Prologue

Juda Hemlock, the First Omega Ancestor of The Hemlock Wolf Pack amp; the Moonscale Dragon Flight

Frost stared down at the coffee table as if the soul of the tree it came from lingered just under it. Of course, he wasn’t really looking at the coffee table. There was no reason to give the dead wood the stink eye. That dirty look was for one Terrick Lost Fang the not-so-little prince of the Lost Fang Coven. Unlike a lot of stateside vampire covens the Lost Fang Coven never particularly ran afoul of humans or shifters. They kept to themselves and pretended to be a little ‘cult’ until the last fall of the human government. Like most groups, they had a few bad apples over the years, but they usually cleaned up their own messes too.

“I don’t think they say prince anymore, mate,” Frost said, finally leaning back against the sofa and looking up at me.

We’d been together long enough now that I wasn’t sure he even needed to peer onto our mating link to know what I was thinking about.

“Prince isn’t the title I’m worried about him having,” I crossed my arms, leaning against the doorway that separated our sitting room from the library. We’d come a long way from living in the caves of Hemlock Mountain and running from cannibals, but some things never changed. Where there was a village, there was an asshole. At least one asshole. Usually more.

“He’s not really our problem right now. I mean, soon maybe. In the Pit,” Frost shrugged. “If one of his own ancestors don’t take him first.”

“Alpha,” I said, narrowing my eyes on him. “Do you really want Scott to live his whole life without his Alpha?”

“Who says it’ll be his whole life? If things play out tonight, Terrick will die. We’ll have him probably a few decades and I’ll toss him back out there once he gets the message.”

“They’re closer than ever and if Scott’s murmured prayers mean anything he’s pretty close to going off the deep end. I’ve been there. I remember that feeling,” I said, crossing the room to join him on the sofa.

“Mate, the son of Lee Knight and Bane Hemlock is not a slave. He’s not been stolen or sold or forced into hard labor. He’s not starving or kicked out of his pack for some nonsensical reason,” Frost said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him.

For a second, I forgot what we were discussing. I buried my face in his shoulder and breathed in his metallic scent. As always, Frost smelled just like home.

“Maybe not,” I pulled away, flashing him a grin to let him know I knew all his tricks now. “You’re not going to distract me from this. It’s serious.”

“They’re all serious to you, mate,” he took my hand in his and kissed it. “I know that. I understand that, but not every lost twenty-something is ours to save.”

“Scott Knight-Hemlock is our descendant. He is ours to save.”

“He’s not the sibling I’m worried about in that group,” Frost said, dropping my hand and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “He’s one of them with a brain.”

“I know, Alpha,” I sighed, pulling my legs up onto the sofa under me. “That’s why we must take care of him! He has a brain and a big heart and—well, I think he’s good for the group. Good for his siblings too, even if they don’t see it yet.”

“What would you have me do, mate?” he took my hand again and met my gaze.

His eyes shifted to their draconic form to let me know his inner beast gathered up the magic for the request he knew was coming. Frost had only granted the sort of second chance I wanted to ask for a handful of times. It was a magic that came to us when we fled with Fenrir to the Other World.

“Are you going to make me say it?” I asked, scooting closer to him.

He cocked his head to the side and waited for me to continue speaking.

“Make him a Pit hound. Give him another chance,” I said, turning toward the television where an unconscious Terrick Lost Fang lay against his steering wheel.

The sound was muted because his bleeding forehead leaned against the horn. The blaring honk echoed from his orange Moonscale Fang 3.4.

“I’m only giving him one moon. If he needs more than that he’s not worthy of Scott. Hell, he’s not worthy as it stands. Why do you think I’m so willing to wait for his door, mate of my heart, wolf of my soul?”

A blush swept across my face, but this was no time to think of Frost naked and hard. He knew how to push all my buttons, and even after all these centuries, still could. I wanted him and knew he didn’t think saving Terrick was a particularly good idea.

“Frost,” I whispered his name, “not everyone deserves a second chance, but he’s young. It’s only his third life. He and his omega are yet to meet on Earthside. What if that’s all he needs? What if his selfish and reckless behavior is simply that no one ever showed him what’s really worth living for?”

“His family isn’t horrible. They’re honorable,” Frost said, pushing a loose lock of hair behind my ear.

“Honorable doesn’t always equal nurturing, Alpha,” I said, squeezing his arm. “You know that.”

“If he fails, it’ll only leave Scott more heartbroken.”

“I know.”

“And it’s only worked half the times we’ve tried. They usually can’t find their way back to themselves – the better version of themselves,” Frost reminded me.

“I know,” I nodded again. “I know that, but look at him.” I turned to another screen.

This was big and took up a whole wall. We only used it to watch our blood descendants and never all of them at once. That would’ve exploded the television. There are some things not even Other World magic can handle.

“He’s crying himself to sleep in his brother’s nest,” I sighed.

“Technically his cousin’s nest,” Frost pointed out.

“They’re sharing,” I sighed again.

“Oh, don’t start that,” Frost frowned at me, his brows furrowing. “Don’t start the sighing, mate. You are not a kicked wolf anymore.”

“Feels like it tonight when there’s nothing I can do to help,” I frowned.

“Well, you could always pull Terrick out or send a vision to one of his coven’s seers. They might get there in time,” he said, stroking my jawline with his thumb.

“You know they won’t. You know most of them are fed up with him and fear that their High Priestess will allow him to take over when she retires,” I said.

“If she retires. Arrakia will live forever. We all know this,” Frost flashed me a soft grin.

“They said the same thing about us.”

“Yes, but they were right. We never really died, now, did we? I came from here and we’re back here now. So what’s all the fuss about?”

“We retired. Who says she won’t do the same at some point?” I asked.

“True,” Frost said and glanced at the screen that showed Terrick’s passed out form.

“Let’s help them, Alpha,” I said, wrapping both of my arms around one of his. “Let’s give them an ending like ours. Let’s give them a chance. That’s all they need.”

“You know not everyone takes their chance and makes the most of it like we did. You know that, right?” he asked.

“I know I might get my heart broken again, but what’s one more heartbreak that might not even happen in the face of changing so many lives for the better?”

“Fine. I’ll make him a Pit hound. Only one moon. Tomorrow’s the full moon. On the next I’ll put him in a puppy carrier and take him to the Pit if he doesn’t shape up.”

“Thank you,” I said and kissed his cheek.

“I hope you’re just as aroused when I return,” he said and stole a long, slow kiss before standing up.

“For you, I always am,” I said and groped his butt before he was out of reach.

“How much meddling are we going to do?” my wolf yawned from inside his inner sanctum.

“As much as it takes,” I shrugged.