Scarlett’s POVMy laughter died slowly, the echoes of it holding my jaw in a grin as my gaze softened. It roved over Enzo’s face, tracing his night-dark eyes and the silver sheen to his tanned skin. I could smell brine and salt on the air, the breeze stirring about our heads and lifting strands of my hair to play across my cheeks. Below, mighty waves crashed into crumbling white stone, sending splinters of it tumbling into the sea.Everything felt important to me in that moment. There was no detail too insignificant, and no part of the picture was inconsequential. Each breath I took held weight. Time seemed to slow around us, the moon halting in the sky.“Oh,” whispered Enzo, the smile sliding from his face. The expression that rose next was not unkind, or unhappy in any way; it was awed, a deer locked in a hunter’s gaze. And I… I had been the one to make him look that way. My core tightened and a shiver wracked through me, raising goosebumps on my arms.“Oh, indeed,” I murmured, sli
Enzo’s POVI couldn’t decide what looked better: Scarlett, with her hair loose down her back with five strands braided intricately around her head, interwoven with clovers and lavender and daisies, her cheeks flushed with excitement and her eyes wide with wonderment, or my pack grounds, every inch of them glittering with lamplight and flickering candles.Well. Obviously it was Scarlett, I thought, a smile pushing at my cheeks. She smoothed her hands over the deep green velvet bodice of her dress – the least practical thing I’d ever seen her wear – and blushed as she looked up, catching my gaze.“You look beautiful.” I swallowed hard before correcting myself, an almost painful yearning gnawing at my chest. “You are beautiful.”“You’re just realising this now?” she teased, spinning in a loose circle, letting the skirt of the dress fan out around her. Fallen leaves crunched beneath her boots.“I knew it from the moment I saw you.” I pulled her close, my hands snagging her waist. “And I l
Scarlett’s POVI flung my head back and laughed loudly, revelling in the feel of a hundred feet all pounding the floor, making the music physical as it reverberated up through my bones. Enzo’s hands were warm in mine, and his cheeks were just as flushed as mine surely were.His masquerade mask was the spring to my autumn: dried wildflowers wound around his eyes and over the bridge of his nose, stopping short of his devious smirk. A beat later he was spinning me again, my skirts flying, my heart lifting so high in the moment that I thought it might never come down.“I didn’t know it could feel like this!” I laughed, letting my grip on my champagne glass go limp. I pressed closer to Enzo, his body heat radiating out through his black velvet suit, the heather in his lapel askew. It tickled my chin.“What, dancing?” He beamed down at me, his face alight with the same joy that burned in me. “Living!”Someone tugged my champagne flute free; another hand pressed a full glass into my grip, w
Enzo’s POVI blinked myself into awareness. The room was vaguely familiar, all squeaky linoleum floors and starchy white bed sheets. Disinfectant, scented with pine and lemon, filled the air and made the flooring gleam wetly. The curtains were drawn, but no daylight pierced through them.Davin was perched on the edge of my bed, his face drawn and weary. He brushed a strand of curly hair behind his ear, his masquerade mask long since discarded. I narrowed my eyes at him, needing to fix my vision onto something to stop it from rolling and spinning. My stomach revolted; I surged upwards, bent double, and vomited all over the squeaky-clean floor.Davin slid a bucket under my mouth wordlessly, a few seconds too late. Still, it was better than nothing.“That’s a good sign. A very good sign indeed,” said a familiar voice, feminine and soft but with a hard edge to it. I knew it, but was too focused on spewing my guts up to put a face to the sound. “If he’s got the energy to sit up and vomit,
Scarlett’s POVFuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. It was all I could think, a pounding rhythm hammering against my skull. I had the wherewithal to open my eyes, now, but I didn’t want to. Not one bit.Because I could smell where I was. The air was dry here, tinged with eucalyptus and wattle. It made my stomach revolt, but I swallowed harshly. I wouldn’t throw up. I couldn’t show weakness. Not here.Saliva filled my mouth. My nostrils flared. I opened my eyes. And the world spun. I lunged forward, stumbling out of the bed and falling to my knees. I heaved all over the floor before rocking back on my heels, wiping my mouth with a grimace. Now I couldn’t smell the dry air, the eucalyptus, or the wattle trees. I could just smell sick.It took me a few long moments to gather myself. I breathed sharply, in through my nose and out through my mouth. My stomach tightened, and I vomited again. And again. And again. Through the agonising pain in my throat and chest, searing and sore, flashes of fuzzy me
Enzo’s POVI pushed my glasses up my nose, settling back on my bed. It creaked as I shifted my weight. “It’s all here. There isn’t anything missing – not even her favourite sweatshirt.”“Of course it’s all here,” said Marla, pausing her pacing to arch an eyebrow at me. She flicked her dark curls over her shoulder before starting up again. “Scarlett wouldn’t have run, and she sure as Hell wouldn’t have poisoned you.”“Emila’s insistence makes her almost seem guilty,” mused Davin. He was hovering in the doorway, one hand braced on the frame. Rubbing a hand over his tired eyes, he nodded at the damp grey dawn visible through the window. “I don’t think we’ll find any answers in here. We need to start speaking to people, Alpha.”“You’re right.” I folded up Scar’s sweatshirt with shaking hands and laid it flat on the bed, smoothing out creases and folds. It smelt like her, more than any of her other clothes, but for once the scent of pine and wild berries didn’t manage to soothe me. My hear
