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)
“You’ve heard the rumors of why I’m here. The enemy has spread them in hopes to weaken our pack and fracture us.
“They’ve told you I’ve been moon mad, that I nearly lost control chasing after a female.”
The entire room stays silent as if no one’s breathing. Silent as the dead.
“The rumors are true.” Murmurs rise, and I raise my voice. “I fought Fate and resisted taking my mate, and I nearly lost my mind. I thought I did this out of caution and love for you, my pack. But now I see it was fear.
“I was afraid that the one Fate chose for me would weaken the pack. But mostly, I was afraid she would weaken me.”
I seek out faces. The grizzled, bearded ones in front of the stage. The fresh faced yearlings by the walls. I meet each glowing gaze, not to overpower or dominate, but to connect with them.
“I was wrong. I put you and her at risk, and for that I am truly sorry.”
There’s shock on the familiar faces. An alpha never apologizes. At least, my father never did.
Maybe it’s time for that to change.
Ripples run through the crowd, murmurs rising in a great wave of sound that crashes against the walls and reverberates back.
“I have claimed a mate. Her name is Madison Evans. She bears my mark. She is under my protection, my true, fated mate.”
“Where is she?” someone shouts, and others agree. “Show her to us.”
“She is not here.” The murmurs grow louder, and I shout over them. “She is human.” I shout the truth, so everyone in my pack can hear. “And she is not a weakness. She is my strength.”
The sound surges to a deafening roar. Wolves shake their heads. Some of them push towards the exits. Others stand frozen, eyes flaring brighter as if they’ve seen a threat.
Jake, Vance, and Nickel step closer to me, tense as if braced for a blow. Everywhere I look, wolves are in chaos. Fights have broken out in the corners–wolves trying to escape the room, panicking and pushing each other. In the front row, the most staunch supporters of my father are stone-faced. Lowell Hunt, a wolf I once thought of as an uncle, has his arms folded across his chest, and his sons stand in a similar pose.
Will the pack accept a human? Will enough of them stay, so we can remain whole? Within a few hours, we’ll know.
“I am still your Alpha,” I shout into the maddening fray. “We are the Blackthroats. We will remain strong, if we stand as one.”
The crowd is a beast, snarling, snapping, shouting, “No.”
“A human will destroy the blood line!”
“You weakened our pack!”
“You’re not fit to lead!”
Many wolves have already left. They’ll defect to the Adalwulfs, who will either accept them as minions or slit their throats right then and there. Or the defectors will try to form an independent pack, and the Adalwulfs will slaughter them anyway.
Of the ones who remain, clusters have formed around the biggest and burliest wolves. One by one, their hands shoot up in the air.
“I challenge you for Alpha,” a huge wolf shouts.
“I challenge you!” one of Lowell Hunt’s sons also shouts. His cousins are behind him. They think they can take me as a group.
The cries come from every corner of the room. “Alpha, I challenge you!” Hundreds of wolves shouting, fighting to get to the front of the room.
I will have to fight them all.
I feel nothing but peace. The scents of my family, my friends and my pack fades until all I sense is her.
No more living in the shadows. I’ve made my choice. Madi is the sun of my life, my light, and I will sacrifice everything for her. Everything I have and everything I am because without her I am nothing.
Madi
“So, are you going to take the Torrent job?” Aubrey asks. She’s blasting “Candy” by Iggy Pop as she dances through our apartment dusting. I’m on floor duty, sweeping. We make a party out of our every other week deep cleaning of the apartment to make it go by faster.
This week isn’t much of a party, though. Or the vibe hasn’t transferred to me. I’m barely functioning.
My stomach clenches at her question. Every time I think about working again, I long for my job at Moon Co. It’s nothing compared to the cavernous ache of missing Brick, but it makes it hard to think about work in any capacity.
Good thing I’m still on Moon Co’s payroll at my new doubled rate.
It’s been three tortuous days since we landed in New York. Three nights sleeping alone. Three rounds of riding the subway and walking in Central park for hours to keep myself from staying in bed all day.
Brick called the first night, and I answered. I told him that I loved him, but until something had changed, I wasn’t going to take his calls.