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1
ROSIE
It was a surreal feeling, driving back to Kingsrose after being branded a traitor and in hiding for two weeks. So much has happened since finding out I was the Wolf Moon's Chosen, and that the power I was given at birth would forge the strongest wolf pack in a generation. Rowan called me the Queen of Wolves, an alpha of all alphas. The one with the power to influence all wolf shifters. In addition, I'd have the power to unlock a hidden shift within my pack. A third form: the Lycan. Sitting in the bed of my twins' truck with Kai, Rowan, and an unconscious Joaquin whose head was resting on my lap, I'm left reeling at how much responsibility was given to me.
I had a pack to lead now. I was a pack alpha, and one with a gift that could spell our demise if it fell into the wrong hands. Fuck, I didn't know how to lead a pack. I never planned nor prepared to take on the role of alpha. My older brother, Javier, had years of preparation before taking over the Blue Moon Pack from our adopted father/pack Alpha. I was satisfied with simply being part of a pack and finding my independence away from Javier's influence. Funny how the tides of life had shifted since moving back to Kingsrose and finding out Pierce was my fated mate. No, the shift came when I made up my mind about rejecting him.
Now we were heading back to the lion's den, back where it all started, in order to officially take over Kingsrose as our territory and stop Pierce's plan of an all-out massacre.
"Are you okay?" Kai asked me, lightly nudging me with his elbow but mindful not to jostle Joaquin. I didn't think he'd be able to do that even if he wanted to. Joaquin's injuries were healed, but he was still immobile. Sometimes spiritual wounds could be far greater. I couldn't blame his mind for needing time to recharge. Spending days in a basement cellar breathing in wolfsbane gas and having your wrists bound with silver chains would leave even the mightiest of shifters in a state of trauma. Not to mention the silver of the chains burning his wrists to the bone. A severe injury like that should've been impossible to heal, but thankfully the power of the Wolf Moon's gift could make the impossible happen.
I looked down at my broken mate. His olive skin regained most of his coloring, but he still had dark circles under his eyes. The newly stitched skin along his wrists were a dull salmon color, but otherwise they were fine. Rowan assured me he'd be okay, but I still worried that I might've messed something up. I wouldn't know if Joaquin could actually move his hands until he awoke. For now, I just had to hope he truly was fine.
"I'll be fine," I whispered softly, but repeated myself louder since I wasn't sure if Kai could hear me through the billowing of wind whistling in our ears.
"He's going to be okay, Rosie. I promise," Rowan assured me, sitting across from me, one knee lifted with his bulging arm resting atop it.
Rowan was still an enigma to me. There was so much about him that I didn't know, but there were also things he could teach me about the Wolf Moon's gift. I had no doubts he was an ally, my confliction stemmed from the growing connection between us. Rowan had already been part of a pack forged from the previous Wolf Moon's Chosen, so there was no way he could be my missing fourth mate, right?
Or fifth?
That dream I had after my little dream reunion with Joaquin came back to me, remembering the four wolves from that showed up in my other visions about the Wolf Moon, followed by a fifth one that looked... menacing. What did that mean? Was it foreshadowing something? Was there someone in our mix that we shouldn't trust? I groaned, wishing that these visions came with instructions or a basic explanation rather than forcing me to figure it out on my own. Do you know how much easier my life would be if I knew the answers right away? But nope, The Wolf Moon—or was it Selene, or Fate—was not making it a cakewalk for me.
Oh joy.
It was fine. Honestly, the vision should've been the least of my concerns right now. After all, we were going back to Kingsrose for a happy reunion. I couldn't believe Pierce was planning to kill every human and shifter he deemed necessary and let an army of rogues take over. I barely knew him, other than him being a total dick, but from the few times I'd interacted with him, he never struck me as the guy who was willing to kill off his own pack, or innocent lives for that matter. A mass genocide didn't match his goal of wanting to make him and his pack the strongest wolf pack around. Which makes me wonder if this guy he'd been conspiring with was the real brains of the operation. What did Byron say his name was? Mordred? Even his name spelled trouble.
