Chapter 1
Married. The word circled through my mind ever since the big day had passed. I was finally Clarissa Chamberlain, and becoming part of this family was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I felt protected and loved, and most importantly, their loyalty never wavered. I had been part of this family for years before the wedding finally came and went, so I knew their devotion ran deep. I belonged to the most respected pack in the world, and I loved it. We were wolves, and we were proud of it. Still, we spent most of our time in our human forms, shifting only when we hunted or sensed danger nearby.
Aspen and I finally returned home after an amazing honeymoon. We were greeted as soon as we pulled up the long, icy driveway leading to the log cabin we all shared. The huge cabin stood among the snowy mountains, surrounded by enough trees to keep us secluded. "There's my brother and new sister!" Alvestor called as he came barreling down the wooden stairs. He was the middle brother; Alton was the oldest. Alton wasn't there to greet us, since he usually stayed with our Alpha, Sable, and their mother, Celeste.
"Hey, how’s it going?" Aspen asked with a smile. He and his brother exchanged a warm hug.
"It's been boring here without you guys, to be honest,” Alvestor said, turning to me with a smile. "What's up, sister?” He hugged me, then draped an arm around both Aspen and me and guided us toward the house. "I should warn you, though: Alton and Dad have been arguing for the past couple of days. They disagree about how certain things need to be handled around here—again.” He lowered his arms and his expression grew serious.
“Did something happen to make them argue?” I asked. Faint shouting carried from the woods. Our hearing was so sharp that sometimes I wished I couldn't hear quite so far.
"I'm not sure. They won't listen to mom or me. They just keep yelling at each other, and they won't tell us whether anything happened. If it did, I haven't noticed anything change,” he said, glancing toward the distant voices. They had to be far out in the woods for us to hear them only faintly.
"They'll be all right. They'll get over whatever they’re pissed off about eventually—that's how it always goes," Aspen said. He took my hand and led me back to the car so we could bring in our luggage and unpack.
After half an hour of unpacking, we heard the back door open, then slam shut.
“I'm not done talking to you!" our Alpha, Sable, shouted as he followed Alton inside.
“Well, I'm done talking to you! Can you just leave me alone?” Alton yelled back. He reached his room and slammed the door.
Our room was upstairs, near Alvestor’s, but we could still feel the tension downstairs. Celeste came in through the same door a moment later.
“I'm going to start dinner. Aspen and Clarissa should be getting home soon, and I want them to have a hot meal when they walk through the door,” she said, pulling out pots and pans.
"Actually, we're already here,” Aspen said as we came downstairs.
“My baby boy!” Celeste exclaimed. “How was your honeymoon? My sense of smell must be failing me today. I usually know when you’re here.”
"It was great, but we were honestly ready to come home,” Aspen said, taking his favorite drink, Dr Pepper, from the refrigerator. "Where's Maverick?" he asked as Alvestor came downstairs.
"He went hunting. I told him I would've gone with him, but I knew you guys were coming home.”
"Oh, all right. We just didn't want to eat without him. I knew I hadn’t seen a familiar face around," Aspen said.
Maverick Blaze had been part of the family long before I came along. Years ago, he’d fallen out with his own pack and become best friends with the brothers. When Sable learned about the terrible situation Maverick was in, he took him in and welcomed him into the pack. Maverick was a wonderful friend to all of us, and everyone—including me—considered him family.
An hour later, Celeste had prepared an incredible home-cooked meal. Every night felt like Thanksgiving in our house. As wolves, we ate a lot at every meal. She’d made turkey, potato salad, deviled eggs, and much more; those were just my favorites. Maverick arrived just in time, then hurried to the bathroom to clean up after bringing home the animals he’d hunted.
Alton finally emerged from his room when he smelled the food, and we all gathered around the table. This was our routine every night: a huge meal shared by the whole family at our enormous dining table, with the fireplace burning beside us. We were naturally warm, but the fire made the room feel even cozier. It was the perfect house, the perfect family—the perfect everything.
After dinner, we headed to our room. "Alvestor, Maverick, and I are going for a walk in the morning, if you want to come,” Aspen said as we got ready for bed. We were both stuffed and exhausted after the long drive. The meal had been so satisfying that the thought of eating anything else made me feel sick. That's how you knew you were full.
“Yeah, that sounds great. What about Alton, Sable, and Celeste?" I asked.
“I think they’re going to stay behind. Alton hasn't said much since we heard him and dad arguing.”
It felt strange to call his father Sable. When we were in his presence, our instincts told us to call him Alpha. That was how we showed him respect. Whenever danger drew near, the pack’s goal was to protect the Alpha, no matter the circumstances.
