This shouldn’t be possible. Something doesn’t feel right. What the hell is going on? Thoughts raced in Mason’s mind as he watched a fully transformed Nova stalk toward Lillian. Her white fur shone in the moonlight, and all Mason wanted to do was run to her. He wanted to feel her fur through his fingers and greet her the only way mates knew how. Even Rodin shared his wants. Mason felt himself moving towards Nova, reaching out his hand. He wanted to make sure he was seeing what was in front of him. He heard words being said and saw Lillian’s desperation, but his mind was far gone. Nova was here, in wolf form, and he was...speechless. How?“Mason!”Lillian’s scream pulled him from his trance as he watched Nova lunge for Lillian. Lillian dodged with enough room to shift herself and dart into the woods. Nova was fast on the rebound and ran after Lillian faster than Mason expected. He quickly shifted into Rodin.“Rodin, follow her.”“Maybe we should let her do what she wants,” Rodin said
Mason laid Xenia on the bed, wiping away the bead of sweat forming on her forehead. The moment he moved away, she whimpered. Her eyes squeezed tight and her arms curled around her legs until she became a ball. He felt the pain she was still in from the transformation, and all he wanted to do was ease it. Mason moved to the bathroom and started a bath filled with a calming balm. He moved back to Xenia, picking off any remains of the forest floor that was stuck to her body. He lifted her, and a minute later, he guided both of their bodies into the water. Mason knew all too well what the first shift felt like, and if it hadn’t been for his brother, he might have gone mad from the pain, too.FLASHBACK Mason’s body tensed with an otherworldly energy. He didn’t tell anyone he was shifting and didn’t want to do it in front of the entire pack. Everyone was so impressed with Micah’s white wolf when he shifted six full moons ago. Mason could see the disappointment in their eyes when it came
A high pitched squeal reverberated on the walls of Lillian’s room. The sudden sound made Lillian crawl away from the mirror as she watched Melania dance in the field of flowers. Lillian didn’t know how to comprehend this emotion as she never saw Melania this way. Is she…happy? Lillian wondered but she knew Melania’s emotions were never as they seem sometimes. Melania was just as unpredictable as Nova. So Lillian waited until Melania was finished. Before reporting Nova’s shift, the moment Lillian contacted Melania she was pulled into a chokehold. Lillian remembered Melania’s threat about calling her but once she was able to tell Melania about Nova, Melania suddenly released her. Her face showed a mirage of emotions from shock to confusion to happiness, at least Lillian hoped for that last one.Lillian massaged her throat which was still healing from the attack from Nova and the chokehold only made it worse. Suddenly Melania appeared closer in the mirror. Her hands caressed the surface
Inside the candle-lit dungeon, the air was heavy with tension and the smell of burned flesh. Lillian stood over a cauldron filled with fire, swirling a silver knife through the flames. Behind her Lacey groaned in agony, squirming just a bit, which only made things worse. Every movement made the chains tighten around her body, sending a burning pain up her arms. To the left of Lacey sat Frieda, whose hair cascaded over her laps. Lillian had already had her fun with Frieda until the she-wolf passed out from the pain. Freida’s body was riddled with cuts and bruises similar to those on Lacey. Each bruise was taking its time to heal due to the wolfsbane they were injected with hours ago.In the other cell, Princess Carla was bound with chains around her neck and wrists while Aidy and Jane sat in the cell next to her, bound by their wrists. For the past few days, they had to listen to Lacey’s and Frieda’s screams until they subconsciously blocked them out. Lillian pulled the knife out of t
It felt like hours had passed since Lillian left the dungeons and during that time Lacey frantically reached out to Celia. Still, she felt nothing. Lacey wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. Celia was all she had left of her family, especially with her brother James lost in the world. Her worrying was cut off by Aidy’s sobs and Carla’s growling at her in response. Secretly Lacey rather be tortured than listening to them.“She won’t hurt Celia,” Jane said to Lacey. “She’s on their side. I’ve seen it.”This wasn’t the first time Jane brought this up. The moment they were moved to the dungeons Jane noticed Celia was nowhere to be found. It was surprising since Celia was always there to save Lacey if given the chance.“You lie,” Lacey exclaimed. “You don’t know that.”Jane snorted. “Oh, believe me. I do.”Lacey narrowed her eyes at Jane but something on Jane’s face made Lacey believe Jane knew something about Celia she didn’t. “Well, Lillian is as crazy as they come and she probab
Lacey shook her head, trying to comprehend what Celia just said. She looked at Frieda, who was sharing the same shocked expression, but Jane didn’t look surprised at all. Jane glared at Celia, who kept her gaze on the floor. “Please tell me it’s not true,” Lacey pleaded with Celia. “Please tell me they forced you or threatened your life.”Celia looked up momentarily, catching the mixture of frustration and concern on Lacey's face. Her hands gripped the tray of food as she looked away. Before she could say anything, Rick walked up to Jane’s cell.“Let’s go,” he growled at Jane while opening the cell door, “and bring the other human too.”“Why? What are you going to do?”Rick stalked across the cell, grabbing Jane by the neck. “It doesn’t fucking matter. You are not in a position to ask questions. Do you understand?”When Jane didn’t answer fast enough, Rick tightened his grip around her neck until she nodded. He glanced over to Aidy and pointed towards the door. “Start moving, human,”
