I can feel the fragile peace between us shatter. Kane glares at me, and he doesn’t have to say the words to make his accusation clear. Unconsciously, I take a step away from him, not thinking what it might look like to him when I retreat. Breathlessly, I wait for him to ask the question. “Dammit, Willow,” he sighs and sinks to the couch. “What did you do?”“Nothing.”He doesn’t believe me. “Did you kill her?”“No!” I snap. “Why do you just automatically assume I killed her? It could be anything. Maybe she just went for a nice long walk, you know. She is gone, not dead." I take a deep breath, trying to get myself back under control. "I was here all night. You know that.”“I don’t know!” he hollers. “I was asleep.”Behind me, Adare starts crying. Shooting Kane an ugly look, I turn around and bend over to pick him up. “Don’t shout.” Cradling the baby close, I ask, “Why does it matter one way or the other, really? Why do you care if she’s dead or alive?”Kane scrubs his hands over his fac
We stand outside the circle, waiting for only Kane knows what. He was right, it is bitterly cold tonight, and after twenty minutes of just standing around, my teeth are chattering and my hands have gone numb. “I told you to get proper winter clothes,” Kane says as he shrugs out of his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders. “Look at you. You’re frozen solid.”“T-t-t-t-tuh-ake back your d-d-d-d-du-ham juh-juh-hacket,” I manage to stutter out through my cold-clenched jaw.“Just because you’re angry at me, doesn’t mean you have to freeze to death.”He cups my hands in his and blows warm air onto the solid blocks of ice that used to be my fingers, before vigorously rubbing them back to life. I’m too cold to argue with him. “There, isn’t that better?”“Yes,” I admit, albeit begrudgingly. “Aren’t you cold?”“No.”“Can we shift yet?” I ask hopefully, knowing Suri is much better equipped to handle the sudden drop in temperatures than I am.“Not yet.”“What are we waiting for?”He points to so
Kane's POV After the women left, Willow lay down in front of the opening to Adare’s little nook, and wouldn’t budge. I stayed with her the whole night, even though I itched to run off some of my pent up energy. I fucked up so bad earlier when I automatically assumed she did something to Dani that I didn’t want to do anything to rock our precarious little boat, and I didn't dare leave her. As the moon starts setting, I shift back to human and wait for her to do the same, but it doesn’t happen. “You okay there?” I ask through our mind link. “Yes.” “Can you shift?” “No. I don’t know why.” “Suri?” “Yeah, maybe. She’s pissed at me because I silenced her when The Goddess started talking to me.” “Right. Well give it an hour, let’s see how it goes.” “Okay.” She closes her eyes and promptly falls asleep. I take the time to gather my clothes and get dressed, then lean over my sleeping mate to check on Adare. He’s not awake yet, but I give him less than ten minutes before he starts bawl
Kane’s POV: Thankfully Willow pumped yesterday and I can feed little Adare twice before I need to wake her to nurse him. Half asleep, she sits up and takes the boy to feed him, leaning back against the headrest and going straight back to sleep while nursing. I stay with her to make sure Adare doesn't fall out of her arms, and when they’re done I bring him into the living room with me. I strap him into his pram and leave a note for Willow. *Went for a walk with Adare. Food in the microwave.* The castle is quiet, as it always is after the full moon. The only thing that stirs is the sleepy guards who jump to attention when they see me approach, but slump right back into their dopey states as soon as I pass them. We are at our most vulnerable right after the full moon, but every wolf here has the ability to wake up fast and be ready for an attack in minutes. I walk along the perfectly paved paths, listening to Adare making cooing sounds as we go. It’s a beautiful day. The only thing th
Kane's POV: Willow puts Adare in his slings, and rushes ahead of me to the tower. “I bet it’s not very clean or comfortable,” she says and before I can say anything, she’s gone. We hadn’t been in the tower since Willow lived there for a week, and she’s not wrong, I’m just not sure it’s worth it to send Omegas up to make the place clean and liveable if Agatha only has hours left to live. But when I finally make it up there with the elderly witch in my arms, I’m reminded once again of how much I underestimate Willow’s magical abilities. A fire roars in the fireplace without an obvious fuel source, the shiny floor shimmers orange and gold in the light of the blaze, and in the bedroom, the bed is neatly made with clean, fresh linens. She put a jug of water and clean glass within easy reach of the bed. I’m sure it’s the only thing she didn’t conjure. When she sees us walking into the bedroom, she pulls away the covers and wait until I put the frail old woman down before she speaks. “Wha
Kane's POV The one thing Willow and I didn’t bargain on, and we should have, was that I’d be able to feel everything she felt. That catastrophic mistake doesn't become clear to me until a few minutes later, when she starts to break Agatha's spell. I barely make it down the stairs when a psychic pain so deep and profound rips through me that it renders me immobile. I fall against the mildewy wall and slide to the floor, just barely holding on to the pup. The safest place for him is the floor. It’s hard and dirty, but at least I won’t drop him. “Mother,” I mind link with Erica. “Are you awake?” “Yes.” She sounds sleepy, but she’s an experienced wolf who can handle the full moon shift much better than a young one. “Is something the matter?” The last time I contacted her after a full moon was right after Willow's first shift. “I need you to come and get Adare.” “Why?” My hands clench into fists. Something dark is coming. Dark and dangerous. For a moment, the whole world goes black
