XAVIER
“What the fu.ck is taking so long, we said we were leaving at 3am sharp,” I walked up to my dad who had a very sour look on his face.
My cousin Zane shoots me an arrogant smirk, “Calm down, cuz you know how the ladies are. Crystal just wants to make sure she looks good for me. That's all. She will be here in a minute.”
I leaned in the car window and looked at my mum, who was shaking her head with disgust.
“He’s from your side of the family”, I whispered to her. She shot me that look that only a mother can do, the one that says she will spank me into next week and hissed “actually, as you came out of me so he is also from your side of the family, your children could inherit that gene you know.” I shot her a look of mock fear and replied “maybe grandpa was given the wrong pup, so we are really not blood related at all,”
She puts her hands together and looks up as if she is praying to the goddess. I let out a chuckle. I love this woman with everything I have. My uncle Roddy sent Zane to stay with us about a week ago. He is 23 and the laziest SOB I have ever met,
“So I have two questions, mother dear. First, why is he coming to Blue Snow and, secondly, why the fu.ck is he bringing the pack sl.ut with him?”
“Xavier Blackwood!!! Watch your tongue, you know I hate the F word”, she scowled at me.
“But you're fine with the term pack sl.ut?”
She shoots me a grin. "Well, they do say every pack needs a dirty who.re for the desperate to put their di.ck in right. But if I ever find you messing around with scum I will beat you so hard your grand kids will feel it”.
“Don’t worry Mum, I am never desperate”, I grinned.
Finally, I hear Crystal's high-pitched voice Here I am, the fun has arrived.” I look over at her. She is wearing a tight strapless dress that just covers her as.s cheeks, her makeup has literally been applied with a trowel and I can smell her cheap perfume from a mile away. The bi.tch makes my skin crawl.
She is wrapped around Zane, looking over his shoulder, eye fu.cking me. I shudder at the thought, “Baby, let’s ride with Xave, we can be the party car.”
No fu.cking way is she getting in my car. I grabbed my baby brother and his friend around their shoulders and gave a really fake frown, “so sorry guys but Jacob and Matty have already called dibs, and mum and dad need to travel with two warriors for safety, so the only space left is on the bus with the rest of the warriors”.
Both of my parents shoot me a look of gratitude and I hear a collective groan coming from the bus.
Dad cuts the who.re off before she can protest and orders “right everyone, let’s go, we are already running half an hour late, Xavier, you take the lead, Luna and I will go next with the bus at the back.”
There is a loud chorus of “YES ALPHA” and we finally get on the road.
I am actually really excited about going back to Blue Snow. It’s been about 5 years since our last visit and I have missed it. Our summers at Blue Snow were some of my best memories of my childhood.
There is something about the place that gives you a sense of peace, everything seems a little brighter, a little sharper, it’s hard to explain. I just felt better there and stronger.
Alpha Jackson and Luna Bethanie were almost like second parents to us, just like mum and dad, the love that they feel for each other rolls off of them in waves.
You can almost see it. The moon goddess really knows what she is doing. I can’t wait to find my destined mate. I know she is out there, but in the meantime, I still have needs.
Both Kaden and I have a bit of a reputation with the ladies, (and men in Kaden’s case) we never had trouble finding a date in high school.
But we always made it clear that there was no future with any of the girls though, and to be honest, girls that are willing to let us fu.ck them are more interested in the fact that they sucked the next Alpha's di.ck, let’s face it. Good girls always keep themselves for their mates.
I really hope my mate has waited for me. I know I sound like a Neanderthal, but the thought of someone else touching what’s mine makes me feel sick.
Maddox my wolf is pacing in my head again. I turned 18 eight months ago, and he finally woke up. I am so grateful for him, he is the perfect wolf.
“Mad buddy, what’s going on, you are making me dizzy”. He pauses his pacing and gives his head a shake to try to clear it. “I don’t know, I just get this feeling that something is about to happen, and not entirely in a good way.”
We had been on the road for nearly two hours when dad's voice called over mind link “everyone pull over, we have a problem.”
