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He Hurt Me, But He Needs Me 144
ViolettaFerrara held my hand as I joined him outside of Irene's little cottage which had, suspiciously, grown twice as big as the last time I saw it. "Been doing a little construction?" I asked lightly."We've had so many witches stay recently that Irene became annoyed at the size of her house. Jenson had it expanded.""Seamlessly."Ferrara smiled. "He's good at construction. How do you think The Confections bar was put back together so quickly?""And he'd do anything for Irene?""Why are there so many wolves in my pack who will not acknowledge their mates?" he said in exasperation before he squeezed my hand. "Are you certain you're up for this tonight?"It wasn't the first time he'd asked as we drove over here, and I nodded. We needed information, and quick. It didn't matter that my jolt of energy upon waking up was already rapidly waning. Maeve was decades ahead of us. We needed to get there faster, and the Crone was the only one I knew who had information. Who could help us.Magic
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FerraraThe Crone, it turned out, was not the wealth of information we had wanted. Katherine had left, against her orders, to be with her mate, and other than a few phone calls, the old witch had not seen her young protégé until Katherine returned with Violetta and Shane in tow. When Violetta had described her memories, the Crone had simply rolled her eyes and said it was hardly that dark and dramatic, but she admitted that her visions of a darkness consuming the mountain had begun not long after that."You could have done more to help her," I accused her. "Instead, Katherine was murdered, and Violetta was raised by her insane father.""Everything that I did put her in the path of you. Short of allowing her to die, which I could have, vow or not, this was the only course of action that would give her a fighting chance. Now, I will tell you what I know about a ternary. After that, all I can do is help Violetta learn to control her magic before Maeve catches up to her. It will be up to
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ViolettaAlone in the bedroom, with the waxing crescent moon visible in the window, I took a deep breath and focused on my wolf. All day I'd been distracted by her. My normally small and quiet other half of me shimmered with magic. I could feel her happy and wolfy playful smile as she rose within me. Naked, I closed my eyes and called to her.She came without hesitation. It was almost enough to make me cry during the change. When she refused me, I feared that she'd always refuse me, that she'd concede to my magic from here on out.On all fours, I stretched and shook as if I could get rid of the excess energy inside of me. Then I headed over to the mirror. She looked mostly normal. Still small and scarred, but her coat looked a little thicker and healthier.At least I wasn't shimmering in magic."Violetta?" Ferrara said quietly as he opened the door. "I can feel your anxiety. Are you...oh, hello beautiful."My wolf loped happily over to him and immediately leaned against his legs. With
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Violetta"You're not focusing," the Crone snarled and rapped her staff against the ground again."You give me that staff, and I'll show you just how well I can focus," I muttered under my breath as I envisioned cracking the staff over her head.Her eyes narrowed, an indication that she'd heard exactly what I said. Irene, Lunessa, and Janelle looked on nervously. Today's training session was not going well. The Crone couldn't figure out how I could almost drain an entire pack, but I couldn't even pluck at one wolf's pack bond. The wolf in question, a young juvenile named Elise, played happily in the grass.Juveniles had essentially built up zero protections around their pack bonds. Pack children were claimed immediately, although the protection only went one way. They couldn't provide for the pack until they were adults, but they were wide open to pack magic, which meant they were wide open to me.All I had to do was tug on her bond enough to show us her wolf. A little colored gleam of
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FerraraAs I watched Violetta slowly lower herself to her knees, my hunger grew feral. Her wide eyes stared at me with just a trace of wickedness. Ever since she'd returned from her magic training, she'd been different. I couldn't even say energized. She'd been powered up but hadn't been able to release anything. Couldn't turn herself off.She needed this, and goddamnit, so did I. Every time I turned around, there was some new threat. Someone or something trying to divide us.Maeve was playing with ancient forces, and I feared what she would awaken. The need to protect Violetta powered me, and I couldn't risk turning it off. Not until it was over.I needed her. Brutally.As she waited silently, I undid the fly of my pants and lowered the zipper. Fishing out my cock, I stroked it while I stared down at her. "You're going to take it all," I growled. "I'm going to fuck that pretty face of yours and it's going to make you so fucking wet. Then I'm going to fuck you against this tree until
