Evander
The nondescript warehouse in the Crescent City commercial center smells like cleaning solution and sweat.
I rack my weights, panting, catching my reflection in the dirty mirrors overlooking the makeshift gym in one corner of the massive building. Above me, light pours from several half-broken windows at the juncture of the galvanized roof. A single pigeon flies from one rafter to the other.
I take off my headphones, the thrumming music giving way to the sounds of my colleagues, my brothers in the Ghost forces, continuing their workouts.
Flynn walks into view, his reflection in the mirror coming to rest beside mine. His dark hair is brushed away from his face, his dark eyes locking on mine as he nods and asks, “You still using those fifties?”
“No.” I shake my head, motioning for him to take the dumbbells I just racked.
He pulls them off the shelf and sits on a weight bench, rolling his shoulders. “Fuck, man. How are you doing curls with these?”
“Ev’s gonna need to buy some new shirts while we’re here. He can barely walk around without the seams busting loose.” An agent named Connor chuckles somewhere behind us. I glance at him and shake my head as he drops into a squat with a bar over his shoulders.
“I already have,” I reply coolly, giving him a flash of teeth as I pull my sweaty shirt away from my skin. It’s hotter than hell in here. It’s dead of summer, and we’ve been housed in an old warehouse with no ventilation whatsoever. One would think the Allied Kingdoms would put a little extra care into housing their most lethal defense.
Flynn rolls his eyes back to mine in the mirror as I take my shirt off and toss it on the cracked cement floor. “We’ve got a meeting with General Howard today.”
I run my tongue along my lower teeth. “Why?”
“Maybe we’re finally getting an answer about why we’re in this city.”
I catch my own reflection in the mirror as I run my fingers through my dark blond hair. Before this, we’d been in Maatua for three months doing some reconnaissance for Alpha King Anthony. The old king won’t stop picking fights with the rulers of KiloKilo, and when a few of his best generals went missing, the Allied Kings, Alpha King Isaac and Alpha King Ryatt, called on the Ghosts to go find them.
So, I spent three months in the sun, lounging on sparkling white sand beaches, which turned my skin a deep bronze and my hair a rich shade of gold. My green eyes are brighter now, contrasting with the tan.
Now I’m here, sweating my fucking balls off without a reason as to why.
I rub my jaw, noticing the week-old stubble. “Fuck, I need to shave before he gets here.” General Howard is a stickler when it comes to the rules. When he gets here, we have to be clean shaven, clean, and dressed in our order issued uniforms.
The idea of standing around in this gods-forsaken warehouse in leathers and long sleeve, scaled armor makes me want to vomit.
Just as I turn to get my water bottle with every intention of going to take a shower, the massive metal door leading into our makeshift gym bursts open.
General Howard, tall, lanky, and all business, strides in. He comes to a stop, crossing his arms over his chest.
I glance at Flynn, who smirks at me. General Howard is our manager. He’s good at the paperwork aspect of our missions, but when it comes to being in the field… I doubt the man has ever raised a claw to an enemy before.
Instead, he sends us out to do the secret dirty work for the Allied Kingdoms.
“Is this what you’ve been doing for a week? Fucking around?” His gaze sweeps around the room before landing on me. “Go take a shower and meet me in my office in ten minutes, Agent Evander.”
“Your office?” I ask, my voice laced with mischief. “Is it behind the crates, or the old shipping container by the bay doors out front–”
“Now,” he growls.
I run my tongue along my lower teeth and shrug, clutching my discarded shirt. I look back at the group of men still standing around the gym, all of them watching me and the general closely while I brush past him.
As I walk over the metal threshold into the main area of the warehouse, I hear the general say, “The rest of you miserable lot are to dress and prepare for a mission tonight in the inner city. There’s an underground auction ring that needs to be disbanded–”
The door closes behind me. The bay door overlooking the street is open, a large black SUV parked just within sight. I heave a breath and turn toward another set of rusted doors, which lead to a network of dimly lit, dusty hallways. There’s a few bunk rooms back there where we sleep and house what belongings we have.
I take a cold shower because the hot water is nonexistent. I dress, putting on a worn out gray cotton shirt and black athletic pants instead of my leathers, and walk out to the SUV.
It’s unlocked, and Howard is sitting in the back behind a driver wearing sunglasses and a suit. Likely one of King Isaac’s men, by the look of it.
The people of Eastonia still prefer to keep their paws on the ground.
I grind my teeth and slide in beside Howard, closing the door behind me with a snap.
“What is this about?” I ask.
He hands me a folder. “You’re going out in the field for an undercover mission.”
I open the folder and feel my breath catch in my throat. I slowly scan the page and then the picture of the woman staring back up at me. Her glossy brown hair falls in thick waves over her shoulders as she beams at the camera, that button nose of hers scrunched and silver eyes creased with pleasure. Beautiful. She’s always been beautiful.
I shut the folder and hand it back to him. “No.”
Howard raises a brow. “You’re saying no to the Allied Kings–”
“Fire me, then. My contract is up in two months, anyway.”