Scarlett’s POVHad I dreamt the last month? No, seriously, had I?It felt like I had. My lip curling, I rolled up my sleeves and dunked my sponge into the bucket of soapy water. After cleaning up my own sick, which had been gross enough, thank you very much, Alpha Ryker had ordered me to scrub every inch of the downstairs hallway that ran past the dining hall.Exhaustion dragged at my limbs, but I knew what would happen if I disobeyed his orders. The bruises purpling my neck and the laceration across my chest had been warnings, he’d said, before he’d kicked me in the ribs and locked me back in his bedroom. Too weary to hunt for any way out, I’d dozed fitfully on the floor until he’d awoken me – by dumping a bucket of ice-cold water over my head. Prick.I sat back on my heels, breathing heavily through clenched teeth. The hallway was dimly lit, but pretty: wildflowers and strands of ivy filled vases on neat side tables and decorated shelves, all of which bent under the weight of the tr
Enzo’s POVI scrubbed a hand through my hair and sighed. My back ached and my chest felt tight, like a man was sitting on it – and not in a fun way. I ran my dry tongue over the back of my teeth. My leg bounced beneath the table. We’d been sat in the meeting room all morning. I’d stared at every inch of every wall over the last few hours, watching them grow steadily lighter as the sun had risen, going from a deep, burnished gold to the washed-out white-grey it was now. Floor to ceiling windows faced out to the forest, painted a rich green under a cover of cloud and fog; the dismal outdoors contrasted with the warm tones of the room, with its crackling log fire in the wide, stone hearth and the burgundy and terracotta throws covering the back of the worn sofa in the corner. Beside it was a small coffee table that held two mugs of coffee, which had long since gone cold, and a vase full of wilting flowers on it. I wished I’d set up this particular meeting on the sofa rather than at this
Bennett’s POVThings had taken a while to fall back into place after the battle. With the pack house left in ruins, Scarlett and Enzo had worked with his parents to rehome everyone that lived inside it while it was rebuilt. His mother and father had stayed close, lending their expertise as they got to grips with navigating life post-Ryker.They hadn’t been the only ones to stay, though. I’d asked to remain in Moose Creek. Enzo had accepted my cagey reasoning with narrowed eyes, but he would’ve said yes to just about anything with his mate’s hand on his arm. In truth, I didn’t know where else to go now. Everything in my life had been building up to this. Crafting prophecies for people to find, leaving breadcrumb trails, making messages, telling everyone just the right thing at exactly the right time – I’d never known a moment to myself. Now that was all I had. And I couldn’t See my way forward. Not anymore. I’d told nobody that Scarlett hadn’t been the only one to lose her powers t
Scarlett’s POVI opened my eyes.Sunlight blinded me. No – not sunlight. My own light, golden and magical, surrounded me. Held limp in its grip, it lifted me into the air.But I – I’d been dead. Hadn’t I?I remembered the feel of my life leaving me. I remembered losing my energy, my strength, feeling my body wilt beneath the weight of the magic tearing through my veins and rushing out through my palms. But now the wind was here, holding me, healing me, and I felt it dance across my skin, through my hair, as it pulled my arms out and pointed my legs down towards the ground. I remembered dying.But that wasn’t all I remembered. Vague, fuzzy shapes filtered into my mind, taking form as the light raised me higher and higher. I saw humans, knew their names, saw Adelaide, saw a city and a death and a chase, saw Bennett and a library and Enzo – My beautiful Enzo. How could I ever have forgotten all that we had shared?The memories poured in as my brain healed, the light coming from within
Bennett’s POVI was dying. Such a fact was two things: simple and irrefutable. To fight it was futile; to ignore it was idiocy. But I had done as I had been bid by the visions that had plagued me since birth. I had fought the prophecy and, I hoped, saved the world from the tyranny breeding at its wolven heart.It was hard, seeing the world in pathways and possibilities. Even now, as I lay upon the gleaming white floor of Moose Creek’s medical centre, sedative spilling through my veins and blood streaming from my chest, photos of the futures forking from this moment blinded me. I saw Scarlett stood amidst the dead, the only survivor in a war she’d never asked for. I saw her bent over her mate’s body, sobs wracking through her. Then I saw her fumble for the outstretched claws of a fallen werewolf and use them to slit her own throat.I squeezed my eyes shut at that one. It did nothing to halt the visions, of course, but it always made me feel as if I had some semblance of control over
