Jaded Anchor: The Hunter

Chapter One - Adira

It had been almost an entire year since the rogues and hunters had attacked all the wolf packs of Silverport. The entire wolf community had been on high alert for weeks and even months afterward, but slowly a sense of normality had started to set in. Adira was still in an ‘agreement’ with Luca Baker. The two of them had been hanging out for months, and her initial impression of him had been spot on. Luca was hot but also a possessive dickhead too. Turns out he wasn’t excited about the arrangement either, but he was excited for the new title that would soon come with it, so he made sure that all the other wolves around Silverport knew she was his. Gag. She could have gotten out of it, she was sure, but not without disappointing her father. And that simply wasn’t an option. Adira had spent nearly twenty-one years trying to please Dean Blakesley, she wasn’t about to start disappointing him now. Not when she had done so much to earn it in the first place.

“Adi, are you even paying attention? I asked you to pass the butter.” Nora Blakesley said drawing her daughter’s attention back to the present. The two of them were in their kitchen finishing up the food they were serving for family dinner. Adira loved and hated family dinners. She loved seeing her brothers, their wives, and her nieces and nephew but she hated her father’s mood on the day of and days after their little get-togethers. Nora could ignore her husband, but Adira on the other hand had to listen to him b***h and moan, rant and rave, for days after. Kill me now!

“Sorry momma, I was thinking about Luca.” Nora had no idea that Adira hated the idea of marrying Luca. Nora knew it had been an agreement but had she known how much Adira was dreading the wedding she would have stopped it. Being a Gramma had really mellowed Nora Blakesley out over the past few years. She wasn’t the same Alpha she had been when Adira was growing up. It wasn’t a bad thing. She wished some of it had rubbed off on her dad.

“Don’t worry about the wedding. We will make sure it’s perfect. It’s not every day that your only daughter gets married.” Her mother said without looking up from the rolls she had pulled out of the oven. They were perfect of course. Nora never burnt anything, unlike Adira. Adira was a mess in the kitchen.

“You’re right momma.” Adira passed her the melted butter while trying desperately to hide the groan from escaping her lips. She had to remember that she was happy to be marrying Luca.

“Adira, are you sure you want to marry Luca?” Nora questioned seeming to pick up on her daughter’s tone. s**t!

“Yeah, Momma, I’m sure. It is a good arrangement. He’s so well you know... Enough about me, what time will everyone get here?” Adria changed the subject quickly not wanting her mother to pry too much. Adira had always been a terrible liar, ever since she was a child. One time she tried to lie on Rowen, telling her mom that it was Rowen who got into her make-up. Adira couldn’t help but smile at the memory. It had been an awful lie, even six-year-old Adi knew as much, but she stuck to it.  

“They should be here anytime. Go make sure your father is ready, please.” Nora finished up with the rolls without another word about Adira’s wedding or Luca. She had managed to get her mother to change the subject, but she also managed to get volunteered to go check on her dad. Great. Just great.

“Dad, mom wants to know if you’re ready for dinner. Everyone will be here soon.” Adira walked about the corner of her father's office to find her dad sitting behind his desk. This was his usual spot. She always seemed to find him here hunched over paperwork.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with already. I have important things to do. I don’t have time to act as if I want them here.” He pushed his chair back not bother to try to stop the screeching of wood on the floor.  

…

Family dinner had started much like it always did. Her mother greeted her grandchildren with a warm smile and the biggest hug. Nora loved being a grandmother, Adira knew because of how often her mother spoke about the kids. Dean, on the other hand, would never see them if Nora didn’t make their monthly dinners a mandatory thing in their house. He never forgave Rowen or Coen for leaving the pack. Not only did Rowen leave the pack he was raised in, he decided to become the Alpha of an entirely new pack. Adira knew her father felt betrayed by her brothers, which was why she would never hurt him like that. She would stay with the WestBeach Pack and she and Luca would be the alphas one day together.

“Adi, are you excited about your wedding? Your mother was telling me how the wedding planning is going. If you ever want some extra help, I still have plenty of books and even some decorations leftover from our wedding if you’re interested.” Ivy Blakesley offered with a smile that only Ivy could manage to have on family dinner night. As the newest member of the family, she was slightly naïve about the deep-rooted tension between the Blakesley men. Either that or she was just one of those people who tried to make everything better.

“Thank you, Ivy, I would love the help. I’m not very good at planning things.” Especially things I don’t want to do. Adira added the second part in her mind. Hoping that her face seemed genuine. She liked Ivy. Ivy was easy to get along with and had been the best thing for her brother. Coen had completely changed, for the better, after he met her.

“It won’t be a big uproar of a wedding like you had. She will have a small sensible ceremony here. She doesn’t need all the bells and whistles. My Adira is a simple girl.” Her father eyed his newest daughter-in-law. He didn’t care for Ivy, he had made that clear, but he liked her slightly more than Alexandra. At least he spoke to Ivy. He usually didn’t even look in Alexandra’s direction.

“How do you know what type of wedding we had, dad? You didn’t bother to show up.” Coen quickly defended his bride, who was now standing with her hand on her small pregnancy bump with a miserable look on her delicate features.

“Enough. We will not start this tonight. You know I get one night a month free of all drama.” Nora had Rowen’s youngest in her arms. Parker, who was almost two, seconded his Gramma by nodding his head and clapping his hands.

“Bite bite!” Parker chimed looking at the people around him with a chubby little smile.

“Yeah, we’re hungry Gramma.” Lux said speaking for both herself and Everleigh who was her shadow. The girls were five and usually acted more like sisters than cousins.

“You heard them. Everyone to the dining room.” Nora ordered with a smile that could light the room. She tried so hard to keep her family connected, which wasn’t easy after her dad basically disowned her brothers.  Honestly, the woman was such a softy now. Adira had hoped a little of that would have rubbed off on her father, but it hasn’t. Dean Blakesley was just as stubborn and hard-headed as always. And her dumbass was still as determined as ever to make him proud. So much so that she was willing to marry someone who could never love her to please him.

No one, not even Dean, argued with her mother. They all collectively moved into the dining room and took their usual seats. After a year of doing this with the entire Blakesley family, things weren’t as awkward, small talk was made, but nothing serious. Nora had warned them all and not even Dean wanted to get on her bad side.

“Have you found a replacement for your Betas, Rowen?” Dean questioned which had all eyes on him. Adira silently groaned to herself. His words sounded sincere but she knew him well enough to know that he was only asking to see how strong the Jaded Anchor Pack was now. Adira also knew he wouldn’t like the answer when he got it. The Jaded Anchor Pack was badass. Most of the other wolves who survived the attack last year had joined her brother’s pack.

“No. Our betas have been hard to replace, but we are stronger than ever despite the fact. Everyone has really stepped up their games and pitched in. It’s almost like we have an entire pack of betas.” Alexandra answered as calmly as she could before Rowen even had a chance to swallow his mouthful of food. Adira admired her sister-in-law. She had become a very good Alpha. Never showing her hand completely. She knew how hard it must have been to talk about replacing her best friend and former beta, after losing her in the fight last year.

Dean made an indifferent sound then turned his attention back to his plate. Alexandra hadn’t given him the answer he hoped for. Dean never liked hearing how his son’s pack was thriving while they were just managing to scrape by in the WestBeach Pack. They were short members, even with the extra wolves from the Sea Oasis Pack. They were weak. Which meant Dean, at least in his own mind, was weak.