Black Wolf Falls Book 2
Автор
H. Knight
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18,6K
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A prophecy casts its shadow over Black Wolf Falls, tightening its grip on every heartbeat. Poppy stands torn between destiny and desire, her twin Paxton trapped in guilt and rage that smothers his chance at love. Bonds of family twist into rivalries, and grief spreads like wildfire through friends left staggering in the prophecy’s wake. When a cobalt-eyed stranger growls a single word that shatters everything—mine—Poppy’s world tips into dangerous, intoxicating unknowns. Can the Goddess Moon really offer second chances, or is fate as cruel as it is unyielding? One choice, one look, one whisper could change everything forever.
Chapter 1
POPPY
I watched in horror at the events unfolding in front of me.
Fear erupted inside me, shaking me to my core. My breath was shaky, my hands were trembling, and my knees felt weak as I stood in shock, watching everything unravel before me.
The horror that filled me was so foreign I couldn’t help but hate my parents for sheltering me so closely all my life.
At barely eighteen years old, I never knew life could be this cruel. It was hard to believe that just twenty-four hours ago, I had been celebrating my eighteenth birthday—and the fact that I had found my mate within my own pack.
I thought it was kismet. I thought it was a fairytale.
I was happy…right?
We’d barely had more than one conversation, but I knew he was my future—my lifeline. Despite the initial shock, I was thrilled I’d been so lucky to find my mate within the boundaries of my own pack.
If I could go back in time and somehow stop this from happening, I would have.
Yet I had no idea what I could have done differently.
Matthew had challenged Paxton for the alpha position, and there was no backing down from a challenge. I knew what it meant; I’d read about them before. Only one of them would come out still standing.
The other would meet a dark and tragic fate.
There was no stopping it, no ending it, not even skipping it.
Though Paxton hadn’t had his alpha ceremony yet, we all knew it was right around the corner. The alpha title wasn’t just any title—it was who he was, deep down to his core, and it was his birthright.
Truthfully, I knew there wasn’t anything I could have done to stop this from happening, and nothing could prepare me for the outcome I knew I’d face.
My heart would be broken.
If Matthew died and Paxton kept his birthright, or if Paxton died and Matthew took over as alpha, the result would be the same for me—my death would be imminent. I’d either lose my twin or my mate, and there was no in-between for me.
My mother and father stood on the opposite side of the makeshift circle the pack had formed around the two wolves, looking almost as distraught as I was. Most, if not all, of the pack members supported Paxton, but there were a few who supported Matthew, and that surprised me.
Still, it wasn’t my business.
I wasn’t alpha, or luna, or anyone of importance outside of who and what my parents were.
I watched in horror as the eyes of my fellow pack members drifted from the wolves in the circle to me, because they knew what this would do to me. They also knew what this would do to my family.
I watched in horror as my parents looked from me to my brother.
They also knew what this would do to us—and more specifically, to me.
We might not have finalized the bond yet—hell, we hadn’t even formally accepted one another or the Goddess’s divine pairing of the two of us—but it didn’t matter. Not anymore.
To the core of my being, my wolf and I knew that if I lost my mate, I would lose my heart and my purpose for living. The Goddess designed mates that way, and there was little to nothing I could do to change that.
I also knew what would happen if I lost my twin—a part of me would die in there with him.
Did Matthew not know what he was doing to me? Did he not care?
So there I stood, watching in horror, already knowing that my mate would not win this challenge, and yet I stood still like a statue, watching it all unfold.
As my mate took his final breath, I knew I would never be the same.
Instead of waiting for the eyes of those around me to snap to my now weeping and hollow frame, I shifted and took off without a second thought.
With nowhere to go and no place to call home, I left without saying goodbye.
OCTAVIUS
Black Wolf Falls. A place tucked eight hours away from my former pack—Stonewood Pack in Montana—in other words, a fresh start, and one that I was grateful for. I never imagined I would end up here, but when I heard through the grapevine that they were looking for a new head warrior, I reached out to Braxton on a whim.
I never expected I’d be here now, about to take a step toward my own slice of happiness.
I didn’t think I was deserving of a clean slate. I didn’t think I needed it, either, but the second I arrived here, I knew this was where I was meant to be.
I walked into the training center and admired the top-of-the-line equipment in the large room. Groups of warriors were scattered around, talking among themselves.
I’d been told about their normal training schedule, and today was not a group training day. Nonetheless, Braxton, the former gamma and head warrior, had told them to be here to meet with all three of us.
I’d only been in this pack territory for less than twenty-four hours, and I already knew I was going to enjoy it here—which was saying something for me.
When I met with Alpha Paxton upon my arrival late last night, I felt drawn to him. Almost as if we could be distant old friends.
I tried not to think too much about it, since my wolf had now made his presence known for the first time in a year. And though I never imagined myself as someone who would have a friend at all, I couldn’t help the strange, happy emotions that awakened in me when Alpha Paxton walked through the double doors with Braxton trailing behind him.
“I’ll let Braxton handle introductions,” Alpha Paxton said, slapping my back in greeting.
Roman, my wolf, bristled at the touch, which surprised me. A feeling of familiarity and calmness overwhelmed me.
I knew I wasn’t gay, but there was something about this guy that drew me in, and that was starting to fuck with my head. I liked women… I loved them.
I had no desire to fuck a dude, that was a fact. So, the fact that my wolf was reacting this way startled the shit out of me.
There had to be something I was just not seeing. There had to be a reason I felt this familiarity toward him.
“Line up,” Braxton yelled out.
The warriors instantly lined up in a straight line, standing at complete attention in perfect form.
Nothing against my old pack, but they never had this kind of form or attentiveness when it came to a warrior’s role. I could appreciate what Braxton had here, and I’d gotten some mad respect for him.
“As you already know, I will be stepping down as head warrior and pack gamma by the next pack run. It’s been a long ride, but I’m ready to retire and spend my time with my mate and our kids,” Braxton said.
“With the help of Alpha Paxton, we finally found a worthy replacement. This transition won’t be abrupt, and you will respect your new gamma just as you would me. I have no intention of leaving my home… This pack is everything to me, so I’ll still be around, and I can promise you that if I catch even a whiff of disrespect toward my worthy replacement, you will regret it.”
I couldn’t help the surge of pride that pulsed through me at his words. I knew it was more of a promise than a threat, but I felt proud to know that I would be taking this role.
The air in this large room felt thick with pride and excitement, and though I knew Braxton was leaving some large shoes to fill, I would fill them—and then some.
“I am proud to introduce you to your new pack gamma and head warrior, Octavius Roman,” Braxton said.
He nodded my way as he reached out to shake my hand in front of the warriors.
My wolf perked up, and I knew my past was my past, and that this was now my home.
Home.
It was bittersweet. Sweet in the sense that I was starting over in a new place—a place where I felt worthy and wanted—but it was bitter because I was starting over completely alone.
I’d said goodbye to my past and hello to my future, and I felt nothing for what I was leaving behind, and that was bitter and sad.
I wasn’t sure I deserved this fresh start, this new chapter, but I was grateful for it, and I wouldn’t squander it.
I knew that I deserved to be happy, and I would no longer sit by and wait as life passed by. That version of myself was gone.
It was time to start over and start living, and Black Wolf Falls was the perfect place for that.
