bChapter /bb300 /b

    bChapter /bb300 /b

    Henry

    b“/bTell me again why we’re stopping at the Academy, Henry?” Justine asks from the seat beside me.

    I’ve spent thest several months courting her, getting to know her, and deciding if she would be a good fit for my pack as my chosen bLuna/bb. /bbI /bbhad /bbhoped /bto find my fated mate, but as the years have gone by, I’m running out of time. And not just me, if my mate is close to my age, her childbirth years are limited. The Alpha in me is feeling a powerful need to create an Alpha heir and to create one soon.

    I met Justine when I went back to visit my mother’s pack several months ago. She’s in herte twenties and hasn’t yet met her mate. We bhit /bbit /boff bright /baway and before I left, I made ns to visit again the following month.

    I did, and once again, we had a great time together. The following month, I came back and stayed for a week, taking Justine away from bthe /bbpack /bbfor /bba /bfew days so we could spend some alone time together. While we don’t have the fireworks that my brother and the Hills all seem to have bwith /btheir bmates/b, Justine and I both agreed that we arepatible in all aspects of our lives. She is anxious to settle down and start a family and she loves bpack /blife. She already has the skills to be a great Luna and so, after multiple visits, I’ve decided to bring her back ito /imy pack for a visit. If ball /bgoes wellb, /bbI’ll /bmark her band /bmake her my Luna officially.

    “I am very dyed in signing an alliance agreement with Yorick and Cyra Teymoori–Hill. I’ve been a bit busy,” I say, grinning bat /bher. She blushes a sweet pink and I stroke my knuckles over her cheek.

    “Cyra just had their pup a couple weeks ago, so my n to see them then was put on hold. I know they’re both back at the Academy, so I want bto /bstop bby /bnow and get this done. It’s a formality, but an important one. Plusb, /bit will give me a chance to introduce you to them and for me to meet their newest pup.”

    I’ve already met Quirin’s triplets. I didn’t stay long during that visit. Q has been very vocal about his disagreement with me taking a chosen bmate/bb. /bBut he and I aren’t the same. He never expected to find his mate. I’ve always wanted mine. I thought for sure it was Kennedy. It felt like we would have been perfectlypatible. I’m happy she and Quirin are together, she makes him happy and he’s a better man because of her, but I’ve always wanted a woman just like her; sweet, kind, generous of heart, and loving.

    Justine checks all those boxes.

    “I hope they like me. The Hills seem very important to you,” she says.

    “They are. They are as much my family as Quirin is. I’ve talked to Connor. His pack bis /bclosest to mine. He’s invited us over for dinner in a few days. I know it might be a lot for you, meeting so many people, but I want you to know what it would be like for you if we were ept each other as chosen mates,” I

    say.

    We’ve talked about it several times. This trip, bringing her to meet the pack and my family, is thest box I need to check. If she fits in well with everyone, then it’s a done deal for me. Quirin will be the hardest to convince, but I’m counting on him loving me enough to ept my decision, even if he doesn’t agree with it. I get it, the love he has with Kennedy, hell, the love ball /bfated mates share looks incredible. I did want that, but I have to think about the future of the pack. Justine is a perfectplement to me and we’re verypatible. We will have a lovely, peaceful life together.

    “Alpha Yorick and Alpha Cyra are the ones who were recently in court, right?” she asks.

    “Yes, it was a big issue with her father trying to force her into an alliance bond because he had embezzled money. He’s in jail bnow /band bthe /bbman /bbwho /bschemed to get him to sign the alliance bond is also in jail.”

    bwas /bbblessed /b

    I do feel bad that I wasn’t there for those court appearances. I heard from Connor that the first one became ba /bbtotal /bshit bshow /bbwith /bStelling brejected /band his mate finding her second chance immediately afterward. Even now the thought has jealousy eating bat /bbmy /bbinsides/b. bThat /bwoma with two fated mates and she’s only in her twenties. I’m thirty–three and haven’t met mine.

    For a while, I had intended to wait for Wendy, to see if she was for me. I’ve always been drawn to the Hills. When I didn’t bfind /bbmy /bbmate /bbat /bba /bbyoung /bbage/bb, /bhoped that I’d find her in their family. But, after talking with bHijack/b, and seeing how excited Wendy is babout /bbgoing /bbto /bbthe /bbAcademy/bb, /bbI /bbrealized /bbthat /bbher /bbpath /band mine are not the same, I don’t want to take her dreams away from her. If that’s her path, she should follow it and bsee /bbwhere /bbit /bbgoes/bb. /bI bneed /bba /bbLuna /bsomeone who can be happy standing at my side and running the pack with me. Over thest several monthsb, /bbI’ve /bbrealized /bbthat’s /bbnot /bbWendy/b. bEven /bbYana/b, the next youngest in the family, is showing a penchant for technology and is already talking about bwanting /bbto /bbfollow /bbin /bbYorick /bband /bbWendy’s /bbfootsteps /bbby /bgoing to the Academy and bing part of the tech team.

    b1/3 /b

    20:09 bTue/bb, /b19 bAug /b– U

    It was time for me to face reality, so I did.

