A Ridge Mountain Pack Series

SERENA

Amanda drags Serena into the pack house and leads her to a small dining hall. From behind two tall double doors, adorned with carvings of mountains and a large letter “M,” Serena can hear loud chattering. Before they enter the fray, she asks her cousin, “What’s the M for?”

“Oh, that is for the alpha’s last name. The Moons have presided over this pack since its creation; the current alpha, Sebastian Moon, is the fourth.”

When Amanda pushes open the doors, the room becomes quiet for about five seconds. Then the chatter picks right back up as everyone shouts their greetings.

Grandpa Tim, who went into the pack house ahead of Serena and Amanda, stands at the end of a large table. He whistles loudly, and the room comes to a hush. He walks around the table and takes Serena by the arm.

“I’d like to introduce you all to Serena Black, your Aunt Trina’s oldest. You’ve all met her baby brother, Elijah, when Trina last visited. Serena’s here for a couple years to attend college in Billings. Let’s give her a warm welcome and make her feel at home.”

The room erupts with greetings.

Tim leads Serena to her Uncle Milo and Aunt Elise first. Milo is Trina’s older brother and the lead warrior at Ridge Mountain Pack.

“Nice to meet you, Serena,” he says with a smile. “I hear you’re quite the fighter. Training starts tomorrow at 5 a.m.—don’t be late.” He winks and walks away, giving all the cousins an opportunity to introduce themselves.

Tim wasn’t kidding when he said Amanda had been surrounded by boys her entire life; the room is filled with testosterone. Serena tries to keep track of everyone.

First, there are Amanda’s brothers, Connor and Cameron. Connor is newly mated to Sarah—seemingly the only other woman close to Amanda and Serena’s age—and they have a newborn son, Thomas.

Then there is her mother’s other brother, Timothy—named after Serena’s grandfather, of course—who is married to Katherine. They have three sons: Jeffrey, who just turned eighteen, and Michael and Evan, who are still in high school.

Finally, Serena meets her aunt Elise’s brother, Eric, and his mate, Samantha. They also have three sons: Ryan, Brandon, and Cooper.

It’s a lot to keep track of. Serena hopes she can get out of this dinner remembering at least some of their names.

Fortunately, despite her anxiety about going to the pack house, she feels at ease. The conversation with her family is easy, even though they’d just met, and the food is delicious.

As dessert is being served, there is a knock at the door. A moment later, a tall, muscular man with curly brown hair and gray eyes walks in. Addressing Tim, he says, “Just thought I’d drop in and meet your granddaughter. Welcome her to the pack on behalf of the alpha.”

Serena’s grandfather smiles and shakes the man’s hand. “Yes, of course. Allow me. Serena,” he calls out, motioning for her to come over.

Serena walks to them, smiling nervously.

“This is Beta Jackson Gunner. The alpha is away on business, so Beta Jackson wanted to welcome you.” Tim turns to Jackson. “Beta, this is my oldest daughter’s child, Serena Black. I’m sure you remember my daughter Trina; she has visited a couple of times with Elijah, her son.”

The beta stretches out his hand to Serena and takes her hand in a firm grip, clearly sizing her up. “Nice to meet you, Serena. I’ve heard a few things about you from your grandfather. Welcome to Ridge Mountain Pack. Hopefully your time here will be rewarding, as I understand you’re going to train with Milo and attend the college in Billings.” He looks her dead in the eye. “Milo is tough. We have wolves sent here from all over to train with him, so I hope you’re ready.”

Unafraid of training hard, Serena simply smiles and returns Jackson’s firm handshake. “Indeed, sir, I am. Thank you for having me here in your pack. It’s a beautiful place.”

Once those introductions are out of the way, everyone begins chattering again. Serena can’t help but notice how Jackson immediately goes to say “hello” to Amanda the moment he drops her hand.

Tim invites the beta to stay for dessert, and he obliges, taking a seat across the table from Amanda and Serena. He is quiet as he watches them converse about their schedule for the next few days, and then Milo speaks with him briefly about some training plans. A few minutes later, he excuses himself from the room.

The cousins then ask Serena about her life as the beta’s daughter in Colorado. She is more than happy to tell them, and she enjoys their shock when she tells them that she hadn’t ever left her pack lands before.

Jeffrey chimes in, saying, “We are going to have to take you around town then. There’s a lot to do in Billings, and there are plenty of beautiful areas to hike and run. Maybe I can show you one day after classes. I will be attending the University as well.”

“Thanks, Jeffrey,” Serena replies. “I can’t wait to orient myself with everything. It’s all very new, and I’m admittedly a bit nervous. I don’t have much experience around humans. The flight here was kind of nerve-racking.”

A little while later, they all disperse, and Amanda and Serena walk back to their little cottage. Serena is pleased to find that they have a lot in common and will even be taking some of the same classes at the University. But something is nagging her. “So, how is the alpha? I’ve heard some things about him. It seemed like people couldn’t stop talking about him when they heard I was coming here.”

Amanda opens the cottage door, closes it, and plops down on the living room couch, patting the cushion next to her. Serena obligingly sits as well, ignoring the knowing smile on her cousin’s face.

“Well, I can only imagine the rumors,” Amanda says. “Care to share what they said?”

Serena fidgets a little, picking at the hem of her shirt. “Um…well, they said he was ruthless but extremely handsome. They also said he was twenty-five and unmated.”

Amanda leans forward as if telling a great secret. “Well, he is gorgeous, for sure. He also has the strongest alpha aura that I’ve ever felt, and I’ve been around a few alphas… He looked for his mate for two years but then gave up, saying the Moon Goddess would send his mate to him when the time was right. As for ruthless—I am not sure exactly what they are referring to. I can tell you that his wolf is deadly and does not hold back during war, but I suppose most alphas are that way.” She shrugs.

Serena leans back on the couch, propping her bare feet on the coffee table. She is anxious to meet the alpha, to thank him for allowing her to stay in his pack—just to get the introduction out of the way.

Serena’s biggest problem has always been staying out of trouble. She was a mischievous teenager, and though she hopes she’s outgrown those tendencies, she’s afraid she’ll mess up and it’ll get back to her parents. Things are already a little strained between them with her father practically forcing her to go to Montana.

“Thanks for that information, Amanda. I just hope the alpha likes me and doesn’t report anything negative back to my pack. Gotta stay in my father’s good graces, you know.” Serena hops up off the couch. “Well, I better unpack, shower, and get to bed. I was told not to be late for training.”

Amanda rolls her eyes, clearly aware that her dad gave that order. “I hear ya. See you in the morning. Make yourself at home.”

She gets off the couch too, and then they both go to their respective rooms. Serena is out as soon as her head hits the pillow.