"Serif and the twins came in the carriage," Laurie said. "They are still on the main road." On cue, Serif and the twins emerged from the treeline, yelling and fighting away the bushes that tugged at their eccentric clothing. It took a minute for them to make it into the clearing. The girls helped remove twigs and leaves that stuck to Serif's clothes. "Wow, people still do this," Serif said, looking at the makeshift camp. "Camping and all that. It's very...rustic and of nature. What was that?" Serif jumped at a sound coming from the forest surrounding them. "Just the night creatures saying 'Welcome' to their home, Serif," Micah smiled. "Maybe this scene is too verdant for your blood. You can return home and let us worry about Xenia." Serif laughed nervously but looked like he wanted to accept the offer. "I'm quite alright, Alpha Micah. This is for Xenia, and I guess...I have to stay if I want to help you all find her. Besides, you might need our expertise." Though his words
Archie stood in the middle of the group, holding a broken wood in one hand and a broken metal ball in the other. The wolves kept their distance as the scent of wolfsbane floated in the air. Archie turned it around for everyone to see the royal seal on the front. "That's the Pruvaria's seal," Serif gasped. "So it's true," Lottie said. "These weapons are made by the human kingdom." "This seal is part of the armory," Cristobal said with disbelief, "but this contraption is something I've never seen before." "We have seen it," Laurie stated. "It's the same weapon we saw at burnt settlements we passed before. A way to try to eliminate the werewolf species. Like genocide so one species can rule all." "That is not true," Archie yelled at her, causing the others to converge to their location. "We don't believe one species should rule. We are here to try to keep the peace." Laurie laughed harshly. "Is that what we saw back there in those towns? Keeping the peace!" Laurie flicked he
Everyone took a minute to scan the area. It was Cristobal who answered first. "There are multiple indications of a battle here," Cristobal said, pointing to the marks on the trees and the ground. "Exactly. I saw no indication that werewolves attacked the other locations. We might be trained, but even my wolf is inclined to leave a mark or two," Micah finished. "So now I ask the difficult question. If we both want to find my brother, why is your brother leading us farther away from him?" All eyes fell onto Archie, who was struggling to find an answer. After a resigned sigh, he dropped the plank on the ground. "I don't have an answer. If, and this is a big if, my brother had something to do with this, then it is without my knowledge." Micah placed a comforting hand on Archie's shoulder. "Believe me, Archie. I know a thing or two about brothers making decisions behind your back. Right now, I just need to find out why and what Xenia has to do with this?" Archie offered a small s
The sun seeping through the window cast a shadow of a claw over Xenia's face. Lillian stretched before walking over to the bed. She traced a finger down the side of Xenia's face, over her cheekbones, round nose, and full plush lips. She was careful not to leave a mark on Xenia's pretty face, knowing Mason or, rather, Rodin would have a fit. "I'm bored," Lillian sighed, propping herself beside Xenia. "Mason's away, and my mate is resting from our late-night activities. That means we had sex last night. Do you understand sex," Lillian whispered in Xenia's ear before taking the tip of it between her teeth and letting go as she laughed. "Sex between mates is... indescribable. Apologies if you could hear us. Werewolves are not shy from being loud. It doesn't help that we're just below this room either," Lillian giggled before propping herself over Xenia's body. "I guess sooner or later, you'll find that out yourself. How lucky you are to be Mason's mate." "I wonder if you can hear me
Delilah spat obscenities towards Lillian, and still, Xenia didn't move. "I know you're awake. Stop playing games," Lillian yelled, tightening her grip on Delilah's throat. "What the hell is going on!" Lillian turned to see Mason standing in the doorway. His eyes accessed the situation, moving from Jane to Lillian to Delilah and finally Xenia. He noticed the cut on Xenia's face, and a growl rumbled low in his chest as his eyes bled red. "Rodin..." Lillian whispered as she let go of Delilah and slowly backed away from the bed. "Did you touch her," Rodin growled, each word coming out as painful as the next. "It..it...was an accid..." Before Lillian could finish, Rodin lunged for her. Lillian successfully dodged his hands and ran for the door. However, Rodin was quicker and grabbed her leg to swing her towards the wall. Lillian hit the wall hard enough to hear a crack. She crumpled to the floor, holding her hands out to protect herself. Rodin stalked towards her, and she painfully b
"She looks so peaceful. Like a magnolia in May." Frieda stared at Xenia's body. "It's strange she's still human?" Lacey leaned over Xenia's body, sniffing it before stepping back. "She doesn't smell like a werewolf to me. Maybe it didn't work." "Let me see." Frieda pushed Lacey out of the way and sniffed Xenia. She shook her head and did it again in different places. "Well, at least she smells good," Frieda purred while twirling a strand of Xenia's hair around her finger. "Has she always looked this pretty? Look at how her hair frames her face." "Get off of her, you horn dog," Lacey said, pushing Frieda away from Xenia. "Don't make me get the hose." Frieda pouted. "I can't help it. The moon is callin' to me." Frieda throws her hands in the air with a small twirl. "Can't you feel it callin', Lacey?" "No, so hang up." Lacey glared at Frieda before rubbing lotion on Xenia's skin. "Let's just hurry before he comes back." Alpha Mason finally allowed them into the room to cle
