.jpg)
x
Hope had barely left the room when the door crashed open and Patience came storming in, her eyes ablaze as she slammed the door shut. I straightened from my suitcase and Caira, my wolf, growled in the back of my mind. I felt my hackles rise as our emotions blended together, and while it was an unusual sensation to have a wolf when I was a completely human girl, it was nevertheless a comforting feeling, and I felt confidence flow into me as I faced Patience head on. "Can I help you?" I asked.
Patience advanced on me, her eyes glittering with rage. But her promised slap never connected; I caught her hand mid-blow, and her eyes widened as she put two and two together. "You've got a wolf," she said.
"How observant of you," I snarked. Patience looked ready to do murder, but I tightened my grip on her wrist, and she subsided. "Let's get some housekeeping out of the way; I've learned the error of my ways, and I plan on never betraying you or our sisters again. But if you ever lay a hand on me again, I'll turn you over my knee and give you a good walloping like I did when you were ten and I caught you drawing on my bedroom walls with permanent marker."
Patience went dead white, and in that moment, I felt a shift as she finally recalled I was still her older sister, and quite capable of dishing out as good as I got. I think the death grip I had on her wrist really selled it, and she bent her head in grudging acceptance. It was the end of our long feud, and while I'd never truly warm to her, I knew we'd get along on more civil terms. "I'm just glad you finally came to your senses," she muttered. "And you can let go now."
I did so, and she rubbed her wrist. "Alpha female?" she added.
I nodded. Caira had been an ex-alpha, in truth, and she'd lost her human during a vicious fight a few years ago. She herself had barely escaped joining her human, and had been nursed back to health by some friends of Prudence's. She'd been wary of joining with another human, and a mortal at that, but when she'd heard of my mission, she'd been all too keen on taking part. The Moon Blood pack had been rivals of hers as well, and she was eager to take revenge. We were, in essence, a match made in heaven.
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSg59DNApch
The next day, I was on the tube, heading to Euston, and I admitted to a few nerves as I got comfortable. It was the first time I'd been away from my sisters ever since they'd moved in all those years ago, but I was glad they trusted me enough to let me do this on my own. I hoped I'd be able to fulfil their trust in me, but I wasn't terribly worried about letting them down. I had a powerful wolf on my side, and I was more than happy to let her use me as a tool for revenge. It was, in essence, the least I could do for my sisters now that they'd let me become a part of them.
At Euston, I changed to a train for Preston, and at Preston, I changed to one more train heading for Blackpool North. By now, I'd made contact with Leo, Sean's older brother, and though he expressed surprise when he realised I was in fact entirely mortal, he promised to be open-minded when I met him at Blackpool. This, I decided, was going to be a lot more fun than I'd hoped. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CdTeJYUTC
105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuOUlAVUWv
Leo met me at Blackpool North, and when I first laid eyes on him, Caira let out a squeak. Well, as squeaky as a wolf could get. 'He's handsome,' she commented.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYvsC6Ed7f
He certainly was; he was, in essence, tall, dark and handsome, and he carried a grudge against his brother a mile wide. I learned all about it as we hopped in the car to continue our journey to the packhouse. As Caira made nice with Hunter, Leo's wolf, Hunter's human let me in on his story.
"Sean's always been the golden son," he said, his face set in a frown as he navigated the busy streets of Blackpool. "He's got the connections, the power, and, through a sheer accident of birth, a lineage stretching back to the very first wolves, who had connections going back even further than that. Sean is the latest in a line of descendants stretching back to the Before Times, and he's got all the arrogance to match. I'm not so lucky; I can trace back to the After Times, but I haven't the clout. He does. And I hate him for it."
I decided now was the time to let him in on why I was here. "I guess that helps make my job easier," I said, before launching into my story. Leo whistled when I was done.
"Then you and I are on the same page," he said. "Caira seems eager to run him down as well."
"Her pack was all but destroyed and her human killed by yours," I said. "Sean apparently led the attack,and he personally killed her human. Caira wants his head, but my sisters want his bloodline. I'm here to win him over to my side, and then I'm to take him to my sisters in London so they can finish the job and make him one of theirs."
"So they can breed and make talented cubs," Leo surmised. "Huh. Your sisters are very determined to have this work. Why?"
"They come from the Middle Times," I said, "but they've never been able to mate with bloodlines from the Before Times. Sean is the perfect specimen they need."
Leo held out his hand and I shook it. "This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship," he said.
ns 15.158.61.11da2