“Agent–”
“This isn’t a mission. This is babysitting–”
“From this moment forward, you are the Princess of Eastonia’s personal bodyguard.”
“Find a warrior from Alpha King Isaac’s ranks for this. I’m overqualified.”
“Alpha King Ryatthas asked for you personally.”
“I highly doubt that,” I growl, reaching for the door handle.
But the driver locks me in. I frown.
“This is undercover, like I said. You’re not to be seen. Not by her, or anyone else, for that matter. She’s to remain unaware that she’s being watched.”
“So, I’m stalking her.”
“Not–not stalking. Keeping tabs.”
“And reporting back to you with her movements? What would you like to know, General? Where she shops? Who she talks to? How many times she licks her thumb when turning pages in her little books?”
The general narrows his eyes at me. “This isn’t up for debate.”
“What is the reason for this?”
I know for a fact Alpha King Ryatt wouldn’t put his spies on his daughter. He trusts her. Kenna is powerful. She’s smart, sharp, and able to defend herself. At least, she was trained to be like that.
But knowing her like I do, she’s oblivious to the evil of others. Too trusting, too fucking sweet for her own good.
And then there’s me.
“You have to find someone else.”
Howard thumbs through the folder. “You know her the best, according to the king.”
“Then tell me why–”
He sighs heavily. “The Moon Festival is going to be the biggest event the United Packlands has seen in two decades. There’s going to be thousands of people in Crescent City and the nearby territories. She’ll be there for the festival. She needs protection. Quietly, however. Her parents don’t want security getting in the way of her… agenda.”
I keep my face trained on an expression of boredom, but instead I’m starting to reel. “Agenda?”
“She’s looking for her mate, and King Ryatt wants to make sure she’s still allowed her freedom while keeping her safe from anyone who might try to take advantage of her.”
“Her cousins are Alpha Sydney of Shadowcrest and Alpha Ryan of Lighthide. She doesn’t need me.”
“They’re unaware of this plan. Only the Alpha Kings know you’re here. This isn’t up to us. It’s been decided. Plus, from what I hear, you will be her Beta shortly. This is a good way to get to know the woman you’ll be ruling beside as her second. She won’t even know you’re there.”
I eye my general. I’ve spent the last five years of my life avoiding Kenna. I spent the last five years trying not to think about what this fall will look like as I ascend the title of Beta beside her and whoever she ends up falling in love with and marrying.
I’ve been a Ghost for years now, moving from one territory to the next. I’ve killed dozens. I’ve moved unnoticed, like a shadow, leaving no traces behind. I’ve never felt guilt or remorse for my actions, for the blood on my hands.
I am trained to kill. To fight. To protect Eastonia and aid the other kingdoms who come calling for my skills.
I am not trained for this.
I grind my teeth and snatch the folder back from Howard, giving the pages inside another once over. I ignore Kenna’s picture. Her image is already burned into my mind, as is the look on her face when I told her we could never be friends again, that I never… that I hated her…. It haunts my dreams.
“Is she in danger?” I ask. It’s the only plausible reason Ryatt would send a Ghost to protect his daughter. Kenna’s parents love and trust her, and she has family here in Crescent Falls. Her cousins are Alphas. Her aunt and uncle are the Luna and Alpha King, for Goddess’ sake.
“The rest of the men are going to find out that aspect of this tonight. She might be, or it might be another of the princesses currently in town for the festival. All we know is there’s been rumors of a rebel group planning a kidnapping of a royal, and the Allied Kings want their princesses secured.”
I think of Misty, the fifteen, almost sixteen-year-old princess belonging to the royal house of Crescent Falls. I’ve only met her once when her entire family came to Moonrise. She’s good friends with my younger sister, Piper. She’d just been a kid when her family visited, and she’s still a kid in my opinion. Luna Madeline and Alpha King Isaac are her parents.
Which makes her Kenna’s cousin.
“You’ll be housed in an apartment near the Silverhide territory, just outside of town in the neutral zone. She’s staying with her cousin, Alpha Ryan, during her trip.”
I nod, because there’s nothing else I can do. I can’t get out of this.
The driver unlocks the door, and I leave the car without another word.
Within minutes, I’ve packed the few belongings I have, which is nothing more than a few changes of clothing and a picture of my family–my parents, Granger and Amanda, and my five siblings.
I told myself leaving Moonrise and following this path, even though my parents protested, would be the best course of action. I didn’t want to be Kenna’s Beta, but it’s my birthright. It’s a role I am destined to play.
But Kenna and I were destined for other things, too. Things that would ruin the sweet, kind, compassionate girl I loved when I was just a kid and everything was easy.
So, I ruined what could have been. I told her I hated her, that I felt nothing for her, that the childhood crush I had on her for years, the crush she admitted she shared, meant nothing to me now.
Five years ago, I broke Kenna’s heart.
This is what I deserve, I think, as I walk into the apartment near the gates to the sprawling, wooded pack territory within view of my window. I deserve watching her try to find the happiness I can’t give her.
Because she’s my mate.
And she’ll never know, because she can’t feel the bond, and maybe that’s a blessing.