Chapter 1 Chapter 1

SCOTT POV "Lisa," I yell over the saw while walking into our huge workshop. "What," she yells, hitting the power button and removing her safety glasses. Lisa blows a piece of blonde hair out of her eyes and glares at me. I laugh. She hates being interrupted while working. And currently, she is ankle-deep in small projects to keep the doors of Twin Construction open. My gorgeous twin sister is stubborn to the core. She has natural light blonde hair and clear sky blue eyes. She is 5'11" and muscular but not bulky. She could have easily been a model. But she loves MMA and woodwork instead, which we both get from our dad. "Hey, chill, okay. I bring good news," I chuckle while she continues to glare. She throws the glasses on a workbench and heads to our mini-fridge. She throws me a water bottle before pulling out one for herself and sitting on the counter. "Alright. I will bite. What good news," Lisa asks before taking a big drink from her water bottle. "Landed us a bid. It should be a good chunk of money. Multiple small homes need to be built from the ground up and improvements made to a large main home. The downside is, it's wolf land, and we will be going against wolf companies," I say in between gulps of water. "We don't work for wolves," Lisa says with a serious expression. "Dad made that rule Lisa. And Dad didn't have a big loan during a recession. We need this job," I sigh. I'm tired of the same old argument. Dad died hating wolves. He hated that a wolf came and stole his wife. "What are our other options, Scott? You are the one with a degree in finance. Use that big brain," she pleads with me. I shake my head. "We are going in circles, Lis. Normal people don't have the money to do home repairs right now. Wolves still do. They own many companies around the world. They are the only business to be had right now. Do you know what I had to do today? I had to let the two news guys go. We couldn't afford them anymore," I say to my sister with pleading eyes. She has to understand that our father's grudge can no longer stand. "Fine. You hitting the gym with me?" she asks. I nod. Crap, now she will pound me on the mat since I won in the battle of words. We both have had boxing and wrestling classes since we were 8. She is the champ of the city. She competes in any amateur competition she can. I like the workout, and I am pretty good, but I don't have the drive as Lisa does. She radiates aggression in the gym. She even beats female wolves in her matches. It's always funny when a new wolf enters the gym. They see Lisa as a barby doll due to her beautiful hair and face. The female wolves always challenge her for her "champ of the gym title." They don't know her hands are calloused and unforgiving due to all the daily labor. And that her muscles are toned from weights. She can knock you out in a blink, but her specialty is submission. She loves armbars and leg locks. Tonight is no different. Lisa and I are sparing in the center ring and have been for almost an hour. The owner is like our uncle, so we don't really care about rotating out of the ring for others. Lisa is letting out her frustration on my hands and working up a great sweat. "Watch your left, sis. You are letting it drop low," I say, pointing out her minor flaw. We tend to work on her boxing over her wrestling since it's her weakness. "Oh, how precious. A little human girl is working up a nice sweat," a girl says from the side of the ring. Lisa and I share a knowing look. Finally, Lisa can let out her pent-up stress on someone else. And I can finally take a much-needed break. When we were little and competed together, boys used to make fun of me. I was always second and Lisa first. They hated being beat by the human girl but always thought it was hilarious that my sister beat me too. We were the humans that took on wolves and won. We were special, but I wasn't Lisa special. I knew that and never felt ashamed or embarrassed. I felt proud. My big sister (by three minutes) is gorgeous and kick-ass. As we grew up, I stopped competing. I preferred math books and coaching Lisa. I jump down out of the ring, knowing I am no longer needed. I take my normal seat in her corner. "Give her a good lesson Lis," I cheer while picking up my mac book. I need to get some bids submitted and try to see where we can cut costs in the shop. LISA POV "Oh honey, I haven't even begun to work up a sweat," I say in a sickly sweet voice. I love boxing she-wolves. They give me the best competition. Plus, I hate when people underestimate me due to my species and heritage. So each call-out becomes a lesson in humility for them. "Want me to work over that pretty face for you, honey," she asks in a voice matching my own. I chuckle. "Oh, new girl, if you only knew who you were talking to," I say in my head while smirking. She climbs through the ropes to my domain and makes a show of cracking her flimsy neck. She looks about 19. She is on the thin side and has no real muscle tone to speak of. She has brown hair and hazel eyes. A typical werewolf beauty but nothing special in my eyes. Probably a lower wolf. She stretches her legs and swings her arms back and forth to warm up. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I toss my sweatshirt and tank top over the top rope. I turn back towards her in nothing but my sports bra and gym pants. I take in her smirking face before calling out to Scott over my shoulder. "Don't get comfy. She won't last long. I need a real fight tonight with all our money crap so hurry up," I call out. "Don't kill the girl, Lis. Keep her going for fifteen so I can send these emails," Scott says with a smile in his voice. I haven't seen my poor brother truly smile in about a month. He hates firing people. And we both can't lose our dad's construction company. It is all we have left. The stress is eating us alive. But like always, we have each other. A smile crosses my face for my brother. I love his geeky self. My brother is a stunner. Most of my fights with the she-wolves are because they want to catch his eye. They see us sparing and ignore the similarities in our looks. They see me as sexual competition and not physical