"Xenia!" Mason's voice pulled Xenia's focus as she stared at him. "Finish it." "I give to you…" She continued with a shaky breath. "Mason Dalton." "Mason Dalton, my heart, my body, and…" Xenia's mouth felt dry as her gaze slowly moved back to her mother. This was it. She was going to bind herself to a werewolf, and she had to for her mother's life. She would not be the death of her mother. Not if she could prevent it. "And," Mason growled impatiently. Xenia brought her focus back to him. "...and my soul. I am yours." The sound of howls surrounded them and pierced the night sky as the werewolves and humans alike rejoiced in saying the words. Xenia didn't pay them any mind as Mason stared at her. She wondered if this was it. She wanted to get to her mother, but Mason tightened his grip as she tried to move away. "Now, the best part," he smiled. He dipped his head into the crook of her neck, running his nose up and down the spot that would bear his mark. Her heartbeat pu
A chorus of howls floated through the air as the Blue Moon reached the highest peak in the sky. Alpha Micah joined his warriors on the ritual run they did during every Blue Moon only a few miles from their campsite. It was a great way for his warriors to blow off steam and welcome the new werewolves during their first shift. For Micah, there was something in the air that night. For a moment, he attributed the strange feeling to the Blue Moon. Even Roman could feel it during their run. "I feel her. I feel Nova," Roman kept saying. It was natural for him to miss his mate on days like this. Days when the werewolf spirit was closer to the surface. The Blue Moon symbolized great power and change, but what could that be, and why did it affect him? When he returned to camp, he called Laurie to his tent. She walked in not long after carrying a book in her arms with a pensive look. She definitely knows something is up, he thought to himself. "Something's up," Laurie said immediately as
Xenia woke up with a start and noticed she was outside. Though this space looked different to her. The color of the surrounding trees seemed too saturated, and the sky was littered with stars, giving it an ethereal look. She quickly got to her feet when she felt a presence and grabbed the nearest stick before getting into a defensive stance. Her eyes searched the shadows between the trees. She saw nothing until a white-furred werewolf slowly stalked her way. Xenia remembered it from before. Its piercing blue eyes and the black crescent moon on its forehead. The same werewolf that warned her the last time she was in a place like this. "I wish I could say it's nice to see you again," the werewolf said, surprising Xenia. "But unfortunately, this won't be a nice visit. I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave here alive." An invisible force swirled around the werewolf, making its fur look like it was caught in a storm. Its eyes glowed as bright as the Blue Moon, its lips pulled back in
Xenia's body lay still against the altar. Mason kept listening to her heartbeat to make sure she was alive. She was screaming about the pain one moment, and everything went silent the next. The only sounds were that of the winds and Delilah's sobbing. Mason paced in front of the altar. Of course, he was worried. She had been quiet for a while now. The first time they did this, it only lasted a few minutes before Lillian returned. Though for Lillian, it felt like hours. So this was new, and nobody knew what to expect. Mason took some calming, deep breaths. His irritation was slowly turning to anger, which would only bring Rodin out quicker with the Blue Moon present. "She should be back by now," Mason barked. "What is taking so long?" Everyone seemed to cower away from his voice before Lillian stepped forward. "Each journey is different, Alpha," Lillian said. "Maybe Nova hasn't found her yet." Mason opened his mouth to say something when Xenia's body shook. Instead, he ran to
Xenia ran through the forest, trying to put as much distance as she could between the crazy white werewolf. Her heart pounded in her chest. Blood rushed through her veins. Every muscle in her body ached from exertion. The only thing on her mind was survival. She had to survive. The moment she felt and heard her mom's voice, she knew she couldn't give up. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating a path forward. Still trying to figure out what to do or where to go, Xenia followed the path. Finally, it opened to a cliff, and at the top stood a white werewolf. Nova? Xenia froze, thinking it was the same one after her, but this one was different. Aside from the fur, a black diamond was in the middle of its forehead, and standing next to it was...Mason? No, he looked different. His hair was longer, and he was wearing a white shirt. Was Mason wearing a white shirt? Xenia's thoughts were interrupted by a growl from behind her. She didn't wait to find out if it was her attacker. Ins
Xenia opened her eyes and quickly sat up. The fast movement made her dizzy as she tried to look around. The last thing she remembered was the pain of having a werewolf spirit inside her. It felt like Nova was trying to claw herself out of Xenia's body. Xenia got to her feet after a few moments to get her bearings. She couldn't tell where she was with nothing but darkness surrounding her and a small light source coming from an unknown place. Then she heard very faint whispering before the voice became more apparent. Someone was praying, and their voice sounded so familiar. Someone she knew. "Mother? Mother!" Xenia yelled into the unknown, looking in the direction of her mother’s voice. She looked around the emptiness, hoping to see a glance of Delilah. "Mother! I'm here! I can hear you." Silence surrounded her again until she heard soft sobbing. Her mother was crying, and there was nothing she could do. That thought made her chest tighten with emotion. The sobbing only got loude
