NadineI fell asleep very quickly.The problem with that was that I didn't notice when Aris came in or out of my room, so I got up a little embarrassed. I had fiddled with him; it felt like a safe thing to do; I just didn't foresee a simple joke turning into something momentous.I understood the bond we shared very well, perhaps I understood it better than they felt and that's exactly why I ran away for years, to keep them safe.You shouldn't fight the bond; you should enjoy something as beautiful as that and accept in good faith the help they are giving you. It's terrible that fear always wins, my wolf Becca said firmly.The beast was right. The problem was that I had witnessed many more things than I would have liked to know. I knew all too well what the Anarkhia Order was capable of, not to say that the Equilibrium Order was riddled with imbeciles and people like Biel believed them completely.An anchor would always be synonymous with chaos.That was why I didn't completely trust
NadineWhatever was keeping Connor busy lasted a couple more days.He didn't return to the shelter and that prompted Drago to help me with the exercises.The interaction of my she-wolf and the dragon was one to study.Becca was licking the dragon's scales while he burned anything she wanted just to make her laugh. The beasts were having much more fun than I had imagined, so much so that Aris mentioned it that night at dinner.“Your beasts seem happy to meet each other,” the vampire said and Biel laughed.“They're mates,” Drago replied. “It's obvious they're happy to be close, so it's only natural.”Aris and Biel locked eyes and I didn't like that interaction at all.“Good thing you're a millennial being who knows how to use his time,” Biel said teasingly. “The data you gave Lion was used to decode some tales. The high priest thinks they're the key to everything.”I frowned uncomprehendingly.“Can you explain to me what's going on?” I asked and Aris nodded.“I went to the herd to get s
ConnorThe moment I saw how Ophelia saw Nadine, I knew I was in trouble.I was proud to introduce my mate to the world; I could shout it from the rooftops if it was that easy to do; however, Nadine had an important mission so we had to be careful.The reality was that with Ophelia knowing about Nadine, the dynamic changed.She had been avoiding her due to the fact that she had sent three amparos to the council and her father was threatening to break alliances. I still didn't understand why Ophelia was so obsessed with marrying me.She had had a mate, but her mate died just before she found him, which put her in a bad position.That doesn't excuse her from being a bad woman, my wolf Will said.And he was right; it didn't excuse her, least of all when she was such a spoiled, impulsive, domineering woman.“It's a wonder you found your mate,” Ophelia said without taking her eyes off Nadine. “She's not from Lunarius; is she from one of the commons?”Nadine frowned. It was easy to detect th
NadineAs I ate breakfast at Connor's family's home in the pack, I had a vision of how the council meeting would unfold. The situation would not be very favorable for Connor, so I had to help him and for that I needed his grandmother.Rose looked at me with a frown and I nodded.With a simple gesture, I let her know that I would interfere, so I needed her help.I just hoped Connor's grandmother would help me contain the situation.I could tell by how Connor responded to counselor Joel that he had never been forceful with the council. His grandmother smiled and I felt an aura change in the room.“There's no problem,” Joel said. “We never knew you were called by the temple, so to us this information comes as a surprise.”“I'm going to make a couple of things clear,” Connor said with character. “I have followed and respected the opinions of the council because you represent the wishes of the entire pack I lead; however, the council cannot hold me accountable for my private life or contro
NadineSaul was sent to the pack dungeons, while Rose calmed the Eclipse Pack council members. Somehow, it had worked to get Connor to react, because that had served to make the council understand that the demands were over.“You're a seer,” Inna said as Connor gave his warriors instructions and drafted a note to send to the Alpha of the Waning Moon Pack.“Something like that,” I said and she frowned.“Seers aren't common; they usually work for one of the two orders of evil.”I smiled because of her perception of reality.“What do you mean by lar orders of evil?” I asked just to tease her.“That they are both wrong,” Inna said sincerely. “One order wants the world to go to hell, while the other order lets the world go to hell by controlling everyone. They're the same, except one order wants darkness to be the one that's with us always.”“You don't believe in the Equilibrium Order,” I said in surprise.“I don't believe in those who control the order,” Inna admitted honestly. “Connor tr
NadineMy she-wolf had the primal urge to mark Connor.I couldn't hold back; it was too strong a feeling and she had somehow manipulated Connor's beast to react the same way.That's why, as soon as we were skin to skin, I just wanted to make him mine. My she-wolf wanted to have the bond, the beast, and the man at the same time.Connor reacts in response and lifts me up to throw me straight onto the bed as our mouths fight for control and our tongues feast on each other's caresses. I was completely out of my mind, and that's how we ended up tearing our clothes off.There was no sweetness in the moment, just the unbridled desire of our beasts.I grabbed a handful of his hair forcefully and made him look at me earnestly.“You're mine!” I exclaimed furiously and then bit Connor right on the shoulder.My she-wolf was brutal, biting down on his collarbone until our teeth touched Connor's bone and I could taste the blood in my mouth. That made Connor gasp in pain and then I licked the wound
