say?” 
 Dante looked at Draxton in his eyes, almost in a
challenging way. “No, Alpha. I was just thinking that it may
be your only choice with that she-wolf. Your wolf may not
accept anyone else. Draziel is of the same power, so maybe
that will work in your favor.” 
“Then it is settled. I will propose the Chosen Mate bond
to Draziel. I am sure she will accept. She has been
throwing herself at me for quite some time because I was
going to be Alpha. Now that I am, there is no way she will
turn that down.” 
Draxton left the room without another word. He did not
want to give his father another moment of satisfaction of
being right. 
He then pulled Drake to the forefront of his mind to talk
to his wolf. 
You better be satisfied with this option. 
Or what? 
Or I won’t choose anyone else. It’s either Draziel or just
me laying with any she-wolf that wants me. 
You are pitiful. 
Do we have an understanding, Drake? 
Fine.
A fist swung so close to Nero’s face that he could hear
the air whistle as it passed by him. Nero’s step back
gave him enough room to avoid Warren’s wild haymaker.
Nero took a step back and Warren again swung wildly at
Nero.
Come on.
Warren jabbed and Nero blocked and dodged to the
right. Warren began a combination that he was quite
known for inside of the pack when training. A right hook, a
left jab to the ribs, a haymaker to the face, and a jab to the
stomach. Nero memorized that when they were twelve. He
thought that Warren would have changed it over the years,
especially after realizing the following year that Nero
anticipated the throws. Not once did he do something
different. Though there were a few times that Warren did
something that Nero did not see coming, those times made
it more fun. More jabs were passing by Nero’s face.
Warren’s rapid movements had to slow down soon. Nero
was letting Warren wear himself out. He just needed the
right moment to strike.
Just another second.
 Warren swung with a right hook which Nero ducked to
avoid. Warren’s forearm brushed against the top of Nero’s
head. Warren began to pant, and he dropped his arms for a
second. It was the exact timeframe Nero needed. Nero’s
knees straightened and he delivered an uppercut to
Warren’s jaw, sending him upward and back in the
direction of Nero’s blow. Warren hit the ground on his back.
Nero walked up to him and prodded him lightly with his
foot. “You alright?” Nero chuckled.
Warren just laid there panting. “Yeah,” he responded.
“That was one hell of a hit.”
Nero held out his hand to assist Warren up. Warren took
the assistance and got back on his feet and began to
gingerly rub his jaw where he was hit.
“Did you learn anything?” Nero asked.
“Yeah. Your uppercut doesn’t need any more work,”
Warren said as he chuckled.
“That’s not what I mean, but you aren’t wrong. There
are two elements to fighting. You have to be on the
defensive as well as the offensive. Keep throwing wild
haymakers, and all I have to do is wait. Case in point.”
Nero gestured towards Warren as he continued to rub his
jaw.
“You got it, boss. Next time we spar, can you not do the
uppercut? I think I need to rest now just to heal from that
one blow.” Warren did his best to not move his jaw.
Nero laughed. “I am not promising anything.”
“Fine. Next time, fight Jacob. This-” Warren gestured to
his face, “is not to be messed with. How am I going to get a
decent lay when my face is dented in?”
“How about next time, you defend yourself better.”
“Love you, too, Bro. I see how it is.”
Nero walked out of the gym to get himself cleaned up.
This was an impromptu training session, so no other wolf
was there to bother them. Training sessions usually ran
first thing that morning, and Nero had a good work out
then. Many of his team decided to give him a run for his
money and tag-teamed him to give him a challenge. It
worked. Nero barely managed to defeat the five of them.
His muscles were sore from the extensive sparring match,
and he went to his room to rest for a couple of hours before
he had to run some of the construction business that the
pack managed. Once he laid down, his mind would not let
him sleep off the training. 
Instead, it made him think back to the night he met
Danny. 
A week had passed since he met her. It was as if he was
swooped up into a tornado, and his thoughts were
consumed by this mesmerizing she-wolf. The moment that
she entered that building where the Coronation was held,
Nero felt an undeniable pull toward her. He felt
comfortable with her, wanted to know everything about her,
and felt as if he would rip the world apart to find her when
she took off. 
Yet it was not a Mate Bond. 
None of it made sense. There was not a moment that
passed that he did not think about her. From the way her
blonde hair appeared silky enough to run his hands
through it to the way her dress hugged her curves; there
was nothing about her that did not make him go crazy. The
only thing that he wished he could remember was her
scent. 
But she didn’t have one. 
He had never met a she-wolf that did not have a scent.
Being a wolf, scents were logged inside of their mind for
future use. Even though the wolf did not see the person’s
face, the nose would pick up the scent and would catalog it.
That night Nero did his best to try to take in Danny’s scent
so he would remember it, but there was not a single smell
to her. 
Is she a Witch? 
 Doubtful. There is always a scent to a Witch. She
would have smelled of magic. 
Unless she was powerful enough to make it so she did
not have a scent. 
It only added to her mystery. Nero spent countless hours
and sleepless nights over this she-wolf. He wanted to go
searching for her, but his duty was to the pack and the
sanction. How could he justify looking for a she-wolf if he
didn’t even have a scent to track? There was no telling how
long he would be gone or if he would even find the
scentless she-wolf. It may not have even been his mate that
he would chase after. If it was not his mate, it may not be
worth his time to do so. 
I beg to differ. 
I would argue, but you are forgetting that I suspect an
upcoming threat. I can’t be leaving the pack to go looking
for a she-wolf that may or may not be my mate.
Those two would not be able to overthrow this pack
even if they tried. 
Nero could agree with his wolf on that one. Dante and
Dahlia did not have enough power with their wolves
combined to be able to win even against the Kappa of the
Solar Valley pack. However, the Romero’s have proven to
be more cunning than they appeared. They managed to
become the Alphas of the Ember Forest Pack with more
ease than they should have. Now that they had their son in
charge of that pack, he knew that this would be the start of
something he did not feel like dealing with. 
Once the thoughts of Dante and Dahlia popped into his
mind, he thought that he was beginning to break the spell
that Danny had him under. Nero pulled out his phone and
contacted several of the Alphas that were neighboring to
his pack to begin to prepare for a possible attack. After he
made the calls, he flung himself on his bed, and stared up
at the ceiling. 
 Okay. I need to fill out the paperwork for that apartment
complex by tomorrow, otherwise we can’t begin to build it
next week. 
Danny’s smile was almost as bright as the moon. 
No! Back to work. I also need to get the blueprints to
confirm the start date on the Walden project. 
Danny’s laugh was so melodic that I could listen to her
speak all day. 
NO! Ugh! Why can I not get her out of my mind? 
Maybe because she is not someone to forget
about. 
He shut Kane’s connection down so he would not be able
to talk anymore. Nero had to move on from this she-wolf.
That should have been easy. She ran away from him when it
was becoming apparent that there was something between
them. 
That is a sign that she doesn’t want us. 
Nero groaned in frustration and rolled out of bed. He
could focus on this. He felt as if he was a caged animal.
Kane pushed on the connection, wanting to be let out after
Nero thinking that horrible thought. Any time these kinds
of thoughts would occur, Kane would go insane. Nero could
feel him wanting to shift and run to the Ember Forest pack
in hopes of finding her. It was ridiculous to think that she
would be there. His father kept records of the wolves in
each pack within the Sanction, and there was no Danny
listed in that pack. 
Yo, Boss. Wanna go grab a drink? Warren asked through
mindlink. 
That sounds like something I need right now. See you
downstairs. 
Every so often Warren and Jacob would bring Nero to a
local bar to have some drinks together. It was a way for
Warren to meet women, and sometimes he used Jacob as a
wingman to get women that were with friends. Nero would
tag along just to have a few beers and relax. Shifters had a
high metabolism that caused them to not be able to get
drunk easily. Some bars would carry stronger beers and
liquors that were made specifically for Shifters so they
would be able to get drunk like everyone else, but Nero
tended to not drink them because he did not want to be out
of control in public. There were wolves that got drunk and
caused a lot of problems. A few tried marking humans that
were not their mate and were unwilling to be marked. A
couple of others caused bar fights that ended up with
humans in the hospital. When the pack had to cover the
medical bills, that was when their Alpha no longer
permitted them to go to that bar. So far, no one in the Solar
Valley pack had done something like this while under the
influence. Nero did not want to be the first one. 
The local bar, The Wolf Den, was run by a Wolf Shifter
that allowed it to become their usual spot. The owner, Dan,
was a rogue that requested permission from Nero’s father
to open the establishment within the territory and kept his
eyes on any Shifters that came into it. Dan had one rule:
Shifters only. This limited the chance of any Shifter that
managed to get drunk from doing something stupid.This
was the main reason why the Solar Valley pack did not have
any unfortunate accidents with humans within the
territory. 
  The bar took up an entire side of the room, but it was
large enough to have a dance floor.There was even a small
area that had a “mechanical bull” for Shifters to ride, but
Dan thought it would be funnier if it was in the shape of a
wolf. Warren had tried riding it multiple times and had yet
to stay on longer than four seconds. 
When they walked in, Dan was behind the bar and gave
them a nod. Warren led them toward the bar first and
ordered a round of beers. Of course, Warren had to wear a
pair of jeans, a black button up shirt, and his cowboy hat.
Nero watched him scan the dance floor, wink, and then tip
his hat. Nero followed his line of vision to find a dark-haired
woman wink back at him. 
“Do you even know how to keep it in your pants?” Nero
joked. 
“Where’s the fun in that?” 
“What if you get a girl pregnant? Then what are you
going to do?” Jacob thought he managed to make Warren
second guess his actions. 
“Then I guess I propose a Chosen Mate bond and then I
get to shack up with a woman and my pup.” 
“What kind of womanizer are you?” Jacob laughed. 
“The one that would not abandon his pup,” Warren
responded and took a sip from his beer. 
It was Nero’s time to try to stump the man-whore.
“What if you impregnate one woman and then find your
True Mate?” 
“I propose to them both that we become our own
family?” 
Warren was clearly throwing out a possibility instead of
a for sure answer. His statement came across as a question
instead, and then his eyes moved up to the right-hand
corner of his top eyelid, like he was trying to see inside his
own mind thinking that this may be a possibility. 
“You building a harem now?” Jacob laughed as he got
the words out. 
She-wolves were not the kind of animal that would allow
their mate to have multiple women, especially if they were
higher in the hierarchy. Most she-wolves would scratch the
eyes out of any she-wolf that even dared to look at their
mate when they were Delta level or higher, so Jacob’s
response of laughing as he spoke those words were kind of
warranted. 
“If they let me. Think about it. If one she-wolf is too
tired, she can pawn me off to another one. If they want to
get into kinky shit, bam. There’s already another she-wolf
that she knows willing to do it, and I can tell my True Mate
that it can be only the she-wolves that she approves of.” 
Nero shook his head at his friend. Even though it was all
a joke, Nero did think that if there was any wolf on this
planet that could convince multiple women that being a
part of a harem was a good thing, it would be Warren. 
They spent some time sipping on their beers and
listening to the hip hop music that blared through the
speakers. Nero looked toward the back rooms and
wondered if they should all just go in there. One room had
a few dart boards, and the other had a billiards table, but
before Nero could ask the guys if they would like to play,
Warren walked over to the dark-haired Shifter that he kept
flirting with from across the room. Then Nero was going to
ask Jacob if he would like to, but then lost him as Warren
yelled out for Jacob to join the dark-haired she-wolf’s
friend. 
Great. Now I am alone. Why did I come here anyway? 
He scanned the crowd in an attempt to make himself
want to get out onto the dance floor with his friends and
just dance on the outskirts of their circle when a red-haired
she-wolf sauntered over to him. Her scent wafted toward
him, and she smelled of strawberries. Nero thought it was
fitting, considering she was a redhead, for her to smell of a
red fruit. Her lips were full with a cherry red lipstick
covering them. She wore a short black skirt and a black top
that only went across her chest to show her stomach. The
she-wolf was quite busty, and Nero wondered, if she would
just jump high enough, if her breasts would pop right out of
it. 
When the she-wolf reached him, she trailed her fingers
from Nero’s left shoulder down to his wrist. “Hi handsome.
I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” 
Kane broke through the connection to speak. I don’t
like her touching us. 
“I usually don’t come in here on the weekend.” 
 “I’m Trixie. What’s your name?” 
Nero debated on actually giving this she-wolf his real
name. If she did not know who he was, then she was not
from this sanction. 
Can we trust her at all? I feel as if this is a trap. 
You think every she-wolf is a set up. 
Maybe find Danny and I won’t. 
“Alpha Nero.” 
“I thought you were a powerful wolf by your aura.
Wanna dance, handsome?” Trixie touched his arm yet
again. 
Nero moved his arm back away from her touch. It was
not just Kane that did not like this she-wolf touching him. It
used to be that Nero could at least dance with she-wolves
while he was out at the bar. Since Danny, Nero felt repulsed
by every she-wolf, or any other female shifter, that tried to
talk to him or touch him. 
Like I said. Find Danny. 
“No thank you, Trixie. I have to go.” 
Nero moved past her and did his best to not have any
part of his body come into contact with her skin. He
mindlinked the guys to tell them that he was going home.
Kane was right, though he hated to admit it. He needed to
find Danny. 
Once he walked into the pack house, Nero made a
beeline for his office. He set up a video conference call with
all the Alphas of the Sanction. He had a plan to find Danny,
and he needed their help to put the plan into motion. When
they were all on the screen, Nero began the meeting. 
“Hello, Alphas. I apologize for this late of a conference,
but it is urgent. I will be traveling to each of your packs
over the course of the next couple of weeks. I will be
starting with the neighboring packs first and making my
way outward throughout the Sanction.” 
Draxton spoke first. The male appeared the most
agitated out of all the Alphas by the sudden call, but Nero
did not care in the least. “Why are you traveling to all of
our packs? Is this a check in or inspection of some kind?” 
I am surprised that a sophisticated question came out of
that mouth. “No. I am in search of a she-wolf. I actually met
her at Alpha Draxton’s Coronation ceremony and have not
seen her since. I believe that she is my True Mate.” 
“Alpha, don’t we have a spreadsheet of all the wolves of
every pack for you to sort through so you do not have to
travel so much to find her?” an older Alpha by the name of
Lawson in charge of the Rocky Lake Pack asked. 
“Yes, Alpha Lawson. I do have that for me to sort
through, however, I cannot find her on any of the pack
lists.” 
“Did she use a false name?” Lawson asked. 
It did not dawn on me that she could have given me a
fake name. She is truly trying to hide her identity if she
gave me a fake name. 
So she was afraid of someone inside of Ember
Forest. 
Judging by his wolf’s tone, it was not a question. It was a
fact. 
“She must have, though I am not sure why a she-wolf
would be afraid to use her real name.” 
The Alphas were just as surprised as Nero was… all
except one. Draxton had a bored expression on his face as
if this was wasting his time. Nero wished that he could pull
the pup through his screen just so he could kick his ass for
this kind of behavior. Part of being a good Alpha was
helping those in need. Draxton did not seem to be one of
those kinds of Alphas, which only made Nero angrier that
he was now an Alpha of a pack within his sanction. 
“I will be leaving in the morning. I am counting on all of
you to make all unmated she-wolves available for me to
meet when I arrive. I thank you in advance for your
cooperation.” 
 A collective “of course” rang through the screen as the
majority of the Alphas were more than willing to assist
Nero with his search. Only one was not loud enough for
Nero to hear. He wanted to call out Draxton more than
anything to make the other Alphas aware that they had a
possible leech within their midst. However, that would lead
to a political battle that he did not feel like dealing with at
this time. Calling out an Alpha on not accommodating
another could be considered a challenge. Was Nero worried
about Draxton challenging him? Absolutely not. The pup
would not stand a chance against Nero. However, that
would take away time and energy from finding his mate. 
Nero logged off after saying another thank you. He
jumped up from his chair and briskly walked to his room.
Kane’s overall mood was now better since Nero was
making progress with finding Danny, which then fed into
Nero’s mood. 
I will find her. When I do, I will learn why she felt unsafe
to give me her real name.
S ydney spent more time cleaning than she ever had
before now that Draxton was the Alpha of the pack.
Clearly, he did not like the fact that Sydney completed the
rejection, so he was unable to torture her with the bond. To
make up for that, on purpose, Draxton would bring Draziel
in whichever room she was cleaning and make out with her
loudly to get her attention. Instead of getting angry or
annoyed, Sydney would either ignore them or smile at them
and then move to another room. That seemed to only make
Draxton angrier. 
There were times when Marie was in the room that they
tried to rub it in Sydney’s face that they were together. It
was always an immediate reaction for Marie to shoo them
away and tell them that they needed to go to their own
room when they felt the need to stick their tongues down
each other’s throats. Marie began to catch on to what they
were trying to do and asked Sydney about it. She was going
to shrug it off and make it seem like she had no idea why
they would do this, but Marie knew her all too well. 
“Do not downplay this. I raised you, and I know all of
your tells, young lady. Now tell me why those two mongrels
keep coming into rooms you are in and practically hump
each other.” 
Sydney sighed knowing that she could not keep it from
Marie any longer. Luckily, they were cleaning Dante’s and
Dahlia’s new room, and Sydney knew that it was
soundproof. 
“Okay. I will tell you,” she said as she shut the door to
ensure no one could hear her. “Draxton was apparently my
True Mate. I found out the night of Coronation.”
Marie gasped, “I assume…” 
“Yes. He rejected me. In front of Draziel.” 
“This is his way to flaunt that he rejected you. I am
going to beat that pup with my bare hands! How could he
throw something as precious as a True Mate away? What is
wrong with that boy?” Marie looked over at Sydney’s wide-
eyed expression. “I am so sorry, Sweetheart.” 
Sydney smiled. She thought of Silver coming to the
surface in that moment. “It’s okay. Really. I completed the
rejection. I feel nothing while he does this weird charade to
get my attention.” 
Marie scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. “Did you
meet someone else? Just because you completed the
rejected bond does not mean you would not get residual
effects.”
Sydney looked away without thinking. Marie would
realize that this was her way of trying to not talk about it. 
“Sydney Danvers. Did you meet someone?” Sydney
could hear the smile in Marie’s words. 
She tried to walk away to avoid the conversation
knowing damn well that it would not help. It was a way for
her to buy some time to try to explain what happened that
night. Sydney was not sure if Rosalind would be happy if
she shared about her experience that night. 
“Sort of.” 
“I’m not sure if I am understanding. You can meet a part
of someone? Are you not sure that the person is real?”
Sydney could hear the playfulness inside of Marie’s voice. 
Sydney turned to face Marie. “I am just not sure if I can
really go into detail.” 
“Why’s that, honey?” Marie began to fold clothes from
the laundry basket. 
I don’t feel any kind of residual magic on us. I
think you can tell her. 
I don’t feel comfortable telling her. At least for now. 
“I think it is something that I need to keep to myself
right now. When I feel comfortable, I will tell you. I did
meet someone, but I don’t think it is going to go anywhere.
Until it does, I would rather not talk about it.” 
Marie smiled at her. “I can understand that. If one man
can cause you that kind of pain, you would rather play the
next one close to the chest. Just don’t let what Draxton did
to you sway you into thinking all men are like that.” 
Sydney looked down at the floor for a moment, thinking
of how sweet Nero was. When she looked back up at Marie,
she was wearing a smile. “I don’t believe that at all.” 
Marie dropped the subject and went back to folding.
Sydney dusted and wiped down every surface she could.
She planned to take a break to walk through the woods.
Since the night of the Coronation, she had not seen her
friends and knew she needed to talk to them. They were
probably wondering what happened that night. 
I’m not sure if Draxton will allow me to take breaks like
Dante did though. 
We could leave the pack, you know, Silver chimed in. 
I could be a rogue for a while. Wander around the
Sanction until I find a pack that won’t think so lowly of me. 
It was not a bad idea. She was not going to have a good
life in this pack. Draxton seemed to think that making her
life a living hell could be a new sport. He thought that
publicly showing off that he chose Draziel instead would
make her angry. Even though it doesn’t. 
  Sydney did not mention to Draxton when she wanted to
take her break. She figured she would just assume that the
rules had not changed since she was not told otherwise.
When five o’clock rolled around, she walked out of the
house and into the forest. Part of her wanted to go to the
fountain and try to remember every detail she could from
when she spent time with Nero, but she chose not to act on
that thought. 
It is best if I just move on. He is basically a Prince or
King. Which would make me a commoner. Royalty does not
mingle with common folk. There was not even a mate bond
for him to choose me! This is just a crush. 
I think you are selling yourself too short, Silver
huffed. 
Sydney adored how much her wolf believed in her and
always seemed to encourage her. However, while living
inside of a pack that made sure to point out that she was on
the bottom of the totem pole all her life, it was difficult to
believe she was worth more than that. That is why she
chose kindness and to keep silent. There was no use in
arguing seeing as she was not powerful enough to back up
her words. 
Silver sneezed at that statement. I beg to differ there. 
Before she could argue, a red fox leapt out of a bush and
caused Sydney to scream in petrified terror. Merida in her
fox form sat on her haunches and appeared proud of
herself with her nose in the air. 
“Could you be any more satisfied with yourself right
now?” 
Merida gave a little yip. 
“Are you going to stay a fox?” 
The fox playfully put her front half of her body down and
yipped again. 
“Well, that answers that.” 
Let’s go for a run. 
 Sydney realized that she would lose two-to-one if she
would say no. Instead of trying to argue, Sydney stripped
her clothes off and allowed Silver to take over. With the
necklace from Marie, the shift happened quicker than it
would have with her being an Omega. The more powerful
the host, the quicker the shift into its wolf counterpart.
Once in Silver’s form, she shook her body as the magic still
tingled. 
I don’t think I will ever get used to this. 
Merida yipped once more and then dashed into the
forest. Sydney chuckled as Silver sprinted after her,
catching her almost immediately due to her size in
comparison to the fox. Within minutes, they were running
down a path that Sydney did not remember traveling much
before. The ground was not as beaten down, and there was
a new view that caused Sydney to have Silver stop to look
at it properly. 
A rock formation that seemed to grow higher than the
trees stood before them. Merida noticed that Silver stopped
and trotted over to her. She too looked at the rock
formation and then back at Silver. She sneezed to get their
attention and then the fox’s head leaned as if to say, “let’s
go explore.” They both trotted their way up the rocks to
find out what they could possibly see with this new
perspective. When they were eye level with most of the
trees, Sydney could see that the leaves were beginning to
change, which only meant that the Ember Forest would
soon be filled with nothing but orange and red as far as the
eye could see. 
At the top of the formation, they could see a decent
portion of the territory. The area around them was a
mixture of green, yellow, orange, and red. The scent of the
dirt, bark of the trees, and the leaves beginning to decay
filled Silver’s nose. Sydney loved this time of year. She
found it to be tranquil and just showed how beautiful the
world could be. 
 Sydney felt a shift in the air that only Shifter magic
could cause. Silver moved her head towards where
Merida’s fox once stood. Merida smiled at her and could
not pass up the opportunity to make a joke. 
“And here I thought you only swung toward men. Now I
find you checking me out.” 
Silver shook her head in response to the joke. 
Merida chuckled. “Shift already. I don’t want to be in
human form all by myself.” 
Silver cocked her head and bobbed her head once at
Merida. 
Merida looked down at herself as if she did not know
that she was currently naked. Most of her chest was
covered by her long reddish orange hair, but everything
else was easily seen. 
“Oh. Right. Forgot this could happen. Don’t worry. I
brought back up.” Merida whistled and Silver’s hearing
picked up a flutter of wings off in the distance. 
Did she just whistle to alert Lucy to our
whereabouts? 
Seems like it. 
If she was a wolf, I would be concerned. 
Why is that? 
She seems like the person that would climb the
ranks and then have the entire pack bow down to her. 
Sydney laughed. Sounds about right. 
Silver allowed Sydney to take over to shift. Once it was
completed, clothes were dropped into her lap from the air.
Merida was already mostly clothed by that time, so Sydney
did not wait any longer in getting her own clothes on. When
she looked behind her, Lucy was sitting on a rock
completely dressed. Both of her friends were dressed
similar to how they had been on her birthday. Their outfits
reminded her of their animal counterparts. Gray and white
jeans with a white top for Lucy. Brown pants with a red top
for Merida. 
 “You guys love to represent your animal.” Sydney
pointed to their outfits. 
“Well, I just love my other half so much that I try to
always look like her,” Merida said proudly. It reminded
Sydney of when her fox felt proud for scaring a Wolf
Shifter. 
“I represent a whole tribe now. I feel like it is necessary
to show my pride,” Lucy explained and then smiled. “Your
hair represents your wolf, though.” 
Sydney gestured with a finger and moved it all around
her head. “This was not on purpose.”
“In a way, it was.” Merida gestured to her hair and then
said, “you let Wendy go with what she felt would work for
you. She has a hidden talent, which only makes me think
she has Witch somewhere in her DNA, for picking out the
perfect style and color for people. She must have felt your
wolf at the surface and what color her coat would be.” 
Merida could be right. Wendy seemed to know exactly
what she was doing. Sydney’s hair now matched Silver’s
coat almost spot on. Silver did not have as much blue as
Sydney did in her hair. That was pretty much the only
difference. 
“So why did you guys bring me out here?” Sydney asked
them as she sat down with her feet over the edge of the
formation. 
“We wanted to know how the Coronation went.” Lucy
was staring at her when she answered the question. 
Does she know?
Could be possible. 
“It was not the best of nights at first.” Sydney stopped
herself, yet again afraid to go further in the conversation. 
“The stars said you would find your mate that night.
Someone very powerful. Did you find him?” Lucy said it in a
way that made Sydney believe that she already knew
everything. 
“I did find my mate.” 
 Merida gasped and then leaned closer to her, “tell us
more.” The smile she wore was one Sydney knew well. She
wanted to know every detail and would not settle for less. 
“Okay. How about I explain everything, from start to
finish, but no interruptions?” 
Both girls nodded. 
“Well, Marie helped me get ready for the party, and she
left the room before I did. When I stepped out, I ran right
into Draziel. I complimented her, because she did look
beautiful, but she thought it was fake. She accused me of
trying to steal Draxton away from her and then cut up my
dress with her claws. I ran outside after she walked away,
and Fate must have just hated me. I ran right into Draxton
and Draziel making out by the fountain. Turns out, he was
my mate.” 
Another gasped escaped their lips, but they did not open
their mouths to speak. Sydney continued with her story. 
“I was so shocked that he was my mate. Before I could
say anything, he rejected me.” 
“That little ba-” Merida started to say but then shut her
mouth. 
Sydney tried to hide her smile but couldn’t. “Anyway.
The pain was so unbearable that I couldn't complete it at
first. Silver rushed to my aide and said everything I wanted
to say to him and completed it. Draxton was mad at first,
but then walked away with Draziel sucking on his neck. I
walked over to the fountain and mourned my mate for a
moment. That is when things got interesting.” 
“Ohhh yeah.” Merida smiled as if she knew the story. 
Maybe she does. She could have seen it from the
forest. 
That… doesn’t surprise me if it is true. 
“A Witch showed up. She ended up transforming my
dress into something absolutely breathtaking and then hid
my scent and bond from the pack. Then she made a
carriage for me to show up to the party in so no one would
recognize me. She said I had until midnight before the
magic wore off. It was crazy.” 
Sydney took a break to take a breath. Her heart began
to race as the memory of Nero began to play for her in her
mind. This was her favorite part of the night and the part
that her friends were going to gush over. 
“I walked into that ballroom and every set of eyes was
on me. That has never happened before in my life. I
thought I was going to just turn around and run out of
there. Then everything changed. Alpha Nero asked me to
dance with him.” Sydney saw Merida’s mouth open to say
something, so she cut her off. “He danced with every
unmated female! I was not special. Well, at least for the
dancing part. I really felt eyes on me, and I got
uncomfortable. I was terrified that everyone knew it was
me and more rumors about me would get around. But Nero
seemed to know how uncomfortable I was, so he led me
outside. He was such a gentleman. We kind of just talked
and got to know one another. It felt like only minutes went
by, but then the magic started to wear off. I was too scared
to stick around to see if he would still be interested in me
regardless of the magic, so I took off into the woods.” 
Both Merida and Lucy blinked several times as if they
did not expect that to be the end of the story. 
“You ran… ran out on… Alpha Nero?” With the pauses in
the question, it was clear to Sydney that Merida could not
believe what she just heard. 
Sydney lifted her hand and had her thumb and pointer
finger with a space between them, “little bit.” 
“That is not at all what the stars said would happen. I
can’t believe you ran out on Alpha Nero! No wonder he is
going crazy!” 
It was a rare occasion to see Lucy show this much
expression. She was a very kept together person and
seemed to always be in control of her emotions. To see her
completely confused and excited to the point that her voice
was elevated was a sight to see. 
“Wait. What do you mean he is going crazy?” 
Merida and Lucy looked at one another with an
expression that Sydney could not decipher. 
“Draxton didn’t tell you guys?” Merida asked. 
“Tell us what?” Sydney was now even more confused. 
Draxton is hiding something from the pack?
Or he is hiding it just from us. 
“The whole town is buzzing about it. Nero is in search of
his mate. He said he found her at the Coronation, and he is
demanding that every pack make every unmated female
available to him when he visits. He is coming here within
like a week,” Merida explained. 
He is looking for us? Sydney asked herself. No. Not
possible. We aren’t his mate. 
How do you know that? 
I have not felt a mate bond between us the way I did
with Draxton! 
“He has contacted local towns as well. Nero is asking for
anyone to get unmated females that the shop owners know
to come into town as well. He is truly scouring everywhere
trying to find the she-wolf he met that night.” 
“It couldn’t possibly be me! He danced with every she-
wolf that was at the party. It could be anyone.” 
“It could be you,” Lucy said as matter of factly. 
Sydney did not want to believe it. There was no way that
Nero could be her mate. Draxton was her mate, and he
rejected her. Second Chance mates were too rare for her to
believe that this was possible. 
The Witch did say that she was there to fix a
timeline. 
Is Nero mine? 
There was no response from her wolf. That question
seemed to circle her mind as if it was a tornado. 
Did I receive a Second Chance mate?
T hree days had passed since the day with Merida
and Lucy. Since that day, Sydney had not slept a
wink. Even though her mind had not stopped since they
told her that Nero was going to come back to the Ember
Forest territory, that was not why she had barely slept. 
It was something much worse. 
Draxton had marked Draziel as his Chosen Mate while
Sydney was with her friends. This was something to
celebrate with the rest of the pack. It now had an Alpha
pair in charge of it. However, this was the worst possible
thing that could have happened for Sydney. Now that
Draziel was the She-Alpha. Even though Draxton had
officially chosen her as a mate, and there was no chance
that Sydney would be his mate, Draziel still hated Sydney
with a passion. 
She chose every waking moment to show how much she
hated Sydney. 
Just like when they were children, Draziel packed more
chores on Sydney than any other Omega. Marie thought
she would be able to help Sydney with the chores, but
Draziel caught on quickly that Marie was trying and Draziel
then gave an Alpha command to the entire pack, so none of
them would be able to help Sydney anymore. On purpose,
Draziel covered the floors in mud, spilled things on the
floor or her clothes to cause extra cleaning and had the rest
of the pack do the same thing. There were even times when
Draziel held her foot out for Sydney to fall or had another
packmate to do it for her. At least before, it was just
Draziel. Now that she had control of the pack, it was worse
than it ever had been as a child. Sydney thought that
nightmare was over after Dahlia had had enough of all the
drama within the pack. Now it was something she had to
live again and there was no one to put a stop to it. Dahlia
was no longer in charge and had no dominion over the pack
anymore.
Sydney woke up at the crack of dawn and cleaned until
nearly three in the morning before exhaustion took over.
There were times that Marie would find her asleep on a
chair while she folded laundry or leaning on the wall while
still holding a broom in her hand. Since Marie could not
help Sydney in any way with the chores that were assigned
to her, instead she would carry Sydney to her room and
wake her up a little earlier so she could get some rest. 
It was not enough. 
Silver grew angrier each day with Sydney not standing
up for herself. Sydney did her best to explain to her wolf
that there was nothing that she could do to help her
situation. Silver argued that she could challenge Draziel, so
she could kick her ass. Sydney did not agree that would be
the best. If Sydney would win, that meant she would
technically be challenging Draziel for She-Alpha, and
Sydney wanted nothing to do with Draxton or being mated
to him. Silver only agreed after Sydney made that
statement that it was not in their best interest to challenge
Draziel. 
We could leave the pack, Silver suggested. 
 This was something that Silver brought up often. Sydney
was highly considering that suggestion. Only one thing was
stopping her. 
We can’t leave. Nero is coming. Even though I don’t
think we are his mate, I would like to see him again. 
Fine. We can stay for that. I want to see him, too. 
Why would you want to see him? 
I have my reasons. 
The tone Silver used was not confident and had Sydney
questioning her wolf. Is this a secret? How are you keeping
a secret from me? 
Silver stopped talking after that. Sydney was extremely
confused as to how her wolf was able to keep a secret from
her, but she let it go. Silver did not push Sydney into
sharing everything and why, so she wanted to give Silver
the same courtesy. Sydney even wondered if Nero was
coming. Draxton had not notified the pack that he was
coming yet. 
It was now morning once again. Sydney managed to get
five hours of sleep instead of only two or three. Draziel was
knocking on the door loudly and screaming her name as
Sydney was pulling her pants on. She ignored her and
continued to get dressed. 
“Omega! I demand you to get out here NOW!” Draziel
added the Alpha Command at the end to force Sydney to
walk to the door even though she did not have a shirt on.
Sydney pulled the door open, both she and Silver were
seething with rage at having to listen to Draziel when she
was going bat shit crazy over nothing. Draziel’s eyes
narrowed once she realized that Sydney was not wearing a
shirt. 
“This is how you greet your Alpha?” 
“No. This is how I greet my Alpha when she commands
me to come to the door when I am in the middle of getting
dressed.” 
 “How dare you sass me!” Draziel’s voice already started
to become shrill. 
“I would sass you less if you stopped treating me like
shit.” Sydney’s tone came out firmer than she expected it
to. 
“I can treat you however I want to treat you. You have
been nothing but an awful Omega to this pack.” 
Sydney blinked several times at that statement. “I’m
sorry. How was I an awful Omega?” 
“I know for a fact that you were trying to undermine
Dante and Dahlia any chance you had! You slept around
and had the men lie so you wouldn’t be cast out!” 
Is she serious? Silver was just as confused as Sydney. 
I think she is. 
“You created those rumors, Draziel. I haven’t slept with
anyone from this pack. Actually, I haven’t slept with
anyone, period!” 
“Don’t lie!” Draziel’s voice was shriller than before. “You
were throwing yourself at Draxton until he rejected you! I
watched you crawl on the kitchen floor to entice him. Then
you interrupted us just before his ceremony! I think you
even had a witch create that Mate Bond just so you could
sway him to you.” 
Sydney noticed that the pack began to file in from both
sides of the hallway. As embarrassing as this fight was,
Sydney was not going to move. She was tired of this. There
was no reason why she had to continue to take this abuse. 
“You are out of your mind! No one can create a bond like
that! Even with magic. No Witch has that kind of power!
The Goddess chose him for me. He rejected ME! I only
completed the bond because I saw no reason to fight for
him. He is vile, selfish, and disrespectful. He was never
perfect for me. For you? Absolutely. You can have him. You
can have this pack! I don’t care anymore.” Sydney took in a
deep breath to steady her nerves and Silver came to the
surface just to give Sydney the extra confidence she needed
to complete the task she now felt was necessary. “I, Sydney
Danvers, renounce my place with the Ember Forest Pack.” 
Sydney felt the connection inside of the pack bonds snap
after her announcement. A collective gasp rang through the
crowd that was now formed around them. No one moved.
Draziel’s mouth was hung open from not expecting Sydney
to do the one thing that most wolves fear to do. Sydney just
made herself a rogue. 
“You are choosing a life as a rogue?” Draziel seemed to
think that pointing out the obvious was a way to argue this
point.
“Anything would be better than living here. I will pack
my things. I will be out in an hour.” Sydney turned to the
pack. “I am not leaving because I cannot face you all every
day. I can. I have for years. When I was younger, this was
an amazing pack to be in! The fact that you wolves have
succumbed to being just as vile as your leader only shows
why this is not going to be a pack that survives. I am
leaving because I cannot watch the pack that was built long
before I was born burn down from poor leaders.” 
Sydney felt incredible for getting just that off her chest.
She realized she had everyone’s attention… so she
continued to get everything off her chest that she had felt
for the last ten years. 
“Omegas are not slaves. They are the balance to the
pack. If every wolf within a pack had more dominance and
none without, it would die. No wolf would survive the
constant need of having to prove themselves worthy of
being part of this hierarchy. Having wolves with no
dominance keeps packs strong. That is what Alpha Boone
taught us when we were just pups.” Sydney looked at
Draziel. “I have no idea why you lost sight of what you were
taught. Every real alpha teaches that. If not the Alpha, the
top five do.” Then she looked at the others once again.
“None of you preach what it means to be a part of a pack.
That is why you will fail on top of treating your Omegas as
if they are nothing. Look at those who you consider lowly
wolves because they have no dominance!” 
Surprisingly, they did. 
“They are the backbone of this pack. They keep this
pack house running like a well-oiled machine. Not the
Alphas who make it seem as if they don’t need Omegas. If
you continue to treat them this way, the pack will die, and it
will be your fault.” 
Without another word, Sydney walked into her room and
closed the door. She looked into a mirror on the wall and
realized she was still topless. Quickly, she went into her
closet and grabbed a t-shirt within it. A light knock on the
door came, and Sydney already knew who it was. She
walked over to the door and opened it to find Marie on the
other side. 
“I am so proud of you,” Marie said as she pulled Sydney
into a hug. 
“Really? You aren’t mad that I just made myself a
rogue?” 
Marie’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. “Of course not!
As a matter of fact, I also renounced my place inside of the
pack.” 
It was Sydney’s turn to lose her eyebrows into her
hairline. “You what?” 
Marie did not seem like the kind of person that would
become a rogue willingly. She adored being an Omega. She
was one of the only Omegas that seemed to enjoy the
cooking and taking care of the pups. 
“You were right when you said that a pack cannot
survive without balance. That is something that needs to be
proven to these thick-headed pups that are now running
this pack.” 
“Are you sure about this?” 
“Yes. We can leave together. I would rather be a rogue
than live inside of a pack run by those two.” 
 Sydney hugged Marie harder than she did before. It was
easier to do this knowing that Marie would be with her.
They both agreed that they would meet outside at the end
of their hour to gather their belongings. Sydney was
thankful that Lucy told her to buy a bag that would carry
all of her new clothes. In hindsight, she wondered if Lucy
read about this moment in the stars and knew it would be a
way for Sydney to pack up everything so she could leave. 
I am asking her about this, so I can thank her if it is
true. 
At the end of the hour, Sydney took a look at her small
room. Nothing looked new. It hadn’t been painted since
before she was born, so the white paint was now faded. Her
bed was still small, and she only had a large enough
blanket to cover her thanks to Marie. She made her the
quilt just after it was clear that she was no longer going to
grow. She made to fold it and stuff it into her bag just
before she left the room. Everything else was not hers, and
she had no desire to bring any part of this life with her. 
Goodbye, room. It is time for me to make my dreams
come true. 
Marie stood outside just as she promised. She had a
large duffle bag in her hand, and her chin was raised
slightly in the air. Sydney looked up at the windows and
saw Draziel, her sister, Theresa, and Dahlia. They were
glaring down at them, which only made Sydney smile. 
“Ready, Sweetheart?” 
“More than ever.” 
“How about we shift and have our wolves carry the
bags?” 
“Sounds like a plan!” 
They quickly took off their clothes, stuffed them into
their bags, and shifted into their wolves. It was not often
that Sydney was able to see Marie’s wolf, Elyse. She was
chocolate brown with gold eyes. Due to her being an
Omega, she was on the smaller side of wolves. Silver
walked over to her and nuzzled into her chest, showing a
form of respect to her since Sydney always considered
Marie her mother. 
With a final look up at the pack house, Sydney noticed
that the majority of the pack was looking out of the
windows to watch their departure. Silver heard footsteps
from within the kitchen and the door opened. Draxton
stood inside of the doorway. 
“Do not expect us to welcome you back here. You
renounced your place here. I did not banish you. It was
your choice to leave, so I will take that as you were not
happy enough to stay.” 
Silver looked straight into his eyes as he said those
words. Never in her life did Sydney feel like she made the
right choice. But in that moment, seeing Draxton trying to
make her feel guilty for leaving, she felt confident that this
was exactly what she needed to do. This was exactly what
she needed. Why Rosalind gave her the chance to meet
Nero, she finally understood, even if he was not her mate. 
She knew her worth now. 
Just a few hours with Nero made her see that she should
have never been treated the way that she was inside of her
current pack. Rosalind was right. She was more than just
an Omega. 
And no one will take that from me ever again. 
Silver lifted her jowls and bared her teeth at him. She,
too, wanted to show Draxton that she was not to be pushed
around anymore. It did not matter to her that he was the
Alpha. That meant nothing to her now. There was no
connection to them to make them have to listen to an Alpha
Command and it felt freeing. 
Silver swung her head over to Elyse and gave a quick
nod. They wrapped their teeth around the bags and took off
running into the woods side by side. They did not have a
way to communicate, but Sydney’s only thoughts were to
go to the city. There they could at least get a room and then
plan what they would do next. Sydney did make sure to
pack the leftover money she had from her birthday and
added to it each week from her pays. From her
calculations, she had enough to at least cover three days
inside of a cheaper hotel than the one she stayed at with
Merida and Lucy. 
With their wolf speed, they were there in just over an
hour. The sun was now high enough in the sky to make
them visible to anyone who looked into the forest. Sydney
stopped just before a large thicket of bushes and shifted.
She told Marie that they would need to change before they
walked into town, and she agreed. They quickly got dressed
and then threw their bags over their shoulders. When they
walked out of the woods, Sydney recognized where they
were from when she was here for her birthday. They were
not far from a hotel and could easily walk there. 
Sydney’s calculations were right. She had enough for
three days. Before she paid for it, she realized that they
would need money for food. They would not be able to go
into the forest due to it being in the  Ember Forest pack’s
territory. She changed her answer to two days before Marie
chuckled. 
“I have money as well. We will take three days.” 
Duh. I don’t know why I did not think of that. 
“Who will the reservation be under?” The guy behind
the desk asked. 
“Sydney Danvers,” she replied.
He was an older gentleman, and he did not have the
scent of a wolf. His eyebrow went up in curiosity. 
“Sydney Danvers, huh?.”
Sydney suppressed Silver’s growl of warning. “Um,
yes?”
“Actually, a friend of yours is staying here, too. She said
she has room for you two to stay with her and to send you
up once you get here.” 
 Sydney looked over at Marie, hoping that she knew what
was going on. Marie wore the same confused face that was
on Sydney’s. 
“Okay,” was the only word she could manage to get out
of her mouth. The confusion was preventing her from being
able to think properly. She had no way to tell her friends
that this had happened. Merida was nowhere in sight when
they walked out of the house or ran into the woods. 
The clerk handed her a key card and motioned to take
the elevator off to the left. Once they were inside of the
elevator, Sydney felt comfortable to talk. 
“Did you somehow alert Merida or Lucy about what
happened?” 
“No. I used all the time we had to pack and to make sure
that the rest of the Omegas could handle the work for the
day. I am guessing you did not tell them either?” 
“No, but Lucy is an Owl Shifter. Maybe she saw this in
the stars.” 
The elevator dinged that they were on the floor of the
room they were staying in. It felt weird walking down the
hall to the last room. Sydney sniffed the area to catch a
scent of who was here. When she smelled Merida and Lucy,
she felt as though she should have been surprised, but she
wasn’t. Sydney put the key in the door’s swipey lock and
opened it. The room was set up similarly to the one they
had stayed in for her birthday. There was a living room