“That was uncomfortable,” Kane coughs and tries to sit upright.Uncomfortable? Only Kane will describe the horror of the underworld as uncomfortable. “Where is Adare?” I ask right away. I should be more concerned about Kane, but my baby’s not here and I don’t know if he’s safe.“With my mother.”I relax immediately. At least he’s in good hands, and I didn’t inadvertently bring him to the pits of the underworld with me. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” I say, and wipe sweaty hair out of Kane’s eyes. “You weren’t supposed to be dragged into the underworld with me.”“How did I get there?”“I don’t know.” I’m so close to tears that it’s difficult to speak. Seeing my beautiful, strong mate lying limply on the floor, covered in dirt, and paler than death itself, hurts more than anything my father ever did to me. “I should have made sure you’re protected.”“No.” He coughs again, an ugly hacking sound. “You couldn’t have done both.”“I could have. I should have.”“Well, you didn’t know it would hap
Kane's POVMaybe being void of emotions is a good thing. It's a nice little break from the turmoil, and it will make it easier to execute my father when the time comes.The Alphas are set to visit us in two days’ time, and I haven’t thought about my father’s impending judgement in all this time. I couldn’t. It was just too much on top of everything else I’ve had to deal with.I sit on the couch, staring at the dead TV while I listen to Willow puttering around the apartment as she takes care of our son. Soon after my mother left, she declared that she’ll take care of supper, and I haven't seen her since. I shudder to think what might come out of that kitchen tonight.It doesn’t matter. I’m not hungry anyway.At least I can’t feel that odd longing for Dani anymore, which is a blessing in itself. “Kane?” Glenn speaks in my head.“Yes?”“The undertaker is here. What do we do with Agatha?”“I’ll let him know what the plans are. Willow wants to talk to the witches before we decide what to d
Dear readers, I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read Willow and Kane's story. This has been one of the longest books I've ever written, and when I started out I did not expect it to turn into this epic saga, but I regret nothing. Nothing I tell you :). I fell in love with Willow and Kane, and I am genuinely sad to say goodbye to these two, but unfortunately all stories must come to an end. Thank you for your support througout this wild ride. It means the world to me. I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until we meet again. All my love, Celice
Kane Madden, Lycan King of Felan, wakes up to an unearthly racket right outside his bedroom door. Slightly concerned, he glances at his heavily pregnant wife and smiles despite his annoyance at his oldest son’s shenanigans in the hallway. Willow Madden, his mate of fifteen years is heavily pregnant with their second set of twins, two boys this time, and Kane sincerely hopes this is the last time. Goddess knows he loves his children, all eight of them, and he’s sure he’ll love numbers nine and ten just as much, but it’s getting difficult to keep up with all the pups. They are exhausting. For a time, he was sure that they’d never have more children, but after one wild afternoon in the forest, Willow did get pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl, as their remarkable son predicted. She named the twins Josiah and Jocelyn, after the previous occupants of their home. Kane thought it was macabre, but Willow insisted, saying they had to honour their ancestors. That would be the same twins wh
It’s a beautiful summer’s day, and the drive up to the cabin is pleasant enough. Kane and I have found a peaceful kind of comfort in each other’s silence, and we rarely need to fill the quiet with inane background chatter. We are content, just being together. I inhale the lovely fresh air, remembering the first time I came here. The night Suri was born, the sheer exhilaration of feeling my wolf come to life...and that was all thanks to Agatha. Dear, sweet Agatha who never found a final resting place because we went to war and in the chaos, we forgot all about her. Our funeral home has since been bombed off the planet, and we just take care of our dead our own way as we'd done during the war. There aren’t that many of us left anyway. The few surviving wolves live here now, and those that refuse to come to safety are dying off – Templars bearing a lingering grudge either murder them, or the wolves yield to their unrelenting urge to join a good war. Kane once told me that wolves had be
