So this is what happened while Alec and Crista were downstairs in interrogation with Santi.
I felt the darkness engulfing me, pulling me into a cold abyss. I was drowning in it, unable to breathe and my heart racing as I tried to gasp for air and reach up to the dimming light. ‘We can’t give up. Not yet. It’s not over.’ August encouraged, but even his voice sounded weak. “Hey, stay with us. I’m not explaining to our Luna that you died on my watch.” An unfamiliar voice growled encouragement as a bright light forced its way through the darkness. “Come on, Nebrodi wolf. Breath, damn it.” The voice demanded as the light clutched me, trying to pull me away from the darkness. I groaned as I was torn between the two. The voice kept demanding I stay as the light tugged harder at me. Now I know what that doll Persephone and Delilah ripped when they were toddlers felt. This is some painful shit right here. I prefer to go with the light, not that I seem to have a say in the matter. “It is not time. You still need to be of use.” The insidious voice of the Shit Witch hissed as the dar
I snickered behind my hand as, on cue, one of the elevators went into emergency shutdown, causing alarms to sound. Poor innocent Delilah and even naive Persephone looked around, worried for their sister. “Is Crista in that elevator? Why did it stop?” The girls questioned. “I’m sure everything is just fine.” I tried to keep a straight face. I probably shouldn’t be laughing since my Papa is in the elevator, and if this were someone that wasn’t his mate he stopped the elevator to have sex with, I’d be annoyed. But this is his mate, and even if I’m older than her, I find it very amusing how quickly the D’Amore charm can work. After a few more moments, Persephone’s patience was worn thin. “Why aren’t you trying to get the elevator started!? My sister is in there! What if something is wrong!?” She questioned, getting louder and angrier with each word. That certainly isn’t going to endear her to my Papa. No one likes a cock or beaver blocker. Persephone will learn that when she’s old enou
This wasn’t like when I fell down the pit the first time. This was an actual pit of pure darkness that I landed at the bottom of with a thud. I could faintly see the light above from the room I was dropped from before the trap door snapped shut, leaving me in darkness. If I had August, I could make my light. But I can’t feel him. Fuck, I hate this. This Witch is out of her damned mind. Does she really think I’m going to help her kill Crista? To KILL Crista?! Fuck no! She’s been huffing, smoking, injecting, swallowing, and doing suppositories of some severely bad drugs if she thinks that would ever happen. I am no one’s puppet! I don’t blindly obey anyone. Alright, I need to focus. Not an easy task without August. Task is a funny word. “A tisket, a tasket, I lost my little basket.” I hummed as I tried to get to my feet. “You’ve lost more than your basket.” A voice called out in the dark. I didn’t recognize the voice. It wasn’t August. It was too deep, too sinister to be August. It wa
“Well, that was bullshit. Why did we have to come back here? Crista wouldn’t explain, just said not to question and go with what’s his name.” Persephone groaned as we entered the villa. I don’t know if I can tell her the reason, probably not if Crista wouldn’t tell her. “They’ll tell us when they can. For now, we just chill here. It’s not the worst place to be stuck. We have a theater room, a pool, and food.” I assured her. “MOVIE! I want to pick.” Regina grinned, latching onto the thought of the theater room. At least someone’s excited about being stuck at the villa. I just hope her excitement can distract the Fayte sisters. “That sounds relaxing. Can we have snacks too?” Delilah questioned, letting Regina’s infectious smile and happy temperament change her focus. “Of course, you can. Why don’t you all go look through our vast movie collection.” I suggested shooing them off. “Zoe and I will see about getting snacks ready.” “This way.” Regina happily led the Fayte sisters to the t
I groaned, feeling groggy. It was like waking up after a night of excessive drinking. It may be more challenging for a werewolf to get drunk, but damn have I tried. My head was throbbing, my tongue tasted like ass and sand - no, you can’t ask why I know what either of those things tastes like, and every part of me was tingly. Not a fan. Two thumbs down and half a star. That half star is only because I’m still alive. “About time you woke up.” August snorted. I blinked and ignored all the pain as I shot up at the sound of his voice. It was weird because it wasn’t coming from inside my head. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as I saw August sitting in front of me. We aren’t in my mind. Well, I guess we are, but this is different. “August? Is that you? Or is the Shit Witch fucking with me? She’s kept us apart, so why show me you now? It has to be a trick. Of course, it’s a trick. Fucking bitch. Her minion playing cards already drugged me and….” I rambled before quickly unzipping my p
I tried to pay attention to The Notebook, but even Ryan Gosling couldn’t take my mind off that wolf and the two men I’ve seen since last night in my dreams and now even when I’m awake. And that’s saying something. I do have a thing for Ryan Gosling. Everyone else seemed to have settled in to watch the movie. I’m glad to see Delilah and Regina getting along. With everything going on, making a new friend in my little cousin will be good for the youngest Fayte sister. Delilah seems like a sensitive girl, so all this can’t be easy on her. “Oh. Luna, welcome back.” Zoe greeted, sitting up, turning her head as Crista entered the room. Leave it to the only one in the room with an awakened wolf to know not just that someone walked in but who. “You don’t need to call me that. I’m just Crista.” Crista waved her off. I frowned because taking note of her posture and the tone of voice she used. What did my Papa, no scratch that, what did Chesed do now? “Crista!” Delilah hurried to escape her bl
