[Danica’s POV] "Danica, you really shouldn’t be involved in this!" Bella huffed. After making sure that Heather was okay and being treated with the utmost respect, I took my leave to join the Mason’s in their questioning of Amy and her brothers. Despite being told to stay out of it, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that was slowly clawing at me. "Yes, I do." I responded, slowing my pace as voices began to drift towards me. "Something feels..off." Amy had been one of my closest friends for as long as I could remember. We had been through so much heartache and pain together, there was no way that all those emotions and good times were faked. "Then why work for him?" I heard Mason suddenly ask, "If you knew he'd abandon you in the blink of an eye when trouble arose, why have you been assisting him in stalking Danica?" "Because he promised to tell us where our parents are." Amy responded. "Otherwise, we would have killed him long ago." Feeling my heart sink, I turned to m
[Mason’s POV]I held my breath as Amy and her brothers considered Danica’s offer. Either they would accept and we would have a way of finding Seth without the help of the sorcerers, or we would be back at square one."You don’t have to answer me right away." Danica said. "We can give you a few days to decide. How does that sound?""Will we have to stay in this damn cell during that time?" Chase asked, narrowing his gaze."Yes.""No."Shooting Danica a look, I took in her narrowed gaze as she held her hand out once again to my younger self."Mason," she huffed, opening and closing her palm. "Give me that key.""What are you planning?" He asked, seeming unsure. "What are you going to do if you let them go free and they disappear?""Can’t they at least stay in one of the guest rooms under supervision?" Danica sighed, rolling her eyes. "Why would they want to help us when we are treating them like animals?""You mean how they have been treating us?" He countered.I had to admit, this was
[Danica’s POV]My heart hammered in my chest as the man Mason’s older self had referred to as my grandfather continued to examine me. How was this even possible? All those years I was raised by Martha, having no idea about my parents or my past, and now here I was staring into the eyes of someone who was my own flesh and blood."That’s enough." Mason hissed, pulling me out of my grandfather’s embrace. "I’m sorry, but could you please explain how you discovered that the Black Forest pack was Danica’s relatives?" He continued, shooting his guarded gaze towards his older self."Long story short," he responded, snapping his attention away from his forearm. "In the future, something will... happen," he said hesitantly. "After it does, Danica will lose her memories and run off. I’m not sure about the details in between that and when she finds the pack, but what matters is that they were reunited. ""What do you mean she lost her memories?" My Mason snapped. "What the hell did you end up doi
[Danica’s POV]"What did you just say?" I demanded, narrowing my gaze on older Mason. "Repeat that."When he brought me to the Black Forest pack, I had thought it was simply to introduce me to my family, but from the question he just asked my grandfather, it seemed that he did all this for his own gain. Despite knowing that we did need their help and that his question was valid, I couldn’t stop the sudden pain my realization caused."You heard him correctly." My mason murmured, wrapping a protective arm around me and pulling me close. "He did this for himself, not for us.""Think what you will." Older Mason said, not bothering to look our way. "But deep down, you know that in order to end the war between ourselves and the harpies, we are going to need allies, and Danica comes from a group of amazing warriors. Not to mention, the best way for her to properly take her place as leader is to show them her strength in battle while being an excellent leader. "Remaining quiet, I tried to pr
[Mason’s POV]After setting up an agreement to meet up in five days' time with the Black Forest pack, me, Danica, and my younger self made our way back to the pack grounds. No one spoke along the way, but my younger self’s extreme anger and distrust surrounded us. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and I knew that after Danica was no longer with us, I would hear every single emotion he was holding back."Danica," my younger self said once we reached our destination. "Why don’t you go on up? I’ll come join you in a minute. ""What are you planning?" She asked, eyeing him and then me. "You don’t plan to try to start trouble again, do you?""Of course not." He chuckled, leaning forward and giving her a quick kiss. "Just want to discuss mundane matters. Go on now."For a moment, it seemed that Danica wasn’t going to listen to him, but after letting out a breath, she made her way towards the pack house. I kept my gaze fixed on her retreating form until it could no longer be see
[Mason’s POV]The sound of footsteps roaming much too close to the tree I was currently sleeping on woke me the next morning. Immediately, I was on alert due to how suspicious they sounded. Letting my eyes fly open, I went on alert, taking in the ground below me until I spotted someone dressed in a brown cloak that was pulled up over their heads."What are you doing?" I growled, jumping down and landing on the intruder. "Explain yourself now!""Woah there," a familiar voice chuckled. "I come in peace.""Killian?" I growled, pulling down his hood and taking in his amused expression. "What the hell are you doing?""I’d like to ask the same." He countered. "Why exactly are you hanging out in a tree? Did you do something to piss Danica off so she banished you out here?""Something like that." I grumbled.Satisfied that Killian wasn’t an intruder I got to my feet and held out a hand that he happily took. Once he was upright, his eyes began to really take me in while his expression changed
