KALEBFor the flash of a second, I thought I had died.The moment I’d closed my eyes, I’d asked the Moon Goddess to show me her mercy and allow me to enter her realm once I met my end.I heard the sound of skin being ripped apart as well as a painful groan. I assumed I was the source of such terrible noises, but when I felt warm liquid on my cheek, I wasn’t convinced. My eyes flew open just in time to realize that the one who died was Ronald.My cousin stood above me, holding his neck, which had been ripped open. Scarlet blood streamed down his chest like a powerful waterfall, and his blue eyes were as wide as a cornered deer’s. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but no sounds other than groaning escaped him.Confusion swelled within me as I tried to make sense of what had happened, and mere seconds later, I realized who had slit his throat.Roxy held a bloodied knife aloft and as Ronald continued to groan, she swiftly kicked him down to the ground. The motion caused m
CASSANDRAThe fight was far more brutal than I’d expected.When we’d left Erika, Finnick, Lila, and Raven behind and headed toward the gate surrounding Vlokwell, I’d known that we were getting ourselves into a mess of trouble, but I didn’t know how bad it would be.The guards of the gate were far more difficult to defeat than anticipated, even with our numbers.We had all shifted into either our wolf forms or at least partial forms, and even as wolves, it was a struggle to win against Kaleb’s men.As Asher and I fought off one of the men, Rayden and his men took on another. It was a flurry of motion and movement, and it had taken all of my efforts to remain focused on the fight. Thankfully, Asher and I were a great team, and we managed to take our guard down after a little while.The others, though, weren’t as lucky.Rayden had nearly lost his left arm fighting with a large, burly wolf whose claws seemed as long as swords. Luckily, Helene reacted swiftly before those deadly nails coul
CASSANDRAOne thing was certain. The view outside of the country house was indeed beautiful.Once Asher and I pulled ourselves out of bed, we stepped outside and took a look at the wildlife surrounding us. Beyond the house, a great stretch of open field seemed endless. Green plants covered the field and colorful wildflowers grew everywhere. They dotted the field like confetti, and their perfume filled the air with a pleasant aroma.For a moment, I completely forgot our circumstances and simply enjoyed the gorgeous sight. We hadn’t had a moment of peace in so long. Life had been an endless string of battles, violence, and schemes, and it felt nice to breathe.Unfortunately, we couldn’t rest for too long or enjoy the scenery for more than a few minutes. We had to think about what to do next.A meeting was called soon after. We all gathered around the backyard, save for Erika, Helene, and the children.Once we were all gathered, the Alpha of Red Stone began to speak. He told us that this
KANERoxy had escaped.It happened sometime just after Kiara and I had spoken about her options for marriage. It was obvious that someone had aided the sorceress, and if my suspicions were correct, that someone was Darwin.I needed to gather the proper evidence to support my theory, but the hand of the Alpha couldn’t be trusted. He was there at every turn, interfering with Pack business. Though I wasn't definitively sure, I hadUpon learning of her escape, I sent a trio of soldiers after her in an attempt to bring her back to the castle, but there was no use. To add insult to injury, when the soldiers returned, they brought back terrible news about Yurene.They informed me that an inferno had engulfed the royal castle.My heart dropped and I nearly sank to my knees from pure shock. My mind nearly drowned in the sea of my thoughts but I managed to collect myself before I could sink completely.“Were Asher and Cassandra seen?” I asked them quietly.The soldiers glanced at one another an
KANE Though it was a bold theory I had yet to find evidence to support, I knew it was a stronger guess than anything else the Sky Pride healers made. Even though it had been many years since then, I could still remember what Asher’s father looked like when he’d died. His face had the same yellowish sheen as Alpha Arthur’s and his lips were unusually purple. The two men had the same dryness in their skin, and the same frigid bodies. It was too much of a coincidence to not be true. If my assumption was correct, that would indicate that the head healer was complicit in this scheme. But why? What were the motivations behind it all? “Is the healer still administering medicine to your father?” I asked Kiara, my eyes still locked on the unconscious Alpha. “Yes,” she replied. “The treatments have been more frequent lately because the healer thinks the medicine will help him live longer.” I knew at once that wasn’t the truth. I could almost be sure that the “medicine” Alpha Arthur was
KANEThe healer appeared dejected as the Alpha’s daughter stared him down with a vicious expression on her beautiful face, but he seemed to know that it was too late for him to deny the truth.“Please, forgive me, Kiara,” he pleaded pathetically. “This all got out of hand and it didn’t go the way you think. I didn’t do this for revenge or to spite your father. Darwin forced me to administer the poison. He threatened to kill my wife and children if I disobeyed his orders.”Kiara softened slightly but I maintained my ferocity. As cruel as it sounded, I wasn’t going to wilt just because the healer had an excuse. If he was telling the truth I would let up, but until I was certain, I wouldn’t relax.“What does Darwin want?” Kiara repeated herself.The healer simply glanced at her without saying a word.The answer was self-evident. If the Alpha died without a proper heir, Darwin would be the one in power. Kiara would either have to marry him or suffer the same fate as her father. Something
KANEKiara’s plan was far too risky, even by my standards.I hadn’t exactly been known for my self-preservation skills, but then again, I still knew when things were too dangerous to do.When Kiara finished speaking, I shook my head and frowned deeply.“I can’t let you do this,” I said sternly.“I must,” she insisted, answering my frown with one of her own. “You know I must, Kane.”She was incorrect. I didn’t know such to be true. Kiara intended to offer herself as bait. She planned to seduce the truth out of Darwin’s mouth. She would speak with the villain in private and try to irk him into making him confess his disloyalty to her father. Meanwhile, I would summon the key members of the Pack and lead them to the room, making sure they heard what Darwin said.Normally, it would have been a half-decent plan, but the idea of Kiara putting herself in that position didn’t sit right with me.“I know how to protect myself,” she insisted when I fell silent. “Besides, I don’t think Darwin wou
CASSANDRAOutside of the scientific research I’d conducted with Becky back in Anemond, I had known nothing about wielding magic before the fire in the main building at Vlokwell. When I cast the spell to put out the blaze and control and deflect the bullets from Kaleb’s soldiers, I acted completely on instinct. There had been no incantations, no rituals, just pure adrenaline.I didn’t know what to expect when I ordered Raven to show me how to use these new powers, but I hadn’t realized it would be so difficult.As she taught me, using sorcery required willpower, physical energy, strong belief, and determination. To practice certain forms, one needed to believe in what would happen next and be determined to make it happen. It was all bizarre and for someone like me, who had always thought magic powers were merely a fabricated story, practicing sorcery was a challenge.After half a day of attempting different spells and techniques to no avail, I was ready to give up entirely. Still, Rav