first, then a common area. Then there were two rooms on
the left and one on the right. The bathroom was on the
right side as well. 
Her friends were sitting in the middle of the common
area and looked up at her when they stepped in. 
“How the hell did you guys know we were coming?” 
“What do you think?” Lucy asked with her eyebrow
cocked. 
“You know, I think you are just psychic, and you use the
stars as an excuse,” Sydney joked. 
 Lucy smiled but said nothing. “I am not staying. I just
came to make sure you were okay. Merida plans to stay
with you, though.” 
Merida took Marie’s bag and walked it to her room.
Marie wanted to protest, but Merida did not want to listen.
When she stepped outside the room, Merida told Marie to
go relax and take a bath. 
“I haven’t taken a bath in years,” Marie said and looked
over at the door to the bathroom. 
Merida smiled. “Based on what I learned about Sydney
on her birthday, I figured as much. Lucy stopped at the
local apothecary before she came in here. There are all
sorts of things for you to use.” 
Marie did not hesitate and walked into the bathroom.
Sydney dropped her bag off in her room after Merida
pointed out which one it was and then joined her friends.
They wasted no time asking questions. The main one was
“what happened exactly?” 
Sydney explained everything and did not leave out a
single detail. Both of her friends had a straight face at first,
but they slowly formed into smiles throughout Sydney’s
retelling of the whole incident. By the end, they both had
an expression of pride within their smiling faces. 
Merida was the first one to speak. “We are so proud of
you, Syd. You finally did it. You stood your ground and got
out of that hell hole!” 
“Thank you. I was finally pushed over the edge by
Draziel. The nerve of her to say all of those things was just
too much.” 
“She was always threatened by you. You being fated to
Draxton must have been the straw that broke her back.” 
“Must have been. But I won’t need to worry about that
anymore.”
“No, you won’t.” Lucy said. 
Sydney then remembered what happened at the front
desk.
 “Lu, are you actually psychic? How do you keep being at
the right place at the right time?” 
Lucy had a coy smile on her face. “It was written in the
stars.” 
That was all she would say. Sydney asked more
clarifying questions, but Lucy would not answer. Merida
changed the topic, and it moved the conversation along to
where Sydney forgot all about the events that happened
that morning. They fell into a rhythm and before Sydney
knew it, she was in a fit of laughter. Marie joined them after
her bath, and it felt like her birthday again. A moment in
time where she felt happier than she ever did. 
I hope I get the chance to thank Rosalind someday.
W aking up inside of the hotel instead of her small
room at the pack house confused Sydney at first. It
took her a few moments before she realized where she was
and to remember that it was not because she was Moon
Crazed and ended up at a hotel. The events of the day
before slowly came back to her, and it was a weird feeling
not being connected to the pack anymore. She did not wake
up to anyone banging on her door demanding her to clean
something, and she did not have other Omegas using the
pack’s mind link to tell her their chores took precedence
over the one that she was completing at the time. Instead,
she woke up to the sounds of birds chirping through the
window that she did not have in her room and the sun
shining on her face. 
This is wonderful. 
The night before came to mind. It was nice to spend the
evening with her friends eating pizza from that local
restaurant they visited for her birthday and talking with
Merida and Lucy all night. Sydney was able to go into
detail about how she told off Draziel about the way she had
been treated, especially by her, for the last ten years. Marie
added how Sydney addressed the pack and hoped,
afterward, the Omegas would start to question if they
should have stayed with the pack themselves. Marie also
added that, after Sydney went into her room, she
announced that she also was leaving the pack. The girls
were amazed that Marie would leave the pack that she had
lived in for sixty years, to which she responded “I only
stayed because of Sydney. If she was leaving, I had no
reason to remain with a pack that did not appreciate me or,
for all intents and purposes, my daughter.” 
Now that it was the next day, they needed a plan.
Rogues were not accepted in any of the territories without
permission by the local Alpha. There was no way for either
Sydney or Marie to contact the Alphas to request
permission for them to travel on the territory. Sydney
thought to talk to her wolf about it before she got out of
bed.
Do we request permission to join the pack instead of just
traveling on it? 
We could. Is that what you want? 
I don’t know. I don’t even know if other packs treat their
Omegas the way that Ember Forest did after the Romero’s
took over. What if it is the same way? 
The only way to know that is by visiting the packs. 
We can’t step on the territory without the possibility of 
them just attacking us. 
We can hold our own. 
Without any training? 
Silver went silent. It was weird to have her counterpart
be more confident in them than she was. She wondered if
any other Shifter had this problem. Judging by her friends,
she would say she was alone in this category. 
Finally, after several moments of battling herself to get
out of the comfortable, soft mattress, the sheets that felt as
if they were lined with feathers or fur, and a pillow that felt
like she was sleeping on air, Sydney rolled out of bed with a
groan. She did not want to leave the bed, but thinking
about everything with the surrounding territories made her
nervous about her situation of being an Omega. She
shuffled her way to her bag to pull out an outfit for the day
and then shuffled out into the shared living space. Marie
was putting clothes into her bag while she talked with
Merida. 
“Morning, Ladies,” Sydney called out. 
They both looked over at her with a smile and said in
unison, “morning.” 
Is it a good thing that they are bonding? 
When it comes to Merida, I am not sure. 
“I just finished in the bathroom, Sweetheart. It is yours
to use.” 
“Thank you.”
Sydney struggled with wanting to stay and talk to them,
but she needed to shower so she would be able to focus.
When she first woke up, she was usually ready for the day.
However, with no chores burdening her, she felt like she
could go back onto the couch and continue to sleep. 
She did her best to complete her bathroom necessities
fast so she could return to her friends. She ran her shower
water so that the temperature felt so perfectly warm, and
Merida ran into the shower just before Sydney stepped in
to add some salts at the bottom of it that would assist with
waking up. Sydney wondered how she knew about all of
these things when she spent most of her time in a small
cabin in the woods away from the local Fox Clan’s territory.
But she also knew not to ask questions. Merida was a
private person when it came to such information. The salts
did more than wake her up. They made her not want to
leave the shower. A combination of jasmine and peppermint
wafted from the salts when the hot water hit them. It
paired nicely with the fruity smells of her shampoo,
conditioner, and body wash. With each step, Sydney felt the
burden of the pack washing away. 
 I can do this. I don’t need that pack. I need to have my
own life. I deserve my own chance at a happier life. 
That you do. You deserve that and so much more. 
Silver was right, of course. She did deserve more.
Sydney stepped out of the shower reluctantly and threw on
the clothes that she grabbed on her way into the bathroom.
A pair of jeans and a blue top was simple, but she did not
feel like getting all extravagant today. When she walked out
of the bathroom, Merida and Marie stopped talking
immediately. 
“Have a nice shower, Sweetheart?” Marie asked her. 
“I did. Why did you two stop talking when I entered the
room?” 
“No particular reason. We just stopped talking,” Merida
answered. 
Considering that her friends had recently kept
surprising her, Sydney had a hard time believing that they
were not plotting something. Between her birthday,
showing up just when she needed them in the forest, and
then this hotel, it was all too much of a coincidence.
Instead of pressing the matter, Sydney walked over to the
couch and sat down. 
“What do we do from here, Marie? We left the pack
without much notice, and we can’t travel in the different
territories without alerting the Alphas of our presence.” 
“We could always ask the patrolmen at the borders to
relay a message to the Alpha when we arrive,” Marie
suggested. 
“That is not something I had thought of,” Sydney pointed
out. “What if they just attack us instead?” 
“I don’t know what you have been hearing about local
packs, but that is usually not what happens.” Marie
laughed softly after her statement. 
“Ember Forest made it seem like local packs were
atrocious. My father taught me differently, that rogues
were not treated that way, but that was hard to believe
when he also taught me that Omegas were treated fairly
and then I was treated like crap.” 
“The Romeros are disgusting Alphas that taught
everyone incorrectly. Most packs treat others with some
compassion.” 
“So they treated me horribly and then taught me that
other packs and rogues were monsters so I wouldn’t
leave?” 
Merida let out a, “ha, sounds about right.” 
“Sydney, your father was a Delta, and a powerful one at
that. He probably could have risen through the ranks, but
he respected everyone that was higher than him. When the
Romero’s took over, they knew of your father. When they
found out that he had a daughter, they were afraid of what
you could do.” 
Sydney blinked several times and tried to process what
had just been said. She thought back to when her father
was alive, something she did little of because it made her
too sad to think about. Marie was right. Her father was
respected within the pack. When she thought about the
things she learned as a child and how things worked in the
pack hierarchy, one thing stood out to her that she never
thought of before. 
“I was never an Omega, was I?” 
Marie took in a deep breath. Sydney could feel Marie
was battling with herself. Her face contorted as she tried to
sort through her thoughts. Clearly, she did not want to
upset Sydney. 
“No, I don’t think you ever were, and that is why the
Romeros pushed you so hard. They wanted you to believe
that you were nothing. No matter how hard I tried to tell
you, I was stopped. Dante must have Alpha Commanded us
all not to speak the full truth to you. Now that I am no
longer tied to the pack, I do not feel compelled to not tell
you these things.” 
 “Did they keep my true place within the pack a secret?
Why were they so afraid of me learning the truth? I did not
want to be Alpha!” 
When she first heard the words, Sydney was somewhat
calm. She suspected at times in her life that she was more
than Omega, but without a family tie inside of the
hierarchy, she had no reason to think otherwise. 
“The problem was, there was a chance that you could
challenge them and win. I don’t think they ever realized
that you had no intention of doing that. Then your wolf
emerged. I could tell they were becoming a little nervous.
Draziel was unhinged any time you were around Draxton
because she knew, within the true hierarchy, she had no
chance against you. It all started to come together, but I
was unable to say anything. Then, the night of the
ceremony, I had a feeling something had happened, and
that was why you weren’t present for the event. I was
hoping they, the entire pack AND the Romeros, would all be
on their best behavior having the Alpha of the Sanction
present. I was wrong.” A tear slid down her cheek. “To
learn the truth, it is heartbreaking. They never had to treat
you that way but chose to because of fear, but since your
wolf emerged plus the events the night of the ceremony, I
have sensed a change in you.” 
“I can back her up on that one, Syd. Your wolf is no
Omega. She never was. The night of your birthday, when
she emerged, we could feel it. She may not have been an
Alpha, but she was certainly no Omega with no
dominance,” Merida added. 
It was an overwhelming thought that the pack had kept
her so far in the dark, that they would all choose to be loyal
to awful people. The Romeros were not leaders at all. They
were dictators, and they needed to be stopped. Sydney
thought of something that someone said about Dante and
Dahlia from the ceremony. That they said they planned to
travel. Was this a way to start taking over other packs like
they did at Ember Forest? There was no way to stop the
Romeros herself. She needed help, but first, she needed to
be sure that was their motive. There could be a penalty for
accusing ex-Alphas of such things.
The room was silent, waiting for Sydney’s response. “I
heard that the Romeros plan to travel. Is this true?”
Marie only nodded. 
“I have a feeling I know why they plan to travel. I hope
that I am wrong.” 
Merida furrowed her eyebrows for a moment before
asking a question. “What do you think they are planning?” 
“I have the strangest feeling that they want to do to
surrounding packs what they did at the Ember Forest pack.
Take over as Alphas.” 
“Sweetheart, they would need more people to do that.
Just because they take over does not mean that they can
fully make the packmates as submissive as they did here.
Ember Forest was not high in the overall hierarchy of the
Southern Sanction.”
Sydney sighed. “That is true. It is hard to not think that
they plan to stop now, though. With things being kept
secret, it just makes me think something more sinister is
being plotted.” Sydney then had a thought. “I could still
warn Alpha Nero!” 
Marie and Merida gasped. Merida spoke first. “Syd, you
can’t tell the Alpha of the Sanction something you can’t
prove.” 
“He could have grounds to imprison you… or worse!”
Marie’s voice had a tremble of fear run through it. 
“So? It sounds like what I had within the Ember Forest
pack. At any given moment, they could have killed me. They
imprisoned me in making me an Omega for ten years when
I never should have been, and they knew it. They kicked me
when I was already down.” 
“That does not mean you make a point of speaking ill of
Alphas and provide a chance for it to happen again!” 
 It was strange to see Marie so shrill and afraid. Sydney
knew that she was terrified of something happening to
Sydney, and it was a high possibility that something could
happen to her if she would speak ill of the Romeros,
especially if she spoke of them to the Alpha of the sanction.
That was their plan. She knew it had to be and had been
from the very beginning, since seizing control of the Ember
Forest Pack. They intended to commit crimes and make it
almost impossible for anyone to speak against them. No
one in the pack would be able to challenge them. Those
under them were blindly following. They never tried to
have more Omegas come to the pack to make it grow
either. They kept the pack small so they would be able to
keep their control. Pieces were coming together and
everything was starting to make sense.
“I guess you are right about that, Marie, but what if he
believes me? Either way, we cannot stay here. We need to
move to another territory.” 
Marie nodded in agreement. Merida stared at Sydney
for some time. Her eyes then widened, and Sydney knew
that meant she had just thought of something sneaky. 
“Lucy can fly ahead and speak to the Alphas, so you can
travel within territories. We all know there are small paths
between territories, so rogues can move freely. You two can
sit there until she speaks with them, so you aren’t breaking
any rules.” 
“What makes you think that they would listen to an Owl
Shifter?” Marie asked. 
Merida looked at Sydney and made an annoyed face at
her. “You did not tell Marie that Lucy now has a powerful
sugar daddy?” 
Marie’s eyes furrowed in confusion. “What is a sugar
daddy?” 
“It is a man who supplies you with many things in
exchange for-”
 Sydney cut Merida off before she could finish her
statement. “Lucy is now mated to Milo Sparx, the Alpha of
the Akiki tribe.” 
Marie’s eyebrows were nearly lost inside of her hairline.
“No wonder she was able to pay for all of this. He is
wealthy and powerful. Is that why she was unable to stay
here last night with us?” 
Merida nodded. “He seems to allow her to have
freedom, so he is not as protective as Wolves, that is for
sure, but she still has responsibilities as a she-alpha.” 
“I don’t think any mate of hers would have been able to
keep her from having freedom. Lucy was always powerful
on her own. I have never seen an Owl Shifter be so
accurate in their readings. I don’t think there was a single
thing that she ever read from the stars that did not come
true.” 
The three of them talked about the many things that
Lucy had predicted over the last ten years. Merida joked
often that Lucy just flew in the sky all day and night to
observe what happened in this town so she would be able
to give such accurate readings. That joke died when Merida
found Lucy sitting in her tree sleeping all day shortly after
the jokes were made. Then Lucy woke up just long enough
to tell Merida to stay away from the top left quadrant of the
territory. Later that day, Merida was there and almost fell
off a cliff that was beginning to fall away. 
Lucy told them before that she did not feel as if other
Owls accepted her because of her accuracy. They believed
her to be part Witch instead of all Shifter. Sydney could not
help but feel as though Lucy may have Witch genes
somewhere in her DNA to make her this accurate, though
she would never say such things in front of Lucy. Sydney
had hinted at this suspicion in hopes that Lucy would
confirm that Sydney was accurate because it would explain
so much, but Lucy never admitted nor denied it. 
“How do you get in touch with her?” Sydney asked. 
 “Well, now I just run up to her tribe. They know who I
am and allow me on their territory. I can go there now and
talk to her about the plan.” 
Merida quickly got ready to leave. She did not want to
waste much time with this as it was important for Marie
and Sydney to get moving. The city was still on the Ember
Forest pack’s territory. If the Romeros found out that they
were still here, they could make it so that no one would
allow them inside of their establishments. With a quick hug
goodbye, Merida left to speak with Lucy. 
When it was just Marie and Sydney, there was not much
Sydney thought she could say. When she went to open her
mouth to change topics to something lighter than the
discussions they had, Marie cut her off. 
“I am so sorry, sweetheart. I should have tried harder to
tell you.” 
“There is no need for an apology, Marie. You did nothing
wrong. They did. I should have figured it out sooner. My
father was a Delta. I felt Silver not wanting to listen at
times. Even before she was here, I would choose to just
stay silent instead of losing it on people. It all makes sense
now! I just wish I had left the pack sooner. I should have
requested a transfer years ago.” 
“I don’t think that would have helped, unfortunately.” 
Sydney was going to respond, but she felt something
inside of her erupt. Seething rage filled her senses. Her
eyes began to narrow, growling emitted from her throat,
and she felt the urge to shift. Her vision blurred, and she
felt her claws elongating from her nails and the need to
reach out and cut open the person in front of her. She knew
Marie was standing in front of her at that moment, hearing
her call out Sydney’s name, and she did not want to harm
Marie in any way. It brought her to her knees as she tried
to fight off the feeling. 
Silver! What is happening?! 
 Sydney felt Silver restraining herself as well. I do not
know. This is not from me. 
The moment passed, and Sydney was on the floor of the
hotel room. Marie was looking down at her while sitting on
her knees hovering over her body trying to figure out what
she could do to help. Sydney calmed her breathing by
taking deep breaths, and her heart started to slow down. 
What the hell was that?
N ero had visited nine other packs so far and he had no
luck at finding Danny. When he arrived at each pack,
he had all the available she-wolves come meet him
individually. Their scents would hit his nostril, and he
immediately knew that they were not Danny. It did not
matter that they did not look like her to him. There was
something off about that night that he could not put his
finger on, and he knew that he could not go based on the
way she looked alone. The scent of a True Mate could be
stronger than seeing them. That was what he planned on
going by. His wolf was no help with his questions about
Danny possibly not looking like herself, and he had no idea
why he thought Kane would be of any help. 
In between meeting each female, Nero was as restless
as Kane. Both of them were pacing as their patience
diminished–Kane inside Nero’s mind, while he was in
human form, and Nero inside of Kane’s mind while inside of
wolf form. Between both forms, they were still not having
much luck finding her. The longer it took, the less patience
he had with the wolves he came in contact with. Luckily, he
had not lost his temper yet, but it was growing thinner, and
he was unsure what the final straw  would be that caused
him to not contain himself any longer.  
He went as far as visiting all the towns near the packs,
shifting into his wolf and running along the borders in
hopes of finding just a whiff of a scent that his wolf may
have recognized that could be Danny’s. She was nowhere
to be found. Nero was kicking himself for letting her get
away that night and kicking himself harder for not starting
inside of the Ember Forest pack’s territory in the first
place. That is where he found her. That should have been
the first place he looked. 
You took a chance assuming that she came from
another pack. There was no record of a Danny inside
of Ember Forest. Stop beating yourself up, Kane
rationalized trying to calm Nero down. 
I could have done better! What if we lost her? What if
she is from another sanction and we wasted the twelve
days trying to find her inside of our own? 
You are allowing your rage to blind you. We can
still find her.
What the hell does that mean? he snapped at his wolf. 
Kane, of course, did not answer. That was a wolf trait.
Their spirits were always wise and could assist their human
counterpart with their lives, but when asked a direct
question about important things, they usually went silent.
Assisting and answering the big questions were two
different things to wolves. 
It was grueling to travel from city to city, pack to pack,
and not finding even a glimpse of Danny. He did not want to
believe that she was his True Mate at first. Now it was
quite clear that she was, in fact, his, which only enraged
him more that he let her slip through his fingers. He had no
idea if magic was involved, and that is why he threw out
the idea of finding her just by looks alone. Then a moment
from the night that he met her struck him. 
 “Not necessarily. Alpha Aiden has recently found his
mate, and he did not know for certain it was her until his
curse was broken.”
“Well magic was at fault there. Are you cursed as well?”
“Not that I am aware of.”
“Is that why you brought me out here? You think magic
is at play?”
Maybe magic was used after all, just not on him. That
would explain so much, like why he was unable to pick up a
scent when they spent their time together and why it was
so difficult to find her now. 
She had help from a Witch! But why would she need
help from a Witch? That makes no sense. 
She was also afraid of something that night. When
we danced, her eyes were rarely on us until we moved
outside. They were constantly looking at everyone
inside of the room as if everyone would be against her
dancing with us. 
What if she was afraid of the pack seeing through the
magic? But why would she be afraid of that? 
We must find out. 
Kane was absolutely right. They had to find out. There
should be no reason for any wolf to be afraid inside of their
own pack or while they were in the presence of a visiting
pack. Rogues should not even feel this way. If they choose
that life, that was their choice to do so. However, it did not
feel as if she was a rogue and afraid of the pack. It felt
much different than that. The way she looked around,
waiting for someone to do something about her being there
was a moment he should have read deeper while it was
happening. It was clear to him now that he was too focused
on her to see it. 
“Boss, you okay?”
Warren’s voice snapped Nero out of his thoughts. He
and Jacob were staring at Nero with concerned looks on
their faces. They were in the town car that was driving
them through all the territories. Nero had no idea how long
he had been lost in his thoughts. There were previous times
on this search that his two friends brought him out of it,
but it did not end well. There was lots of growling and
words that he wished he could take back. His friends,
however, just told him they understood and allowed him to
be an ass–to an extent. 
“Yeah.”
“Didn’t sound like you were okay. You were growling…a
lot,” Jacob chimed in. 
“Well you would growl a lot too if you figured out that
you let your True Mate slip through your damn fingers and
were searching for her in every inch of your territories, but
every time you think you are close, that you might find her,
there is no evidence that she was ever there.” 
Warren and Jacob nodded their heads to his words.
“Dude, we get it. I think any one of us would do the same
thing if we were in your shoes,” Jacob agreed, his
understanding clear and present in his voice. 
“I have a feeling that there is something not right inside
of the Ember Forest pack,” Nero stated matter-of-factly
while he stared out a window. 
Warren cleared his throat in an attempt to get Nero to
look at him. “Is there a reason why you are feeling that
way?” 
“Or did your thoughts send you into a downward
spiral?” Jacob added. 
Nero looked at them. “Did you two notice that she
looked around the entire time she danced with me? As if
she was afraid of someone catching her?”
The two of them looked at one another. When neither of
them spoke, their eyes looked up to the right-hand corners
of their heads. That meant that they were thinking back to
that night like he did. They were replaying the events.
“I don’t think I remember if she looked skittish. I do
remember feeling Kane getting a little protective inside of
the pack bonds,” Warren finally said. 
“Yeah, I don’t remember seeing her look around. I just
felt Kane getting a little protective,” Jacob agreed then
asked, “are you saying that she was afraid of someone
inside of that pack?” 
“I’m not entirely sure. Just a feeling I have.” 
“Why would a she-wolf feel the need to be afraid that
she was dancing with you?” Warren’s face crumpled into a
look of disgust.
“Well, that is what I plan to find out. I don’t trust the
Romero’s at all. I am wondering if that is who she feared.
Maybe they rule with an iron fist that no one wants to talk
about. Danny said that she had a mishap with her dress.
That could mean a lot of things. A lot of eyes were on her,
watching her every move. I did not put it together until just
now.” 
“Should we be concerned about what might happen
while we are here?” Jacob asked.
Nero went silent. He hoped that he would not have to
resort to violence while inside of this territory. One thing he
wished for when becoming the Alpha of the Sanction was
that he would not have to uphold the laws to the extent he
would have to kill those who break the most important
ones. If Danny was afraid of them because they abused her,
he would lose control of himself. There was no doubt about
that. She felt the need to lie and hide her identity. No one
did that unless they were running away from something or
someone. 
I will not hesitate to kill whoever is responsible if
that is the reason why she used the help from a Witch
that night. 
Kane took the words right out of his mouth. Nero agreed
fully. As much as he did not want to be that kind of Alpha,
there were boundaries that he would not allow to be
crossed. Abuse of anyone in the packs will always be one
that he will kill for. There was no room inside of his
sanction for that kind of wolf. 
No. For that kind of Alpha. If an Alpha allows abuse, he
is no Alpha. If the Alpha is the one abusing, he should not
be breathing.
He is not a man if he allows that. He will not exist
if he does it.
Nero, again, agreed with Kane. 
When the town car arrived at the Ember Forest’s pack
house, Nero felt as if his skin was itchy. There was
something not right about the atmosphere, which only
made him believe his last thoughts were accurate. The
three men stepped out of the car, and no one greeted them.
At every other pack, the Alpha would be there to greet
them, and then they would lead Nero, Warren, and Jacob to
where they had the unmated she-wolves for him to meet.
The fact that Draxton was not present only showed Nero
that he should have never become the Alpha. He had no
respect for traditions or those who were higher than him in
the hierarchy. It may be difficult being an Alpha, but still
not at the top of the food chain. However, that is how their
system worked. Nero could not say that Draxton would
have felt the same way, but he was raised with manners. 
Goddess knows if Draxton was raised with
manners. 
Sometimes I see Dante using them. Though I am not
sure if Draxton is smart like Dante is. He lacks basic
common sense, so assuming his intelligence is lacking is
not a far stretch. 
Judging by the minimal amount of exposure I have
had with him, I cannot say that he has his father’s
intelligence. 
Nero could not agree more with his wolf on that. The
three men continued down the walkway to the home. Even
though he was not greeted by Draxton, Nero thought he
would be at least greeted by the warm Omega with brown
hair that always had her hair tied back. He could not
remember her name, but he just remembered feeling like
he was in the presence of a kind, maternal aura that
relaxed him. When she did not open the door, Nero began
to wonder if that itchy feeling he experienced when he got
out of the car was due to an event that happened here. 
Sometimes, an Alpha could get a reading about a pack.
That reading could manifest in ways other than strong
emotions within the bonds themselves. It could be a
headache, itchy skin, or if it was bad enough, vomiting.
While growing up, Nero had to go through some classes to
teach him the history of the packs so he would not make
the same mistakes as previous Alphas. He remembered a
story about one that was so attuned with his sanction that
he experienced visions when things went wrong in one of
the packs. Nero hoped to become that strong of an Alpha
someday, and grow close with the packs, so he could sense
that kind of danger, but that Alpha was quite old. He had
much more experience than Nero currently did. 
When Nero had to knock on the door, his patience was
already running thin. Even if Draxton did not have the balls
to greet him when he arrived, one of the Omegas should
have. If the Omegas were explicitly told not to uphold the
traditional manners of when another Alpha visits, then
Nero would have a very hard time not killing Draxton. 
“Why do I get the feeling that Draxton is being
ridiculously dumb with this shit?” Warren’s voice came
from directly behind Nero. 
“At least I am not the only one who feels that way,” Nero
said back. 
“If he is that stupid, I say we put him out of his misery,”
Warren decided. His words rang with more truth than Nero
was used to. 
A young wolf came to the door. She had ebony black
hair, dark skin, and reaked of Draxton’s scent. A mate mark
on the right side of her neck gave away that she was
Draxton’s mate. Nero remembered her from the ceremony.
Her name was Draziel, and she was the daughter of the
Delta’s Chosen Mate, Theresa. 
“Alpha Nero,” she said with a bow. “I apologize that no
one was there to greet you upon arrival. The pack is in a
little bit of disarray at the moment. Please, come in.” 
Nero did not like the sound of that at all. Draziel opened
the door and stepped out of the way. The three of them filed
in, and the energy of the home was not a positive one. Kane
growled inside of Nero’s mind. 
This is what happens when a child is left to run a
pack, Kane complained. 
Nero did not remember the house being this unkempt
when he was here last. He could smell dust, there were
dirty dishes in the sink, and the floors were filthy. The
Omegas were clearly not keeping up with the chores, and
now he wondered why. He was sure it was not because they
were not doing their job. Last time, they were on top of
everything. 
Boss, is it just me or does this pack seem a little…
disorganized? Warren said through mind link. 
It’s not just you, Nero responded. 
It’s like the heart of the pack is missing. There is no way
that Dante and Dahlia not being the Alphas anymore could
be the cause of this, Jacob chimed in. 
No. It is just the result of them leaving their son to run
this pack.
Nero’s final comment seemed to resonate with them.
Neither of them responded to that statement as if they felt
the same way. He wanted to comment on it to the new She-
Alpha but decided against it. Nero did not think she was
the cause for this either. 
Draziel led him to a common room where the she-wolves
were waiting for him. Nero knew immediately that none of
them were Danny. Her presence was unique, and none of
them carried the way she did. None of them had a scent
that made Kane want to roll himself in it either. Before he
could say that none of them were who he was looking for, a
scent caught his attention. 
It’s her! Kane yelled within his mind. 
Nero found himself pointing his nose in the air and
taking in long inhalations. The scent of blueberries and a
sweet floral smell mixed inside of his nostrils. It was
intoxicating, and it caused Kane to push on Nero’s mind.
Nero lost control of his movements, before he knew it, he
was in a small room. There was a twin sized bed, a small
closet, and a small dresser inside of it. The room smelled
overwhelmingly like the scent that drew him here. Then a
thought dawned on him that did not make sense. 
If my mate’s scent is here, where is she? 
Draziel was behind him. He could smell the awful scent
of freshly ground dirt of Draxton on her, and he wished that
a shower would wash it away. Due to her being his mate,
that would never disappear no matter how much she
scrubbed her skin. He wondered if the mate bond caused
her to smell something different because there was no way
that shit was attractive. 
“Is there something wrong, Alpha?” she asked him. 
“Whose room is this?” he practically growled. 
Draziel’s throat bobbed from swallowing hard. “An
Omega’s, sir.” 
Nero growled, “where is she? I asked for every unmated
female to be here. I would not be in this room wanting to
meet her if she was not my mate.” 
Nero heard a growl come from behind Draziel. It was a
deep one, definitely from a male. Nero recognized the tone,
and certainly remembered the aura that it belonged to.
Nero locked eyes with Draxton and let out a growl of his
own. 
“Do not growl at my mate, Alpha,” Draxton attempted to
scold Nero. 
 “Answer my question. Where is the Omega that stayed
in this room.” Nero was not in the mood for these games.
He used the Alpha Command on not just Draxton but made
it spread through the whole damn pack. 
“She is no longer here,” Draxton said through his teeth. 
Nero could tell that Draxton was trying not to obey the
command, a pitiful attempt in Nero’s eyes. There was no
way in hell he would be able to fight against it. 
“I have asked for every unmated she-wolf to be present.
You allowed her to leave?” Nero said through his teeth in
response. 
“She renounced her position within the pack. You asked
for every she-wolf inside of my pack. I did as you asked.” 
Nero snarled. “Why?” 
Draxton did not answer. Warren and Jacob stood behind
Draxton as they noticed that Nero was losing his patience. 
“I asked you a question, Alpha. Why did she leave your
pack?” Once again, he used an Alpha Command. 
“She could not handle being in a pack any longer. She
was tasked with cleaning this house, and it was too much
for her. As much as I want to say it was a shame to see her
go, it was a long time coming.”
“THAT IS A LIE!” 
Nero looked over Draxton, Warren, and Jacob’s shoulder
to find an older Omega appearing, angry, from behind
them. She was older, like the one that he remembered from
the party. Nero did not recall her name but pushed
everyone aside to stand before her. 
“What is a lie?” Nero changed his tone to be calmer than
when he was addressing Draxton. There was no reason to
talk to this wolf the way he had to the Alpha. She did
nothing wrong. 
“Why Sydney left the pack. She left because she was
tired of being treated horribly. Those two constantly bullied
her as well as others in this pack, Draziel more than
anyone. They piled on chores to make her crumble, but she
never did. That only increased their abuse. They made
things dirtier and demanded her to clean it up, and they
made her do chores that would take three Omegas to get
through. She renounced her position when Draziel accused
her of using a Witch to create a mate bond to Draxton. That
is not true. Sydney is not that kind of person. She had
enough of being treated like a dog that no one wanted in
this home. Quite honestly, I am not sure why I have stayed
this long either.” 
She did give us a different name. This now makes
more sense. She was afraid of this pack from the
abuse, Kane said within his mind growling throughout his
statement. 
Nero thought it took a lot of bravery to say these things
about an Alpha to another, especially in the presence of the
Alpha she was speaking of. Nero placed his hand on her
cheek and put his forehead against hers. “Thank you for
your honesty. I apologize that this is what you have been
through. I had no knowledge of this.” 
He turned to Draxton, and his rage let loose. It was now
at a seething level, and he began to tremble from it. His
claws elongated as he stepped toward Draxton. He was
beyond happy to see that Draxton was the only person
inside of his path for he wanted nothing more than to rake
his claws into him, but he didn’t want anyone else to get
hurt. 
“Draxton, I hereby charge you of being unfit as an
Alpha. Not only have you have allowed abuse inside of your
pack, but you are guilty of inflicting it against your own
members.” 
Draxton’s eyes never left Nero’s. It was humorous to
Nero that Draxton thought that staring into his eyes was a
good thing to do at this moment. When Nero reached him,
Draxton began to move his body to swing his fist at Nero.
That never happened. Nero reached out with both of his
hands and quickly twisted Draxton’s neck before his
shoulder managed to lift his arm. When Draxton’s body
crumpled, he heard the scream come out of Draziel’s
mouth. 
Nero had no qualms with his action. He followed Pack
Law. Draxton’s actions were punishable by death. “Where
is your pack’s Beta?” he asked the group. 
A tall, broad, and brooding man stepped forward. He
knew his name was Brad, but somehow missed him in the
room, which was no easy feat from how large the man was.
Whatever the case, he had business with this wolf. 
“Beta Brad, I now promote you to Alpha of the Ember
Forest pack. Brush up on the rules for I will be keeping a
close watch on you and your pack from this moment
forward.” 
Brad nodded but did not say a word. 
“Where did Sydney go?” Nero asked the pack. 
The Omega tapped onto his shoulder. When he turned
around, she bowed her head. “She went in the direction of
the town. Omega Marie renounced her position as well and
left with her.” 
“Thank you...” Nero gave her a chance to say her name. 
“Marice.” 
“Thank you, Marice, for your honesty and giving me this
information. If you happen to hear from either of them,
please reach out to me.” Nero turned to the pack. “Also, if
any of you feel as though you are being abused or
neglected in any way again, contact me. I will not allow you
to continue to live that way.” 
Nero then turned to Brad. “Where are Dante and
Dahlia?” 
“They left this morning to begin their travels.” 
“Explain to them, truthfully, what happened here. They
will answer to me about it.” 
Brad gave him a nod. Nero then walked over to
Draxton’s body with a crying Draziel over it. “My
condolences about your mate. Let this be a lesson to you on
how to lead a pack if you end up being either Fated or
Chosen to another Alpha. It’s more than a just a title.” 
Nero then continued to walk through the house until he
got outside. Once he was in the town car and his friends
joined him, they finally spoke up. 
“Well, I did not expect for this to go that way,” Warren
said first. 
“Yeah. That was brutal, but necessary,” Jacob added.
“Where are we going next, boss?” 
“To Ember City. Hopefully, my mate is still in town.”
S ydney spent at least two hours laying down on her
bed after her body went through the ringer with a
sudden fit of rage. Marie patted her head down with a cool
rag for the duration of the fit as her body felt feverish from
it. The only logical explanation that either one of them
could think of for this reaction was Sydney’s mate bond to
Draxton. Even though it was severed by the completion of
the Rejection Ritual, there were other pairs that reported
things like this happening to them, so it wasn’t a crazy
assumption to make. Sydney asked Marie if there was a
chance that she met her Second Chance mate, but her
answer was not as clear as Sydney hoped it would be.
“It is a possibility, but I cannot be sure. There have been
so few Second Chance mates that the rules of their bonds
are not fully known.”
“Of course not. Why would my life be that easy?”
Marie chuckled softly. “You have had it rough,
unfortunately. Things will get better soon though.”
Sydney wanted to believe her, but it was still difficult to
do, especially now with the added possibility that she might
still feel connected to Draxton at times. That was the last
thing she wanted. He was not a pleasant person to begin
with, and then he became worse after being given the title
of Alpha. She used the phrase “given the title” because he
certainly had not earned the title. Sydney did not like to
use the word hate, and she usually would say that she just
preferred to be in the company of others within the pack.
After the rejection, it was difficult for her to not use that
word when it came to him. If she was going to hate anyone,
it would be Draxton.
“Marie, how can I get the bond to be diluted enough so
this doesn’t happen again?”
She thought about it for a moment before she answered
Sydney. “Distance.”  
It was a simple solution, but at a difficult time. Merida
was not back yet from visiting Lucy’s tribe. With no way to
get in contact with her, if they left, Merida would not have
any way of knowing where they were going. It was hard to
decide to leave or not because she did not want to leave
Merida behind. However, if the bond with Draxton was still
this strong, he would be able to locate Sydney with ease.
Considering that Draxton and Draziel seemed to hate
Sydney, that was not a good thing. 
“Should we leave?” 
A knock at the door had Marie and Sydney practically
jumping out of their skin. Merida had her own key to the
room. Marie told Sydney to stay put, and she walked out of
Sydney’s room to the door. Sydney feared that this was
Draxton demanding them to get out of his territory, but the
male voice that came from that direction was not
Draxton’s. 
It was Chris. 
Marie came rushing into the room with Chris in tow. His
figure was wider than Marie’s, which almost was comical
enough to watch as they walked through the bedroom
door. 
 “Sweetheart, we need to go,” Marie said urgently as she
grabbed Sydney’s things for her. 
Sydney cocked an eyebrow, “Why?” 
Chris was the one to explain. “Draxton is dead. Draziel
has lost her mind and has told everyone that she could get
her claws into that you are the reason why. She even has a
Hunter after you.” 
“What?” It was the only word that she could muster. 
“I wish I was kidding. I was coming to visit you and to
see if you wanted my family to preserve your dress for
future use, since I know the pack loves to destroy your
things, and I overheard her saying all of this to a Hunter
just outside of the pack house.” 
Sydney swung her legs off her bed and began to put her
shoes on. “Does he know that I am here?” 
“I don’t know. I didn’t stick around to find out. I got here
as quickly as I could and bumped into Merida on the way.
She said to get you to Lucy’s tribe.” 
“So, she knows that I am coming?” 
“Yes, she does. I am going to grab her things now.
Sydney, grab anything that I miss. We have to leave now.
Hunters have their own abilities to make it easier for them
to hunt. He could get here faster than you think if Draziel
caught wind that we are still here and told him.” 
Sydney sprang into action. She leapt off the bed and
grabbed a few things from the dresser that she had placed
in there the night before. With the three of them running
through the room and gathering everything they could see,
they were able to leave within ten minutes. 
Silver pushed on the inside of her mind as if she wanted
out. Sydney kept her inside as they casually walked
through the atrium of the hotel. Chris mentioned that he
brought his car, so they could jump into it as soon as they
were outside. Silver was not in agreement with this plan.
Something had her rattled. With each step Sydney took
toward the door, Silver pushed harder on the inside of her
mind. 
Do not go outside, Sydney. 
Why?
You need to go through the side door or back door.
NOW! 
The urgency inside of her wolf’s voice alarmed Sydney.
It caused her to stop in her tracks in the middle of the
atrium. Silver continued to push until Sydney noticed a blur
just outside the window. 
“Guys. Back door. Now.” 
Sydney turned her body and began to run in the
opposite direction. She heard Marie’s and Chris’s footsteps
behind her as they ran past the hotel desk and into a
hallway. The door at the end of the hall was labeled with an
EXIT sign. When Sydney swung the door open, Silver
refused to be contained any longer. 
Silver forced Sydney to drop her bag and pushed her
into a shift. With Sydney still wearing the moonstone
necklace, the shift was spontaneous. Silver landed on her
paws and immediately launched herself upward. 
Right into tackling the Hunter. 
Hunter’s bodies were hard like rocks and built like
mountains as they stood nearly seven feet tall. They move
as if they were smoke or blurs that can only be caught in a
glance. Known to be indestructible, they were the only
predator to Shifters. They could blend inside of crowds and
look like a normal person–until they went into their hunting
mode. 
Hunting mode meant death. 
Their ability to transform their appendages into
weapons was the most terrifying aspect of these creatures.
Sydney had never seen one before in her life until this very
moment. For the longest time, she thought this was all a
myth until she watched Silver attempt to rip its throat out
and, in her peripheral vision, saw its lower arm go from a
hand to a rounded tentacle like limb and then whip it
across Silver’s side. Silver went flying into a tree and
cracked the trunk when she collided with it. 
There was only one known way to kill a Hunter—
Beheading it. Silver somehow knew this information and
leapt back onto the Hunter after she managed to get onto
her feet again. The Hunter was moving toward Marie and
Chris, both still in their human forms. They would not be
able to fight this creature. Silver barely could but currently
had an advantage. 
It had its back turned toward her.
Silver dug her claws into its shoulders. Her jaw wrapped
around the back of its neck, and Silver sunk her teeth
inside of its flesh as deep as she could. When she could not
push her teeth further inside, she began to thrash her head
back and forth. The Hunter bellowed a roar as it tried to
grab at Silver’s body. Its muscle mass was too large and it
was unable to get close enough to touch Silver’s fur. It
dropped to its knees and attempted to shift its body weight
to go backwards. Silver was tall enough to have her hind
legs on the ground and use them to push off the ground to
send its weight forward instead. 
It was taking too long for Silver’s teeth to scrape away
the muscle in its neck to be able to behead the Hunter.
Sydney could fear Silver’s fear beginning to spike that she
would not be able to kill it and keep everyone safe. Just
when she thought she had to give up and try something
else, Chris’s hands were on either side of its head and was
yanking. 
“Keep going, Syd!” he yelled at her. 
The Hunter thrashed around, and Silver was losing her
footing to keep it on the ground. Marie rushed over and
pulled its legs together. When she managed to do that, she
used her body weight to keep it down. Silver moved her
head faster to rip away more of its flesh. The blood tasted
of swamp; rancid, musty, and muddy water. There was a
legend that Hunters were created from boulders of a
swampland by a Shaman who despised Shifters. At the
moment, Sydney believed it as she tasted the blood when
Silver’s teeth cut through a vein and it squirted into the
back of her mouth. 
With a final yank from Chris, as he threw his whole body
backwards, the Hunter’s head separated from its body. 
“Throw its head into the forest! It cannot be close to its
body or it can reattach itself!” Marie called out to Chris. 
Chris did as he was told and ran into the forest to throw
its head further from the body. Silver’s gray-blue, dark
gray, and white coat was drenched in the black tar that was
the blood of a Hunter. Silver gagged on the taste and
coughed out pieces of the Hunter that remained inside of
her mouth. Marie dropped to her knees and flung her arms
around Silver’s neck.
“You were magnificent, Silver! You saved us from that
creature.” Marie put her hand on the side of Silver’s face
and pulled it so she could look Silver in her eyes. “You
fought for us without hesitation. I am so proud to know that
you chose our Sydney to be connected to you.” 
Silver licked Marie’s chin and nuzzled into her. Marie
continued to hold onto her until Chris returned. 
“Ladies, we need to go. Just because we managed to kill
this one doesn’t mean more won’t be coming.” 
Chris was right. Draziel was crazy enough to send more
than one after Sydney. When she shifted back, the blood
remained on her skin. Marie helped her use her tattered
clothes to wipe off as much as they could before she put on
new clothes. Sydney pulled a new outfit from her bag,
quickly got dressed, and then they ran around the building
to get to Chris’s car. 
Thankfully, Chris did not waste any time. He sped out of
the lot and onto the road in the direction of the Akiki tribe.
Sydney felt exhausted from the shifts back and forth as well
as the energy that Silver used to fight off the Hunter. Since
she was in the back seat, she sprawled out across it and let
herself sleep. Just before she drifted off, she reached out to
Silver. 
Thank you, Silver, for keeping them safe. 
I will always keep you safe. 