[Mason’s POV]"Do you think that old fool will be willing to help us?" My younger self demanded "He barely wants to help with simple matters, and now you want his help with something as big as a trial?""Are you actually shooting down my way of helping Danica prove her innocence?" I asked. "Nigel wouldn’t dare not agree."Even when I was younger, Nigel knew not to cross me. Even if he begrudgingly helped, he wouldn’t dare say no. That was the one good thing about that old bat."Only one way to find out." Killian announced, clapping his hands together. "You gonna drive my sweet nephew?"I bit back the laugh that wanted to escape as my younger self grimaced in disgust due to Killian’s way of addressing him. Served him right for always being such an ass.‘Pot meet kettle.’ Grendal huffed in amusement.Frowning, I didn’t bother responding to him. Instead, I stepped forward and threw an arm around Killian’s shoulders. Motioning for my younger self to follow, I headed towards the large blac
[Mason’s POV]I sat on the couch with a steaming mug of god knew what in my hand. After being ushered inside, Nigel insisted that I should drink this, since I knew the damned shaman was usually right about whatever he said.Lifting it to my lips, I grimaced as the tart liquid leaked into my mouth and down my throat. Ugh, whatever it was must have been made from one of the most sour plants on earth. Maybe this was just some damn trick."Drink it all." Nigel commanded, coming to sit down beside me."Where’s the others?" I asked, taking another sip of the god-awful concoction.The last I saw of my younger self and Killian, they were following both Nigel and Asher to Nigel’s office about some experiment that Asher was excited about. I had figured that they wouldn’t find it as interesting as Asher did, but I guess I was wrong."I asked Asher to keep them occupied." Nigel explained."Why?" I asked, going on the defense immediately. "Are you going to lay into me about time travelling and fuc
[Bryllie’s POV]"I don’t want to hear that." I whispered, trying to contain the emotions that were rolling through me. "From you or from Armond.""Armond?" Desmond repeated, frowning. "Are you saying…""That’s right." I snapped, not caring if I drew attention to us anymore. "He said the same exact thing. It seems that I’m magically mated to both of you! I don't know if this is some kind of game between the two of you, but it isn't funny, and I'm not interested in being your target."Unable to control my emotions any longer, I stormed forward, shoving my way past Desmond and towards where my parents stood chatting with Grandpa and Uncle Killian, who must have just arrived."There she is!" Mom announced, motioning for me to come forward. "Come greet your uncle Killian."Nodding, I began to move but stopped as a hand wrapped around my wrist.Whirling around, I took in Desmond’s desperate expression."What?" I demanded, pulling myself free. "I don’t want to hear anything else you may have
[Bryllie’s POV]"Warned." I repeated, clenching and unclenching my fists. "Did you just say you warned me?"Nodding, Desmond let a smile spread across his ill-at-ease face, and I had to admit, that pissed me off even more."That’s correct." He responded easily.Nodding, I moved, slamming my fist into his cheek."You piece of shit!"Pulling back, I prepared for another attack as Desmond gave me a look of both shock and appreciation. Yuck. Did he actually enjoy getting hit or something?"I guess I deserved that." He chuckled, rubbing the spot I punched. "But it doesn’t change anything I said."Letting out a growl of warning, I reached for the door and pulled."Then you should just stay away from me." I sighed, yanking my bag from him and hefting it over my shoulder. "Consider our years of friendship the only reason I didn’t beat you black and blue."Giving Desmond one more look, I stormed out, this time not bothering to look back at all.I tried to avoid Desmond for the next few months,
[Bryllie’s POV]"Now boarding Flight 166."Frowning, I looked to where Armond sat sipping on his coffee."That’s your flight." I murmured, feeling my heart tug. "Shouldn’t you be getting up?"Nodding, he slowly got to his feet and then slung his bag over his shoulder."I guess this is see ya later." He announced, a sad smile on his face."Yeah," I agreed.Moving forward, I allowed myself to be wrapped in Armond’s strong arms and pressed against his chest. Letting out a sigh, I took in his warmth and smell while he plastered a kiss on the top of my hair."Don’t you dare forget me." He warned, pulling away. "And don’t you dare find someone new.""Don’t joke." I huffed, beginning to bristle. "Do I seem like that type of woman?""You never know."Letting out an indignant growl, I untangled myself and punched his shoulder while trying to stop the tears that were beginning to prick at my eyes.This was it. This was goodbye for at least two years.From what I knew about basic training for my
