He expected that she would act the fool. Like a slave before him. But she would never. She was Eleanor Badminton. She had Alpha blood running through her veins. It made her as close to royalty--even more than the useless Cassy who had suddenly shown up with Alpha blood. Cassy was a fake. She was the real thing. She hailed from a strong line of werewolves. She would never bow to a sorcerer or demean her status by begging for shelter. She was not a lowly Omega, or some useless servant. He might have been mocking her by calling her princess, but that was everything that she was, and so much more. She would take from him like she had taken from everyone else whenever she so wished it. Her mother had always said, "Everything in this world belongs to you, if you so wished to take it for yourself." And she had lived by that code her whole life. She would never beg for a thing. Not when she had the Alpha tone. So she squared her shoulder and raised her chin, reaching
Selene cocked her head in a strange motion. “You have placed her in the path of the sorcerer? To redeem her?” The Moon Goddess shrugged, the expression making her ethereal being almost look human. Selene scowled, as much as wolf could scowl. “The woman has no redeemable qualities! Even now, all she thinks about is killing Cassy and ruining Lino. There is nothing to redeem in her. Besides, her life is Cassy’s to take. Do you wish to change that? To help her?” Sadness flickered in the eyes of the goddess very swiftly. “They are all my children, Selene. It doesn’t matter how terrible a child becomes, the mother never stops loving them. She never gives up on them. Her life might be Cassy’s to claim, but I do doubt my favored will have much reason to kill her if she turns a new leaf.” “The woman will not turn a new leaf. It doesn’t matter how many times you try to help. A leopard will never change its spots.” The Goddess moved back, settling in her preferred throne. “
Cassy rode across the hill, smiling with her face turned toward the sky. It was a great day for a ride. It was all perfect. The day. The ride. Lino. Her relationship with him. She knew in her gut that things were going to get better. For all of them. She brought Morra along, because the woman had seemed to have a lot of work to do. She'd reassigned the task to the other maids and had the woman follow her. She knew Morra didn't like her much, but she was the only companion she had had for the past few days that was somewhat tolerable. She stole a glance at the petit woman. "You can ride with me if you're tired," she said for the third time. Morra stared straight ahead, sweating from trying to keep up with her. "Again, thank you Luna. You are very kind." She had rejected her offer everytime she asked, even if it was so obvious that she was exhausted from walking the far distance. It made Cassy uncomfortable, as they made the perfect image of 'The tyrant and h
Howling loud enough to shake the ground, Cassy broke the arrow the arrow, and threw the other half of it for the woman behind Morra. It hit it's mark, landing in the woman's side. She suspected it was a surface injury but she didn't care to find it out. She had created enough distraction with which they could run from here. The male whipped around, dashing for Cassy. Numbing herself to the pain of the wolfsbane and it's effects that had already begun to settle in, Cassy lunged for the male whose sword had begun to rise to cut through her. She was not going to die again. She had so much to do. So much to live for now. The useless wolfsbane was nothing compared to her determination to survive. She dropped into a low crouch at the last second and kicked her foot out, causing the male to fall on his side, sword clattering out of his grasp. But Cassy didn't wait to watch what she had done. She ran for the sword, grabbing it from the floor and she grabbed Morra's wrist
"Cassy!" Lino shouted the moment they reached the gates and Cassy would have swerved out of the way, had she enough strength to. "Where were you? What happened?!" he bellowed, rushing to take her from Morra's grasp. With the last of her strength, Cassy pulled away from his reach. "Where was I?! What happened?! You did this! You let this happen by abandoning me out there! I should never have trusted you and taken your word. We could've died. I could've died, again!" Lino frowned. "What do you mean?" Cassy slapped at his chest, even as her vision blurred and her consciousness slipped from her. "Where on earth have you been the entire day?!" Lino blinked, eyes darting about. "I took Princess Adrienne to the doctor for--" "Oh for the love of the Goddess!" Cassy yelled, enraged. "I waited for you like a fool, believing you would come to me, believing you would keep your word and I--" Cassy sighed sharply as the last of her strength left her. She couldn't sta
Eleanor was awake long before her eyes opened. She was on a horse. How did she know this? She kept hoping up and down in a painful motion and it kept jarring her awake. She was tired and felt heavy. She just wanted to go back to sleep. Her eyes suddenly shot open. How and why was she on a moving horse? She found it hard to move as she was still bound and she hand been placed over the horse on her stomach. What in the world... "Stay still, or you will fall. But if you do want to squirm anyway, be my guest. I will not hesitate to leave you behind if you fall," the male said and she recognized the same deep voice that had lulled her to sleep. She raised her head a little to find him riding beside her on another horse. Had he stolen the horses? They hadn't been in the shelter...though there had been hay. How had she not notice being taken out of the shelter and being placed atop a horse? Why did she feel dazed and tired? "Did you spell me?!" She sq
