Selene's POVDaemon’s gaze flicked to it and then back to me.A long pause stretched between us.And then, after a slow exhale, he took the dagger from my hand.I didn’t make a move. Neither did he.He didn’t move for a moment, just holding the knife, his hand clenching tighter around it. The silence seemed to crackle with energy.And then, quick as lightning, he jolted his hand and drew the blade across his palm. The blood that flowed was strange; black and thick.Daemon barely flickered. His eyes were staring at me with a warning. I ignored him, and he held out his other hand and let the blood start to drip slowly onto the floor beneath him.The instant the first drop splattered against the marble tiles, power surged.Daemon sucked in a sharp breath, his body jerking violently. His head snapped back, his spine arching unnaturally. His fingers twitched, the dagger falling from his grasp and clattering onto the floor.His breath came out raggedly, and his eyes turned white.The air gr
Selene's POV I slid the ring on and looked at Daemon, who was suddenly all smirky again. Leaning against the counter with his arms now folded over his chest, he watched me.“Let’s get ready,” I said, stretching my arms to the ceiling and standing up straight.Daemon arched his brow. “We’re getting ready and you won’t tell me why?”I turned slightly to look in the small mirror hanging on the wall, fixing my hair as if I had all night to do that. “To see if everything’s working like it’s supposed to.”His smirk widened, but there was something speculative in his gaze. “You really enjoy stirring the pot, don’t you?”I turned back to him, smile widening. “Only when the soup is worth tasting.”Daemon chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re a handful.”Closing the distance between us I stood close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body. He tensed, making me smile wider.“Step back,” I murmured, lifting my hands in front of me.Daemon sighed but did as I asked and stepped back.I closed
Selene's POVClosing the door, she exhaled softly as she stretched. I stood very still and watched her go deeper in.She couldn’t hear me, of course. But she could feel things. And if I wasn’t careful, she could sense something that how we’re out of order.Celeste made her way to her dresser, raking a hand through her hair. She came dangerously close to me and I had to step aside quickly to avoid her crashing into me.She took a brush, mindlessly dragging it through her hair as she talked to herself. Then, with a weary sigh, she trudged toward the bed.I followed close behind, my excitement building.Celeste climbed on top of the bed, propping herself against the pillows and closing her eyes. In a matter of moments, her breathing had slowed.“Finally, I thought you'll never sleep,” I whispered. I approached, observing her in silence. So vulnerable. So unaware.I raised my hand in a similar wave over her body and whispered a spell under my breath.Once or twice, her chest rose and fel
Killian’s POVIt was a stinking, cloying scent of something man-made that hung in the wind in a smell of rain and smoke. Victor’s voice sliced through the comms, crisp and urgent.“He’s here. I think Sam is here, Alpha.”The words coursed through me. My pulse pounded as I looked to my team, Logan next to me, Victor was several steps back, and a dozen of my best wolves fanned out and were prepared to act. Sam had entered my domain. He was either careless or scheming. And if I knew Sam, he was reckless never.“Let’s move,” I said, and I was already leaving.Their boots thundered on pavement as we barreled through the streets, our wolves on high alert. The city stretched out beyond blinking lights and shadows. Some places were quiet, abandoned, while others thrummed with life and ignorant humans moving along the sidewalks, cars cruising by, oblivious to the hunt taking place around them.Victor guided us down an alley, with his nose. “His scent is here.”I smelled it too. It was faint an
Killian’s POVThe underground medical hub was colder than normal. The lingering smell of antiseptic hung in the air, overlaid the dried blood and sweat. The machines beeped at steady intervals, but the mood in the room was anything but stable.My colleagues and I circled the restrained corpse of Elias Carter, a man whose name had appeared in the news for three weeks straight as a missing person.Now he was here and hardly human. I was not prepared to explain to him the process of what it's like becoming a wolf. They were so mad when they found out.And Sam was going too far. But if the cops found out about this, it would cause an uproar. I didn't want anything to happen that would upset the human and supernatural treaty. It’s taken us centuries to make a deal like that.His change wasn’t like the others. The victims who had come before him had been poisoned, their bodies bent beyond repair, but Elias was different. There was no rot in evidence, no blackened veins, no sickly pallor. Hi
Killian’s POVThe night had a sharp bite with the wind whispering over the rusted metal of the shipping containers. The yard was expansive, extending in all directions like a steel cemetery, stacked containers with their sides up creating a maze of frozen iron.My team stepped as one, our feet whispering against the pavement, our bodies trembling at what waited.Logan paced beside me, his eyes roving the darkened yard, and his fingers drifting low, near his knife. Victor was a step behind him, his gun in a tight grip, with quick steady breaths. All the men here had been lethal in their own right, trained to wartime combat, but the silence of the place was wrong.The Odor of the sea mingled with something damp, a fouler—oil, rust, and blood.It was a fresh kill.I held up a fist to signal a stop. The others immediately stood still. Victor nodded, opening his mouth, and took a breath. “Something is close.”Logan reached for his gun. “Could be a trap.”It was always a trap. I only had
Celeste’s POVA tingle crept up my spine. I turned my gaze to the door, and bit my lip as a clammy feeling pressing on my chest. The warmth of the sun streaming comfortably through a gap in the window did little to mitigate the gravity falling on me. Something was off. My body felt slow, and my head was dense, as if something had crept into my brain when I wasn’t looking.Vanessa sat with her legs crossed on the floor, rubbing her elbow, her lip twisted with anger. As soon as we spotted each other, we spoke in unison “Did you feel that?”I went first, nodding. “Yeah. It's so creepy. Almost like we have someone else in here,” I whispered. “Why are you whispering? You're making this shit more scary,” Vanessa replied. I looked at the window. It was open and the wind moved in with ease. “Maybe, it's the wind.”Vanessa turned to look at the window and back at me as quick as a lightening. “Yeah, no. I doubt some little wind is supposed to give me this icky feeling.”“What do you mean?”
