Cadma –“Flashback”While my beautiful mate and our sidekick surveyed the pack warriors, we found out one segment was struggling.It was my mate's idea that we check it out. If she told me to venture into a hunters' den, I would do it. I would do anything to just to see my mates’ beautiful eyes light up. We were getting closer as our bond grew stronger every day. As the bond between my mate and I grew stronger, the third person hanging around with us kept trying to convince my mate to leave with him and plan their wedding. It's weird she hasn't told him yet that the wedding is off.The horrific scene we walked into when we reached the segment that had issues wasn't what I expected. This so-called Golden Military captain was regurgitating everywhere. Honestly, it was horrifying. As a man who never cries, I wanted to cry for all the people who lost their lives. My mate's eyes filled with tears as I looked over at her. She held onto m
Ashina –Despite the tension between Cadma and his mate, I just blew it off since there were a number of things that could make his mate mad at him. My only thought was that he might be a friend of mine, but what is between them is their business. As long as it's meant to be, it will all work out.In the conference, we talked about which warriors stayed in the castle grounds, where they were, and who was running the show.When Andor falls asleep tomorrow morning, I'm going to position my troops around the castle through the underground tunnels. On the edge of the kingdom, the previous warriors scoped out empty houses with tunnels underneath them. It'll be perfect for command centers within the royal kingdom.I had already talked to my group that is heading out with me, insisting they keep this a secret. I had them pack and be ready to leave on a moment’s notice. I will let Cadma, and his mate know to be ready as well. Tomorrow, we leave.
Ashina –With the black drapes still closed, I didn't know whether it was day or night outside or how long I had been sleeping. Marking a she wolf is like taking a really strong sleeping pill. Sometimes a she wolf will sleep for a week, but not often.Sleeping this long will prepare her body for her heat and those changes that happen after being marked while mated. With the wolf side as strong as the human side, the ranks merged. It feels like I'm stronger, even though I'm hurting all over. I have no idea how long I've been sleeping.I feel giddy as I kick my feet on the bed and turn my face onto my pillow. I can't believe the moon goddess selected such a great mate for me. My heart squeals with joy.I jumped into the shower after waking up, eager to see my mate. I wore a sun dress and a button-down angora sweater. Putting on some white flats, I hurried down to Andor's office.As I rush through his closed door, my heart is pounding fast. As I smiled, I said, "Andor, I miss ...". My mo
Ashina -As we flew over the different troops, I noticed some troop sites were burned to the ground. My heart sank, we lost before we began.Angry and determined, I went troop to troop riling them up. We're taking the fight to Malcom now. I'm going to kill him, and I'm going to free my mom.I must put up those emotional walls again, I should never have let them down, what was wrong with me. The pain is more than I can deal with. This is why I never wanted a mate; my destiny doesn’t allow for a mate. I was cruel in giving my mate hope, for that I will never forgive myself. How can I?Tomorrow morning, I have plans in the works. We have several homes that are used for command headquarters within the gated walls of the Royal Pack, my pack. I don’t know if I can mind link them seeing I never joined another pack or rejected my allegiance to my pack. I don’t want to chance it though; Malcom may find out too easy if I do.Margaret is busy with the
Melanie –“I have called you all here, because Andor ran off several days ago and is hiding his scent. Cornelius, could I get you and a few of your vampire comrades to scent his heartbeat out? By the way I am glad you are all healed. We need to find Andor and save him from himself.”Cornelius –“Which way was Andor headed? That guy can be such an idiot sometimes.”Melanie --“He was headed west, but I don’t believe he was following Ashina. I am not sure but he and Ashina may have had an argument. Andor has fought many wars, were Ashina and Cadma have not fought one war between the two of them. They have only had strategy training. I and Rector will stay and lead the kingdom as well as the royal pack. Drag him here if you have to, remember Alpha wolves are not easy to drag, but then you are also an Alpha Cornelius so hopefully he won’t be too daunting to drag here.”Rector –“Easier yet, I have brought some tranquilizer dart guns. Just shoot his (a..) Problem solved!”Cornelius –“Am I
Ashina – “How many men are holding her captive?” I asked. “Two men, one on either side of her, and one threw the child over his shoulders.” “Did their eyes glaze over in a mind link yet?” “No, they haven’t princess. I am wondering if they would be mind linking Malcolm. Technically, Malcolm is not a part of the royal pack, is he?” “Okay, how many innocents are around you?” “Princess, this is a remote area. I don’t see anyone in our vicinity. Would you like us to take them out?” “Yes, take them out immediately. Then take the girl and her daughter to the headquarters and sneak them out through the tunnels. Knock out the three guards and take them to our home-made cells for prisoners in the tunnels. Have Jefferson interrogate them, that is what his specialty was in his pack.” “Okay! Got it Princess! Consider this done!” I made my way to the royal end of the hallway. My heart hurt as I had long forgotten these hallways. I stood by a door, fearful to step in, my hands slowly gripping the doo