Zoe and I shared a look, probably both picturing the scene. I hope Persephone got a few good hits in. Gianpaolo needs to be taken down a peg. And him getting his ass kicked by a fifteen-year-old sounds perfect. “And you left her to go have sex with I don’t want to know who.” Papa’s eyes narrowed at my brother. “He better be mateless, or you are both in trouble.” André held his hands up. “He was mateless. You know I would never. And I didn’t think Gianpaolo would cause such a scene.” he sighed. “Good. Don’t let it happen again. Any time Crista or one of her sisters leaves this home, someone from this family is going to be with them.” Papa instructed, turning back to the stove. “Seriously? We need babysitters?” Persephone scoffed. Does she not fully grasp the seriousness of what’s happened? Her Alpha heir is dead, and Ignazio demands Crista and her sisters are turned over to him. Incubi is going to war to protect the Fayte sisters. “You aren’t part of our pack. People will see you a
Fight my way out? Yeah, easier said than done. Seriously, that old witch gave me next to nothing to work with. She may have told me a lot, but she just left me with more questions. Like what the fuck does she mean Crista could alter the course of all werewolves in Sicily and possibly the world? I mean, sure, I knew Crista was unique when she first shifted, and Emilia was white. White wolves are super rare and usually very powerful. But for Crista to have that big of an impact? What the hell is up with that? And as if I didn’t already feel like a clock was ticking, she just made that clock a timer. I’m dying. Let me repeat that, I AM DYING! If I don’t get out of this damn nightmare soon, I will DIE! That’s a great note to leave me with. Wonderful chat and pep talk. The old bitch needs to work on her people skills. Not to mention how much should I trust her? August said I should trust her, but how sure am I that he was himself? So much about this place is someone’s construct. And she
With Dream Mate completed, everyone must wonder, “What’s next!?”Well, I’m going to tell you, this may not be the schedule you were hoping to get, but this is what’s next.The Destroyer will be posted six days a week. Thankfully for my brain, it’s already written, and I’m just editing and making minor changes before posting a chapter. Man’s Best Wingman, the fifth in the Ravenwood series that will focus on Clay Nikolaidis (twin brother of Reese and cousin to Darius, Elijah, and Forrest), will release in November after I get enough chapters written to submit for a contract. Once it’s signed, it will be posted six days a week. I know everyone is anticipating the next of my werewolf series, but at the moment, my brain needs a break from the werewolf universe. Never fear, though; Sicilian Holiday (D'Amore holiday short story), The Genius Delta (Silvercloud/Persephone), The Quiet Giant's Mate (Regina/Ivan), Beta's Innocent Mate (Alexander/Delilah), Beta's Twin Mates (Zoe/Gunnar/Henrik),
Six years! Can you believe it’s been six years since my world was turned upside down in the worst and best ways? I sure the hell can’t. Six years ago today, I was standing in my Delta heir room getting ready for my best friend and Alpha heir Thales’ welcome home bash with my fingers crossed he’d find his mate in our Beta heir Crista Fayte. I was so off base on that line of thinking. We will have our annual memorial to remember the lives of those we lost and celebrate what their sacrifices protected. I hope I’ve made Thales, my parents, and his parents proud as Alpha, even if some days I feel like I’m a hoax, just a stand-in for the real Alpha. There are times, fewer as the years have gone on, that I keep waiting for Thales to walk into the office and tell me to get out of his chair and stop fucking his Luna. Okay, the second part I only felt that first year. Katrina is my mate, so Thales being here or not wouldn’t change that I was meant to be with her. But if he’d lived, she’d be hi
It’s been over a year since the Sicilian pack war started, and my life changed forever. Well, not just my life but everyone’s changed after Icky Iggy and Shit Witch Melania launched their war. Nebrodi took the brunt, losing more than half of the pack in the massacre, including their ranked wolves and one of my mates. There was so much loss in that war that it sometimes was hard to focus on what was gained. I know my family will never forget what we lost or what we gained. I lost Thales before I knew he was meant to be mine, and we all lost Bisnonna Chiara. But I got Tiberius, my magic, and my wolf. Papa gained Crista, and now they have my adorable sisters, Gwen and Christina. André gained Darren and his adopted son Lando from this war. So while what was lost will never be forgotten, I know we should appreciate what we have and are building towards. Papa is experiencing fatherhood at the side of the woman he loves and was always meant to be with. I love getting to visit Papa and see h