Lacey held the key out in front of her. "Celia found it underneath Xenia's pillow. She made a weird look and put it in her pocket when she thought no one was looking. I thought the whole thing was weird, so I stole it from her." Frieda looked aghast. "A key, Lacey? Really? Do you know how many doors this place has?" "I do," Lacey said defensively, putting the key back into her pocket, "but how many use actual keys? And besides, look at it." The jagged key had a carved-out seal on one end with a jewel in the middle. "Maybe it's a key to the dungeon's cells or something important. It looks all fancy." "Well, how are we gonna test it," Frieda asked. "Celia is the one that delivers the food down there. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I want to go down there. It's so…dark." "Just come on," Lacey said, pulling Frieda out of the room. "We should go now while everyone else is getting ready for tonight's bonfire. This is the last night of the Blue Moon." Not long after, they stood near
Jane's hands shook as she carefully skimmed to the chocolate bar's top. She ignored the sweat and clumps of wet flour caked on her face. She wanted to imitate how Xenia made the swirly chocolates for the banoffee pie. So far, in the last ten minutes, she has gone through two bars of chocolate and made four perfect toppings. "I have no idea how you can do this with such ease, Xenia." After ten more minutes, Jane gave up and decided to go with what she had. She had been slaving all day in the kitchen and between her other duties to make this, and she prayed it worked. "If there's one way to get back in your good graces, it will be with this pie," Jane muttered as she placed the last chocolate curl on top of the pie. "Done. This should be perfect." Jane stepped back to admire her work. She planned to put it up for when Xenia woke up, but no one knew when. The fact that she growled earlier indicated it might be any day now. "Hopefully, it's soon," she muttered. "I would hate for thi
Xenia stood frozen as Mason held her waist, his touch gentle. This was the kind of moment a girl might fantasize about–the reformed villain pledging himself at her feet. But something about it soured in her gut. The air shimmered, just slightly, like heat rising off pavement. Mason’s skin was warm, too warm, feverish. And his voice… it wasn’t Mason’s. Not really.“I’m nothing without you,” he whispered, face pressed to her abdomen. “You saved me, Xenia. Don’t you remember?”“Mason, I…” Her throat constricted. It was suddenly hard to speak. Hard to think. But she could hear her mother and Micah returning–footsteps, laughter, too far and too close all at once. The sounds blurred, like a warped vinyl record.“I believe you,” she said quickly, trying to get him up but he tightened his arms around her.“You know I can tell when you’re lying,” he said, eyes flicking up to hers. There was a flicker–just for a second–where his eyes changed, glitching like bad film. A blink later and they were
Blood and ash thickened the air as Alpha Micah and the group made their way through the packhouse and towards the ritual grounds. The howls of distant wolves still echoed, but for now, the area had settled into a tense, almost eerie silence. Laurie floated down from a treeline, black eyes turning back to her usual color, her expression grim. “More guards than we thought,” she whispered. “And that’s just the outer ring. Inside the ritual circle, we’ve the Three Sisters.”Micah’s jaw tightened. “The Three Sisters?”Laurie nodded. “They’re channeling the ritual. It’s working. Xenia’s… already changing.”“What do you mean changing?” Delilah asked, panic rising in her voice.Micah placed a firm but comforting hand on Delilah’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Miss Delilah. It’s not over yet.” Then, turning back to Laurie, he asked, “Can we get past them?”Laurie nodded. “They’re powerful, but we can get rid of them if we destroy the effigy tethering them here.”A chilling scream cut through the ni
In the cozy kitchen of her family home, Xenia found herself caught in a comical, slightly awkward situation as she sat down to breakfast. Her mother sat across from her with her chin resting on her clasped fingers. Delilah’s eyes darted between the two brothers she forced Xenia to sit between.“So,” Delilah began, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she sipped her tea. “Since I didn’t get the chance to properly introduce myself to you both because of the… incident in Ornyville…”“We are so sorry about that, Miss Bakken,” Micah interjected. Xenia turned to look at him and he regarded her with a smile before taking her hand and turning back to Delilah. “It’s just been a while since we had a mate and the bond was stronger than we anticipated.”“I don’t know what the big fuss was,” Mason added. Xenia turned to look at him. Her heart started to race as her hand curled into fists.What is this feeling towards him?“We did replace the bar table and compensated the owner,” Mason continued. “T
