“Okay, I have some questions for you, alright? Do you think you can answer them for me, so I know how to help you?” He nodded. “What’s your name, sir?”“Barnes,” he forced out.“Thank you Mr. Barnes. Can you rate the pain for me?”“Ten!” he gasped, curling in on himself so tightly he was shaking. He
Elroy looked furious, but before I could even process that he was there Iris stepped forward confidently.“Your Luna’s just been framed for oleander poisoning,” she said calmly. Rita screeched.“How dare you?!” she shouted. “You have no right to involve yourself in—” The instant Elroy’s Alpha presen
“Remember; any action against her is an action against me. And I don’t take that lightly.” That sentence hung in the air for an ominous moment, and then Elroy turned to me.“Come on,” Elroy said, putting his hands on my waist. “Let’s get you out of here, before the negativity can rub off on the pup.
I sighed, putting my book to the side and dragging another one in front of me. I’d spent the last three days in the manor’s library—this massive, beautiful room two stories high—throwing myself into learning everything I could about Eclipse. I needed to know their history, or I’d fail as their Luna.
It was a simple interaction. I walked past a worker carrying warm linens, and the scent of lavender wafting off of them was calming. My linens didn’t smell like that, and I would like it if they did, so I stopped her. “Excuse me,” I said. “Do you work in the laundry?”“No, Luna,” the middle-aged w
I laughed in his face.“What’s changing, Elroy? What changes are you even trying to make?”“The high council was set up to avoid a dictatorship, I can’t just—”“Set up by who? Let me guess, the ancestors of the people who are currently on the council? There’s nothing you can say or do that will make
My fingers hovered over my phone, trembling slightly as I responded to the email from Lycanthrope Life magazine. The prestigious publication's request for an exclusive interview burned brightly on the screen, a beacon of opportunity... and risk.I took a deep breath, steadying myself. "This is it,"
I smiled, full of pride for the beautiful creation that Jordan made me. Now she could get the recognition she deserved for it.“It turned out so much better than I’d imagined,” I said honestly. “I had the idea, but the actual creation was done entirely by Jordan Hanna, my personal maid. Can you beli
“Jordan,” I said, “I think it’s time to hold a banquet.”The low light of my bedside lamp lay across Elroy's face, casting a warm glow on his furrowed brow as we settled down to sleep. It was hard to believe that I’d once been so reluctant to lay near him, and now this protective little cocoon we fo
I rose with the sun, brushing aside the veil of last night's uncertainties. Elroy had left early, and even though he was usually gone by the time I woke up, his side of the bed felt colder than normal.I moved through the morning with my thoughts in a tumult, incessantly repeating the same questions
But he hadn’t told me his feelings, hadn’t told me how close he wanted us to be. He could just mean he wanted a strong partnership as Alpha and Luna, like we’d discussed at the very beginning of it all, or it could be he cared for me as the mother of his child but didn’t love me. Not like I loved hi
The diner was a 1950s style burger joint, complete with black and white checked flooring and too-shiny red seats. The waitresses were wearing the same type of uniforms I’d seen in old movies, and Elvis played quietly over the speaker. One of the booths seemed to be made out of a classic car.Elroy l
I glanced at Elroy, feeling his silent encouragement radiate through our clasped hands. "To be honest," I confessed, "the depth of deceit took us by surprise. We were largely in the dark, just as many of you were."“And the council?” someone else asked, shoving a microphone towards Elroy.“The counc
Olivia’s POVI smoothed my dress, silently appreciating the way the purple fabric hugged my hips, accentuating my small baby bump. This would be the first time I’d be outside the manor since my pregnancy became visible, and the knowledge that everyone would see that there was life growing inside of
The incense stick sparked to life with a hiss, its aroma weaving through the air of the Ruby Room. I settled onto my knees, the rough carpet biting into my skin, and closed my eyes. Smoke curled like ethereal tendrils, carrying my silent prayer upwards."Great Moon Goddess," I murmured, choking on a
I wanted to pull until the hook ripped out, taking whatever traitorous chunk of me it wanted as long as it was gone. It was like an infected limb, but nothing I did seemed to force the amputation.What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just let this go? She was just a healer, someone I’d never even
Elroy’s POVThe effect of those words was immediate and indescribable. More than guilt, or shame, or horror—it was something that howled through me like a hurricane, ripping me apart and leaving ragged, bloody holes. My body could feel it, and it was as real as any cracking bone.My ears rang. My vi