Kane's POV I leave my mother’s apartment with about two litres of water and my mate who is cackling at me like an amused hyena. “What's funny?” I ask. “You look like you’re getting ready to go on a trek through the Sahara.” I smirk and shrug. “I’m afraid I won’t make it otherwise.” She puts her arm through mine and rests her head on my shoulder. “Was it worth it?” “No,” I burp and pull a face as acid pushes its way up my gullet, burning my throat. “Maybe I should just take my mother’s herbs next time I feel like checking out for the night.” She laughs again and lightly slaps my shoulder. “What fun is life if we don’t lose a little control every once in a while?” “I didn’t lose control,” I say. “I never lose control.” “Yeah you do,” she teases lightly and touches the mark on her shoulder. “Or do you so easily forget the night you gave me this.” “Do you wish I could take it back?” “No,” she says quickly. “No. Never. It's the best thing that ever happened to me.” She’s in a muc
I quietly watch while Innocent tears into the food Tessa brought him. Kane is right outside the dining room, I can hear him pace up and down, feel the tension that rattles through him like bolts of electricity.A lot hinges on this scheme of his, which I have to admit might work if we can pull it off. “So, Miss Jones,” The Pope says and wipes his mouth with a napkin. “You surely had me fooled, didn’t you?”“Yes, I guess I did.”Slowly, he nods. “I have to take some of the blame…I wanted to believe you turned over a new leaf.”“Sorry to disappoint.”“Oh, on the contrary, you are quite the worthy adversary. It’s been a while since anyone challenged me as much as you have. It’s been…fun, for lack of a better word.”Innocent still has the power to make me feel nervous and slightly hopeless. Now that he has washed, is dressed in clean clothes, and has eaten, he’s almost back to normal. Back to the man I met. He has that same, arrogant air of authority he had back at the stronghold. It’s as
Kane's POVI take a seat next to Willow opposite Innocent. I give him a moment to compose himself. I’d accomplish nothing if I showed any kind of acknowledgment of his tears. Instead, I mind link with my mate to tell her, “You did well. I’m so proud of you.”She gives me an uncertain, wavering smile, and I briefly squeeze her hand. I’m the only one who knows how nervous she is, how close she is to running from this room and never looking back.“I don’t think we officially met,” I finally say to Innocent.“No, but I know everything about you.”“Do you think so?”The Pope sits up straighter and squares his shoulders. A clear display of dominance if I ever saw one. “You’re all the same.”“Hm,” I grunt. “Does that help?”“Does what help?”“Dehumanising us, pretending we’re all heartless monsters that go around killing children. Does that make it easier to slaughter us?”Innocent doesn’t answer me. That’s all right. I don’t really need one. I just want to see his reaction to my question. H
Kane’s POV “What is it with that man and his obsession with you?” I ask Willow when we’re alone in a random hallway. “I don’t know,” she answers in a teary voice and pulls at the neck of the thick dress. She's just about to reach breaking point. “I want to take this fucking thing off.” I nod. “Come. We have some time.” “The Alphas--” “It will take time for them to gather. We have an hour or two. Jackson will let me know when everyone’s ready. Let’s go upstairs.” She doesn’t ask any questions, just follows me back to our apartment. She’s tired. Tired of the drama, of being in control, of the fear and the pain. She's just done, and while she doesn't say it aloud, I know that she needs me to take care of her for a little while. “Get out,” I say to the construction crew when we enter our apartment. The wolves immediately drop their tools and leave. Willow stands rooted to the spot, clearly unwilling to go to our bedroom. “Anything in particular you’d like to wear?” I ask. “You pick
Holding two glasses of ice tea, I watch Kane from the backdoor. He’s sitting on the porch, holding his head in his hands. The oaths were brutal and took a lot more out of him than the rest of us. As he did with the messengers, he took most of it on himself, but there were a lot more this time, and he could barely move.Adare toddles up to his father and pats his thigh. “Papa,” he says.Kane lets go of his head and looks down at his son who is holding on to his leg for support. Groaning softly, he leans over and picks the baby up to sit on his lap. “And what did you do with yourself all day?” my mate asks.Adare frowns at Kane. “Papa,” he says again. “Papa sah?”I almost fall on my back. It’s not so much the fact that he’s putting words together that surprises me, it’s that he can tell his father isn’t feel well. My mate, though, is unperturbed. “Yes, Daddy’s a little sad.” He taps the tip of Adare’s nose with his finger. “But less sad now that you’re here.”I walk out onto the porch a
Kane's POV I bring a whole squad with me when I leave the castle to send the two traitor kings’ subjects on their way. They are outraged, but not stupid enough to attack me. They are from small kingdoms, and the fight isn’t worth it to them. “Make sure they leave,” I tell Susan. At least the departure of the packs and two small tribes frees up some space for the rest of the wolves. The grounds are becoming cramped, and hygiene is turning into a bit of a problem. “King,” Drummond calls to me on the way back to the castle. Tired and cranky and not in the mood for anyone, I stop to talk to the Alpha anyway. “What’s up?” “The Alphas were talking.” “And you were chosen as the unfortunate spokesperson?” I ask, smiling at the wolf. “Yes--” he shuffles around and glances over his shoulder at the Alphas coming over to back him up --“we’re just wondering what your plans are. We’re just…camping out, doing nothing. Are we going to war any time soon?” I nodded. That’s a fair question. “I’ll
“Goddess, Willow,” Kane says and kneels next to me, taking my hands in his. “Do you understand the risk you took? What if Carmine didn’t die of poisoning? What if Logan ripped his throat out, or--”“Thomas asked Logan how he did it…he wouldn’t have asked if the cause of death was obvious.”Kane let out a stuttering breath. “What did you see?”“His aura…it looked like the black smoke that came out of the oath box.” I looked at the box on the table. It looked innocuous, just sitting there, but we both know the terrifying magic contained within. “And…I could smell it. I’ve never smelled an aura before. It was like…rotten meat and garlic.” I gagged a little. “He wants you dead, that’s all I know.”“The box would have rejected his oath. I could have killed him based on that.”I shake my head. “I can’t tell you how I know this, but…no. He has a way around it.”“Shit,” Kane says and falls back on his ass. “This is bad. If he found a way…it means others…Goddess, what are we doing to do?”“Tom
Kane's POV On my orders, and to make it easier for Willow, the Alphas and kings enter one by one. I watch her from my perch on the platform as she nods to each of them to go inside. It takes more than an hour, but no one triggers her internal alarms. When the last of them is inside, Glenn closes the double doors and Willow magically seals the room. “Settle down,” I bark. The wolves quiet down, but not a lot. The room is bursting with nervous energy. The wolves know that something big is coming, and they’re excited that they’ll finally be able to kill something. Glenn takes Willow by the elbow and leads her through the crowd of wolves so she can stand next to me. Justice is already on his feet, ready to challenge my decision to have Willow on the war council. “Excuse me, King,” he says loud enough for everyone to hear. A hush falls over the gathering. I raise my eyebrows at Justice. “What?” I snap. He sweeps his hand in the direction of my mate. “A she-wolf? In the war room? Pleas
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