"Who the fuck is Mattias?" Before I knew it, the words were being spat from my mouth as if I had swallowed stale beer. My hands fell limp at my sides, my previous desire to reach out to Morax fading. All of my joy had suddenly evaporated from the air, and my small hands couldn't reach up in time to catch it. I watched, painfully slow, as Morax finally remembered I was here. His golden eyes were finally on mine, but the effect felt watered down now. The wolf inside my soul was on edge. I looked between him and the woman who had miraculously returned from the dead. Even though Morax had looked away, Angelica was still staring openly at the Alpha. Her eyes were incredibly soft and filled to the brim with sorrow. I felt like I was intruding on a private moment, but for some reason that pissed me off. I had just discovered my mate. So why did I feel like the third wheel? A childish part of me wanted to scream it wasn't fair, but I kept my mouth glued shut. I waited for either of the
Morax POV.There was a sense of self that was lost when you chance upon an old regret. A splash of cold water and shock none could prepare you for. I stood there in the fumbling leaves and dry grass on the outskirts of my warrior's platoon. I was dreadfully aware of Robin’s scent rapidly steering away from me, but my ankles were shackled. I fell still with shock and dread. But to be most accurate.I was furious.For as ferociously as my wolf lunged from my will, pleading with me to go after her, I was enraptured by Angelica's image. To see her standing there was the same as seeing a ghost. Yet I was painfully aware as her scent protruded in the air that she was real. “How are you still alive, Angelica?" Angelica's soft demeanor vanished as soon as Robin was out of sight, and there stood the woman who seemed most familiar to me. While she was dressed with frailty and beauty, I knew better. I knew the cunning that lurked behind those eyes. "Is that how you greet an old friend, Matt
I couldn't tell you how long we talked in the center of that field, but I could tell you that as my brother uttered those words, it felt like the world stopped to listen. Elijah and I were staring at each other, and I searched his face. I waited for him to laugh and say it was a joke, but the complexities in his expression warned me otherwise. Not that I thought he'd ever joke about mom so easily, but the information felt too coincidental or insane. Then again, the mark felt like insanity too. "... Mom had this? You're sure?" I asked. I had never heard of mom bearing a mark like that, but how could I judge? I hadn't known of mine either. I was walking forward to retrieve my arrows, hands surprisingly less shaky after my furious practice. Some of the anger had left my bones. As I scooped up a few more, I glanced back at Elijah. He was taking his time answering, but he nodded. His face was grave. "You were too young to remember but I'm the one who found her body. She ... used to ha
Even after a decent night's sleep a lie still hadn't magically popped into my head. But I figured, for now, I was safe from having to think of one. Instead, I was relishing in my alone time. I kept staring at the mark in the mirror, all of my hair dangling on the left side of my face. I had my neck positioned awkwardly but from the angle I was at, I could see the minuscule crescent. It was settled neatly in the flesh behind my ear. It was odd looking at it, knowing what it was. But as I thought back to my conversation with Elijah last night, I couldn't stop my growing curiosity. The pain in his eyes, the way he deflated at the end of our talk. They were two things that aided in my partially restless dreams. Truth be told, I didn't remember much of my mother. She had died when I was still young, so most of my memories were in spurts or blurry at best. I remembered things about her, like her kindness and how we had inherited her ice blue eyes and light blonde hair. But the rest
"I...think it should be good news to everyone, sir." I answered, treading carefully with how I addressed him. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and it was making me self-conscious as I stood there, keeping my expression schooled. I felt like I had possibly blurted out something that offended the Alpha, but it was kind of tough shit considering he had bluntly brushed me off just the previous morning. I kept that in mind as I kept talking. A frown fitting on my lips. "Of course, I'm happy he's awake, not only is he your Beta, but he saved my life and Timmy's remember?" I answered him with my chin held high, not backing away from his public displeasure. A few murmurs of agreement went through the crowd, before a man I faintly recognized as the same one who complimented me the other day came forward. "I have to agree with the girly, I think we all miss your sidekick! He's always in a good mood and gives me snacks, ya know?" He laughed, and the tension deflated from the air. A few mo
"Miqella, what are you talking about?!" I whispered back, as harshly as I could. The sound of leaves was almost roaring now, and I squinted up at him from beneath the turbulent wind. I could barely see in the blanket of night, but I heard the hiss melt away into a rough timber."You're getting awfully fond of calling me by my Beta's names. First Brandon, now Miqella? Now, answer me. Why did you run off? The forest isn't safe, you should have stayed with the others at camp." ... What? What was going on?That wasn't Miqella's voice. As I stared into the eyes that undoubtedly belonged to Miqella, cold fear shivered inside my stomach. He wasn't making any sense. I squirmed in the warm hold, perplexity rampant inside my head. "What are you talking about, Miqella? Everyone else is right..." I whipped my head around to show him, but everyone I had been traveling with was gone. I sat there for a moment, trying to spot them or catch their scent. But I realized then that the entire walk h
