We walked in silence, taking the back way to her house. I knocked on her door, waiting patiently. Isaac still had a firm hold on my waist, and I had given up trying to struggle out of it. Blair was the only one who could logic this for me. Isaac being my mate made the whole mood flip flopping make sense, but I couldn’t rid the feeling of being violated twenty-three years ago. I didn’t know much about bonds, as I had always been told I wouldn’t have a mate. Sure, I knew they kicked in as soon as you locked eyes with your mate - no matter the age - but I had never spent much time thinking about what would happen if you were a child when you found them. Blair had done extensive research on bonds in different species, so she would have an answer. That, and I desperately needed to freak out, far away from the apartment, as Leah would be getting home soon. The door swung open, and Blair’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Immediately, she bowed her head and opened the door wider to l
Isaac POV A touch to Maise’s forehead, and she sunk into a magic induced sleep, giving the witch and I the ability to talk freely. “You know what this means, right?” my mate’s friend asked. I nodded solemnly. I knew extremely well.“How did you realize she was the Princess, anyway?” I thought for a moment, hesitating to answer. Trusting the witch was an act of necessity. Maise saw her fit to harbor all her secrets - willingly or otherwise - so I had to hope she would stand by what was best for her friend, and the best of her kind as well as mine. If our theories were correct, and she was the woman the Unity Prophecy spoke of, she could not know of the bond, not yet. There was nothing the witch could do to go through and nitpick out all of Maise’s suspicions, but she could remove the confirmation that it was there. “I think I always knew, but denied it,” I finally admitted. “Her new look and new attitude had me fooled for a time or two, but when her soul called to me… my obsessio
I was being rocked. Lulled gently. I wanted to let it sweep me back to sleep, but the sensation wasn’t what I was expecting upon waking me up, dragging me out of the depths of my peaceful slumber. The wolf had been there again, but it was only a presence, a sensation. No eyes, no form. Just a protector, letting me rest. I peeled my eyes open, no longer able to fight the curiosity in favor of sleep. I was in a car. A fancy car, with a cushioned headrest and heated seats and appropriate leg space. I looked out, seeing the unfamiliar snow covered scenery flashing by around me and realized it was a large car - an SUV or truck. I rolled my head to the left in an attempt to identify my captor. I wish I could say I was surprised it was the lycan. “Where are we going?” I mumbled. Isaac glanced over to me with a guarded expression. “The lycan pack,” he said cautiously. “You don’t remember? You agreed to come with me, help work on the case to free you.” I hummed, trying to remember l
Warmth seeped into me, a stinging juxtaposition to the sharp cold that licked against my skin. I knew who was carrying me, and I cuddled into him for warmth. I cracked my eyes open, seeing an open sky with the moon and stars blinking down at me. “What time is it?” I mumbled, catching sight of trees as I craned my head around. Isaac’s arms tightened around me. “Almost midnight, Princess. We’ll be inside in a second.” I hummed, acknowledging that I heard him. I had questions for him, and I hoped he would stay awake long enough to answer them. Driving was exhausting, but I didn’t particularly care. If he was going to drag me to another country for something I had no memory of agreeing to, he was going to fight his exhaustion to explain it all to me. Just inside the door, he set me on my feet. I looked around cautiously. “This isn’t the castle I thought you lived in.” Isaac snickered at my comment. “We don’t have a castle here. It would stand out too much.” “But it’s not even big
The house was silent when I finally emerged from the room Isaac had set me up in. I’d say I had just slept late, but I hadn’t slept at all. There were enough books to keep me occupied, and I had spent some time texting Leah to assure her I was fine, and would just be out of town for work for a bit. Buffy things, I claimed. Isaac had gotten up a while ago. I pretended I was asleep when my door creaked open and he checked on me, as if something would have happened overnight. Truthfully, it was a bit creepy. Or should have been, at least. When the activity quieted and the front door clicked shut, I made my way down the stairs and to the living area. After last night, I wasn’t mentally prepared to talk to the lycan just yet. I was just confused up here, and I needed some time to myself to actually organize my thoughts. You’d think I’d have enough time to do something like that when I was up all night, but the ability to think straight had just started to return. Maybe the fact that