ConnorI was sleeping when Nadine's screams startled me.My beast immediately went on guard, so I woke up and saw Nadine jerking hard beside me. Aris had gotten up and was trying to wake her up, but I could tell he was having difficulty doing so.“I don't know what's going on; she has a wall-like mental block and I can't see her thoughts; I don't know what's going on,” Aris said worriedly.Maybe I can help, said my wolf Will.How?Now that we are bonded, we share the same soul bond and I can call her out of the dream she is having. Do it now!My command took effect and then Nadine got up straight to vomit.Whatever she had dreamed about, it was disastrous enough to make her empty her bowels on the floor. I immediately helped her by grabbing her hair and Aris left the room, then returned with a bucket and rags to clean up.“What's wrong, beautiful?” asked Aris sweetly. “We're here with you; whatever you dreamed, it's not real.”Nadine finished vomiting and then looked at him sadly.“T
NadineThe tension between Biel and me was thick.He and I hadn't spoken a word to each other since I returned from the pack. And that had been two days ago, so I could consider it a new record in our interactions. The guard captain had taken a silly stance on my bonding with Connor and I didn't really understand why.He's jealous, my she-wolf Becca said firmly.Why would he be?Joel analyzes the connections you have with others and feels at a disadvantage. Besides, the connection you have with Connor, in his eyes, is much stronger than the one you might have with him because you and Connor are werewolves, Becca said, and I frowned. That's just plain stupid; I'm also half Warlock, and I don't get along with him, in case he's noticed. Biel knows that, but to him there's more meaning in the connection I have with Connor's wolf than I might have with them. Biel doesn't really understand the fact that we need all four of them to be happy and content, Becca said in a giggly voice.The ve
DragoI was like a madman on the surface while all my linked group was inside the sea. I could not stay calm without an answer from Nadine, or I would wipe out this island. It was her voice, after hours of waiting, that calmed me down; however, when most of the group destined to complete the mission went down to rescue her and didn't come up as quickly as I thought they would, I despaired again.“They're fine,” Rex said. “You have to trust that.”“Nadine isn't saying anything, and I feel what she feels, and I don't like the anguish I'm feeling,” I said in desperation.“It's because of your own desperation,” Samir said. “You're magnifying what you're feeling, so you need to relax if you don't want Nadine to feel your fear. Don't you think she's not in enough trouble already?”Whether I liked to admit it or not, Samir was right, and it was that which made me soar through the air so I could feel useful looking down from above. Whatever was going on had to be related to the divine object
NadineBiel's automatic response was to freeze the sea serpent.After that, Biel applied pressure on the snake with air magic, and the monster exploded into large pieces that fell on us. That caused the sea monsters around us to shoot bolts of power from their tridents, and Aris sent an explosive slingshot of fire that sent them flying away.Lion started drawing some runes to slow them down.“Why don't they just leave Nadine alone like in Fairy Wasteland?” asked Connor as he created a tunnel of ice using his water power. “The fairies and goblins recognized her as the person capable of manipulating the grimoire.”“Possibly because the curse on the locket must be different,” said Lion.The sea monsters came closer again, so I had the shadows blind them until we could escape through the air bubble.“What do you mean the curse is different? What I think is that they are soldiers from old Crete,” Aris said. “They are described as in the stories; it is certain that they are simply trying to
Nadine“Let the guys know what happened,” asked Aris. “I'm surprised Connor isn't bugging you at every turn.”I closed my eyes and tried to talk to Connor and Drago, but it was impossible; I felt like something had sealed my mind.“I can't talk to them,” I told Aris fearfully. “I feel a mental block.”Aris tried to do something, but couldn't do it, and then his eyes turned red.“What's wrong?”“I can't read your mind. There is a telepathy canceling seal,” Aris said with a frown. “What you don't understand is how the mental connection between mates was blocked. It's probably something doing interference with our brain capacity.”That scared the hell out of me, so scared that I didn't feel it when I stepped out of my body and appeared in front of Biel. He looked at me in awe.“What's wrong, Nadine?” asked Biel.Ale and Samir returned with coconuts in their hands, and when they saw me, they dropped the coconuts.“Astral projection,” Ale whispered. “You can astral project.”I felt confuse