"I..." My tongue fell flat as I hesitated to describe what I was seeing. Honestly, I thought of possibly shutting up altogether. But as Morax touched the small of my back, I sucked up my courage. I didn't want to come off as crazy or delusional, but my eyes weren't deceiving me. That little light was still dancing on my brother's shoulder. But I had no idea what it was. Still, I could sense energy about it. The scent that flowed from the red embers told me that it was alive. It twirled around like it was dancing. A petal in a world that couldn't be seen by the naked eye. "... You're going to think I'm crazy, but there's a red light. It's sitting on Elijah's shoulder right now, I saw it earlier too. It was in the forest before I started hallucinating that we left." I knew I sounded insane, even as the words left my lips. But as I turned to peek at my unclaimed mate, he wasn't looking at me with judgment. His handsome face was scrunched in thought as if he was racking his brain. El
My hands felt wrong as they defiled someone's resting place. Apprehension in my nerve endings while I helped Morax dig into the dirt. It was significantly easier with my claws extended. Still, as I dug deep enough to see a faint blue light break the earth, my heart raced a mile a minute. Any minute now, we'd gain another artifact. But I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. Especially since I still wasn't sure what he wanted them for. But as I glanced up at Morax anxiously, he looked beyond pleased. His eyes were full of anticipation. He didn't seem to mind the inhumane act we were committing at all. In fact, there were dark shadows dancing in his eyes in the pale moonlight. His rugged curls dipped down to showcase the gleam in them. While he was unholy in his gorgeous features, I wondered if that unnerving beauty hid anything else I should be wary of. I paused, just as my nails touched the rough edge of the artifact. "...Hey, Morax?" I faltered, staring down into the e
The tension in the clearing broke, and suddenly laughter seemed to rejoin the pack. It was odd, how easily Elijah drained the tense atmosphere, his bumbling even making the rouges slacken in their intensity. I noticed the fiery girl from before look at him, rolling her eyes before she smirked. After that, everything seemed to go off without a hitch. We gave them their housing, went over the rules, even though some were moved to separate settlements it ended as a standard procedure. It was like our village hadn't been torched, like packs weren't dying to protect the relics. For a moment, it felt...normal. Like my life had always been here. But I knew the minute the four of us were alone, that peace would shatter. If not by whatever they had to tell me, but by what I had to say. I watched impatiently as the crowd slowly dispersed, that weird fog churning in my chest again. It felt like a vice. Something I couldn't shake. What was it?Anxiety? Pain? Something else entirely…?"...Hm.
“I gotcha now, Missy Robin!” Laughter played in the air around me, and I was stunned as my world came back into focus. A fog retreating when a scamper of footsteps broke through. “…What?” I gasped. The kick came for my mid-section and I barely managed to step out of the way in time. I was watching as Timmy charged at me with all his tiny might. I saw a flurry of red locks and a triumphant grin before I shot out my hand to catch his ankle. So frail in my hands, he was like a baby jumping on its momma. Full of effort with no dexterity. “Hey, what’a gives! I had you!” Timmy’s grin fell into a pout, and I shrugged. “No, you thought you had me.” My leg swept out to kick his out from under him and the boy fell with an overzealous oof. He lay on the ground, groaning about my ‘cheap’ tricks. He was defeated for the umpteenth time. “This…a’, isn’t fair!” He was huffing and puffing when I leaned down to pat his head. Honestly, at this point, I wasn’t even trying. My mind was scattered,
Elijah Pov. “You mind tellin’ me what the hell is going on now?” Malika shot me a look from the other side of her father’s shoulders, but honestly, I was as freakin’ clueless as she was. I gave her a half-assed shrug, looking back at Morax. The dude was stopped dead in the center of the alley looking like someone slapped his mother. I could feel his aura spilling out, and it brought back memories of pain pretty damn quickly. I think it was safe to assume whoever he ran into wasn’t a buddy of ours. “I’m not sure, but stay here. I’ll get a closer look.” I promised, gently handing her father over to her the rest of the way. She heaved slightly under his weight, but once she was settled she gave me the go-ahead. I could see from where I was that there were people on the other side of the alley. There was a red-headed chick I’d never seen before and my comrades. But that wasn’t what had Morax’s attention. So I stepped closer, sniffing the air. I paused right when the city lights hit th