S EVERAL HOURS PASSED and Sydney woke up just as they

arrived at the entrance of the Owl territory. There was a
barrier they had to cross, and the entryway was in between
two large trees, but unless given access, no one could just
walk through it. Chris said that Merida was preparing for
their arrival, but they did not know if they could walk
through the barrier safely. 
When looking at the barrier, it appeared as if the forest
continued with no interruption or civilization within it. The
magic of the barrier was to ensure that no one crossed it
but also to convince humans to walk along the trees instead
of through them. Shifters would be able to feel the
entrance due to their sensitivity to magic, and that was
exactly what Sydney was feeling, the power and spark of
the magic the barrier was created with. She reached out to
touch it, which Marie and Chris told her not to. Sydney
ignored them and continued to move her hand forward. 
Then her hand disappeared. 
“Guys, we were given access!” Sydney said excitedly. 
Marie and Chris let out a breath. Sydney slowly moved
through the barrier, feeling the magic caress her skin as
she did. A tingling sensation ran over her, and it was so
light that it almost caused her to laugh as if she was being
tickled. Marie and Chris also moved slowly through it.
None of them ever having experienced barrier magic
before, they did not know what to expect. 
 “That was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be,”
Chris said to them with relief. 
“Yeah, I kind of thought it would feel like being
electrocuted or something,” Sydney agreed. 
Marie rubbed her skin. “I wonder if humans would feel
the same way if they passed through it.” 
Sydney wanted to respond, but instead, she was
speechless from the sight before her. The Owl territory was
more beautiful than she could have imagined. Huts and
small houses were built in between trees and seemed to
have branches growing from them, almost as if they were
part of the trees themselves. There were a few houses built
around the branches above as well where Sydney noticed a
few owls flew to their doors and then shifted into their
human forms. There were no roads in their territory, only
dirt paths as Owls respected the Earth and would not
disturb it to create actual roads. They did not need them
either since their animal forms were able to fly. 
“Wow,” was the only word Sydney managed to say. 
A young, fit looking man began to walk in their
direction. Chris and Marie took a step toward Sydney, as if
they were afraid that this person would attack. His hair
was brown mixed with gray, and his eyes were predatorily
staring at them. He was not very tall, but his body
appeared lean. When he reached them, he gave a slight
bow of his head. 
“Sydney Danvers, we have been waiting for your arrival.
Alpha Lucy and Milo wish for me to take you to their
home.” 
He turned and walked away. Sydney looked at her two
friends, shrugged her shoulders, and quickly walked after
him. They walked through the streets of the territory
briskly. Sydney noticed that the huts were shops for
groceries and clothing. The larger ones were homes of
some of the owls and other Shifters that were given
permission to live within the territory. Sydney was not sure
how long they walked, but the town slowly fell away until
there was only forest that surrounded the path. It was not
too much longer  before the forest thinned slightly. Sydney
opened her mouth to ask exactly where their home was
when there was a break within the tree line. Through the
opening was a multilevel log cabin home. Sydney looked
closely and noticed that this one was just like the ones on
the ground back inside town. The trees around it appeared
to grow inside as if the home itself was part of the tree. 
“I don’t think I have ever seen a home this beautiful
before,” Marie said in awe from behind Sydney. 
Sydney nodded her head. “I was going to say the same
thing.” 
The door opened when the Shifter stepped on the
walkway to the house. Lucy was standing in the doorway
with a smile on her face. 
“Thank the stars! You made it here safely,” she
exclaimed as she moved the Shifter aside and pulled
Sydney into a hug. “You smell like a Hunter.” 
Sydney chuckled, “that’s because I killed one.” 
Lucy’s eyes were wide as she leaned back to look at
Sydney’s face. “Well look at you being all badass. I want to
hear all about it, but first let me show you to your rooms.
Marie, you will have your own as well. Chris, I assume you
are only visiting?” 
“Yeah, but it’s a long drive back. Can I crash for
tonight?” he asked. 
“Absolutely.” 
Lucy had the Shifter, whose name was Adam, go do
other chores while she escorted them to their rooms.
Sydney noticed that the motif of the home was more
‘nature on the inside’ than anything else. The branches she
noticed outside did in fact grow inside of the home, which
Sydney found cool. The stairs were beautifully carved
wood, and the walls were stone. Even though the structure
was made from natural materials, it had a warmth that felt
welcoming. Sydney and Marie’s rooms were next to each
other and down the hall from Lucy’s. She told them to get
cleaned up, and they would eat together in the dining hall.
They nodded and went inside. 
Sydney did not hesitate to jump into the shower. The
smell of the Hunter was becoming overwhelming and felt
as if she would never get it off. She scrubbed herself three
separate times with a natural body wash that was in the
shower and finally managed to get the smell off herself.
Same went for her hair. It almost caused her to vomit as
the smell intensified when she first put soap on herself.
Sydney thought it was a rumor that Hunter’s blood would
amplify when it was being washed off, but it wasn’t. This
was a way for other Hunters to find the target if it was still
out in the wilderness. Luckily, Sydney was not still out in
the forest, or she could have been in more danger. 
Once she felt clean and could not smell the Hunter
anymore, she stepped out of the shower and dried herself
off. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and she realized she had
not eaten at all today. She picked out a dress to wear and
chose to go barefoot. The sooner she got to the dining hall,
the better. When she stepped out of her room, Marie
stepped out of hers, and they walked downstairs together.
Neither of them spoke as they examined the house’s décor
and structure on their way down. When they reached the
bottom, Adam was back to escort them to the hall. 
The doors opened, and Lucy was with Milo at the head
of the table. Milo had the same markings on his face as
Lucy did from their mate bond. His eyes were golden,
mimicking the eyes of his animal form. His cheekbones
were higher, and the rest of his features were sharp.
Similar to Lucy, he had gray hair like the feathers of his
animal form. They looked like a power couple to Sydney,
and she could not have been happier for her friend,
especially seeing her smiling next to her mate. 
 Sydney realized that her friend’s smile was not one of
happiness that Lucy was wearing. It was a coy one. She
was up to something, and Sydney was afraid of what Lucy
had up her sleeve. 
Sydney heard the doors open behind her. Cedarwood
and mint invaded her nostrils. She inhaled it deeply, and a
moan escaped her lips. 
Who is this? she asked herself. 
Mate.
“Hello, Danny.”
S ydney turned her body to face the one person she did
not expect to see. His thick, deep brown hair
appeared wild as if the wind blew it dry, but somehow the
strands fell perfectly to give it the sexiest, most attractive
look she had ever had the pleasure of setting eyes on. His
moss green eyes looked at her softly, a hint of amusement
hidden beneath the surface as he looked into her crystal
blue ones. A smile played at his lips, as he watched her go
from relaxed to shocked to a little afraid. 
“Nero,” was all she finally managed to say. 
“Actually, I am wrong, aren’t I? It’s Sydney Danvers,
right? Clever of you to use part of your last name to create
a different first name. I will be honest and say that you just
ditching me put a dent in my ego, but to find out you gave
me a fake name too?” Nero put his hand over his chest
dramatically as he took a step closer to her, “I am man
enough to admit that one hurt a bit.” Then he smiled at her.
His smile is so radiant, she thought to herself. 
His body is delicious. Can I lick him? Silver added. 
She had no time to respond to her wolf. Sydney’s heart
began racing a mile a minute. Her mind began to unravel
as she tried to figure out if this was just him joking or was
he truly angry about the fact she ran from him. “I-I-I am so-
so-sorry,” she stammered. She couldn’t seem to make her
mouth function any better than her mind.
Nero’s head cocked to the side with a smile playing at
his lips as he took another step toward her. “Why are you
apologizing to me?” 
Is he kidding? 
No. 
“For… running. Lying to you about my name.” 
Another step forward. He was now directly in front of
her. His cedarwood and mint scent seemed to wrap around
her, making Silver make rumbles of happiness within her
mind. The closeness between their bodies created a
warmth like she had never known. She felt whole… like she
had finally found a home. 
“That whole Danny thing, that I can forgive. That was
clever. Definitely threw me off your trail if that was your
intention. But… the running. I’m not sure if I can forgive
just yet. Why did you run?” 
Sydney could not look into his eyes. Her heart raced
with excitement and fear at the same time. Excitement that
he was in front of her once more and seemed to be
interested in what she had to say as well as his tone coming
off lighthearted, but fear that he too would turn her back
on her just as so many had in the pack that should have
been her home but never truly was. 
Her voice was just above a whisper. “I was afraid that
you would reject me.” 
The thought of him rejecting her made her heart ache.
This time, it felt even more painful than it did with Draxton.
At least she despised Draxton. Her feelings for Nero were a
total 180 comparatively.
Nero laughed inside of his throat. “I’m not stupid like
the pompous asshole who did reject you. I would never
throw away what the Goddess chose for me.” Nero placed
his pointer finger under her chin and his thumb just under
her lip, lifting her head to look directly at him once more.
“You are mine, Sydney Danvers.” 
Nero closed the remaining distance and captured her
lips with his. An eruption of butterflies fluttered through
her stomach and chest. Nero’s hand softly slid from her
cheek into her hair. His fingers curled at the same time he
opened his mouth to deepen the kiss. Their moans escaped
their throats at the same time, and Sydney’s knees
suddenly went weak. She felt herself buckle, and Sydney
wrapped her arms around Nero’s neck. His free arm
wrapped around her lower back to keep her from falling
and pulled her closer to his chest. He broke the kiss, and
Sydney groaned with disappointment. Nero placed his
forehead on hers. 
“You’re forgiven. But…” Nero kissed her nose and then
whispered, “please don’t run from me again. I’m not sure if
I will be able to take it.” 
Sydney smiled, “I promise.” 
The room was completely silent. Sydney became
suddenly aware of the fact that she was still in the dining
hall. She took a look around and did not see her friends
anywhere. She felt confused as she remembered that they
were there before Nero said her fake name. She had no
idea when they left and looked back at Nero for answers. 
“Uhm, when did everyone leave?” 
“Right after I stepped into the room.” 
Something else occurred to her, “how did you know I
was here?” 
“Lucy and Merida. Did they not tell you this?”
Sydney’s stomach growled loud enough that it alarmed
Nero. It was then that she realized she had not eaten all
day. This was something she would need to work on now
that she was connected to her wolf. She could not afford for
her wolf to go feral. Now understanding that her wolf was
naturally high ranking, it could be dangerous for
everyone..Silver had been silent during the exchange with
Nero. The only reason that Sydney could think of was
because her mate was finally standing in front of her. 
Sydney heard a door open behind her. The main door
was behind Nero, so the one that opened had to have been
one she had not noticed before. She looked over her
shoulder to find Merida smirking and Lucy smiling at her.
They walked in with everyone else behind them. There
were a few people pushing in a cart of food and drinks after
her friends. She narrowed her eyes at Merida and Lucy,
which only increased their smirk and smile. 
Sydney sat down at the table next to Lucy. Across from
her was Merida and next to her sat Marie. Sydney had no
idea why Chris did not join them, but she figured he was
still in his room. Nero sat down next to Sydney and then
placed his hand on her knee. First came the warmth of his
skin through her jeans, then she felt the electricity of his
touch as he moved his hand up her leg. It caused her to
shiver. Sydney slapped his hand lightly. From her
peripheral, she saw Nero smirk from her reaction. 
Before the plates were distributed, Sydney spoke
directly to Lucy. “So. Nero tells me that you brought him
here. Care to tell me when you plotted this devious plan of
yours?” 
Lucy and Milo both smiled and said in unison, “it was
written in the stars, we just made sure we listened.” 
Merida laughed. “It’s not a big deal. I passed through
the forest behind the pack house when I left the hotel. It’s a
shortcut that I learned to get to here after Lucy found Milo.
I bumped into Chris on the way, and he explained what he
overheard about the Hunter. I told him our plan, but I also
told him to get you to the Akiki Tribe as soon as possible.
When I got to the edge of the territory, Lucy was already
there. She mentioned that she and Milo had read some
things from the stars, and Milo had already contacted
Nero. Then she flew me here.” 
 “And no one thought to tell me what the stars had to
say?” Sydney kept her tone light. She was in no way angry
about any of this. 
“That’s the thing, Syd. We cannot give away any details
to the people the stars discuss. It may not happen if we do,”
Lucy explained and then continued, “It’s like making a wish
on your birthday. Even if you blow out the candles, it’s bad
luck to tell people what you wished for.”
“Mhmm.” 
Her friends laughed at her response. The plates were
now in front of them, and the food all smelled delicious.
The first course was rabbit stew. It was not something
Sydney had tried before, but the smells alone made her
mouth water. A mixture of mushrooms, onion, and garlic
came first but then the combination of butter and wine
danced in the air. The hint of thyme and parsley, and then
chunks of rabbit, to top it off created an intermingling of
flavors she could not wait to consume. Sydney put a
spoonful of it into her mouth, and her taste buds exploded.
Never in her life did she expect to like rabbit in her human
form, especially since the packs tend to have venison and
elk more often than small game. 
The plates were taken away, and Sydney was surprised
at how little this group talked during the first course.
Sydney did not like the silence, so she decided to start the
conversation. 
“Alpha Milo, I apologize! I don’t think we got to
introductions before Nero stepped into the room.”
“Please, do not call me Alpha, Sydney. There is no need.
You mean the world to Lucy. Who she finds meaningful, I do
also. And don’t worry about it. Meeting your mate does
that. Nothing existed to me when Lucy stepped into the
room, so I understand.” Milo looked over at Lucy with a
look of adoration. “It’s also just Nero. He tends to
command all the attention in the room. Honestly, I think he
does it on purpose.” 
 “Hey! When did the tables get turned onto me?” 
The whole table laughed at Nero’s comment. It was such
a difference to see an Alpha be this laid back. None of the
Romero’s ever joked around. They especially would not
have allowed another Alpha to make a joke about them,
especially an Alpha that was not of the same species. The
Romero’s looked down at every other Shifter that was not a
wolf. Now, here was the Alpha of the sanction allowing the
Owl Alpha to make fun of him. This was a completely
different world than she was made to believe.
The doors opened and another two Wolves walked in.
Sydney recognized them from the Coronation’s after party.
They had come with Nero. One was very tall and broad with
light-brown hair and green-brown eyes. The other was tall
like the first one but had less bulk. His blond hair and hazel
eyes made him stand out since Nero and the other wolf had
darker hair. 
“This is my Beta, Warren,” Nero pointed at the broad
one, “and my Gamma, Jacob,” Nero pointed at the other
one. “Guys, this is-”
“Mate.” 
Sydney looked over at Merida and she was staring at
Warren. Sydney’s head swung to Warren, and he was
staring back at Merida. Warren stalked over to the other
side of the table. Merida stood up and never took her eyes
off him. It was as if no one in the room existed to them.
They both stood in front of one another without saying a
word. Their eyes flickered between their normal eye color
and then to the color of their animals. Sydney was not sure
how much time had passed, but they continued to stare.
This must have been how it would have looked to everyone
else when she found Nero.
Oh no, is he going to reject her? He hasn’t said
anything! 
I doubt it. It is difficult to reject your True Mate. 
Draxton did. 
 He also knew you beforehand. He probably felt the
pull to you before you turned of age. He had his mind
set before it happened. These two do not know each
other. 
Warren reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of
Merida’s face. A smile spread across both of their faces,
which Sydney only hoped meant that they were accepting
each other. 
“I’m Beta Warren Palmer of the Solar Valley Pack.
What’s your name, beautiful?” 
“Merida Price.” 
Warren leaned in and inhaled her scent. Sydney now
understood why everyone left the room after Nero stepped
into it. This felt very personal and intimate. 
“Do you accept me as your mate, Merida?” 
Merida looked Warren up and down slowly. Sydney could
not help but want to laugh. Of course Merida would check
out her mate before answering. 
“I accept. Do you accept me as your mate, handsome?” 
Warren did the same thing Merida did. Sydney covered
her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter. It did not
work as best as she would have hoped, but no one drew
attention to it. Sydney loved that Merida’s mate seemed to
have a similar personality to match her own, especially
when it came to flirting. 
“Hell yeah, I do.” 
Merida reached out and grabbed the button up shirt that
Warren was wearing and dragged him down so she could
kiss him. Sydney could not hold in her excitement and let
out a whistle. Merida broke the kiss and looked over at
her. 
“You know, I’ve been holding back a lot of comments
about you and your new mate.” 
Sydney flashed her a full tooth grin, “I appreciate that,
but this was too good of an opportunity.” 
 Everyone laughed and then congratulated them on
finding their mates. Milo made a special toast about how it
was a joyous occasion now that two pairings had found
each other. Lucy made a comment about how she was a
Matchmaker with help from the stars. However, that
caused Merida to playfully yell at her for keeping her in the
dark about it. 
The rest of the meal went over very well. Conversations
were light, and laughing happened a lot. It was not
something that Sydney was used to at all. When she ate, it
was either by herself or with Marie and maybe another
Omega or two. Not once was the conversation light-
hearted. If anything, they were mostly silent. The Romero’s
only wanted them to work. They did not condone the pack
coming together as one at all now that she thought about
it. 
The second course was venison. There was a wine sauce
with it that made the dish more savory, and it was paired
with steamed broccoli and carrots. Sydney could taste
garlic on the vegetables which made them more palatable. 
Sydney requested seconds of both dishes, which was
met with an echo of the rest of the Wolves requesting them
as well. Milo joked about how he forgot how much Wolves
ate but was thankful that there was usually more than
enough food to go around. Everyone stuffed themselves so
full with the first two courses that they did not leave room
for dessert. By the time dinner was finished, the sun had
already set, and Sydney felt her eyelids growing slightly
heavy. Nero must have felt the same way or could at least
feel her getting tired. 
“I think we should all get some rest. We had an eventful
day. I assume we will leave tomorrow afternoon to go back
to Solar Valley.” Nero said to Milo and Lucy. Then he turned
to Marie. “Miss Marie, would you like to come with us and
be a part of my pack? I heard about what happened in
Ember Forest.” 
 Marie looked over at Sydney first and then to Merida.
Sydney knew exactly what Marie was thinking. Not only did
she think of Sydney as a daughter, but it extended to
Merida and Lucy as well. With Merida now being fated to
Warren, two of the three girls would be going to Solar
Valley. 
“Nothing would make me happier, Alpha Nero.
Wherever Sydney goes, I go.” 
Nero nodded at her. “Milo, I am going to also assume
that the ladies are going to end up needing some time
together before we leave, so might as well hold a meeting
to give them that time.”
“I couldn’t agree with that more. I will see you in the
morning. You all know where your rooms are, so I bid you a
good night.” 
Lucy hugged Merida and Sydney first. She whispered
congratulations once again for both of them finding their
mates. Then she hugged Marie, and Sydney could tell it
was tighter and longer than the one they shared. Lucy was
probably very happy to know that Merida, Marie, and
Sydney would be in one place but even happier that Marie
and Sydney were away from Ember Forest. 
They all ascended up the stairs with the exception of
Lucy and Milo. The two Owls mentioned going for a flight
under the moon instead of turning in. Merida pulled
Warren into her room as soon as they reached it, calling out
a hasty “good night” as she did. Marie laughed and went
into her own room. Jacob seemed to walk further down the
hall to his room as Sydney was trying to understand how
she missed the scents of these three Wolves when she was
up here earlier. 
When she went to open her own door, she realized that
Nero was still behind her. Sydney looked over her shoulder
at him. 
“Are you coming in here?” 
 Nero’s eyes widened in surprise. Obviously he thought
this was customary. “Uh…may I?” 
Sydney felt her palms get sweaty from the instant
feeling of anxiety that washed over her. “Sure,” she
responded, unsure of what else she could say without
sounding rude. 
She swung the door open and stepped inside. Nero
followed her in and closed the door behind him. She walked
over to her bed and sat down on it. Nero remained standing
by the door. 
Can he feel how nervous I am? 
He might. Mate bond is slowly growing since you
have not had much interaction yet.
“Are you okay, Sydney?” His tone conveyed concern. 
It brought relief to her knowing he was concerned
instead of angry. Sydney had absolutely no experience with
any of this. She had no idea what to expect. Her palms
became sweatier than when she opened the door, and she
wiped them on her pants. 
“I don’t know.” 
Nero leaned against the door instead of coming closer.
This spiked Sydney’s nerves as fear invaded her mind. 
Is this going to make him mad? Aren’t mates supposed
to consummate their bond once they find them? Or is that
after they are marked? 
“Sydney, look at me,” he said softly to her.
Until he pointed it out, Sydney did not realize she was
looking at the floor. She listened to him, not because of a
command, but because she wanted to. 
“I will not do anything unless you want me to. I can go to
another room if this is making you uncomfortable.” 
Sydney began to breathe rapidly. Her heartbeat was
ramming so hard in her chest she could hear it in her ears.
The thought of him going to another room made her want
to cry, but she began to shake at the thought of him being
so close that things could quickly progress while he was
here. 
What do I do?
Let him stay. 
I’m scared. 
Silver pushed her energy through Sydney. She could feel
Silver’s calmness wash through her. Sydney began to take
deep breaths again as her breathing slowed. Another
energy came through to her. This one felt stronger than
Silver. Sydney looked up at Nero again, and it was clear he
was concerned. His eyes kept moving over her body,
checking to see if she would need his help, yet he was still
against the wall, trying to avoid pushing boundaries Sydney
wasn’t sure how to approach. 
“I don’t want you to leave.” Her voice sounded stronger
than she felt. 
“Can I sit next to you?” he asked. 
Sydney nodded. He moved slowly across the room.
When he reached the bed, she noticed that he sat down just
as slow as he walked. He was ensuring to not move in a
way that would alarm or scare her. His scent of cedarwood
and mint mixed into her next breath. It amazed her that it
calmed her down even though his presence made her so
nervous. She closed her eyes and focused on his scent. The
warmth of his body radiated into her space. Before she
knew it, she was cuddled into his side with his arms
wrapped around her. 
Nero kissed her on top of her head, “would you rather
me sleep on the floor?” 
No. Silver quickly blurted out. 
Sydney did not trust her voice to not squeak. Instead,
she shook her head. 
“Okay. I will warn you, I cannot sleep in all these
clothes. Will you be okay if I strip down to my boxers?” 
Only cuz there's a peephole pocket for me to play
with what I want…
 What is up with you?! 
Him…
“I think I can handle it. I don’t like to wear much
either.” 
Nero rumbled deep in his chest. Sydney’s laugh got
caught in her throat. 
“I promise, nothing will happen. You will dictate
everything that happens and when it happens. It’s just,
hearing those words brought more happiness than I
thought it would.” 
Nero unwrapped his arms from around her and stood up
just as slow as he sat down. He wore a button up shirt, and
Sydney could not help but watch him. It was as if he was
undressing in slow motion. He took his time unclasping
every button on his shirt and taking it off. The body he
revealed made Sydney’s mind begin to think things she had
never thought before. His muscles were large and very
defined. From his chiseled chest and abs to the lines inside
of his hips, which she remembered hearing the other girls
in the pack call sex cuts, it caused her own chest to rumble.
Nero tried not to laugh, but Sydney heard it. Instead of
watching him take off his pants, Sydney got off the bed and
walked over to her bag. She pulled out a large nightshirt
and kept her back to Nero. She quickly took off her shirt,
and she could feel his eyes on her. She thought that would
cause her to feel exposed or nervous again, but it didn’t. It
almost made her want to take off her pants slower to see
what his reaction would be. 
Do it, Silver encouraged her. 
With Silver’s energy giving her an extra nudge of
courage, Sydney slid her pants down over her hips as
teasingly slow as she could manage. Instead of a rumble,
she heard Nero groan. 
“You aren’t going to make it easy for me to behave, are
you?” 
 Sydney stopped herself from letting out a laugh but kept
a smile on her face. Her back was still turned to him, so she
shimmied out of the pants. It must have made her ass jiggle
because another groan escaped from Nero. She somehow
knew she would not be able to press her luck any further
and quickly put the t-shirt over her head. When she turned
around, Nero was sitting at the head of the bed, watching
her intently. His green eyes sparkled under the light that
was cast by the lamp next to him. She could see the bulge
inside of his briefs, and she suppressed a smile. 
I am definitely pushing my luck when I know for a fact I
am not ready for this. 
You are lucky you are in control. 
I am guessing you approve of our mate? 
That is putting it lightly. 
Sydney pulled back the bedspread and crawled into bed.
Nero did the same and turned his body to face hers. 
“You’re going to be the death of me, Sydney. I can
already tell.” 
She flashed him a smile, “I’m sorry?” She really had no
idea how to respond to that. 
“You should be. It is taking everything in me to not put
my mark on that flawless neck of yours and claim you as
mine right now.” 
Sydney was surprised by that remark. She was also
surprised that he was almost to the edge of the bed. He
was putting as much distance in between them as he
could. 
Is this because I am nervous or because he is trying to
restrain himself that much? 
Sydney felt a small bubble of bravery rise, “you can
come closer.” 
Nero cocked his eyebrow, “are you sure?” 
“Yes. I am somehow calmer when you are next to me.
I’m nervous, but not afraid.” 
 Nero moved his body closer, but still left some room. “Is
this okay?” 
Sydney realized that he was doing anything and
everything he could to make her comfortable. More shock
consumed her that she was not okay with it. She wanted to
be closer. So, she closed the distance instead. Nero’s body
went still as if her movement made him nervous. Their
chests were touching, and Sydney could feel his heart
beating against his chest. 
“Are you okay?” she asked him. 
Nero relaxed a little and wrapped his arms around her.
Sydney sighed at his touch and the warmth of his body
consuming her. “Better than ever. Well, better than I was,
anyway.” 
Sydney nuzzled into his neck. She never thought she
would make these kinds of movements with her being so
nervous, but it all felt too natural. The way her body formed
into his was clearly an indicator that they were made to fit
this way. Nero nuzzled his face into her neck as well and
she heard him inhale. When he placed a kiss onto her neck,
she gasped at the tingle that followed and traveled from
her neck into her stomach. 
Nero groaned, “either we need to go to sleep, or I need
to leave this room,” he said as he moved his head back onto
his pillow. 
Sydney’s heart raced. “Why?”
Did I do something wrong? 
Not at all. 
“I want to behave, but you are making it extremely hard
to do that.” 
Her breathing sped up again. “Am I doing something
wrong?” 
Nero looked as if she punched him in the gut.
“Absolutely not. It’s just the way you feel in my arms, the
way your scent drives me crazy, and then those moans… I
don’t want to pressure you or do something you don’t want
to do.” He kissed her forehead. “I told you I will not do
anything that you don’t want to do. I meant that.” 
It was difficult to not nuzzle into him more. She could
feel through the mate bond that was forming that he was at
war with himself. She wanted to make him feel better but
knew what that could mean. 
“Oh…okay. I think I know what you are trying to say.”
She had no idea what to do next. 
Nero kept his head on his pillow. He took a deep breath
before saying anything else. “Let’s go to sleep.” 
Sydney did not move from where she was, but stared
into his eyes. Nero wore a small smile as he stared back at
her. Neither of them made any more movements, both
afraid of what that would cause. Nero’s eyes slowly closed
first. Just before she heard him breathing in deeply as sleep
claimed him, he whispered, “I’m so happy I found you.” 
“Me too,” she said back to him just before her own eyes
closed and sleep claimed her as well.
I t was difficult to sleep the entire night. Sydney and
Nero managed to fall asleep but did not manage to
stay asleep. Due to the Mate Bond forming, they mindlessly
wiggled their way closer to each other without realizing
they’d even done so. In the middle of the night, Sydney
woke up to Nero’s lips pressed against hers once more,
which turned into a feverish make out session. His scent
and warmth surrounded her like a blanket and made her
feel safe. Sydney moaned, and a light growl emitted from
Nero’s throat. Nero rolled her over onto her back and
wrapped her into his arms. Sydney responded by wrapping
her legs and arms around him. That only intensified the
situation. Next thing Sydney knew, Nero’s hips were
moving against hers and she could feel his excitement. 
Sydney managed to snap Nero out of his lust to get him
to slow things down. It was not as if she did not want it,
too, but she wasn’t ready. She had to force herself to tell
Nero to stop. Nero looked as if she had screamed at him
instead of having been asked to just slow it down. He must
have apologized a hundred times before he would allow her
to go back to sleep. Sydney rolled onto her side and showed
him her back after she told him she was not mad at him.
His strong arms wiggled under her until he was able to
wrap them around her waist. Within a few minutes, Sydney
could hear his breathing become steady once again. She
could feel his nose pressed against her neck as he cuddled
into her. 
I could get used to this. 
You better. 
Sydney chuckled at her wolf and felt herself fall asleep
again. 
The next morning seemed to come too quickly when
Sydney felt as if she could stay asleep within Nero’s arms
for eternity. There were no windows inside of Sydney’s
room. For the first time in a long time, Sydney was able to
sleep without waking up to the sun streaming onto her face
or by an alarm. This was the second day she did not have to
wake up to chores or someone angrily banging on her door.
Between not being a slave to the pack anymore and finding
Nero to be her Second Chance Mate, Sydney could not
believe that this was reality. It was as if the wishes from her
heart were heard by the Moon Goddess when she was
asleep. 
Sydney groaned at the thought of having to move out of
Nero’s arms. She turned her head slowly to look at her
mate to see if he was awake. His eyes were closed with his
hair slightly over his eyes accompanied by even breathing. 
He is still asleep. 
We can wake him up. 
By doing? 
We could always lick him. See if he tastes as good
as he smells. 
Wouldn’t that spark an interest in something more
which I am not ready for?
I don’t know. Why don’t you give it a try and find
out?
 Sydney wanted to be mad at Silver, but somehow, she
could not bring herself to do anything more than laugh.
Instead, she tried to move her body forward in hopes that
Nero’s grip around her waist was not as tight as she
thought. She was wrong…and the movement caused him to
tighten it even more. This made her think that wiggling her
body would be a better option. 
It was not. 
Nero moaned as her hips rocked against his and stirred
him awake. Sydney stopped immediately and realized the
repercussions of what she had just done. Nero moved his
face over and kissed her shoulder. It sent a shiver down her
spine, and she suppressed her moan as another kiss
happened a few millimeters from the first one. At the base
of her neck, he opened his mouth wider and allowed his
teeth to scrape against her skin. Sydney absentmindedly
moved her head to bare her neck for him and give him
more access.
“Nero,” she moaned. 
She felt his hand move from her waist to trail across her
stomach, slide under her shirt, and cupped her breast with
heated tingles to accompany the movements. Nero’s mouth
landed on the exact spot in the middle of her neck where
he could create his mark. He first licked it and another
shiver went down her spine. His mouth then covered the
area, and his teeth touched her skin. Sydney began to pant
as he yet again scraped his teeth across her skin, this time
he stopped just over the area where his canines should sink
in to claim her. 
“Morning!” Nero cheerfully yelled and then rolled in the
opposite direction and off the bed. 
Sydney let out a groan mixed with a whine. She jolted
her body upright and turned quickly toward him. Nero
flashed a bright, full tooth grin at her as she narrowed her
eyes at him. 
“Why did you tease me like that?” Sydney yelled at him. 
 Nero’s eyes rolled to the top of his lids as his chin tilted
upward. He then looked right into her eyes, “foreplay.” 
“Why didn’t you just mark me? You were right there!” 
Nero had an amusing glint in his eyes. When he smirked
at her, she knew she would not like his response. “I
promised you I would not do anything without you telling
me it was okay to do it. You never gave me consent.
Therefore, I did not mark you.”
Silver pushed through to growl deeply at him. It only
caused him to laugh. 
“I am going to take a shower. Care to join me?” Nero
cocked an eyebrow at her. 
Sydney’s anger at him teasing her quickly changed to
being nervous. The thought of being inside of the shower
with a naked Nero made her head spin. 
Don’t forget wet as well. A wet and naked Nero. 
You aren’t helping. 
Yes, I am. I am painting an image. 
“I…uh…I…” Sydney stammered. 
She could no longer look at him. Her breathing became
rapid and her heartbeat was felt against her chest. The
overwhelming feeling of being embarrassed consumed her
thoughts. Her fear of telling him no and making him feel
rejected yet again as well as wanting to get in the shower
with him, even though she shook with nerves at the
thought, were the most prominent. 
I don’t know what to do! If I keep telling him no, he will
probably reject me, too. I am too inexperienced for this! 
Sandalwood and mint swirled around her. When she
inhaled it, her breathing slowed down as well as her
thoughts. Sydney felt the warmth of his fingers under her
chin as he guided her to look at him. 
“Sydney, I feel as if I keep overwhelming you. How about
I get a shower in another room while you get yours here.”
With his touch, Sydney felt braver than she did before.
“But I don’t want you to go.” 
 Nero knelt down so he was the one looking up to her
instead. “We can explore whatever you want when we get
home. For now, I will stop teasing until then. I am sorry
that I keep making you feel as if you have to do these
things, or even have to choose between doing what I joke
about and you feeling comfortable. I don’t want you to feel
this way. This mate bond is new to me, too. It is
overwhelming, but I don’t need to add to it.” This triggered
a memory of something her father told her. 
There will be many times where a she-wolf will need to
stand at her mate’s side but also  lower than him to show
that he is the one that will protect her. However, a wolf who
can put himself lower than his mate is one that
understands that she is to be valued, to be treated as an
equal. If your mate, at any given time, can kneel before you
and tell you that your view of him means more than anyone
else, then he is a true gift from our Goddess. 
Nero stood up and quickly grabbed his clothes from the
ground. When he walked out of her room, she heard herself
whine again. Even though she felt like shit for giving Nero
no other option than to leave, she also felt extremely lucky
that her mate understood her dilemma. 
You could have at least licked him back, Silver
huffed. 
What exactly did you want me to lick? 
Well… 
Never mind! 
Sydney pushed herself to get out of bed and into the
shower. The hot water spraying against her relaxed her just
enough to allow her to realize that everything that
happened between them already was incredibly tense, but
she wanted more. Yes, she would be nervous to do any of it.
However, Nero was not going to make her feel
embarrassed for not knowing what to do. 
A knock on the bathroom door brought her out of her
thoughts. The shower had a frosted glass so whoever this
was would not be able to see anything. Sydney tried to get
an idea of who it was by their scent, but she could only
smell the body soap she had just squeezed onto her loofah. 
“Sydney, I just stopped by to let you know that I am
meeting Milo now. I believe Merida and Lucy will be
waiting for you in the dining hall when you are finished.” 
Silver pushed herself to the surface, “do you want a
peek before you leave?” 
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! 
Nero did not take a step further into the bathroom.
Sydney could hear the door open a little more, but not
enough for him to step in. “We will leave by one o’clock.
That is about four hours from now.” 
Sydney pushed Silver behind a wall so she could not talk
again. “Okay. I’ll see you then.” 
“Syd?” 
“Yeah…” 
“Just remember that I welcome teasing…but it might
turn into a war that you will beg me to end.” 
Is that a insinuation of me begging for sex? 
Goddess, I hope so. 
You are no help, Silver. 
If you thought I would be against our mate, you
were wrong. 
Sydney finished her shower, quickly got dressed, and
ran down the stairs to join her friends. The moment her
hand touched the door to the dining room, her stomach
growled. When she pushed it open, Merida and Lucy
laughed at her. 
“We heard that,” Merida said with a smile. “Good thing
we made sure to have a spread out.” 
Merida was not kidding. There were large plates of
eggs, pancakes, sausage, and bacon in the middle of the
table so they could make their plates family style. Then
there were pitchers of different fruit juices. The savory
smells  of sausage meat and the salty, smokey, and light
cooking grease of bacon made her mouth water. All three of
them made their plates and got a glass of juice. Sydney
chose apple, one of her favorites, and sat down with her
plate stacked with pancakes and sausage. A thick layer of
sweet maple syrup later, Sydney sunk her fork into the soft
and fluffy pancake to create a triangle, then cut one third of
the sausage link off, smushed them both together on her
fork, and stuffed it into her mouth. The mixture of sweet
and savory swirled on her taste buds, and it made her one
happy wolf. 
As Sydney enjoyed her breakfast, she happened to look
at Merida’s neck. When she did not see a Mate Mark on it,
she nearly dropped her fork in shock. 
“Merida, is everything okay with Warren?” She pointed
at the nonexistent Mate Mark for emphasis. 
“I could ask the same for you and Nero.” 
“I couldn’t get past my own nervousness to complete
mine just yet. What stopped you?” 
Merida smiled with a full tooth grin. “I have heard
Warren Palmer’s name before. He is quite the marksman
with women. Since he has had more experience in this
area, I decided to have him woo me.” 
Lucy shook her head. “More like you want him to work
for it and prove that having a mate means more to him than
his previous life with women.” 
“That’s basically what I said.” 
Sydney giggled. “How did he take that news?” 
“Rather well, actually. It was kind of disappointing. I was
waiting for him to go all growly like I have heard Wolves
get. Instead, we spent the night talking and kissing.”
Merida’s eyes glimmered in a new way than Sydney had
never seen. “It was not what I expected, but I never felt
more respected.” 
“I understand completely. Definitely not what I expected
either,” Sydney replied. 
 “But damn! When that man wanted to kiss… I think my
heart stopped a few times. I guess I should go thank all
those skanks for teaching him exactly what he needed to
learn.” 
Merida and Lucy belly-laughed at the remark. 
“What the hell is that supposed to even mean?” Lucy
asked when she caught her breath. 
Merida’s grin became mischievous. “So, I told him that I
wanted to wait to complete the bond and consummation.
He was fine with that. As we talked, it turned into teasing.
If the rumors are true, and he is that experienced, I think
he met his match. I had that boy so riled up after teasing
him and not giving him even a kiss that he grabbed me by
the throat, put me against the wall, and devoured my lips
until I went weak in the knees. I have to say, I have never
had a kiss like that before in my life, and after one taste of
it, I need more.” 
Another round of belly-laughs erupted between them.
Both Lucy and Sydney knew that this was a big deal to hear
something like that come out of Merida’s mouth. She
always seemed like the girl who would not settle down or
settle for anything less than what she deserved. With the
expectations being quite high, neither of them thought that
Merida would find the guy that would meet them. Then
Warren walked into the room and blew every expectation
out of the water. Sydney’s heart warmed at the thought
that her friend finally found what she was looking for, and it
was inside of a True Mate. 
“What happened with Nero?” Merida’s voice seemed a
little softer than when she talked of Warren. 
“It was certainly not what I expected. I lived with
monsters all my life. I thought that Nero would not agree to
put off completing the bond, especially being an Alpha of
his power. Instead, he kept his distance until I said he could
come closer. Anything he did, he waited for consent or for
me to make the move to say it was okay.” Sydney smiled as
her mind flashed back to the memory of last night. “I came
close to allowing him to mark me this morning. Anything he
does, I don’t want it to stop. I’ve heard of what it is like to
have a True Mate. No one ever said this level of
comfortability and longing came with it.” 
“Wait, you were almost marked this morning? Details,
woman!” 
Sydney should have known that Merida would not have
settled for anything less than every detail. She even knew
that giving just the details of that morning to them would
not suffice either. So, she started from the beginning when
Nero entered her room. Sydney explained everything that
she could possibly remember. When she got to the end with
her in the shower and Nero made the begging remark,
Merida bounced in her seat while clapping her hands. 
“Sounds like Alpha Nero has some moves, too! I am so
excited that I will be going to the pack with you so I can get
all the details when they happen. Only wish Lucy was
coming with us.” 
Merida and Sydney looked over at their friend who was
silent as Sydney recounted the events with Nero. Lucy still
wore a smile. Sydney knew it was due to the happiness she
felt for her friends finding their True Mates just as she has. 
“I belong here. I will visit. Solar Valley is a shorter
distance from here than Ember Forest. Things will not
change.” 
“Well, one thing has changed. Sydney is now an Alpha,”
Merida pointed out. 
That thought had not occurred to her, yet. When she
arrives at Solar Valley, she will be looked at by the pack as
the She-Alpha, something that she has no idea how to be.
Nerves began to flood her once again and her palms
became sweaty. 
How am I going to be an Alpha? I was an Omega! 
With help from our mate. He will ensure that you
do not look like a fool. 
 What if the pack does not accept me? 
I am sure that you will win their hearts over as you
have with many others. 
Silver’s words were not enough to calm Sydney’s nerves.
There was nothing she could do other than to face her
fears. Sydney knew that she would have Silver to help her
through it as well as Nero. 
Nero… What if he sees that I am not an Alpha like him,
and he later rejects me? 
If that would happen, and that is a big IF, we will
figure it out together.
That did not inspire much confidence, Silver. 
You are fearing the unknown. Which is
understandable. However, the only thing you can do is
live each day and fight that battle if it comes. 
Her friends noticed Sydney’s lack of comfortability with
that topic and changed it quickly. They finished eating their
meal and then talked about numerous topics until Milo
came into the dining hall with Nero and Warren in tow.
Each male kissed his mate and then stood beside them. 
“We have to get going, Sydney. I have been away from
my pack for too long. Goddess knows what my Delta is
having them do without me present.” 
“Is he a hard ass or something?” Merida asked him. 
Nero and Warren chuckled. “She is a hard ass that will
relentlessly have everyone train instead of just the top
wolves.”
“Your fourth is a she-wolf?” Sydney’s tone had more of a
shocked tone than she intended which caused Nero to raise
his eyebrows. “Sorry, I just heard that it is rare for she-
wolves to rank that high.” 
“Well yeah… when assholes are Alphas,” Warren half-
heartedly snapped. “Nero is not an asshole. Well, at least to
females.” 
“I second that statement,” Milo joked. 
 “Why am I being attacked again?” Nero looked between
Warren and Milo when he asked that question. 
No one answered. They all just laughed. Nero shook his
head and walked out of the room. 
“I’m not going to take this abuse,” he called out as he
passed through the door. 
Another round of laughs came and then they all followed
Nero out. It appeared Marie had gathered Merida and
Sydney’s things as their bags were on the walkway just
outside of the main door. Marie was standing with the bags
next to Jacob and Chris. 
That is when, once again, something Sydney did not
expect happened. 
“Mate,” Warren said for the second time in less than 24
hours. 
Chris turned around and repeated “mate” right back at
Warren. 
Wait—Warren has two mates?
S ydney took a look around at her friends. Nero and
Jacob had a smile spread across their faces as Warren
closed the distance between him and Chris. As if they not
only expected this but were happy that the day had finally
come for them to see it happen. 
Of course they knew. They are his best friends. 
Lucy and Milo were also smiling as if they expected this,
but Sydney had come to terms with the fact that these two
Owls were probably the strongest Star Readers in their
sanction, if not the world. They both seem to always know
things that others shouldn’t. 
Merida smiled as she watched her mate walk over to his
new one. There was no hint of jealousy. Only the smile that
everyone else seemed to be wearing. Warren must have
told her that he was bi-sexual last night while they were
getting to know one another. 
The only person who appeared to be just as surprised as
Sydney was Marie. Neither of them knew Warren was bi-
sexual. However, they did know that Chris was not straight.
He was the one that would hit on other men with Merida as
well as women. He had even flirted with Merida a few
times. Now seeing Chris with Warren, and knowing that
Warren was Fated to Merida as well, Sydney had a non-stop
train of weird thoughts. 
How does this work? Are they all together or is Warren
with the both of them? Does this mean Chris is Fated to
Merida, too? But that is not how Fated Mates work. Chris
and Merida have been friends for years. Wouldn’t that
mean that they would have known they were Fated to one
another? 
All the questions she had, Sydney felt that this was not
the right time to ask them. This was an incredible and rare
moment. She did not need to be the one to ruin it.
Especially since Warren was being a gentleman, yet again,
and asking Chris if he was acceptable to him. Sydney now
realized that this was Warren’s way to get the possibility of
rejection out of the way immediately. Chris looked Warren
up and down, the same way as Merida did, and then
nodded. He was clearly nervous, most likely due to all the
eyes looking at them during this exchange. Chris was more
to himself than Merida in large groups. 
Maybe this pairing would bring him more out of his
shell? 
Knowing Merida, I would have to agree with this
possible theory of yours. 
You think Nero will bring me out of mine? 
He was chosen by the Goddess for you and has
already proven to be a much better one than the last.
I would go with yes. 
Warren must have sensed Chris being uncomfortable
and only asked him if he was okay with returning to Solar
Valley with him. Chris asked if he was able to say goodbye
to his family. Warren looked over at Nero. 
“Of course. Are you going to drive yourself or should I
have a-”
Warren cut off Nero before he could finish. “I’ll come get
you if you can’t drive yourself.” 
 “I have a car. I can drive.” 
Merida walked over to Chris and pulled him into a hug.
“Welcome to our family, Chris,” she said to him and then
gave him a kiss on his cheek. 
Sydney always thought that Merida and Chris had a
thing for each other, but they never took it further. She had
a sneaking suspicion that they had actually hooked up a
couple of times when they felt lonely because of their
flirtations from time to time. Merida never admitted to this,
but now Sydney wondered if she would. The thoughts of
how this would work came fluttering back into her mind.
Before they could go further, Chris got into his own car and
drove away. Nero broke the silence. 
“Kinda funny how you recently brought up having a
harem, and then the Goddess goes and blesses you with a
harem.” 
“It was as if you sent her a silent prayer that this would
happen, and she granted it!” Jacob added. 
“Should we start giving you our wishes because it looks
like the Goddess favors you a bit.” 
Warren narrowed his eyes at his friends as Merida and
Sydney giggled at seeing him a little frustrated. 
“So the first thing you do as one of my mates drives off
from me is crack a joke?” Warren asked them. 
“It is as if our lifetime of ball busting has gone
unnoticed. Nero, are you as hurt as I am?” 
Nero put his hand to his heart, “like he just shot an
arrow at my heart!” 
“I have no idea how all of our time together has led to
you asking us that question! Warren, do we mean so little
to you?” 
Warren continued his annoyed gaze at them, “you two
jealous that I got a harem?” 
Nero put his arm around Sydney’s shoulder. “Nah. Only
emotion I have over this is happiness.” 
 Sydney felt the warmth of Nero radiating into her skin
from his arm around her. Then a warmth spread across her
chest. Happiness. Love. Pride. Emotions that were not her
own. Sydney looked up at Nero, and he continued to smile
at his friend. His facial expressions conveyed the emotions
she currently felt. 
Is this the Mate Bond?
Yes. You are feeling what he is feeling. 
Are all of these directed at Warren?
Does it feel that way to you? 
Sydney had a hard time deciphering that. The emotions
felt like her own, as if she and Nero were one already. It
was all so new that she would not be able to master the
control over their bond in just a few minutes. 
“Besides,” Nero chided, “I am not all about that slut life
that you are.”
Warren slightly blushed and made a jerk off motion with
his hand, “Call it whatever you want, but I got options and
an endless ass parade.” 
The group laughed at Warren’s comment. Merida
walked over to Warren and bumped her shoulder into his
arm. “He will come to Solar Valley.” 
Warren looked down at her with a small, but not
convincing, smile. “Sure.” 
Nero instructed everyone to say their goodbyes so they
could make their way home. It was at that moment Sydney
realized that there was more than just one vehicle outside
of Milo and Lucy’s home. There was a black town car, like
the one Sydney remembered being parked at the pack
house during the Coronation party. Then there was an all-
black two-row Highlander parked behind it. Nero picked up
Sydney’s bags and walked over to the Highlander.
“Jake, can you drive the town car home?” Nero called
out. 
“Sure, Boss.” 
 “Warren, Merida, and Marie, you guys will be in the
town car. Syd, you’re with me.” 
“Wait, is this your car?” 
Sydney was not sure why she was so surprised by this.
Most Alphas have their own cars to drive to other
territories, especially the Alpha of the Sanction. They
usually had to travel more than any other. This SUV type
vehicle in front of her just was not the kind of car she
expected Nero to have. 
“Yes,” he answered and opened the passenger door to
let her inside. “Why do you ask?” 
“No reason, just was not expecting you to drive a car
like this,” Sydney said as she climbed into the car. 
Nero smiled as he closed the door. While he walked
around it to get into the car himself, Sydney looked out the
window to see Lucy and Miles waving at them. Sydney
waved back, unsure if they could even see her due to the
tint on the window. Nero started the car and slowly steered
it toward the road. Since Sydney and her friends walked
through the town instead of driving, this was not the way
she preferred. The road was still dirt, but seeing the trees
roll by at a quick pace saddened her. 
The only way trees should be a blur is while running as a
wolf. 
Agreed. 
The barrier to the Owl territory was approaching, and
Sydney wondered how it would feel this time. Walking
through it was one thing. It took a few seconds, but the
tingling definitely made it seem a little longer. This time
she was in a car. Would it feel any different? It certainly
looked different. When she walked through, it was between
two trees on both sides of it. This time there were two men,
one on either side of the road, standing with a spear at a
gate. Each one had silver gray hair with feathers and wore
white tunic shirts and pants. 
 Nero must have sensed Sydney’s curiosity, “What is on
your mind?” 
“I didn’t come in this way.”
“This is the proper way to navigate through the territory.
Merida and Chris must know the other way due to being a
friend to Lucy. Anyone else would have been given
directions through this gate.” 
Neither of the guards gave Nero a problem when
passing through. Nero did roll his window down and state
who was in the car behind them. Once the gate opened,
they passed through the barrier. It was not like the tingling
sensation she felt when she walked through it. Instead, it
felt more like her ears popping, and then it was done. 
“We have a couple of hours before we will get to Solar
Valley. How about we get to know each other by playing a
game?” Nero placed his hand on her knee. The warmth
from his hand spread up her leg, and she was tempted to
move it, nervous that he would venture that hand up
further. 
“What did you have in mind?” 
Maybe the game will get my mind off his hand being on
my knee. 
Or maybe it will make him want to move it a little
further up. 
It’s not like I have a skirt on. 
Even better. We can see how masterful his hand is
with a button. 
“Have you ever played twenty questions?” 
Sydney thought about it for a few seconds before
answering, “no.” 
“Okay, it is a simple game. We each have twenty
questions to ask each other. The questions can be of
anything you want to know about the other. Ready?” 
“Is that your first question?” she asked him. 
Nero smirked at her sarcasm, “no. I’ll start. What is your
favorite color?” 
 “Blue. Any shade or tint. How about you?”
“Forest Green.” He paused to think of another question.
“What is your favorite food?” 
“Pizza!” Sydney practically screamed. 
Nero snickered at her excitement, but his smile told her
he found it to be cute. 
Or am I feeling what he is through this bond?
Sydney received no answer from her wolf. 
“Why so excited about pizza?” 
Sydney looked over at him, “are you skipping over my
turn?” 
“I couldn’t help myself. I’ve never seen someone get so
excited over pizza. Though, I can understand. It is
delicious.” 
“Fine. I never had it until my birthday. Merida and Lucy
paid for a hotel room and then took me shopping. I got to
try it after shopping, and it was one of the most delicious
things I have ever tasted, and when I’m able to enjoy it, it
makes me remember that day, which was one of the best of
my life.” 
Nero did not say a word after she finished explaining.
Sydney was unsure if it was because he was not sure of
what to say or he was taking it all in to formulate a
response. She could not look at him, afraid that her story
made him realize that she was a lowly Omega. That thought
sent her down a path of thinking she should have Nero pull
over and let her out. 
What business does an Alpha have courting me? I just
got excited over the thought of pizza because it was the
best thing I had ever eaten since my parents died. 
You think too low of yourself, Sydney. Nero does
not believe that. 
How do you know? 
He would be stupid to think that way of his mate. 
But how do you know? 
 You don’t feel it? Close your eyes, focus on Nero.
Tell me what you see and feel. 
Sydney did what she was told. When she closed her
eyes, she focused on Nero. His scent of sandalwood and
mint, and the feeling of security he brings her, were the
first things her senses focused on. Everything went black
for a moment, but a strong, bright blue light shined before
her. Nero’s scent grew stronger, the feeling of security
wrapped around her, but there was something more coming
through. Sydney focused harder, and the light turned into a
cord. She felt herself moving, and the cord began to spark
as if it were a live wire. A warmth radiated off it, and she
wanted to reach out to touch it. As her hand slowly moved
toward it, the cord changed. It was now morphing into a
figure. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a
blue ethereal version of Nero. The lips curved into a soft
smile, the eyes sparkled at the sight of her, and the warmth
grew and wrapped around her like a security blanket. 
It feels like when my dad would hug me. The security…
the… 
Yes? 
“Are you going to ask me another question? You’ve been
quiet for a while.” 
Sydney looked over at him, and he wore the same smile
that the ethereal Nero had. She could not help but smile
back at him. 
Love. 
“What is your favorite food?” she asked him. 
“So…it is actually pizza as well. However, I need to have
the Meat Lovers.” 
“What is that?” 
“There is ham, pork sausage, italian sausage, beef,
pepperoni, bacon, and I add jalapeños.” 
Sydney’s mouth watered at the thought of all those
toppings on one pizza as she stared out the window. “I must
have it…” 
 Nero laughed at her comment. “I’ll take you to my
favorite place soon so you can try it.” 
“Your turn.” 
“What was your favorite memory from your childhood?
You know, before the Romero’s took over the pack.” 
Sydney turned her head slightly with an eyebrow raised.
“Getting to the hard questions?” 
“One of us had to.” 
He got you there. 
Sydney rolled her eyes mentally at her wolf. “That is a
thinker. I tend to not think about my life from back then.”
“Take your time.” 
It was difficult to think of a memory from the time her
parents were still here. They had been gone for over a
decade, and it was always tough for her to remember those
days. A time where she was happy, and the pack was
thriving. Then, the memory she had not thought about in
some time came to mind. She felt herself smile at it. 
“There was a time when I was around five or six. My
parents had put together a picnic with the help of Marie,
and we went for a walk in the forest. It was during autumn
when all the leaves turned, and it was clear why the area
was called Ember Forest. My parents shifted to their
wolves, and I got to ride on their backs all through the
territory. It was incredible feeling the wind against my face.
My favorite part was when my dad had me go onto his
back, and he went top speed. My mom playfully ran beside
him but would act like she was going to jump at me.”
Sydney felt her eyes well up at the memory. Even though
she felt a twinge of heartache, it felt even better to talk
about it. “After the run, we sat down on a blanket and ate
our lunch together. My dad threw grapes at my mom and
then it turned into seeing who could catch the most in their
mouths. I was so disappointed when we had to go back to
the pack house. It felt like such a perfect day.” 
 Nero put his hand back on her knee as a tear rolled
down her face. “It really sounds like it was a perfect day. I
got nothing that can really match that.”
The warmth she felt during her small vision she had
about Nero came back. It wrapped around her in the same
way it did then. No one had ever explained to her what a
Mate Bond felt like, and now she was realizing that this
was a part of it. 
Am I right about that? 
Sort of. You are not just feeling your feelings
anymore. You are now becoming connected with Nero,
and you are feeling what he is feeling. 
He is feeling loved? 
Not exactly. 
That was when Sydney became bolder than she ever felt
before, “Nero, do you love me?” 
Sydney was surprised that he did not slam on the brakes
from the shocked expression that washed over his face. She
could hear his heart beginning to race, and a small scent of
fear filled the car. It was difficult for Sydney to figure out if
the fear was coming from Nero being asked the question or
from herself anticipating his answer to it. 
“That question was unexpected. And I thought I asked a
hard one.” 
Now her heart was racing. “Are you saying-”
Nero grabbed her hand. It moved so fast from her knee
that she jumped when it landed on her own. “I will not say
that I don’t. That would be ridiculous to say if I am being
honest, but I know this is all new to you, and I am trying to
make sure that I do not do something that will either scare
you or hurt you.” 
“Did I ask the wrong thing?” 
“No. No question that you could ask is wrong or dumb. I
welcome any question you may have, Sydney, but I was not
prepared for it and it is a question that I want to answer
honestly. It just may take me a few seconds to formulate my
response.”
Sydney went silent. Silver pushed herself to the
forefront of her mind to give her additional strength
mentally. She also gave Sydney a few words of
encouragement so she would not freak out. It was clear
that Sydney caught Nero off guard. Her wolf even told her
that any male would have needed a few seconds to answer
that question the day after their mate was found. 
Nero squeezed her hand. “Sydney, you are my mate. The
one she-wolf that was Fated to me by the Goddess. I would
be stupid to say no to your question because it is quite
obvious to me that I feel very strong emotions for you. That
is what a Mate Bond does. However, I do not want to scare
you to say those words just yet. I’ve known you for less
than twenty-four hours, but I can certainly say I adore you.
The Goddess knew what she was doing when she paired
you with me. Every piece of information that I have learned
so far about you, I love. I am hoping that you coming to our
pack will help you and me build our bond better, make it
stronger.” 
Her eyes never left his direction as he spoke. When he
finished his answer, Sydney could not help but laugh at his
nervousness. “That was a long answer.” 
“I did not know how to answer that without it being
long.” 
She squeezed his hand like he did with her. “I adore you,
too. At least from what I have seen so far. You are still on
probation.”
Did I just say that? 
Yes. 
“Oh really now?” 
Her boldness continued, “yes. You have about twenty-
nine days left.” 
“You are giving me a thirty-day probation period as your
mate?” 
 Sydney nodded, afraid that her voice would crack as her
nerves of being bold started to wane. 
“I am up to that challenge.” He pulled her hand to his
lips and kissed it. “Oh and Sydney?” 
“Yeah…” 
“Welcome home.”
W hen Dante entered the Ember Forest pack’s house,
he was not greeted by his son, the person he
should have been greeted by as the new Alpha. Instead, it
was Brad, the Beta Dante left behind to look after Draxton
as he came into being an Alpha. Dante immediately
growled when he saw Brad, but the most outrageous thing
happened next. Brad growled back. 
The nerve of this pup! 
Dahlia put her hand on Dante’s shoulder in an attempt
to keep him calm. A mate’s touch was supposed to work
this way, but this only annoyed Dante more. He had every
right to be angry at the moment due to Draxton being lazy
enough to not greet his parents. The first words out of
Dante’s mouth to break the silence were “where is my
son?” 
“Draxton is dead.” 
Dante blinked several times as Dahlia screamed
“WHAT” as loud as she possibly could. “What did you just
say?” 
“Draxton. Is. Dead. Need me to repeat that again?” 
 “No need to be wise with me boy! That is how you tell
parents that their child is dead? What the hell happened?”
Dante narrowed his eyes at Brad. “If you challenged him,
I’ll kill you right now.” 
Brad rolled his eyes at him. “Draxton decided that he did
not have to obey a direct order from Alpha Nero of
ensuring that all unmated she-wolves be presented when
he arrived looking for his mate. It seems the Alpha had met
his mate the last time he was here. Draxton allowed Draziel
to bully Sydney until the poor she-wolf exploded. Sydney
left because of it, taking Marie with her of course. When
Alpha Nero showed up, he learned of Draxton’s crimes
against the pack, so Nero killed him.” 
Dahlia screamed and dropped to her knees with grief.
Feeling Dahlia’s grief through the mate bond hit Dante like
a train. His mate was hysterically crying on the ground,
and he could feel her heart shattered by the news of their
only child’s untimely end. Did Dante feel the same way?
No. Anger bubbled up inside of him as he envisioned the
Sanction’s Alpha mercilessly killing Draxton. 
“What exactly was his charge?” Dante growled. 
“Unfit for Alpha duties in allowing and contributing to
abuse against pack members.” 
A growl ripped through Dahlia’s wails, but Brad did not
flinch. It irritated Dante more knowing that Brad was not
showing any respect or fear toward him. 
He was a Beta after all. There is no way being moved to
Alpha gave him this much power. 
It annoyed Dante further that this was done just outside
of the door frame of the pack house. Not once did this
Alpha pup ask if he would like to come in before giving
them the news. Instead, he watched as Dante’s mate was
falling apart on the ground as she mourned. The grief still
flowed from her into him, but he was too infuriated to feel
anything else. 
 “When did this happen?” Dante kneeled down and
wrapped his arms around his mate. He knew she needed
his touch more than anything right now to get her through
this. 
“Yesterday.” 
“Well it is a good thing I dropped by, or I would have
never known that my son was murdered! Have you done
the pyre yet?” 
“No. That is being held today.” 
Brad turned around and walked into the house. He left
the door open, but not once stated that Dante and Dahlia
were allowed in. Dante only assumed that this meant that
they were granted access inside of the home. He lifted his
mate onto her feet and walked inside. The atmosphere had
definitely changed since he had left. As he walked through
the house after Brad, Dante observed a few Omegas
smiling and talking as they worked together on the laundry
and dishes. None of them looked their way, as if they were
pretending that Dante and Dahlia, their previous Alphas,
were not walking by them. It was usual practice that
Alphas that had resigned were still treated with respect.
However, this pack seemed to have forgotten that fact. 
Leave it to my son to fuck everything up. We had a plan! 
Why did you think you could leave your pathetic
son this pack just after he came of age? Cronan,
Dante’s wolf, disdainfully asked. 
I did not think he was this pathetic. You’d think he would
have turned out differently. 
He didn’t get his ass kicked enough. Unfortunately,
he inherited some of your charm to sway some of
these dumbasses during your ten years here. 
Not enough apparently. 
Brad led them to their old room. He bowed his head in a
small sign of respect. “Draxton’s pyre is in an hour. I will
send someone for you so you can have your time to say
goodbye before it is lit.” 
 Dante closed the door on Brad and turned to his mate.
Her eyes were red from her tears, and he could feel
through their bond that she was suffering. Dahlia always
wanted more children after Draxton, but Dante wanted to
climb the ranks. His focus was to get them inside of a good
enough pack to where they could live comfortably. Ember
Forest was not that pack. They were at the bottom of the
Sanction. Dante wanted higher. He knew he had to work to
be able to beat the Alphas in the rest of the Sanction to
climb the ladder, so he had to start from the bottom. They
were heading to the next highest-ranking pack when Dahlia
felt like they needed to turn around. 
Dahlia was seated at the edge of the bed, staring at the
wall. Dante walked over to her to provide her comfort, but
she continued to stare. He had no idea what he could say at
this point. This was never his strong suit inside of their
mating. Protecting his family was one thing. Using his
words to comfort them was another.
“He killed our boy, Dante. He deserves no mercy.” Her
voice was just above a whisper. 
Is she insinuating that I should make Nero pay for this?
That was our goal someday. 
“Nero is a formidable opponent, my Queen.” 
The corners of Dahlia’s lips almost lifted at the sound of
her pet name he has had for her since the day his eyes
landed on her. “Something must be done about this. He had
no right to just charge Draxton without proof. That
disgusting Omega wasn’t even here to state that she was
abused!” 
“Nero is able to make these decisions as the Sanction
Alpha. He can file the necessary paperwork to the council
once he returns home.” 
“THAT DOES NOT GIVE HIM THE RIGHT TO DO THIS!”
Dahlia screamed with her grief embedded in her words. 
“I have a plan, my Queen, as I always do. We will say
goodbye to our son. Then we will work on avenging him.” 
 He used the tone that he always used to end their
conversations. Even though he did not have the Alpha title,
and an Alpha command no longer had any effect, Dante
always used it when he was no longer going to entertain a
discussion and the response was always silence. 
Just the way I like it. 

