Chapter 29 - Slow and steady
Erik's POV
I felt Creed step back as he pushed his anger aside. I felt our body shift as I came forward, my bones snapping into place. Malcolm threw me a pair of sweat pants, so I wasn't' completely naked.
"Go on," I said as I stayed back, stepping into the pants. The thought of Phillip and the need to end him ate away at me. It took everything in us not to turn around and kill him.
"I was able to talk to some of my friends on the dark side. They know of a few spells that will, not only, mask us but also the portal into the Fae realm." Malcolm smiled as he looked at me. Excitement filled his eyes. He only became this excited when a great deal of dark magi
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Chapter 30 - Games Numb was the only word that described how I felt. I hadn't even heard them approach as the guards ushered me out of the throne room. I didn'tremember the walk to my room as they left me standing there. I couldn't breathe; my heart thudded slowly as my mind wrapped itself around what had just happened. I killed a man, an innocent man. No matter how much I wanted to justify it for the greater good, I couldn't accept it. I knew I would have to kill, eventually, to gain Dela's trust but, I didn't expect it to be so soon and full of trickery. "We will avenge their death, Athena. We had no other choice, this world is cruel, and we need to fit in if we want to stop this war." Phoenix was always the voice of reason, always the one to defend our actions. She, like me, held pride for what we had become,
Chapter 31 - Strategy Athena's POV Malcolm's face held the same soft smile it did the first time I met him. I felt a sigh of relief when he went along with it. He gave me a wink as he held out his hand. I nodded, giving him my hand and smiled as he brought it to his lips and kissed it. A tingle of calm washed over me. I felt as though I had a layer of magic wrapped around me. "It's a pleasure. I have heard such marvellous things about you." I said with a smile. Dela watched our transaction cautiously. Studying each movement before turning to Alastair. "Let's get started, shall we." She said before stepping in front of her seat. The room fell silent, watching and waiting for her to s
Chapter 32 - Moon Flower Erik's POV We had two days until we would enter the Fae realm. Two days until we could kill Dela and Athena and I could start our life together. The pressure to launch a surprise attack wasn't new to me. It was the worry of the unknown that was eating away at me, making my mind race through all the possibilities. Fighting other werewolves was easy. We would scout out the territory, plan an attack and know our opponents. This attack was different. We would be going in blind. We would be charging in and only able to rely on raw instinct. The Dacian and Fae helped us plan, but even they weren't sure how much had changed in the last nineteen years. Malcolm had visited the realm multiple times in the past, but he agreed that thing
Chapter 33 - Obedient Pet Athena's POV "Rise and shine, doll face, we need to have a little talk." Alastair's sinister voice rang through my ears. I jolted out of bed to find him sitting in a leather chair across from me. "How did you get in here?" I asked, my voice cold. If he already knew of my deal and what I planned to do, I didn't need to play nice. "Oh pet, are you always this delightful in the morning?" He laughed, earning himself a glare from me. "I do findit admirable that you think you can sneak past me and play hero to all your little mutts back home. Honestly, it was such a treat watching you per
Chapter 34 - Advantage Erik's POV Silence filled the air, no wildlife around. The world around us could feel what was about to happen, what was coming, war. The sun began to peek through the trees as it's welcomed a new day. The grass was glistening in the light from the morning dew. The smell of wet earth filled my nose as we waited outside for the warriors to line up. Everyone who was willing and trained to fight was moved to the west end of our territory. Beta Paul had the old packhouse and surrounding buildings prepped for our arrival. Two hundred men and woman had come to fight. Pride filled me as I looked at all of them walking towards the edge of the forest. They were ready to fight, protect our land and save their future, Luna. I stared at all the men and women before me.
