Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
“Trust her visions. Aster’s strong.” Oma gives me a rare compliment. “She is ready to replace me as pack Seeress when the time comes.”
I grit my teeth. The walls of the room tilt this way and that. I blink a few times to reorient myself.
“I know he's planning something,” Aiden rants. “They stole the acreage next to our land. The seller refused to deal with me, and now the Blackthroats have it. They’ll be able to camp right on our borders if they want to.” Aiden clenches his fists, looking like he’s about to burst out of his skin and into wolf form any second. His voice drops to a lower register. “I need to know his weakness,” he growls. “Now.”
“We will tell you more as soon as we know it,” Oma says.
“See that you do. Thank you.” Aiden turns, nodding to include me in his thanks.
I bow my head, the picture of a submissive wolf. Better to hide my defiance or find subtle ways to express it. For years, I’ve pretended to be obedient, quietly riding under the radar.
Now Oma is shining a spotlight on my gifts. What will life in the pack be like when she and Odin die, and Aiden and I take our new positions in the pack?
The floor under my feet feels uneven. I pushed too hard. As soon as Aiden’s powerful presence recedes, I slump into a chair.
“Breathe, child. You extended too far.”
“He gave me a command.” I lean forward and let my head drop between my knees.
“He’ll learn to temper his power, just as you will learn to control yours.”
I give the smallest nod I can without jarring my head. It still hurts.
Oma’s right, I need to learn to control my power. Not so I can serve as Seeress, though I don’t know how I’m going to wriggle out of that duty. I need to control my visions, so I can continue to hide the truth of what I’ve seen. Every time I dream of the Blackthroats, a man’s face comes into view clearly.
I don’t know if he’s one of the Blackthroats. He might well be the one I spoke of–someone close to the inner circle but not part of the pack. Soon to upset the balance.
And his fate is entwined with mine. The more I see him, the more I’m sure. This man, my sworn enemy, is my destiny.
I have to guard that information at all costs. If Oma or Aiden find out, they’ll tell Odin. And my life–and that of my future mate–will be over.
Chapter One
Brick
The second I enter the concert venue that’s the site of the pack meeting, my wolf raises his head. He’s been sulking about leaving our mate behind, but the thick scent of a building full of shifters gets his attention.
All of my top wolves wait in the green room behind the stage. Everyone but Billy. I shake Jake’s hand and let Vance clap me on the back. I nod to Sully, who lurks in the shadows as usual. Every once in a while, he touches his coiled earpiece, communicating with his security team.
Behind me, Eagle and Nickel confer on how best to introduce me to the audience full of my pack. The two of them met me at my private gym, where I showered off Madi’s scent and changed into freshly dry-cleaned clothes. My wolf hates that we don’t smell like our mate, but this is how it has to be.
This is for the best.
“It’s time,” Eagle says. In the dim light of the backstage room, his eyes gleam with an eerie light. He blinks, and his wolf recedes.
Everyone’s on edge. My top wolves study me, searching for any sign of moon madness. For any sign that I’ve changed since claiming my mate.
My wolf whines, wanting to return to Madi’s side. Soon, I tell him. She’s safe.
We had two whole days of pleasure. Now I have to attend to business.
Nickel heads out, and the room falls silent. The audience is full of shifters and only shifters. Almost two thousand of my pack gathered to see if I am fit to lead them.
They need me to be the alpha I was born to be. I have to forget her.
My whole pack’s existence depends on it.
Nickel leans into the microphone. “Allow me to introduce…your alpha.”
I stride onto the stage. The place is packed. There are some rows of chairs in the front of the room and in the balconies, but most of the room is standing room only. We’re probably a little over capacity. Nickel must have bribed the fire marshall.
There’s a small platform with a microphone on a tripod. No podium, nothing for me to hide behind. Communication is ninety percent body language, and they need to see my posture and my hands.
We’re not politicians, my father used to sneer. We’re not humans in a democracy. We rule on the strength and power of our wolves.