Nova observed from a distance as Xenia navigated through the stages of grief, her emotions ranging from mutterings to hysterical crying. Nova felt the urge to comfort her, but every time she approached, Xenia would abruptly jump up with another round of rambling. “It’s possible she got away,” Xenia said to no one in particular. “Right? I mean, we didn't see a body. She probably saw the first light and jumped out of the way. Yeah, my mother is smart like that.” Xenia nodded, seemingly in agreement with herself. “That has to be it. She's not dead unless I see a body.” A moment later. “That explosion was big though. There’s no way she could’ve made it. Oh God please just bring her back. I will do anything. Take me, take me!” Xenia turned to Nova, pleading with her. “Maybe we can bring her back. Like Melania, right? You can ask your goddess or do some magical stuff. Please, Nova! This wasn't supposed to happen. This was all my fault!”Xenia found herself drifting between the tangible re
For hours, Mason remained seated in the armchair, lost in the pages of his book. Occasionally, his eyes would drift towards Xenia, who seemed frozen in place by the window. Perched there, her posture rigid, as though any relaxation might unleash a torrent of pent-up emotions. The silence enveloped them like a suffocating blanket, punctuated only by the heavy sighs escaping Xenia;s lips, each laden with unspoken anguish and unresolved bitterness. Suddenly a timid knock shattered the delicate balance of the room, Xenia’s gaze narrowed suspiciously as the door creaked open, revealing Jane with a tray of steaming dishes. Her eyes darted nervously between Mason and Xenia, who turned her attention back to the outside world.“Excuse me, Alpha,” Jane began hesitantly. “I’ve brought lunch.”Mason gestured for her to approach, and Jane set the tray down on the table. As she turned to leave, Mason halted her.“Xenia needs help cleaning her hands before eating,” Mason commanded.. “I’m not hungr
Xenia blinked, struggling to steady herself as the dream faded, ripped from her mind like torn silk. Her body ached. Every breath felt like she was inhaling smoke. She sat up slowly–and froze.Melania lay sprawled on the ground, her elegant dress torn, blood staining her lip. Her eyes fluttered open, dazed but furious.A sound to her left made Xenia twist around. Mason. Stumbling into the area, just as beaten. His shirt was ripped, and blood dripped from various parts of his body. He spotted Melania on the floor. His expression snapped.“No,” he whispered, then louder, “What did you do?”Xenia barely had time to get to her feet before he lunged at her.“You ruined everything!” Mason bellowed, slamming into her and knocking her back. “She gave you everything! And you spat on it!”Xenia hit the floor hard, the impact stealing the breath from her lungs. Dazed, she barely registered Mason’s shadow looming above her, his fist coming down.But it never landed.A hand caught it mid-swing wit
Xenia woke up alone. The brothers were nowhere to be seen, so she decided to get ready for another perfect day. She got dressed, fixing her appearance in the mirror. The moment she looked away, the reflection turned to Melania, who smiled before disappearing. Xenia stared at her reflection before leaving.“Good,” Xenia said to herself. “Today’s going to be perfect.”Downstairs the brothers were in the kitchen with Delilah. Micah was unusually focused, slicing and arranging with the precision of a man on a mission. Mason was just as focused, carefully packing fruits and cheeses, and crusty bread into woven baskets. Delilah flitted about the kitchen like a hummingbird, humming a lullaby Xenia swore she hadn’t heard since childhood.They walked to the sea, just the four of them. The cliffs were painted with wildflowers, the ocean stretched endlessly, calm and blue. Xenia leaned into the breeze and tried not to think too hard.But something was wrong.She felt it when she reached for the
Melania kept her magic flowing into Xenia, but she felt herself losing strength. Micah stood before them, his presence blazing with power.Melania didn’t flinch. “Keep him away,” she said to Mason. “She’s so close to accepting her new reality. If he interrupts now, she might have the strength to fight back. I need time.”“He won’t understand,” Mason said.“Then make him,” she snapped. “I know you can.”“I won’t say it again,” Micah said, interrupting their conversation. “Get out of my way Mason.”“I can’t let you,” Mason said, his voice shaking with fury. “You took her away from me once. I won’t let it happen again!”Mason snarled, aura flaring to full strength as he launched forward. Micah’s wolf, Roman, collided with Mason in mid-air, the impact sending a shockwave through the spirit realm. Mason crashed to the ground, rolling once before skidding to a stop.“Damn you, Roman,” he spat, rising. “Do you have to interfere. This is between brothers.” Roman stood between him and Mason,
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