A faerie adopted by werewolves must confront her past when her brother comes looking for her.
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In Hecate City, Oregon, Alpha Owen Stillwater's word is the law. He rules over a city filled with supernaturals, where crime is low but there...
It was over, Sawyer realized in a rush of emotion. She had witnessed the transfer of Authority from Owen Stillwater to his son. There was nothing to fear; she and Caleb were free to live their lives as they had always wanted.
"She's calling you!" Lee shouted in Sawyer's ear.
"What?" she asked, pushing the strands of that absurd black wig out of the way. Goddess, this thing was itchy! Wait a minute—she could take it off now! Ripping off the wig, she tossed it onto the bench floor and scratched at her scalp. That felt so much better!
"Sawyer Bloodmoon!"
Mom leaned over Lee. "Go! The high priestess wants you on stage."
"What? Why?"
"Go!" Mom repeated, pointing.
All around them, heads were turning. Sawyer looked around, then saw Caleb standing by his parents on the stage with the high priestess.
"Go! Go!" the crowd began to chant enthusiastically.
It was as if the goddess Herself had given Sawyer's feet life. She jumped up from the bench and began sprinting down the light metal stairs, fairly bouncing with each step. Security led her to the stage stairs and she began climbing them when an ungodly howl skittered down her spine and stuck in her soul like a sword.
A massive black werewolf in warrior form leaped at her, orange eyes ablaze with endless rage. Sawyer froze to the spot, her blood like ice, hand locked on the railing as if were superglued there.
"NO!"
Owen Stillwater grunted and was knocked off-balance by another warrior-formed werewolf—this one red.
Caleb.
"Get out of the way!" Lee shouted, grabbing Sawyer and dragging her away from the staircase. The fairground security scrambled out of the way as the two warriors rolled across the stage, fur flying. Sawyer screamed as Lee threw himself in front of her, muscled arms stretched wide.
"YOU LIED TO ME, BOY!" Owen howled, punching Caleb in the face.
"CALEB!" Sawyer shrieked, gripping Lee's arm with both hands as the punch twisted Caleb to the side. He staggered on digitigrade legs and went down on one knee, tail flagging.
Owen was on him instantly, jaws bared wide as he moved to bite into Caleb's neck.
No! No! NO! Sawyer screamed internally, unable to speak. Not Caleb! No, goddess, no!
Snorting blood, Caleb shoved upwards, one hand gripping his grandfather around the throat, shoving his head back at a precarious angle. "YOU. WILL. LEAVE. HER ALONE!" Caleb roared, claws digging into the soft flesh. "YOU VILE, DISGUSTING OLD MAN!"
"OLD MAN?" the former alpha snarled as blood splattered the stage. "I'LL SHOW YOU OLD!" Swinging his arms in a circle, he brought them down on Caleb's with enough force to break the younger werewolf's hold. Before Caleb could counter, his grandfather barreled forward and wrapped his arms around Caleb's torso; he lifted the red wolf up with a howl and slammed Caleb onto the stage.
Metal squealed in protest as Caleb's body bounced, all four limbs failing. Owen walked over and kicked his grandson hard in the head. Caleb grunted and went limp.
"NO!" Sawyer felt blood vessels break in her eyes as she screamed. "Let me go, Lee! Let me go!" She had to get to him. She had to get to Caleb.
Owen's head whipped around, pinning her with his fiery orange gaze. "YOUR TURN, YOU BACKSTABBING BITCH!" Taking off at a run, he jumped off the stage and hit the ground without missing a stride.
The world narrowed to a thin tunnel. All Sawyer could see was the former alpha barreling towards her with murder in his eyes.
Lee's whole body tensed. "SHE'S MY SISTER, YOU FUCKIN' BASTARD!"
Just as Owen reached them, light exploded from Lee's body, shooting outwards like a prism. The black werewolf skidded to a stop, throwing his hands up in front of his face. Sawyer cried out in pain as the light overwhelmed her, stabbing into her agonized eyes like tiny little needles.
In an instant, it was over. Sawyer gingerly opened her eyes and blinked the bright spots away. Another black warrior-form werewolf stood with his back to her, clawed hands curled into fists.
"Lee?" Sawyer whispered, unable to believe her eyes. But there it was: a tiny patch of white between the werewolf's shoulder blades. She fell back, hands covering her mouth. This was impossible—Lee was a beta.
He shouldn't be able to do that.
Lee howled and ran at Owen, who was still trying to clear his vision. Sawyer's brother rammed his shoulder into the older werewolf's gut and threw him back into the stage. Owen's head cracked against the metal frame, hard enough to dent it.
"NO. MORE!" Lee screamed, wailing his fists against Owen's stomach, pounding him further and further into the stage.
Owen coughed, blood coating his fangs, gums, and tongue. The orange fire in his eyes flickered as Lee's onslaught continued. His legs trembled and he slid downwards. Lee's next punch missed and hit the stage instead, causing the lights hanging above the performing area to precariously sway.
Lee jumped back, shaking his clawed hand in pain. Owen Stillwater lifted his head, jaws parted in a feral grin. He lashed out, slamming his fist into Lee's groin.
A high, thin wail left Lee's throat and he crumpled into a ball, curling protectively around his abused anatomy. Laughing gutturally like a madman, Owen slowly rose to his feet, blood dribbling down his jaw.
"ENOUGH!"
The former alpha looked up just in time to see Caleb swing a folding chair at his head with a resounding crack. One minute, Owen was standing; in the next, he dropped bonelessly to the ground. Caleb slid off the stage and slammed the chair down hard on his grandfather's limp body.
Sawyer stood there, slack-jawed. He was going to kill Owen. As much as she hated the former alpha, she couldn't let Caleb kill his grandfather. That wasn't who Caleb was; if he went through with it, he'd never forgive himself.
As Caleb raised the chair for the third time, Sawyer screamed, "Stop!"
Caleb jerked at the sound of her voice.
"Stop!" Sawyer called out again. "Don't do it!"
The chair dropped from Caleb's hands, bouncing off of his grandfather's chest. He ran towards her, shifting back into human form as he did.
"Are you all right?" Caleb asked, crushing Sawyer in his arms.
"Yes," she cried, clutching his bloodied shirt with both hands.
Into the quiet that followed, a new voice spoke. "Well, this is interesting."
Sawyer and Caleb turned to look up at the high priestess; the woman perched on the edge of the stage, looking down at the carnage with a discerning eye. "A newborn alpha," she mused as if she were examining a painting and not staring at the aftermath of a werewolf battle.
Lee? Lee was an alpha?
On the ground, her brother began to move and groan.
Alpha.
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