competition. They often challenge me, which I don't mind at all. Like I said, good training for free, basically. Scott is 6'3" and built. Always accompanying me to the gym has done him good. Even though he doesn't much care for our ring time. Scott prefers the solitude of weight lifting over sparing with me. So his muscles are huge. I'm sure some she-wolves mistake him for a wolf due to his size. Scott and I have the same eyes and face but different hair. While I got our mother's blonde, Scott got daddies brown hair. I look up into the new little she-wolf eyes, and sure enough, she is checking out Scott behind me and sniffing the air. I roll my eyes. "Twig, he is human," I sneer at her. Her eyes shift to me and take in my frame. Now that I don't have a sweatshirt and tank hiding my toned muscles, her face shows less confidence. An evil smile comes across my face. I don't need her scared of me. I need her to go all out. "And he is mine," I say, knowing it will get under her skin and make her angry, which will result in a better fight. Wolf strength is impressive when they are angry. And it is so easy to make them angry, nudge their naturally possessive side, and boom, ANGRY WOLF. She openly growls at me, and I laugh. I hear Scott trying to hide his laughter with a cough. She moves in a defensive stance, and our dance begins. She wants to hit my face so bad, but she is too slow. I work her ribcage, making her tire. I don't want to knock her out just yet. Then I would have to wait on Scott. I practice my footwork using her inexperience to my advantage. I let my stupid left drop like always, and she gets a hit in. Her hit is weak. Barely turning my head, but it gives her a big head. She grins and lowers both her fists. Big mistake! My left strikes fast like a cobra, followed by my right uppercut. She hits the mat with a thud and groans. She gets back to her feet, wiping the blood from her nose that has already stopped bleeding. Lucky wolf healing. But at least that means the match goes on. If I was sparing a human, she would have stayed down. A few knockdowns later, and the little she-wolf gets the message. I'm top dog here. She tucks tail and calls it a night. "She lasted longer than I expected," Scott says with a grin from his position outside of the ring. "What she lacks in skill and strength she makes up for in stubbornness," I chuckle, grabbing my water bottle and taking a seat on the edge of the ring. "That low left is going to get my awesome sister beat one day," he says while raising his brow at me. "Tell me something I don't know. I can't keep it up for some reason. It's my flaw," I groan. Scott chuckles at me and squeezes my shoulder, "ready to hit the weights?""Sure," I say, grabbing my tank and sweater. The next hour is spent rotating machines with Scott while discussing money. We had decided when dad passed to renovate the business. We updated the office and bought new tools that were desperately needed. Unfortunately, we took out a business loan at a terrible time. Six months after our reno, the economy crashed. Customers started to diminish, and so did our savings. We are still in the black, but Scott says it is by the skin of our teeth. (Southern saying meaning barely). Once we got home, I went to the shower. Scott and I share a two-bedroom house that Dad built for us. It is beautiful and cozy. We each have a walk-in closet and a huge bathroom—perks of having an architect for a dad. Scott and I both are working on our Architect degrees. Scott already has a finance degree, the little overachiever. I have certificates for electrical, woodwork, steelwork, and plumbing. You name it; I can do it. But certificates aren't degrees! Scott has always been the bookworm. Tomorrow we go put a bid in at Riverstone Pack. To say I'm not happy about it is an understatement. I hate that we are breaking dad's rule, but I understand my brother's point. We need to follow the money and give up our father's grudge. I hate that dad raised us by himself. He was broken after a wolf took mom, claiming her to be his mate. Dad did his best to provide for us and taking on both parental roles. He taught us all he knew and made sure we were properly trained in defense. It broke my heart to lose him to cancer. Scott and I were on our own. And I vow not to disappoint my Daddy.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

EMMETT POV I shove my hands in my jeans as I walk through another clothing store. I stare at every female human that I pass. I am desperately trying to lock eyes or smell an intoxicating smell. This store is full of lingerie and packed with women of both species. I focus my attention on the humans. According to the moon goddess who visited me when I was younger, I will have a human Luna. A perfect balance to my strength and power. I am a huge wolf. I tower over others with my 6'5" frame. And my 230lb body is solid muscle. I have met very few Alphas as big as I am. Even my dark grey wolf is a monster of muscle. He is the biggest wolf I have ever seen and he fills my chest with pride. Many Alphas are terrified of my power. It's not my fault that it seems to fill the air around me. But many of them now I am a very fair wolf. I never go to war without a just reason and I never kill an innocent. But my obvious strength is still intimidating. The moon goddess pairing me with a human makes sense to me for those reasons. My mate needs to balance myself and be everything I'm not. I just pray she isn't too weak. My species does not take kindly to weakness. The female humans in the store scurry out of my path. My size and intense stares are probably scaring them. The she-wolves however are batting their eyelashes and smiling at me. I internally cringe. Time to give up for today. I have visited so many cities looking for my mate. I've spent the last 5 yrs searching in malls, bars, stores, and even school campuses. At 18 most wolves find their other half. I'm 23 and beginning to get worried. Human females get married and have children. They don't wait for mates, it isn't their culture. I've waited for my mate since my visit from the goddess. I know my mate will be human so she-wolves don't