The brothers stared at each other in complete silence. Micah was the first to break eye contact to look at Xenia in Mason's arms. Instinctively, he sniffed the air with Roman mimicking his action. He closed his eyes as her scent surrounded them and finally solidified who she was to them. "Mate," Micah breathed out, opening his eyes to focus on her as Roman grunted his response. "What has happened to her," Micah growled, taking a few steps towards him. "What have you done now, Mason?" "I have done nothing," Mason snapped, drawing her closer as he glared at Micah. "It is Nova. She's trying to kill her." "No thanks to you, I see," Micah said, taking a few more steps toward Mason. He was only a few feet away from them now. "I have this under control, brother," Mason said just as Xenia screamed. Micah was at her side instantly, much to Mason's displeasure, but Mason's main focus was Xenia. She fought to escape his arms, so he laid her on the grass. She stilled again as Roman
Micah sat up quickly, breaths coming out in rapid succession. He still felt like he was in a dreamlike state. The world around him became more vivid as he looked around the campfire. He felt an arm on his shoulder and saw Beta Erik kneeling beside him, speaking, but his voice was distorted. "Let me...get my bearings," Micah breathed out, closing his eyes and taking steady breaths. All he could think of was his mate in his brother's arms. The very thought brought a growl from his lips. He wasn't sure what Mason or Melania had in mind, but he knew he had to hurry and find them. "Alpha?" He opened his eyes to see Erik staring worriedly at him before looking in another direction. He followed Erik's gaze and saw Lottie and Spencer hovering over Laurie. A panic rose in him as he tried to stand. He got to his feet and swayed before Erik held onto him to keep him steady. "Laurie?" Lottie and Spencer moved to give him a better view. Laurie was lying on the ground with the bunny cuddl
Jane waited until all the warriors had left for the ritual before making her way through the halls of the packhouse. Her fist tightened around the key wrapped in a note she received from one of the guards–a man with a creepy obsession with Frieda. Jane thought it was a trap set by Lillian, but at the moment, she didn’t have any other option. “They locked Lacey and Frieda in the west wing, the room with the black doors. After the feast.”Jane cursed under her breath again. The west wing was desolate, but she knew there would be a guard or two stationed there. As she approached the main staircase, she slowed her pace, her ears catching the faint murmurs of voices below. She peeked over the railing and spotted two warriors stationed at the bottom of the steps. Sneaking past them was impossible. She needed a distraction. She looked around and noticed a small statue perched on a pedestal. Quietly, she slipped toward it, her heart pounding. With much more effort than she anticipated, she
This worked way better than expected. Lillian thought as she strode into the room where Mason lay, his muscular arms wrapped protectively around a trembling Xenia. She twirled the little pouch to break the spell, seeing the control Melania had over him was still in effect. Though if it was up to her, Lillian would let the effect last as long as she could. She approached the side of the bed where Xenia was looking straight ahead, her eyes wide with unshed tears. Lillian crouched down, her face level with Xenia’s. When Lillian’s hand reached out to brush a strand of Xenia’s hair back, Xenia flinched, but Mason’s grip kept her in place.“You brought this on yourself, you know,” Lillian mused. “All you had to do was cooperate.”“Fuck… you,” Xenia stuttered.Lillian laughed. “I think we both know who just got fuck. What? You can’t handle a bit of rough play?”Xenia wanted to reach out and claw Lillian’s face but Mason had her locked down. Lillian crouched, meeting Xenia’s angry gaze with
**TRIGGER: ASSAULT**Xenia’s fingers brushed the cold windowpane as she gazed out into the night, the Red Moon hung ominously in the sky. Its crimson glow bathed the landscape in an unsettling light, a reminder of the ritual to come. Tonight, everything will change. She could feel the weight of it pressing down on her. No matter how much Nova tried to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.“Do you feel that?” Nova asked. Xenia knew what she was talking about. There was power in the air. Something that seemed to call to the both of them. Or more like someone.“Mason?” Xenia asked.“No. Micah.”Xenia closed her eyes, searching in the darkness for something to hold on to. Was he really here? Was she really saved? A hand on her shoulder shook her from her thoughts as Tammy stood behind her with her dress.“Everything is safely tucked in, Luna,” Tammy said, laying the dress on the nook bench. Xenia exhaled slowly, gripping the towel wrapped around her as if she was cold, but
Mason stood in the dimly lit chamber, the flickering light from the torches casting shadows on the stone walls. In front of him, chained to opposite walls, were Micah, with bruises all over his body, and Cristobal, bound and barely conscious, yet still seething with defiance.Rick stood silently by the door, arms crossed, his eyes flicking between the three of them, awaiting orders.Mason tapped his fingers on the hilt of the knife he held, lazily spinning it in his grip as if it were a mere toy. He paced back and forth in front of his captives, stopping occasionally to inspect them with a twisted sense of amusement. "So, plans, dear brother. Let's discuss those. I’m sure you didn’t crash my little party just for a scenic tour of the dungeon." He stopped abruptly, crouching in front of Micah, his smirk twisting into something crueler. “Or are you going to let our brave soldier boy here spill his guts for you?”Micah didn’t respond. His breathing was labored, but his eyes—those damn e