I was just beginning to get chilly when Isaac came to a stop just inside of the treeline. He turned to look at me, a playful smirk dancing on his face. He didn’t take his golden eyes off of me as he shrugged out of his clothes, and took his time folding them and placing them on a log. Ever the princess that I was, though, I maintained eye contact, never letting my eyes wander, and did not let my stoney expression waver. I was a werewolf. I had seen dicks before. However, I had no interest in seeing his dick. Mostly because I wanted to do things I had only read about to it. This was not ideal. Far from it, actually. I had minimal control of my wolf at the best of times, and this sexual tension between us could very well ruin any resolve I had, especially as the wild continued to pour through my veins when I was back in my human skin after letting her out for a while. He shifted, skin and bipedal limbs melting away into fur and four legs. He was huge. I knew that from my dreams. I
Isaac POV Dead bond, my ass. Maise’s body sang under my touch, nearly bringing me to the point of finishing before we had even thought of starting. The sweetness of her skin juxtaposed all the spice of her personality. This was a sacred place to me, and one I wasn’t completely surprised her wolf chose to lead us to. This was the place I had come for peace and quiet, to howl at the moon when nothing else would provide clarity, and right then I decided it would be the place I’d lay claim to every single piece of her body and soul. But not today. This was my princess. I’d worship her first, take my time examining every piece of her - inside and out. I was immortal and the eclipse wasn’t for another couple months yet; we had time. Time I would be maximizing. Her virginal innocence drove me mad, leaving me wanting to dominate every part of her. I wondered if she’d had a boy between her legs with this on his mind before. I had no restraint over my body, thrusting my hips agai
This had to end. I was catching feelings, and that could only be bad news. Sure, Isaac didn’t seem at all opposed to entertaining those feelings, but he would live forever and I would die - sooner rather than later. I was too attached to do something temporary, and he was too immortal to make some sort of commitment for the duration of my life. Mates or not, pretending we had a bond that could turn into something was foolish. Maybe it would be better if I just snuck away now, before things reached the point of no return. I had a sinking feeling we were already there, though. Bram was drilling me with questions, but I was hardly paying attention to them. None of them seemed exceptionally important, so I didn’t understand the point. His next question, though, was enough to pull me out of my wallowing. “Maise, what are you thinking about?” I huffed in exasperation. “Life.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Lie.” Well, that was a first. He hadn’t claimed anything was a lie yet. Granted, I
Annalise blinked slowly, as if she had just been struck across the face. "That... is not the turn I expected. Is that not the exact thing Melany and Karabasan did?"I smiled softly at her. "Name one person in this room Fate has assisted, given a better life. All it has done is harm each and every one of us. Is that retribution for crimes that were out of our control, or are we just being used as pawns to put on a show for our dear Goddess? Either way, it's wrong. If the Moon Goddess can take away immortality when her chosen no longer deserve it, we can take away the dealer when it becomes evident the deck is rigged.""No," Annalise declared, eyes darkening. "I can't stand by that. I won't see you destroy yourself and everyone around you the way our parents did.""You think that lowly of her, really?" Rudi scoffed. "You think Maise has the twisted, sadistic mindset to do what your father - what you - did to me? You forget. Fate doesn't only dictate the good. It a
Annalise's exiting statement resounded in my ears. It took me a moment to process what she said, but when I did, I chased her out of the room, catching up with her just outside the front door. It seemed that no matter the species, pregnant being move slowly. "Wait!" I called. "I have more questions!" Annalise turned to face me. "Well, the story is no fun if you are given all the answers." "And you know me well enough to know I don't take anyone's words at face value." "An aspect all good rulers should possess," she touted. "Maybe your mate could learn something from you, but it wouldn't matter. It's not like his words and demands bear any true meaning." A growl built in my own chest, one that made me seriously question whether or not I truly had no wolf blood. "Royalty may be given, but leadership is earned. He has that, I don't." "But you have the power to take it. Why don't you?" "Because I don't want it," I snapped. "Look at what the desire for power turned our parents into."
