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Chapter one
Remy
Alump formed in her throat as Remy stared at the large log cabin home, the Great Plains Pack House. A rollercoaster of emotions flowed through her, not knowing which one she felt more strongly. Seeing it before her after being away for so long was a relief. There were often days she missed hearing her mom's laughter and having playful arguments with her dad. Joy spread through her at the idea of being able to do those things again once she crossed that threshold. Then there was the knowledge that returning home meant she would one day have to take over for her father as the pack's Alpha. There were days when the job sounded like the one thing she was meant to do in her life and couldn’t wait until she could do so. There were changes she wanted to make, and she couldn't do that just being the Alpha’s daughter, but that also came with taking care of the business, everyone's lives inside the pack, and eventually having to take on a mate.
And that was the last thing Remy wanted to do.
She had forgotten how the natural wood from the forest around them forged the home; its golden-brown hue made it feel inviting. The scent of the warm wind mixed with the fresh, earthy aroma of the grasslands, the sweet smell of flowers and fresh plants starting to grow from their crops on their land blowing into her nose, one smell standing out more than the others: the wildness of the Lycan musk.
Home. It smelled like home.
It was difficult for her to stand in front of this house after being away for so long. Remy worked hard to build a life on the island, knowing she would be stuck there for the rest of her days. There was no chance her mate would return to get her. Even if he did, she wouldn't recognize him without a memory of who he was. A pit in her stomach always told her she was rejected for being a Meta Wolf paired with being the daughter of an Alpha. The Lycans on the island didn't care for her because of the power she wielded, so why would her mate want that? If they started their pack or ascended to being Alpha and Luna in her home pack, the bonds would show who was more powerful. Dominant Lycans didn't like when women had more power than them. Somehow, it emasculated them.
The sounds of casual conversation inside the walls and the members' laughter inside dared her to walk in like she hadn't spent the last year and a half on Reject Island. The gut-wrenching thought of her family not accepting her back inside the pack crossed her mind as she stared at the front door. She couldn't remember much about the rejection from her mate, but she could remember her father being outraged. As she tried to recall the event, Remy's head began to pound with pain before a bright white light flashed before her eyes. A groan escaped her lips, and then she sucked air in between her teeth as she rode out the pain. At least this time, she was still standing on her two feet after trying to remember.
The laughter and voices inside the house died down. Remy heard footsteps of a familiar gait walking toward the door. She straightened herself, and the lump in her throat returned. Remy sucked in a breath as the front door swung open and rattled against the wood. A woman not much shorter than Remy stood in the doorway, with the same silver hair she used to have before she dyed it pink and the same muscular build as her. The only difference between them was their eyes. Her mother had green eyes instead of pale blue.
"Hi, Mom," Remy choked.
"Remy?" Tala Howell said breathily as she grabbed onto the doorway to keep herself steady. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, Mama. It's me."
Tala leaped off the porch and ran toward Remy. Remy opened her arms to catch her mother as she did the same, colliding together before falling to their knees. Remy buried her nose in the crook of her mother's neck, breathing in the calming scent that surrounded her of jasmine and orange. It had been too long since she felt the constricting hug that always made her feel safe.
While Tala pushed Remy's hair from her face, her mother looked at her as if she expected her to break. Once satisfied, she looked back into Remy's pale blue eyes. Remy felt Tala's thumbs brush under her eyes and smiled at her. "I can't believe you're home. Did your mate come back for you?" Tala looked around to find the non-existent person before settling back to look at her. "What's going on?"
Remy sniffled and took a deep breath. "That is a difficult question to answer without unpacking the whole story."
"Then come inside and tell us everything." Tala got to her feet and pulled Remy up. "I know I am not the only one who is going to be happy to see you."
The thumping of her heart was in her ears as she climbed the stairs to her childhood home. Breathing came rapidly as Remy stepped through the threshold. Five Lycan males were sitting in the living room, and all their eyes landed on Remy's body as she stood in the doorway. They leered at her before they widened with recognition. She scanned the room first, as she was trained to do growing up, and recognized each Lycan as someone in the pack. The second through the fifth in the pack were sitting in the lounge chairs and on the couch. All had various colors of brown hair and had the Lycan look of rugged, muscular, and domineering.
But they weren't the ones she wanted to see.
When her eyes locked with the dominant male sitting in the perfectly positioned chair against the wall, she stared into a pair of pale blue eyes like hers. The male's power filled the room, and Remy felt it brush against her skin. The power pressed into her, and Remy stood where she was, keeping her Lycan's power under lock. This was a game they always played, and she wasn't a kid anymore. The Lycan inside her sat calmly as the Alpha assessed Remy and dared her to let her power loose. If she won, the Alpha would realize she was the person he thought she was. As a Lycan, staring into an Alpha's eyes was never a good idea. That was interpreted as a challenge. Remy dared the Alpha by gazing into his, showing him exactly who she was, and there wasn't a chance of her backing down. The edges of the Alpha's lips turned up, and he dropped his power. She was the only one who could get away with the dominance game they just played because he was her father, and his Lycan loved having a good challenge now and then.
"Hi, Dad."
He jumped, cleared the room in three strides, and pulled her against his chest. His scent of mahogany and teakwood filled her nose as he squeezed her against him. Remy held back her tears as she wrapped her arms around her father. He held her there for only a minute before pulling her back and giving her a once-over like her mother did.
"How-"
Tala cut him off. "I already asked. She said it's a long story, so I think we should ask everyone to go home so we can talk."
Lykos Howell looked at the four Lycans in the room and leaned his head toward the door. All four got to their feet, nodded at him, and left. Remy recognized them as her father's top four in the pack. Bryan, his second, stopped momentarily and put his hand on her shoulder. The Beta was older than Lykos and was too happy in his position to want to branch off to make his own pack or challenge her father for Alpha. His deep brown hair had some gray hair, showing his age at over a century old. The brown eyes looking down at her were such a deep brown that it was difficult to differentiate between his pupils and iris.
"It's good to see you home, Remy."
"Thank you, Sir." She told him as he walked out the door.
Once the front screen door closed, Lykos pulled Remy back for another hug. It's hard for Alphas to show their softer side for too long. It could give the wrong impression to the other Lycans, and they would believe their Alpha had grown too soft and couldn't keep the pack safe. Lycans were the breed of paranormal that thought, if they weren't touched every second of every day, they wouldn't be seen as challenging. Remy hated the Lycan way and often voiced her opinion to anyone willing to listen. Sometimes, she just talked anyway, so people knew their beliefs were terrible.
Lykos dropped his arms again and cleared his throat. Remy rolled her eyes at him. "You are still the toughest Alpha around, Dad. You don't need to pretend that emotions are a weakness."
He growled at her, but Remy kept her gaze on him with her annoyed expression attached. Lykos smirked when he noticed this wouldn't be an argument he would win. Remy could hear Tala chuckling while walking to the next room where a large table stood.
"Get to the table before my beast takes your attitude as a challenge."