interest me. I've kissed she-wolves and gotten touched by them but I've never taken a wolf to bed. I would never be with another's mate. It doesn't sit right with me knowing they are created for another. Wolves have high sex drives and high protective instincts. The higher up in rank you are, the more powerful those instincts are. It naturally helps our kind breed stronger wolves and protect our packs. Myself being an Alpha, those instincts drive my every thought. I've lost very few pack members since I've become Alpha at 18. But my sex life is on hold..... still. Resulting in my hand being my current best friend. My pack has grown in number in the past few years of my reign and we actually need to have more homes built. Our pack house could also use some additions and upgrades. I link my beta to call companies throughout the city as I leave the mall. He finally responds as I enter our territory about an hour out of the city. Clint- A human run company can come out tomorrow. They can at least give us an idea on price for when the wolves are free. Emmett- Sounds fair. What time? Clint- The guy said 1pm. Emmett- Alright Most wolf companies stick to wolf packs for business. They must be busy currently. We are having a time of great peace so wolf numbers are increasing. The rogues and hunters seem to be at war with only each other at the moment. But as soon as rogue number deplete they will return to attacking packs. Which is their easiest way of gaining numbers. Rogues are disgusting wolves in my eyes. They target mated pack women. The more they kill the more male wolves they gain. A wolf who loses their mate becomes complete animal. Our humanity dies and our wolf instincts take control. The Rogues then recruit the the very wolves they break. They offer blood and for a creature who is now driven by blood lust, it is typically to great an offer to pass up. Hunters are growing in number, due to rogues. Rogues kill and that makes the humans fear us. Fear creates hate. Hunters have decided we are all dangerous because we all have the potential to become rogue. It's a never ending argument in the human world. Most humans accept us while others turn to hate and fear. They want us banished from human cities. They want us segregated to only wolf territories and establishments. Hunters are basically human vigilantes, who have given up on the human's political debates about us. They have decided to take action and just exterminate us. Our three weaknesses make us easy targets. Silver, wolvesbane, and of course our mates. So many vile humans trap us by using our mates as bait. Our ultimate gift from our goddess being using as our biggest downfall. I enter my personal gym and change. My gym shorts and tank are so comfortable compared to my jeans and shirt. I sigh as I wrap my large hands around my 80lb dumbbells. Time to bury myself in weight training for the evening. My species are naturally athletic. We use this to our advantage in human competitions. We are not allowed to compete in their Olympics but we compete in other events. I love to compete in their body building competitions. I'm naturally huge, so I typically win. On the rare occasion I'm beaten, it is very surprising. Especially if I'm beaten by a human. The human individuals who do beat me, I give them respect. They are over coming natural selection. It always peeks my interest on how far a human can push their bodies. I spend the next two hours pushing my muscles to go above and beyond their natural strength. The humans have a competition coming up in Las Vegas and I would love to attend. So many human females reside in that city. I might find my mate if I look there again. I'm so caught up in my training I don't hear the door to my personal space open and close. But I am soon being touched by small hands and I freeze with anger. All my pack members know that my gym is off-limits. My sister, Clint, Mike, and Lance are the select few allowed into my personal space. I see this area as my stress release. My personal domain and safe haven. My growl tumbles off the walls all around me. I spin around meeting the intruder with a black deadly glare. I let my wolf stare at the trespassing she-wolf. "Oh Alpha don't be like that. I know it is stressful looking for a mate we might never find. I just wanted to offer to keep you company," Abigail whines. She is a very known wolf among the unmated males. I grind my teeth, remembering that in high school I had let the female help me release and kissed her. "Get out," I say disgusted by her very presence. She seems to ignore my anger and blatant disinterest, because she makes no move in leaving. "Oh Alpha, we used to be so close. Let us be close again," she says batting her long lashes and smiling at me. I feel my anger growing. This female has come into my home, into my space, and is deathly close to pulling my wolf farther out. I close my eyes trying to settle my natural anger. I guess she takes that as a sign of weakness and she instantly resumes her touching. She slides her hand quickly into my shorts. And before I can shove her to the ground, the pleasure she is giving takes hold. My wolf groans in my head as my mouth falls open. Alpha wolf- Let the little slut touch us. Don't bed her. We need this. His shaky strained voice vibrates in my head. And I groan agreeing with him. I let her push me into a sitting position on my bench press. She kisses my neck and earns an encouraging moan from me. She smiles like she has won a trophy. My shorts are soon tugged to the floor of my gym and the little she-wolf tries to straddle me. My wolf shoots our hand out grabbing her neck. Alpha Wolf- no one gave you permission to place us in you. His black gaze makes her body shiver and her head nod. "Yes Alpha, I'm sorry," Abigail whimpers while moving to the floor in between my knees. I allow Alpha to remain in the front of our heads. He is taking more pleasure from the she-wolf than I am. I will let him entertain his natural instincts. We both seek our one and only mate. But his Alpha instinct to breed has been driving us to lash out and spend hours in the gym. It has been over two years since we allowed a female to touch