B RAD RETRIEVED them fifteen minutes before the funeral

pyre was to be held. This was to give Dante and Dahlia
their own time to grieve before the pack was to join. Brad
had the pack stay inside the house so they would not be
able to overhear anything during this moment. The
ceremonial area was a small open field, roughly fifty yards
from the pack house in the forest. It was large enough to
have at least one hundred people with enough space that
they would not be on top of one another as they paid their
respects. There were stones in between some of the trees
that had hand drawn paintings with magic infused inside of
the paint so it would not fade. The paintings were of men
and wolves with the magic of shifting swirling around
them. In every pack there are ceremonial grounds for
funerals. This one was only smaller due to the pack size.
Ember Forest was always on the smaller side. 
Draxton was laid out on a wooden board inside of his
black tux. Around the board were mounds of dried out
sticks so they would ignite faster so the process was not
drawn out. Dante never thought that he would have to
witness his own child’s funeral while he was alive. Seeing
his son with his eyes closed and his hands over his chest
reminded Dante why he had the objective that he had when
he came here. This was supposed to be a safer place. That
is why he worked so hard to get them inside of this pack.
This was a pack to start his conquest due to its smaller
size. Once he handed over the pack to Draxton, he knew no
other pack would attack this one. There was no gain to take
over this one. It would not have any advantage to any pack
wanting to take over the Sanction. Leaving Draxton here
meant he would be safe. 
Yet he decided to piss off Nero and got himself killed in
the process. 
Dante did not shed a tear nor feel his heart break.
Instead, his heart was filled with rage. From the moment
that Brad said he was killed to seeing him on this pyre, it
brewed inside of him. He wanted nothing more than to
leave Draxton here to be safe while he conquered the rest
of the sanction. To have his son in charge of a pack so he
could ascend into the Alpha of the Sanction meant that they
had more power than most. Every male wolf thought it was
better to have his family rule a single pack for generations.
Dante thought bigger than that. He did not want just one
pack. 
But now I am stuck with just one. 
Brad handed Dante a torch with a flame already ignited
at the end. This was used to set the pyre ablaze and begin
the process. Dante did not process a single sound around
him. He looked over at his mate, and she was wailing like
she had when they heard the news, yet all he heard was
silence. He knew Brad was saying a few words over
Draxton due to his mouth moving, but he heard none of it.
Dante ignited the pyre and watched the flames grow. There
was no sound coming from the crackling flames. 
I know what to do. 
Dante waited until it was over. Draxton turned to ash
like the rest of the pyre. No words had come to him to say
over his body. People had told him at other funerals that
memories flooded to them of the deceased as they watched
their loved ones be consumed by the flames. The only thing
that ran through his mind was his plan. 
 As people began to leave, Dante knew that he had to put
his plan into motion now.
“I, Dante Romero, challenge you, Bradley Ducane, Alpha
of the Ember Forest pack for the position of Alpha.” His
voice was calm and firm. 
Once again there was no sound. Dante was unsure if it
was like his moment during Draxton’s funeral or if the pack
hushed at his words. 
“I, Bradley Ducane, accept your challenge.” 
They were not able to hold the challenge within the
ceremonial ground. That was against Pack Law. Everyone
moved toward the pack house. There was a space in the
back of the party house that they could use, and that was
exactly where Brad led them. Dahlia was trying to talk to
him through the mate bond, but Dante ignored it. He knew
exactly what he was doing despite her words repeatedly
asking him if he was sure. Of course he was sure. He knew
exactly what he was doing when he won Ember Forest
before, and that had not changed. 
Dante met Brad in the middle of the ring that the pack
formed around them. They settled on hand-to-hand being
the only form of fighting during this challenge. There was
no point in going to wolf form in either of their opinions.
Dante heard someone count down and say fight, but he did
not know who. His focus was only on one thing, his
opponent. 
Brad quickly stepped into Dante’s space and swung.
Dante was not ready for a forward attack. He had fought
with Brad before, inside of fights and spars. This wolf never
once showed being this aggressive inside of a fight. When
Brad’s fist connected with the side of his face, hearing the
crack of bone on bone, Dante realized that he may have
made a mistake. 
He knows every single one of my fighting moves. 
Dante swung blindly and connected with Brad’s body.
However, Brad was ready for it. He anticipated this punch,
and it felt as if Dante had hit a stone building instead of a
human body. Dante was facing Brad once again, and Brad
jabbed him in the face. His head snapped back, and he
thought he saw stars. Dante pushed through the pain that
radiated through his skull to swing his right arm first for
Brad to block and quickly jabbed with his left to hit him in
the solar plexus. Brad moved back slightly, so the punch did
not connect with full force. When he stepped in once again,
it was another jab. This time it hit Dante square in his nose.
He felt it break, and blood flowed onto his lips. Another
punch to his temple, and Dante went down to the ground. 
His vision was blurred, and the pain within his face and
skull was unbearable. There was no way he would be able
to continue with the challenge. Brad used every single
punch in the right way so it would end early. Dante’s rage
was now replaced with humiliation. The challenge did not
last more than five minutes. He had just made a fool of
himself in front of the very pack that he led with an iron
fist. The embarrassment of this fight was all on him. Dante
challenged Brad halfcocked. He never did that. Dante was
methodical and always planned every move he made before
he made a decision. That is how he managed to take over
Ember Forest in the first place. 
And I lost. 
After blinking more times than he ever thought possible,
Dante’s vision slowly cleared. Brad was standing over him
with a smirk displayed on his lips. 
“I, Bradley Ducane, Alpha of the Ember Forest Pack,
hereby banish you from the Ember Forest pack and
territory. If you take one step within it again, I won’t stop
the fight just because I put you on your ass. I will kill you.
You were a disgrace as an Alpha and showed your son that
it was okay to treat his packmates as if they did not matter.
I will lead this pack the right way, especially with your
influence completely removed from this pack.” 
 Dante watched Brad stride over to stand in front of
Draziel. “I, Bradley Ducane, Alpha of the Ember Forest
pack hereby banish you, Draziel Locke, from the Ember
Forest pack and territory. You can follow your in-laws out of
here after the treatment you displayed as a She-Alpha
toward Sydney and the other Omegas.” 
Draziel screamed as the pack bond snapped inside of
her. Theresa took a step back from her daughter as Draziel
dropped to her knees. Brad herded his pack toward the
pack house, leaving the three of them behind without
another glance. 
How did I screw this up?
T o watch Sydney’s face change into a look of
excitement and awe gave Nero a sense of happiness
that he did not know existed. He knew she may not
understand how the bond worked due to her being
confused at times when his emotions were strong. He could
feel it on his end, and it broke his heart to know that she
did not know that she was feeling what he felt for her.
Damn the Romero’s and keeping her sheltered!  
While driving, Nero began to reflect on a few things that
occurred to him during his trip around the Sanction. After
visiting the Ember Forest pack and seeing how it was led
all this time, it was clear that they did not teach proper
Shifter laws and culture to the younger generation. It was
clear to him that they kept Sydney in the dark about a lot of
things, especially what it actually meant to be a Shifter. She
may have had her father teaching her some of things she
needed to know, but it was not everything. Sydney did not
seem to understand what it meant to have a Mate Bond and
how it worked. 
I wish I could just wipe out that entire family. They
deprived that pack from flourishing, Nero growled to Kane.
 We could always go find them and punish them for
this crime, Kane suggested.
I would have to talk to the council about that before I
could follow through with that plan. 
That rule is stupid. 
Nero agreed. There were times he wished that he would
not have to go through the council. If this was a situation
with Rogues, that would be different, but the Romero’s still
had ties to the Ember Forest pack. Even though they
handed the pack over to Draxton, they did not renounce
their positions within the pack. Dante just simply
transferred the title to Draxton. It was a clever way to
remain in the pack and move on to another without
becoming a Rogue. Many people would not have realized
that Dante did this for a reason, but Nero knew him better
than that. Nero’s father felt like the Romeros did a back
handed thing when they took over the pack and questioned
every single wolf that attended the Position Challenge.
Either Dante frightened them all into keeping the secret, or
bound them with an Alpha Command because no one
admitted that there was any kind of foul play. Nathaniel,
Nero’s father, kept a close eye on them until he handed
over the pack to Nero. 
And then Nero kept an eye over the Romeros after that. 
What annoyed him the most is he never found out that
they did not hold classes for kids to learn about Shifter
laws and practices. Dante managed to keep that close to
the chest. Nero was not sure how he managed to lie
without getting caught on that one either. All packs had to
send in monthly reports during the Sanction meetings
about these kinds of things. Alphas could not just hand in
paperwork either. They had to say the numbers and lesson
plans out loud during the meeting, and all predatory
Shifters could smell a lie. Not once did Nero or Nathaniel
smell a lie. 
I hate that Romero was able to sneak that past me. 
 Now that he was back home and felt Sydney’s emotions
through the Mate Bond, a lot of his thoughts dissolved into
nothing. Nothing else mattered right now. Sydney was
feeling a sense of hope that her future was changing and
shock that this is where she would be living. Knowing that
her previous room was a closet, he could not wait to show
her her new room, though Nero feared that she would
become overwhelmed again like she did when they first
slept in the same bed. The last thing he wanted to do was
make her feel pressured. 
She would not feel this way if it was not for the
abuse she went through under the Romero’s. Are you
sure we can’t kill them? 
Unfortunately, we cannot. 
Kane grumbled inside of his head. Nero stifled a laugh
so Sydney would not notice that he was talking to his wolf.
He found that to be rude at times and tried not to talk to
Kane when others were around. Though, lately, Kane has
talked a lot more than he used to, and Nero could not seem
to contain him. 
Actually, since the night we met Sydney… 
What can I say? She brings out the best in me. 
Nero pulled the car into the garage next to the pack
house. Sydney’s eyes were glued to the house as if she had
never seen another house outside of Ember Valley’s before.
He silently hoped that was not the case considering that
would mean that Sydney had lived a very sheltered life. 
She was excited about pizza. 
You’re right. 
The Solar Valley pack house was a Victorian style
mansion. The home had a wraparound porch and had, at
minimum, two bay windows on each wall. The second floor
had a window for every room, which was three to each
side. On two of the corners, there were two small turrets.
The third floor appeared the same way as the second floor,
but one room had a tower. Now that the house had grown,
while the front still appeared the same, especially the
tower, it grew to house the majority of the pack. A few
couples wanted to live in small homes further in the valley.
Nathaniel only found it to be beneficial that the pack was
slightly spread out, which then caused a few others to do
the same. It could house roughly eighty pack members, but
currently only half the house was being used due to others
in the pack wanting to live in the valley. When Nero’s
family first established this pack, it was only able to house
ten couples, so, it was amazing to Nero how far this pack
had come since then. 
It was not always the top pack of the sanction. Nero’s
family slowly built it to where they could climb to the top.
Sanctions became a major part of the culture about a
thousand years ago because of the Shifter population
increasing. Solar Valley became the top pack of the
sanction only around a hundred and fifty years ago. 
When Nero parked the car, Sydney let herself out of it
and walked to where she could continue to stare at the
house. Nero could not help but smile at her amazement
over it. Looking at it now, he could understand why she felt
this way. This house was beautiful with its bright blue
siding and white trim. Some bushes usually housed flowers
around the porch and ground around it, but with the season
changing they were bare. Then it almost seemed encased
by the forest with all the trees around it. He grabbed her
bag and walked up next to her. 
“Do you like your new home?” Nero asked her. 
Sydney jumped as if she did not expect him to do that. “I
have never seen a house like this. I didn’t even know a pack
house could look…” 
“Beautiful?”
“Yeah.” 
“Just wait until Spring.” 
Sydney looked up at him with her eyes wide with shock.
Nero felt as if his mate was under a rock her entire life. He
feared that would mean that he would need to tread slowly
and softly with anything he did or planned. Nero never
thought the Goddess would give him a mate that seemed so
fragile. However, it was his job as an Alpha to ensure that
the people he protected would know that they were safe
with him. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel
inadequate or too inexperienced.
Nero heard Merida and Warren walk up behind him, and
it broke his focus on his thoughts. 
“Wow. This place is bitching!” Merida exclaimed. 
Nero couldn’t help but chuckle. Merida was not like
most female Shifters he had met. She was very relaxed with
being herself. 
Now I am glad that Merida is your mate. Seems like
Sydney will need someone like Merida to help her adjust to
all of this, Nero said to Warren in their mindlink. 
Yeah. I have noticed that Sydney isn’t too sure of herself.
What did the Romeros do to her? Warren said back. 
I don’t think I want to know. 
Well you already wiped out the main one who tortured
her, Warren pointed out. 
If that is the case. Seemed like the idiot’s mate did not
like Sydney either when we were there. 
Doesn’t matter now. She is here, Warren reminded him. 
Nero was thankful to have Warren as his Beta to remind
him of these things. Nero did his best to not be an angry
person. Anger was never a good thing as a dominant
Shifter. It could cause the animal half to want to be let
loose and could possibly hurt people. Nero never wanted to
be that way, especially now having Sydney at his side. 
“Warren, is our room near theirs?” Merida asked as she
briskly walked toward the house while pulling Sydney with
her. 
“No. They have a special room that kinda has their own
floor,” Warren answered while shaking his head. 
 “Does it help that your room is the first one down the
stairs from our room?” Nero called out now that the girls
were on the porch. 
“That’ll do!” 
The girls waited on the porch while the men were still by
the garage. 
“How did they get over there so fast?” 
“They are women on a mission, War. Don’t ask
questions. Just assist ’em how they ask.” Nero recalled
something his mother taught him in his teens. 
“Mama Rose tell ya’ that?” 
“Yep.” 
“Then I guess I won’t argue.” 
Nero then heard Jacob and Marie walking up behind
him. He could not help but wonder why it took so long for
them to get out of the car. 
Marie must have heard their conversation, “glad to see
your mother taught you right, Alpha.” She continued
walking until she reached the porch with Merida and
Sydney. 
The guys chuckled at her comment. Nero could not deny
that for a minute. His mother always said she wanted Nero
to be the reason why a woman smiled, not cried.
Throughout his life, he did his best to do just that.
However, he did cause Krista to cry when he broke things
off with her when he came of age and realized she was not
his mate. He believed to this day that it was the right
decision, especially now that he has Sydney. Nero somehow
knew he would find her someday and did not want to cause
Krista to be stripped of their Chosen Mate bond when he
found his True Mate. 
The girls did not enter the home until Nero opened the
door. Nero could feel Sydney’s anxiety heighten as he held
her hand while walking through the door. Through their
bond, he could pick up that she was incredibly nervous that
she would not live up to being She-Alpha to this pack. Nero
felt his heart swell with pride in knowing that she was
nervous about this. He felt the same way before he
transitioned into being Alpha. That only told him that she
would be an incredible Alpha to this pack. If she was
nervous that she would not be good enough, that meant
Sydney would lead with the “better for the pack” mindset,
that she would devote herself to being the She-Alpha the
pack deserved. 
As soon as all of them were in the entryway, Nero heard
his father’s footsteps descend down the stairs. Nero looked
over to his right, and Nathaniel stopped when he noticed
Nero’s hand intertwined with Sydney’s. Nathaniel looked
as if Nero was aged ten years. He had the same thick dark
hair, long facial shape, and broad shoulders. The only thing
that differed was Nathaniel’s nose shape was droopier, and
he had brown eyes whereas Nero had a Grecian nose shape
and green eyes. Nathaniel was wearing a long-sleeved
black shirt and jeans, and his eyes were glued to Nero and
Sydney. 
“Hey, Dad,” Nero said with a smile. 
Nathaniel smiled back at him and said, “Welcome home,
Son.” Then he continued down the stairs and pulled Nero
into a quick hug. “Glad to see you back from your trip.” 
“I would like for you to meet my mate, Sydney. Sydney,
this is my father, Nathaniel.” 
Nathaniel smiled at Sydney but did not move to give her
a hug. Sydney came to his father’s chest just as she did to
his, and he wondered if that was part of why she felt as
timid as she did inside of their bond. As he watched them
for a few seconds, Nero could tell that Nathaniel tensed up
as if he was resisting to hug her. It was as if Sydney could
feel that tension, or she noticed Nathaniel’s body language.
She took a step closer to Nero and shifted her body to be
slightly behind him, like when a parent introduces a child
to a new family friend, but instead of greeting them, the
child hides behind the mother’s dress or father’s pants.
Nathaniel smiled bigger at her and held out his hand for
her to shake instead. 
“It is an honor to meet you, Sydney. I was beginning to
worry my son had become lazy and expected his mate to
just show up on our doorstep.” 
Sydney giggled and shook his hand. “Pleasure is mine,
Nathaniel.” 
“I’m not the only one who found his mate on this trip,
Dad.” Nero shifted the attention to Warren and Merida.
Nero felt Sydney relax as Nathaniel looked over at them. 
“Nathaniel, meet Merida. She is a Fox Shifter from the
Ember Forest territory.” 
Nathaniel took a couple of steps forward to be closer to
Warren and Merida and offered Merida his hand as well.
Nero knew his father well enough to know that he was
offering his hand instead of a hug because he only shook
Sydney’s hand. 
“So, you found someone to tame your wild ass?”
Nathaniel said to Warren. “I am quite pleased to meet you,
Merida.” 
“I don’t think I will be taming anything, Sir. He has
already been a handful, but he has no idea what he’s in for
himself,” Merida joked. 
Nathaniel laughed and then tried to hide it as Warren
glared at his mate. Nero knew what Merida meant, but his
father surely would not understand until he met Chris for
himself. 
“Dad, we also brought Marie from Ember Forest. She
was an Omega there and decided to come with us so she
could remain with Sydney.” 
Marie stepped closer to Nathaniel so he could see her.
Nathaniel held out his hand like he did for the other two
ladies. Marie took his hand and then bowed her head. 
“Well, it sounds like we have much to catch up on.
However, that will all come later. I’m sure you would all
love to go to your rooms to freshen up. Jake, can you take
Marie to an available room?” Nathaniel handed out orders
as if he was still Alpha. Nero did not mind. He knew to
expect Nathaniel to have something for him to do as well. 
“Yes, Sir.” Jake grabbed Marie’s bag from the ground
and led her around everyone and then up the stairs. 
“Your mother is on the back porch. She has been waiting
for you to return home. Why don’t you two freshen up, and
I’ll meet you out there,” Nathaniel told Nero.  
Nero looked down at Sydney with an encouraging smile,
“does that sound good to you?” 
Sydney nodded at him. Nero looked at his father and
gave a curt nod. Nathaniel returned the nod and walked
down the hallway. Just before he took the left into a room
that would lead him to the porch, he gave them all another
smile. “Welcome home, everyone” he said to them all. 
Nero led Sydney up the stairs with Warren and Merida
behind them. He could feel Sydney beginning to relax as
they climbed the stairs. Nero wanted to let her know that
everything would be okay, but he did not want to draw
attention that he could read her emotions through the bond
just yet. It confused him to remember the night of the
ceremony; Sydney seemed much more confident then than
she had since they found each other again. He regretted
not making that one of his questions while they were in the
car playing twenty questions, but he did not want to spook
her. Though it was becoming very apparent that he had
much to learn about his mate. 
Warren and Merida’s room was just before the special
staircase that led to Nero’s room. Merida pulled Sydney
into a hug and whispered something in her ear. Even with
Shifter hearing, Nero was not sure what was said, but it did
seem to give Sydney a small boost in confidence, or at least
made her relax a little further. Nero was unable to
differentiate between the two emotions at the moment, and
then decided to not read too much into it. 
 After they climbed the final staircase, Nero opened the
door to his room. It was flooded with light from the large
window on the other side of the door. His bed was on the
left covered in a soft blue comforter with a light gray rug
underneath it. Nero walked in and put Sydney’s bag in
front of the closet on the left side of the bed. Sydney
walked over to the window and looked out of it. 
“Your home is beautiful. I thought Ember Forest was a
pretty place, but this almost looks like a rainforest,” she
said to him with her back to him. 
“There are quite a few trails that can lead you to all
sorts of places unlike Ember Forest. One even leads to a
waterfall.” 
Sydney gasped and turned around quickly to look at
him, “Can we go someday? I always wanted to see a
waterfall!” 
Nero walked over to her and kissed her on her forehead.
He heard her take in a deep breath when he did, and it
brought out a smile from him. It seemed like anything this
she-wolf did caused him to smile. He never knew that was
possible. Now that he had it, he didn’t want to ever let it
go. 
“It is on my list of things to show you around here.” He
looked into her blue eyes. “You seemed very nervous
around my father. Is everything okay?” 
Sydney took a step back from him and would not look
into his eyes. “I don’t know. It was weird to come to terms
with the fact that this is now my home, too. Your father was
so nice, and I didn’t expect that either. This is a lot of
newness, and I am expected to lead this pack alongside you
as if I even know how to do that!” Sydney rambled out all of
her thoughts at once. 
Nero knew that she probably felt like saying all of that
was too much. However, he expected it. 
“You are right. This is a lot of newness. But everything
can be taken one step at a time, and please, ask as many
questions as you need. No question is wrong when you
want to lead a pack correctly.”
“What if no one likes me? What if they only see me as an
Omega?” 
Nero bowed his head for a moment to hide yet another
smile. “Well, I can ease your mind about one thing. You
already have five pack members who like you.” 
Sydney wasted no time in doubting that statement.
“Who?” 
“Warren and Jacob like you. You already know Merida
and Marie love you. And it appears my father already likes
you.” 
“He just met me. He doesn’t even know who I am.”
Sydney wrapped her arms around herself and continued to
avoid looking into his eyes. 
“He knows you already care for me and seek comfort in
me since you did not let go of my hand once and even
stepped behind me as if I was your shield. That is enough
for the first five minutes of knowing you.” 
She finally looked at him. “How is that enough?” 
Nero held out his hand and hoped that she would take it.
When she did without hesitation, he pulled her into him and
wrapped his arms around her. “Because that shows him
that you are already accepting this bond between us, that
you are choosing me and accepting me as your mate. My
parents only ever wanted me to be happy in life. Now
seeing that I have found you? Well, that makes me happy.
Therefore, he is happy and already likes you for it.” 
“So he won’t cast me out into the forest?” Sydney said
into his chest. 
“What do you mean? Where did you get that notion
from?” 
“It was something Draziel and Anaziel would tell me
while growing up. If the parents of your mate don’t like
you, they cast you out of the pack.” 
 Nero looked down at her again, but she hid her face in
his chest. “No. That is not a thing. That sounds like jealousy
and an unintelligent way to scare you, so they could feel
better about themselves.” 
He could feel her smile, and then she looked up at him.
Nero felt a rumble in his chest seeing her smile and
knowing that she could keep his gaze. 
“You and Merida are going to get along well.” 
“Good. I always heard that if you want to get in good
with a girl you like, you need to become best friends with
that girl’s best friend. Looks like another piece of my plan
is falling into place!” 
Sydney laughed, and it was music to his ears. He even
heard Kane rumble inside of his head with content at the
sound. 
“Bathroom is just over there if you want to freshen up
before we go downstairs,” Nero said as he let go of her,
missing the warmth she created against him. 
As he walked away to begin the unpacking, he heard her
voice softly call out to him. “Nero?” 
“Yeah?” He turned to face her again. 
“Is your mom as nice as your dad?” He could hear a
slight tone of fear in her voice. 
“No.” 
Sydney sucked in a breath. 
“She is nicer.”
S ydney washed off her face in the bathroom sink. The
cold water against her skin made her more alert than
she had been when she entered the room. When she looked
in the mirror, she almost didn’t recognize herself. The bags
under her eyes from getting little sleep over the years from
all the chores were going away. Her hair remained vibrant
as the day she had it done, and since she had connected to
her wolf, Sydney even noticed her skin having a new glow.
Are you sure that is the reason? Silver invaded her
thoughts. 
Sydney ignored her. Even though she was far away from
the Ember Forest pack, it still did not feel far enough. For
the last ten years, she heard that she was not a good
enough Omega. Now that Sydney found Nero, all of the
pack’s insults clouded her judgment. Nero has done
nothing but show her that he does not think of her the way
the pack did. If anything, he thinks better of her than the
entire pack combined. Did it matter that she was an
Omega? No. Only thing that mattered was that the Goddess
chose her for him. Yet… that did not stop her mind from
following a downward spiral into a depth of self-doubt. 
 Was she good enough to be an Alpha of a pack, let alone
a sanction? 
Was she good enough to be the mate to an Alpha? 
As she questioned her self-worth, she would somehow
find the courage, when she was alone with Nero, to tell him
things that rolled around inside of her mind, and he would
say the exact thing she needed to hear. The Romero’s did
keep a lot of information from her. Sydney knew that packs
were supposed to have classes to teach wolves in their teen
years about Mate Bonds and inner workings of pack magic.
Sydney was never granted access to the trainings that they
held for potential ranking wolves, like Draziel and Anaziel.
Now, looking back on it, Sydney wondered if that was
where the Alphas decided to teach those lessons. 
I wouldn’t be surprised. However, the Romero’s did
not realize one thing. Silver jumped into her thoughts. 
And that is? 
That your wolf would just teach you. 
Silver was right. The Wolf counterpart knew how mates
worked and how pack magic worked, but why the Romero’s
thought that Sydney would never learn this information
was not exactly at the top of the list of questions she had
inside of her mind. 
Your mate is waiting. 
Sydney splashed another handful of water on her face
and wiped it off with one of the softest towels she’d ever
felt. The bathroom was decorated in tans, blues, and whites
with seashells, and it made her wish that the pack lived
near a beach. She had only ever seen pictures of some and
always wanted to go. 
I am sure Nero will take you. Someday. Today is
meet the parents day. Are you stalling? 
Sydney growled at her wolf which was met with a huff.
Silver was being extra playful lately, and Sydney had to
laugh at the huff. When she stepped out of the bathroom,
Nero was out on the small balcony outside of the window.
She chose to change out of her current clothes and into
something more conservative. Nights were beginning to get
colder now that the seasons were changing, and she
planned to use that as an excuse. Sydney chose to put on a
pair of jeans and a gray long sleeved shirt. With her hair
having some silver in it, the gray complimented her well.
Then she pulled out a pair of black flats from her bag that
Merida said could go with anything. 
It was dark outside now, and Sydney could tell that,
thanks to the very minimal amount of lights, there were
stars out. Sydney noticed that Nero was looking up at them
until he sensed her come out of the bathroom. Nero must
have sensed her presence returning in the room because as
Sydney finished putting on the flats, he turned around and
came back into the room. Most of her shoes did give her
much more height advantage to begin with, but with the
flats she was now an inch shorter than what Nero was used
to. He cocked his eyebrow at her at first, trying to figure
out why she was a little shorter, so she pointed down at her
shoes. 
“I’m wearing flats.” 
“Kinda liking how it gives me a little more of a height
edge right now.” 
It was her turn to cock an eyebrow. “Why?” 
With a swift movement, Nero bent down, had his hands
on her hips, lifted her, and tossed her onto the bed. Before
she could roll, he was on top of her and had her pinned
with her arms above her head and kissed her. Sydney
began to laugh the moment that his hands connected with
her hips because she was highly ticklish there. When the
laughing stopped from the kiss, Nero lifted his head and
stared down at her. 
“Why were you laughing?” he asked as he examined her
body as if it was written on her skin. 
“Uh…no reason.” 
Liar. Should I tell him? 
 You will do no such thing! 
Nero somehow got both of her wrists inside of one hand
and began to grab at her thighs and then hips until Sydney
tried to contort herself away from his hand while laughing. 
“STOP!” Sydney cried out as tears from laughing so
hard ran down her face. “Aren’t we supposed to be
downstairs with your parents?” 
Nero did. “Fine. But now that I know about this, prepare
yourself.” He kissed her nose and released her. 
As Nero stood up, he ran his hand over his navy blue
short sleeved shirt and jeans. Sydney rolled off the bed and
did the same thing. He held out his hand for her to take
and then led her downstairs once more. They followed the
same path that Sydney saw Nathaniel take which went
through the kitchen. There were a few Omegas inside
cooking up some food for their group which had arrived
after dinner was prepared, and the rest of the pack had
already eaten. They all bowed their heads and smiled at
them as they passed through. Sydney wanted to stop to
introduce herself, but Nero continued moving forward.
Meeting his mother was a priority, which she could
understand. 
There was a wooden framed door that led out to a rather
large deck that connected to the kitchen. This was on the
side of the house that Sydney was unable to see when they
pulled in. When she stepped out, she looked down at the
length of the home and realized that it was much bigger
than she anticipated. Sydney knew that the Solar Valley
pack was the largest in the sanction, but for some reason
could not fathom what that detail would mean in regards to
the size of the pack house. The house had to be at least fifty
yards in length! When she first saw this house, there was
no indication that it was this large, and it made her realize
that this pack was ten times bigger than Ember Forest. 
How am I going to lead that many wolves? 
With Nero’s help. 
 As much as Sydney wanted to dwell on her anxiety,
Nathaniel’s jovial voice called out her name. It brought her
back from her thoughts, and she gave him a smile as he
walked toward her. Nathaniel’s mate walked beside him,
and Sydney noticed that Nero dropped her hand to give his
mother a hug. 
She was a gorgeous woman. Her hair color was similar
to Nathaniel and Nero’s, but she had gray eyes. Her lip
shape was more like Nero’s, and she seemed to be around
Sydney’s height. When Nero stepped aside, Sydney noticed
that she, too, was in jeans, a gray long sleeved shirt, but
had chosen gray flats in comparison to Sydney’s black
ones. They both realized it at the same time and shared a
knowing smile as Nero introduced them to each other. 
“Sydney, this is my mother, Rose. Mom, this is my mate,
Sydney.” 
Rose held out her hand for Sydney to take. When she
did, Sydney could not help but get an overwhelming scent
of roses. Is this perfume or her natural scent? Sydney
wondered. 
“Nice to meet you, dear. I can already tell you have
impeccable tastes from your outfit alone.” 
Rose’s voice was as sweet as honey. Even her eyes
twinkled when she spoke her words, and it did not sound
like sarcasm in any way. Sydney feared that having the
same outfit would cause Rose to be angry. Any other time
while growing up, if she had the same clothes as anyone
else, she would be screamed at. Not this time.  
Sydney giggled in response before speaking. “Well,
thank you! And here I thought I was not going to fit in with
this look.” 
“I thought I would look like a mom in this outfit! But I
am dressed the same way as the young crowd.” She looked
at her mate, “I still got it,” she joked and then looked back
at Sydney, “sometimes women need to dress for comfort,
not to impress.” 
 “That is exactly what I say all the time! But my friends
thought I should spruce up my closet this year.” 
Rose grabbed Sydney’s hand and led her to a porch
swing. They talked about fashion for a while, and then it
turned into cooking. Both of them talked about recipes that
they would not dare let anyone have but came to an
agreement that they would have to make them for one
another. They laughed over stories of people doing silly
things in the kitchen, and Rose threw in some of Nero when
he was a boy. Nero and Nathaniel leaned against the rail of
the porch and had their own discussions. Sydney had
caught him several times watching their conversation,
especially when his mother mentioned his name. 
Sydney could not get over how comfortable she felt
talking to Rose. She thought it would be awkward and hard
to hold a conversation. Instead, they had talked for two
hours and did not run into a silent or dull moment. Even
when meeting Nathaniel, she did not feel uncomfortable.
She was just overwhelmed by the idea that the very first
person they came into contact with was Nero’s father, and
she now had to meet him. Sydney was more anxious than
anything. But within a few minutes, she felt as natural and
relaxed as she would be around her friends. 
Nero was right. Rose is nicer. 
During their talk, the Omegas brought out food for Nero
and her to eat. Rose moved to a small table to continue
their conversation. When Rose mentioned some movies that
recently came out, that was when it became a little
awkward. However, Rose was the one that apologized. She
knew the Romero’s did not allow her to enjoy such
amenities but forgot momentarily. 
“I apologize again, Sydney. That was rude of me. The
kids convinced us years ago to make a small theater room.
We will have to have a marathon of some good movies
together!” 
 Sydney felt a warmth spread across her chest. No one
had ever wanted to take the time out of their day to spend
time with her or treat her like she was part of the family
outside of Marie. Rose had just met her, and she already
wanted to spend more time with her. 
“That sounds wonderful!” Sydney responded excitedly. 
Sydney could hear Nero’s footsteps walking up from
behind her. She leaned her head back to look at him. With
her being seated, Nero looked as tall as the trees that
surrounded the Solar Valley’s pack house. 
“It’s getting late. Should we go to bed?” he asked her. 
Rose playfully growled from across the table. “Are you
not liking that we are getting along, Nero?” 
The back of Sydney’s body and head were now against
his abs, and she felt his body tense. She could even feel him
suppress his own growl. “Not at all, Mom. I would just like
some time to get to know my mate as well.” 
“Mhmm. I think you just want to keep her to yourself,”
Rose jabbed sweetly. 
Sydney did her best to suppress a laugh. It did not work
as she wanted, and she knew that Nero heard it. Next thing
she knew, Nero’s hand was on her shoulder, and one of his
nails lightly scratched the spot where he would put his
mark. A shiver of pleasure went down her spine, and her
mind wandered to thinking of him teasing her in similar
ways. 
“Rose, why are you taunting our son?” Nathaniel’s voice
was playful yet gave a sense of warning. 
“I think ruffling the feathers of our Alpha, not to mention
showing Sydney how to irritate her new mate, is more fun
than you realize.” Rose winked at Sydney. 
It was Nero’s turn to give a playful growl. “I am sure she
can find her own ways instead of you giving her ideas.” 
Rose reached across the table and put her hand over
Sydney’s, “if you need to get back at him for anything, or if
he gives you a hard time, you come to me, dear. Us she-
wolves have to stick together.” 
Nero shook his head at his mother before speaking, “I
was trying to be a gentleman and escort my lady to bed.
However, since you ladies are deciding to form an
unbreakable friendship to plot evil ways to ruffle my
feathers, I am just going to go to bed.” He then bent down
to give Sydney a kiss on her forehead as she laughed at the
banter between them and turned toward the door. 
Rose swatted the air at him as Nathaniel chuckled at
them as well. “Fine! I will end our get to know you session
and let you have your mate. But let it be known that I will
be stealing her so I can get to know her some more!” She
yelled at Nero in that sweet but taunting tone she seemed
to always use when talking to him. 
Nero turned back around and pulled the chair out for
Sydney and gave her his hand to assist her in getting up.
Sydney could not help but feel pampered and like a
treasured jewel from the gesture. Before Nero could lead
Sydney up to their room, Rose walked around the table and
held out her arms to Sydney. Even though she was not used
to affection through hugs from anyone other than her
friends and Marie, Sydney gladly stepped into Rose’s arms.
The feeling of being treasured washed over her again as
the warmth from Rose enveloped her. 
“Goodnight, dear. I hope he doesn’t keep you to himself
too much. I would love to have some of my own time with
you.” 
Sydney could not help but to smile at her words. She
found herself tightening her arms around Rose and taking
in a deep breath. It felt incredible to have someone who
wanted to have Sydney in their life for once. 
“I’ll sneak away if I have to.” 
Nero was smiling softly at them when they pulled away
from each other. Sydney turned around and said goodnight
to Nathaniel as well. When she faced Nero, he motioned
with his arm for her to lead the way into the house. Sydney
knew that meant that he was using manners instead of
being an Alpha male. Most dominant men always want to
lead, especially around their mate. Nero was not being
demanding in any way like a normal male in his position,
which she was loving every second of. 
Draxton wouldn’t have behaved this way if we accepted
the bond. 
No, he wouldn’t have. 
I think I am going to like it here. 
I think you already do. 
Silver was right. There was no thinking about it. Sydney
definitely already liked it here–at least for now. Tomorrow
she would end up having to meet more of the pack, and
who knew where that would lead.
That thought sent her mind through another path of self-
doubt. Meeting more people meant more first impressions.
It meant she would need to continue to make sure that they
liked her so they would follow her like they did Nero. As
soon as Silver noticed that Sydney’s mind was beginning to
betray her once more, she chimed in. 
You’ll be fine. You know how to talk to people as if
they are people, unlike your old pack. It is not going
to be as bad as your mind is telling you, Silver
comforted her. 
Well… if they are like Nathaniel and Rose, it’ll be a walk
in the forest. 
They were led by both of them and now Nero. There
is nothing to worry about. 
I hope so.
B y the time Nero led Sydney to their room, she was
hit with a wave of exhaustion that she could not
ignore. As much as she wanted to stay awake to spend time
with Nero, her body decided to betray her. Her eyelids
became so heavy, and her limbs felt like lead that it caused
her to fall sideways into the pillow when she tried to take
off her flats. Sydney whimpered and groaned about having
too many clothes to get comfortable. She heard Nero
chuckle and walk over to her side of the bed.
Mmmm maybe he can give us a reason to really
black out.
Silver let out a rumble as soon as Nero put his hand on
Sydney’s hip to lay her flat on her back. Sydney felt her
eyes close against her will as she fought sleep. Nero’s
hands gently pulled on the fabric of her jeans until the
button came undone. She felt his thumb softly caress her
skin just above her pant line. Sydney felt her hips lift up on
their own just to tempt Nero into doing it again. When both
of his hands were on her hips, Sydney sucked in a breath.
All he did was loop his fingers inside the fabric, and yet
again, her hips levitated upward. Nero used this to his
advantage to slip his hands further into her pants to guide
them down. To feel his hands on her ass, leaving a trial of
fire as he did, was something she did not expect to feel.
She did feel his hands firmly grasp her cheeks before he
continued to pull her pants completely off her. Sydney
could not help but to let out a laugh when he did. Wherever
his skin touched hers, Sydney could feel a tingle that gave
her a wave of goosebumps over her skin. A moan emitted
from her throat, and she heard Nero growl with need.
Sydney expected him to continue, but instead she only
felt a kiss on her forehead. When no other form of touch
happened until Nero scooted next to her, using his body to
move hers onto her side and wrapping his arms around her,
she realized that he was not going to make a move.
“Still being a gentleman?”
“Until you tell me otherwise, yes. And no. You will not
give me permission tonight.”
Sydney huffed at him. “Why not?”
“We are both tired from traveling here from the Owl
Territory. As much as I would throw myself at your feet if
you would give me that permission right now, I am afraid
that I will not have the energy to truly show you the
meaning of being worshiped.”
Sydney felt bold enough in that moment to ask, “is that a
promise?”
Nero growled playfully in her ear, “you can count on it.
Now go to sleep.” He put his mouth around her ear lobe,
which made her softly moan.
That’s just rude, she thought to herself.
Sydney wanted to entice him further, but the warmth
that surrounded her from Nero made her eyelids even
heavier. With a few deep breaths that were guided from
matching Nero’s, Sydney quickly fell asleep.
T HE NEXT MORNING came too quickly. With the big windows
inside of their room, there was absolutely no way to sleep
in. Now that she did not have to wake up at the butt crack
of dawn to do chores, Sydney would like to sleep a little
more than she was used to. Instead, as soon as the sun
reached the middle of the trees that surrounded the house,
Sydney let out a groan and rolled onto her back.
Wait. Where’s Nero?
Sydney looked around the room and did not see him
anywhere. She looked over towards the balcony, and he
was not there either. That was when her hearing picked up
on the shower running in the bathroom.
Should I go in there?
If you don’t, I will take over and do it for you.
Sydney did not want Silver to have all of the fun, so she
rolled off the bed and quickly walked into the bathroom.
She thought about knocking but decided against it. Nero
was a Wolf Shifter after all. She was sure that he would
have heard the door open anyway. When she stepped
inside, the room was filled with steam. Sydney had to fight
the urge to ask Nero “why are you showering in Hell
water?”
The room was full of white marble and tile. There were
two sinks and two mirrors on the right-hand side. On the
left, there was another door that led to the toilet. The fact
that there was an enclosed toilet in this bathroom made
Sydney thankful that she now belonged to this pack. She
could not count how many times the male wolves would
leave the bathroom door open, and she would walk into
things that made her want to gouge out her eyeballs. On
the furthest wall was the bath and shower. The bathtub was
next to the shower as a separate entity, and the shower was
nothing but frosted glass. There was a single door that
would swing open, and each wall went to the ceiling. Nero
did not seem to notice that Sydney had come into the room.
Before she lost all her nerve, Sydney stripped off her
clothes.
When she opened the door and stepped into the shower,
Nero was facing in the opposite direction. He still did not
give any indication that he knew she had entered. The
water was cascading over his body, and Sydney could not
help but to stare, and not just stare, but slowly sliding her
eyes from his thick black hair to his broad shoulders to his
firm cheeks.
  He had his forearms against the wall with his head in
between his hands. Sydney wanted to reach out and touch
his back when she felt a wave of uncertainty wash over
her. 
Am I feeling this? Or is it him? 
He is. 
Why is he so uncertain? Is this how he feels about me?
Sydney was so unsure of how he felt that the only thing
she could think to do was hug him from behind and wrap
her hands around him. She felt every muscle in his body
tense up at her sudden touch, and he sucked in a breath as
if he did not expect this one bit. Did he not hear her come
into the shower? That would be very difficult to believe
since he was an Alpha, and the ranking gave him the added
bonus of even more heightened senses. But after a few
seconds, he seemed to relax and put his own arms over
hers. 
“It appears I was wrong for once,” he told her.
“Oh?” 
“I didn’t think you would want to join me, so I didn’t
wake you up.”
Why would he think that? “What makes you think I
didn’t want to come in here with you?” 
Nero challenged her in a way she should have seen
coming. He slowly turned while still in her embrace. Due to
his body being coated by water, it gave him the ability to
slide between her arms so he could do this. Sydney did not
look into his eyes as her cheeks began to turn red. She
could feel him growing against her as he moved his hands
up her arms, over her shoulders, and then down her back. 
Sydney felt herself not wanting to look at him, not
because of embarrassment but for an even more stupid
reason than that. 
I am not his equal. I am not an Alpha. I cannot look 
directly into his eyes. 
That was one thing that bothered the Romero’s more
than anything. No one was to even flirt with the idea of
challenging them through direct eye contact. They found it
to be a huge slap in the face and would fight anyone who
even dared to do it. Sydney learned shortly after they
became the Alphas that this was not something to consider
doing. Draxton looked into his father’s eyes once, and
Dante put him in the infirmary for challenging him. Draxton
was ten years old and just wanted to ask Dante questions
about being an Alpha. 
“Sydney, look at me.” 
It took a few seconds for her to bring herself to listen to
him. Since she had not pledged her allegiance to him, she
was not officially part of this pack. He was not able to use
an Alpha Command on her, even if he wanted to. Though
she did not think he was the kind of Alpha that would force
her, or anyone else, to do anything unless it was necessary.
When her blue eyes met his green ones, Sydney felt herself
take in a quick breath before she  swallowed a lump in her
throat. 
“What can I do to make you more comfortable?” 
Sydney thought about it for a few seconds. She had
never been in this situation before, so she was not fully
sure what would make her comfortable. The only time she
felt like her mind was not constantly second guessing
herself and did not want Nero to stop was the night that he
found her at Lucy’s–the first time he kissed her
How could I be so dense? “Kiss me.” 
 Nero did not waste a single second. His hands dropped
to her ass, pulled her up, pinned her to the wall and
devoured her lips as if that was the one thing he needed to
hear. Nero kissed her as if it were the final seconds before
he had to leave to go to war, and he might never see her
again. Sydney’s hands slowly traveled from his chest to his
shoulders and then into his hair. As her fingers glided
through his dark hair, her fingernails scraped against his
skin. Nero growled, and she felt him grow and pulse
against her as he pulled himself away from her lips.
“Careful with those nails,” he warned. 
“Or what?” Her boldness surprised herself. 
“Or this will turn into far more than just a kiss,” his
voice becoming more gravely than normal. 
Sydney noticed that he also did not look into her eyes
when he said that. She used her hands to push his head
back slightly to make him look at her. His eyes were a
darker green than she was used to seeing on him. Sydney
remembered Merida saying how some of her dates’ eyes
would become darker when they were aroused. 
“Show me.” Sydney’s voice was steady as the words
came out of her mouth. 
They were even true. She wanted him to show her what
he meant. Even if Sydney felt nervous, she knew Nero, in
her heart, would not do anything to hurt her or make her
feel like she had to do this. That only made her want to see
what he meant even more. She had never felt so
comfortable in her life. With his hands holding her up, not
once did it seem like his strength would waiver. She could
feel his heart beating against his chest as if it was her
own. 
Wait, I don’t feel this against my skin. It is through the
Mate Bond. This usually doesn’t happen this early in the
courting, does it? 
Nero’s eyes grew even darker in response to her words.
She noticed that he swallowed hard as if he did not think
he had heard what she said correctly, and he was second
guessing himself.
“Did you just say-”
“Show. Me.” 
Nero’s chest began to rise and fall more rapidly. His
green eyes were beginning to turn the darkest shade of
green she had ever seen. Nero was struggling with himself
to do exactly what she just said. 
“Are you asking me to mark you?” 
“I am saying show me what you meant by this will turn
into more than just a kiss.” 
Nero lowered her onto the ground, turned around to
turn off the water, opened the door, and led her out of the
shower. He walked a couple of steps to the cabinet and
pulled out a towel. When he returned, he wrapped a towel
around her and then one around himself, and then patted
himself dry. Sydney was terribly confused. She thought by
asking him to show her, he would continue with what he
was doing, if not more. Instead, he brought her outside of
the shower. 
Oh no. Did I somehow make him angry? Should I have
said what I said? What if that was a turn off instead of a
turn on? 
Her mind began to unravel with negative thoughts. It
led to her breathing becoming erratic in a different way
than what she experienced in the shower. When she felt
Nero’s arms wrap around her and her body becoming
weightless, her mind stopped as if his touch was the cure to
her anxiety ridden reactions. Then her back hit the bed,
and light from the sun pouring in through the windows
bright sunlight pouring in through the windows snapped
her out of her thoughts. 
Nero was across the room, and Sydney looked over at
him, His large frame was just an outline against the
curtains. Unable to see him clearly, Sydney was unsure of
what Nero was going to do. Then he reached the bottom of
the bed, grabbed her by the ankle, and pulled her a fraction
downward. Even with her acute eyesight, all she could
make out was his body bending down. 
Suddenly, his lips were against her skin. 
He started at her left ankle and slowly made his way up
to her hip. Each kiss sent a new shiver up her spine. As his
lips moved up her body, his hand worked its way along her
right leg. First caressing her calf, then past her knee, and
onto her inner thigh. He stops just short of her aching core.
I suppose it’s a yes please square for Nero.
Mmmm, yes it is, Silver chimed in, excited to be
getting to the fun part of mating.
His lips moved past her breast where he stopped kissing
to lick his hand and move it between her legs. Her body
responded by involuntarily rubbing up against his palm.
Nero began to lightly bite her neck and collarbone. 
Sydney began to stroke Nero’s hair as he kissed her
neck. He applied some pressure to the apex of her thighs as
he moved his hand back and forth. He finished his trail of
kisses with a passionate kiss, complete with wrestling
tongues and gnashing teeth. A moan of pleasure from deep
inside her vibrated through her chest. It felt like this was
finally the moment the first kiss on her ankle was leading
towards. 
If this is what I am feeling with a mere kiss, I wonder
what else is in store for me?
Stop thinking about it and find out, came Silver’s
two cents once more.
The thoughts swirling in her head must have pushed
something inside her over the edge as her body became
ready for Nero. A finger glided inside of her, and she
squealed with excitement and pleasure. Their lips remained
locked in a fervent kiss as she worked her hips back and
forth on his hand. She moved her hand down Nero’s
muscular body and felt his thick, granite member. She
wrapped her fingers around it and gently slid her hand up
and down. 
He playfully growled, as he rocked back and forth. She
opened her eyes and pulled back to look at him. His eyes
were intense and somewhat glazed over with passion. He
smirked at her. 
“What’s so funny?” she asked. 
“This,” he replied as he plunged his finger deeper inside
of her. She tried to retaliate by stroking him with more
vigor, but the electricity that shot through her body made
her grip weaken and her arms fall to her sides. She
wrapped one arm around him and grabbed a fist full of
blanket with the other. The passion building inside of her
like a volcano about to erupt, kept building, and building,
and building. 
Sydney’s abdomen was tight, feeling heavy with the
orgasm that was moments away from crashing over her
when he stopped, pulling his fingers out of her. 
Nero climbed on top of her and kissed her again. 
“Are you ready?” Nero asked. 
“Yes. I need yo-” Sydney did not even finish her sentence
before his cock slid inside of her. She felt every inch of him
as her muscles quivered around it. She dug her fingernails
into his back, and she praised the goddess of the ecstasy of
finally feeling him inside of her. Gently, he moved back and
forth, and the pleasure only built. In and out, back and
forth he moved, and her building climax became more
intense than she thought possible.
He started to pick up speed. He pulled away from her
lips, and rested his forehead on top of hers. They stared
into each other’s eyes as their panting breaths came in
tandem. It only made her feel more passion. She felt her
sex tingle and throbbing as yet another climax built up, as
Sydney forced herself to keep her eyes trained on Nero’s.
His hand cupped her breast and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Her pleasure began to approach its peak, and her eyes
rolled back when he pulled out. She didn’t arrive yet, and
she looked at Nero with an exasperated look. 
“This is something I will not take lightly. I need you to
tell me that you want me to mark you. Would you be mine,
Sydney? ”
Sydney moved her hand to grab his shaft again. She
looked him in the eyes and told him, “Mark. Me. Now.” 
He grabbed her wrist and moved her hand away from
his cock, then he grabbed her other wrist to pin her down.
His thumbs dug into the soft underside of her wrists. He