Chapter 35 - Fever Dream Eriks POV I felt it when the knife was plunged into her chest. I felt the skin tear as the blade was jabbed into her back, the burning as the silver cut into her. I felt my breath leave my lungs as I pushed forward and snapped my opponent's neck. Creed howled, in pain, as he pulled himself back. We had to find our mate and save her, kill whoever harmed her. Creed sniffed the air, following her scent. As we rushed towards her, she stared in shock, as she looked back at the man who stabbed her. His face was cold as he looked at her, rage filling his eyes. Before I could reach her, she slumped forward, gasping for air—the man disappearing into thin air, sheering away from the rest of the fight. "Coward, fucking coward," I yelled
Athena's POV I slowly opened my eyes. The only light that filled the room was the glow of the moon. My heart monitor was beeping, and faint snoring came from beside me. I looked to see Erik sleeping on a chair in the corner of the room. His head titled back, his chest calmly rising and falling with each breath. His scent filled the room, making any worry fade away. I shifted in the bed, turning off my monitor, and slowly pushed myself up against the headrest. My body ached, and sharp pain radiated in between my shoulder blades. I leaned forward and gently ran my fingers along the middle of my shoulders. I could feel a slight rise of a scar. It was cold to the touch and sent small jolts of pain with each touch. The memory of being stabbed rushed into my mind. The burning of the silver against my skin, the stinging of the blade entering my body, made my heart race, my breathing becoming heavy.
Chapter 37 - Traps Athena's POV "I thought he was too weak to sheer from the underworld." Erik snapped. After finding the note, Erik linked me right away. He could feel my fear and anger through our bond. We rushed to his office and called for Malcolm. Since the battle with Dela, he had given us an amulet, which allowed us to call on him when needed. "He may not be in the Underworld, might have never returned, due to how weak he was after Dela was killed," Malcolm explained, his brows furrowed as he spoke. "Can we not track him and lure him back here?" Drake asked. I hadn't spoken since we arrived in the office. I couldn't keep my mind from thinking of the letter. He had been watch
Epilogue Three weeks later Damon The pressure of the crown was building as Alora and I settled into our new roles. My father was no longer here to keep the council at bay with their demands. But despite it all, I had found that I enjoyed this new life I had been given. The new responsibilities allowed me even more control over the Kingdom than the Captain of the guards ever could. All be it; I did miss the battle prep and daily training. But I still found holes in my busy schedule to take Alora out to the training fields at least once a week. I knew that eventually, our routine would become steady, and we would have more time to relax, but new rulers came with change and to have change, you needed to vote on old and new laws to pass. Alora and I had already made some big changes, like incorporating technology from the human realm into our daily lives to allow us easier communication with other realms. But there were still a lot of issues with the old ways of running our Kingdom
Chapter 49 - To Love and Cherish ErikPeace was something that was talked about constantly. During wars, it was what we fought for. While ruling a Kingdom, it was what we strived to maintain. But I had never truly known peace until now. The thought of finally being ridden of this pain inside of me, knowing that soon I would be with my love once again, was freeing. The final night with my family started out slow, but it eventually picked up and ran right into the night. There was laughter and tears exchanged around the table as we shared stories of my past and everyone got a chance to say goodbye, getting the closer they needed.And as everyone turned in for the night, I found myself alone again; unable to sleep, I found myself outside. I stayed up looking out at the stars waiting for the sun to rise. I closed my eyes, letting the warm breeze brush across my skin, engraving it into my mind. "So you really are going to spend your last moments alive, sitting in a field of flowers like
Chapter 48 - GoodbyesErikI watched as the sun set beyond the forest, the oranges and pinks of the sky blending together as the sun bid it farewell. It had been a long time since I had nothing to do, no responsibilities with the crown or of the guards. I thought it might help me move on from the hell that the last year had been without Athena, but now I realize that was a stupid notion. It was lonely, and the weight of losing my mate weighed heavier on my heart now than it did while I still ruled.I kept as busy as a retired King could, helping Damon when he needed to seek council or helping Apollo if he needed a hand with training recruits, but I knew that they both didn't really need my help. They just didn't want me to feel left out. Apollo was a natural at his role, and so was Damon. Despite what Damon said when he first discovered he would be the next in line to inherit the throne. He took to it as a bird took to the sky. He was a born leader and shined when he was in control o
