Kane's POVI am just about to settle in with Vickus’s Gammas so I can try to guide them towards some kind of resolution to the Vickus issues when there’s a knock on the conference door. I am tempted to ignore it, but my new inner voice tells me that I really need to talk to the person on the other side. “Just a moment,” I say to the annoyed-looking Gammas and get up to answer the door.Kaylee, one of Willow’s guards, stands on the other side, looking terrified. “King,” she says through stuttering breaths. “It’s the queen.”I haven’t felt anything from Willow that concerns me. A little anger, a little jealousy, some pangs of fear and concern, all normal emotions for a pregnant she-wolf. “What about her?” I ask, closing the door behind me.“She, ah, she’s on her way to see Maria.”“So?” I still don’t know why the guard is
Kane’s POV “It’s not the potion,” Agatha says. “Nothing in it can cause…this kind of mental and physical decline.” “Fuck,” I run my hand through my hair and glance at Willow. She’s quiet, her head thrown back, looking at something we can’t see. “What is wrong with her?” “I don’t know, great king. Perhaps it’s the pup doing it to her.” “Why would he kill his own mother?” Agatha just shrugs. “Who knows why The Ultima does anything, my king? Maybe she’s not supposed to survive the pregnancy. Perhaps, the gods only granted you this short time together, so she can birth this saviour of the werewolf race, and then her time here comes to an end.” I have to stop myself from knocking Agatha’s head off her shoulders. She’s saying things I’ve been thinking about but don’t want to hear. I don’t want to believe it. I can’t. We are meant to be together forever. “If that’s the gods’ plan, it’s a bad one. Ripping the child’s mother an
“What happened? What did I do?” Kane asks while he helps me off the altar.“Not you, great king,” Agatha offers. “The gods. They saw your anguish, and tied your life force to hers.”I’m still a little too dazed to say anything. I’m not convinced the gods had anything to do with it. Kane’s magic has a tendency to get away from him, and he does things without even trying. “Is there a way he can undo it?” I ask.“Not if you want to live through this pregnancy, priestess.”“Stop calling me that. I’m not your priestess.” I turn to Kane. “You have to undo it. If I die, you die, and then our child will be all alone.”“No,” he says, and crosses his arms over his chest. “I can feel it now. How much the pup takes from your magic and life force. Goddess, he's strong. I don’t even know how you made it this far.”&ldqu
“Do we still need this?” Kane asks, holding up the container of vials.“I don’t know,” I say and sit at the kitchen counter. I don’t know how Kane does it, because he looks at least as bad as I feel, but like every morning, he got up early and made breakfast. “I don’t think it makes any difference anymore.”He nods and returns the container to the cabinet. “We’ll see how it goes. If you get sicker, we’ll start using it again.” He runs a shaky hand through his thick hair and pushes his half-eaten food away. “I have to go into the city next week. I think you should come with me.”“Why?”“So I can keep an eye on you.”I’m too tired and sick to argue with him. “Okay. Did the Gammas come to a decision yesterday?”“Yes. They’re executing Vickus tonight.”“Do we have to attend?”
Kane’s POV After waking Willow for breakfast and making sure she eats, I go to my private office down the hall to the apartment. I want to be close in case she needs me, but it’s the last Saturday of the month, and it’s the day I usually see tribe members to hear what grievances they have, and I don’t want to receive them in my home. It’s a quiet day. The kingdom is in a lull after the battle and Vickus’s execution. For now, everyone’s somewhat content, and happy to return to something resembling normality. I’ve been busy getting everything in place, setting the kingdom up to return it to a state where I don’t need to do everything. All that’s left to do is reforming the council of elders, and then my father’s hearing which I’ve had to postpone because I don’t have the energy for it. “Come in, Jackson,” I say when I hear the Alpha’s approach outside my door. These last two weeks he’s been invaluable. With Glenn still being out of commission, I don’t know how I’d have gotten anything
Kane's POV: The week passes in a haze of pain and fatigue. I force Patrick to stay with me the whole time so he can learn how to do things. I try to check in with Willow every day, but mostly she’s unreachable, lost in a world of fog where I can’t connect with her. It’s killing me little by little, and I’m fast reaching the point where I just want her to give birth so we can take hands and dive off the cliff together. I haven’t told Patrick that we’re dying. I somehow managed to convince him that I’m just overworked and stressed, but Drake isn’t that easy to fool. Towards the end of the week, he drags the whole story from me without even trying. He looks at me, the surprise evident on his face, his cold, grey eyes suddenly filled with concern I didn’t expect to see. “I know someone,” he says at last. “A rogue, like me. A witch. She was kicked out of her pack when they found out she’s a hybrid. Maybe she can help.” I quickly shoot him down, because I can’t keep going down this path.
Kane's POV I make it to the stairs leading up to my apartment before I sag to the floor, out of breath and unable to keep going. I sit on the bottom step with my arms on my knees, resting my head on my forearms and staring at the floor. It’s too much effort to get up and keep going. For the first time in many years, I’ve had to hire a helicopter pilot to fly me back home, and the walk from the helipad to my wing of the castle took me the better part of two hours instead of the usual ten minutes. “Kane?” Glenn kneels at my feet. “You okay, man?” “No,” I say, not even bothering to look up. “Pretty sure I’m dying.” “Alfred and Narcissa are here. They’re waiting up in your apartment.” “I know. They came back with me.” “Oh. It’s a rare day when a human can outrun Kane Madden.” “Hm. How are you doing?” When he speaks, I can imagine the way his mouth pulls down at the corner and the troubled look in his eyes. “Better, I suppose.” “Don’t lie to me. It doesn’t get better, you just lea
I wake up feeling much better. The cool breeze blowing in from the open window cools my sweaty body and feels surprisingly good, considering that I’m freezing. Confused, I look around the room, the only light coming from Kane’s side of the bed. There’s blood on the sheets, and I can smell the fading scent of at least six people. Frowning, I get up, testing legs that just two days ago wouldn’t carry my weight at all. They feel solid and surprisingly strong. The door opens, and Kane’s scent fills the room. My heartbeat shoots up with joy when I see him. It feels like I haven’t seen him in weeks. He still looks sickly and pale, but not as bad as…when? I think I saw him earlier, but he looked bad. Like he was knocking on death’s door. Maybe I imagined it. Or dreamed it. These last few weeks I haven’t been able to distinguish between dreams and reality anymore. “Hey,” he says and gives me a sheepish grin. “I heard you get up.” “Were you here earlier?” I ask. “In bed with me?” “Yes. So w
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