Break

Book Three

^Aurora and Everett are struggling to unify the estranged Red Moon and Shadow Blood packs. Feeling that she must learn the extent of her power in order to succeed in bringing them together, Aurora decides to continue her education at Lupine University. There, she meets a mysterious Professor who is determined to teach her how to use her powers to their fullest potential...^

RORY

The morning light cuts through a gap in the curtains and stabs me directly in my eyes, waking me up an hour earlier than my alarm.

To my surprise, I roll over and see that Everett is already gone from the bed.

~Alpha duty calls, I guess…~

With a sigh, I carefully plant my clumsy feet onto the floor and walk over to my closet to get ready for the day.

I was hoping for a relaxed morning cuddle before another long day of luna-ing.

But let’s be honest…the past three months since our mating ceremony have been anything ~but~ relaxing.

The former members of the Red Moon Pack have totally resisted the change in leadership that occurred when Everett killed their former alpha, Stefan.

Everett spends hours and hours a day in his office, trying to make agreements and compromises with the former Red Moon Beta, a stoic, stubborn wolf named Robert.

And as for me…I spend my days trying to turn over a new leaf with the same werewolves that ruthlessly tortured me as a child.

They don’t treat me like Aurora Langdon the luna.

No matter what I do, they still see me as Rory Matthews, the clumsy outcast.

Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, I exit our room and walk toward the dining hall for breakfast.

I smile and say hello to each person that I pass, and they respond in turn. Unfortunately, this simple formality doesn’t do much to ease the loneliness that I feel inside.

Freya left for college two weeks ago, and aside from Everett, Mama, Ophelia, and Ace, I don’t feel like I have many true friends in this pack.

~But…every day offers a new chance to try and make some.~

~Or at least that’s what Mama says…~

Arriving in the dining room, I grab a plate and fill it with scrambled eggs and a few links of sausage. Then, I look around the room and begin the daily struggle of trying to figure out where to sit.

There is a group of five Red Moon girls all huddled together at a table. Sitting at the head is the bona fide ~luna~ of this little clique, Mia.

She has all of them listening with rapt attention as she excitedly tells a funny story—probably at someone else’s expense.

I knew Mia very well growing up.

In fact, she was best friends with Victoria, and the two of them used to torture me on any occasion that they could.

I thought things between us might be better now that Victoria is dead…but actually, they’re even worse.

Mia knows that I had a hand in getting her friend killed. And she’s decided to take it out on me for all of eternity.

But today, I’m feeling brave. And there’s an empty seat at the other end of their table.

So I take a deep breath, walk over, and confidently set down my plate of food.

As soon as I take a seat, Mia stops telling her story, and all five sets of eyes fall onto me.

“Hello, ladies,” I say, trying to keep my tone casual. “How’s it going?”

Mia purses her pouty lips and flicks her pin-straight, red hair behind her shoulder.

“Actually,” she says, “we were just finishing up. We’re in a hurry.”

I look around the table and see that they all still have full plates of food. They must have arrived in the dining hall just moments before I did.

But of course, the instant I arrive, they are rushing to leave. This is hardly the first time that’s happened.

“Where are you going?” I say, trying not to show the hurt on my face.

Mia snickers as if I’m stupid for even asking.

“It’s orientation day at L.U.,” she says.

“L.U.?” I ask, confused.

“Lupus University,” she says. “It’s only the best college in the Northeast. But of course you wouldn’t know that. It’s just for werewolves…”

“Unlike this pack, which will apparently let anything in,” one of her followers chimes in.

Mia cackles at her friend’s cruel joke, and then they all follow Mia’s lead as she gets up from the table and skips out of sight.

I stare dejectedly into my food, doomed to eat alone again.

But thankfully, Mama arrives just a few moments later.

She takes the seat next to me and wraps an arm around my shoulders.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” she says with a yawn.

“I don’t know about ~good~,” I say. “Did you see what just happened?”

“Those girls are nasty,” she says.

“It’s been three months since I officially became luna, and I can’t even get them to say more than one sentence to me,” I say.

Mama nods sympathetically.

“And it’s not just them,” I add. “All of the Red Mooners keep to themselves, no matter what we do.”

“Keep trying, Rory,” Mama says. “They’ll come around. I’m sure of it.”

~Goddess knows I’m not…~

The division between the packs is on my mind day and night.

The last time I went into the spirit realm, my birth mother warned me that I needed to unify the packs because some great danger was coming for us.

