Scarlett’s POVI bent double, panting hard. “I yield,” I hissed, licking blood from my split lip. “I yield.”I’d needed a distraction, so I’d come to afternoon training. Priestley had mostly healed from his mild strangulation that morning, but he’d offered to take it easy for today and work with me.Alpha Ryker had nodded approvingly, but there had been something dark and glittering in his icy eyes. “She’ll need to be able to defend herself. Good idea, Warrior Wolf.”So that was how I’d ended up like this: surrounded by grunting warriors, arm sagging, exhausted from trying – and failing – to block punch after punch. Priestley swore he was going easy on me; I swore he wasn’t. I spat blood and shook my head.“Sorry.” His face twisted. “I’m not used to fighting someone that isn’t a Warrior Wolf. Maybe we should try in our shifted forms? You might have more of a chance that way.” His sombre expression tugged up into a grin. “No offence.”I rolled my eyes at him. “None taken.” The joy died
Enzo’s POVOur relationship, no matter what else it was, was certainly begrudging. “What do I tell my Beta and Gamma?” I muttered, following Bennett to something called a Mega Bus. My gaze kept shifting around, though it wasn’t to take in the sights and scenery of Cardiff. I trusted him less today than I did yesterday – because he’d got me so drunk I hadn’t been able to walk straight. He’d paid for us to spend the night in a nicer hotel, which had irked me more than if we’d got back to my grotty one because I hadn’t been sober enough to take any notice of it.Had he got me drunk on purpose? Had he known exactly what to say and do to get me to cave? I hated not knowing which elements of my life were being nudged into the right direction for his means.“You have the perfect reason to delay your return,” he said. My head throbbed. How many long island iced teas had I had last night? “I do?”Bennett sighed. “Are you a particularly slow specimen, or is this simply what it’s like for tho
Scarlett’s POVThe feeling of the tree dissolved, like I was pressing my hand through tissue paper and piercing through it – but that was the least of my worries. Wind whipped around me, pulled at me, dragged at my hair and clothes. I cried out, but the wind stole the screams from my throat. Everything was pulling and sucking at me, tugging me in so many different directions I didn’t know which way was up and which way was down. The sky turned green and the grass turned blue. I spiralled – literally – through the air, and then, at last, I crashed into the ground.“Fuck.” I hissed through my teeth and dragged myself to my feet. A playful bit of wind brushed over my cheeks and, despite myself, I smiled. For the first time ever, my powers didn’t feel like some intangible monster waiting to step out of the dark and snap me in half.I couldn’t remember traveling by portal before, but I was pretty damn sure it hadn’t been anything like that. The so-called Portal Magician that had ironed ou
Enzo’s POV“You knew this would happen!” I roared – or, at least, I tried to. What would once have been a devastatingly powerful shout came out as a girlish squeal. “You saw this coming, and yet you didn’t warn me!”Bennett chuckled. “Yes, of course I did.”“You expect me to trust you after you’ve turned me into – into a woman!” I yelled.“Keep it down. We’re on a covert mission, remember?”I stormed over to him – and felt breasts, my breasts, jiggling with every step. It really undercut my rage. My hand, which had raised ready to grab Bennett by the front of his shirt, fell back down limply to my side. I couldn’t do anything with these soft, feminine hands anyway. Everything felt wrong. Really, really wrong. My legs were shorter and my feet smaller. Even walking wasn’t the same as it had been a minute ago.“I know,” I hissed instead, jerking at the sound of my own voice. “You knew I’d react like this, so why you thought–”“I hate to interrupt,” said Bennett, sounding for all the worl
Scarlett’s POVThe heart-pounding, head-rushing feeling didn’t recede, but my certainty that my mate was somewhere in the shadows did. “It’s nothing,” Priestley murmured, a tentative smile tugging at his soft lips. Soft? Why had I thought that? My heart beat faster as I met his gaze.“I don’t know…” Why did I feel this way if my mate wasn’t nearby? I recognised this feeling; Hell, I remembered it, and I didn’t remember much. I cleared my throat. “What were you going to tell me?”His throat bobbed. Why did he look so nervous? What was Alpha Ryker going to do to him if he told me? It had to be serious. It had to be big.“This,” he said gently. Then he bowed his head down to mine and his lips met mine in a sweet kiss. My heart leapt and swelled, the force of it verging on painful. “Priestley,” I gasped, and the feel of our mouths moving together sent shivers through me. He deepened the kiss, his hands tangling in my hair and tugging gently. I arched up to meet him, the mate bond drivin
Enzo’s POVBefore Priestley could follow Scarlett down into the hollow, I grabbed him back. “No you don’t,” I hissed. His face paled. He was sweet looking, really; he was no match for me in my normal body, but I could see why Scarlett had taken a shine to him. He was all wide-eyed innocence and easy, charming smiles. My heart panged at the thought of him smiling at her, of her falling for those puppy dog eyes. I ground my teeth together.“Please don’t hurt me,” he whimpered, cowering away from my hands – which, to be fair to him, were balled into fists. “I swear I thought she was my mate. I never would’ve kissed her if I’d known she was taken!”“You did know!” I roared. “Everyone in the Four Realms knows that Scarlett is my mate.”“But after what she said, I thought maybe you’d tricked her.” His throat bobbed helplessly. “You have to believe me. Please,” he begged.“That’s where they went!” The shout echoed through the grove. “They can’t have got far.”“Quick,” I whispered, grabbing
Scarlett’s POVMy brain felt too full to fit in my head. My thoughts bounced against my skull with every bounding step I took. Bennett grabbed my arm and pulled me along.“We can’t lose you to them!” he shouted. “Not again!”I pushed my body as hard as I could. My thighs and calves burned; my arms propelled at my sides, swooping through the air and sending me surging forwards. The training I’d done with Alpha Ryker’s wolves had made me fitter and right now I was bloody glad I’d tried so hard at every session.“What about the others?” I tried to twist back to see them. Viola – who really was Alpha Enzo, who really was my real mate – was in a physical jumble with Priestley. They were lumbering along together as fast as they could, but they were no match for the giant chasing us.With every galumphing step the giant gained on them.“Bennett,” I gasped, panting hard, “we have to do something!”“No, Scarlett,” he said, “you have to do something.” My eyes went to the manacles encircling my
Enzo’s POVI stared bitterly at Priestley. He was snuggled up with my mate, and she looked pretty damned content to be there. Her head rested on his shoulder; her fingers were tangled with his, their joined hands slumped in his lap.But… like it or not, I wanted to see her happy. If Priestley was who she chose, then I would try to bear that choice with honour and dignity. I’d tried already today by going to fetch him for her. I regretted it now, though, seeing the ease with which they’d slotted together. There was always something between us. Even at the very start, she’d been so afraid. That timid Scarlett was no more, but this one had been fed so many lies about me – not helped by my violent temper – that she didn’t know if she could trust me or not. I sighed.“They end up married, you know.”I turned my head towards Bennett slowly. “Ha, ha.”“No, really. Don’t you just think they’re the perfect couple?”“Not really, no.” I picked a sliver of dirt out from under my fingernail. “Me
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