WolfM

How about I offer up my husband as a stunt double for any torture. Is that workable?

Hopefully it's going somewhere the readers enjoy. My writing never rushes to get there. I've always preferred the slow burn. Trevor's always been in the background, so we're finally getting to see who he is. I'm glad you and everyone else is along for where ever this ride goes.

Trevor's not CJ for @Carlos Hazday's books, so he might be able to stay out of trouble for a while. lol. Shannon brushed him off with the, lets just stay fuck-buds talk, so would he go after her if something came up? Of course that may have simplified things without having to deal with all the added stuff that comes from dating.

Thank you Backwoods . I had fun writing and rewriting this as it built out to what it is. I'm glad it didn't end up in the bin as well.

I could happily go the rest of my life without seeing another eucalyptus tree on fire.

Once in a while I'll try for a cliffie, but most times I used one, it just happened to happen.

I'm quite fond of smoked ribs. Fire locations and stories form the CJ series have become a running joke between @Carlos Hazdayand me.

Thank you, Al. I know how it affected one particular Wolf.

Thank you, Al. As I've said many times, the epilogue was never supposed to be part of this story. That said, I'm happy I added it. I like being called sneaky. lol

That's the preferred option over jumping to the last chapter.

I like the way you break down the argument for and against the cookies.

LMAO. I couldn't think of any applicable quote from B5.

“Hey, Carlson, wait up!” Jayson turned away from the people he was talking with and jogged over to his friend. “You wanna grab a beer at The Plough and Stars tonight? There’s supposed to be a good band playing.” He hooked his thumb towards the group he had left. “A couple of us are meeting up there later.” “You trying to butter me up, Salvaggi? Better not have gotten anything less than an A on this week’s exam.” “Asshole. You already know I aced it. So, what you say? Gonna join us?”

What I meant was there was no unauthorized borrowing of a sailboat, putting a right-winger or liberal in their place. He only teased his friend about getting a bj and got his picture talking by Taylor Swift. lol

You're not arguing, but pointing out possible scenarios. Being early in the book I'm also only going to point out possibilities based on what people suspect, but that doesn't mean it does or doesn't have any basis in the facts of the story because I'm evil that way. lol.

Well said, Al. Thank you.

Not sure how I missed responding to you, Nightlit. Paying respect to the fallen is a stabilizing force. It gives the people focus during a time of transition. There is leadership of a sort, and while it's not unified behind the scenes, it is non the less present. The remainder of the council focusing on who they think should lead, while ignoring the needs of the pack to come together in this tragedy, could destabilize the entire pack while fostering division and rivalry. Possible leading to fractures that cause a breakup and weaken everyone. The Hunter Corps is like a police force. They are not the pack enforcer though. That position is ultimately responsible for the alpha's safety. Just like with a police force in any city, they can't be everywhere and see everything that's coming. A criminal can always find a gap. Dorian's position didn't require him to set with the leadership. He was likewise off duty when the shooting began, but took command of the situation as soon as it happened to resolve and hunt down the assailant. Had he been standing with the leadership, odds are a bullet would have found him.

Thank you, Al.

There's two types of alphas in the world I've created. One is like Aiden and Ethan or John and Jackie Stockdale who have the hybrid ability, plus a few additional abilities. The other is like Dorian, the leader of a pack, but never when through the physical change to full alpha. He's like many of his counterparts at the meeting of alphas. While a good portion of those who can take the hybrid form are mated, there are some who aren't. It's unheard of in this lycan world for a turnling to every develop into an full alpha. To Dorian it would have been both a shock and possibly an insult.

Thank you, Al. I learned a lot from RWTP and it's success and tried to apply those to this book. I was still in the mindset I could do it all on my own though, but it was an improvement. As the man who became my editor mentioned, the journal format is more flexible with errors. That said, where RWTP needed a major rewrite with @Carlos Hazdaytrying to teach me things without overwhelming me, this book was more of a polish job.

Semper Fi, Al. Thank you for reading this. I could have left people thinking this was fiction, but I'm open enough with what I went through I didn't see any reason not to disclose at the end. I originally found people had an easier time reading it if they though it might not be real.

Thank you, Al.

It's a mary-go-round that won't stop sometimes. Told you're worthless, no good, only have one use. Your mindset hardens to protect yourself, but you still hear the comments enough you believe their true. At that point, happiness is something other people get and holding out hope that it's attainable only leads to more pain.

People like you renew my faith in humanity.

The very last sentence implies he was going to try, again.