slid back into her and kissed her deeply. She writhed
underneath his grip as he began to thrust deeply. First, he
moved slowly, but the tempo soon picked up. 
Her legs wrapped around him tightly as she couldn’t
control any part of her body with his grip on her wrists.
Their moans were muffled as their lips and tongues were
locked into one feverish kiss. She felt her muscles
tightening before wave after wave of pure ecstasy pulsed
through her.  Her moans went up several octaves as her
vagina started to pulsate and throb around him, coating his
cock with her cum. He pulled away from her lips to kiss the
side of her neck. She felt him twitching inside of her,
followed by powerful throbs from his shaft. His canines dug
into her neck sending Sydney into a fit of ecstasy. She
wailed out in pleasure as he thrusted harder and faster. 
Within moments, Nero was growling between his teeth
that were still clamped on her flesh where her shoulder
met her neck. His release made his body shudder and he
pulled his mouth from her, throwing his head back as he
practically howled as he came.
With both of them spent, his now soft cock slid out of
her wetly. He rolled off of her, both of them panting hard.
Once she regained her functions, she noticed how much
sweat she built up and how wet she made the sheets
underneath her. She rolled over to look at Nero, and he
gently stroked the side of her face. They kissed gently,
sweetly. 
“I love you, Sydney, and now you wear my mark.” When
she felt his lips over the sensitive skin of where he marked
her, a wave of goosebumps spread all over her skin. He ran
his tongue over it to seal it, and she felt him smiling against
her skin.
“I love you, too, Nero.” 
As his face was over hers, he kissed her forehead, and
Sydney could not keep herself from touching the mark
herself. She could feel the puncture wounds from his
canines that were the mark of mates. Sydney looked up at
him and gave him a smile. 
“I didn’t get to mark you.” 
“You’re right. You didn’t.” 
Nero bared his neck to her, something that Alphas would
only do to their mate. Sydney kissed the middle of his
shoulder first, which caused Nero to moan. She continued
to kiss him the way he kissed her during their first night
together until she reached where she was to mark him.
After experiencing coming together as mates, Sydney felt a
little more confident than she did before, so she did the one
thing that Silver had asked  her to do since they had first
met Nero the night of the coronation. 
She licked him. 
Nero let out a rumble from his chest, and she heard him
chuckle slightly. “Trying to start a teasing war again?” 
Sydney smiled and felt her canines slide down. She
opened her mouth and sunk them into his flesh while she
moved her hand down his body. He was slick with sweat,
but that only made her more aroused knowing that it was
from their lovemaking.. 
When her canines slid back, she sealed the mark with
her tongue. For males, it normally did not remain as it did
with females. However, the mark was not disappearing.
Sydney smirked as she saw her teeth marks still on his
skin. 
“What’s so funny?” he asked her just as she did to him
not that long ago. 
“Your mark is not disappearing. Now every she-wolf will
know you are taken.” 
Nero reached up and put his hand behind her neck. She
looked into his green eyes with ease this time. 
“If the mark did not stay, they would know anyway. I’m
yours, and only yours.” 
He pulled her down into a kiss. Sydney felt the sparks as
if it was the first time they kissed all over again. Moans
escaped from both of their throats as they opened their
mouths to deepen the kiss. Not long after that, Nero guided
her onto her back and slipped back inside of her. 
I’m so happy this is not a dream.
S ydney felt sore in all the right places after spending
the morning with Nero. It was as if he was insatiable
now that she gave permission for him to mark her. She felt
the bond snap into place just after his canines left her neck,
and it only made everything better. Each time they had sex
after that first time, their emotions heightened as well as
the sensitivity of their touch. Sydney could feel all the love
he had for her pour through the bond, which only made her
want to stay in the room with him so she could soak up this
feeling until she overdosed on it. 
No one had ever made her feel the way that he did. He
worshiped her as if she was a goddess. Nero took his time,
making sure to cover every inch of her body with his lips,
and constantly told her how beautiful and amazing she was.
When he wanted to try something new with her, he asked
her permission to do it first, even if it was a simple thing of
moving her leg into a different position. Not once did he
make anything awkward for her or make her feel stupid for
not knowing the position he wanted to try. 
If anything, it made her fall in love with him even more. 
 After the third time, Nero suggested that they take a
shower. Considering they were covered in sweat and some
blood from marking each other, she thought it was a good
idea. While under the water, Nero kissed her gently from
her mouth to her ear and then down her neck. When his
lips reached her mark, he scraped his teeth against it, and
it nearly buckled her knees as a response. Being the tease
that he was, Nero decided to do nothing else but grab the
loofah and body wash from behind her. 
“May I?” he asked as he showed her the soapy loofah. 
Sydney nodded as her nerves began to overwhelm her.
As her breathing became slightly rapid, Nero used the
Mate Bond to calm her. A wave of warmth quickly flowed
into her, and Sydney was able to recognize it as the love he
had for her. It wrapped around her like a strong embrace
that he had shared with her. Her heart rate slowed down
almost immediately. Sydney looked into her mate’s eyes,
and he was wearing a smirk when she did. 
“You know, you’re kind of cute when you get a little
embarrassed, especially when your cheeks get all rosy.” 
Sydney let out a playful growl, “you know I could just go
around the pack and tell them that you are not this big bad
Alpha after all.” Sydney made sure to look down to
accentuate what she meant. 
Though that is a complete and total lie. Silver made
sure to have her opinion known to Sydney. 
Nero growled back and moved his arm toward her but
stopped his hand just before the lower part of her neck. He
did not say anything, but the look in his eyes is what
perplexed her. It was as if he did not want her to know
something. When she focused on the Mate Bond, she was
met with a wall. Weird. 
Sydney wanted to ask what exactly he was about to do
and why he stopped himself, but Nero used that moment to
begin to wash her body with the loofah. He started with her
shoulders first, but then he made a face. 
 “No, no. This won’t do. Can you turn around for a
second?” His voice was smooth like velvet, and a rumble
emitted from his chest. 
Sydney cocked her eyebrow at him but slowly turned
around. With being unsure of what to anticipate, Sydney
was in suspense until she felt the loofah just behind her
shoulder. The scratchy feeling of the material felt incredible
as Nero applied just enough pressure. He used a clockwise
pattern as he moved down the right side of her back. As he
switched to the left side, Nero wrapped his arm around
Sydney and caressed her breast. With his thumb, Nero
used the same circular motion on her nipple causing a
surge of pleasure to rake through her body as if he was
touching her everywhere. Sydney closed her eyes as she
felt Nero’s hand glide to her other breast to complete the
same process while his other hand came around to the
front. She felt his finger slide between her folds. Sydney let
out a loud moan as Nero found the rhythm that caused her
to lean forward until her forehead was on the wall. With
each movement of his finger gliding inside and back out,
Nero used their Mate Bond in a way that Sydney did not
know was possible. She could feel him on every surface of
her skin simultaneously. It was as if he had multiple hands
and each one was sensually caressing her as his finger
brought her to the brink. Just as she felt herself beginning
to come undone, Nero grabbed her from the back of the
neck, turned her neck sideways, and devoured her lips with
his. 
Alphas, are you coming to the training today? A she-wolf
whose voice Sydney had never heard before rang through
her mind through the mindlink. 
Now that Nero had marked her, she was connected to
the rest of the pack. During their morning festivities, she
had forgotten that the link had snapped into place. It felt
foreign to her as it had been a while since anyone had
acknowledged her inside of a pack’s mindlink, and never
had anyone called her Alpha before. 
Nero growled at being interrupted. We weren’t planning
on it, Arista. 
Ohh, Alpha is all growly. Maybe he forgot that it was his
turn to run drills today! 
The growl that came from Nero felt more dangerous
than any other Sydney had heard. Fine. 
Sydney was pinned between Nero’s arms as he held up
the wall. She could feel anger roll off him in waves. With
knowing him for only a few days, Sydney was unsure if this
was a usual thing for him or not. 
“I’m sorry, my love. Seems as though my Delta has
decided to annoy me instead of leaving me be.” 
“Oh. You did say you had a she-wolf as a Delta. That now
makes sense.” 
Nero began to use the loofah on her back once more.
Again he started at her shoulders and then down her back.
The circular motion he used continued past her lower back
and onto her ass, and then down to her feet. Sydney turned
around to face him, and he continued up her front. Nero
covered every inch of her with the loofah until she was
nothing but suds. Sydney did her best not to moan even
though this was a whole new level of intimacy she did not
know existed. She had no idea how to turn the Mate Bond
off like he did to her earlier, so there was a chance that
Nero was able to tell how much she enjoyed this anyway.
When he was finished, a smirk was on his lips. 
Yep. He knows. 
Sydney rolled her eyes at him and snatched the loofah
out of his hands. She took a deep breath and focused only
on the loofah. With this being the first time washing
someone else other than herself, she could not focus on
Nero. That would cause her to make all sorts of hiccups
and then she would feel nothing but embarrassment. She
followed the same pattern and path as Nero did. Nero did
not hide his content at having Sydney wash him. Several
times he moaned, and it caused her to stop momentarily. It
was a pleasure to her ears to know that a simple thing like
washing him could cause him to be aroused. 
Maybe we should tease him, Silver suggested. 
By doing what? 
Sydney hesitated for too long. Nero went under the
water to rinse himself off. Sydney stepped under herself as
he moved his way out of the shower. Sydney did not wash
her hair since she was still trying to keep the color in her
hair. When she was done and turned off the water, Nero
was still outside of the shower waiting for her. When she
stepped out, he wrapped her in a towel. 
They both got ready quickly, stealing glances at each
other as they got dressed. Nero kissed her one last time
before they made their way to the training grounds. When
they got there, Sydney let out a laugh. 
Ember Forest’s got nothing on this pack. 
Each wolf was paired with someone, and they were
completing full on fights instead of sparring matches. No
one was facing off with someone that was equal in size to
them. It even seemed as though one person on a higher or
advanced level of fighting may be matched to someone with
less experience, which meant that the person with more
experience could teach the other as they fought to get
hands-on experience. 
Warren and Jake were walking around the perimeter of
those who were training. There were a few others Sydney
was unable to recognize, including the other five men that
were doing the same thing as Warren and Jake. As she
scanned the area, her eyes landed on the she-wolf walking
around. This Wolf was not what Sydney expected. She wore
a combat gear looking outfit of a short-sleeved shirt and
pants. Both were black, even though the sun was beating
down on her. Though she was thicker in body, she was
somehow still lean with brunette hair that was half the
length of her back. She did not appear short but was not
extremely tall either. As far as Sydney could tell, she was a
few inches shy of six feet. The combat boots completed the
look and Sydney certainly felt as if this she-wolf could
knock her on her ass in a fight. 
Is she dressing to be intimidating or because she wants
to look this way?
She is the only female amongst men inside of a
hierarchy that usually only has men at the top of the
tier. I would say she is just adding to the fact that she
could kick their ass. 
Nero let out a whistle, and each wolf stopped in their
tracks. Sydney watched Warren and Jake look over and
smile at Nero. It was easy to see that their eyes
immediately found the mark on Nero’s neck. When they
walked over to them, Sydney noticed that the she-wolf
began walking over to Nero as well. 
I guess it is time to meet the pack. 
No reason to be nervous. I doubt they will bite. 
Ha. Ha. 
When the she-wolf closed the distance, a smirk was at
her lips as her eyes were glued to Nero’s mark. “Well, well.
Looks like the Alpha finally got laid. Maybe he will finally
ease up on everyone around here.” 
“Well damn. Arista just went for the jugular.” Jake
laughed as he spoke the words. 
Nero fired right back, “at least I got laid. How many
months have you been dry, Ris?” 
“Fine. I give. Who is the lucky she-wolf?” Arista was now
looking at Sydney. 
“Sydney Danvers, this is my Delta, Arista. Arista, meet
your new She-Alpha, Sydney.” 
Arista’s eyes were pools of deep but piercing blue. Her
skin tone was as if the sun kissed it. This Delta’s looks
made Sydney a little insecure about her own. With a quick
look to the wolves behind her, Arista had every male’s
attention, especially since Arista’s curves did not convey
“this is a lethal weapon!” 
Arista extended her hand for Sydney to grasp. Sydney
hesitated as unwanted thoughts creeped into her mind. 
Shouldn’t Nero want someone like Arista as a mate
instead of me? She is clearly more worthy than I am. Arista
can lead this pack far better than I ever could! 
Nero’s voice came through loud and clear as it halted
her inner thoughts. My love, why are you hesitant to shake
our Delta’s hand? 
Sydney reached out and shook Arista’s hand with a
small smile. She was doing her best not to come off as
weak. 
Wouldn’t you be happier with someone like her as your
She-Alpha? Sydney asked him. 
Why would you think that? 
She seems like a much better She-Alpha than me. Arista
is a warrior… I’m just an Omega. 
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Sydney. May I ask
you something?” Arista’s handshake was firm, but not
gripping enough to invoke a challenge. 
Sydney hesitated again but recovered quickly, “sure.” 
“Did our Alpha just pounce on you, or was he the
gentleman he claims to be? Because I will tell you now that
he was walking around here like someone shit on his
birthday cake after he met you.” 
Sydney barely stopped herself from laughing. Warren
and Jake did not even try to stop themselves. Sydney took a
peek at her mate to his reaction. He stood there stoically,
barely cracking his smirk. 
“No, he did not pounce on me,” Sydney said between
giggles, trying desperately to control herself, but the
giggles were deep in her belly, and they kept bubbling out.
It was almost impossible to stop. 
Do you really think I would choose her over you? Nero
playfully growled at Arista. Absolutely not. You are mine. 
 So, you want a more submissive mate? 
No, I want you.
“I am shocked.” Arista put her hand over her heart for
emphasis. “I thought for sure, seeing his smiling ass today,
that he had taken a page out of Beta Warren’s book and
pounced on ya.” Arista wore a devilish grin on her face at
Nero. 
Her facial expressions, and how she joked with Nero,
made Sydney uncomfortable. She had no idea if Arista and
Nero were an item before he found Sydney. Arista’s actions
came off as flirtatious to Sydney, but she also was not fully
sure what flirting was like. The males never considered her
anything more than a slave, so they did not flirt with her in
any way. Sydney was not allowed out to the city either to
really interact with any male. 
Should I be worried? Sydney asked Silver. 
No. 
“Are you finished? Or do I have to make you run the
drills you make our wolves run to straighten your ass out?”
Nero’s words were playful as well as a tone, but Sydney
heard the slight threat in his voice. 
Arista raised her hands as a sign of truce. Warren and
Jake continued to chuckle at the whole interaction. Sydney
observed the Beta and Gamma closely, hoping to
understand the dynamics of this small group. 
Are they all just friends? Is that why they all seem to be
relaxed while they poke at each other? Or is this a she-wolf
who is still flirting in hopes to show Nero that she is the
better choice? 
You are reading too much into this, my love, Nero
chimed in. 
Sydney’s cheeks became flushed as she realized that
Nero was hearing her thoughts through their bond. 
“Alright. Enough chit chat. I want to see a War
Simulation. Beta Warren, Gamma Jake, you two are the
captains. Pick your teams. Then run the usual simulation.”
Sydney watched Nero look around at the pack before him.
“Begin.” 
Warren and Jake stood in front of the pack. Each wolf
was now lined up somewhere in the mix of five columns and
roughly ten rows. There could have been more, but Sydney
was not sure how many of the pack was before her. Warren
and Jake then called out names to form their teams. Once
they picked each wolf until there was none standing before
them, Warren called out which sector of the valley was his
and which was Jakes. Each team broke away, and she
noticed neither captain said anything out loud. 
They are using mind link, so the other team is not
able to hear them, Silver explained. 
Oh, well that makes a lot of sense. 
“So what happens during this simulation?” Sydney asked
Nero. 
“Basically capture the flag. But… hand-to-hand combat
and fighting as wolves happens. Only rule is they have to
concede to the tap-out.” 
Sydney looked over at Nero who was standing on her
left. “Isn’t that a little dangerous to have your wolves fight
each other in that way? Wouldn’t competitiveness get in the
way and cause actual conflict amongst the pack?” 
Nero shrugged his shoulders. “Not really. Everyone in
this pack knows their place within it. We hold Position
Challenges every six months or by request. There are times
that some members of the pack think someone is unfit and
challenges sooner. All I ask is for the request and their
reasoning. If I can understand their point of view, I will
allow the Challenge to proceed.” 
“Does it happen often?” 
Nero’s response was immediate, “no. Most of the wolves
are quite happy about this hierarchy.” 
“When was the last challenge?” 
Nero chuckled softly. “A few months ago. Arista
challenged Jake. It was quite the match. Jake almost lost,
and since then, he has refined his fighting skills, so it
doesn’t come that close again.” 
The mention of Arista’s name caused Sydney to shuffle
on her feet. It was one thing to hear how strong Arista was,
but it was worse being able to see it as well. Arista
commanded respect with her presence just as much as
Nero, Warren, and Jake. In the small amount of time
Sydney observed her amongst the pack, it was clear they
all respected her at the same level they did the top three. 
Nero wrapped his arm around Sydney’s waist and pulled
her to him. The maneuver somehow managed to twist her
so she would be facing him. With her hands against his
chest, he looked down at her, and his green eyes connected
with hers. His other arm wrapped around her, and warmth
covered her through their Mate Bond.
“Syd, why are you comparing yourself to Arista?” His
voice was soft as he looked at her.
Sydney avoided his gaze. She felt guilty the moment he
said those words to her. Without knowing how to close
down the Mate Bond, he was able to feel what she did and
hear her thoughts. He knew that Sydney did not feel
worthy, but was unable to say it to him. So instead, she
thought it.
“She is what a She-Alpha should be. Arista is a warrior,
and the pack respects her already. Don’t you think she is a
better choice for you?” 
“No.”  
Sydney could not believe that his response was full of
confidence. “Why not?” 
“She isn’t you. She will never be you, either. The
Goddess chose you for me. You are everything I need.”
Nero blinked a few times. “Actually, you are everything this
pack needs. Not just me. Otherwise, She would not have
chosen you for me.” 
“But I’m not-”
 “A warrior? Are you saying this because you have no
formal training? The Romero’s kept that training only to
the hierarchy, something that my father discussed with
Dante years ago, and we already know he still chose not to
train all of you. Is that what this is about?” 
Sydney continued not to meet his gaze. There was not a
way for her to say it without feeling even more weak than
she already did. 
Nero used his hand under her chin to lift her head to
make her look at him. “Not every She-Alpha is a warrior.
That is what brings a balance to the Alpha. A She-Alpha
could be the calm to his chaos. It’s not a bad thing.” 
Sydney continued to say nothing. 
“How about this…I can have Arista train you in combat,
in every way you wish. Will that help you get past this at
all?” 
Sydney could not help but smile. Instead of Nero
continuing to say that it did not matter, or that it was not
needed, he gave her the option to get past it herself. All she
could manage to do was nod at him. 
Nero closed his eyes and nodded back. “Okay. When do
you want to start?” 
Sydney thought about it for a second. “Tomorrow?” 
“I’ll let Arista know.” 
“Can Merida and Marie join me?” Sydney knew that
having the two she-wolves do this with her would not make
her feel like as much of an idiot. 
“Absolutely. However, it will be individual and group
training until you feel comfortable to train with the rest of
us. Deal?” 
Sydney nodded and then got on her tiptoes to kiss him.
She could feel Nero’s smile through the kiss. Inside of their
bond, Sydney could feel that Nero felt a sense of relief that
he was able to make Sydney happy with this decision. 
Because he wants nothing but happiness for you.
That is his job as your mate. To make you feel safe,
happy, and confident in your abilities. 
I keep forgetting that. 
Well, stop. He is not Draxton… or anyone else from
that wretched pack. 
Sydney shook her head in response to her wolf. She
knew better than to argue with Silver. Even if she wanted
to, Silver would become relentless until Sydney yielded
when it came to things like this. Nero was not the only one
that wanted Sydney’s confidence to be boosted. 
It was not long before Nero had Sydney follow him to a
small shack just off the house. Sydney was slightly worried
that Nero was sneaking her away for more amorous
activities until the door opened. Inside of it was a wall of
small monitors. On each one was a different section of the
valley. 
Holy crap! They have every inch of their land monitored
by cameras! Sydney thought to herself. 
It was not long before they were able to find the teams
on the monitors. They watched the simulation on the
screens. Both Warren and Jake had smaller teams go in
different directions to find their flag. It was difficult to
watch, but the pack members had no issue using their fists
to fight and incapacitate their pack member. Some
members were in their wolf forms as well. No wolf engaged
in a fight with a pack member that was still in their human
form. Sydney was not sure if it was out of respect or if it
was part of their rules. She did not have time to ask either.
Shortly after the fighting began, the simulation was already
coming to an end. A pack member who Sydney did not
know from Warren’s team grabbed their flag and ran back
to his territory. Many of the others tried to stop him from
crossing the line to win, however, Warren had hidden
members of the pack jump out from behind trees or bushes
as a surprise to take out anyone who was following the wolf
with the flag. 
Obviously, Warren won. 
 “Well, I am not surprised. This is why he is second in
command. He knows what he is doing,” Nero said to the
screens. 
“Does he ever lose?” 
“Oh yes.” 
Sydney cocked an eyebrow at Nero due to his tone being
dead pan. Nero laughed at her facial expression. 
“He loses to me.” 
Sydney laughed at him. She should have known that
would be his response since it seemed fitting for Nero and
Warren’s dynamic. 
“Let’s go finish the drills and then talk to Arista about
your training.” 
Nero placed his arm around Sydney’s shoulders as they
walked out of the shack. 
I hope I don’t make a fool out of myself.
T hree weeks had gone by in a blur. The boys had
been right about Arista. She was one she-wolf not to
be messed with and was certainly a warrior. Arista had
spent the last three weeks kicking Sydney, Merida, and
Marie into shape. The she-wolf had them completing group
training in the mornings with the usual cardio and hand-to-
hand drills for basics. The individual was catered to
highlight their strengths and work on any weakness Arista
observed during the group drills.
Sydney was becoming quite the formidable opponent.
With every lesson, Sydney observed Arista’s movements so
carefully and practically carved them into memory. Arista
would break each of her movements down step by step with
Sydney during their individual training, and it did wonders
for Sydney. After a few walkthroughs, Sydney had the
moves committed to memory. Arista would practice each
move with Sydney before the final “okay you got this” was
given. That was when Arista would have Sydney spar with
her to practice. Sydney’s main goal was to one day get the
best of Arista.
 Especially since I am She-Alpha. I can’t be losing to
other she-wolves!
You are also a newly Shifted wolf and was never
trained within your old pack. Stop blaming yourself,
Sydney.
It turned out that Arista studied every martial art she
could. Growing up inside of her pack, no one thought she
would become dominant enough to be in the top ten
hierarchy. Arista said that her father was the Beta, so it did
not make sense that they all questioned her chances. Arista
was bullied inside of her pack until her father hired a
bunch of trainers to teach her a range of fighting styles.
Arista became a master in many by the time she was
eighteen, and her father saw an increase in aggression
from the pack mates against her.
That’s when Nero stepped in.
Nero heard about what was happening inside of the
Moonshine Pack with Arista being bullied and traveled
there to talk to her father, Jameson. Nero yelled at the
wolves for not understanding that she-wolves could place
within the hierarchy whether they liked it or not, but then
offered Arista the chance to transfer packs. Arista then
requested to transfer to Solar Valley…and have an
opportunity to challenge those in the hierarchy. Nero did
not hesitate to accept her request.  
Arista climbed the ranks pretty quickly once she arrived
at Solar Valley. Under the watchful eye of Nero, Warren,
and Jake, Arista only learned how to properly teach the
pack how to apply what she had learned. Once she became
the Delta, Nero allowed her to be in the rotation to run the
drills and training. The wolves inside of the pack already
knew that Nero and his parents were more open minded
about having she-wolves in the hierarchy, so it was an easy
transition for Arista. Many of them even wanted to throw
her a party when she became Delta.
 When Sydney learned about Arista’s history, she also
learned that Arista looked up to Nero like a big brother,
especially since she only had sisters, and all three of them
despised Arista for learning how to climb the ranks. Nero
only kept pushing her to continue with her training and
encouraged her to make friends with more of the males
than the females in the pack. Nero once interrupted a small
group of she-wolves that were known for being petty and
used to hang out with his ex. He knew they were fake and
did not want Arista to be caught up in pack drama.
Finding out this information only made Sydney realize
that her initial thoughts and feelings toward Arista were
completely unnecessary. Arista was not a threat to their
pairing.
Well, not in an “I’ll steal your man” sense anyway. If
anything, I should be trying to build a relationship with her
since she is like his sister, Sydney told herself shortly after
learning why Arista was able to joke with Nero the way she
did.
Sydney was currently part of a group training, and it
was coming to a close. They were not outside with the rest
of the pack running drills. Instead, Arista held their
trainings inside of the dojo that was located on one of the
lower floors. It was just above the level with the cages for
newly shifted wolves experiencing Moon Craze or a wolf
who had broken a Pack Law and is awaiting to have their
hearing in front of the Council. The Dojo was lined with
mats, so no one landed on hard ground during training.
Sydney was thankful for that since she went from
absolutely no training to having drills and sessions for
hours on end each day, not to mention, since she was still a
novice, she ended up on the ground often.
While in training, Arista would pair them up and have
them spar with their individual training in mind. Even
though Marie was an Omega, she had become quite the
fighter under Arista’s supervision. Sydney learned over the
last few weeks that even the Omegas could handle their
own inside of this pack. The Omegas trained separately
from the ranking wolves, but they all learned hand-to-hand
and trained in their wolves. Sydney one day asked why the
pack had everyone train. Nathanial responded, “so the pack
survives.”
Nero and his family believed that the pack only survived
if every wolf within it could function on their own, but
better when together. The Omegas were still the ones who
mostly cleaned, cooked, and took care of the younger pups.
However, every wolf had to learn how to at least cook some
simple things so the Omegas could take breaks. Rose said
they made it a rule that each wolf had to soak their own
clothes if they stained them so the Omegas would not have
to do extra work.
Not at all how the Romeros led the pack.
And that is why the pack would not have survived.
Just as you told them the day you left.
Arista picked Marie first as a sparring partner to work
on her forms. Sydney enjoyed when she could spar with
Merida. Marie often would go easy on Sydney because of
their relationship, but Sydney did not want that. She
wanted an actual spar so she could fine tune her skills.
Merida sparred as if she was in a true fight.  Sydney felt
she grew more as a fighter this way and welcomed it each
time. Merida had almost gotten Sydney pinned a few times,
but luckily, Sydney had gotten herself out of it.
With Merida opposite of her, and wearing a very serious
face, Merida was taking the training just as seriously as
Sydney was, and she never joked around while they were
on the mats. Before they started, Merida pressed her palms
together at level with her chest and bowed her head toward
Sydney. This was traditional in the style that Merida was
taking a liking to and requested Arista to train her in, Silat.
Arista developed a training to combine Silat and Boxing
together to give Merida a deadly edge to her hand-to-hand
combat. Merida uses jabs, crosses, uppercuts, and hooks
mixed with powerful elbow and knee strikes to demolish
her opponents.
Thankfully, Arista has been teaching Sydney the same
thing with a few other moves thrown in. Otherwise, Sydney
would be losing to Merida regularly instead of every so
often during their sparring. Sydney was taught a mixture of
Krav Maga, Silat, Boxing, Vovinam, and Muay Thai. When
Sydney asked why she was being taught a mixture of them,
Arista’s answer was, “our She-Alpha needs to be so badass
that no pack questions her strength.” After three weeks of
training, Sydney could not have agreed more. She may not
be a master in any of the styles yet, but she knew in time
that she would feel as if she was worthy to be the She-
Alpha.
Merida started in a horse stance known as the kuda-
kuda. It got its name due to the person appearing as if they
were straddling a horse with their legs. She had her hands
balled into fists with her right curved in the air and her left
curved down toward her left leg. Sydney knew this could
give Merida a chance to throw a wicked punch. Sydney
kept her hands at her sides and bounced back and forth
between her feet so she would not give away what style she
would start off with to Merida. Arista yelled “begin!” and
before Sydney knew it, Merida advanced on her.
Merida should learn to be more patient.
Merida threw a right jab to Sydney’s face since Sydney
was still in a relaxed state. Sydney moved her head to
evade the jab and used an uppercut to Merida’s side. This
gave Merida the opportunity to land a cross to Sydney’s
face. Sydney lifted her right leg and kicked outward to land
on Merida’s chest just in time to evade a hook coming.
Merida went to the ground but kicked her legs back and
then forward to bring herself back to her feet. Merida
advanced again but this time used a fury of movements
with an open palm in an attempt to distract Sydney from
her real attack. Sydney spent most of the attack using her
arms to deflect the blows. When Merida swung a hook with
her right arm, Sydney crouched down to evade it. Then
pushed her strength into her legs to jump high enough to
use her legs to complete a scissor kick take down. When
Sydney’s legs wrapped around Merida’s neck, Sydney used
her body weight to pull Merida down onto the mat. Merida
was flat on her back as Sydney had her upper body
immobilized on the ground. The wind was knocked out of
Merida, and she quickly used her hand to tap out. Sydney
quickly rolled off Merida and pulled her into a sitting
position.
“Nicely done, Alpha! I must admit, I was not sure you
could pull off a scissor kick takedown so soon! You’ve been
practicing!” Arista happily called out from the sidelines.
“Thank you. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without
you!” Sydney exclaimed as she helped Merida up from the
ground.
“Why wasn’t I taught that? I want to know how to do
that!” Merida yelled at Arista.
“Your strength is more in punches and your quick
movements as a fox. That’s why I am teaching you more of
a boxing style. Sydney’s strengths are her flexibility and
her added Alpha strength. She is not only quick, but agile,
giving her an advantage. I am teaching her a mix of
everything to give her an edge in any challenge she may
face.”
“Still not fair. That was so cool! I want to learn cool
moves like that. I didn’t even see it coming!”
Arista laughed, “that was the point.”
“Well Syd, if you use that during any challenges, those
she-wolves won’t know what hit them. You are already
becoming a badass!”
Marie chuckled, “you are thriving here, Sweetheart.”
Marie was right, and Sydney smiled so big at the
statement that it almost hurt her cheeks. They were all
thriving here in comparison to when they were in Ember
Forest, even Merida, who was now wearing a Mate Mark
from both Warren and Chris. Warren’s was on the left side
of her neck and Chris’s was on the right. Warren did his
best to hide the fact that one of his mates was not with him
during that time, but Sydney saw through it. She could
hear him pace, when he thought no one was watching, until
he arrived. Merida did her best to keep Warren calm, but
apparently, she wasn’t enough. Sydney asked Nero why
that was, and his best guess was because Warren had two
mates instead of one. With two Mate Bonds formed instead
of one, Warren was more out of balance than most wolves.
Merida offered Warren to complete their bond in hopes that
would help, but Warren declined. He wanted to mark them
both at the same time.
It was a good thing Chris arrived when he did because
Warren requested to go back to Ember Forest to find Chris
to see what was happening. Sydney overheard Warren say
he feared that Chris would reject the bond. What Warren
did not know was that Chris would never reject his mate. If
the person had a good soul, he planned to accept it. The
only thing he did not want was to be mated to someone
cruel, like the Romeros. Sydney also knew that Chris was
close with his family, especially his twin brother. It was
going to be hard for him to leave his home, but she knew
that he would. As long as he was allowed to visit, or have
his brother visit, he would not mind relocating to be with
his mate.
The night Chris arrived, all three of them marked each
other. Though Merida was the only one that seemed to
wear the marks. In Shifters, females were the only ones
that the marks normally remained on. Sydney was never
given a clear answer as to why that was, even when she
asked Nero about it. It was just how it was in their species,
which reminded Sydney of something.
“Arista, when do you turn twenty-one?”
 Arista smiled. “Tomorrow, actually.”
Merida’s eyes went wide, and then she wore her smirk.
“Birthday party?”
Sydney shook her head. “Does this pack throw birthday
parties when a wolf comes of age? I know some don’t.”
Arista nodded her head. “Yeah, but I am nervous. My
father wants to bring my sisters with him.”
“Well we wouldn’t let those bitches ruin your day”
Merida said matter-of-factly.
Sydney knew that was not a lie. Arista was the newest
addition to their little group. Merida would not allow
anything to ruin someone’s day if it was someone she cared
about, and Arista was becoming like the little sister Merida
and Sydney never had.
“Neither would I or Nero for that matter.”
“More importantly, have you felt a pull toward anyone?”
Merida wagged her eyebrows at Arista.
When Arista blushed, Sydney knew that training for the
day was now over. Merida was not going to drop the
possibility of learning that someone was going to find their
mate.
“WHO?!” Merida exclaimed.
I hate when I am right.
Well, this is Merida we are talking about here. This
is who she is, through and through.
Let’s just hope that Merida doesn’t begin to play
matchmaker again.
Worked out for us.
You are not wrong.
Arista instructed everyone to do their cool down
stretches. Merida protested, but Arista said she would not
spill the beans on who she thinks might be her mate until
they did. Merida growled in annoyance and then plopped
herself down on the mat. Sydney shook her head with a
knowing smile and sat down herself.
 “So, over the last few months I have felt a pull toward
someone in our pack. It took me by surprise, and I am not
sure if he would look at me this way. I do my best every day
to not ask him if he feels the pull because I am afraid of his
answer.”
“That did not answer my question at all,” Merida snidely
remarked.
Sydney shushed her before speaking herself, “I have a
feeling I know who it is.”
She was not lying. Sydney has noticed Arista sneaking
glances at someone during drills and walking through the
halls. She thought it was just a crush since Sydney was not
sure when Arista would come of age, but now it was
making sense.
“You do? And you didn’t think to mention this to me! I
thought we were friends, Syd,” Merida snarked, completely
taken aback that Sydney had not brought something of
such importance to her best friend’s attention.
“You aren’t being observant then. I’ve seen some
glances toward a specific someone the past few weeks.”
Sydney smiled to encourage her to say his name.
“Do you think Jake would reject me?”
This was the first time Sydney saw Arista in a vulnerable
state. Knowing this she-wolf carried herself with the aura
of a badass martial artist and seeming to not be afraid of
anything, this was out of character for Arista. It only
proved to Sydney that True Mates are what balanced every
Shifter out. It didn’t matter how dominant or badass they
thought they were; if a True Mate was found, it would bring
out a truer version of what the person should be.
Unless you had no soul and didn’t care about anyone
other than yourself.
Calling Draxton Romero! You have been burned!
“JAKE?! YOU FEEL THE PULL TO JAKE?” Merida was
nearly bouncing with excitement on the mat.
 “Excuse Merida. Just like men think with their penis, she
thinks with her vagina.” Sydney narrowed her eyes at
Merida with a smile on her face. “No. I don’t think he
would reject you.”
“I am not ashamed that I like sex, so don’t even try to
shame me.”
“I wasn’t shaming you. I was excusing you for not
answering her question.”
“You really think he wouldn’t?” Arista’s voice wavered
between confidence and doubt.
“Jake doesn’t seem like that kind of guy.”
Merida nodded her head. “He really doesn’t. Now that I
think about it, I’ve seen him flirt with you. Before you ask,
not in obvious ways. He is just very playful when he is
busting your chops. Yes, I know. You, Nero, Warren and
Jake all do that to one another, but how he does it to you is
different. Nero and Warren can become relentless, like
brothers would, but not Jake.”
Marie finally spoke up, “he has also asked Nathanial
about Mate Bonds.”
Everyone turned to look at her. Marie smiled. “Nathanial
was in the kitchen a week ago and asked if I would make
Arista’s cake. Jake came in and asked Nathanial if they
could talk. Nathanial asked if he wanted to go to another
room and Jake declined. He didn’t mind that I was in there,
too.”
“Did he mention me?”
“No, but he did ask how he would know if his mate was
near. Since I knew you were coming of age, and then this
conversation was brought up today, I put two and two
together. I believe he is feeling the pull toward you, too.”
“I guess we will find out tomorrow how he feels,” Arista
said as she got to her feet.
“Or tonight at midnight,” Merida pointed out.
This is going to be interesting.
Very. If he rejects her, am I allowed to bite him?
 What? Why would you do that?
To teach that boy a lesson.
It is his right to reject her if he does not feel the same.
It is also our responsibility to keep dumb wolves
from making mistakes.
Well, you are right about that.
So I can bite him?
Ask Nero that. I refuse to give you permission.
Oh. Then I’ll win this argument.
Sydney rolled her eyes but smiled. I don’t think it’ll be
needed.
O f course, Merida was not able to contain herself and
insisted that Arista go through her closet to find a
dress. Arista protested, but Merida would not have it.
Arista’s only argument was that she did not think that
wearing a dress was that important. Merida stomped up
the stairs while Arista was yelling behind her that a pair of
pants and a cute top was just as effective as a dress.
Marie and Sydney chose to stay in the kitchen. This was
a battle they had seen before; it was always pointless for
anyone to argue with Merida. They were both shaking their
heads and wearing knowing smiles as they watched Merida
slowly win the argument as she always does.
“Why don’t you go get your shower, Sweetheart. Maybe
even a bath. You pushed yourself today and deserve to
relax,” Marie suggested as they walked out of the kitchen
together.
“I think I will do that. But first, I haven’t been able to
ask this. How are you liking it here, Marie?”
Just before Marie put a foot on the bottom step, Marie
stopped and looked back at Sydney. “It has been a dream
here. I feel valued, respected even. I am not just someone
that has to do the pack’s bidding all hours of the day and
night. Here I have a shift, days off, and am expected to
train. I feel as if I am an actual pack member.”
Sydney’s smile grew with each example Marie gave as to
why she was happy here. It was wonderful to hear that
Marie was finally happy.
“I’m happy to hear that.”
They made their way up the stairs. Marie stopped on the
first floor of her room and told Sydney that she would catch
up with her later. Sydney climbed the rest of the staircase
to the room she shared with Nero. After the workout that
Sydney endured, walking all the stairs made her legs feel
like cement. Even with her Shifter strength, Arista
managed to make it seem as though they were regular
humans after their workouts. 
When Sydney walked into her room, she bee-lined to the
bath. Each movement was difficult to complete as she
pulled off the clothes that clung to her from sweat, and it
seemed to take forever. Once Sydney managed to get them
all off, she turned the water on, tested the temperature,
and then allowed it to fill up. Merida had gotten some of
the bubble baths like the ones from the hotel and put them
in her room in a small, decorative basket that sat
conveniently next to the tub. She grabbed a light purple
one and poured the contents of the one labeled Relax into
the water and watched the bubbles form under the
cascading water from the faucet. 
Now that Merida was the Beta, she had more access to
things such as an emergency key to the Alpha Suite. This
made Sydney a little nervous because she could see Merida
decorating the room for the most inappropriate occasions
without Nero or Sydney knowing about it until they walked
through the door. 
Do not put that thought out into the universe,
Sydney. The Fates could hear you and then it can be
turned into a reality, Silver warned her. 
 Oh wonderful. I didn’t even know that was a thing.
Sydney lowered herself into the tub and felt the warm
water begin to work its magic, literally, as it soaked into
her skin with the accompaniment of the bubble bath. A
bath pillow was on the stand next to the tub and she put it
behind her head. The smell of lavender swirled around her.
The exhaustion from the training mixed with the relaxing
scent made her eyelids become heavy. Before she knew it,
she was asleep. 
She did not know how much time had passed, but when
the scent of sandalwood and mint overwhelmed the
lavender, Sydney’s eyes fluttered open. Nero stood at the
bottom end of the tub where the faucet was, smiling. He
was still dressed in his training gear–a tank top and work
out shorts, both completely black. 
“Did Arista kick your ass today? It’s not usual for you to
get in the tub after training.” 
Sydney narrowed her eyes at him, “what makes you
think she kicked mine? Maybe I kicked her ass. You don’t
know.” 
Nero cocked his eyebrow as he smirked at her. “Mmm, I
like this Alpha attitude. Can you step out of the tub? I need
to show you something in the other room.” 
Sydney tried to hide her laughter at Nero’s weird form
of flirtation. At first, he would always say something along
these lines to lure her into another room. The first few
times that it worked, Nero had been sweet and gentle. It
made her melt each time that he did it. When she began to
catch on, that this was a ruse for him to be able to kiss and
tease her before walking away, that’s when it changed a
little. Nero managed to catch her off guard after a training
session where she followed him after a week of not falling
for it. Before she knew it, he lifted her up by her ass,
plastered her against the wall, and then feverishly kissed
her as he poured out how much he loved her through their
bond. He broke the kiss when her mind glossed over
wanting nothing more than for him to take off her clothes
right there and walk out of the room. 
She did not talk to him for several hours after that one. 
“I’m too sore to move.” 
Nero grabbed a small stool from under the sink and sat
on it next to the tub. He reached into the water and
grabbed her ankle. When he pulled her leg out of the water
and began to use his fingers to gently rub small circles into
her muscles, Sydney let out a breath she had no idea she
was holding and followed it up with a groan of relief. Nero
had never done anything like this before, so she did not
expect him to do it. Nero also looked over at the basket,
and she watched his eyes scan over the bottles. He did not
reach for one, so he must not have found what he was
looking for. 
“Is this helping at all?” 
Sydney closed her eyes and leaned her head further
back as he massaged the sore muscles in her leg. She could
feel the tightness beginning to fade away as if she had
never worked out today. “Mhmm, dig deeper,” she
vocalized. No words could form as her mind seemed to be
short circuiting from the pampering she was being
subjected to.
Nero worked his fingers up her leg until he reached her
hip and then moved onto the other one. When he was
finished with her legs, he did the same thing to her arms.
Her muscles began to feel as if she had no bones before he
was done. When he sat back down on the stool, he
massaged her left foot. 
“I want to take you somewhere tonight for a date. It
requires us to take a small hike. Are you up for it?” 
Sydney struggled to open her eye lids, “a hike? After a
hard day of training?” 
“Are my massaging techniques not working?” The edge
of his lips curled into a playful smile. 
 “Don’t even try that. You know it is. I am just not sure if
I have the energy.” 
“I got that covered. Marie is making us something that
could possibly help us with that.” 
Sydney did know that Marie had a few recipes up her
sleeve that could increase energy. Even some small snacks
that could easily give them a few hours of energy.
“Okay, but if I allow Silver to take over to trot us back
home to sleep, you can’t protest.”  
Nero laughed, “you got yourself a deal.” 
Nero had finished massaging her right foot by the end of
their conversation. He kissed her on her forehead and told
her that he would be back around four o’clock to take her
on the hike. That gave her two hours to kill. 
Merida…Arista… are you guys there? Sydney sent them
a message through the mind link. She was still getting used
to it, since no one from Ember Forest ever allowed her to
talk to them through it, and was not fully sure if she did it
right. 
What’s up, Alpha? Arista answered. 
I am always here, especially now that we are a part of
the same pack! This mind link thing is cool. It’s like instant
messaging in my head, Merida chimed in. 
What is instant messaging? Nevermind. Nero wants to
take me on a date…WHAT THE HELL DO YOU DO ON A
DATE?!
It was remarkable to Sydney that a simple thing like a
date could make her feel so inadequate. An Alpha should
not feel as though she was not good enough just because
she had never been on a date before. Yet, here Sydney
was…wondering if Nero would wise up some day and
realize that Sydney did not fit into the Alpha mold. 
We are on our way, Merida’s voice was firm. She was not
going to listen to any answer other than yes. 
Sydney pulled herself to a seated position and pulled the
plug to empty the tub. Her muscles still felt like jelly, but
she did not feel like having a conversation while she was
naked. When she stepped out, she quickly dried off and
threw on her robe that Nero had gotten for her the day
after they traveled here. As she stepped out of the
bathroom, Merida and Arista stepped inside. Obviously, not
having a conversation naked was out of the question.
Maybe what Silver said about releasing thoughts into
the universe and the Fates making them reality is true after
all.
Silver sneezed in Sydney’s mind at the thought, offended
that Sydney would doubt her.
“Oh good. You are naked. That makes finding an outfit
easier,” Merida said as she walked to the walk-in closet. 
Sydney shook her head. There was no reason to argue. 
“Syd, you okay?” Arista’s eyes scanned over her, and she
looked concerned. 
“Yeah.” 
“No, she’s not. Spill it!” Merida called out from the
closet. 
Sometimes it is a pain to have her as a friend. 
Lies. You love that she knows you so well.
“I just don’t know how to get past my insecurities. Nero
is an Alpha of an entire Sanction. He’s powerful, confident,
and nothing seems to hold him back. Why would the
Goddess pair him with me? I am not who he should be with.
I am weak… I was an Omega. I don’t even think the
training you are putting me through is going to work.” The
words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them.
Sydney did not want to share how insecure she was with
anyone right now. At least she thought she didn’t until she
heard herself say the words. 
“Sydney, look at me,” Arista said to her. There was no
force in her voice. Arista would not be able to force Sydney
to do anything anyway since Sydney was the She-Alpha,
and Silver accepted that position more than Sydney did.
Which meant no matter how much Sydney would fight the
position, it would not work. Silver’s acceptance overrode
her own since it was the magic through the wolf
counterpart that made Pack Magic work. 
Sydney looked at Arista anyway. 
“You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit
for. You are more worthy than any other she-wolf I have
seen, since I transferred to this pack, who has tried to sway
Nero into their bed. Not once did that man give anyone a
second glance. He wanted his True Mate, and he waited
until he found you to be with anyone after Krista. When he
found you, he didn’t see rank. He saw the Goddess’ gift to
him. You are everything he ever wanted in a mate,
Sydney.” 
“Yeah, right.” Sydney plopped onto the bed and looked
down at the floor. 
“Nero and I talked about it one day. Like a brother and
sister kind of talk… what we wanted in our futures. He said
he wanted his mate to be the balance in his life. The calm
to his chaos and the strength to his weakness. Someone
who could keep him grounded and make him feel as though
he matters. Krista was never like that. According to Warren
and Jake, that girl only wanted to be She-Alpha. She didn’t
actually love him. When I got here, he wasn’t exactly the
Prince Charming you know him to be. Sure, he was always
a good guy and wasn’t an ass to everyone, but you could
tell how sullen he was that he did not have the other half of
his soul. Since he has found you, not only Nero, but the
whole pack seems to be happier. Not to mention, you aren’t
just sitting back and saying ‘oh, I am the She-Alpha, and I
don’t have to lift a finger around here.’ Instead, you are
training to become a warrior. You are already proving that
your wolf is stronger than the other she-wolves around
here. Myself included. It doesn’t matter that I have all of
this training. Your wolf knows when to strike and when to
hold back. You are a She-Alpha, through and through.” 
 As Arista talked, Sydney felt the truth of her words
inside of the pack bonds. Arista was not just speaking to
Sydney, she was trying to reach her on a level no one had
ever tried before. She wanted Sydney to know all of this
because Arista wanted Sydney to realize her worth inside
of the pack. It was as if it hurt Arista to know how much
Sydney questioned if she truly belonged here. 
Merida emerged from the closet and stood in the
doorway. “She’s right, Syd. You have changed since you got
here. You aren’t the same person at all. You walk through
the halls with your head held high. Back at Ember Forest,
you would not look anyone in the eye. You know your
worth… you are just allowing your anxiety to rule you.” 
Sydney took a deep breath. “Thank you, you guys. I
guess I lost myself there for a second.” 
“Well, if you start to lose that edge again… I’ll just tell
Nero that he isn’t doing his job as a mate,” Merida
warned. 
“You just love to cause trouble, don’t you?” Arista joked. 
Sydney shook her head, “you don’t know the half of it.” 
“Okay. Now that we verbally boosted your spirits, I can
get you ready for this date. Do you know where he is taking
you?” Merida disappeared back into the closet. 
“A hike in the woods, but I don’t know the actual
destination.” 
“Well that isn’t sexy at all. How the hell am I supposed
to make you look delectable if you are going on a walk in
the damn woods?” 
Arista and Sydney laughed, unsure of how to answer
that question. 
Well, this is going to get interesting. 
N ERO HAD Sydney meet him outside on the porch. He had a
backpack on him, and he wore a long pair of jeans, thick
brown boots, and a short sleeved navy-blue shirt. Merida
dressed Sydney in a similar fashion. Sydney had a pair of
black hiking boots in her closet, which she had a sneaking
suspicion that Nero bought her and put them in there
without her knowing, with a pair of dark blue jeggings, and
a dark camo short sleeved shirt. When Sydney saw herself
in the mirror, she thought she looked ridiculous. With her
vibrant blue and silver hair, the camo looked a little weird
to her. However, Merida and Arista whistled at her and told
her she looked fabulous.
Judging by Nero slowly taking in her outfit, starting from
her face to her feet and back, Sydney knew he felt the same
way they did. 
“I never thought camo could look so sexy. Maybe we can
just go take a walk upstairs.” Nero took a step toward the
door. 
“Stop!” Sydney put her hand up, and Nero walked chest-
first into it. “No. I did not just have Merida dress me up like
I was her doll for us to not go on this hike.” 
“Fair enough. Let’s go.” 
Nero led her past the garage and into the forest. He did
not speak, but she found him occasionally glancing over to
scan her body. It appeared that the outfit did exactly what
Merida wanted it to do. 
Fine, Merida. You win. He won’t stop staring at me,
Sydney mind linked Merida.
Merida quickly responded. BECAUSE YOU ARE A SEXY
ASS WOLF! Now make sure you occasionally bend over to
look at something. 
What? No. 
You’ll thank me for it later. 
Sydney ignored her. 
She is not wrong. Maybe we should flaunt what we
have to our mate. 
 You are just as bad as Merida. 
Well, Nero has kept Kane from me! I don’t even
know why. If I can’t have access to the goods, I will
live vicariously through you until he does. 
Sydney rolled her eyes. Nero had not had time to allow
Kane to run with Silver. Nero mentioned that it was poor
practice to not have the two wolves run together, but Kane
also wanted to wait. The full moon was coming, and Nero
planned to allow the two of them to run together then. 
The area was rich with trees and bushes. With it being
the beginning of November, the leaves had changed color
already and were even falling from the trees. It saddened
Sydney that she was not able to experience the hike during
the peak of the season so she could have witnessed its
beauty with the spectrum of colors. Before she left, Sydney