We all pull to the side of the road and Kaden and I get out. Dad's face was pale. “The Blue Snow pack has been attacked by rogues. It must be bad because Jackson sent out an SOS, we are still nearly four hours away by car. Son, I need you and Kaden to take the warriors from the bus and run there. That should cut the time in half.”
I nodded to my father and saw one of the warriors in my dad's car get behind the wheel of mine. The three vehicles took off and the rest of us shifted and took off across country.
We ran flat out for an hour and a half and I felt the change in atmosphere signaling proximity to the packlands. From the corner of my eyes I saw movement.
I stopped and saw the trees move apart to create a path. "Stop. we are here, the forest is creating a path for us into the pack territory.” I trot towards the path and enter the forest, but when my men try to follow, the gap closes blocking me from them.
Kaden growls in anger from the other side of the barrier. “It’s okay Kade, the forest will never hurt me, it just needs me to go a different way, keep following the line of the forest and the trees will open when you get there and guide you in just trust the magic it will not hurt you.”
“Yes Alpha “my men replied as one.
I turned and ran along the path created for me. After about twenty minutes, I heard a scream and rushed towards the sound. As I reached a clearing, I saw a girl lying on the ground with a filthy rogue pinning her to the ground with a paw on her chest.
I let out a roar of rage and lunged at the rogue. We roll and snap at each other. He went to bite my leg, he is pissing me off, so I take my chance and swipe at his neck, my razor-sharp claws severing his head from his body.
I heard a gasp behind me and turned to see the girl standing staring at me in awe. Maddox growls in my head, "MATE". What the fu.ck, she is too young to be my mate. "You had better be fu.cking with me Maddox. I mean, she is very pretty but she looks no more than fifteen or sixteen."
She gives herself a little shake and turns her beautiful violet eyes to meet mine. I can never forget those eyes, Brier Nixon, how you have grown.
I take a tentative step towards her, ready to curl myself around her and snuggle into her long curly hair which is the color of autumn, all different shades of reds and browns. I bet it shimmers in the sun. WHAT THE FU.CK IS WRONG WITH ME? SHE IS JUST A FU.CKING PUP FOR GODDESS’S SAKE, Maddox is screwing with my brain.
She reaches out a hand to me and says “Hello beautiful, my name is Brier Nixon, thank you for saving me, but the oracle is in trouble. Can you help me save her?”
Her voice is sweet and calming, and I nod my head to her. As we are walking, she fills me in with the little she knows. When she tells me about her parents, she stiffens and squares her shoulders, trying to show no emotion.
She has grown so strong in the last five years, she was always feisty though. I remember her hissing and spitting at me, trying to scratch my eyes out over something I did when we were last here.
I was not the nicest person to her back then, but the outburst earned her the nickname “kitten”, which she hated. Well, it looks like my kitten has grown into a strong and proud lioness.
We went round a large tree and spotted an old woman coming towards us. This must be the oracle because Brier runs into her arms. I ignored their conversation, and mind-linked my beta, “Kaden, I have found the Alpha's daughter and the oracle in the forest, do you have anything to report?”
“Yes Alpha, the pack is a war zone, bodies and rubble everywhere. By the time we got here, two other packs had already responded to the call for help and had either killed or captured the rogues still in the territory. Alpha, there are hundreds dead, including both Alpha and Luna. The pack has fallen.”
I bow my head and tell him to keep working with the other packs to search for survivors and I will link him when we are nearly back to the pack. I turn back to Brier and the oracle just as the old woman says,
“I see you and the young Alpha have found each other. Let’s get him some clothes. I think it is safe to shift back now.”
She reaches into a tree and pulls out a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt, she sees my look of surprise, and she chuckles and sighs.
"The forest will always provide if we ask."
I roll my eyes at her and take the clothes in my mouth and walk behind a tree, to shift back. When I walk out, Brier stares at me as if she has never seen a man before, is that drawl on her chin. I smile, yep I’ve still got it. She lets out a breathy sigh and says “Xavier?”