Eleanor felt him rather than heard him behind her and her scream shook the forest when something hard crashed into her, toppling her over. Panting, she squinted at his eyes that glowed. "Please, don't kill me." "I told you to stay put!" He roared and something within her wanted to keel over, kneel to him, bow to him. She fought against it and snarled at him. "Why? So when you're done with them, you can continue with me as well?! So you can rip me apart as much as it pleases you?! Like hell I will stay put just so you can kill me." He laughed and his voice had her fine hair rising. She was suddenly aware of the fact that he was stretched above her, and how they were melded together in all the wrong places. "Get off me!" He blinked, and straightened faster than she could have thought possible as he pulled himself off her. Cussing at him, she patted down her--his clothing, getting the dust and leaves off it. "You're hybrid?" He stalked away, grippin
Cassy's eyes swung open and she lunged out of her bed, steaming. It didn't matter that her head was aching terribly, or that her shoulder stung horribly. She threw the sheets aside and stomped toward the bathroom. "Luna," Morra said, staring from the corner of her bed where she had been sleeping before Cassy awoke. "You must rest and eat. The physician said you will feel weak for the next few days but--" "I'm fine," she snapped at Morra as she sprayed water in her face, rinsing it. The woman fell silent and Cassy looked at her. She wasn't angry at Morra. Why was she snapping the woman who had stayed by her side when Lino had failed her again? "Sorry. I just...i need to...train. Ready my training gear." A worried look flickered on the woman's face. "You are not well. You should rest. You can train later. The ceremony has been shifted farther to the next seven days. You can--" "What?" Cassy asked, straightened from the cauldron of water. "Who shifted the
Eleanor dashed through the woods, panting and cursing under her breath. It wasn't supposed to go this way, she thought. She was sure she had not been followed. But now, the guards were after her, hot on her tail and she could not seem to outrun them. Her parents would be disgust if they saw her now. What had become of her. Cassy and Lino would probably laugh their heads off if they saw her. She was a thief. She had been living from and to mouth for years, taking shelter in empty barns or cottages, stealing food from moving carriages or from travellers. She had walked and moved and tried to make something of herself for the past few years, but all anyone wanted from her was to bed her or turn her into a whore, and while she knew she was a despicable person, there were things she could not allow. From the ears of one of the travellers, she had heard of a castle in the North, with plenty or riches that were untouched by the Alpha who seemed to have no intere
Two years later... "No. Not that one. Do not put that in your mouth, Fenris," Cassy said, lifting her son off the ground and throwing the sand stained pebble he had been about to put in his mouth. "Where is your brother?" She questioned, and he smiled at her, pulling her hair instead and giggling. "Asher?" She called out, looking around the playground Lino had built just for his twin sons. She heard Asher's answering giggle emerge from the other end, and a smile graced her lips when she saw Lino holding him and tickling him. He loved them. There was no surprise there. Over the last two years, she had gotten to see sides to Lino that she had never thought she would again, after she'd lost their first child. He was kind, loving and stern when he needed to be. Maybe scratch the last part out. When it came to the boys, there was not a single stern bone in Lino's body. All they had to do was smile at him and he would lift them up and tickle them. Cassy
Cassy and Lino sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped tightly together, awaiting Gerald as he gathered he shrugged out of his gloves. She began to fidget and Lino rubbed her knee to soothe her, even if he was also fidgeting. Cassy felt her stomach twist and tighten with nerves as she thought about it. She pressed her free hand against her stomach, trying to feel for something, anything at all that said that it was there. She hadn't felt funny in the past few days. Other than the need to sleep. Her last pregnancy had been somewhat hectic and she had been a horrible mess before she even found out she was pregnant. She supposed it should be the same. The nausea. The morning sickness. The cranky mood. The obtuse emotions. It was the only reason why she didn't think she was. That too and the fact that she looked absolutely normal. She hadn't gained extra weight or anything. She'd lost some. She stole a glance at Lino. His expression was calm but she could tell from