us. We both decided that the moon goddess might be delaying our meeting with our mate due to us letting other females touch us. So we had sworn off females. But the years have made our resolve weak. So weak. Little Abigail has finished her task and finally leaves us alone. I push myself forward and my wolf instantly retreats to the back of my mind. Emmett- happy? Alpha- no! But we are satisfied. I'm tired of wanting to rip everyone to shreds. Aren't you? My wolf yawns out. His release having exhausted his poor attitude. Emmett- yes, but I don't want these slutty females thinking they can come into our space. We should have kicked her out. Alpha Wolf- you invited the pleasure just as much as I did. Don't try to act all high and mighty now. He bit back at me while shaking out his fur in irritation. I could see his wolf eyes glaring at me in our mind. So I roll my eyes and cut our link. I make a beeline to my bedroom to wash her smell off my skin. She doesn't have a bad smell but I don't want anyone getting the wrong idea. Unfortunately Moira has to be on the stairs. "Oh big brother is that Abby I smell on you," she asks with fake surprise. "Moira, did you let that thing into our house," I growl out my question to my younger sister. "I'm sorry brother but your attitude lately has been horrendous. The omegas are afraid to clean because of your short temper," she says while staring at me. "I do not mistreat our omegas," I say in return but I feel a little guilty. I have been rather snappy with them lately. I bite my lip and cross my arms over my chest. Moira is right. I needed it. Alpha Wolf laughs at me in our head. I growl at him in return. "You didn't shame your mate though did you," Moira questions looking guilty that she might have done something to her future sister-in-law. "No," I state clearing her guilt and effectively clearing my stairs so I can proceed to my much needed shower. I need to plan for what I want done on our land completely before the construction company arrives tomorrow. I will have Clint meet me in the morning to settle our plans.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

SCOTT POV Lisa is wearing her typical work clothes as usual, and I want to pull my hair out. I am dressed in a pair of nice jeans and a black polo. I did put my steel toe boots on, but we are supposed to be looking professional. We need this job. And my sister/business partner is dressed like she just climbed out of the workshop. She has on one of dad's old flannels and a pair of ripped paint-stained pants. She is wearing a grey tank and left the flannel unbuttoned and flowing. Her hair is in a ponytail under a paint smears baseball cap. I have given up arguing with her. We have already discussed it for over an hour. She is still mad we are going against dad and doesn't care if we lose this job. We can not be late, so I give up. At least the wolves will see Lisa's dedication to her work. My sister is the foreman of all our jobs. She runs the jobs with ease. I am the office guy. I hold interviews, and I fire the workers she deemed unfit, I handle the bids, I handle our accounts, and I help on jobs when I can. But most of the labor is done by Lis and our employees. We are a perfect due—an ideal fit for Twin Construction. I grin at the memory of dad naming his company after us. When he became a single parent, he decided to run his own company so he could set his hours. His architectural background and experience led to a successful construction company. And we can't be more proud of the father our dad was. I do feel bad that Lisa is upset. She feels like we are betraying dad's memory. As I pull our red Chevy up to the gates of Riverstone pack, I feel a shiver run down my spine. Wolves are strong. And we are meeting an Alpha. I have only ever seen an Alpha once. I was shopping for Lisa in the mall since she refuses to buy new clothes. He was huge and had an expression that reeked of authority. Secretly I am proud of our builds. We can pass for wolves with how much time we spend in the gym. We also both have height on our sides. The gate swings open once a wolf in just shorts appeared from the tree line. We drive in slowly, making sure not to appear aggressive. Wolves protect their homes with numbers and strength. We are about half a mile into the territory, and wolves are starting to appear everywhere. They don't seem aggressive. They seem happy. Some are even bowing as our truck passes, weird. "What is going on," Lisa asks, voicing both of our questions out loud. All I can do is shrug. "I don't know, but as long as we receive this kind of welcome, I'm happy," I say while smirking in her direction. Lisa rolls her big blue eyes at my statement, and I laugh. We continue down the gravel road and seem to approach a small community. It is like a village in the middle of the woods. We see homes, businesses, and big schools—all with an old-timey feel to them. The colossal pack house at the end faces all the other buildings. It has a similar building off to the side of it that also faces the community. Lisa and I share looks. This is a bunch of buildings and a bunch of people. And we might be the only humans here. As we approach the packhouse, we see three men waiting for us in the front. The man in the middle is huge and is the same Alpha I once saw in the mall. He is staring at our truck with such an intense glare that Lisa breathes in a sharp breath. "Well, we are already here. Might as well try right," I say, trying to hide my nerves. I jumped out of the truck and shut my door. I offer my hand to all three men introducing myself. The Alpha doesn't seem impressed. He openly stares past me and as a guy named Clint explains the details of the job. I hear Lisa's door finally shut and her boots crunch on the gravel. She takes her usual spot on my left, and the Alpha's expression darkens. Crap. He is going to be one of those guys. The kind that isn't impressed with a female foreman. We are used to wolves and human men not thinking Lisa can hold her own. But this is a massive job with a huge paycheck; we need this. If he continues to glare she is bound to pop off and disrespect him. As strong as we