NadineI coughed as I came out of the water.Aris hadn't let go of my hand for anything in the world; that was a blessing because I felt like I was going to drown. And so bad was my discomfort that I couldn't help but throw up everything in my stomach.“You've swallowed a lot of salt water,” Aris said as he lifted my hair so I wouldn't mess it up with vomit. “We need to get situated so we can find a way back to the others.”“We've fallen into a bloody abyss,” I said with annoyance after wiping my mouth. “If we take a good look at this shitty place and the height we fell from, it's possible the others will find us.”The fear of that reality scared me too much.“You can't be fatalistic, Nadine,” Aris said firmly with a frown.“I'm a realist,” I said with annoyance. “This is partly your fault for agreeing to travel with that captain who didn't hesitate to take off when things got ugly.”Aris jerked back as if I had struck him with my words.“I did the best I could to finish the mission b
NadineIt was cold, cold enough for Drago and Biel to put on furs.Connor and I scowled at each other before laughing at our biological advantage, while Aris just slurped the blood he had jealously guarded in the ship's hold. I still didn't really understand how his feeding worked, but it wasn't to my total delight to see him consume human blood.“Don't look at it like that,” Connor whispered in my ear. “It's a natural thing... He's not eating it out of a vein, though.”I looked down at my mate with a frown.“I'd rather remain ignorant as to how Aris' feeding works,” I told Connor, and Aris smiled.“I can explain; it will be exciting to tell you who would be my main source of food for life once I accept reality,” the vampire said before getting up and taking the rest of the blood to the storeroom.I frowned, not understanding the implication.Biel sneered at me, and Connor looked at me with some pity, but it was Drago, bless him, who had the will to put me out of my misery.“Vampires
NadineTraveling on a ship was not in my plans.I knew what it was like to be inside a ship long enough to fear the sea. My mother had moved me from one continent to another as we abruptly moved places as a way to avoid anarchists.It had been a difficult experience, but my mother transformed it into a kind of adventure.I couldn't believe that I was about to continue my own maritime adventure.I wiped away my tears, and Aris hugged me, placing his arm around my shoulders.“What made you sentimental?” the vampire asked, and I sighed.“I spent a lot of time on boats when I was little,” I admitted confidently. “Those weren't very good times because I threw up more than I'd like to admit, but my mother treated everything like an adventure... And now the situation is real in a way I never thought it would be.”“Life is a compendium of surprise, Nadine,” Aris said and gave me a kiss on the head. “I think you're going to be fine. If you're experienced, you'll possibly know where you stand.”
NadineThe day of Ophelia's death had finally arrived.Everyone in the Eclipse Pack was serious and waiting for the retinue that would bring Ophelia to Connor to carry out her final sentence. The pack council was silent at all times, which said a lot about the customs of the place.It was Aris who explained to me what would happen and the protocol that would unfold.“Because of the great damage Ophelia caused to the pack, all pack members are to report to the main square to pay honors to the Alpha's family and remember the memory of the late Alpha, Connor's father,” Aris said patiently. “After that brief symbolic ceremony, they remember what Ophelia's crimes have been and await her arrival. A retinue from the Lunarius council is to bring her to the square and hand her over to the pack honor guard, which is led by Inna. Then the people are going to loathe her; they will do it with force and violence... It's a barbaric tradition, but it's something that has been effective in keeping peo
NadineI went back to bed with the feeling of loss burning my skin.I couldn't help crying, and maybe it was that very thing that made Biel hug me silently, so I went back to sleep inside my dream. What I never imagined was waking up to an icy scream.I opened my eyes in a hurry, and when I focused properly, I saw a woman turning to ashes in front of me. Biel was up with a magic weapon in his hand, serving as a shield before me, but with a puzzled expression in his eyes.My other mates rushed into the room.“What's going on here?” asked Drago, and Aris walked over to the ashes and immediately looked at Biel.“Did you see the thief's face?” asked Aris, and I realized it was someone who had touched the grimoire.That fact gave me chills. “She was a thief, and not only that, she was one of the she-wolves who came to clean up the other night,” Biel said, looking at Connor. “You still have rats within your pack.”That sentence shook me, and I got out of bed in fear.“I dreamed about my mo
NadineConnor made the formal request to the Lunarius council to set a definite date: in three days, Ophelia would die under Rose's hands.After that, we would leave to search for the next divine object.Drago and Aris, due to their knowledge of the language of the gods, were the only ones to help me hold the grimoire while Lion, along with Ale and Rex, pulled clues from the books we had read.“I haven't found anything else,” Rex said with a frown as I carefully turned the pages of the grimoire. “It's hard to do this if we can't touch the book.”Aris and Drago locked eyes for a split second.“Magic is conscious, so we must not tempt it,” Drago said seriously. “We just have to be perceptive with the facts and legends. The key is that.”I looked at my dragon mate with a sad smile and then saw the number in the palm of my hand.I had been so focused on other things that I hadn't realized that time was running mercilessly, and if I got careless, things were going to get out of hand.Aris