Celeste’s POVMoonstone Howl PackI cleaned the packhouse floor. My hands moved by themselves, sore and split from cleaning yesterday's grime for hours. My knees hurt, pushing against the tiled floor that cut into my skin. The scent of booze mixed with the faint metallic smell of old blood, the stink of this place, and all it stood for.“Hurry up, Celeste! I'm getting tired of you!” A harsh voice yelled at me from behind. That was Jared. He was the least sober in the pack and was always lazing around. “Did you hear me weirdo?” Jared asked, walking closer to me. I raised my gaze, my blood boiling as his dirty boots stained the tiles I had just scrubbed. “I told you to speed up. Don't tell me you're deaf too?” He yelled. “I'm trying my hardest,” I answered. “Try harder,” he barked, kicking the bucket of soapy water beside me. The dirty water spilled over the floor, ruining hours of work. A knot formed in my throat as I looked at the mess, but I pushed it down. “Sort it out, Twain,
Celeste’s POVA tingle crept up my spine. I turned my gaze to the door, and bit my lip as a clammy feeling pressing on my chest. The warmth of the sun streaming comfortably through a gap in the window did little to mitigate the gravity falling on me. Something was off. My body felt slow, and my head was dense, as if something had crept into my brain when I wasn’t looking.Vanessa sat with her legs crossed on the floor, rubbing her elbow, her lip twisted with anger. As soon as we spotted each other, we spoke in unison “Did you feel that?”I went first, nodding. “Yeah. It's so creepy. Almost like we have someone else in here,” I whispered. “Why are you whispering? You're making this shit more scary,” Vanessa replied. I looked at the window. It was open and the wind moved in with ease. “Maybe, it's the wind.”Vanessa turned to look at the window and back at me as quick as a lightening. “Yeah, no. I doubt some little wind is supposed to give me this icky feeling.”“What do you mean?”
Killian’s POVThe night had a sharp bite with the wind whispering over the rusted metal of the shipping containers. The yard was expansive, extending in all directions like a steel cemetery, stacked containers with their sides up creating a maze of frozen iron.My team stepped as one, our feet whispering against the pavement, our bodies trembling at what waited.Logan paced beside me, his eyes roving the darkened yard, and his fingers drifting low, near his knife. Victor was a step behind him, his gun in a tight grip, with quick steady breaths. All the men here had been lethal in their own right, trained to wartime combat, but the silence of the place was wrong.The Odor of the sea mingled with something damp, a fouler—oil, rust, and blood.It was a fresh kill.I held up a fist to signal a stop. The others immediately stood still. Victor nodded, opening his mouth, and took a breath. “Something is close.”Logan reached for his gun. “Could be a trap.”It was always a trap. I only had
Killian’s POVThe underground medical hub was colder than normal. The lingering smell of antiseptic hung in the air, overlaid the dried blood and sweat. The machines beeped at steady intervals, but the mood in the room was anything but stable.My colleagues and I circled the restrained corpse of Elias Carter, a man whose name had appeared in the news for three weeks straight as a missing person.Now he was here and hardly human. I was not prepared to explain to him the process of what it's like becoming a wolf. They were so mad when they found out.And Sam was going too far. But if the cops found out about this, it would cause an uproar. I didn't want anything to happen that would upset the human and supernatural treaty. It’s taken us centuries to make a deal like that.His change wasn’t like the others. The victims who had come before him had been poisoned, their bodies bent beyond repair, but Elias was different. There was no rot in evidence, no blackened veins, no sickly pallor. Hi
Killian’s POVIt was a stinking, cloying scent of something man-made that hung in the wind in a smell of rain and smoke. Victor’s voice sliced through the comms, crisp and urgent.“He’s here. I think Sam is here, Alpha.”The words coursed through me. My pulse pounded as I looked to my team, Logan next to me, Victor was several steps back, and a dozen of my best wolves fanned out and were prepared to act. Sam had entered my domain. He was either careless or scheming. And if I knew Sam, he was reckless never.“Let’s move,” I said, and I was already leaving.Their boots thundered on pavement as we barreled through the streets, our wolves on high alert. The city stretched out beyond blinking lights and shadows. Some places were quiet, abandoned, while others thrummed with life and ignorant humans moving along the sidewalks, cars cruising by, oblivious to the hunt taking place around them.Victor guided us down an alley, with his nose. “His scent is here.”I smelled it too. It was faint an