Dolly—“When did you say that Carol and the toddler had escaped? Do you mean the maid and her daughter?”Dean –“Who is this? Where is the princess?”Dolly –Sighing, I put the earpiece near Ashina's mouth so he could hear her mumbling and crying. As soon as I got the earpiece back in, I started speaking again.“Ashina, as you can hear, isn’t doing so well right now. I was and still am the royal family’s personal maid, and her mother is tending to her right now. Ashina walked into the past as her room hadn’t changed since that day, we rushed her out of there hoping she would make it to safety. We had no idea if she was still alive or not. Now who are you?”Dean --“How do I know I can trust you?”Dolly –“Really?”I asked, flabbergasted that this idiot would e
As Dean entered the bakery from the back, I think he had just changed into the clothes Seth had given them. There was a delicious scent of chocolate mint truffles in the air. Despite being in a bakery, I didn't get distracted until Dean's and my eyes met.The world stopped right then and there. This is when I knew for certainty there was no doubt in my mind that Dean was my mate. As my mouth hung open for what seemed to be an eternity, I was a little dismayed. In addition, I noticed that his eyes looked pained and even sorry.Since I was seventeen, I have always hoped that Rector would be my mate. As in so many fairytales, he would come back with Ashina someday, and we would ride into the sunset together. However, my life isn't a fairytale, and I could see from his eyes that Dean did not want me as a mate.Eventually, Dean calls me over and we leave together with the men hiding in the shadows following me as we make our way to the underground bunker that is hiding so many women and ch
Ashina -- When Andor and I arrived back to what is now our kingdom, the Dark Moon royal pack, my parents granted us many rights, including overseeing new member rituals and other duties of a king and queen. The only thing left was to transfer the titles to us. My mother insisted on waiting until her return and wanted both Andor and me to undergo six months of training. I had several meetings with the packs in the royal kingdom, and it became clear that there were too many packs in one kingdom, leaving their needs unmet. They also voiced concerns about my mother’s temper and magic, which led to Malcolm stirring up unrest among upset Alphas. I proposed a solution to divide the kingdom into smaller regions, each with its own King and Queen elected by the packs. Additionally, there would be a counselor to work with the royal couple, ensuring checks and balances. Each pack would have its own council reporting to the main council, which in turn would report to the
Andor— I found myself completely speechless in the presence of the queen. The memory of her sister's death had been buried deep within me for so long, a defense mechanism to preserve my sanity, my therapists had said. It was impossible for me to convey to her that I couldn't remember what she had seen in my subconscious. A weight settled in my chest as I realized how much her sister's role in my life meant to her, knowing that blocking the memory would only add to the queen's grief, knowing that it was Lisa who had saved my family's lives. As if she could sense my turmoil, Queen Amira attempted to comfort me. "Don’t worry about what you can and cannot remember. You were just a toddler when this happened. I have another question for you. Could I get Ashina and you to take over the kingdom temporarily while my spouse and I bring in the traitors that abandoned their post to guard Ashina and her brother?" I couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't send
Andor –The fireball had knocked Ashina out, and I rushed to carry her to the medical tents, navigating through the tunnels to avoid encountering too many non-mated male warriors. Her mating scent hadn't become strong yet, so I was relatively safe from wolf shifters attempting to claim her as theirs (My Mate).When I entered the medical tent, I noticed several male shifters sniffing the air. Amidst the chaos, a healing witch hurried over to me and directed me to a tent designated for women only. She explained that the tent was enchanted to conceal mating hormones from non-mated males. To manage the females' heat until the war was over, they administered medicinal herbs that would allow them to complete the mating once the conflict had ended.I nodded and followed the nurse to where Ashina would receive care. As the nurse started IVs for Ashina, I observed her receiving the herb intravenously. Though Ashina's heat made me yearn to mate with her, it wasn't the appropriate time or place t