Cassy peered around, in the familiar darkness and she immediately knew where she was. It had been a while since she had been summoned by Selene and she had quite a lot of words to say to the wolf when she graced her with her presence. "Selene?" Cassy called out, turning in a spin, searching for the familiar figure, but she couldn't find the wolf. "I see all is finally in order," a voice that sounded both ancient and young said, and Cassy turned to find the big wolf approaching her. "Yes. No thanks to you. You left me with nothing but scattered clues here and there. I didn't understand a single thing." "But you have come out victorious," the wolf said drily. Cassy scowled. "Again, with no thanks to you. Julian's the only reason why we won. You picked me up and then abandoned me--" "And who do you think sent the sorcerer your way?" Cassy's lips pursed and she kept quiet, listening to Selene and her 'explanation'. "The Goddess's interfere
Lino sat in his throne, head leaning against his fist. The day had only just begun and he was already exhausted. He always hated the aftermaths of squabbles and war. Deaths and meetings and hard decisions had to be taken. It didn't make it any better that Cassy was not with him today. His mate had slept the entire day away yesterday and she was today as well. He understood that she needed the rest, especially after the ordeals they had gone through. It was absolutely normal for females to fall into deep sleep after a weight like war had been lifted off their shoulders. He had been telling himself that the entire day, just so he could get his mind off the possibility of Cassy being pregnant. He was excited and extremely anxious as well. He had known the joy of expecting a child once before, but this was different. Perhaps, it was because she was his mate and he was in love now. He couldn't stop fidgeting and thinking about it. Truth be told, he wanted nothing m
Julian strode over to where Sasha laid on the ground, head severed from her body. He had not thought it would be so easy to end her life. He had not wanted it to be easy. He had wanted her to suffer for it. Every day. For everything she had done to him. For every atrocity she had committed. For all the wrong she had caused him. He had wanted her to suffer. But he had killed her too quickly. And...saved the day. His unusual eyes overlooked the battle field and what little of the sorcerers that were left and we're still being killed. His eyes wandered over to the Luna and Alpha seated off to the side, holding each other and crying. His eyes then wandered back to Sasha's unseeing eyes. He let it truly sink in that she was dead and gone. Slowly, it sank in, like a stone would in the middle of an ocean. It settled within him. Standing in the middle of a battle field with his armour coated in blood and his fingers wrapped around the sheath of his sword, J
Cassy panted, peering down at the blade and the minute distance it was away from her heart. No no. The woman was not bluffing. The back of her head hurt terribly, no thanks to Sasha's blow, and the tiniest movement had her wincing in pain. It was nothing though, compared to the obvious panic in Lino's eyes. A burden in her chest lightened a little. He was fine. He was covered in blood and gore, but he was fine. Taller, hairier and scary. He was in between this wolf form and the other. His red hair made him look all the more stunning. She gave him a sharp look that all but said, "You should not have left me inside." Lino ignored her, baring his teeth instead at Sasha. "Touch her, I'll end you." The woman had the audacity to chuckle and Cassy marvelled at her boldness and lack of fear. "Before you move, she'd already be dead. You're at my mercy, Alpha," Sasha said, piercing Cassy's skin with the dagger for effect. Not the other way around. I suggest you w
"Think we might make it back?" Lino asked asked Kayden as he jammed the rock into the sharp edge of the sword. Kayden shrugged, staring up at the sky. "I have no choice. Ayla will throttle me out of the afterlife if I do not." Lino smiled. He could think of a couple of things Cassy would also do to him for leaving without her. He had better make it back home. He had no other option. Night had fallen and they had chosen to make camp. It was more like...laying in wait and resting while the enemies rode toward them. Lino wasn't the type of Alpha to move things in a rush. He would wait for her. Sasha. And by the spies he had dispatched a few moments back, he knew that they weren't far off any more. And leading them his way was the hybrid, Julian. Whether or not he would fight on their side when it mattered, Lino couldn't tell, but he had seen the hybrid and looked in his eye. He had seen the hatred for Sasha and even if he trusted nothing else, he trusted in those
Cassy placed outside the yard, trailing the line of defense the guards had formed, laying in wait for their enemies. Just in case. She had no doubt that it was Lino's instruction too. The man always thought and prepared ahead for the worst case scenario. There were more than a hundred scattered about in various defense formations and Cassy marvelled on how they blocked every entrance into the castle. But... wasn't a hundred too many to guide the amount of women inside? Perhaps it was because of her or it could be the fact that they were the weaker and more vulnerable sex. A sudden shout came from the front, by the towering gates of the castle and Cassy believed it to be, "Close the gates!" The shouts increased and Cassy ran up to the gates where the guards were frantically trying to lock them. There were still people trying to get through. Late arrivals from the houses around the castle. If the gates were suddenly locked, they would have no where else to