Eden’s POVMy jaw dropped open. The crow continued to circle high above. Caw. Caw. It screeched at us in a frantic, frenzied way. “Did you just say…sister?” I whispered back to Beta Brighton. Unlike the rest of us, he was looking up at the crow with admiration. Crows have never been my favorite bird. They’re scavengers and they’re smart. A group of crows is called a ‘murder’. I always found that disturbing. But Beta Brighton gripped my arm. “Please,” he said under his breath. “It’s within aim,” Storm said, his bow aimed at the crow. He drew back the arrow. “No,” I said quickly. “Why not?” Adrian asked, eying me skeptical. “It’s annoying. Let him shoot it.”“It’s a harmless bird,” I sighed, trying to sound innocent. “Don’t waste an arrow. I’m sure it will leave soon.”But the crow continued to circle. Beta Brighton’s eyes never left it for a second. Astrid watched Beta Brighton watching the bird. Then her eyes caught mine. She saw the look I tossed her and her face flooded with
Eden’s POV“Brinsle?” I repeated. She nodded. I shook her hand, careful to meet her gaze. “That’s a lovely name,” I said. She then shook Astrid’s hand.“Thank you,” she replied demurely. “But I have to confess, I didn't expect my brother to bring you along. I’ve never met up with him like this. I thought I was…a secret.” Her eyes flashed to her brother.He looked sympathetically at her. “You know I hate that I can’t talk about you,” he said, his voice low. “But if people knew…it’s just easier this way, Brinsle. It’s easier for you, too. Werewolves and witches don’t mix well. I could be exiled. You too.”“We don’t exile,” Brinsle snapped, raising her chin. “We punish. Or we kill.”“Right,” he replied. “But in any case, you can trust these two. Astrid is our Gamma. I’ve known her for a long time. She’s one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met. And Eden here…well…you know who she is.” His smile faltered at the mention of my name.“Eden.” It was Zara. She was pacing, on high alert. She
Eden’s POVI was standing in a garden. But it was a garden I didn’t recognize, full of blooming white orchids and blue daisies. The air smelled sweet, the sun was shining. It felt like spring.A young girl emerged and sat on a bench. She had a shy smile on her face, her hair pulled back into a pony tail. She was clutching a suitcase. I approached her. It was Brinsle, but a younger version of her. This Brinsle couldn’t have been more than sixteen.I tried to speak but no sound came out. I realized I wasn’t really there. I had touched Brinsle’s pendant and it had brought me here. The pendant was obviously laced with magic.I was in a memory.A memory of Brinsle’s.She kept this memory locked securely inside the pendant. It must be important then.I watched as the young Brinsle shifted her weight on the bench. She was waiting for something. Or someone, I realized. And with a look like that on her face, I knew it had to be someone special.Sure enough, moments later, a young boy emerged f
Eden’s POVI gasped. Of course, Brinsle didn’t hear me. I wasn’t really there. This was her memory, not mine. I was like an apparition, a silent spectator.The boy lay crumpled on the ground. Brinsle was breathing heavy, her eyes still wild. Her pain swirling around her. It was tangible, tinged in a soft violet hue. Eventually, though, the pain dissipated. The leaves fell back to the ground and the air was still again.She didn’t move. Not at first. She just stood, staring at the corpse of her lover. Birds chirped. Flower petals blew gently in the breeze. Other than that, there was no other sound.I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen!Brinsle had KILLED her lover. She’d unleashed some sort of awful magic and bam – just like that, the boy was dead.She’d done it in a fit of fury, an act of blind rage. He’d hurt her. She was in love with him, ready to give up everything for him. He, however, was not so willing to do the same.I stared at the dead body. Brinsle did too. And I realized,
Eden’s POVThe scene crumbled away. I opened my eyes. I was back at the palace, at the lake. My fingers were still touching the pendant around Brinsle’s neck. I could hear her heart beating through her chest.My god.Brinsle had fallen in love with a werewolf. A strong werewolf, who was in line to be Gamma for his pack. She’d slept with him and gotten pregnant. Then they’d decided to run away together.I thought they wanted to run away because it was the only way they could be together. But I could see now that it was even more complicated than that. There was a baby involved. An illegitimate baby. And clearly Brinsle was Lucinda’s protégé. Lucinda was training her, helping her learn about her own, super powerful magic.But what happened then? Brinsle killed her lover, but what happened to the baby?“Eden? Back away. She has Zane’s scent on her.” It was Zara. She was cautioning me.Zane’s scent? She knew where Zane was?“I don’t think we should trust her,” Astrid whispered behind me.
Eden’s POVThe forest fell away, but the smile on Brinsle’s face stayed strong in my mind.This time, I released the pendant as soon as I realized where I was.She’d shown me this. She’d SHOWN me how she’d killed her baby. I was…I had no words.I tried to step back, but she reached out with impossible speed and grabbed my wrist.“Eden, she’s not safe,” Zara said.“Let her go,” Astrid warned, taking a step towards us.Fear ripped through me. Why had she shown me that? Why had she taken me to that last memory? Did she want me to know she was evil? She had no heart, Brinsle. I felt no regret from her. She was righteous and arrogant. She didn’t value life, not at all. She took what she wanted and killed anything she didn’t want.Had they know, her coven? Had they known that she was pregnant. I assumed they hadn’t. She’d forced herself into premature labour. She gave birth alone in the forest, careful not to cry out. So I assumed she’d been hiding her pregnancy.She glared at me, t
Eden’s POVI heard him before I recognized him.Zane.He was moaning, naked, on top of a woman. I squinted and saw that it was Brinsle.But? But?Why was Zane in bed with Brinsle? And why were they both naked?No. That couldn’t be right. Maybe I was seeing things. Maybe that wasn’t Zane?I looked more closely.It was Zane all right. And he was definitely in bed with Brinsle. I watched as he moved his hips up and down. She reached around and dug her nails into his back. Then she let out a loud gasp.They were making love. And they were BOTH enjoying it.This was Brinsle’s memory. She’d forced me to touch her pendant when I demanded to know where Zane was. Zara had been adamant that Zane’s scent was on Brinsle. I’d smelled it too. We all had. So I knew this had actually happened.Where were we?Witch’s territory, I assumed. This must be Brinsle’s coven.Is that…is that where Zane’s been? All this time?But that didn’t make any sense. Why would Zane be at a witch’s coven? And why would h
Eden’s POV“Brighton, NO!”Brinsle’s shrill shriek rang out through the air.The bolt of light hit Beta Brighton. His body went rigid, his eyes wide. Then he fell to the ground, just like her lover had in her memory.I gasped, as did Astrid.That bolt of light was meant for Astrid. Brinsle had just tried to kill Astrid. But Beta Brighton had blocked Astrid, taking the hit himself instead. Brinsle looked at her brother in horror. She’d just HIT Brighton? Her own brother? But no, that’s NOT what she had meant to do. Beta Brighton was in a crumpled heap on the ground. Brinsle ran to him, her eyes wild. She knelt down and cradled his head. His body was limp and lifeless.“What have you done?” she screamed at us.I saw it then, her pain. Just like in her memory. It swirled around his body, tinged in purple, like a breeze you could see. I was strange, seeing someone’s pain on the outside, like this. It felt like we were invading her privacy.Or at least, it felt like that to me.Astrid