both are, we stand no chance against an Alpha and his pack. I decide to break the ice. I sling an arm over Lisa's shoulders which makes the Alpha's eyes dilate and darken more. "And this here is the other half of Twin Construction. My sister Lisa Matthews," I introduce her, letting my sibling pride ring in my voice. The Alpha's glare becomes a curious stare. "A woman is your business partner," the Alpha says with an amused voice. And I gulp. Crap Lisa, please, DONT, we need this money. I squeeze her shoulders, giving her a silent warning against lashing out at his disrespect. She shrugs my arm off her shoulder and glares at him. "Yes, a woman. Got a problem, Wolf Man," Lisa asks with venom in her voice. I internally groan, but he laughs. I'm shocked by the laughing Alpha and the two smirking men at his side. Crap, I know wolves can talk to pack members with their thoughts. Are they making a plan? Great Scott! Put your family at risk for a company. No one will harm Lisa if I have any say in it. I place a hand on Lisa's right shoulder firmly. "Yes, she is my business partner, and to be honest, she is the one who handles most of the manual labor. We would appreciate your respect, and if that's not possible, we will take this time to leave," I say with a glare of my own. Alpha wolf or not, my sister will never be made to feel inadequate in my presence. The Alpha's booming laughter dies out immediately, and he finally gives me his full attention. "No disrespect meant. Clint and I will show you around the packhouse; then we will drive you to the area we would like some homes constructed." He says, meeting my eyes directly before shifting back to looking at my sister. LISA POV This huge jerk better watch it. He is so lucky we are deep on his land, or I would have broken his damn nose. I might be a woman and a human woman at that, but I'm not some weakling. Scott is angry but worried about losing the job and being surrounded by muscles up wolves. These three are probably the highest rank of this pack. I hate that they have more power and strength than we do. If we were in the ring, I would teach "mister macho" a lesson. When I first saw him, the whole world had disappeared. His dark, almost black hair and eyes were sexy. His build screams power and strength. His face looked hard and unforgiving. Then he opened his mouth and broke my attraction to him in a second. I quickly understood proving myself would be hard here. . The park house is enormous. Each level is filled with bathrooms and bedrooms. The open concept first floor is modern and bright. Wolfman wants to modernize a bunch of the restrooms and extend the kitchen island to accommodate more people. I take down notes in my spiral of supplies, measurements, and staffing. I take measurements while Scott chats about our references and past jobs. The Alpha is keeping a watchful eye on me, and it is incredibly irritating. "Look, I know it must be hard to believe, but I can use a tape measure by myself. I don't need supervision," I say while pushing my cap up so I could glare at him. "You seem competent, Ms. Matthews," he says with a chuckle. "Then why are you observing my work so closely and laughing at me," I question furiously. "You are in my packhouse. It is my job to watch strangers in my pack member's homes. I am the first line of defense," he states calmly. I roll my eyes. "Yeah, sure," I say. I know he is watching because he thinking I can't do it, just like every she-wolf that comes into our gym. But once again, this is my ring, and I will win. We complete our tour of the packhouse and climb back into the Chevy. Mister Alpha sits in the back with me and Michael the Delta is upfront with Scott. Clint ditched us at the kitchen on the way out. The land they want twenty homes built on is already cleared. The homes will be two and three bedrooms with one bathroom. The Alpha explains that they are for newly mated wolves beginning their families. I nod and write down all his wishes. Scott is over the moon with all the available work. We climb in the truck and head back to the shop where Scott can get the bid together. He is going on and on. He even thinks we can rehire those two he had to let go yesterday. "Scott, settle down. They aren't going to hire us. For one, we are humans. And for two, their leader deems me unfit," I mutter the last part of my statement. I'm itching to hit the gym and demolish some opponents. "We can hope Lis. Do you want me to drop you at home so you can run to the gym," he asks, reading my unsaid plea. "Yes, please. I have everything that we will need listed for you," I say with a happy sigh and place the spiral in the middle console. Sweat and bruised knuckles, here I come.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

EMMETT POV I wake up and stretch. Last night we had a few rogues on the southern border. The chase and capture took three hours of my precious sleep. I get dressed in a black shirt and dark wash jeans. Clint and Michael are waiting for me downstairs. We have to interrogate the wolves today and dispose of them before the contractors get here. Moira already has breakfast on the table by the time I come downstairs. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, and fresh orange juice. "Moira teach Abbs how to cook, please," Michael says while inhaling a sausage. I stiffen at the mention of Abigail. She is Michael's older sister and my father's old Deltas daughter. My wolf has been pacing this morning and the mention of the she-wolf that touched us last night has him growling. I hate dealing with him on days where we have to handle rogues. Having an Alpha wolf in your head is hard. "Clint, Michael, let's go. Praise Moira on her cooking later," I order, standing up. I shoot my little sister a smile as a thank you for breakfast. She rolls her pretty blue eyes that she stole from mom at me. Ever since we lost mom and dad, Moira has been my most trusted ally. My whole world, basically. My dungeon is clean. The cells each have a bed and a sink that supplies freshwater. I only have four cells, but that's all we have ever needed. We don't keep rogues. We dispose of the guilty or offer innocents a