If it isn't one thing, it's another. Xenia can't seem to catch a break.
Trigger warning: sexual assault All Mason could see was red when that beast of a man touched his mate. They would all be dead at that moment if it wasn't for Kane, but he was right. This had to be done discreetly and under the guise of night. He couldn't risk bringing any attention to them, especially with the pack not being too far from there. It only took a few hours to get there, assemble a small team of werewolves, and return to the bandits' camp. They used their senses to stay away from the bandits' radar as he sent four of his men to get the lay of the land and study their habits. They waited a little over an hour before his men returned with details. There were a little over thirty armed bandits in the entire camp. The four posts surrounding the camp always had two men patrolling it, switching up every two hours. Mason gathered his men in a circle. "We will wait until night and use the cover of darkness. Only shift if it's essential. Don't attack until I give you the si
Mason stalked closer to the tent as he kept his gaze on the two guards standing in front. He could hear their conversation from his position. "Of course, he's the first one to have a go with her," the taller one said with a grunt. "They're usually despondent after he's finished. It takes the joy out of it when it's my turn." The shorter one laughed. "That's the way it is with Barrick. I'm just glad he shares. It's been a while since we had one so…" He moved his hands in an hourglass shape. They laughed again, and it took only a second for Mason to understand what they were discussing. They wanted to touch his mate. "Kill them! Kill them ALL!" Rodin roared inside his head. The thought of anyone touching their mate in that way made their blood boil. Before he could react, they all heard sounds coming from inside the tent. "Looks like this one is feisty," the shorter one grinned. "Those are the best ones to break. I wondered how-" Mason moved before the bandit could finish his sent
"Are you out of your mind, Mason?!" Mason internally groaned. He didn't bother to look up from the scroll he was studying when a furious Lillian barged into his office. "That's Alpha Mason to you," Kane growled and stepped forward before Mason could raise his hand. Not many people would talk to him this way and live to tell the tale, but Lillian was an exception…to a certain point. She has been his right hand since Melania's death. They both believed in her cause despite their identical siblings disagreeing. While Mason continued to grab supporters of the cause, Melania and Lillian were preparing for the worst-case scenario: Melania's death. Mason couldn't be happier when Lillian told him they had found a way to bring her back. For the past two years, they've made plans to get everything on the list, and so far, they have almost everything. All except the perfect vessel. Of course, Lillian volunteered without question, and he knew it was because of her affection towa
Mason didn't move a muscle as Kane blocked her advance, pushing her against the wall. With one hand holding Lillian's hand with the blade, Kane wrapped his other hand around her throat. Lillian smiled before Kane registered a blade sticking out of his side. Lillian produced another blade and stabbed him in the chest. Kane staggered back as Lillian pushed him aside to get to Mason, who wasn't paying attention. "How dare you ignore me!" Lillian yelled while lounging at him again. He stood up with the scroll in his hand, grabbed Lillian by the throat, and slammed her against the desk in one fluid motion. He could feel the weight of his Alpha's command pressing down on her like dead weight. Rodin's way of showing dominance. "Don't be so dramatic, Lillian. You will always be a part of this pack. Besides, wouldn't you rather be by her side?" he asked without a glance her way. Lillian whimpered as the pressure and the pain grew immensely. Mason finally looked at her, moving
Lottie was riding in a carriage with Spencer, finally excited for him to meet the other love of her life. Spencer showered her with kisses as she playfully pushed him away. "Stop it before you mess up my hair," Lottie laughed as he embraced her. "I cannot help it, my little chef. I don't think I've ever been this happy in my entire life," Spencer said while trying to kiss her. Lottie dodged his advances by turning her head, so he resorted to kissing her neck. His lips grazed over the mark he had placed on her neck the night before, and he felt her tremble in his arms. Lottie couldn't get enough of his kisses, but she had to stop before it went too far. It always went too far with him, and she didn't want Xenia to find them in a compromising position. It wouldn't be the first time Lottie was caught with a man in a compromising position. "Spence, please. We need to go over a few things before you meet Xenia." Lillian wiggled out of his embrace as he pulled on her dress to bring h
Spencer turned to look at what she saw. In the little valley stood a small cabin with the side wholly torn down. It looked as if something smashed the side of the cabin to the ground. With Spencer's help, Lottie returned to her feet and walked toward the cabin, but Spencer stopped her. "No, you stay here, Lottie. Let me check it out first," Spencer said, heading towards the cabin. From the scents in the air, he could tell there was blood from a human and a werewolf. He made it to the crumbling wall and peeked inside. There was nothing there but a bedroom set up. Pieces of the ceiling were scattered on the floor, but nothing else seemed to be destroyed. Spencer turned to see Lottie looking apprehensive, but he was glad she stayed put."I'll be back as soon as possible," he linked her. She didn't respond, but he saw her nod before he headed inside. The smell of blood increased as he approached the door leading into a hallway. He kept his ears perked for any sounds or motions before
"Ah," Xenia screamed and sat up. "Owwww." Her body felt sore as she brought her hand to her head. Her vision was blurry as she looked at her surroundings. Wait, where am I? she wondered. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the light coming from the windows, and she realized she was in a bed. Remembering Barrick, she quickly jumped out of the covers. The massive headache she had was keeping her from remembering anything. She looked down and saw her teddy was still covered in dirt and blood. There was a glass of water near a lamp on the bedside table, and she quickly drank it, unaware of how thirsty she was. Her room was big, way bigger than her entire cabin. The light shined on the amber-colored walls, matching the polished hardwood floors. There was a huge painting over the bed of a beautiful blue-eyed woman. Her hair fell in golden waves over her shoulders, down the crimson red dress. On her face was a smile carved out of beautiful red lips. She looks familiar, Xenia
Xenia looked for a place to hide but gave up and climbed back into bed. The glass on the bedside was filled with water. So, she quickly drank it and hid the glass under the covers. She didn't know what or who to expect, but she wanted to be prepared. She focused on calming her pulse before lying back down. It took a minute for the person to come into the room. She could hear the rickety sound of a cart being pushed across the floor. It stopped near the front of the bed. By the footsteps, she knew it was at least two people. They continued to busy themselves around the room, and she could hear someone running water. Then, a hand caressed the side of her face. "I know you're not asleep, Xenia." Him. Xenia gripped the covers and slowly opened her eyes to see him beside her bedside. He sat down as she sat up and watched him cautiously. Two other women were in the room with them, so Xenia felt some relief. She didn't want to be alone with him. One woman moved things in and out of
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