Long gone were the days of being surprised by anything. I prayed to the moon my days really were numbered, because I couldn't handle this anymore. With weary eyes, I looked up to Isaac, and saw he was able to feel the shock I refused to process. His eyes weren't even for me, transfixed on the names of my mother and supposed uncle. That made me thankful.Yin and Yang. That's what we were. You couldn't have one without the other, and each side held a small piece of its opposite, giving us the power to understand the balance.I looked around the room, and everything became abundantly more clear. Rudi and Kaleb denied the truth of their own destiny as mates because they didn't trust Fate. My cousin, I guess, was Team Fate, and her mate didn't know which side to choose. A human was here, but only because she so easily succumbed to the fleeting desires of that red string. My own mate, even, had no power to work against it. If he did, I wouldn't have been sitting on his lap.Fate controlled
Isaac POV Sitting in the basement, waiting for my mate, I realized something. All the control I always thought I lacked, had always been mine. I had a firm grasp on it, running my world like it was my puppet. My hands were in everything, and my knowledge spanned farther than even I knew. Fate had been a raucous dealer, but I knew how to play my cards. Control had always been my friend.I understood that now, because I felt the loss of it.In this room, Bram held confessions from Alpha King Faolan, and Kaleb knew the secrets of Karabasan. Only Maise had the information to tie them all together. I was at the mercy of whatever they had to share. Never had I sat in a room with no idea what would happen, and I didn't like it.Simply a month ago, I would have infiltrated every single one of these endeavors, but I had given it all up. Willingly, even. All because I needed to remain with a little girl. I adored her dearly and would not change the choices I had made, but the itch to regain th
Several times, everyone asked me if I wanted to stop and see my mother on our drive back to the lycan pack. Several times, I refused. I knew it didn't make the two lycans happy, but I was thankful they didn't press and allowed me the autonomy. I knew it would have to happen eventually, but I wasn't ready to open that door yet. Too many emotions I had worked so hard to eliminate from my life would resurface, and I couldn't handle that. Not with everything else going on.Bram, Isaac, and I had stayed in his Audi, and Blair and Leah had driven my truck up to the pack. I wanted to join my friends, but Isaac wouldn't let me out of his sight. I was a little surprised the witch had been trusted with someone who was essentially a prisoner, but I was happy trust between the two species was beginning to grow. I was also fairly certain Leah would endure the most lenient prison stay. If Benate went against Isaac's orders in the bear pack, Benate would pay for it, not his mate.We got back to th
When I resurfaced from sleep, I was still in fur with Isaac's monstrous wolf form wrapped around me. This was common for us werewolves, to simply say in our furs when a threat was sensed. Our wolves had more acute senses, and stood a better chance if there was a surprise attack. But, I didn't exactly know what the current threat was. It was only a mental battle that was waging. There was a quiet knock at the door before I heard it swing open. Isaac stiffened and growled at the intruder, followed by Leah's yelp and the door quickly slamming shut. When the door opened again, not even Isaac's posturing sent the unwanted guest away. "Stop it," Bram barked. "It's afternoon. She was checking on her friend." Wolves were exceptionally possessive and protective. You only get one mate, after all. They were worth laying down your life for. Add in that he was a lycan, tasked with the life of a runt, and Isaac was even more unreasonable. So, I wasn't surprised when Isaac picked me up by the scru
Isaac ran his fingers delicately up my arm, his eyes once again transfixed on the inky sky. "Something else is bothering you. Mind telling me?""Don't you already know?" I huffed. "You've been in my head since you found me on Church Street."I glanced up just enough to see Isaac purse his lips. "You think very little of me if you truly believe I'd negate your right to the privacy of your own mind."And there it was. Even though he so easily could, Isaac never dug for answers, always waiting for me to provide them. He knew the exact things to say to steer a conversation in the direction it needed to go, but the information I shared with him was always new. Unless he had heard it from a different source, of course. Not only did he want to know my thoughts, but he wanted to understand them, help me dissect them.It was one of the qualities that made him so trustworthy, but I didn't understand why. If my father had that ability, he would use it to control me. From my very limited interact
The sun was rising when I made it to the outskirts of Burlington, but all I saw was King Midas's touch. The city was just beginning to wake up right as I was starting to shut down. My paws felt like lead weights. It was exhaustion that begged me to stop, but not the physical kind. No, I was overwrought with emotion. Emotions I had successfully shut out for eight years - longer if I was being honest. The closer they got to the surface, the more the dam threatened to break.I wanted to lay down and drown in the flood that would ensue. Let it wash away all the trauma and my life along with it. The currents could carry me to the sweet release of oblivion, and the only people that would care would be the ones who abandoned me every step of the way. I certainly wouldn't mind. Not anymore.My entire existence, I had fought so hard for life. As a royal, assassination was a constant threat. Being an undeserving runt only compounded that. As a rogue, everyone and everything had been out to get
I had crammed myself against the passenger side door of Bram's car. I was staring at the man driving in absolute shock, quite certain he was nothing more than a figure of my imagination. He was supposed to be dead. "Call your mate," he said. I blinked dumbly at him. "What?" He never took his eyes off the road, simply repeating his request. I fumbled for my phone, struggling to find the power button to turn it back on. Out of my pocket also came the key to the car that was currently rolling down the twisting state roads of Vermont. "How did you get a key to this car?" He glanced over to me briefly, flashing his cocky grin - one of the few things I vividly remembered about him. "Bram gave it to me when I met up with him this morning. Now, call your mate." I just nodded, not wanting to argue with another one of the dead come back to life. The line had barely started to ring before it was connected. "Maise," Isaac growled in a tone that made it abundantly clear that I was in trouble