Lillian and Rick exchanged glances as Mason stormed into the dining room, his jaw clenched and fists, bloodied and balled at his sides. Lillian knew that meant he was in the dungeons with their shipwrecked guests. Still, she said nothing as he sat down at the head of the table with a force that rattled the silverware on the table. Normally, Lillian would offer him an alternate way to release his tension, but it looked as if even the sound of a fork scraping against a plate might set him off. So, to be safe she was careful with her movements and words.Lillian cleared her throat. “Everything is in place for tonight, Alpha,” she began. “The preparations are nearly complete. The altar has been set, and the ceremonial items are ready.”Mason didn’t respond immediately. His gaze was distant, lost in thought. He reached for a glass of water, his grip tight. Lillian glanced at Rick, who avoided eye contact and focused on his plate. He had seen Mason in these moods before–volatile, unpredicta
The morning of the Red Moon came quicker than Xenia had hoped. She had barely slept through the rest of the night after Mason practically dragged her from the dungeons. She had a bit of solace when something urgent came up and he left her for a while. It wasn’t until later when she felt him enter the room, smelling of earth and blood until he went into the bathroom.Xenia prayed he would leave but that went out the window the moment he climbed into the bed. She moved only for him to grab and pull her into his arms. Xenia pushed against him but he only tightened his hold.“I have to pee,” Xenia lied, preparing to bolt from the bed the moment he let her go.“You lie,” Mason grumbled, his voice drifting off as Xenia sighed into his hold.I’ll just wait until you’re asleep. She thought as she stared at the ceiling, waiting until the shadows in the room seemed to stretch long in the early light, wrapping around her like chains she couldn’t break. What was worse than having a psychotic kidn
Mason walked into the woods far from the packhouse. It was already late and he didn’t like being away from Xenia for too long. His instincts warned him that leaving Xenia alone was a mistake, even if the threats of her friends’ lives kept her in place for now. She was clever, and desperation could make her even more so.Mason paused in his steps, his eyes scanning the darkness ahead. He knew they were close. Lillian and Rick had found something important and refused to let him know until they got back to the packhouse, but Mason was impatient. It was too close to the Red Moon to be left out of the loop.A flicker of movement to his left caught his eye as Lillian emerged from the darkness like a phantom, her eyes blazing with fury. Rick trailed behind her, his expression stoic.“What are you doing here?” Lillain spat with irritation in her voice. “You left her alone.”Mason didn’t flinch under her glare, though her anger was palpable. He knew what she was really angry about. He expecte
Delilah hit the water hard, the icy shock of it stealing her breath. Panic surged within her, a flashback to the last time she had been submerged in the waters from an explosion–a time when death had nearly claimed her. The relentless grip of the ocean, the surrounding darkness, and the crushing weight of the water threatened to drown her in panic. I just have to swim up and I’ll reach the surface. She thought, but her body refused to move. The water was ready to drag her under. Then, in the midst of the chaos, she thought of Xenia. The image of her daughter’s face, strong and resolute, filled her mind, anchoring her in the present. She couldn’t give in to the fear. Not now. Not when they still had a chance to save her baby.Kicking furiously, Delilah forced her way to the surface, gasping for air as she broke through the waves. Her eyes darted around, searching for the others amidst the chaos. Pieces of the boat floated around, and she could barely make out the figures struggling ag
Xenia’s breath hitched as she took in the sight of Lacey, bruised and broken, barely clinging to consciousness. Next to Lacey, sat Frieda in the same condition. Xenia’s nails bit into her skin as her fist tightened from the fierce anger that had been burning inside her. She tried to look away but something wouldn’t let her. The air around her was thick with the scent of blood. She took one shaky step forward, keeping her gaze on Lillian, who had a sickening smile on her face. I want to kill her. I want her dead! Was on repeat inside Xenia’s mind as she got closer to the cell door. I could do it, she thought. I was fast enough to dig my nails into that pretty face of hers. Nova’s power flowed through Xenia and out into the room. She felt Nova pushing her, urging her to act, to tear Lillian apart limb by limb. Every muscle in her body tensed, ready to spring into action.Lillian’s smile was gone now, replaced by a wary glint in her eyes. She had felt the shift of power, the surge of e