Enzo’s POV I blinked into a sudden burst of gossamer sunlight. “Scarlett,” I rasped, choking up blood. All of me hurt, save for my heart. That was lighter than it had ever been. She was okay. She was a vision in the dying light, her auburn hair with its blonde ends glimmering softly, like the shimmering surface of a ruffled lake; her beautiful blue-green eyes wide, shining with unshed tears; her stance strong and proud and powerful, even as she fell apart at the sorry sight of me. “Fuck,” she whispered, her eyes filling. “Enzo. Oh, God…” “I’m okay,” I grunted. It was a lie. A dying man’s lie to make the love of his life feel better. Blood streamed from my neck; my body felt numb from my face down. The pain was gone, but my feeling was gone with it too. I was outside now, and I’d definitely been inside the last time I’d been conscious. Had my body been trampled beneath the paws of hundreds of Ryker’s wolves? In the heat of battle, it was just as likely that my own pack had buried m
Scarlett’s POVI stared numbly at the doorway. Emila stood at its centre, hands on hips, her expression all furrowed brows and wide eyes. “Scarlett!” she gasped. “What are you doing?”I met her gaze unflinchingly. “He doesn’t need to be in an induced coma,” I said boldly. I’d never felt so damned bold in all my life. “Does he, Medic?” I spat.She held her hands up and walked towards me slowly. “I’m not sure what’s got into you, or why you’re doing this, but please, Scarlett, step away from my patient. He needs to rest to heal.”Doubt started to creep in. I clutched the sedation tube, letting it dangle from my fingers. I’d been so sure…What if I was wrong? Had I just signed Bennett’s death certificate?Gritting my teeth, I held still. He’d woken up before when I’d used my magic to keep the sedation at bay. And he’d told me to stop her – had he meant Emila all along? He had to know what she planned to do to him. My resolve firm once more, I looked back up at her.She smiled weakly, app
Enzo’s POVWe were pushed back further and further. I was the last one standing in the doorway, using my huge wolven body to block out the attacking army. Though we were fighting a losing battle, I was proud of my wolves. We’d kept Ryker’s pets at bay far longer than I’d thought we’d ever had any hope of doing. The sun was dipping lower in the sky, brushing the tips of the massacred pine trees, burnishing their bottle-green needles a deep, glittering gold.It also shone on the pools of blood. The ground was soaked in it, rivulets running down the slight hillock upon which the pack house stood. Bodies of wolves broke its streams; my wolves, Ryker’s wolves. They were clawed and bitten, missing limbs, missing chunks of fur and flesh. Such violence would stain the land here forever.But worse still than the gore and the sightless eyes of my fallen warriors was the gnawing worry about my mate. I hadn’t seen Scar since she’d run into the crowd. Unable to mindlink her, I was left drowning in
Scarlett’s POVI ducked through the wolves, narrowly avoiding the swiping, slashing claws. Nobody seemed to notice me as I ran – they were focused on the other wolves with teeth bared and blood soaked into their muzzles. I brushed under the bellies of those in Enzo’s pack, using them to protect me from the enemy wolves.Then I was pushed forward by a surge of movement from behind. Arms wheeling, I stumbled through the front line of our warriors and fell, head first, into the tangle of Ryker’s wolves.“Fuck,” I gasped, smacking into warm, bloodied fur. I bounced off its firm, muscled body, and rolled until I hit paws. Then I scrambled to my feet – Only to be clawed down my face. I bit back a scream, pressing my palms to the wound. Blood streamed between my fingers, pouring over my eye. I squeezed it shut. My head throbbed; each pulse shook me, the cut burning and stinging. Barely able to see, I ran, my back bowed, zig-zagging through the writhing mass of wolven bodies.Running through
Enzo’s POVI shoved down my terror as the wolves swelled around us, a writhing, unforgiving tide. Like a stone upon the shore I stood firm, knowing I must withstand its force. My terror was not for me, and neither was my determination. It was for her – my mate, the beautiful woman sat upon my wolven back – and for my pack members. They had not chosen this fate, no more than Scar or I had. This was our only chance to make it right.Scarlett knotted her fingers in my fur. She leant forward and whispered, “I’ve got you.”Then the enemy was upon us.I surged forward, meeting them rather than allowing them to breach our front line. My Beta and Gamma lunged with me, our movements so well practised we barely had to think of them. I had to adjust my balance more with Scar on my back, but it was instinct, raw and as natural as breathing, to keep her secure atop me.My jaw locked around a grey wolf’s neck. I clamped down, pulled back, tore flesh from bone. The wolf fell to the ground, dead. Blo
Scarlett’s POV“Pretty much,” said Isaak, his gaze downcast. He shuffled his weight from foot to foot. “I’m sorry.”“Why did they target your sister?” I asked, leaning closer to the cell bars. He shrugged. “She’s the only family I have left. They knew I’d do anything for her, I guess. Even…”I nodded. “Even this.” But then my eyes narrowed. “How did they know you well enough to target her?”Isaak’s cheeks flushed. He started picking at his cuticles and refused to meet my eyes. “They have scouts too,” he said. I felt convinced it was a lie. Before I could push the matter, though, Enzo grabbed my arm.“Hey,” I said, trying to pry his fingers off. They were white knuckled. My belly hollowed out. “What is it?”“Marla just mindlinked me,” he whispered, glancing furtively at Isaak. Understanding immediately, I towed him out of the cells and up into a nook at the top of the stairs. My back was pressed flat against the wall; Enzo huddled close, biting his lip as he looked around anxiously.O