Serif laid down on the sand, exhausted. They’ve been digging themselves from the little sand hole the others stuff them into to avoid detection. Dottie and Molly ran to his side to help him sit up. He swatted them away.“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he said with irritation. “I’m just a bit tired, hungry, and my ass is full of sand. How much longer do we have to stay here?”Dottie looked over the empty waves, shaking her head. “Laurie said to wait here for reinforcements.”“She didn’t say how long they will be,” Molly added. “But this was the safer option.”Serik looked toward the tunnel the others left through the other day, wondering if they were better off going with them. Then he thought about the fighting and unnecessary bloodshed and decided he chose the right path. Still, the shade of the moon in the sky gave him an eerie feeling.“There!” Dottie pointed to a ship that appeared on the horizon. Dottie and Molly exclaimed, jumping up and waving their hands in the air. Serif groaned, bare
As the morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room, Xenia slowly opened her eyes to find herself lying in her room. She quickly sat up in bed, looking around. Was she dreaming? She had to be. That was the only explanation. She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. She was the same as she was before. She pinched herself thinking she was dreaming but she felt pain.What the hell?She absentmindedly touched her face, arms, and hair. Unable to believe where she was. She tried remembering where she was before. Melania. The fight. Nova. She had to get back and…“Xeni?”Xenia’s inner thoughts stopped and she froze. She looked towards the doorway, willing herself to move but her body was shaking with emotions.“Mother?”As if on cue, Delilah appeared in the doorway with a smile on her face. “There you are? What is taking you so long? Put on some clothes and come to breakfast.”Delilah turned to leave but Xenia grabbed her and pulled h
Delilah caught Jane before she fell to the floor. Jane gazed over Rick’s lifeless body, her body trembling of what had just happened before. before letting out a heavy sigh.“I knew this was going to hurt, but damn,” Jane laughed. “You would think I would be used to pain.”“Jane, what’s going on?” Delilah asked.“Later,”Jane said with one last look at Rick before shaking her head. “We have to get to the others.”“Agreed,” Archie said, gripping the hilt of his sword. “No delays. Where are the others?”Jane pointed in the direction of the dungeon cells. “Cells are down that way, but we’re not the only ones down here.”On cue, a loud crash could be heard through the tunnels. The group raced forward, coming to a scene of pure chaos. Lacey, Friend, and Danny were in the middle of an all-out brawl against several guards. Lacey was throwing punches like a rabid beast, while Frieda and Danny–both laughing wildly–used each other to break through. Danny swung Frieda around like a rag doll while
The saturated color of the surrounding trees and landscape looked all too familiar when Xenia woke up in the spirit realm. Yet, something felt off. The hues were darker and the shadow loomed over the entire space. Mist swirled around her ankles, and the air carried an otherworldly hum that seemed to resonate in her chest. For a brief moment, the feeling frightened her.“You are finally awake,” a voice called out.Xenia turned to see Nova, moving towards her. Nova’s white fur shimmered like freshly fallen snow under the moonlight and darkness.“Nova,” Xenia breathed, relief washing over her. “I forgot how this felt. Though, it looks different.”“Dark forces are involved here, Xenia,” Nova said, lowering her head slightly, her ears twitching in agitation. “Melania’s presence is growing stronger.”Xenia’s stomach tightened. The name alone sent a chill through her body. Her hands curled into fists, looking around the area for a sign. “Where is she?”“Close,” Nova growled. “Be on guard.”“
The clash of metal against metal echoed through the kitchen as Jane ducked, barely dodging the swing of the spiked chain now wielded by Rick.Rick grinned as he twirled the chain like a predator with a toy. “You thought you were clever. Wielding this chain like you had a chance against me. Haven’t you had enough today?”Jane was breathing hard, her muscles aching from the fight, but still she laughed, shaking her head. “Obviously not, if I’m defying you again, but you know what Rick. I don't care what you do to me anymore. I will be free from you whether you like it or not.”“Don’t test me, Jane.”He swung the chain and Jane ducked as it hit the plates just above her. The glass sprayed everywhere causing a few cuts on her arms. She moved back against the counter, and her hand grazed the surface, feeling for anything useful. Her fingers brushed against something cold and metal–a pie tin. Her heart leaped as she remembered its contents. The silver and wolfsbane pie she’d baked earlier,
The path they took wasn’t going to the dungeons but through the Alpha’s secret hideaway in his office. The sudden change as they entered the small cave made Xenia’s stomach tighten. “Where are we going?” Xenia asked, her voice more high-pitched than she liked. The warriors remained silent, their faces unreadable as they waded through the icy water to reach the other side. Xenia’s heart raced, her pulse pounding in her ears. The dim, suffocating tunnel brought back the memories of her escape with her mother. Her breath hitched, and her legs faltered as the faint echoes of her mother’s screams mingled with the falling of debris.“Xenia,” Nova’s voice rumbled in the back of her mind, firm but soothing. “They did this on purpose. Fight through it. Breathe.”Xenia gritted her teeth, drawing strength from Nova’s presence as she struggled to keep moving. The warriors exchanged glances but said nothing, their grip tightening to keep her moving. Nova’s presence swirled protectively around he