Stronger by Ang Chris

Chapter 135: Simon POV: This pack was entirely different from my old one. They weren't devoted to strength and brutality. Here they respected one another, supported one another, and worked together every day, training together, farming together, and weaving together with a little hard forto get used to someone who likes to stand in the corner and watch | had to participate to like they did. Ashley took it right away, but | on the other hand, biding my time.

Annette wantedto participate in everything and | understood it, She trustedthough I don’t know why, and still expectedto find sway to protect people from the silver acetate, but I didn’t know where to start. The silver acetate us because we were wolves. There wasn't a protection that was innate.

| knew they were planning to take Annette to the Moonpool on the full moon so that she could try and contact her wolf. This is why | was so nervous about giving silver acetate to someone before being able to test it long- term she was suffering and unable to contact her wolf because it was just one of my many failings.

| hoped that this would help her and that she would be able to find her wolf, but | didn’t see how | know many people believed in the goddess and believed that she gave us abilities, strength wolves, laying in the pool and thinking hard wasn’t going to get back so I had to go back to the drawing board and figure out a way to reverse the effects of my concoction at least for Annette sake | think she and | both knew that there was no shadow of a doubt wouldn't he hesitate to subdue her again with our chemicals. And she knew it she knew he was going to her with everything he had and | had no doubt he was holding onto what was left of the silver acetate just for her.

“Simon,” Elizabeth said as she entered the room with Annette.

Annette has been coming biweekly for blood draws to see if the acetate was still in her system. It was less than’less tand that was barely traceable, but she couldn't contact her wolf.

1/4 Chapter 135: Who seemed to be Annette’s right hand didn’t trustone bit. She was frosty towardsand | didn’t blher. That was her rule here after all and I'm surprised beyond that more people didn’t agree with it and didn’t look atwith shifty eyes. it seems the second that we started to assimilate here began seeing us as one of their own. None of them looked at us differently now, and it has only been a couple of weeks. Ashley fit in with most of the kids and with all the new rouges she was one of many.

She even had friends now her brother wasn’t sweird scientist who didn’t make her an outcast and her parents weren't failures of warriors. She was just a kid learning and running around and playing couldn’t be more thankful that that was her life. She got to lead. | knew now that our relationship was back to the way it was, but we talked and she seemed happy here so that was all | could ask.

How are you?” Annette askedif she sat down and rolled up her sleeve.

“I'm fine. Everybody's still so... welcoming,” | grumbled, as | fixed a test tube and a needle.

“I knew they only give you a cold shoulder for a day or two maybe even a week. You savedand they know it, now you're one of us.” She smiled and shook her head at me.

| saw Elizabeth grimace when the Luna calledone of us, though there were people around here who acceptedElizabeth was not one of them shocking considering her husband was the traitor and she would be dead by now maybe not by Marcus's hand but by those clamoring over to win his favor. If | were more annoyed at the situation, | would point that out then again that wouldn't geton the woman's good side for the tbeing she letMarinette and she letdo my business and she never got in my way, she didn’t seem like the one to reach out and find trouble, but | knew if | stuck my nose in her business she'd definitely bite it off.

“Do you think it'll work?” Annette asked me.

| looked up at her and | tried to force my face to agree and be pleasant, but | knew she would see right through it. “That’s not how my mind works. | don’t believe in all watches over us and has given us all of this,” | looked at the floor as | spoke. “But | hope it works,” “I think it’s worth a shot,” she shrugged.

2/4 Chapter 135: “I won't be so arrogant as to say it’s not a possibility,” | smirked. It was hard to put down any hopes she had. | was the reason we were here.

“Luna, we should get going you have to help with the granary,” told her her eyes trained on me. She could probably breaklike a twig.

“Elizabeth,” Luna's tone was warning she knew that Elizabeth wasn’t fond ofbut she wanted us to be friends because we were both close to her, or at least we were in her inner circle. | knew there was much about Annette I didn’t know.

You still have a lot to do today,” Elizebeth insisted this tstepping closer.

Part ofbecindignant. It wasn't like | was trying to kidnap her again and it wasn’t like | had any intention of kidnapping Annette in the first place. | only did what | was told. Did that make it any better? No.

Still, | shoved my feelings down and nodded to Elisabeth. “Your guard is right, you should go. | wouldn't want to hold my Luna up,” | held my arm and escorted them out of the room.

| respected Elisabeth. She was loyal to a fault like | said a fault. She couldn't see past her hatred for my pack.

She wouldn't realize | was doing everything | could to help. | could see that my family was happy here and | wanted to do everything I could to protect that. That meant protecting her alpha and our Luna.

| looked over my shoulder at the two women they left. It was good. Annette had someone so strong to stand beside her. Still, | wish | didn’t find her so aggravating. Call it optimism, but | wanted our there to be a little bit more easy than all these bumping heads. whether Elizabeth accepted it or not, | was now a part of the inner circle here. | had my role to play as she did hers.

| had the chance to look away Elizabeth looked back over her shoulder, her two eyes starting out and glaring atas to keep daringto watch before she broke something.

*Whatever I'll mind my own business...