At this rate, it seems like I will never succeed in the mission she gave me.

If I can’t even get them to eat breakfast with me...how will I get them to fight alongside me when the time comes?

I pull out my phone, desperate to talk to a real friend who doesn’t hate my guts.

Besides, Freya’s been so busy in her first few weeks of college that I haven’t really gotten any updates.

Rory

Hey girl…

Rory

Tell me everything!!!

Freya

Ohhhh myyy GOD

Freya

College is amazing

Freya

I’ve never felt so free 🦋🦋🦋

Rory

YESS amazing

Rory

Wish I felt the same

Freya

Luna life that bad?

Rory

Everybody hates me 😟

Freya

No

Freya

Everett loves you 💖

Freya

And I love you and that’s all that matters

Freya

You gotta come visit mee!!!!

Rory

U kno I wish i cud!!!

Rory

Someday…

As much as I wish I could jet off to New York and visit Freya for a weekend, I can’t just leave the pack...

Not when so much work still needs to be done to bridge the massive divide that threatens to destroy it from the inside.

***

EVERETT

Another day, another tense meeting with Robert, the former beta of the Red Moon Pack.

When my pack absorbed the Red Moon Pack, Robert was stripped of his title. And he wasn’t so happy about that fact...to put it lightly.

Now, as punishment, he has decided to make my life a living hell.

“I have your pack’s best interest at heart,” I tell him for the millionth time.

“If that’s true, then there is no need to constantly police us by sending your Pack Warriors to our camp.”

“They are not there to police you,” I tell him. “They are there to ~protect~ you.”

“The Red Moon Pack has protected itself for centuries. What makes you think we need ~your~ warriors?” he asks me.

“We have an escalating situation with the Rogues in this region,” I say. “My warriors are trained to deal with them. You need to accept that.”

“No, Alpha,” Robert says. “~You~ need to keep your paws out of our business. I haven’t sniffed a rogue around here in three months. I don’t see why that would suddenly change now. Send your warriors away from our camp, or we’ll force them out.”

With that, Robert gets up out of his seat and turns on his heels, storming out of my office.

That man loves nothing more than getting the last word.

Chaos growls in my head.

I know my wolf is desperate to rip Robert’s heart out of his chest for disobeying me.

But he’s a beloved member of the Red Moon Pack. If anything happened to him, the divide between Red Moon and Shadow Blood would grow even wider.

I sink my head into my hands.

~Goddess...~

Being an alpha is twice as hard when you have to oversee ~two~ packs who refuse to see eye-to-eye.

Aurora and I haven’t had a day off in months. I know that all the stress is taking a toll on her. And I can’t deny that it’s doing the same to me, too.

Sulking back to our bedroom, I open the door and find my luna lying on our bed, curled up into a ball.

I walk over and sit down on the edge.

“What’s the matter?” I ask her, stroking her hair gently.

But I feel like I already know the answer…

“It’s hopeless,” she says. “The Red Moon Pack is never going to accept me.”

“Tell me about it…” I say.

“I’m sick of it,” she says. “And now that Freya is gone, having the time of her life in New York, I feel like you’re the only friend I have left here.”

As I stare into Aurora’s misty eyes, I can’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

If it weren’t for the mating bond that we share, Aurora would also be off at college, pursuing her dreams.

Instead, she’s cooped up here, sharing the burden of pack problems with me.

Suddenly, an idea dawns on me, and I blurt it out before I even have a chance to think it over.

“You should take a break,” I say. “You should go visit her.”

“But what about the pack? I can’t just leave.”

“The pack can fend for itself for a weekend,” I say. “You can’t pour from an empty cup, Aurora.”

“What about you?” she asks me, her eyes lighting up. “You deserve a break, too.”

“You’re right,” I say, surprising myself. “We should both go. It’ll be like the mating-moon we never had.”

“Really?” Aurora asks excitedly. “Can we really do that?”

“We’re the goddess-damned alpha and luna,” I say. “We can do whatever we want!”

“Wow!” Aurora squeals. “I need to text Freya! We’re going to New York City!”

Chaos growls even louder inside me.

My wolf ~hates~ the city.

He likes lush forests and tall trees, not crosswalks and skyscrapers.

Goddess knows I might live to regret this…

But the look on Aurora’s face, and the way she pulls me into her arms and kisses me excitedly, makes it all worth it.