Kane's POV I wasn’t sure what would happen in the months and years that followed after we signed the peace treaty, so we went with the tried and tested 'go with the flow' method. For a time, everything went back to normal. Drake and Patrick ran the business, and more and more my little brother took over my duties in the company. Proof, Willow liked to remind me, that Omegas are just as competent as any other wolf. The overseas wolves went home, and as soon as they were sure the threat had really passed, the European wolves followed suit. The only ones that stayed were the humans. I claimed the human town as part of my territory during the peace talks, and the residents now affectionately call it Wolftonia. Leif left, taking his strange sister with him. Only later did we learn that Silke’s time on earth was limited and that she had foreseen her own death long before she ever came here. Unbeknownst to all of us, including Willow, a völva’s dying energy projects outwards, and what we m
Adare runs around the garden with Roland. The two boys growl and stalk each other like prey. My motherly instinct is to jump up and stop them before one of them gets seriously hurt, but Rosie quickly grabs me and pulls me back to my chair. “No Queen,” she says. “That’s how they learn. They won’t hurt each other.” “Are you sure?” “I’ve seen them play this game a hundred times. I’m sure.” Dammit. My throat burns and I have to fight against the tears. I’m so happy that my son is home, but I’ve missed so much. He is the size of an average three-year-old and when I talk to him, I sometimes forget that he’s not even two yet. I choose not the think about it. I choose to focus on the here and now. My family is whole and complete and that's what matters “Mama! Look!” Adare squeals and tackles Roland to the ground. “Good job, buddy,” Kane says behind me. I look over my shoulder at my mate. “You’re back early.” “Yes. Peace talks broke down.” “Why?” “Clement wants my humans.” “I thought
Kane rolls over to my side and pulls me into his embrace. I don’t even bother to open my eyes. It’s been a wild few days. “Oh Goddess, no,” I complain. “Haven’t you had enough?” He laughs breezily in my ear. “Never…but for now, yes.” He flutters kisses over my jaw and neck. “How do you feel?” “Like I got run over by a penis-shaped bulldozer.” “Hey, you wanted it.” I finally manage to drag my eyelids apart. “I did.” I smile at my impressive mate. “The first two days were great.” “I know.” He rolls away and swings his legs off the bed. “The last day always feels more like a punishment than pleasure.” I turn over onto my side and stare at his broad back, the strong muscles flexing under his skin. “No regrets though, right?” He looks over his shoulder at me. “None.” He gets up and stretches, scratching his ass as he walks to the bathroom. A minute later, I hear him open the tap. We don’t have electricity yet, but I’m not so sure I miss it. Life is kind of peaceful without the cons
Kane’s POV I sit on the couch in the dark living room, watching the glowing embers in the fireplace, trying to ignore the call of Willow’s heat and the fever that's trying to consume me. I'd go to her, but she's still asleep. t’s not time, she can’t feel it yet, but she will in another few hours. I should be sleeping, prepare myself properly this time, but I can’t switch my milling thoughts tumbling through my head off long enough so I can go to sleep. I’ve already sent orders out to bring the power stations back online and ordered our army to stand its ground. There’s nothing else to do now but wait for Clement to come back so we can finish up the peace agreement. In the absence of entertainment or imminent danger, the only thing I have to keep myself occupied is my own thoughts, and all I can think about is the possibility that Willow will get pregnant. Here, in the quiet of the night, all by myself, I have to admit the truth. I never want her to get pregnant again – not becaus
Kane’s POV For the next few hours, we talk about the meeting with Clement, the future, and a whole lot of nothing. There’s something comforting in it, just friends having a chat about life, love, and everything in between. I glance at my watch, surprised to see that it was well past midday. “That’s it,” I say and get up, stretching my too-tight muscles. “We’re taking the week off. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of war to last me a lifetime.” “Shall I collect Adare?” Zael asks on our way out. “Not yet. I don’t…Willow thinks he’ll be safe here, but I want to make sure.” “If what she said about The Goddess is true, she’s probably right. She hasn’t been wrong so far, has she?” I scrunch up my face and rub my forehead. “I don’t know. I can’t think straight anymore.” Zael nods. “I know the feeling.” “Did you get any retaliation over the Raymond thing?” “Of course I did.” “And?” “And nothing. I handled it...it won't come back to you.” “Do you think this war is over?”
Kane's POVIt had been weeks since we slept comfortably, and even though we both sort of hinted at passing the night making love, neither of us could actually gather the energy to do more than snuggle down in each other’s arms.For the first time in weeks, perhaps months, I wake with a smile on my face, completely relaxed and almost happy. The only thing I need to complete my joy is my son, and he'll be here soon enough.I stretch languidly, and slip out from under Willow and go to the bathroom to get ready for my meeting with Clement. I hope against all hope that Willow misunderstood The Goddess and that there would be no human war. I hope, and I pray, that Clement would listen to my advice and stop it before it even starts.The castle is freezing, and I’m shivering so much that I cut myself several times while I shave. Rattling like an excited dog, I run back to the bedroom, pull an extra blanket over Willow, then rush to the closet so I can dress in one of my suits and my long, thi