was able to see Ember Forest in its amazing view of red,
orange and yellow that made it appear as if it was on fire.
There wasn’t much but still enough to give Sydney an
indication of what it will be like next year when she could
see it here. 
The path Nero had them take had many curves and
small dips. Overall, it was mostly uphill and seemed like it
would go on forever. The bath and massage from earlier
were beginning to wear off as the tension in her calves
built from walking at an incline for so long. Nero had
stopped a few times to give her water and a peanut butter
energy bite that Marie had made them. It had oats and a
small amount of chocolate in it, but mostly peanut butter.
They were delicious, but made Sydney want to consume the
entire bottle of water that Nero had pulled out of the
backpack. 
After what felt like forever, but was actually only two
hours, they reached the peak of the hill. It led to a small
clearing and then a cliff that looked out over their pack’s
territory. Sydney walked to the edge and took in the sight
before her with a gasp of awe. Even with most of the trees
losing their leaves, the view was still amazing. They were
so high that the pack house looked like a pepper flake from
above. In the distance, Sydney could hear a rush of water
coming from somewhere but was unable to see it. 
“Are we near the waterfall you talked about?” Sydney
asked Nero. 
“There is a small one here, but it isn’t the one I want to
show you. I just wanted some time with you to myself, and
this is a place I always loved to come to when I wanted to
be alone.” 
Nero pulled out a blanket and spread it out on the
ground. Then he pulled out containers that held a few
sandwiches and some fruit. When he pulled out four bottles
of water, Sydney thanked the Goddess the backpack could
hold so much even though it did not look like it could from
its misleading size. 
“Come eat. The energy balls were not enough. Soon, I’ll
have to deal with a very ticked off Silver if you don’t.” 
Sydney’s stomach growled on cue to make Nero’s point.
Silver also gave a rumble in her chest to Nero to tell him
that she agreed. Sydney sat down on the ground, which
was not comfortable even with the blanket, and Nero
handed her a sandwich. 
While they ate, Nero asked her about the trainings and
how she liked them. Sydney went into detail about what
Arista was training her in and how she could now easily
defeat Merida in their sparring exercises. This was the first
time that Sydney was able to go into detail with Nero. Not
many of the wolves in the pack knew that she was training
with Arista, so they could not freely talk about it. Nero was
also dealing with a lot of pack business, so when they did
get a chance to spend time together, they talked about
things other than this. 
After she filled him in, he filled her in about what was
going on in the packs. With Sydney’s physical training
going so well, Nero wanted to start training her in Pack
Politics. Apparently, there was a rise in rogues within the
sanction. There was no clear pattern as to why it was
happening, but rogues were moving in on packs lately.
Some have even attacked a pack in an attempt to take it
over. So far, no rogue has accomplished that. 
“Why do you think this is happening?” Sydney asked
him. 
“I have a sneaking suspicion, but no definitive proof.” 
Sydney raised her eyebrows at him. “Go on.” 
“Did I tell you that Dante challenged Brad and lost?” 
“No!” 
“Yeah. Not too long after I left there to find you this
happened. My theory is, Dante is trying to rally some
troops together to take over another pack. Everyone who
followed him before stayed within Ember Forest.” 
“Sounds like the Romeros. I would not put it past him to
try to do what he did with Ember Forest with other,
stronger packs. Even while I lived there, I constantly
thought he would hand over the pack to Draxton and go off
to do the same thing with another pack that he did to
mine.”
“That was the general consensus, actually, but since he
never repeated what he did, my father could not do
anything about it. It all looked like he followed the rules.” 
Sydney looked at her feet, “unfortunately, he did. I knew
enough back then to know that.” 
The conversation brought up the bad memories of her
past. It had been a long time since Sydney thought about
the day her father lost the Position Challenge or the other
wolves falling when the Romeros came to the pack. There
was one question that she wanted to ask someone for
years, especially an Alpha, but she never had the courage
to ask it. 
Sydney looked Nero in the eyes. “Nero, what makes a
good Alpha?” 
“Good question, but that is a little subjective.” 
 “Not really. What makes an Alpha a good one and leads
a successful pack? If I am going to be a She-Alpha, I need
to know how I can be a good one.” 
Nero smiled at her. “I am beyond grateful that you are
my mate.” 
Sydney blushed. “Well?” 
“I think a good Alpha is one that will create a balanced,
nurtured, and positive lifestyle for their pack. One that will
make sure that each wolf is heard and given the
opportunities that can make their lives thrive. A good Alpha
can be strict, but soft at the same time. He has rules, but is
able to encourage and reinforce positive behaviors to
where that is expected without harsh punishments. Also,
the Alpha creates a lifestyle that is balanced overall. Where
the wolves inside of the pack are able to work and have a
life. A good Alpha also will lay down his life for the pack or
for the good of the pack.” 
“You make an Alpha seem like a parent.” Sydney pointed
out.
“That’s because they are. We are the parental figures for
a large group. We are the ones who have to lead them but
also make sure that they are able to survive in this world.
That is why we train them to fight, have them get an
education, have jobs, and such. Not every single second of
the day is pack life. Each wolf has their own lives to live as
well.” 
“Do you think I will be a good Alpha?” she asked him in
a hushed tone as her eyes traveled down to the ground
once more. 
Nero lifted her chin so she would have to look him in the
eyes. “Without a doubt in my mind. You took care of your
pack for years and handled burdens that you shouldn’t
have while keeping that pack functioning like a well oiled
machine. Sydney, you were chosen for me because you
were an Alpha forced into an Omega’s position. The
Goddess knew your potential to be an incredible She-Alpha.
That is why you were fated to Draxton, an Alpha to be.
Then to me. Draxton did not realize how special you were
and gave you up. I will never take that the Goddess chose
you for me for granted. Clearly she knew what she was
doing. This pack is already falling in love with you because
of your kindness and willingness to be exactly what I
described an Alpha should be. Don’t for a second think
anything less than that. Not just anyone could get Warren,
Jake and Arista to fall into line.” 
“I have done no such thing!” Sydney laughed at his last
statement. 
“Bullshit. Those three would move a mountain for you. It
used to be that they would only do that for me.” 
Sydney smiled as she felt his words boost her self-
confidence in a way that she had never experienced. Not
even the girls managed that before she got dressed. Then
she winked at him. “Jealous?” 
“No. Never.” 
Nero pulled her into his lap and then into a kiss. A cool
breeze swept over them causing Sydney to shiver. Nero
wrapped his arms around her as he deepened the kiss. 
“Good thing I brought a blanket.” Nero winked at her. 
Now this is a first date.
I t was the morning after their date, and Sydney and
Nero had to run another simulation. With the
increase of rogues in the area, Nero did not want to think
that the pack would not be targeted. Usually, he would not
run one multiple times within a week. With how the
simulations were run, each wolf was allowed to fight as if it
were an actual battle. The only difference between a
simulation and training was, if one of the pack members
went too far and hurt someone or even killed someone,
Nero would have to either turn them into the council or kill
them himself. Thankfully, each pack member understood
this and never crossed that line, preventing Nero from
having to resort to that extreme. 
Unfortunately, apparently Nathanial had to once. No one
was able to tell Sydney the details about that incident. She
didn’t know if it was a confidentiality bind or if it was just
too painful to talk about. Either way, she didn’t press
anyone on the matter.
This time the team leaders were Nero and Warren. Jake
was nowhere in sight. Sydney found Arista looking around
for him, and it broke Sydney's heart to see how
disappointed her friend was that he was not here. Sydney
tried to reach out to Jake through mindlink, but she was
met with a block. 
Sydney decided to meddle just a little as Nero and
Warren were picking teams. 
Where is Jake? Sydney asked Nero. 
Patrol. 
When did he go on patrol? 
Yesterday. Why? 
Arista is looking for him. 
Why would she be looking for him? 
Arista's wolf emerged last night since today is her
birthday… 
Are you telling me they are mates? 
They might be. Arista has felt the pull toward him. Has
he toward her? 
The asshole didn't mention that to me! Anyone on patrol
locks down their mindlink unless they run into a problem.
Helps them focus. Jake won't tune into the pack until his
shift is over. 
When is his shift over? 
Seven o'clock tonight. 
Do you think he would reject her? 
Nero did not respond right away. His jaw was set as if he
was clenching his teeth together until he called out a name
to add to his team. Sydney worried what his answer would
be. 
He better not, Nero answered with a growl. 
The teams were picked, and Nero flipped a coin to see
which half of the territory was his. He managed to get the
right side of the territory, which Sydney knew was not his
favorite side. Nero spent a lot of time hiking throughout the
entire territory, and the cliff he had taken her on was on
the left. Warren smirked at the result. He knew that Nero
preferred the right side, and he usually won that side in the
coin toss. 
 “Best of luck to you, Alpha.” Warren held out his hand.
Nero grasped it, and they shook with one flick. “You,
too, Beta.” 
They seemed to be very serious in their tone and action,
but Sydney knew that this was only a game to them.
Neither of them would hurt one another. 
Nero used mindlink to command his "troops" as if it
were a real battle, maintaining the point of the simulation.
Sydney could not help but look over at him with a smile as
she watched him lead his people. Dante and Dahlia rarely
used mindlink, and when they did, it was usually Dahlia
screaming at Sydney to do something for her. Seeing their
gift from the Goddess in the way that it was intended made
her heart swell. Being amongst a pack that cared for each
other and worked together was not something she thought
she would ever see in her lifetime. 
Danny, I want you to remain in human form and scope
out the beginning of our territory. Find a good place to
observe where you can't be seen. That way if they try to
cross over with the flag, you can catch them off guard. 
Sydney jumped at his use of the pseudonym  she gave
him when they first met. No one responded to that
message, so he must have said it to her directly for no one
else to hear. 
You got it, Alpha. But really? Danny? Why are you calling
me that? 
Reminding you of how capable you are when it comes to
stealth. You threw me off your trail. Now let's see you do it
to them. Besides, code names are fun.
Sydney smiled a toothy grin at his statement. Hearing
those words gave her a boost of confidence she did not
know she needed. A horn blared, and the game started.
Sydney did as she was instructed and stayed near the
beginning of their side. She listened with her enhanced
hearing for anyone moving around nearby and was met
with silence. There was no way she would trust that no one
was around since Nero and his family had all trained the
pack to be silent when in battle. There was a tree that
looked as though it could be easily climbed, and she could
observe from above without anyone noticing. However, she
was not sure if she would be able to jump down in time to
stop someone from crossing over with the flag if they ran
through here. 
As she continued to scope out the area, Sydney thought
she heard movement behind a tree on the opposing
territory. Instinctually, Sydney lifted her nose to catch a
scent. She thought she caught a whiff of amber and
lemongrass. Due to it not being strong, she knew the wolf
was not downwind. The wind had blown from the east, so
she looked over in that direction. There were no bushes in
that area that the wolf would be able to hide in, but there
were some trees further in than where she was standing.
Tomake it inconspicuous that Sydney was trying to see if
someone was nearby, she continued to walk but made sure
to keep her hearing open to any movement. 
I am still too out in the open. Where should I go? 
I have an idea. Silver perked up inside of Sydney’s
mind.
Do tell. 
Take off in a jog in the opposite direction. 
Why?
To throw off anyone who is watching us. 
Sydney did what Silver suggested. She acted as though
something caught her attention behind her, even changed
her facial expression to match, and then took off running in
that direction. Silver’s idea seemed to have worked. Sydney
caught the attention of someone who was watching her.
Once Sydney took off running, she heard some movement
in the same area she caught the scent. 
There was no rule to engage in combat just to fight
someone, but there was also no rule to not do that either.
Since this was a chance to use combat and wolf training,
most of the wolves chose to engage in sparring during
these games. Sydney knew to expect it, but she did not
expect to feel like she was being hunted. 
Sydney quickly changed directions again to lead the
person further into their territory. She thought to circle
back around to where she originally stood so she could still
cover the area Nero assigned her. However, the wolf
seemed to be actively chasing her. 
How odd… In the last few weeks I have not seen anyone
do this on the cameras. 
That’s because this person is targeting you. 
There was no reason to feel anxious about that thought
since Sydney knew that her training could certainly keep
her from being harmed, not to mention, she knew Nero was
nearby due to their mate bond, and that alone should keep
the wolf in line. Though after living inside of a pack that
bullied her constantly, Sydney was not sure if she could
trust that this wolf would stay in line, especially since she
could now hear that this wolf was trying to close the
distance. 
There was a tree with a rather low branch just ahead of
her. Sydney jumped up to the branch and swung herself
around using her Shifter strength as if she was a gymnast
on the uneven bars. As she rotated around, the wolf could
not stop his momentum and ran under her. By the time she
landed on her feet, the wolf had stopped and turned to face
her. 
Why does he look so angry? 
Silver growled at the wolf. Sydney could feel her wolf
just underneath her skin, ready to shift if necessary. The
wolf across from her was Jasper, a wolf that had been in the
pack since Nathanial and Rose took over after Nero’s
grandfather. His hair was chestnut brown with a few grays
to show he was an older wolf. His eyes were deep brown,
and his complexion was tanned brown. Sydney knew he
was the Zeta, or sixth, in the pack. As far as she knew, he
was a great pack member. No one had ever mentioned
complaints about him in the last few weeks to her or Nero.
Seeing him standing before her with seething rage did not
make sense to her. 
Jasper’s brown eyes looked nearly black with fire behind
them as his chest rose and fell from chasing her. His
muscles were tight and coiled, ready for a fight. Sydney
stood calmly, ready for whatever was coming. She had no
idea what this was about, and it could be more than just the
game as to why he was acting like this. 
“You don’t belong here, Omega.” His words were laced
with venom.
There it is. 
“And why is that, Zeta?” Sydney matched his attitude to
show that he should not be speaking to her this way. 
“This pack should be run by two Alphas. Not an Alpha
and an Omega. You are weakening the pack! You are
weakening our Alpha.” 
“I am an Alpha,” Sydney growled. 
“No, you are not!” Jasper’s face was a deep shade of red
as he screamed at her. “You are poisoning this pack!” 
Now that is new. Never heard that before. “How so?” 
“Your status is bringing down the reputation of our
pack! How are the rest of the packs within the sanction
supposed to continue to find us worthy of respect with an
Omega as our She-Alpha?!” 
Jasper was spitting as he screamed at her. He was
clearly enraged at her pairing with Nero. Even though she
had been here for almost a month, Jasper had never
mentioned this to anyone. This confrontation was
completely unexpected, and she didn’t understand what
had brought this on.
“My father was the Delta in the Ember Forest pack. I
may not be from an Alpha line, but I am from a top
hierarchy line.” 
 Jasper looked dumbstruck. Clearly he did not know that
she was not actually an Omega. Sydney was never meant to
be an Omega either. The Romeros and Theresa wanted to
keep her from gaining any advantage of being from a Delta
line. They wanted to keep her from being able to take the
pack away from them if she realized how strong she really
was or could be.
“LIES!” 
Jasper lunged at her out of his rage. He threw a right
hook, which Sydney easily dodged due to him starting this
fight while angry. An uppercut from his left made her step
backwards and nearly into a tree. Instead of moving in a
different direction, Sydney put herself against it. Jasper
took the bait she was hoping for, and he threw another
hook at her. Sydney ducked just in time for him to punch
the tree instead. Then she jabbed him in his solar plexus.
When he gasped for air, she used her right leg to kick him
backwards. 
Sydney heard some twigs breaking and several different
pairs of feet stomping into the ground as they ran toward
her. I hope these are my teammates and not more wolves
who are against me and Nero. Before Jasper could recover,
Sydney advanced on him. He swung to protect himself, but
it was sloppy as he was still gulping for air. Sydney swung
her leg with a roundhouse kick to move his hand away and
then swung her other leg to kick him in his chest. Jasper
went to the ground just as a few of her teammates entered
the area–one of which was Arista. 
Jasper recovered faster than Sydney thought he would
and ignored the other wolves that had joined them. Instead,
he flew at her again. He was in a frenzy with his punches,
and once tried to tackle her. Sydney relied heavily on her
instincts and enhanced speed so none of his punches
landed. She managed to land a couple punches, but with
her having to move swiftly, they did not hit him with the
power she wanted. 
 A slight miscalculated step caused Sydney to be off
balanced. Jasper took advantage and tackled her onto the
ground. Sydney attempted to roll Jasper onto his back, but
he used his extra hundred pounds to keep her still. Jasper
punched Sydney in the face, and she heard her cheekbone
crack. Silver snarled on her behalf and released her Alpha
aura on him. Jasper was in a haze from the aura, and his
wolf struggled against it. He was too pissed off to submit to
the aura, but it did cause some disorientation. Sydney used
that to her advantage as she noticed he was sitting higher
on her body than he should have been. She lifted her legs
quickly and wrapped them around his torso. With a yank,
Sydney was able to use the momentum to pull Jasper onto
his side. Continuing with the motion, she was able to get
herself on top of him. Jasper realized that the tables had
turned and swung upward. Sydney moved in time so she
wouldn’t get hit, but that gave Jasper the advantage to
buck her off him. 
Damn it, she cursed at herself.
Sydney rolled until she could get onto her feet. Jasper
was on his feet now, too, and still did not realize that they
had an audience. 
Alpha, you can Alpha Command him to stop, Arista
suggested. 
No. He wanted this fight because he thinks I shouldn’t
be the Alpha at all. 
“No one moves to help our pitiful She-Alpha,” Jasper
commanded. 
Sydney wanted to laugh. He only had power over the
three others that had joined Arista because he ranked
higher than them. Arista rolled her eyes at Jasper’s
statement as she watched the others stop as if they were
hit with a spell to freeze in place. 
“Are you challenging me, Jasper? Because I am not the
one to challenge. Nero is the Alpha.” 
 “No. I just want to show everyone that you do not belong
in your position.” 
The statement angered Sydney. Jasper only felt this way
because he believed she was only an Omega. I wonder if he
has a connection to Dante, Dahlia or Theresa? Only they
would spread the word to everyone that I am only an
Omega. 
Before she could say another word, Jasper lunged at her
again. When he swung this time, Sydney grabbed his wrist,
stepped inside of him, used his momentum to assist her to
throw him over her body. Jasper clearly did not expect her
to be able to do this because when he landed onto the
ground, his facial expression was pure shock. Sydney put
her right foot against his chest and glared down at him.
She then twisted his wrist just enough to nearly break it. 
“I am Sydney Danvers, daughter of Sebastian Danvers,
Delta of the Ember Forest Pack. I am Nero’s mate and your
She-Alpha regardless of how you feel about that. Either
submit and stop this useless fighting, or I will break every
damn bone in your body until you realize that I am not
going anywhere.” 
Arista was beaming at her from where she stood. Jasper
growled as if he was going to say no, but then Sydney felt
the presence of the one person she knew Jasper would not
even dare to challenge. Nero’s Alpha presence swept over
the area like the cool breeze. Warren, Merida, and the rest
of the wolves in the game surrounded them in a circle.
Nero continued to walk until he stood over Jasper as well. 
“What. Is. Going. On?” Nero said through gritted teeth. 
Sydney knew that Jasper’s punch to her face had to have
left a mark. Nero was staring at her cheekbone, and his
eyes were bouncing between blue and gold, the color of his
wolf’s eyes. Sydney did not move off Jasper but waited for
him to say another word against her so she could break his
wrist. She was not going to allow anyone to disrespect her
anymore. She was not an Omega. She was not pitiful. She
would not be abused because she now knew her true
worth, and not even Nero would be able to make her loosen
her grip.
“Jasper here has stated that I do not belong in this pack
nor in the position of Alpha because I am nothing but an
Omega,” Sydney said in a tone that made it sound as if this
were a casual conversation. 
Nero glared down at Jasper. “What do you have to say
for yourself, Zeta?” 
“You are too young to realize that having someone
beneath your position of Alpha as your mate only brings
down your pack. She should have been an Alpha! Not an
Omega.” 
“Young or not, I know Sydney was chosen for me by the
Moon Goddess. Are you challenging our Goddess’s
choice?” 
“Our Goddess must have made a mistake! This she-wolf
must be aligned with a Witch and have a spell placed on
you!”
Sydney twisted on his wrist. Jasper yelped in pain and
then glared up at her. Sydney growled at him and pressed
further onto his neck. “I am not aligned with anyone other
than this pack. You are allowing your prejudice to cloud
your judgment even though you know that the Goddess
chooses each True Mate to complete the soul of each
wolf.” 
“You were chosen for Draxton Romero. Not Nero.” 
Sydney twisted his wrist a little more. “And that asshole
was from an Alpha line and rejected what the Goddess had
given him. The Goddess then chose Nero for me, also an
Alpha. I was chosen for Alphas because I was destined to
be an Alpha, and with the mark on my neck, clearly I was
chosen as a True Mate because I AM AN ALPHA!” 
“You have two choices, Jasper. Either apologize to your
She-Alpha and accept her place within the pack, or choose
banishment from the Solar Valley pack for the clear
disrespect to your Alpha.” 
Jasper’s nostrils flared in anger at the two choices.
Neither of them were a choice he wanted to make. A few
moments passed without an answer from the wolf. Nero
grew impatient. 
“You have ten seconds to decide.” 
“I would rather leave this pack than be ruled by an
Omega.” 
“Fine. I, Nero Underwood, Alpha of the Solar Valley
pack and Southern Sanction, banish Jasper Harding from
this pack.” 
Sydney felt the link to Jasper within the pack bonds
snap. Jasper screamed out from the pain of having the
connection break, and his breathing became rapid. She let
go of his wrist and walked over to stand next to Nero, her
head held high and proud. Jasper slowly stood up and took
a look around. Before he could say anything, Nero spoke
once again. 
“Leave now before I allow Sydney to finish what she
started. I know better than to tell you to apologize. You
were never a decent enough man to admit when you were
wrong. Quite frankly, I am surprised you have lasted this
long inside of the pack, much less made it into the top six.
My father and mother may have tolerated a little more of
your attitude, but I waited for the day that you would show
your true colors.” 
Sydney was surprised at Nero’s words. It was confusing
since she never heard a bad word said about Jasper until
now. However, she was still getting to know the entire
history of the pack and its members. 
Jasper narrowed his eyes at Nero. Sydney could tell he
wanted to say something but was choosing not to. It was in
his best interest for Jasper to keep his mouth shut in
Sydney’s opinion. She never thought Nero could be scary.
Though standing next to him, feeling his power roll off him
in waves as he stared down Jasper, she realized that her
mate was much scarier than she knew. It did not matter
that he was Alpha. Sydney could see that Nero would be
scary without the Alpha aura pulsing around him. 
“Leave. Now.” 
Jasper listened to Nero and walked back toward the
pack house. 
“Anyone else have a problem with Sydney being your
She-Alpha? Speak now so there are no further problems
within our pack.” 
No one moved or spoke out. Sydney scanned the crowd
and noticed that many of the wolves were smiling at her. It
was as if they were waiting for Sydney to show that she
was the Alpha they all knew her to be. 
“Good. Now, since Jasper ruined our game, I will just
end training for today. Rest up before our party to
celebrate Arista’s birthday later.” 
A collection of “yes, Alpha” came from the crowd.
Everyone dispersed except for Warren, Merida, and Arista.
Merida walked over and draped her arm around Sydney’s
shoulders, and Arista was beaming with pride at Sydney as
she stood before her. 
“Nice work. I didn’t doubt for a second that you
wouldn’t be able to handle him,” Arista praised. 
“Are you kidding? Sydney would have hurt that mutt if
he made another move. You could almost hear his bone
creaking as if it was a piece of wood being bent!” 
“Didn’t doubt you for a second either, Alpha. No idea
why Jasper seemed to think you were an Omega. That was
not your status at all, no matter what you may have been
assigned in the past” Warren added. 
“Judgmental asshole could not see past status. He said
stuff like that here and there when he thought no one was
paying attention to him. Problem with that was I was
always listening.” Nero shook his head in disappointment.
“I was always waiting for him to do something like this. I
just thought he would have acted out against Arista, not
Sydney.” 
Arista cocked an eyebrow at him, “why me?” 
“He had a small issue with a she-wolf being in the
hierarchy.” 
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Arista asked him. 
“Because he only said shit when he thought no one
could hear him! I was hoping the dumbass would challenge
you. Then he would have gotten his ass kicked by a she-
wolf sooner.” 
Nero’s statement caused them to laugh. He then looked
over at Sydney and lifted her head toward him. When he
used his hand to guide her head to give him a better look at
her cheek, a growl emitted from his chest. 
“I should have let you break his wrist for this alone.” 
“No need to give this any more thought. He is out of our
lives anyway.” 
“Okay love birds. Let’s get back to the house so we can
party it up!” Merida exclaimed and then jogged toward the
house. 
Warren smiled and chased after her. Nero had to agree
and pulled on Sydney to follow. 
Yeah, time to relax.
N ero wanted to join Sydney in the shower, but told her
that he had to notify the Council of Jasper’s
banishment. He seemed hesitant for this conversation.
Sydney asked him why, and he told her that the Council
may or may not accept the reasoning behind why Nero
banished him. With them playing the game, it added some
blurriness to the line and whether or not Jasper actually
crossed it or not. Sydney reminded Nero that Jasper did not
attack her because they were playing the game. Instead, he
wanted to show the pack that she was not fit to be the She-
Alpha or to be Nero’s mate, which he expressed in the
presence of several witnesses. Nero nodded, kissed Sydney
on her forehead, and then walked down the hall toward his
office. 
Sydney walked up to their room, showered quickly, and
then stared at the contents inside of her closet. Arista
refused to allow the party to be anything more than just a
gathering of the pack with a possible cake. Merida tried to
convince her to have a theme to where they could all dress
up, but Arista made it clear that if it was anything more
than a barbeque in the backyard, she was not coming. Even
though it was not a fancy affair, Sydney was not sure what
she should wear. 
I have never been to a party. What the hell do I wear?
Sydney reached out to Arista, Merida, and Marie. 
I vote for something comfy, but sexy, Merida advised. 
Of course you would suggest that, Merida. Sweetheart,
wear something that you will want to mingle in, Marie
offered logically.
But can also spark some lust from your mate, Merida
added. 
Does that suggestion go for me, too? Arista asked. 
Duh! Make Jake regret not seeing you all day. Make him
drool. As matter of fact, I am coming to your room and
picking out your outfit, Merida answered Arista. 
Why me? Sydney asked for your help first! Alpha gets
first dibs, Arista whined. 
Sydney stopped paying attention. She was on her own
now that Merida had found a new project. 
Operation Matchmaker 2.0 is underway! Merida
gleefully screamed. 
Sydney shook her head as she walked through her
closet. Over the last three weeks, Merida had managed to
gain access to the pack’s credit card and went shopping on
Sydney’s behalf. Merida knew Sydney’s sizes and her
minimal exposure to shopping, so she took it upon herself
to just buy some clothes for Sydney and put them in her
closet. Sydney had a sneaking suspicion that she had
conspired with Nero to do this as well because a few of the
shirts and undies were a little skimpier than she usually
wore. Nero pulled out one of the g-strings and wagged his
eyebrows at her while mentioning that Merida had good
taste. 
It did not help that when she wore that g-string, Nero
spent most of the night torturing her with images of what
he wanted to do to her with them on through their mate
bond. When they walked out of the meeting that Nero held
through a video conference, something about possibly
holding a conference to discuss any concerns anyone had,
Nero also teased her under the table by lifting up her skirt.
Due to the only thing stopping him being a simple string of
fabric, he managed to make her beg for a release as soon
as the meeting was over. 
Sydney managed to find a pair of faded jeans, a cerulean
blue tank top, and a white button up shirt to wear. She felt
as though she had to be modest with her being the She-
Alpha. As she was slipping on a pair of gray flats, Nero
walked into the room. He did not seem as tense as he had
when he left for the meeting, so Sydney took that as a good
sign. 
“How did the meeting with the Council go?” She asked
him. 
“They agreed with our decision. Thank you for
reminding me of why Jasper did what he did. I was able to
rely on how Jasper truly felt about his Alphas and that he
made the decision for himself to be banished after I offered
two options. They felt as though we handled it the way we
should have at the time.” Nero sat on the bed and began to
take off his shoes and socks. 
“All that worrying for nothing,” Sydney said to him as
she sat down next to him. 
“Yeah. One problem down. Another to go.”
Sydney raised an eyebrow at him, “another to go?” 
Nero nodded. “Yeah. The whole thing with Arista and
Jake.” 
“I’m not entirely sure if it is a problem to worry about.
Jake is on patrol. It’s not like he is actively avoiding her.” 
Nero looked down at the ground. “Yeah, but it has been
on my mind ever since you said it. He could have asked for
someone to switch patrols with him so he could be there for
her today. If she feels the pull toward him, then I have no
doubt he is her mate, which means he should have felt it,
too.” He turned his head to look at Sydney. “Has she
mentioned anything else to you?” 
“No. She played the game at training today and is now
being coached by Merida as to what she should wear
tonight.” 
“Great. Merida is the fashion coach tonight. I can’t
imagine what she will have Arista wearing. She should be
dressed as she would prefer. Mates should find each other
as they truly are when the bond is realized.” 
Sydney giggled at the thought. “Arista already told her
that she was not going to dress fancy or anything she
would not feel comfortable in. I am sure she won’t be
wearing something that you would not approve of.” 
Nero flopped himself back onto the bed. “I do not have
full confidence in that. Merida has some sneaky ways of
convincing people to do things.”
“Like handing over your credit card?” 
“As a matter of fact, YES!” 
Sydney laughed at him. 
“Go take a shower. I am going to go downstairs and see
if anyone needs help setting up for the party.” 
Nero shockingly listened and walked toward the
bathroom. “First I keep getting made fun of, then hustled to
hand over my credit card, now I am being bossed around
by my female. When did I lose my edge?” He grumbled as
he walked into the bathroom. 
Sydney laughed quietly to herself, partially feeling bad
for Nero about what he said, and then walked downstairs.
Marie was helping the rest of the Omegas with the food
that was being prepared. Sydney offered to help cook, but
none of them would have it. Instead, Marie handed her a
large plate and said to bring it to Nathaniel. The plate was
filled with various meats, so Sydney assumed that
Nathaniel was on grilling duty. As she stepped outside, the
warm Southern air swept over her. Even though winter was
approaching, the South kept its warm temperatures.
Sydney was thankful for that. She hated being cold. 
Sydney found Nathaniel in front of three separate grills.
He turned to face her, and he was wearing an apron that
had a full moon with grill marks on it. Sydney could not
help herself and laughed at the image. Nathaniel smiled at
her and took the plate of food from her. 
“Nero bought this for me when he was a kid for Father’s
Day. I love this apron.” Nathaniel beamed with pride. 
“That is a very cool apron, Nathaniel.” 
“Coolest one I ever saw. I am so glad the Omegas are
able to keep it in good condition. I will cry when this thing
has reached the end of its life.” Nathaniel added a few
pieces of steak, sausages, hot dogs, and hamburgers on the
grills. 
“How old was Nero when he bought it for you.”
“Twelve. Rose took him into town and told him to
purchase whatever he thought would make me happy. She
told me it had taken him hours to go through the stores and
find something he thought would actually make me happy.
Then he found this. Without a second thought, he took it off
the rack and paid for it. It made me snort when I saw it,
and now I wear it every single time I grill for the pack. The
Omegas ended up figuring out that if they just hand wash it
and hang it up to dry, it does less damage to it.” 
Sydney smiled as Nathaniel recounted the memory. It
almost seemed as if he was reliving the moment as he told
the story. She felt Nero walk out of the house at the tail end
of the memory. He walked over to them, and she caught
him smiling at the apron. 
“Using the trusty apron?”
“Won’t grill without it!” 
Nero then looked down at Sydney. “Where is the
birthday girl?” 
Sydney took a look around. She realized that she had
not even looked for Arista yet. “I honestly haven’t even
looked for her yet. But since I can’t seem to spot her, I am
going to assume that Merida is trying to hassle her until
Arista wears something that she approves of.” 
“I somehow do not see that going well,” Nathaniel joked.
“Why do you say that? It’s not like Arista is our top she-
wolf warrior or anything.” Nero sarcastically added. 
Sydney stared at the door as Arista walked out of the
house with Merida in tow. Arista was wearing a pair of
black combat boots, camo leggings, and a forest green shirt
that had fabric that flowed down to her knees. Arista was
wearing her hair down with loose curls. Sydney was not
sure, but it also seemed like Merida had talked Arista into
wearing a small amount of make-up as well that appeared
to be a natural look that accented her high cheekbones and
eyes.
Nero followed Sydney’s line of sight, and Sydney could
see from her peripherals that his mouth had fallen open.
Clearly, Arista had never dressed this way before. If Sydney
was not gaining confidence that Nero was hers and only
hers, she would be wanting to rip Arista apart right now. 
“What are you two kids looking at?” Nathaniel asked
and then turned around. “Holy shit. What did Merida do to
our Arista?” 
“Merida brought out what was naturally there,” Sydney
answered him. 
“More like used her magic that should be forbidden,”
Nero grumbled. 
Arista walked over to them with a smile. However, her
eyes did not portray the same amount of happiness that she
was trying to show with the smile. 
He has not even reached out to her. 
Give me the word and I will bite him. 
“Happy Birthday, Arista!” Sydney, Nathaniel, and Nero
said at the same time. 
Arista gave each of them a hug and said thank you.
Merida was beaming with pride as Sydney noticed that
many of the males around them were staring at Arista’s
new look. 
Am I good or what? Merida used the mindlink to
Sydney. 
How did you convince her to dress like this? 
Hey, she said I could not get her into a dress or anything
fancy. This is neither but still has the same effect. She does
not know that I can work magic in a fashionable way to
make a simple outfit look like you belong at a ball
regardless of the attire. 
Sydney held in her laugh. You got that right. 
The sun was setting, which meant that it was close to
seven o’clock. Merida and Sydney did their best to keep
Arista preoccupied with mingling and even some games.
There was a jumbo Jenga that really kept Arista’s mind off
of everything considering that, at one point, the pieces
were too high for them to reach. Which led to a step ladder
getting involved and both Merida and Sydney almost losing
their balance while putting a block on top of the tower. 
All the food was prepared and brought out by the
Omegas. It was a true Southern cookout. There were plenty
of meat options like barbecued ribs with a vinegary BBQ
sauce, perfectly fried chicken that had extra crispy skin
with a perfect blend of salt and pepper within the batter,
steaks with the criss cross pattern from the grill, and even
some burgers as well. There were mounds of grilled corn
that was drizzled with butter and collard greens cooked
with onions and bacon. Sydney noticed a few huge pots
filled with crawfish that had creole or a butter garlic
seasoning on them as well. Sydney figured it was due to
Arista growing up in one of the only areas of the country
that was able to fish this particular seafood. All the smells
wafted in the air, and Sydney swore she heard multiple
wolves’ stomachs growling when it finally hit their nose. 
Now this is a party. Look at all this food! I never
experienced this at Ember Forest. 
 No one cared enough to do something like this in
Ember Forest. 
Silver was not wrong. 
When everyone had made themselves a plate, Sydney
told the Omegas that they could eat and relax for a while so
they could enjoy the party too. They did not hesitate and
joined in. 
They know they can join in, Nero told her. 
Where I came from, Omegas were not allowed to join in.
I don’t care if they know or not. I want to be sure that they
understand that they do not have to work all day. 
Nero put his arm around her waist and pulled her close
to him while they sat at a picnic table. After they all ate,
Marie brought out the cake with another Omega. It was a
simple one with three tiers, decorated with different greens
in the icing, and a big 21 on display at the top. The pack
gathered together to sing happy birthday, and Arista blew
out her candles. Sydney noticed that Arista held her eyes
shut as she made a wish, and it took her a while before she
opened them to blow them out. 
How much do you want to bet that poor girl just wished
for Jake to be her mate, Merida said through mindlink. 
I don’t even want to think about that. 
Sydney felt Silver push onto the edge of her mind. The
Wolf was attempting to push a shift. I'm telling you, just
let me bite him! 
Sydney managed to keep Silver contained. It helped
when Nero draped his arm over her shoulder as if he could
feel Silver wanting to shift through their bond. 
Music began to play, and Sydney had to look around to
see where it was coming from. Somehow, someone
managed to set up the speakers inside of the trees and the
rafters of the porch. The music itself was very catchy and
had all the right rhythms to dance. Merida pulled Sydney
out in the middle of the yard and began to sway and move
her body to it. Sydney had never done anything like this
before and was not sure how to move. Feelings of
awkwardness and everyone staring at her made her freeze
in place as she looked around at those standing on the
sides. 
Warren had run over to his mate to join her, dragging
Chris over with him. The three of them looked comfortable
together. Warren was facing Merida and Chris was behind
her. All of them swaying to the beat. 
Sydney nearly whined as the fear of looking out of place
took over. When she felt a soft hand slide into hers and spin
her around, she was surprised to find the person to be
Arista. Her friend gave her a smile and guided Sydney with
moving her arms and hips to the music. 
Just like at training. Follow my movement and do what
feels natural, Arista told her through mindlink. 
I feel like a fool. I don’t know what I am doing, Sydney
responded. 
So what? Listen to the rhythm and then allow it to tell
your body what to do. Just like letting your instincts guide
you when training. 
Sydney closed her eyes and tuned everything out that
was not music. The music had an upbeat melody, and she
allowed her body to move to what felt natural. She felt
herself sway and dip her hips to it. Soon after that her feet
began to move on their own. Even her arms began to sway
and move freely. Before she knew it, Sydney had a smile on
her face. 
I’m dancing. 
When she opened her eyes, Sydney expected to see
Arista still dancing before her. Instead, it was Nero. The
song changed, and Sydney found the melody to this one
even more engaging than the last. Nero danced in front of
her for a moment, following the music like Sydney. Then he
grabbed her left hand in his right and put his right hand on
her waist. 
 Allow yourself to move to my movements as I guide you.
His voice sounded deeper as he looked down at her body as
it moved to the music. 
Sydney listened. Nero led her movements as if they had
danced together for years. Even though it was her first
time being led by a partner in dance, it came as natural to
her as breathing. He half spun her causing her ass to go
into his crotch, and they both moved their hips in sync.
Sydney found herself laughing as it happened, and then he
half spun her again. She felt light on her feet, and the
worry of people watching her disappeared. 
Just like any negative emotion I seem to have these
days. Nero and this pack just make them disappear as if
they never existed. 
When the song was over, Sydney wrapped her hands
around his neck and kissed him. She could feel the smile on
his lips as she did. 
Uh, Syd. Look who finally joined the party, Merida
interrupted. 
Sydney turned to find Merida looking over at the porch.
She followed Merida’s line of vision, and her eyes landed
on Jake standing on the porch staring in Arista’s direction.
Arista was dancing with a packmate that was a little taller
than her with dark hair. Sydney could not tell who it was
because he was bent down to where he could talk in
Arista’s ear where only she could have possibly heard him. 
Well, Arista still could have heard him, maybe, but I’m
pretty sure he was trying to make a move on her. 
Jake’s growl permeated through the music and the
pack’s conversations. Sydney looked over at Merida and
gave her a smirk. Looks like someone feels the same way. 
Merida gave a smirk back. And looks like someone is
about to put on a show. 
Jake stomped over toward Arista, who somehow did not
hear the growl or just did not pay any attention to it.
Sydney wanted to give her a heads up through the mindlink
but then thought better of it. The small number of
packmates in the dance area parted ways so Jake could
walk through them until he reached Arista. Jake placed his
hand on Arista and softly pushed her away from the wolf
that she was dancing with. 
“Mine,” Jake growled at the wolf, who Sydney realized
was James, a non-hierarchy member of the pack. 
James glared at first, but then his facial expression
changed when he recognized who was standing before him.
“I apologize, Gamma.” He said as he lifted his hands in
surrender and backed away from Arista. 
“Jake, what the hell! That was rude! Don’t you dare act
as though you care when you have been avoiding me ALL
DAY! Who the hell do you think you-”
Jake silenced her by pulling her into him and covering
her mouth with his. Arista lifted her arm as if she was
going to punch him, but then sunk into his arms and
returned his affection. Jake broke the kiss first and
repeated “mine” to her. 
“Yours,” Arista responded with the biggest smile on her
face that Sydney had ever seen since she came here. 
The crowd broke out in cheers, and Sydney noticed
Arista blushing. Merida was bouncing up and down while
clapping, clearly happy that she was right about them
being mates. Nero broke away from Sydney as he walked
over to Jake and clapped his hand against his shoulder. 
“Welcome to the club, man!” Nero exclaimed. 
Warren made his way over to do the same. When Nero
hugged Arista, Sydney noticed a smile on their faces that
only they had when talking to one another. They truly had a
bond like siblings did, and it showed in this moment. 
Just when Sydney began to walk over to give Arista a
hug herself, an alarm blared through the speakers in place
of music. Before anyone knew what was happening, wolves
descended into the yard and began attacking the pack. 
 “ROGUES!” Someone shouted, and Sydney watched
Nero, Jake, Warren, and Arista quickly shift into their
wolves. 
Just before Sydney pulled on the magic to shift into
Silver, she felt something collide on the back of her head. 
Then there was nothing but darkness.
T he moment a gray colored wolf sprung out of the
nearby bush and into the yard, Nero sprang into
action by shifting himself. Kane’s deep gray coat mixed
with light gray collided with the other gray coated wolf.
With both wolves snapping their jaws at each other, Nero
had to jump back and relaunch himself at the wolf to get an
advantage. Nero feigned to the left so the wolf would show
him his flank. When it did, he changed the direction of his
attack and sank his fangs into its side. He made sure to
throw his head back and forth to open a large enough gash
so it would take longer to heal. The wolf attempted to grab
onto any body part it could so it could slow Nero down, but
it did not work. Nero let go of the flank and leapt onto its
back. When his mouth wrapped around its neck, Nero was
able to shake his head violently enough to snap it. 
Nero looked up to find Warren, Jake, and Arista also in a
fight with a wolf each, and the rest of the pack that had not
shifted were swinging large tree branches to herd the other
wolves into a small circle. Nero ran over to the group,
shifted back into his human form, and let loose his Alpha
aura to stop them in their tracks. With Nero being the
Alpha of the sanction, it still had an effect on the wolves
even though they were packless. They all stopped and
looked at Nero. A few still growled and snarled but stayed
in place. Nero counted seven of them. Warren, Jake, and
Arista, who were still in wolf form, walked over and
remained as wolves. That meant there were eleven total,
and his team just made the body count four. 
“One of you, shift,” Nero said with a little of his aura
laced in his words. 
None of them moved. 
“Either one of you shift and tell me why the fuck you
thought it was a clever idea to attack my pack, or I will kill
you all where you stand.” 
A black wolf with a white underbelly began to shift into
his human form. The man was not as tall as Nero, nor as
wide, but he was still plenty thick enough to be a possible
higher-ranking wolf. The wolf stood with his shoulders back
and with an air of confidence that surprised Nero. He had
black hair, dark eyes, and a beard. Nero could smell that
the poor wolf had not had access to a shower in a while
from his stench. 
“What is your name and reason to attack us
tonight.”  Nero demanded with a hint of his Alpha Aura
within his tone.
“I am Clyde. We were following orders.” 
Nero took a step closer and growled, “whose
orders.” His aura rolled off him in waves. 
“We were Alpha Commanded to not speak of that. I am
unable to tell you. They even commanded that we are not
able to write it either. We cannot speak as to who is
ordering us or why.” 
Nero wanted to knock this wolf out but knew it would be
out of anger. The one behind this was a very smart person
to think of banding rogues together, forming a small pack
so they could be an Alpha, and then Commanding the
wolves in such a way that was fool proof. That was the only
way these wolves could be bound in such a way. 
“Pledge your allegiance to me. That will break the
Command.” 
Clyde hung his head, “apologies, Alpha. Our Alpha
thought of that, too.” 
Nero snarled as he stepped away from the wolves. They
all hung their heads lower in response. They are all
frightened. I can smell it on them. 
There is nothing more that they can tell us, man. Let’s
offer them refuge in our cells for the time being. We can
station guards on them as they get themselves cleaned up
and fed. We will figure this out for ourselves, Warren
suggested. 
A collective agreement came from Jake and Arista. Nero
agreed with it himself. There was no point in taking out his
anger on these poor wolves. It was the mastermind behind
them that deserved his rage. Nero delegated the tasks to
his top three and made the others assist them. As they all
slowly walked back toward the house, Nero took a look
around. 
Where is Sydney? 
Nero lifted his nose and breathed in to catch her scent.
A faint whiff of blueberries came to him from the direction
where they danced. He scanned the area, but she was
nowhere to be found. Nero shifted back into Kane and
allowed his enhanced abilities to take over. Kane trotted
over to where their mate once stood, and her blueberry
scent was stronger, but that is the only place where her
scent was in the entire area. It was as if aliens abducted
her where she stood. 
Then another scent caught his attention. One that he
had never encountered before, and it was none of the
rogues that he just demanded information from. Kane put
his nose to the ground and followed it. When it ended at the
tree line, Kane threw his head back and howled followed by
a snarl. Within seconds, Warren, Jake, and Arista were at
his side once more. This time, they were clothed. 
“Alpha, what’s wrong?” Warren threw a pair of pants at
him. 
Nero shifted back and put on the pair of pants. “Sydney
is gone.”
The three of them growled at such a ferocity that it
almost matched Nero’s when he was pissed off. Arista was
the first one to speak first. 
“How the hell was she taken without anyone noticing?”
Arista began to look around the area to find a trail to
follow. 
“We were distracted by the attack. That is how. Whoever
is behind this is intelligent. Distracting us with an attack
and stealing our She-Alpha. No one mentioned that they
noticed someone near Sydney?” Nero stomped toward the
house to go to the War Room. 
“Not that we are aware of, Nero. I’m sure anyone who
saw something would have spoken to you by now,
regardless of being attacked. Or chased after them and
mindlinked us,” Arista added. 
Arista is right. No one in this pack would keep
something like this from me or anyone else for that matter. 
As soon as Nero entered the room, he immediately
picked up a chair and threw it against the wall. It shattered
into a million pieces. He heard Arista jump at the sound,
not expecting Nero to lose control. 
“How can we find her?” 
“This girl seems to have a thing for disappearing and
leaving us scratching our heads while we try to figure out
how to track her down,” Warren joked. 
Nero quickly turned, grabbed Warren by the throat, and
slammed him against the wall. “Now is not the time to test
me or make a joke. My mate was fucking taken from me
once again.” 
 Warren remained calm and did not attempt to struggle
against Nero. He even averted his eyes so Nero would not
feel challenged in any way. Warren was using every tactic
he could to keep Nero calm even though he had Warren by
the throat. Nero took a deep breath and then let Warren go.
Instead of being angry, Warren put his hand on Nero’s
shoulder. 
“We will bring her home. Nothing will stop us from
getting her back.” 
Nero nodded and went to his computer. He knew that all
the packs were keeping track of rogue movement in case of
an attack. Nero remembered how rogues forged together
to try to take down the Black Lake Pack from the Northern
Sanction not too long ago. Since then, the Sanction leaders
felt as though this would limit the ability for another attack
like this. 
How wrong we were. 
Nero opened the spreadsheet and tried to find a pattern.
As he looked through each line of data, a growl slowly
began to build in his throat. There was no pattern that he
could see. It was an all-natural movement that would be
expected. There was no indication of a new pack forming
anywhere in the data. It did not even appear as if more
than three wolves were traveling together at any given
time. 
What the hell am I missing? 
Who is our enemy right now? Have we made any in
the last month or so?
One name came to mind. Nero’s growl escaped his
throat, and he felt his friends back away from him. His
hands were wrapped around the edges of the desk, and he
heard the cracking of wood as he white knuckled them. 
DANTE ROMERO. 
Nero’s video conference app began to ring on the
computer. The name displayed was the Alpha of a local
pack. It was one of the smaller packs inside of the Southern
Sanction. They were roughly an hour away inside of the
mountains. Scarlet Mountain to be exact. 
“Why is Hunter calling you? He never reaches out and
barely wants to join in the conference calls we set up,”
Warren pointed out. 
Nero hit the enter key to answer the call. The face on
the screen was not the burly red-headed Alpha of the
Scarlet Mountain Pack. Instead, it was the one person Nero
wished he could have killed from the moment he met him. 
Dante’s dark complexion, hair, and eyes stared back at
him with a shit-eating grin on his face. The wolf did not
have a shirt on, and Nero had a suspicion as to why. Nero
deprived his face of any emotion so Dante would not be
able to get a read on him. Keeping his face blank and his
emotions under control would be the best defense right
now. He could not allow Dante to know that he had pushed
the one button that he never should have. 
“Hello, pup. I am so glad you answered my call.” 
“What can I do for you, Dante?” 
“How about we chat for a moment?” Dante asked with a
grin. 
“You have my attention.” 
“You have taken something from me, and you did not
answer for it.” 
Nero’s facial expression remained blank, but he had a
feeling he knew what Dante was about to say. “I have?” 
“Oh yes. My son.” 
There you have it. 
“You came into my home and killed my son without an
actual trial. You bypassed speaking to the Council before
you took his life. For that, you must answer for your
crime.” 
“I have a right as Alpha of the Sanction to make that
sort of judgment without taking the accused in front of the
Council, Dante. You are well aware of that. You were once
an Alpha.” 
 “I AM STILL AN ALPHA YOU INSOLENT PUP!” 
Did I strike a nerve? Nero asked his friends. 
I think you did. Jake kept the laugh inside of the
mindlink. 
“As far as I am aware, you handed your pack over to
your son. Then he broke a law, which I am sure you taught
him, and then I had to execute him for his crime, which I
did notify the Council about, by the way. They felt the right
decision was made.”
Dante’s face distorted in anger. His breathing became
erratic. Nero could tell that his skin was nearly bubbling,
as if he was restraining himself from shifting. 
“Then I was told that Brad kicked your ass in a Position
Challenge. So, again, as far as I am aware of, you are not
an Alpha.” 
“Wrong. I just killed Hunter of the Scarlet Mountain
Pack and took his place. I am the Alpha of Scarlet
Mountain.” 
I had a feeling that is what happened after we saw him
instead of Hunter, Arista stated inside of mindlink. 