The last thing I remembered was feeling too tired to keep my eyes open as Tiberius passed me to Papa. How long was I asleep? Where am I? I shouldn’t be too worried, I’d last been with Papa, and nothing bad could ever happen to me when I was with him. And I didn’t feel panicked about where I was because while the bed under me wasn’t familiar, the scent around me was. That all-so-consuming smell of basking in the summer sun, the intense orange and golden amber scent that I have known since my first shift as Tiberius’ scent. It only made sense that he would smell of sunshine with his bright and warm personality. And summer is one of my favorite seasons. Ironically winter is my other. So the presence of his scent meant I was near him or at least in a room where he spent much time. If I’m not at our villa, where am I? And why does it smell like Tiberius? These questions and more faded from my mind as the bond ignited my soul as I felt Tiberius’ lips against mine. My lips moved in tandem w
I have a minimal worldview about magic. And I’m sorry to say most of that is negative. I don’t deny that there are good witches out there. I’m mated to the best one. But my time dealing with Shit Witch, yes, I refuse to use her name - monsters don’t deserve words, has left a bad taste in my mouth and a negative view of witch stuff. But despite all that, I was intrigued to witness this ascension ritual Katrina would perform. She’s studied harder than anyone else in the ranked hierarchy for tonight, and most of it was for this ritual. This was much memorization of incantations and what order everything was supposed to happen. Our oath ceremony was about knowing how to respond to a question. Okay, so I flipped through her binder the other night. I wanted to know what she would have to do and why she was spending so much time with her nose in the binder and the Crone grimoire. And I gotta say it looked like a lot. I didn’t understand most of what was going on, but as long as she did, it
Getting through the pack ceremony was a cakewalk. Weird but easy. Strange because till Nina woke up, I never had a link, and even when she did wake up, I only unlocked my family link. But as everyone after me sipped from that cup, I felt a Nebrodi link open. I could hear the voices of everyone in the pack, well, everyone old enough to have a wolf. It was an incredible feeling to be connected to them. It was overwhelming. For those too young, I know the link will open to them when they come of age, and I look forward to it. How does Papa do this? How can he be tied to everyone in Incubi and not lose his mind? All their thoughts and feelings quickly outnumbered my own as the others took their seats. ‘Crazy, I’m the one saying this, but focus, Katrina.’ Tiberius’ voice pushed past all the other voices, and his feelings of serenity overshadowed everyone else’s swirling emotions. ‘A pack link is overwhelming, especially for anyone of rank. But you need to focus. Focus on your thoughts an
I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it for the rest of my life; I am one lucky son of a bitch to have Katrina as my mate. There is no doubt she was born to lead. Her organizational skills are out of this world, just like her imagination. I know the outfits she had Imma create were from André’s mind, but everything else about this ceremony is all her. Nebrodi is not as stuck on tradition as other packs. But the practices we do have Katrina followed to a T. We don’t have a set location for our ceremony, usually hosting it at the pack house. I’d snuck a peak at Katrina’s ceremony grounds, which looked amazing. Since our ceremony merged with her Coven ritual, she wanted it performed outside. And something about the ritual will mark the space as a sacred space within the pack for the Coven. The whole scene is witchy and exciting with all the candles and symbols. Like in the center of the clearing, a stone altar had been placed at the center of an elaborately created image created fr
Preparing for the ceremony took up a lot of my time. While there may not be defined guidelines for Incubi, certain traditions must be followed. And some of the practices have to be modified to suit our ranked wolves. The rules were written for males to be the ranked wolves, and fewer restrictions were given to their mates. As Luna, I’m the only one held to a set standard. And this wasn’t just a Nebrodi ceremony I had to deal with as The Coven would be there. I am expected to perform a new moon ritual to assume my position in the Coven as Crone officially. Historically the successor ritual is performed on a new moon. It is a time to plant the seeds of the future, which means my promises as their leader. Which is probably why my binder is twice as big as everyone else’s. There is so much I have to remember. The Luna stuff, I’m good with that. I was the daughter of an Alpha. I saw how a pack was run and understood the duties of a Luna, even if our pack lacked one. It’s the Crone stuff I
I need to think more before sending gifts to the Fayte sisters. I didn’t think sending her Gwen’s dress would cause a fashion emergency worthy of André skipping an Alpha meeting. I knew how much that dress meant to Crista and how she’d dreamed of wearing it for her Beta ceremony. I hadn’t considered the Incubi traditions she’d have to follow or just how fired up Katrina would get about abiding by them. The Incubi ceremony went off without a hitch, and so did the after-party. And thanks to André’s quick thinking, Incubi tradition was upheld, and Crista got to feel a connection to her mother on such a special day. A wardrobe change was an ideal solution. It made her entrance at the reception a more significant wow factor. So overall, I give the day two thumbs up. When the Faytes joined Incubi, I was sad when I lost the pack connection to Crista and felt it when Persephone and Delilah took their oaths even though they didn’t have their wolves yet. But on the bright side, since I’m mate