There was a prick in my mind. I tried to ignore it but after another two, I peeled my eyes open. It was still dark outside but you could smell the wet dew of the forest. Looking next to me, Vale was passed out, his arm slung across my chest. He was still naked and snoring into the pillows. He must have cleaned me off while I was passed out because there was no trace of any cum on me. I did have a blanket thrown over my lower half while he was just butt naked on top of them.‘I need to speak with you.’I froze, Auri’s mind link coming through clear. Looking at Vale, he obviously wasn’t being woken up as well. Slowly, I slipped out from under his arm and tossed a blanket over his legs and butt. It would be a bit embarrassing if someone ended up waking him up and he was laying there butt ass naked. Creeping over to our duffle bags, I pulled out new boxers, jeans, and a shirt, slipping them on before quietly making my way out of the tent.The forest looked magical. A thick layer of fog co
There was no sound in the clearing for a while. Auri had pinned me with her stare but her words looped in my head. They didn’t want to take root. They shouldn’t take root. How could Auri say something like that right before we were going into battle. Was this just fear? Was this her own inadequacy that she was making this statement? Was she telling me that she wasn’t going to fight and that was why?“Zeke…”“No.”It was the only word I could get out. The only one that made any logical sense. No. He wasn’t going anywhere. He was my mate. He was too young. He was a father. He was our king. He was a son. He was an Alpha. He was everything to me and I would not lose him.“No.” It came out again. Stronger this time.“Zeke, please…”I shook my head. “No, Auri. No. I won’t let him. You won’t let him. How could you even say anything like that? How could you? Are you planning on killing him yourself?”My last question was too far and I knew it. A hand wrapped around my throat as my back collid
“I thought you said he wouldn’t be able to reach me?”Auri chuckled. “I said he wouldn’t be able to feel you. The ability of an Alpha King and how far we can mind link, especially with our mate, is pretty far.”I winced. “He’s pissed.”“I mean, it is kind of a weird time.”“He probably thinks we went off and did some mission to fight ourselves.”She smirked and shook her head. “I mean, you thought that too.”“I…” My eyes narrowed. “You could hear me?”“And your ridiculous explanation about why you don’t call me Mom anymore.”Sighing, I slumped back and closed my eyes. ‘I’m here, Vale. I’m not too far from camp.’‘Don’t fucking give me that. You’re with my mom, aren’t you? What are you doing?’‘Nothing. Just talking.’ The emotion caught in my throat and I squeezed my eyes together, trying not to cry.How long would it be? Would today be the last day I would hear his voice? See his smile? Or at this point, his angry face as his eyebrows pinched together and a frown on his face. Would th
Two wolves and one vampire volunteered to take the request for surrender to the castle. We pulled the forces together, standing in formation around the camp. Each captain was leading their own platoon and we were stretched around the castle, completely surrounding it. King Uriel and the fey were covering the east end but we were informed this morning that a few witches had been spotted going into the castle. That didn’t bode well for us but we didn’t know how many had turned. Hector tried to reach out to to the Head Witch but there was no answer.I shook out my fur and looked down our line. We were at the head of our group. Mostly, it was comprised of our Golden Moon warriors. The only ones that were missing were because they had taken command of their own sections. I had shifted into my wolf form, standing next to Vale who was in human form. Next to him was Auri, and then Hector in wolf form next to her. He was huge, towering over her figure and nearly at height with Vale. Her hand w
As expected, the wolves came first. Their snarling and pounding of their paws drowned out every other sound in the forest. Our side had quieted as we waited for their attack. Auri stepped up though, out of the line. Her fur rippled like water as an immense flow of power left her, filling the forest. She barked out a single command and all the wolves we could see coming towards us shifted to their human forms. The sound of their bones assembling back into their body on a massive scale reverberated through the forest.Hector raced forward ahead of her, chomping the closest wolf’s, now confused human’s, head off. It was all that was needed. Our forces surged forward and around us. Vale started to go with them but my paws were planted firmly in the ground. Stopping and turning, Vale looked at me with his gold eyes.‘Can you do this, Z? It’s okay if…’My eyes widened as a wolf came from behind, leaping right at Vale as his back was turned to me. I stepped forward, one step, then another. S
The castle looked empty. At least walking into it from the now ridiculously large exploded hole. Auri, King Uriel, Vale and I stepped over the rubble and the dead bodied of the witches to enter it. Everything was eerily quiet, as though no one had been in here at all. Had all the forces emptied out the different exits just now? Or were they lurking somewhere deeper?“The castle has an underground area as well, correct? If I saw the building plans correctly.” King Uriel looked at the three of us.Vale was the one who answered. “Correct. It has a full underground stadium area and most likely where they are keeping the pups. Or in one of the catacomb areas. It’s a huge labyrinth down there.”He hummed. “We should split up.”Auri frowned. “I don’t know. We don’t know what’s ahead. What we are up against.”“I think he is right, Mom. I think we need to do this. Uriel, if you would take the upper floors. I have a feeling there will be more witches and some other vampires who are able to deal
I wiped the blood out of my eyes, trying to focus on the where Oran was in the room. Vale was standing near the center of the room. He didn’t look nearly as bad as I did but that wasn’t saying much. Oran was playing with us but we still couldn’t compare to his strength. Holding up his broken sword, Vale parried Oran’s knife but was thrown back with the power behind the hit. Staggering up, I ran, only shifting my claws since I couldn’t shift my whole body anymore. I caught Oran’s arm as he was making a stab for Vale. My claws dragged across his skin and he dropped the knife.“Well, aren’t you the useful little mate.”I put up my arms to cover my face, sensing an attack either by his fists or foot. Vale though, grabbed the knife and me, pulling us back away and out of reach of the strike. We both were breathing heavily and on our knees. “Vale…we need…”He nodded. “I know. I know, Z. Just hold out a little longer.”Vale lifted up off the floor before brandishing the knife as his own wea
*** Auri’s POV ***I had killed nine of the monsters that Oran kept in the arena beneath the castle. Nine of them, each one as mutilated and grotesque as the next. They were powerful though and it had taken me too long to kill them all. Too long put them all out of their misery as their minds begged me over and over again to do. Uriel had reached out to me and told me that he had the pups and had left the castle. All that was left was the battle Vale and Zeke were currently fighting.Running as fast as I could, I slid down the hall. I knew the High Council intended that Vale was going to rule inside the castle with them, but I didn’t know they had already built the throne room for him. When Vale first mind linked me about the room and that Oran was waiting for them, I wasn’t necessarily surprised. He was, if anything, a dramatic asshole.I stopped in front of two huge doors that were on the north side of the castle. Using my power, I touched the wood and it turned into a pile of wood