“You have no grounds to put me on trial, Dante. Is there
anything else you wish to discuss with me?” Nero kept his
tone calm, cool, and collected, which only seemed to make
Dante angrier. 
“I challenge you to become the Alpha of the Southern
Sanction,” Dante said through his teeth. 
Nero cocked an eyebrow at him. “What makes you think
you can win against me when you couldn’t even win against
Brad? Brad isn’t even the second strongest Alpha in our
Sanction.” 
“I would advise you to take this challenge, boy.
Regardless of how powerful you think I am not.” 
“And why is that?” 
Dante’s face slowly moved into the shit-eating grin he
started the call with. Nero kept his facial expression blank,
but he did not like the look of that grin. Dante moved the
camera so it could show what was behind him. It became
harder to keep his face blank when Nero saw what Dante
wanted him to see. 
Sydney was in a ball within a cell. It was clear that she
had been crying from the stains on her face. She was
wearing a see-through black fabric that seemed to be a
second skin on her. Before Nero could respond to Dante for
this despicable way to treat a She-Alpha, Nero noticed
something else. 
Sydney was in chains. 
HOW DARE HE LOCK OUR MATE IN A CELL
WEARING CHAINS! HE WILL DIE BY OUR HANDS!
Kane screamed within his mind. 
Nero heard growls reverberate in the chests of his
friends behind him as floating black lines danced in front of
his vision, his blood pressure skyrocketing. Each of them
were just as pissed off as he was at seeing Sydney in the
state she was in. Nero swallowed hard as he breathed
through his rush of rage. He could not show Dante how he
was pushing his wolf to the point of shifting. 
Dante returned to being in front of the camera. His grin
was now a smile, knowing that he pushed the right button
inside of Nero. “If you do not accept my challenge, I will do
worse to her than you did to my son. I will treat her as the
slave she once was but also command her to do things that
will make her regret being mated to you.” 
“You wish to threaten me with my mate to force me into
this challenge? That is breaking Pack Law, Romero.” 
“If you do not come here by midnight tomorrow, I will
video tape everything I command your precious mate to do.
When I am finished, I will send it to you along with her
mangled body. Show up before that time, I will kill her as
soon as you arrive.” 
Dante ended the call. When the screen went back to the
desktop screen of the waterfall Nero wanted to take
Sydney to, Nero lost his composure. He leapt from his chair
and flipped the table as he did. 
“I WILL RIP THIS PIECE OF SHIT APART!” Nero’s
scream bounced off the walls.
His friends did their best not to wince in front of him or
look him in his eyes. Nero was on the edge of losing all
control. Kane pushed on his mind, begging Nero to allow
him to shift so he could run to their mate and kill anyone in
his path that tried to stop him. 
“What is the plan, Alpha?” Warren asked in a hushed
tone, attempting to not trigger Nero further. 
“I am obviously going to have to accept this challenge.” 
Warren nodded, but then asked another question. “Do
you think you should bring us along? To make sure that
they do not ambush you.” 
Nero paced in the area where he once sat. The computer
that he flipped over with the table was in pieces from his
outburst. 
Can we trust that Dante will not kill her regardless? 
Dante is many things. But that is one thing I do not
think he would do. 
Why the hell not?
Even though he is vile, he still played by the rules.
Maybe bending them from time to time, but never
breaking them. 
Nero had to agree with his wolf. There was never any
evidence against what Kane had said. 
“I will take you three with me. That is it. Be sure to not
break any Pack Law, even if they do. I want to be sure that
as we do this, there will be no reason for the Council to
condemn us.” 
Nero yanked the door open to leave. 
“Nero, should we notify the Council about this?” Arista
called out as he stepped through the doorway.
“No. If we happen to do something like that, it could
cause Dante to kill her. We have to follow his rules to the T.
He did not say I couldn’t bring you three. However, he sees
this as his way of being the judge this time. I made the
decision to kill his son without the Council, so we will not
go to the Council about this.” 
Nero left without another word. When he made it to his
room, he wanted to leave to kill Dante before the challenge.
The smell of blueberries overwhelmed him. Sydney’s
presence was still as strong as it ever was, and it was the
last thing he needed. He had to keep it together and not do
anything rash. But her scent was intoxicating and made it
difficult to not jump into action to bring her home. 
We will bring her home. Kane’s voice was dark and
dangerous. 
Nero had never heard his wolf’s voice this way. Before
he tried to wrangle his wolf into submission, Nero realized
why and stopped himself. Kane was missing his mate like
Nero. Silver and Sydney meant the world to him just as
much as they did to Nero. He never experienced this before
in his life. Not even with Krista. 
Yes, we will. I promise. 
Let. Me. Shift. I will bring her home now. 
No, Kane. We must follow the rules. If we don’t, he could
kill her. He set the parameters of this challenge. If we
break any of them, the Council could sway in his direction. 
I don’t like this. 
Me either. We need rest so we can be in top condition
tomorrow. 
Kane growled at Nero, and he ignored him. Kane had to
know Nero was right, so he climbed into the bed but
struggled to sleep. Sydney’s scent of blueberries only made
his heart ache. Instead of allowing it to make him stay
awake all night, Nero walked down to an empty room
inside of the pack house. His emotions disappeared once
her scent was no longer around him. When Nero hit the
bed and pillow, the darkness of sleep claimed him.
I will bring her home. 
S ydney’s eyes fluttered open as she felt cold, hard
ground beneath her. The back of her head felt as if
the skull itself was split open as it thrummed from pain. A
groan escaped from her lips as she attempted to pull
herself from the ground. She stared at her hands that were
now against cement that she did not remember being on
before she was hit in the head. She realized she was also
wearing some sort of black lace that was down to her wrist
and continued into a black glove. 
No, I was in the side yard of the pack house… on dirt
and grass. Not cement. 
It took her at least a minute to slowly get herself into a
sitting position. The movement caused her to be a little
dizzy from the head wound. Once the room stopped
spinning, Sydney blinked several times to clear her vision.
What she did not expect was seeing herself inside of a
cage. 
There was a desk with a computer just outside the bars
with the screen illuminated. Sydney had no idea what could
possibly be on the screen since she had no experience
dealing with computers. The only ones she knew of that she
had a sense of how to read were the cameras that oversaw
her territory. 
The fabric against her skin itched. Sydney looked down
to get a better look at what she was wearing. The entirety
of the dress was the weird lace fabric like on her arms. It
left little to the imagination, and she could see the black
bra and panties she was wearing underneath that she did
not remember putting on that morning. 
Ew, someone changed all of my clothes. 
The worst part of it all were the chains. She did not see
them before, but now they were there clear as day. Sydney
pulled her wrists closer to her so she could examine them.
She did not notice them before due to them being smoke
and not metal. It did not make any kind of sense to her how
this was possible, or what their function was since they
were around her wrists and ankles, but she could still move
freely. 
This does not make sense at all. 
Sydney tried to reach out to Silver to see if she
understood what was going on but was met with nothing.
Silver was not there at all. The chains were to keep her
wolf suppressed. Whoever put these on her knew that
Silver would be a match for them now that she was a She-
Alpha. 
Who would do this to me? 
When the names came to mind, it was as if she
summoned them with her thoughts. Dante, Dahlia and
Draziel walked through a door that Sydney did not see
before due to the darkness of the room. She didn’t need to
see their faces to know it was them. Sydney would never
forget the energy that surrounded these people whenever
she was in their presence–dark, hostile, and dangerous. 
Draziel came to the bars of the cell and the Wolf vision
kicked in. Sydney was not able to physically connect with
Silver, but that did not mean she would not be able to use
Wolf sight and hearing. Draziel had an evil smirk at her
lips. Sydney kept her face as emotionless as she could. The
last thing that she wanted these people to see was any form
of emotion from her. 
“Surprise! Did you think you were hot enough shit to
escape from us? I guess you are as stupid as I always
thought you were,” Draziel said with a growl in her throat. 
Sydney said nothing and made sure that her face did not
give anything away. 
Dahlia appeared next to Draziel, “do not waste your time
on this mutt right now. You will get what was promised to
you soon enough.” 
Draziel spit through the bars toward Sydney, but it did
not make it all the way to where she was seated. Dahlia
looped her arm through Draziel’s and pulled her away from
the cell. Dante remained, but he had his back to her while
he sat at the desk. What happened next was not what she
was expecting. She heard a ringing tone which she
suspected was coming from the computer screen. A weird
sound played next, and then Dante greeted the person on
the other end with, “hello pup. I am so glad you answered
my call.” 
Sydney was not sure how, but she did not expect to hear
Nero’s voice come through the screen. She tried to
maneuver herself to see him, but Dante’s frame kept her
from being able to see the screen. At first, both men
seemed to be calm and collected as they spoke to one
another. Nero seemed a little bored with his tone, but
Dante seemed as if he was talking to someone he wanted to
do business with and still had hope that the deal would still
go through. 
When Dante mentioned that Nero took away Draxton
from him, Sydney wanted to vomit. Not once did the man
ever seem as though he loved his son. She walked every
hallway inside of that house at least ten times a day and
saw every exchange the two of them ever had together. At
no point did it ever seem like Dante had any form of love
for his son. That’s probably why Draxton turned into the
asshole that he did. When someone is not nurtured at all
when they are young, how are they expected to nurture
anyone in their future? Sydney was lucky enough to have
Marie and the other Omegas who saw her as their own
child. Otherwise, Sydney could have possibly been the
same way. 
Unloved and incapable of loving others. 
Nero responded to Dante with logic each time that
Dante tried to get under his skin with a comment he made.
Not once did Sydney see her mate fold and stoop to Dante’s
level. She was proud of the way her mate was handling the
situation. When Nero delivered how even the Council
would not fault him in Draxton’s death, that is when the
situation turned ugly. 
Dante challenged Nero for Alpha of the Sanction. 
Any wolf knew that it was nearly impossible to win
against the Alpha of the Sanction if you were not the top
three inside of the Alphas pack. The Alphas to the packs
under the Sanction’s Alpha were all ranked in an order for
hierarchy purposes, so each wolf knew their place as if it
was one large pack. Still, none of them were a match for
Nero. The only three people who could actually win would
be Warren, Jake, and Arista, and that’s only because they
train with and under him, so they would know his tells and
weaknesses better than anyone. Dante challenging Nero
was a death wish. However, it was clear to Sydney that
Dante did not feel that way. 
It was even more evident when Dante told Nero that he
should take the challenge. 
Sydney watched Dante move so Nero could see past
him. Sydney could see Nero as Dante showed off how
Sydney was inside of a cage. She noticed that the chains
became more corporeal to show Nero that they were there.
Sydney could see the rage in Nero’s eyes and she reached
out to him through the bond. When she was met with a
wall, she remembered how the chains seemed to suppress
her wolf…therefore, of course the bond was, too. Sydney
thought she would just tell Nero that she is fine instead,
but she found herself not being able to speak either. 
Damn these chains are stopping me from doing a lot. I
can’t shift, I can’t connect with Silver at all, I can’t connect
to my mate, and I can’t talk. What the hell are these things
made out of?
Dante made despicable threats and then ended the call.
He looked over at Sydney with a lustful grin. It took
everything she had not to vomit in response to some of
those threats. She had to tell herself to remain rooted in
place to not show emotion to this man. 
“Rest up, Omega. You’re going to need it.” 
Dante walked out of the room after he spoke his
daunting words. She had no idea what those words could
have meant. His threat to Nero had mentioned doing things
to her that sounded as though he would force her to have
sex with him. The thought of that made her skin crawl.
Sydney had walked in on Dante and Dahlia enough to know
that Dante was not a romantic in the bedroom. Sydney
thought she saw knives and cuts on Dahlia once. Sydney
talked about it to Merida to ask if all males were like that,
and thankfully Merida had told her no. Merida explained
that there were many different things that couples would
try in the bedroom to keep things exciting or that it was
just something that heightened their pleasure. However,
Sydney did not think being cut up while having sex would
tickle her fancy…or anything else for that matter. Being
tied up and spanked was one thing. Being made to bleed
while her mate got off at the sight of the blood did not
make things sound fun. 
Please Goddess do not let him touch me. Now that I
have found Nero, he is the only one I want. Dante would
probably beat me to a pulp as he took my body just because
of what happened to Draxton. 
 There was no way for her to get comfortable inside of
the cell. She had a cement floor and a rock for a wall to
lean on. It was far from the comfort of the bed she shared
with Nero which she had come to know and appreciate. The
metal bars were even more comfortable due to the spaces
in between the bars, and the metal was not smooth at all.
She found herself wishing that she could shift into Silver
since the wolf would have no problem sleeping on the
ground. Even though she grew up sleeping on a mattress
that was so old that there was no support left in the
springs, the cement was worse. It’s probably why her
enemies chose this for her. It was a step down from what
she experienced while inside of the Ember Forest pack
house. 
With no clue how much time had passed, Sydney was
able to get comfortable enough while laying on the floor.
She felt herself drift into sleep, and a dream began to form.
Sydney could see Nero’s face forming in a patch of
darkness. His dark hair and green eyes stared at her. A
smile formed as he looked back at her. When he opened his
mouth, it opened wide and the blaring of a horn came out. 
“WAKE UP, OMEGA!” 
Draziel continued to blare the horn as Sydney bolted
upright from laying on the floor. Draziel was on the other
side of the bars with the horn in her hand. Her face was
twisted in delight as Sydney had her hand over her heart
trying to stabilize her breathing after being awoken in such
a rude fashion. 
“Time for your duties, Omega.” Draziel’s face twisted
into an evil smile with all her teeth showing, almost as if
her wolf was smiling at Sydney instead of the human half. 
“Make me, Draziel,” Sydney challenged. “Oh right. You
can’t. You aren’t a She-Alpha strong enough to force me to
do anything.” 
“That is where you are wrong, you mutt. Those chains
around your wrists and ankles do more than suppress your
wolf. I can make you do anything I want. Maybe I should
make you lick my shoes for speaking out against me.” 
Sydney wanted to growl in response. It made her miss
Silver even more since one growl from her could make
Draziel cower in fear. Draziel was never good at seeming
strong when a higher-ranking wolf growled at her. Damn
these chains. 
Dahlia strolled into the room with her chin held high as
if she was the queen of the room. The problem was Sydney
knew that Dahlia would lose now that she was trained if
these chains weren’t around her wrists. When Dahlia
reached the bars, she smiled in the same way Draziel did. If
Sydney didn’t know any better, she would think Draziel was
Dahlia’s daughter. 
“Why, look at the pitiful She-Alpha of the Sanction. All
chained up as if she were a slave instead of the Alpha. How
pathetic.” 
Dahlia snapped her fingers and the chains forced
Sydney to her feet. Sydney tried to say something back to
Dahlia for her pathetic comment, but the chains kept her
from speaking once again. Dahlia opened the bars for
Sydney to walk out of the cell. When Sydney took a step
out, she felt her foot connect with something, and she
tumbled onto the ground. Draziel laughed hysterically, and
Sydney realized that Draziel had tripped her. What was
worse was it looked as though she had a device to record
it. 
“See. Pathetic,” Draziel said with her wolfish grin. 
Draziel practically pranced out of the room before
Sydney got on her feet. Dahlia commanded Sydney to walk
behind her through the chains. At first, they walked
through a long hallway and ascended up a staircase.
Another door led to the inside of the pack house. Sydney
looked around; it seemed as though the Scarlet Mountain
pack’s home was like a large log cabin. Everything was
decorated in cherry wood on the walls and mahogany for
all the furniture. Creams and whites for other decorations
to brighten the room made the pack house seem cozier
than anything. 
This is nice. I wish I was able to visit under better
circumstances so I could have complimented whoever
decorated this place. 
Sydney was finally able to see a window, and it was
clearly the early morning hours. The sun had not risen yet,
but the sky was turning black to a deep blue. Judging by
the sky and how tired Sydney felt, she guessed she had
only gotten maybe an hour or two of sleep. 
How am I going to get through this?
Dahlia immediately began to bark orders at Sydney to
clean the house from top to bottom. Draziel walked over
with a small toothbrush and a bucket of soapy water.
Sydney attempted to fight against the chains, so she did not
reach out to take the cleaning supplies, but it was no use. 
“No chance of you winning against the magic inside of
these chains, Omega. A powerful witch constructed these.
Not even an Alpha of a Sanction would be able to fight
against the commands within them.” 
Dahlia then commanded Sydney to get on her knees and
scrub the kitchen floor with the toothbrush. Before Dahlia
walked away, she was sure to use the command once again
to tell Sydney that she had to do the scrubbing clockwise
and slowly. Another growl Sydney wished she could use sat
in her throat. She tried to fight the magic once again, but it
was no use. The chains turned her into the slave she used
to be. 
Draziel sat on a chair and watched Sydney as she
cleaned the floor. From time-to-time Draziel got off her
chair to kick Sydney in her side. While she was on the floor,
Draziel continued to kick Sydney until Draziel heard a bone
crack. Sydney was unsure how, but it seemed as though
Dahlia would allow Sydney to speak every so often even
though she was not in the room. Sydney would use her
words to say things back to Draziel as she spewed hatred-
fueled insults at Sydney while she cleaned. That was when
Draziel got more into the beatings and used her hands. Due
to the chains, Sydney was unable to fight back. 
It took Sydney hours to clean the kitchen floor, longer
than it should have due to the toothbrush and the beatings.
She felt the areas where Draziel kicked and punched
forming bruises and a few areas were harder to move
because of the cracked bones. Without being connected to
Silver, Sydney was unable to heal as fast as she usually
did. 
Dahlia commanded Sydney to clean the bathrooms the
same way as the kitchen. There were three separate full
bathrooms and two half bathrooms inside of the cabin.
Draziel, at some point, came up behind her and pushed
Sydney when she was too focused on cleaning. Sydney
almost collided with the edge of a sink as she fell. Before
Sydney could even try to retaliate as she felt the magic in
the chains lessen, Draziel ran off. 
What was worse than the beatings were Dahlia, Draziel,
and other wolves all joining in on the fun and saying
whatever they felt like to Sydney. Most of it was how she
would never be accepted as She-Alpha of the Sanction due
to her being an Omega, and they either recorded or had
taken pictures of her as she cleaned. A few males slapped
her ass, groped her, and one tried to go further as she was
on her knees. Dante caught that male and tossed him out of
the room. Another decided to pull down his pants and
shoved his penis in Sydney’s face. With Sydney being
commanded by someone else, she was lucky that Dahlia did
not force her to do anything. Instead, she told the wolf to
get out before Dante heard of what he did. Sickening part?
It was not to keep Sydney safe from being sexually
assaulted further. Dahlia’s exact words were “only Dante is
allowed to touch this Omega in that way if he so chooses.” 
Sydney shuddered at the thought of that happening. 
 Through the windows, Sydney watched the sky change
colors throughout the day. It gave her a general idea of
what time it was each time that she looked outside. When
the sky turned black once more, she was shoved into the
cage again. 
Sydney did not feel like anything more than an Omega
once she was inside of the cell. Her body ached from all the
abuse it had taken throughout the day. Not once was she
allowed to eat. She managed to convince Dahlia to allow
her to at least use the restroom when she needed to go, but
she was then ordered to reclean the toilet after she did.
With no food in her body, she was not able to heal from the
injuries she had sustained throughout the day. She felt
weak as her body felt the full brunt of what it went through
as Dahlia dropped the commands that were placed on her.
As she sat in silence, all the verbal abuse hit her with full
force. She did not feel like a She-Alpha at all. Each wolf she
came into contact with treated her worse than she ever
experienced while at Ember Forest. 
If Nero would lose, this would be my life. I can’t even
stop it. I didn’t even keep myself on alert to avoid getting
myself into this position. I am not a She-Alpha at all. I don’t
deserve the title. I don’t deserve Nero as a mate. I deserve
this for thinking I could rise above my past, that I could
work hard enough to be worthy of Nero and the position. 
I am Sydney Danvers… Omega and slave to the Wolf
Shifters within the Southern Sanction.
S ydney knew that she was put back in the cell due to
the impending Position Challenge between Dante and
Nero. Just as Dahlia left, she heard her speak to Draziel
about how it was important that Sydney remained in the
cell until Dante emerged as the winner. Dante was going to
use Nero not being able to see Sydney to distract him. It
was his strategy to tell Nero about all the things that other
wolves were doing to her while they fought to throw Nero
off so he could win. Sydney hoped that Nero would not fall
for something like that, but when a mated male is
threatened with the safety of his mate, there are absolutely
no guarantees of the consequences. A male would go to any
length to keep his mate safe. 
Sydney laid on the floor and did not dare move. Any
movement caused her a great deal of pain, and she did not
want to whine or cry out. She knew Draziel was on the
other side of the door, and she did not want that she-wolf to
think that she had gotten to her. Though the she-wolf
definitely had. Sydney knew that Nero was out there,
fighting to keep his place as Alpha and probably to rescue
her. 
 He should just leave me here to rot. I don’t deserve to be
She-Alpha. I failed him as an equal. I failed him as a mate. 
The room was dark and silent. If the challenge was
happening, there was no way for her to tell. Where she was
inside of the house was below the ground. She was able to
tell that from when they made her go upstairs and clean.
Instead of knowing how Nero was doing during the fight,
Sydney had to keep the thoughts of the possibility of him
losing at bay. She remembered some of the stories that
Warren and Jake had told her during the weeks of their
training. Nero was the Alpha for more reasons than his
father being the Alpha previously. He was trained more
thoroughly than she was with Arista. Nero started when he
was young simply because he was interested in it. Even
though Sydney knew that Nero was able to hold himself in
a fight, it did not stop the horrible images of Dante besting
him during the fight, especially with the plans of pushing
images in Nero’s mind of her being abused physically or
sexually while inside of this cell. 
Doesn’t matter if he wins or not. If he finds out how
useless I was when the rogues attacked our territory, he
will realize that I am not his equal. I shouldn’t be his mate
or his She-Alpha. 
As if Draziel could hear Sydney’s thoughts, Draziel
appeared on the other side of the bars of the cell.
“Realizing your place within this world yet, Omega?” 
Sydney did not answer. She looked up at Draziel with a
bored expression on her face. She can’t know that she has
gotten to me. It’ll only continue and probably get worse. 
“Clearly your Alpha mate is not going to think too highly
of you once he sees all the videos and pictures we took of
you today, especially that one that I got with Boone’s balls
on your lips. That alone is going to make him see why
Draxton rejected you in the first place!” 
“Draxton rejected me because he wanted you. Not me,”
Sydney retorted in a vacant tone. 
 Goddess, just kill me. Save me. 
“No. He rejected your skanky ass for sleeping with half
the pack. Why would he want someone like that? He
needed someone who was devoted to him at his side as he
ruled Ember Forest.” 
Sydney continued to stare up at the wall. There was
nothing she could contribute to this madness. She already
told Draziel before that she did nothing with her old pack
and wanted nothing to do with Draxton. In Draziel’s mind,
Sydney was the villain in her tale whether Sydney reasoned
with her or not. It was a waste of time to speak, and she did
not have the energy to engage in useless banter. Sydney
had to focus on healing. That was it. 
“Then your pathetic mate had to kill my Draxton. No
warning, no trial, no nothing! Just stole from me like you
tried to. Now he will die at the hands of Dante. When that
happens, Dahlia promised me that I could kill you with
mine. Without that connection to the Alpha, you’ll be
exactly who you were always meant to be. An Omega.” 
Sydney heard Draziel’s footsteps across the floor, and
the door slammed behind her. Tears welled up and spilled
down Sydney’s face. There was truth to Draziel’s words. If
Nero died, the title of She-Alpha would disappear along
with their mate bond. Something that would be easy to
ignore since Silver was suppressed. The bond could sever,
and she would not feel it. 
Unless Dahlia drops the chains the second that Nero
falls. Then I will be able to feel it all. Knowing Dalia, that
was the plan. 
Sydney heard the door open, and the sound of Draziel’s
gait returned. Sydney wondered if this was the moment
when Draziel would tell her that Nero was defeated. 
“Get up, Omega. Face me like a Wolf,” Draziel
commanded. 
Sydney felt the magic within the chains nearly dissipate.
She could feel Silver emerging and her bruises and wounds
began to heal. Sydney pulled herself into a sitting position
and glared over at Draziel. 
“You know, your boyfriend is losing out there. Fitting,
isn’t it? You never could defend yourself and now your
boyfriend can’t either.” 
Sydney growled now that she felt her connection to
Silver surge forward, “Oh is that so?” 
“Face it. You’ll always be an Omega. You were never
able to climb the ranks at Ember Forest, and you only have
the title of She-Alpha because of your boyfriend. You both
have gotten your ass kicked today by lesser wolves which
only proves my point.” 
Sydney stalked closer to Draziel as if she were prey. Pfft,
who am I kidding. She is my prey. Sydney was close enough
to the bars that, if she moved quick enough, she would
have Draziel by the throat. “Drop these chains, and I will
show you how I can defend myself.” 
“Please. You are a nobody.” 
Sydney stood straight and squared her shoulders. As she
locked eyes with Draziel, Silver pushed to the surface. She
knew for sure that it was her wolf’s eyes staring down
Draziel instead of her own. Draziel took a small step back.
If Sydney was not watching, she would have missed it. 
I am NOT an Omega! 
“I am Sydney Danvers. I am the She-Alpha of the Solar
Valley pack and of the Southern Sanction. I was raised
inside of the Ember Forest pack and kept it running as an
Omega. I am now overseeing one of the strongest packs in
our country, and I will defend them and my position with
my life. If you want to see exactly who I am, drop these
chains and fight me as a wolf instead of as a coward who
could only win with my hands tied behind my back.”
Sydney felt her own power as a She-Alpha wolf rise inside
of her body as each word was spoken. 
I dare you. Her eyes said as she continued to stare
Draziel down. 
 With a blink, Draziel was no longer standing in front of
Sydney. Instead, it was the black-haired, blue-eyed Witch
that saved her the night of Draxton’s coronation. 
“Rozalind?” 
“Hi there, Gorgeous. I thought we lost you there for a
second.” 
Sydney blinked several times as if she was staring at a
mirage. With each blink, she thought Rozalind would
disappear. It was too good to be true. A Witch powerful
enough to change her predicament stood in front of her at
the moment Sydney needed her the most. 
“Lost me?” 
Rozalind smiled at her. “Yes, Sydney. I thought we lost
you for a second. It seemed as though you were beginning
to believe those hateful words that wretched she-wolf
spewed at you.” 
“I was,” Sydney whispered. 
“I had a feeling. Well, are you ready to show these
wolves who you really are? Because I think they need to
learn that lesson.” 
The magical chains on Sydney’s wrists and ankles
disappeared, and Sydney felt Silver fully push to the
surface. 
THANK YOU, ROZALIND! I AM FREE! Now let’s go
show those bitches why they should fear us. 
Sydney smiled at Silver’s rage knowing full well that she
did not like the fact that she was suppressed for over
twenty-four hours. However, when Sydney looked around to
thank Rozalind, once again the Witch had disappeared. 
I never get the chance to thank this woman. 
Let’s thank her by knocking those bitches’ heads
off their shoulders. 
Sydney agreed and rushed to the door. She expected
Draziel to be standing just outside the door. On purpose,
Sydney kicked the door open in hopes that it would whack
Draziel in the back of the head. When no sound of a thump
against flesh came, Sydney was disappointed. She rushed
down the corridor and up the stairs. When she threw the
door open into the home, she expected some form of
security waiting for her in case she did manage to escape.
Sydney was met with silence, and it confused her. 
Is Dante really this arrogant? No one stationed
anywhere to thwart me while I escape? 
Why does this surprise you? Now stop stalling. Get
us to those asshole McDickwads  before I shift and
get us there myself. 
Touchy. Sydney responded as she ran off toward what
she thought was the back door.
Silver growled. Of course I am touchy! I was locked
in a cage as well forced to watch you suffer when I
could not help! 
I know! I am trying to get to them. I have no idea where
I am going. I’ve never been here before! 
Silver commanded Sydney’s body and began to sniff the
air as Sydney ran through the living room of the home. The
next room seemed to be a dining room of sorts with just a
table and chairs and then a door that was in the corner. The
scents of wolves she never met mixed with Dante, Dahlia,
and Draziel grew stronger as she approached it. When she
reached the door and touched the doorknob, Sydney could
hear a crowd outside. Some of the voices were cheering
and others were groaning. 
The challenge is still taking place! 
Of course it is. Rozalind was only trying to stir the
fierceness in you by telling you Nero lost. 
Sydney yanked open the door and ran out into the
backyard of the pack house. There was a large stretch of
land before it reached a tree line. There was a circle
formed by wolves in their human forms that was
illuminated by spotlights on poles. She could see Nero and
Dante circling one another, both men in their jeans but no
shirt. From the distance she was unable to see who
appeared bloodier or possibly winning over the other. 
Instead of watching the fight, Sydney scanned the circle
of wolves until her eyes landed on Draziel standing next to
Dahlia. Without a second thought, Sydney leapt off the
small porch onto the ground and made a bee line for
Draziel. Her Alpha aura pulsed around her, causing the
wolves to part as she approached them, so she had no
obstacle. When she reached Draziel, the she-wolf spun
around quickly with a flash of fear on her face. Draziel
quickly composed herself and growled. 
“How the hell did you get out?!” 
“Doesn’t matter. I am out. You think I don’t deserve my
position as She-Alpha? Then fight me for it!” Sydney
growled. 
Draziel’s eyebrows were nearly in her hairline. Clearly,
she did not expect Sydney to say any of that. Draziel looked
over at Dahlia who had the same expression on her face.
Dahlia composed herself before Draziel did and then
practically pushed Draziel to Sydney. The wolves around
them stepped out of the way as they had with Dante and
Nero, and Dahlia said the words that started the match.
“Show her that she is nothing more than the Omega we
made her to be.” 
Draziel must have been a part of the Scarlet Mountain
pack under Dahlia. Draziel did not show that she wanted to
do any kind of fighting against Sydney, yet she practically
sprang into the fight after Dahlia finished her sentence as if
it was Alpha Commanded. Sydney may not have been
prepared for her to start the fight that quickly, but she was
still able to evade Draziel’s poor excuse of a right hook.
Sydney moved faster than she ever did in training and
landed her jab in the middle of Draziel’s nose. Sydney felt
the crunch of cartilage under her fist and watched blood
pour out as her fist came back to her. Draziel’s hands
immediately went to her nose as she screamed in pain.
Sydney jabbed again and connected with Draziel’s solar
plexus. Draziel began to cough and was now defenseless.
Sydney twisted on her left foot and swung her right in a
roundhouse kick to Draziel’s temple. Draziel hit the ground
with a thud, knocked out cold. 
“You disgusting Omega! I will teach you your place since
this child could not!” Dahlia screamed. 
Dahlia jumped into action while allowing her hands to
shift into claws. When Dahlia swiped at Sydney, she took a
step back to evade. The she-wolf allowed her rage to
quickly fuel her movements and swiped at Sydney in a
frenzy. Sydney was able to evade a few, but others had
landed. Dahlia swung horizontally in an attempt to slash
open her face. Sydney crouched down and then swiped her
leg into Dahlia’s kneecap. Dahlia stumbled and let out a
howl. 
She is shifting! Silver bellowed as she took over
Sydney’s body. 
Silver’s paws landed on the ground before Dahlia’s wolf
did. Dahlia’s wolf was much smaller than Silver and deep
brown in color. When Dahlia’s wolf lunged for Silver,
Sydney was surprised at how fast the wolf was and nearly
did not dodge her in time. The wolf swiped at Silver and
managed to tear open her flank. Silver twisted her body in
time to clasp onto Dahlia’s wolf’s tail. When Silver heard
the yelp, Silver straightened herself out and began to drag
the wolf closer to her. When Silver let go, she quickly
jumped onto the she-wolf’s back, grabbed onto her neck,
and pushed her into the ground. 
Yield! Sydney yelled even though she knew that Dahlia
would not be able to hear her. 
The she-wolf fought against Silver and tried to roll
herself from underneath. Silver let go of her neck and
jumped off her. Dahlia’s wolf recovered quickly and got to
her feet. She lunged at Silver and collided with her instead
of pushing her as Sydney felt her trying to do. Both wolves
snapped their jaws at each other, trying to get ahold of
flesh. When it didn’t work, they pushed off of each other.
Silver stared down the brown wolf and noticed that she was
already panting. Silver lunged this time and feigned as if
she was going for the front paws. The wolf played right into
Silver’s trap and jumped to the side. Silver had access to
the back paws and bit down until she heard the crunch of
bones. Then she pulled the wolf’s leg out from under her
until the wolf hit the ground. Silver moved quickly and
ripped into the underbelly. As the metal taste of blood
squirted into her mouth. The sounds of the wolf’s yelps
filled Silver’s ears, but she was not finished. Silver
continued with her assault until most of the muscles and
intestines were exposed. Dahlia’s wolf stopped moving and
no more sounds filled Silver’s ears. 
As the pool of blood grew, Sydney looked over to Nero
and Dante’s fight. Dante was bleeding from many areas,
but bruises were not showing from his dark complexion.
Nero had some bruises forming but was bleeding a lot less.
He had a small patch of blood at his bottom lip and a cut
above his eye. A few bruises on his chest and over his ribs
showed as well, but his breathing was still practically even
as if this fight was barely a fight at all to him. Sydney
watched Dante throw a hook, and Nero crouched down to
avoid it. Dante attempted to lift his knee into Nero’s face,
but Nero moved so fast as he threw an uppercut that Dante
did not see coming. Dante’s head snapped backwards, and
his body fell to the ground. Dante’s body landed with a
thump as Silver felt a wolf jump onto her back. 
Silver roared as teeth sank into her shoulder and then
moved her head to grab ahold of flesh exposed on the
wolf’s side. As she threw her head downward, the wolf on
top of her was thrown to the ground. Draziel’s dark gray
wolf landed on the ground. Silver wasted no time and
jumped onto Draziel’s wolf. When her teeth sank into
Draziel’s wolf’s throat, she bit down hard. A yelp escaped
the she-wolf as all of her paws kicked out in hopes to
connect with Silver’s body. Yet again, the wolf would not
yield. Sydney did not want more death, but it was clear that
these she-wolves would never admit that they were beneath
Sydney. Silver closed her mouth as she threw her head to
the side, ripping out Draziel’s throat in the process. 
Silver spit out the flesh between her teeth and looked
back over at her mate. Dante was on his feet but had a
knife in his hand. Dante would not yield either. Nero was
going to have to kill him to end the madness. Dante moved
forward to slash at Nero but was unable to connect with
tissue. Nero’s hand moved faster than Sydney could
process, and Dante’s head snapped back once again. Dante
appeared dazed and swayed on his feet. Nero knocked the
knife out of Dante’s hand, grabbed it before it fell to the
ground, and pushed it into Dante’s chest. Dante stared
down at the knife protruding from his body and Sydney
watched the light go out slowly from his eyes as his life
drained from him. Nero stepped away as Dante’s body fell
to the ground. 
He won. It’s over. 
Sydney shifted back into her human form and ran
towards Nero. She did not care for a second that she was
naked. If anything, she was happy to be out of that awful
lace dress that Dante put on her. When she reached Nero,
he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her into his
chest. 
“I’m so sorry for failing you,” Nero whispered into her
ear as he tightened his grip. 
Sydney leaned her head back slightly so she could look
into his eyes. “You failed me? I failed you! I didn’t have my
guard up when the rogues attacked. I got us into this
mess.” 
Nero put his forehead to hers. “No. I should have killed
Dante and Draxton the night of the coronation. Actually, the
day I became Alpha. I always knew that Dante would try
something like this, especially after what happened with
the way he became Alpha.” 
“Wrong. It was meant to happen this way.”
The sound of Lucy’s voice made both Nero and Sydney
jump. Her friend smiled and handed Sydney a robe to put
around her. “The stars told me you would need this,” she
said and then wrapped Sydney into a hug once it was on
her. “They also told me you would need this.” 
Sydney melted into her friend’s hug. Lucy was right,
Sydney did need this. 
“Neither of you would be where you were today without
all the events that happened taking place. This was meant
to be,” Lucy told them. Then she faced the crowd of wolves
behind them. “Nero and Sydney Underwood remain Alphas
of the Southern Sanction! Anyone else dare to challenge
their position?” 
No wolf moved. Sydney finally spotted Warren, Jake, and
Arista within the crowd. Arista beamed with pride as she
looked at Sydney, most likely for the way she handled
herself in the fights that she endured before Nero won. 
“No? Good. You all would have lost anyway.” 
Nero and Sydney laughed along with a few of the wolves
in the crowd. Sydney pulled Lucy into another hug as her
other three friends rushed to their side. 
“Hey, Syd,” Arista called out to her. 
“Yeah?” Sydney broke the hug with Lucy to look at
Arista. 
“It’s about time you showed these wolves what you are
made of. We are proud to call you our Alpha.” 
Arista got on one knee and bowed her head to Sydney.
Warren and Jake followed suit, and the rest of the wolves
followed Arista’s example as well. 
I told you they would all love you, Nero said through
mindlink. 
Sydney looked over at him. Yeah, I guess you did. 
 I love you, Sydney. You have finally proven to yourself
that this is where you belong. 
Nero’s prideful words filled her heart and soul with
feelings she had never felt before— Belonging, pride, and
love. The wolves continued to bow, and Silver and Sydney
drank in the respect that they knew they deserved. 
Sydney threw her head back and howled at the moon
that was directly over them. Nero joined in, and one by
one, so did the rest of the wolves. 
I am Sydney Underwood. She-Alpha of the Solar Valley
pack and Southern Sanction of Wolf Shifters. This is exactly
where I belong.
T he next full moon was upon them at last. The entire
Solar Valley pack traveled from all over the territory
to join in on the Full Moon run with the Alphas. Sydney
stood on the balcony of her and Nero’s room and watched
the moon slowly rise toward the center of the sky. It was an
understatement to say that she was nervous. This was the
night that Nero was officially announcing to everyone that
Sydney was the She-Alpha of the pack and they would all
run together as one. 
Only three days had passed since the Position Challenge
between Nero and Dante. The rogues that pledged
allegiance to Dante were not punished for their crime
against the pack. Nero had contacted the Council himself
the following morning and explained that Dante had heavily
influenced them and promised them Scarlett Mountain’s
territory if they had joined him. 
They did not know that Dante managed to Alpha
Command the entire pack, outside of his rogues, to lock
themselves inside of the basement of their cabins
throughout their small territory until the following
morning. When Dante’s pulse stopped, the Command was
dropped, and they made their way to Nero to explain what
had happened to them. Nero nearly kicked Dante’s corpse
when he heard Joul, the previous Beta of Scarlett
Mountain, explain what happened. Basically, Dante
challenged Hunter and, as soon as he was dead, ordered
everyone to go to their cabins and then had the rogues
pledge allegiance to him. No one knew how Dante managed
to get the rogues beforehand. The assumption was that,
when he lost to Brad, he traveled around and rounded them
up. Nero explained to Sydney that Garrett Murdock had
done the same thing before he attacked Alpha Aiden a few
months ago. Though, apparently, Garrett managed a much
larger number of rogues and nearly completed his mission.
If it was not for Isabelle being an Alpha herself and killing
Garrett, there would be a new Sanction Alpha in the north. 
Thank the Goddess that did not happen. On either
occasion. 
The wolves within the Scarlet Mountain pack had
graciously offered the rogues to join them after the fight.
The new Alpha, Joul, had no qualms about the offer when
Nero suggested it and welcomed every rogue with open
arms. 
And not a single one of them declined. 
Scarlett Mountain had gained thirty new wolves because
of that. It brought the pack to being the third largest in the
Sanction. Joul only requested help with building some new
cabins for the additions to his pack, which Nero did not
hesitate to agree to. 
Nero nearly asked all the packs in the Sanction to come
on the Full Moon run to show off that Sydney was now the
She-Alpha, but Sydney shot that down as quickly as it left
his mouth. Running with a pack of two hundred wolves
gave her enough anxiety to last her a lifetime. If she had to
run with the entire Sanction? She was pretty sure her heart
would just stop beating from fright. Sydney did, however,
beg Lucy and Milo to join in. They were happy to accept
and planned on flying above the pack as they ran. 
At least I have Merida, Alyssa, and Marie with me on the
ground and Lucy above me. That should calm my nerves. 
Not to mention our sexy mate running beside us! 
Silver nearly vibrated with anticipation as Sydney stood
out on the balcony recalling the events of the last few days.
All she wanted to do was run next to Kane for the first time
since Nero marked Sydney. Now that it was almost time for
the run to start, the wolf would not stop pacing or howling
inside of Sydney’s mind. Silver was practically begging
Sydney to shift now so they could start earlier than
planned. 
Nero said we will all meet up together! Some of the pack
has not arrived yet. 
That’s on them! They should have realized how
important this run was and got here early. 
Patience, Silver. 
I have none. I am a wolf. You’re the human. I'm
here to protect and kill. Not be patient. 
Gee, thanks. That did not sound like an insult at all. 
Silver huffed at her. It is not an insult. It is the
truth. 
Well now you only have to wait fifty-five minutes. 
Silver growled and then paced inside of Sydney’s mind.
The wolf knew she would not get her way in this matter.
Nero was below the balcony coordinating the run. Sydney
tried offering, but he wanted her to relax instead. 
Alpha! Are you calm enough yet, or do we need to come
up there? Merida’s voice rang inside of her head through
mindlink. 
I’m fine, Mer. Just keeping the wolf calm. 
I don’t believe you for a second. Don’t make me come up
there! Merida threatened. 
Oh yeah, ‘cause that is a grand plan for you as a Beta.
Threaten our She-Alpha and cause the wolf to think it is a
challenge. Good going, Merida, Arista sarcastically pointed
out. 
As if you haven’t threatened Nero! Merida yelled at
Arista.
He knows I am joking! 
And Syd doesn’t know I am not ever going to challenge
her! Have we forgotten that I am a damn FOX?! Like I
could run a pack! 
LADIES!! Sydney yelled through mindlink, but she was
ignored. They continued to bicker through mindlink as if
they were sisters arguing for attention. Sydney rolled her
eyes at her friends but grew impatient quickly. She did not
want to deal with them yelling inside of her head when she
was supposed to lead a run alongside of Nero. 
I’ll take care of it. 
Sydney did not know that her wolf could talk through
mindlink with the pack. Nero, sure. He was their mate. It
would make sense that she could communicate with him.
But actual packmates? 
ENOUGH! 
Silver’s words brought them to an absolute halt. Sydney
even heard them whimper from Silver yelling at them. She
never wanted her friends to fear her in any way just
because she ranked higher than them in the hierarchy. 
It is not fear. It is respect. They realized they did
not listen when you spoke up, Silver reminded Sydney. 
Go help Nero. I will be down shortly, Sydney told them. 
Their absent voices told Sydney that they obeyed the
command even though it was not with the Alpha Aura. A
twinge of guilt passed through her once more for telling
them to basically leave her alone. However, Sydney knew
that there would be times that she would not be their
friend. Instead, she would be their She-Alpha, and part of
that job was telling them to leave her be and do things that
needed to be done. It was part of the job, and she needed
to get used to that aspect of it whether she liked it or not. 
 Nero told her that most of the pack tends to shift just
before they take off for the run. Others come in their wolf
form. Nero usually shifted just before the run so he could
talk to everyone beforehand. When Sydney asked if she
should come in her human half or wolf, Nero told her it was
her choice. 
Sydney had no idea which she wanted to choose. 
On one hand, standing next to Nero as herself would
show that she would always be by Nero’s side as well as
make herself known as the She-Alpha. On the other hand,
Silver had the natural tendency of showing that she would
not take any shit from anyone and would probably walk
through the crowd with her aura radiating off her. 
Do we look badass or do we look like we are trying too
hard? 
I don’t know what you mean. Both sound badass to
me. 
Of course you think they do. 
Sydney decided it would be best to go as herself.
Knowing that the shift would destroy her clothes, Sydney
changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top. She knew
from watching that Nero was just in a pair of shorts as he
coordinated everything, so she would look the same as him.
Before she lost her nerve, Sydney descended down the
stairs toward the main level. Before she joined Nero, she
wanted to check on Marie. 
Marie had no troubles transitioning into the Solar Valley
pack. If anything, she thrived under Nero’s rule in
comparison to Dante’s. Marie seemed to have a new pep in
her step as she did her chores. There were some moments
that Sydney even noticed Marie dancing as she cleaned.
Sydney could not help but smile when she caught Marie
doing that. The last time Sydney saw Marie that content
inside of a pack was when her father and Boone were still
alive running Ember Forest, so it was an amazing change to
see Marie that happy once again. 
 When Sydney reached the kitchen, Marie was walking
toward the door to the porch. Marie stopped when she
heard Sydney’s footsteps. When she turned toward Sydney,
there was a smile on her face.
“Hello, Sweetheart. Are you ready?” Marie asked with a
smile. 
“As ready as I will ever be.” 
Marie held out her hand, and Sydney took it. Marie
pulled her to her side and then put her arm around her
shoulder. “Nothing to fear, Sydney. Silver knows what to do.
Nero and Kane have done these before as well.” 
“I know. Just never thought I would be someone who has
to run one of these.” 
Marie glanced over at her with a smirk. “Oh really?
Because I always saw you here.” 
“Here?” Sydney was definitely confused on that one. 
“Yes. A she-wolf among the top hierarchy. I always knew
you would be a Delta or higher.” 
“Why is that?” 
“Because you never wanted it. Your father was the same
way. He never wanted power, but still was a Delta. He was
not power hungry in the least. That is why he did so well at
it. You are the exact same way.” 
Sydney smiled at Marie. She always spoke of her father
in the highest regard. All her stories were of how her father
interacted with everyone as if they were in the same
position within the pack. 
“Now let’s get you to your mate. Goddess knows that he
will just come in here all grouchy if you aren’t out there on
time.” 
Ever since they had come home from Scarlet Mountain,
Nero had a tendency of growling and demanding to know
where Sydney was if he did not know her location,
especially when he had something planned with her and
she was talking with Merida and Alyssa somewhere else
within the house. Merida gave him the nickname Alpha
Grouch, and it would have circulated through the pack if
Nero did not command her to keep it to herself. What Nero
did not know was that his friends, their mates, and Marie
all learned the nickname before he commanded her. 
When Sydney stepped out onto the porch, Nero was
standing on the edge of the tree line with a sea of people
and wolves standing before him. Nero sensed her presence,
as mates do, and looked over at her. Before every pair of
eyes landed on her, Sydney stepped onto the ground and
walked toward him. Every person or wolf standing on the
path Sydney walked immediately parted ways. Sydney
locked eyes with Nero as she walked toward him. She
realized that her back was straight and walked with
confidence she did not know she had. Silver’s aura was not
mixed with hers for once. It was just Sydney. 
There were a few murmurs as she walked through the
crowd. Many of them were just commenting on her looks,
her hair, or just stating that she was the new She-Alpha.
Then there were a couple that stated something along the
lines of “the Alpha found himself a good one” and “now that
is a She-Alpha.” It made her smile knowing that, finally, she
was accepted by the pack. When she reached Nero’s side,
he stole a kiss, and then he turned toward the pack. 
There were no words to say. Nero only threw his head
back into a howl. Sydney felt Silver push herself to be just
under Sydney’s skin as she threw her own head back to join
him. Slowly, the pack answered their howls. Sydney felt the
moment that Nero pulled on the magic that caused a shift
within their bond. With a blink, Kane’s large dark and light
gray form emerged. Silver pushed for their own shift, and
Sydney gladly let her take over. Her blue, gray, and white
coat sprang from her body just as quickly as Kane’s did.
With each paw on the ground, Silver shook her body to get
rid of the excess magic from her fur. 
Mmmm. Everything I could have ever hoped for,
Silver said as she took in Kane’s form. 
 Kane noticed and stood with his snout high to show off.
When Silver took a step toward him, he bared his teeth.
Silver stood in place to allow him to do the same. Kane
closed the distance between them after he looked Silver
over and nestled his face under her chin. When Kane licked
the side of Silver’s snout, Sydney felt Silver damn near
shudder. 
FINALLY! 
Sydney laughed as Silver returned the same gesture to
Kane. Then he threw his large head back once more and let
another howl rip out of his throat. Silver, once again,
followed and then sprang into a run at the same time Kane
did. 
Sydney sat back and watched as Kane and Silver led the
pack in a direction that Nero had never taken her. She had
no idea if this was intended or just the normal route of their
runs. Part of her wanted to reach out to Arista, but she
thought better of it. She would much rather enjoy the run
instead of distracting anyone. 
The path that the pack ran on had many twists and turns
as well as steep hills. She noticed at one point that there
was a small path that deviated from the one they were on
that led in another direction but remained parallel to the
one they were on. Sydney wanted to log that into her
memory to one day explore at a later time. A patch of
bushes ahead caused Kane to shift to the right quickly,
which almost caused Silver to land in the bush. Thankfully,
Silver was agile enough to not fall for Kane’s antics and
kept on his heels like she had since the run had begun. 
Sydney could hear all the wolves’ paws thundering
against the ground as they ran through the valley. They
echoed so loud that it almost sounded like a symphony to
Sydney. She found herself focusing on the music as her
pack sang a song with their howls to accompany the sounds
of their paws instead of watching where Kane was leading
the pack. When the music of the howls died down, Sydney
realized that they were no longer inside of the valley. 
They were on top of a waterfall. 
With the roar of the moving water in front of them, Kane
leapt onto a large rock and then another until he was
standing on the one that was in the middle of the crest.
Silver did not hesitate and followed Kane. Once she
reached her mate, Sydney noticed that the rock was flat, so
they could stand on it perfectly without fear of going over.
Sydney did not dare to look over the edge and neither did
Silver. Instead, they both looked to their mate. 
Kane shifted into Nero once more, so Sydney followed
suit. With the moon high in the sky, it's warm and beautiful
blue light shone down upon them. Sydney knew that the
valley had lost its leaves, but it still looked as beautiful as
ever through the mist from the falls. She looked at her
mate, ready to ask him why they were standing at the
waterfall’s crest. As if Nero read her mind, he turned
toward the pack that was still on land and yelled over the
roaring water. 
“This Full Moon is more special than the ones we have
shared before. Solar Valley pack, I am introducing you to
your She-Alpha the best way I could think of, while
standing at the top of our land. Meet Sydney Dan-” 
“Underwood,” Sydney cut Nero off. 
Nero looked down at her with a grin. “Apologies, my
pack. Sydney Underwood!” 
The pack howled with excitement in their voices as one.
Nero kissed Sydney with a feeling of pride inside of their
bond. When the pack’s howl died down, they howled once
more along with Nero and Sydney. 
I am Sydney Underwood, She-Alpha of the Solar Valley
pack and Southern Sanction. This is exactly where I belong.
 S YDNEY