[Bryllie’s POV]I remained silent as my mind felt like it was shutting down due to my inability to process what just happened.Did Armond really just do what I thought he did, or did I imagine the whole thing?"You’re going to swallow a bug if your mouth continues to hang open like that." Armond sighed, brushing his fingertips from my cheek to my jaw before gently pushing my chin up. "And honestly, I’m feeling offended by your reaction to my kiss."Snapping back to my senses, I scurried backward before quickly looking around to see if anyone else had noticed. When I found that we weren’t being watched, I turned my gaze back to Armond."Why did you do that?" I rasped, trying to keep my voice low. "What if someone saw?""Let them see." Armond shrugged, "And if they didn’t see the first time I could always do it again."Gasping, I held up my hand and pressed it against Armond’s mouth as he attempted to kiss me a second time. What was this guy actually thinking? He had to be out of his mi
Three Years Later[Bryllie’s POV]I stood in front of the large full body mirror of my room staring at the woman in front of me. After hours of being dolled up, I barely recognized myself.Today was my sixteenth birthday, and my parents insisted on making it a grand event despite my insisting that it wasn’t necessary.However, in the end here we were. I looked like a damn debutante making her grand debut into high society while all my guests waited for me to appear.Letting out a huff, I took one last look at my reflection, taking in the light blue prom dress my mother insisted that I wear and my blonde hair that fell in ringlets down my chest and back.Turning, I made my way across the room just in time to sense my mother and auntie Bella just outside."Bryllie?" Mom called, slowly opening the door that separated us. "Are you…"No other words escaped my mother’s lips as she took me in with wide eyes that were quickly beginning to tear up."You look beautiful." She managed as Auntie B
[Mason’s POV]For the next few days, I spent my time going through physical therapy and then visiting Danica in the medical wing. Although she had healed up nicely, she had to stay for observation to make sure that there wasn’t any permanent damage.At first she fought tooth and nail to not have to do it, but in the end she caved and listened. Not without making sure everyone knew just how annoyed she was about it, of course.When I wasn’t training or with Danica, I was with Chris and Killian going over the list of prisoners from the battle between us and the harpies.Out of the many that attacked, only a few remained thanks to the valiant efforts of my pack, the hunters, and Black Forest. I had to admit that, despite my distrust of each group in the beginning, I now knew that if there ever came a time when we were in trouble again, they would be there for us. Likewise, we would be there for them too.After three days, our dead had been buried, and the remaining elders had managed to
[Mason’s POV]The last remnants of fighting drifted towards me, rousing me from the darkness that I am currently trapped in. ‘You need to get up.’ Grendal urged, attempting to help me wake. ‘Our mate needs us.’"Dan…" I manage as my eyelids slowly begin to lift. "What?"Prying my eyes open, I look around at the grounds, but I couldn’t see Danica or Bryllie anywhere in sight.‘Get up.’ Grendal growled. ‘In the packhouse.’Nodding, I began to sit up despite my body feeling like it weighed a ton. Once on my feet, I began to move."Just wait for me." I murmured, reaching the packhouse entrance.Bracing myself, I shoved open the door and gasped as the overpowering smell of blood reached my nose. "Alpha!" Bella yelped, drawing my attention to where she sat on the ground with Danica cradled in her arms.Immediately, my blood turned cold in my veins.The scene was too familiar, too similar. The only difference this time was that there were no signs of poisoning."No," I rasped, dropping dow
[Danica’s POV]I continued to exert strength as the harpie beneath me attempted to break free. By this point, over seventy percent of her body was burned by Bryllie’s white light, and her neck was dangerously close to snapping. Just a bit more and…Gasping, I jerked as pain shot through my abdomen."If I’m dying." Marie growled, a broad smile spreading across her face. "You’re going to die along with me."Confusion whirled as the pain I was feeling intensified and the smell of blood began to attack my senses.Slowly, I let my eyes trail down towards where the pain was coming from and found the hilt of a dagger sticking out of me."You…"Letting out a triumphant cackle, Marie twisted the blade in me and then pulled it free while I clutched at my now open wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding."MOM!" Bryllie gasped, reminding me that she was still here."Run!" I yelled, attempting to hold Marie in place. "NOW!""No, I won’t leave you!" Bryllie argued, letting her inner light radia
[Mason’s POV]I stared up into Rebecca’s blazing eyes as a wicked smile spread across her face. "Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment?"Did I? No, I didn't, and I truly didn’t give a damn."Sorry to disappoint." I huffed, "But you won’t be succeeding in whatever fucked-up plan you have in mind."At my words, a bark of laughter escaped Rebecca’s lips as she took in my current condition."Are you planning on stopping me?" She asked, pressing her foot against my chest. "How do you intend to do anything the way you are right now?"To prove her point, she began to press down harder until I could feel my bones beginning to give under her weight.Hissing, I reached up and dug my claws into her ankle, causing a yelp of shock to escape. Taking advantage of her distraction, I quickly scuttled from under her and scrambled to my feet. If I wanted to stand a chance, I needed to not be on the ground."You!" Rebecca growled, slashing a wing at me.Gasping, I braced myself as I flew back