AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But she pushes me away. “You want them to see me? Pregnant and vulnerable? Naked in front of your friends?”
I realize in an instant I absolutely do not want that. I don’t want anyone than me to see an inch of her skin below her neck. Growling possessively, I carry her out of the room and plant her in front of the walk-in closet with a grunt.
She laughs. “That’s what I thought!”
* * *
The gathering is on our land this time, in a carved-out cathedral like area in the ground. Stairs of dirt and rock lead down to a platform thirty feet beneath the actual surface of the land. Behind the platform is a sheer drop overlooking the valley below and open to the air. Woven wooden rods serve as the only barrier between the drop and the platform where Ryder and Cole now stand shoulder to shoulder.
“We have a name for our enemy, something to call him…” Ryder starts.
“The Scientist has taken our pups, turned our allies, and destroyed human lives all throughout the territories,” Cole finishes. He steps forward, palms facing out. “Any of you who have been hesitant about this union must truly see now.”
“We have to work together, we have to bind ourselves to one another!” Ryder says, stepping up beside him and placing his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “There can no longer be Silver Dawn and Dark Moon. We have to unite.”
“We bring to you, both of our packs, this idea. We’ll join together, Ryder and I leading both packs equally…” Cole places a hand over Ryder’s and nods to him, seriously.
“Together we will form the Apex Pack!” Ryder shouts, his voice echoing in the cathedral. “One pack, with two leaders bound by blood!” he finishes, and raises a knife in the air.
Cole turns, placing one hand at the base of the blade and gripping hard so blood begins to pool. Ryder grips the top of the blade, cutting his skin as well, and when Ryder pulls the blade down and through their palms both men join hands and press their foreheads together.
“We are one pack!” Cole shouts.
“One body!” Ryder agrees.
And then together. “We are one!”
The crowd erupts in cheers. Two words are chanted in this temple of nature.
Apex Pack.
Apex Pack.
Apex Pack.
I hold Cricket close and kiss her soundly on the mouth. We’re no longer from enemy packs, we are one pack, one family. No separation. The joy that fills the cathedral is like nothing I’ve ever felt, and only very few people remain not cheering. I watch them warily as they leave, frowning.
These will be the people to watch. These will be the traitors of our future.
I’ll never let them destroy what we’ve worked so hard to create.
Chapter24
Rowan
The tuneless echoing of the drums continues long into the night. I toss and turn in my hammock, glaring at the stars. The hippy commune has been here for a week already, camping in the clearing next to my tents. I hate them. Every last single fucking one of them. I roll out of my hammock, glaring in their general direction.
“It’s a rare blue moon,” I say in a mocking tone. “We must gather here, in this sacred place, as Mother Earth calls us to! The night of the full moon we will dance naked around our fires and bathe in her light, cleansing our bodies and souls of the evil in this world!”
It’s all hippy fuckery. Witch wannabes. I’ve seen real power, I’ve seen Raina shower down fiery vengeance and I’ve seen Cassius lead us to victory after victory. These scum will never know the true power of the moon, but if they aren’t careful, I’ll show them.
I stalk over to my fire and stab it with a stick, grinning evilly as sparks fly. If I light their tents on fire, maybe they’ll all leave? Brilliant idea, wonderful idea, silence in my woods at last. Ever since Jackson Wraith and Cricket Ashcroft disturbed my peace, there's been nothing but annoyances.
I rub my naked chin, try to pull the long hair on my head that’s no longer there, and glare in fury into the fire. Cole held me down as Ryder cut my hair and shaved my face. “You’re being hailed a hero, Rowan, you can't look like bigfoot at the celebration,” they said.
One fucking pack. Apex pack, and I’m the hero. Not Ryder, not Cole, not Jax, me. It’s idiotic. It’s their way of pulling me back into the pack. I didn’t do anything but help a dumb fuck and his broad for a night. Now I look like my father, and I despise it.
Why couldn’t I look like my mother? Blonde hair, green eyes, a smile that could brighten a room even on the darkest of days. No, I look like the man who impregnated her. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark heart. He wasn’t even her mate. He went back to his wife, raised his own kids, never looked at me twice. At least, not until Richard took an interest in my mom. Then my father battled Richard for Alpha, lost, and died. Leaving my mother at Richard’s mercy until he was responsible for her death, too.