Morax Pov. ‘Stay true to your position and stay out of sight. I’m on my way. Be safe.’ I sent out the signal, running as fast as my body would let me. Red fur blazed the trail ahead of me, blood matting both our coats while our paws thudded over the ground. The air was thick with tension tonight, a sense of gravity that tugged at our limbs while we broke the shackles. Just three more. It was so close I could taste it. ‘Are you sure we should be throwing another assault after our last two…? Can we really keep going for so long without rest?’ Green eyes pierced the darkness, and I followed Escha sharply around a corner. ‘Elijah knows where the Copse Alpha is, and as for Zander…well, it appears we don’t have to do anything at all.’ ‘How is that poss—ah…wait, Miqella?’ She said his name with understanding. ‘If anyone can deliver, it’s him.’ I echoed back, and I knew she wouldn’t respond. It went without saying that I trusted him never to fail; he was as stubborn as he was loyal. L
Elijah Pov. No matter how long we waited, he didn’t budge. Seconds turned to minutes while I scrambled to figure out what I was supposed to do. Normal people would just open the door, right? But I wasn’t supposed to be here. Shit, shit, shit…! "Malika!" My father's voice boomed from the other side, and this time we both flinched. I could hear how hard his knuckles rapped against the shabby wood and I was consciously aware it could fall off any second. Horror images about how it had simply teetered off earlier flashed in my mind every time his hand touched the door. The mental image sucked, freezing my limbs in place. I tore my gaze from the window to Malika's face. Somehow her shocked expression annoyed me. "I thought this place was a secret," I accused, whispering as low as possible. Not being able to mind link with her sucked right now, but I could only hope he didn't hear me. He was still knocking away though, insistent. "I didn't tell him where I lived," She mouthed, her
Elijah Pov. “Here, we can talk more in private.” The door creaked open, damn near falling off its hinges despite the gentle push Zuri gave. "This is your, um, house?" I questioned at length, staring at the rundown building. It looked out of place in a city alive with technology. Tall buildings could be seen right outside of the alley, but here we were in front of a dingy, unlit shack. A part of me didn't want to ask about it, but when the wood teetered like a frail old man just from being touched, yeah, I had some concerns. I didn't want to offend her but I also didn't really want to die either. Zuri looked back at me over her shoulder scowling, “I said we were going to my place, didn’t I?” Her tone was laid back and drawled, but her eyes were like pin needles and fire. They told me to go kick rocks. I laughed, putting my hands up in surrender. “You did, but I just didn’t expect it to look like this…” I admitted slowly and her gaze only grew harsher. “You ca
Elijah Pov."So, are the rumors true or not?" Zuri's voice settled in the air, collecting dust on the table while I tried to find my voice. I didn't wanna admit it, but when Miqella exchanged a look with me, I knew this shit was real. Everything this stranger was saying about Robin, all the messed up "deals" laid out by my sperm donor, the horror of it all, was all true. She caught us up on all the daily chatter, even explaining who or what exactly my sister was. According to the rumors swept up by my father, he claimed Robin was the offspring of the previous Goddess Harbinger. That part I knew was true, but he claimed that for some reason, her blood was special...unlike mine.Was it because I was a guy? I had no clue.But. he swore up and down, she was a partial reincarnation of the moon Goddess. The rumors spread like wildfire in the city, everyone talking about her mark. Because of it, he was growing a hell of a following. I guess, not many people would turn down the opp
My knees hit the dirt. My hands lay bare against the soil.Still, I'm unable to move as the blazing glory I had just witnessed vanished into the undisturbed blades of grass. There were no more screams, no more gut-wrenching sounds of blistering flesh. Just cicadas and a thundering pulse in my chest, pushing at the bounds of my mind. I was scared to move despite knowing exactly where I was.The smell in the air was undoubtedly the Aconite Pack territory. I was back.All the air seized from my lungs. My fingers trembled as I clutched at the grass, trying to catch my breath. The harbinger mark was still searing into my flesh. It felt like a hot brand of iron tearing through my skin, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. I was back. But my mom. . . I caught Mrs. Pearl's scent on the wind, along with Angelica's. But I didn't budge an inch, not even when I heard someone kneel beside me.I felt frozen. Like my leg had snapped right along with hers, even though it was
"Are you ready to see this? I can only conjure it once for you, if you back out, there's no going back." Angelica's warning rattled in my ears, and I swallowed back my trepidation. Everything I was sacrificing, lying for, and hiding from built up to this moment. I stared at the milky white palms of Angelica's hands, enraptured in the strange pink energy that seemed to pool straight up into the air from her pores. If I wanted out, this would be my only chance. I knew that. But as I stared at the gravity-defying magic, I couldn't look away. "I'm ready," I affirmed. There was no way I could walk away, not now. I needed to know about my mother, what Elijah never told me--what my father had been hiding. I had never questioned, never even wavered in his teachings. So I knew I could never be my own person until I knew the truth. These were my goals. My aspirations. Not Elijah's, not Morax's. I needed this. "Then, let's explore the past. Shall we?" Her hands lifted, and before I knew