Chapter 47 - Home Alora It had been a month since I had been crowned Queen of Gardenia, the days seeming to slip away as the kingdom welcomed the summer solstice and our ruling.I was busy learning my new role, Damon's father and Grandfather helping ease us both into the important roles we both now held. However, it was easier having Helga by my side. I was happy to have her as my royal advisor, and Rachel had said she was a natural already. I knew she would be, though; she always loved to take control and never gave up the opportunity to tell someone off. It was also working in my favour because Lord folic was so busy fighting with her that he always missed out on voting for new laws or changes to existing rulings. Damon loved it, and it made the council meetings less gruelling. It was absurd how many times we had to have a council meeting. At least once a day, and most of the things brought up were trivial problems. By the end of the day, I was just happy to get some alone time
Chapter 46 - The CrownDamon It felt like an eternity had passed as I waited in the royal chambers with my father. It felt even longer when we exchanged goodbyes at the throne room, and I waited at the dais while he sat on his throne. Melody stood in front of my father, a smile stretched across her face, glowing brightly. The room was full of people, some from the council, others from royal families, friends, family, and people from our Kingdom. All watching and waiting for the ceremony to begin.I was in a black royal jacket that was made with silver threading, and our family crest stitched into my left breast pocket. The wolves were placed proudly amongst the roses and the sword that separated them as they howled at the moon. My silver crown was placed on my head, but that would be changed once mine and Alora's vows were complete and only after the mothers accepted us as the new King and Queen to signal the dawn of a new era. Drake stood to the right of me, his mate, my mother's
Chapter 45 - Long Live The Queen Damon "Again," I commanded as Alora worked to keep the wings she had summoned to remain on her back. She had learned quickly how to handle the phoenix flames since she had already worked with the fire element. But now came the hard part, only half shifting. I did it all the time, especially in battle, morphing my nails into claws and elongating my canines. But nothing about that was easy; it came with time and practice, but Alora wanted to have it mastered. With the coronation and our mate ceremony happening tomorrow, she wanted to be better at it. Not only to prove to the council and our people that she was a worthy Queen but also to herself. I didn't want to be the one to tell her to slow down, not after she had spent so much of her life ruled under someone else thumb. But I had warned her of the risks of exhaustion and told her that when I saw fit, we would end the training for the evening.Alora begrudgingly accepted my condition, and I kept tr
Chapter 44 - Worship AloraI flipped through the pages of the phoenix book the jinx family had kept for generations. There was so much to process, like what abilities I now possessed because of what I was. It made my head hurt; there was so much to learn, so much to figure out. I was now different than normal fae; I was now a shifter. But, unlike most shifting fae, my order didn't communicate with me. Instead, it was a part of me; we were one and the same. I would still live an immortal life, only having one enemy that could stop me from ever being reborn, permanently ending my life. A Basilisk. A venous snake shifter that, like me, was rare, most believed them to be extinct. But now that I existed, one would be born, if not already—the universe now having to find balance in all forms. It was mindblowing the things I had already read about. For example, I could enchant items with my flames, similar to everlasting fire. But unlike everlasting fire, I couldn't break wards or spells w
Chapter 43 - WarningDamonI sat at the dais, my legs hanging over the edge as I waited for Cedric to arrive with the artifacts Alora and I asked for. Balor was right when he said the Jinx family would bargain for their priceless information. The smug look on their faces was wiped away and replaced with wide gaping mouths as they stared at the amulet in shock.Diana had muttered a curse under her breath. One I was sure she wanted me to hear because she said it so close to me. But I bit my tongue as I handed over the amulet, not wanting to risk them being stingy with their end of the deal.Alora was waiting in the Library, looking over whatever other books Audra had found for her. Now that Alora had her dream magic again, she was more determined than ever to find out what else she was capable of doing. I couldn't help but admire her for her devotion and eagerness. I was still reeling in from the mind-blowing realization that not only was Alora a rare Pheonix shifter, but she was also
Chapter 42 - Full CircleAloraIt's funny how even after you have overcome your deepest fears that they can still creep up on you. That was how it felt right now, anyways, as we arrived at the Dream realm. It was a ghost town, everyone seeming to either vanish with my mother's magic or flee as soon as they were freed from their promise to her. The streets were quiet, the ports empty, and the palace looked haunted. The golden paint was already losing its shine and fading with the faded magic. The windows were dark and unwelcoming as we approached the not-so-gilded gate. It was now that I felt the fear of my mother creep up on me. The well of my fears bubbled in the pit of my stomach. For decades I walked through these gates and made my way to my mother's throne room to report my findings and give her the things she requested I steal. The motions all felt so familiar, but with Damon by my side, they also felt different. I knew he could sense my hesitation as we approached the giant w