place in the pack. We have an interrogation room that holds all the horrors. We don't wash the blood from that room. It stinks of iron and fear. Michael and Clint drag the older nastier of the two rogues into the horror room, and I follow. I sit in the corner while they strap him down with silver. I light a cigar and lean back, observing him. He looks like he has been a rogue most of his life. I instantly know he won't give us anything. No matter how much pain I bring him. "Stop," I order Clint drops the straps and stares at me. I mind link him Emmett- this one we can't break. But the younger one will if we kill this one. Clint- me or Michael alpha? Emmett- you. Michael is only 17; let him leave first. Mindlink to Michael Emmett- go get the youngster Mike. This one is no good. Clint is going to dispose of him. Michael- yes, Alpha. Michael leaves the room, and Clint snaps the neck of the old one. "Drop him on the floor, Clint. When we strap the youngster to the chair, he should spill," I tell my Beta while looking at the wall. Alpha is pacing my mind like a caged tiger. For some reason, he has no interest in why these rogues are on our land. Emmett- you aren't worried about these killers being close to our members today, Alpha? Alpha- I'm antsy, Emmett. Something is coming; I feel it. Emmett- I'm not too fond of the sound of that. I look at the teen that is now strapped to the torture chair. His arms are burning, and the smell is ungodly. The worst smell in the world is burnt flesh. The silver makes him whimper, and I internally grin. He will break easily. I stare into his frightened eyes and am surprised to see the innocence in his pupils. "What were you doing on my land, pup," I growled at him. "Our leader sent us, Alpha. We were to gather information about your numbers," he replies in earnest. There is no hesitation or loyalty in his voice for his leader. "Were you the only two," I ask, standing up and giving him my back. "No, Alpha," he whispers I spin around, "How many others were with you last night?""One other, Alpha," he immediately whispers with his head bowed so low his chin is touching his chest. "Did you get the information your leader requested before the other got away from my patrol," I growled . "No, Alpha, we had just reached your border," he says without any hesitation. I return to my seat in the corner. And resume smoking. I open my link to my Delta and Beta. Emmett- sounds truthful to me. What about you two? Clint- same here, Alpha Mike- seems like a new rogue Alpha. "So pup, how long have you been a rogue," I ask the rogue out loud. "Four months," the teen says quietly. "Why did you turn rogue," I question, twirling my cigar in my fingers. "They murdered my family. We were omegas, and our old Alpha didn't care that we seemed to keep disappearing," he whispers Hmm. After I had young Jake pledge his loyalty to Riverstone pack. I went and washed my hands and face. Rogues must be looking for easy recruits without having to battle packs. My pack is too strong for our omegas to be picked off. They will target our mated wolves when they realize that. And currently, our packhouse is filled to the brim. Until we can get the new homes built, my wolves are easy targets being located in one building. I look at my watch, 12:45. Contractors should be here anytime now. Gate patrol- Alpha two humans, are here. Their truck says Twin Construction. Emmett- let them through. They are here to bid for the new homes, Craig. Emmett- Clint, Mike front steps of the packhouse. Contractors have arrived. I exit my home that is next to the packhouse and stand in front of it. Mike and Clint soon stand right behind me. Alpha starts howling MATE in my head. I sniff the air. Honeysuckle and freshly cut wood are blowing in the breeze. I feel my whole body tense. Alpha mindlinks every wolf in his pack. Alpha- Our long awaited Luna has arrived. Lockdown the territory. All our wolves howl with joy in my mind. Men and women clear out of their houses and head to the forest to patrol or catch a glimpse of her. And I'm itching to join them. I know she must be in the human's truck that just entered the property. So she will be coming straight to me, patience. But why did they bring a woman? Maybe she is the secretary. She better not be in a relationship with one of them. Alpha growls loudly at my thoughts. A big red truck finally pulls in front of the packhouse, and an impressively built human jumps out of the truck. He is only a few inches shorter than I am and is just as bulky as my Beta. I quickly shift my eyes back to the truck. I can see a blonde with a cap on through the tinted window, but I can't see her face. I want to rip the door off of the truck, but I've cemented my feet to the ground. I can't scare her. And I need to figure out her connection to the male. He shakes our hands and begins speaking with Clint. He keeps shooting me glances, but I can be professional right now. Finally, her door opens, and boots hit the gravel road. She takes long, steady, and confident strides. She comes to a stop on the left of the human male. She is gorgeous. She is not dainty like I thought my human mate would be at all. She is tall and muscular for a human female. Her hair is like liquid sunshine, and her eyes are a bright clear blue. She has ripped pants that hug her legs. And a faded ripped flannel on over a grey tank top. Her cleavage is making an appearance slightly, and Alpha is growling in appreciation. Every piece of clothes she has on has a paint spot on it. She looks like a worker. The male throws his arm over my mate's shoulders, and Alpha goes crazy in my head. "And this here is the other half of Twin Construction. My sister Lisa Matthews," the male says while beaming with pride. I internally sigh. My mate is very interesting. She is a carpenter. I would never have guessed that. No wonder I didn't find her in a mall. "A woman is your business partner," I ask, letting my amusement at my discovery leak into my voice. . The male stiffens, and my mate's eyes flash. She had been staring at me with a look of awe until I spoke. She shrugs the male's arm off her shoulders and glares at me. "Yes, a woman. Got a