Amira:I was amazed to discover that my powers had returned even stronger than before. I couldn't help but feel that the Moon Goddess had played a role in healing me and enhancing my abilities. I couldn't express enough gratitude to the moon goddess for this gift. Every spell, every incantation, every snap of my fingers felt effortless and natural.I could see the admiration in my daughter's eyes as she watched me use my powers. She seemed to think of me as some kind of super witch, despite the fact that we were werewolves with elemental powers, not witches.As royal werewolves, we are also granted the power of sight when we are crowned. Personally, I am gifted with the ability to see someone's past. In my mother's case, she could see what people were doing in real time. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of sight Ashina would gain once she was crowned.I couldn't help but inwardly laugh as I continued to provoke Griselda, knowing that revealing the truth wasn't for her benefit, but
Dropping to my knees beside my brother, my heart raced at the sight of the gash on his forehead. The blood, so much blood, it looked worse than it probably was. My breath caught in my throat as I saw his dragon working to heal the wound. A mixture of relief and anger surged through me. Gandor had disobeyed my orders, and now he was here, hurt. I stood up, my hands trembling with a burning rage as I grabbed Gandor by the collar and shook him. “What were you thinking? You were supposed to stay home! Do you realize you could have been killed, Gandor!” He just shrugged with an infuriating nonchalance, his eyes flicking away, refusing to meet my gaze. My patience snapped. “What's so important that you couldn't listen to me for once?!” Gandor's eyes widened, and he nodded over my shoulder. “Ashina, who is that woman behind you?” I turned, seeing that it was our mother he had never really met. He was just a baby when we escaped so many years ago. Sadly,
Kiera – I stood there watching Malcolm taunt and laugh at me. No Denison can laugh at me and stay alive because I'm a royal alpha wolf. It is beyond my comprehension why this obnoxious human would stand there laughing. The fear of my wrath should have him shaking. Groar – “Attempt to kill Malcolm if you dare, he's a formidable opponent. He will kill you little wolf, if I haven’t killed you first.” Kiera – With a growl, I charged towards Malcolm, aiming for his neck. What kind of trickery is this? When I bite into his neck, it fades like the mist of fog hovering above the lake in the morning. I hear Groar roar with laughter as if he was watching slapstick comedy. Anger welled up from the fire pit that was boiling from deep inside of my gut. I started chewing on the hardened scales of the black dragon. I would dig my way to his heart and eat it. I could feel Ashina pulling through trying to shift. I needed to kill this dragon. It cannot think of living after disrespecting me.
-Ashina - I leaned out the window and listened to the evil blonde witch behind me rant about how Margaret was young and weak in comparison to her. MS. Evil Witch was adamant that she was a much deadlier witch than Margaret. It’s blah blah blah. I was working up the courage to jump out the window, talking to myself. I decided I would count to three, then I would jump out the window. 1 (1000), 2(1000), 3(1000) Okay, I needed to count again. I just messed that up. Naturally, my sweet wolf, who always encourages me at the wrong time, chimes in. Kiera - "Chicken!!! Bawk, bawk, bawk. Well, you will lose your ride if you don't hurry! Or the wicked witch of the west to barbecue us ala flambe." Ashina -- " Well, if you're all hyped up about jumping out of that window, I'll shift so that you can jump in my place." Kiera - " If I jump or you jump we will both suffer and die either way. Also, if I was supposed to fly, I would have been born a dragon, and seeing as I am not one, I would not jum
-Ashina –The first thing I noticed when I awoke was that I was in a tower with no doors or vents, only a window. As if I were in a fairytale, my prince would call out to me, asking me to let down my hair so he could climb up it to save me.In search of a way out, I felt dismayed at the lack of options available, except for the window in front of me. As I looked out, I noticed this tower was high above the clouds. The first question I asked myself was it duck hunting season? I swear I saw birds flying in a V formation.My thoughts were interrupted by an angelic voice, but I could feel the evil aura radiating from her. There was nothing angelic about the person who was speaking in front of me.My abductor was a tall, blonde woman with soft curls, dressed like a woman from the days of ballrooms and fancy dresses. Despite her large and beautiful eyes, you could see the blackness of her soul through them. It would have been understandable if she had been the siren that led so many sailors
Andor –The air was thick with the stench of death as I fought against the relentless tide of enemies, my magic draining my strength with every blast. I cursed under my breath as I accidentally incinerated a few witches amidst the chaos. But it was either them or me in this bloody battle, and I had no time to dwell on the casualties.The Queen had enclosed me in a protective bubble, while the witches tried to pop the bubble to kill me, the witches were not here to keep me safe, but to toy with me, to break me before the queen. I could feel her seething anger pulsing through the air as she eyed me like a predator sizing up its prey. I rolled my eyes at her, my own temper flaring in the face of her arrogance.The queen began an outburst about an ancient vase that I had blew up, some treasured artifact from her family's history. I should have been more respectful, but trapped in that confining bubble, I couldn't suppress my irritation. In a moment of impulsiveness, I let my frustration sp