S IX Y EARS L ATER  

S ilver’s paws created a thunderous sound as she

chased Kane through the valley while he had Nova, a
five-year-old girl with golden blonde hair like her mother’s,
holding onto his fur to keep herself from falling off. Nova
laughed as Kane leapt over a fallen tree on the path and
squealed when a branch hung too low, and the leaves
almost brushed the top of her head. Silver had Saint on her
own back, a four-year-old with dark hair like his father’s,
laughing and urging Silver to run faster to catch Kane and
Nova. 
“Come on, Silver! We have to beat them this time!” Saint
urged as he kicked Silver’s sides as if he was riding a
horse. 
Silver caught a glimpse of the small path that ran above
the one she was currently on and knew that it could be
what she needed to make the boy happy. When the time
came, Silver darted off to the left and pushed more energy
into her paws to give her a little more of a chance to get
ahead of Kane before the opening to the waterfall. 
 “We’re passin’ them, Silver! We’re winning!” Saint
squealed. 
Silver did not dare to look over the edge. She kept
herself focused because the small path would cut further
left than she wanted and make them further from their
destination if she wasn’t careful. A few seconds passed, and
the time came. The path suddenly went downhill, and just
before it cut more to the left, Silver leapt from the path and
just ahead of Kane. Kane nearly had to slide into a halt
from Silver landing just before him, but Silver kept running
as if her life depended on it. Silver heard Kane yip and
growl as he realized she had bested him. 
You’ll pay for that later, Nero told Silver and Sydney
through mindlink. 
Sydney maniacally laughed at him, bring it on! Not my
fault you’re gonna lose this time! 
A patch of bushes stood in their way, and Silver pushed
all of her energy into leaping over them. As she landed on
her paws once again, Saint bounced on her back with
excitement. 
“WE WON! SILVER, WE WON!” 
Silver came to a stop just a few feet from the pool of
water at the base of the waterfall. Saint leapt off Silver’s
back and began to do a happy dance. Kane leapt over the
bushes, and Silver looked over just as Nova began to pout. 
“No fair! You and Silver cheated.” 
“Nu uh! Silver won fair and square. Not her fault that
Kane didn’t see the cool path!” 
Silver walked over to Kane and brushed up against his
neck with her muzzle. Kane licked her face and returned
the nuzzle as the kids continued to argue. Silver yipped at
the kids for them to stop. When they did, they took off the
backpacks they were carrying and laid them on the ground.
Both wolves grabbed the packs and trotted back towards
the trees. Silver and Kane shifted into Sydney and Nero
once they were hidden from the children. 
 “Just had to use that path,” Nero joked as he pulled his
shorts on. 
“Not my fault you forgot about its benefits. We won fair
and square.” 
Sydney bent over to put on her own shorts, and Nero
slapped her ass. “You’re lucky Arista and Merida showed
you that path. Otherwise, Kane and I would have
won...again,” Nero grumbled as he pulled a tank top over
his head. 
Sydney shook her head and put her remaining clothes
on. Nero had already run toward their children and tickled
Saint until he yelled “I yield!” Nova was on Nero’s back
trying to save her brother from the tickle assault, but that
only caused Nero to grab hold of her and pull her to the
ground for her own tickle assault. Sydney smiled at her
little family and felt her heart swell from happiness. 
Life within the Solar Valley pack was everything she
dreamed her life would be someday. After the three D’s of
Doom lost to Sydney and Nero, pack life settled down. It
was rare for anyone to question if Sydney belonged as She-
Alpha of the pack. If anything, it made the pack proud to
have a She-Alpha that could handle herself with only a few
weeks of training. 
Arista and Jake sealed their mate bond the following day.
They also had two children, but both of them were boys.
Merida caused chaos here and there, mostly helping Arista
keep the pack in line during trainings. Warren, Chris, and
Merida had four children together. No one knew what
animal their children would have since all three of them
had a different one, but everyone in the pack could not wait
to find out. 
All of the children were between three and five. It was
funny to the rest of the pack how close the children were in
age, but all enjoyed having them around. Sydney loved that
every wolf pitched in to raise the children instead of just
the parents and Omegas. It was certainly different from her
life at Ember Forest. As the She-Alpha of the Sanction,
Sydney decided to go to the council to make some changes.
It was shocking when she pitched the idea of making it a
Pack Law within the Sanction that all packs had to raise the
children within them as one big family. The life she grew up
in was not one that she wanted the future of the packs to
live. 
No, every child deserves this. 
Sydney rushed over and joined in on the fun. Once
Sydney began to chase the kids with Nero, they leapt into
the pool of water as if that would stop them. Sydney and
Nero dove in and began to put the kids on their shoulders
or tossed them lightly in the air and back into the water.
Both children squealed and hollered with pure joy. They
even kept begging for them to do it again. 
After an hour or so, Sydney left the water to bring out
the lunch Marie had prepared for them. Marie was happier
than ever. She was there in the room as Sydney delivered
both Nova and Saint. As the kids grew up, Sydney called
Marie grandma. Not once did Sydney mention that Marie
was not her real mother. In Sydney’s eyes, it did not matter
that Marie did not give birth to her. Marie did more for her
than anyone else and was unable to have her own children.
This was Sydney’s gift to Marie for all the years she raised
her and choosing to leave with her when she renounced her
position within the Ember Forest pack. Marie took her role
seriously and spoiled the children with a smile Sydney
would never forget. 
And not just my children. Merida’s, Arista’s, and Lucy’s
as well. 
Never in her life did Sydney think it would ever be this
way, but as Nero threw the children over his shoulder and
brought them out of the water to have their lunch, she
thanked the Goddess like she seemed to every day for the
life she was given. 
Dreams really do come true. 
THE END
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Midnight Wolf was not as easy of a book to write as She-

Wolf. I faced Imposter Syndrome for 2 straight months that
caused me to barely write and putting this book behind
schedule. I am also a social worker by day and the past
several months has been extremely difficult to handle due
to a few cases of mine falling apart on a daily basis while I
was also pregnant with my second child. So if you read
through this whole book and made it this far, THANK YOU
SO MUCH!

I honestly would be no where in this career without my

fearless team. To my Alphas, thank you for encouraging me
throughout the last 6 months with this book! You are my
people and are the reason why I am able to fight through
all of my insecurities, doubts, and bad days as I write these
books. To my editor, thank you for diligently working to
keep my story on track! We always seem to be on the same
wavelength and you understand the ideas that I have in my
mind that come out all jumbled as I write. You always seem
to know exactly what I meant to say with your suggestions,
and keep me entertained and looking forward to edits with
your funny comments. (Especially when you are angry!) To
my wonderful PA, thank you for always keeping on top of
things! As I try to balance my day job, my husband, my
child, my pregnancy and writing with my sanity, you are
there working behind the curtain keeping everything
running smoothly. I appreciate you so much for that!
To my husband, thank you for doing everything that you do
for me. As I try to balance our lives and this new career,
you are there with your unconditional love and continuous
support. I appreciate and love you so much for helping me
through this incredible journal and never let me give up.
Without you, this would all still be a dream instead of a
reality.

To my readers, new and old, thank you for supporting me

through this journey. Without you, I'd be nothing. Thank
you for taking a chance on me and my stories. You are so
valued and appreciated to me because I would never be
this far without you!

Please stay tuned for the next book in this standalone

series, Little Red Wolf! I promise the spice level will only
increase as the series go as I venture further into this
genre!
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kenzie Graves is an avid reader turned author. You will often find her day
dreaming about fantasy worlds she wishes to create or reading fantasy worlds
she wishes she could live in.

Kenzie Graves is an author inside of the Paranormal Romance, Rejected Mates,

and Reverse Harem genre!

Stay up to date with all things Kenzie by joining her Facebook group, The
Reaser Realm and her newsletter.
BOOKS BY KENZIE GRAVES

Love is Grimm
She-Wolf and the Beast
Midnight Wolf

Shared Worlds
Carina (coming 2022)