    I hadn’t expected to meet someone in my mother’s pack. I’d gone more as a fishing expedition to see what other she wolves were bout /bthere and if there were ones who were interested in being my mate more than being a Luna. Justine hadn’t flirted openly, she hadn’t tried to sneak into my bed or promised to make all my dirty dreamse true. She’d just been herself. She’d asked about me, my pack, my family and we’d talked about bhers /bbas /bwell. It had been slow, we’d taken our time to get to know each other, and now it is time for the big test, the final test to show that she is meant to be my Luna.

    When we pull into the Academy’s parking lot, I get out and sniff the air. There are a lot of scents here, I swear I catch hints of Cyra’s and Yorick’s scents, but there are so many scents in the air that it’s hard to narrow them down.

    Tyrus, my wolf, sits up, sniffing the air.

    Can you find them, buddy?‘ I ask him as I walk around the car to open the door for Justin

    ‘No… he says, distractedly.

    When Justine stands, I lean in and press a kiss to her lips. “They’re going to love you,” I say.

    knowing how important the Hills are to me. If for some reason I can feel how nervous she is. I’m sure it’s abination of meeting new people and al they don’t like Justine, I’ll have to really consider my decision to take her as a chosen mate. But I iknow /ithey’ll love her. She’s just like Hill women. She’ll fit in perfectly.

    I grab the papers out of the back of the car, then take her hand. I follow the signs for the entrance to the Academy and step inside. The scent of food, lunch preparation, hits me first, burying the scent of everything else for a moment.

    hall

    There’s arge room that must be the dining hall on the left, but I see students walking up from the right. I turnb, /bleading Justine with me as Tyrus lifts his nose in the air and sniffs for Cyra and Yorick.

    I catch Yorick’s bamboo scent a moment before I hear him.

    “Hey stranger!”

    I smile, happy to see my friend. Tyrus, rather than sitting down in my head, continues to pace.

    “What’s up, buddy?‘ I ask himb, /bbut I’m distracted by

    Yorick pulling me into a hug.

    All the Hills are huggers. It’s umon in the werewolf world, but with their family, it works.

    “Yorick, this is Justine,” I say, introducing her, then looking at Cyra and the baby she’s holding in her arms.

    “Hello, Alpha Yorick,” Justine says.

    “Hey Cyra,” I say, walking up to her and looking at their little pup. My own need to start a family res in my gut. I grit my teeth. I refuse to be jealous of my friends‘ happiness. “And this must be little Cyrus,” I say.

    “Oh, he’s beautiful. Hello, Alpha Cyra, I’m Justine.”

    “It’s nice to meet you, Justine,” Cyra says, smiling at Justine before looking back at her little bundle.

    “I think he looks just like Yorick, don’t you?” she asks me.

    “Well, you both have dark, wavy hair, so it could go either way,” I chuckle, Cyrus has a head full of dark hair.

    “So, you’re finally here bto /bsign that alliance agreement with us? I was beginning to think we were going to be the only family you didn’t bsign /bbwith/b, bYorick /bsays, joking.

    At that moment, I catch the scent, the scent that Tyrus has obviously been searching for. He growls possessively, stepping forward bas /bbthe /bbwarm /bscent of pumpkin pie fills our nose. It’s my favorite scent in fall. It reminds me of changing leaves, cooler nightsb, /bfirecesb, /bband /bheartierb, /bbricher /bbfoods/b. It’s everything I love about fall, my favorite season.

    b2/3 /b

    Tue, ty Aug

    Yorick pushes Cyra behind him and turns, giving me my first look at the gorgeous red head in front of me. The woman bwho /bsmells like bhome /band le holding the hand of a man with dark hair.

    He, intelligently, pulls his hand out of hers and steps back as I snarl at him. “Mine!”

    “Don’t you dare!” the red–head growls at me, taking a step in front of him. “Don’t you fucking dare growl at him, while you have a woman clinging to your arm like she belongs there!”

    I jolt, turning to look at Justine beside me. In that moment, I’dpletely forgotten about her.

    Topen my mouth to say… I don’t eve

    know what I would say.

    But ther

    red–head, my mate, beats me to it.

    “Let me guess. You’re Alpha Henry, right? The man who couldn’t wait to find his fated mate, so he’s been out searching for his chosen mate. The bman /bwho couldn’t wait to find me. That’s you, right? Well, I see you’ve found her. Congrattions,” she snarls.

    “I can exin,” I begin.

    “Don’t bother. 1, Alpha Piper Conley….”

    “Piper no!” the dark–haired man behind her says, grabbing her arm.

    “He’s made his choice, Zach, and it wasn’t me.” I can see the hurt in her eyes, hear it in her voice. Tyrus howls in my head, unwilling to let our fated bmate /bolligo. /li/ol

    She turns back to look at me, anger and determination shing in her eyes.

    “I, Alpha Piper Conley …”

    Before I can think about it, I rip my arm out of Justine’s grasp and p my hand over Piper’s mouth, pulling her body against mine when she bbegins /bto fight me.

    “No! I refuse to allow you to reject me,” I snarl at her.

    I realize in that moment that there’s a reason I’m not mated to a Hillb, /bnot mated to someone like Justine. Just like Quirin needed a woman who is soft and gentle to ease his anger and hate, I need a woman who will light a fire in me, someone who will make me burn for them.

    And this angry, hurt woman in front of me is exactly that kind of woman.

    Shit, what the fuck have I done?

    *This book will continue in The Pack’s Luna, Henry’s story.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!