"Alpha Rosie," Thomas, one of the betas that Byron brought with him when he showed up with Kai, Del, and Joaquin, reached out to me telepathically. A new trick he and the rest of my pack were able to do now that they've sworn their loyalty to me.
"What is it?" I mentally called back.
"Do you mind if we stop for a rest? I don't mean to slow us down, but... Well, you and your friends have vehicles while the rest of us are running in wolf form."
He had a point, and we were making good time. A break should be fine. I mentally reached out for Kao through our bond, letting him know what we should stop. Kao relayed the message to Javier, who passed it on to his pack and Del, all of whom were riding in front of us. Within a few minutes, everyone with a vehicle moved out of the dirt and into an open plain. We parked side by side to form a wall so we could shift without anybody noticing just in case. My new betas caught up to us and came to a screeching halt, shifting back into their human skin and panting to catch their breath.
"You guys really should've brought cars with you instead of running," I said, gently laying Joaquin in the bed of blankets we made for him, then jumping out of the truck with Kai and Rowan following my lead.
Thomas was hunched over with his hands on his knees when he breathed out, "We were kind of in a hurry to reach you. We weren't really thinking about that when we followed Byron out of Kingsrose."
"Besides, I'm sure Pierce would've seen their cars and knew something was off," Byron cut in as he stepped out of his car. "I was already taking a risk by driving in mine, but then again, I didn't care if he noticed I left town. But at least he's left oblivious to the fact that these guys came with me. At least I hope."
That was an accurate assessment. I just hope we'd make it back to Kingsrose before Pierce realized his little ambush was a failure. Reaching for the cooler we had in the corner, I pulled it out and set it on the grass. I opened the lid, and let the betas grab a bottle of water to hydrate. I grabbed one of them and walked over to Byron, holding it out to him. Byron's grin was soft as he reached for it, our fingers barely grazing. I felt a shiver run up my arm at the contact, something my wolf also took notice, and suddenly, she was giving the big lumberjack of a man her undivided attention.
"Thanks," Byron said softly as he unscrewed the lid and gulped down half the bottle at once.
I may have ogled his Adam’s apple working as he swallowed the water, and it may have some parts of my body tingling. Great, just what I needed, another guy who could potentially be my mate. To be fair, I did think Byron was sex on legs when we first met, but back then he seemed completely dedicated to Pierce's motives. It was strange seeing him here with the rest of us, going against the alpha he swore to always obey. I wanted to ask him about it.
"You're welcome," I said simply, then paused for a moment. "Listen, Byron, I... I want to thank you for rescuing Joaquin for me. If you hadn't, I..." That was all I could say. If he, Kai and Del hadn't rescued him, my wolf would've forced my hand and took action, consequences be damned.
"If I hadn't rescued Joaquin, your friend and Kai would've done it. And your hunter friend would've killed me."
"He's not wrong," I heard Del say from the end where her bike was parked. She had her helmet and jacket off, leaving her in a black tank top, cutoff jean shorts, and biker boots. A holster with a gun inside was strapped to her right thigh. She pulled her hair out of its messy bun and let it hang over her shoulder. Her eyes looked back at us, and she shrugged. "I almost put a bullet in his skull."
"Del!" I gaped at her. "I'm sure you could've done it without killing someone."
Del smirked. "And I did, didn't I?"
"Only because I told you not to shoot," Kai pointed out. He and Kao reached over to my side. Kai pulled me into his arms and placed a gentle kiss to my lips. My mental bond with him was restored the moment he was within reach, and it felt so good. Kao came up behind me to place a kiss to the back of my neck. I had to admit, being sandwiched between two gorgeous Asian men was one of the highlights of my life. Well, that, and having said Asian men in my bed before we left. That moment in particular was clearly pictured in my mind thanks to the very palpable bulges rubbing against my pussy and ass. Fuck, now was not the time to be thinking of a threesome, though part of me was tempted to really give it some thought.
