"I may be your second chance, Wade, but I will not be your second choice."
Reeling from the death of his mate, Alpha Wade tried everything in his power to bring her back to life. So consumed with raising her from the dead, he almost missed his secon...
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THE harsh stadium lights imported from the flatlands of Bluestrike sent a jolting shock through my body. Above the entrance, a spotlight was positioned directly over the doorway alongside an accompanying camera.
My heart hammered in my chest as I weathered the brunt of the glaring light when I stepped over the threshold into the main area of the event hall. I blinked furiously, adjusting to my surroundings.
Once I was out of the spotlight's path, I was led to my seat. The event hall was packed to the brim. Stadium-style seating surrounded the event hall's main floor, which had been filled with metal, folding chairs. On the far end of the main floor, a makeshift stage had been built with a bright projector screen nestled in the middle, displaying each member of Bluestrike who walked in the spotlight's path.
The sound of hushed chatter filled the air, a dull mix of indiscernible voices. After taking my assigned seat, I peered around the stadium in hopes of spotting my family's cheesy smiles among the hundreds—maybe even thousands—of families.
But my brief sweep around the room proved to be useless. I could not locate my family amongst the hundreds of other pack members shuffling in their seats to try and locate their own family members down on the floor.
To your left! Dad yelled through the mind link.
Turning my head to the left, I squinted my eyes. Still distracted by the subtle scent of my mate, I could not pick up on the familiar smells of my family. I still don't see you guys. Are you sure you're in the right place?
Violet, while I may be old, I am not quite old enough to show up at the wrong location on such a special day.
Well, I don't see you guys, I responded.
We're to you right, Henry laughed, and I rolled my eyes, turning my head in the opposite direction.
Amongst the vast crowd, I finally pin-pointed my family. Once I knew where to look, spotting them was easy. They flailed their arms side to side. Henry even jumped up and down in his seat.
Shaking my head, I waved back at them with a budding smile. Dad, Henry, and Grandpa Campbell were amongst the growing crowd.
Grandma Campbell seemed to be missing in action. More often than not, Grandma had more bad days than good ones. I was sure when her next good day came along, Grandpa would fill her in on my placement ceremony. Suppressing a groan, I knew that also meant Dad and Grandpa would pester me relentlessly for pictures—for Grandma's sake, of course.
My smile fell slack as I looked at my well-dressed family. They all had on their Sunday best, dressed in various shades of black suits. Seeing them dressed so properly startled my heart. They had not worn their suits since... since one of the worst days of my life.
Swiftly turning my heart toward the stage, I blinked away the incoming tears. Today was not the day to get lost in the sorrows of my life, I told myself.