Selene's POVClosing the door, she exhaled softly as she stretched. I stood very still and watched her go deeper in.She couldn’t hear me, of course. But she could feel things. And if I wasn’t careful, she could sense something that how we’re out of order.Celeste made her way to her dresser, raking a hand through her hair. She came dangerously close to me and I had to step aside quickly to avoid her crashing into me.She took a brush, mindlessly dragging it through her hair as she talked to herself. Then, with a weary sigh, she trudged toward the bed.I followed close behind, my excitement building.Celeste climbed on top of the bed, propping herself against the pillows and closing her eyes. In a matter of moments, her breathing had slowed.“Finally, I thought you'll never sleep,” I whispered. I approached, observing her in silence. So vulnerable. So unaware.I raised my hand in a similar wave over her body and whispered a spell under my breath.Once or twice, her chest rose and fel
Selene's POV I slid the ring on and looked at Daemon, who was suddenly all smirky again. Leaning against the counter with his arms now folded over his chest, he watched me.“Let’s get ready,” I said, stretching my arms to the ceiling and standing up straight.Daemon arched his brow. “We’re getting ready and you won’t tell me why?”I turned slightly to look in the small mirror hanging on the wall, fixing my hair as if I had all night to do that. “To see if everything’s working like it’s supposed to.”His smirk widened, but there was something speculative in his gaze. “You really enjoy stirring the pot, don’t you?”I turned back to him, smile widening. “Only when the soup is worth tasting.”Daemon chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re a handful.”Closing the distance between us I stood close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body. He tensed, making me smile wider.“Step back,” I murmured, lifting my hands in front of me.Daemon sighed but did as I asked and stepped back.I closed
Selene's POVDaemon’s gaze flicked to it and then back to me.A long pause stretched between us.And then, after a slow exhale, he took the dagger from my hand.I didn’t make a move. Neither did he.He didn’t move for a moment, just holding the knife, his hand clenching tighter around it. The silence seemed to crackle with energy.And then, quick as lightning, he jolted his hand and drew the blade across his palm. The blood that flowed was strange; black and thick.Daemon barely flickered. His eyes were staring at me with a warning. I ignored him, and he held out his other hand and let the blood start to drip slowly onto the floor beneath him.The instant the first drop splattered against the marble tiles, power surged.Daemon sucked in a sharp breath, his body jerking violently. His head snapped back, his spine arching unnaturally. His fingers twitched, the dagger falling from his grasp and clattering onto the floor.His breath came out raggedly, and his eyes turned white.The air gr
Selene’s POVThe thick red-purple smoke curling in the air started to thin, uncovering the modern room. Sunlight gleamed through the large windows and cast rays on the marble floor. The cauldron in the center of the room was still brimming with a liquid colour that sparkled.Leaning against one of the kitchen tables I stared across at Vanessa and Celeste who were walking through the front doors. They were smiling, they didn’t even know what they just entered into.Beside me the little goblin thing chuckled throatily, then winked out with a twisting of his ugly form. In his stead stood Daemon. He was tall and handsome, well over six feet in height. Shoulders, chest, slim waist. Everything about him was just right. His black hair fell to past his shoulders; perfectly chiseled features showed off eyes which glowed that red I had seen earlier. To all extents he appeared human.Daemon flexed, creating an image of the mythical completely at ease within his new skin. “Ah, I’ve missed free
Killian's POV She let out a shaky breath. “Finally.” I laughed softly. “Impatient now?” She took hold of my face to lower me to kiss her deeply. “Shut up and fuck me, Killian.” I also didn’t need to be told twice. And when I finally gave her what she’d been begging for, she moaned my name as if it was all she knew how to say. We moved together, a perfect rhythm, collision of passion and raw need. Her nails raked along my spine, her body, pliant and arch, curled into mine as the build of tension continued, higher and higher, until neither could take it anymore. But when we finally reached that breaking point, when everything around us faded until the world became just the two of us. A loud knock broke the moment. We both froze, panting. The knock sounded again, more insistent. “Killian!” Logan, his voice carrying through the door. “We have a situation.” Celeste groaned and buried her face in the pi