problem with that WolfMan," my mate snaps. I'm in shock at her blatant disrespect, and I burst out laughing. Of course, the moon goddess gives me the strongest-willed female human she can find. The male looks scared and angry at my laughter. "Yes, she is my business partner, and to be honest, she is the one who handles most of the manual labor. We would appreciate your respect, and if that's not possible, we will take this time to leave," the male says with a glare. I like that he defends her even against wolves. I already like my future brother-in-law. "No disrespect meant. Clint and I will show you around the packhouse, then we will drive you to the area we would like some homes constructed," I say, clearing the tense air. Clint, Mike, and I lead the two into our crowded packhouse. Clint explains what we want as we walk through the home. My eyes and focus stay trained on my beautiful mate. Her butt in those pants has Alpha going insane, and I'm itching to touch her, to feel her against my chest and under me. She takes measurements of every area we want work done. Her page of notes is filling rapidly. Her hands are sexy. They are typical sized hands for a woman, but I see her palms are rough. My mate is strong and not afraid of hard work. She catches my attention when she pushes her cap up away from her face. She looks like the next Miss. America. "Look, I know it must be hard to believe, but I can use a tape measure by myself. I don't need supervision," she states with a glare, and I can't help but chuckle. "You seem competent, Ms. Matthews," I say. And I mean it, she looks like she knows exactly what she is doing. Almost as if this process is second nature to her. "Then why are you observing my work and laughing at me," she questions furiously. I pause for a split second to come up with an excuse for not leaving her side. I have to find out more about her before I make her my Luna. "You are in my packhouse. It is my job to watch strangers in my pack member's homes. I am the first line of defense," I state, faking a calm tone. She rolls her eyes at me. "Yeah, sure," she says. I know she doesn't believe me. She probably thinks I'm just another horny wolf. Alpha wolf: Well, in this case, my love, you are correct. Emmett- hush, you horny bastard. We have to play this smart. Human girls are different than she-wolves, and I've been planning out how to woo our mate for years now. Alpha rolls his eyes and lays down in our mind. He is content with her being close to us. At the end of the tour, we pile into their truck. I order Mike up front so I can sit next to Lisa. I love her name. I keep purring it in my head and pairing it with mine. Lisa Matthews Lisa Stone Lisa girl Baby girl Lisa. We finish showing them the extent of the project, and I panic, knowing she is leaving. I mindlink our best tracker and one of my closest friends. Emmett- Lance, I need you to tail Luna until she is back on the territory. Lance- yes, Alpha. I smile, watching her drive away. I will see you soon, my beauty queen.

Chapter 5 Chapter 5

LISA POV After Scott dropped me off at the house, I changed quickly. I couldn't wait to let my pent-up anger out. Who does that Alpha think he is. He acted like I wasn't capable and then followed my every movement. I grab my phone, keys and head out the door. I jump into our old Honda Civic and head to Max's gym. I am so ready to exhaust my body and mind. Being physical is something that comes naturally to me. As kids Scott and I were competitive. But as we aged, Scott's drive for the competitions vanished. As he changed, I stayed the same. I never stepped out of my comfort zones. I am a little jealous of Scott and his successful advances. Jealous but also incredibly proud. Unfortunately, right now, he blames himself for our money problems. He thinks because he chose a bad year to take a loan out, it is somehow wholly his fault. He is shrinking into his office, and I don't know how to pull him out. The business is essential to both of us, but I can't lose my brother to it. I pull into the crowded parking lot. Max has had a considerable increase in gym memberships, and it brings a smile to my heart. He was Dad's best friend and took his loss just as hard as we did. So I love that his business is thriving. I go to my locker and put my stuff inside while letting my eyes take in the faces—mostly men tonight. I wonder how many are wolves. Maybe I can test my wrestling against a male wolf tonight. The past three days, I have been working on my standing game but tonight is a perfect night for wrestling. Men are harder to submit than girls. And currently, the gym is filled with potential training. I holler, "Hey." at Max, who looks busy in his office, and head to my usual ring. Two bulky guys are currently using it. I test to see if they are wolves. "Looking sloppy fellas," I say, and I'm immediately met with a set of growls: Yup, definitely wolves. "Either one of you good at wrestling," I ask, checking my nails—the thinner of the two chuckles. "Looking for a lesson, sweetheart," he asks with a macho-like smirk. "Yes, I am. But I will let you finish your slap contest first. I wouldn't want to interrupt," I say with a smirk. Both men growl again. All humor has left my challenger's eyes. Just what I like to see. I strip myself of my oversized hoodie and shirt. Leaving me with only my sports bra and spandex shorts on. I enjoy displaying my muscles after setting up a match. I like the look of shock on my opponent's face. And tonight is the same. The wolve's eyes take my body in quickly. Their eyes each hold shock and then lust, which is the typical response I receive from male wolves. I roll my eyes. I climb into the ring and instantly feel my body relax. The stress of feeling inadequate due to my sex leaves me. I will prove every male that doubts me wrong. My challenger is quick and fluid in his movements. We both fight for dominance. Every time I gain control of his back, he is able to reverse our position. He gains side control, and I smirk. He thinks he can overpower me. I wiggle a bit using his overly lustful nature against him. I press my boobs against his arm. His eyes turn darker and he smirks. Perfect A loud and extremely pissed-off GROWL fills the gym. My challenger scurries to his feet like a timid mouse. I look towards the door and see Mr. Wolf Man standing there shaking. The whole gym is deathly silent. Making the hairs on my neck stand up. Max comes out of his office with his arms crossed over his chest. Mr. Wolf Man stalks towards the ring and jumps over the ropes. Clearing them easily. He is in front of the shaking challenger in an instant. His fists are clenched, and he looks like he is ready to kill. "How dare you," he growls slowly at the younger male. Making both his and the smaller male's shaking more pronounced. We have had several almost shifts in the gym so I can tell the signs. I quickly approach the angry Alpha. I grab his shirt hem and he breaks his death glare off of my poor challenger. "Hey, calm down. What is your deal," I ask, glaring at him? This stupid guy is not going to get Max's gym shut down for remodeling if I can help it. His eyes flicker from black to chocolate at my words. "What were you doing rolling around on the ground with my pack member," he snarls at me. "It's called wrestling," I state in a duh tone. Has he been living under a rock? "You fight on top of being a carpenter," he asks, looking completely shocked. My anger immediately returns. I may be a woman but I am very proud of my profession and my passion. But before I can verbally castrate my new enemy, Max cuts in. "You are looking at my gym's reigning champ," Max says, climbing up to place a protective hand on my shoulder. The whole gym is staring in our direction. And I feel my embarrassment heat my cheeks. This is like my second home, and this Mr. Macho is disgracing me in it. Mr. Wolf man seems to have swallowed his tongue. He stares at me. He looks as if he is trying to decipher everything about me. "I would like to speak to you outside," the Alpha finally says, and my eyes narrow to slits. I don't want to go anywhere with him. I want to finish my match and move to weights. But I always want to end whatever conflict is happening here. EMMETT POV My mate is incredible. The reigning champ of a gym that half my members use every day. That means she has beaten most of my she-wolves. I stare at her stern face. She is fuming at me. I couldn't help it when I saw her on the floor with Clayton pressing her breasts against his arm. Alpha reacted immediately. I'm lucky I was able to pull him back enough not to kill Clayton. He is a promising warrior and doesn't know he was filling up his own Luna. My mate is in a bra and shorts that leave nothing to the imagination making me want to rip my shirt off and cover her with it. All my wolves in the gym now know this is their Luna from earlier. Lisa grabs a sweater from beside the ring, and I sigh with happiness until I take in her new appearance. The hoodie swallows her but leaves her amazing legs on display. My manhood hardens instantly. "Okay, but hurry up. I want to get back to training," Lisa says as she turns and stomps out of the gym. I chuckle. For being a human, she has a she-wolf's temper. I then begin to panic. How am I going to explain my sudden appearance? She will know I'm not a regular. When Lance told me she was leaving her house without her brother, I ran to town and relieved Lance from his guard duty. I wanted to protect her at all costs, but now I have no explanation for her. I'm going to have to tell her the truth. When I open the gym door, her beautiful sent pulls me to the left of the building. She is sitting on an old bench, tying her shoes that I didn't see her grab. I approach her cautiously and sit beside her. "Look, Lisa, I apologize. I think you misunderstand my curiosity about you," I say calmly. She glances at me and pulls her eyebrows together. "It is very obvious, actually," she says through gritted teeth. I chuckle. Oh dear mate, you wish it was as simple as doubting you. "Why do you think I'm interested in your career and ...hobby," I ask her. "You see a weak human—a FEMALE human taking on male roles. You are being judgmental about my abilities," she states with a steady glare. She meets my eyes the entire time. Not shying from my power in the slightest. "Wrong. I am a wolf. I honor and worship a FEMALE goddess. She is the most powerful being in our world. So why would I doubt a female," I bite out? I feel irritated that she thinks so little of me, of male wolves. She looks startled. I chuckle at her reaction. I can practically feel her fire dying. She studies my face, and for the first time in my life, I hope a woman finds me attractive. I try to read her eyes to see if any lust leaks into them. But nothing appears. Her eyes are calculating, just like a typical deadly warrior. She is waiting for a "but" to my statement. I sigh. Time to ruin all my plans and declare us soulmates way before she is ready. "Lisa, have you heard the term MATE before," I ask, feeling Alpha stand up in anticipation. She stiffens and gets a hard look on her face. Great, she knows what a mate is and doesn't like the relationship. "Yes, I have," she says, straightening her posture. "Well, Lisa, you are my mate. I have been observing you closely today purely for that reason. Not because I doubt your professional abilities," I say, staring at the moon. Please, goddess, help me. "How do you know when a person is your mate," she says with honest curiosity. I glance at her. That's not what I expected. "Well, first, your mate's smell overwhelms your senses. And then your wolf will say mate inside your head. And your whole world seems to slow a bit when you look at your mate for the first time," I say, blushing for maybe the fifth time in my whole life. I can feel her gaze on the side of my face as I stare at the moon. I want to look at her, but Alpha is close to losing control. "What are the humans supposed to feel," she asks quietly. "Well, they typically are attracted to their mate, but they won't feel the bond until they physically touch their mates," I say, blushing again. I hope she wants to test the truth of my answer. I want to feel her skin so badly. Clayton got to rub himself all over her body, and I have yet to touch her at all.