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FerraraIt was a long night. Jenson led a small team outside our perimeter to search for any additional rogue wolves who were or may have been waiting. Once I was sure that the perimeter was secured and our guards were prepared, I made personal visits to Jay and Michael's families. Jay had a wife and a child, and I hoped that the child would be enough for Jay's wife to find strength. I'd have counselors keep a close eye on her. Mates didn't always survive with one passed.Michael was not married, and both had living parents and siblings. I comforted them as best I could, but I knew that the grief would darken many days for them.There were only two hours before dawn when I arrived back to my room. Violetta was already there, but she wasn't sleeping. I took a few seconds to evaluate her. The strange energy she'd had earlier was gone, but whatever euphoria we'd experienced earlier was replaced by grief. I knew she could feel their deaths in her bonds, even if she wasn't as experienced a
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ViolettaSmoke rose from the earth after Janelle used the fire extinguisher to put out the last of my fires. Irene, Lunessa, and the Crone all watched with fascinated expressions. I'd bet not a single one of them had ever seen a fire extinguisher before. Irene couldn't even believe there was one in her cottage.Lucky, since it turned out that my barrier magic did produce fires, and they weren't so easy to extinguish with magic.I leveled a look at the Crone. "I think we should try something different. Ferrara already kindly requested that I not start any wildfires in his territory.""We have the extinguisher," the Crone began."It's empty," Janelle announced."Empty? How can it be empty? Doesn't it just harness the magic of the wind?" Lunessa demanded."You guys really need to get out more," I muttered. "No more boundary spells."At least I had formed a forcefield. I'd also nearly set us all on fire. The flames didn't hurt me, but in my shock, I'd started waving my hands around and hu
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FerraraThe burial of my two wolves was a somber affair. We don't have a graveyard. It's too much wasted space. Instead, we gift the body back to the earth and plant a tree on top. The trees grow into a memorial for anyone who wishes to visit.Violetta, I noted, avoided Parker's tree. I hoped that one day, she'd be able to visit and try to reconnect with him. The body was gone, but that didn't mean the spirit didn't remain.It wasn't until afterward that she told me of what Maeve could do with Irene's blood. I had half a mind to lock Irene away until Maeve was good and dead, but I also wanted to trust the witches. As long as someone had eyes on Irene, Maeve couldn't do any damage through her.It did serve to distract Jenson. Another obstacle, especially with my third gone. I couldn't help but wonder if this was Maeve's plan all along. Not to spy but to divide the attention of my second.She could have gleaned so much information during her time here. It was no secret to the pack that
Last Updated : 2025-01-18
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He Hurt Me, But He Needs Me 205
ViolettaI did as much good at Indigo Peak as I could while I was there, but few of the wolves were happy to see me, so I spent most of my time in my room reviewing Maeve's books in an attempt to help Finn get organized. I ignored all the massive journals the crazed woman had collected. I was no longer the ternary, and they had nothing to do with me.Lunessa, Irene, and the other witches helped identify the small faction of witches who'd been working against Maeve. Most of them were imprisoned. Some were in the field when Lunessa stole their magic. And some were dead. There were enough that, in a few months, the land might be healed enough to start growing again, just in time for spring.At least, that was the hope.Leaving Finn was difficult. I didn't know where he was mentally, but I knew Indigo Peak needed his help, and he would provide it.And when Amelia returned with us, tears in her eyes, I tried not to get involved. Finn was making a mistake, but he would realize that. In due
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ViolettaImmediately, I stepped inside the circle and felt the magic drain away. "I don't have magic anymore, but even if I did, none of this is for me. It was for a deranged woman to hold on to a memory of when she thought she was in control. She's dead now, and I don't need this place to know that I had a happy family once. And I don't need to bring any of that up. I have enough happiness in my immediate past."Finn stared at the home as the flowers started to wither and the wood started to break down. Its age was catching up to it. "I could burn it to the ground," he said darkly."I think you should. I love that you wanted to give me a choice, but this place doesn't mean anything to me, and it's a symbol of Indigo Peak's troubled past. Burn it and make way for the future. You're going to be an amazing alpha, and if you'll let me, I'll come visit often to check in on you. I'm going to miss you and Amelia.""You're more than welcome, Violetta. I'll demand your visits, seeing as how I
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ViolettaI woke up alone. For a moment, I thought I was back in Maeve's grip, chained to the wall, listening to Finn's cries as they tormented him. Tears pricked my eyes until I heard a voice in the room."Violetta."The hoarse whisper calmed me, and I took a deep breath. I was not alone. Maeve was dead. I'd been certain that Ferrara had been in the room with me at one point, but he was gone now. Sitting up, I looked over at the other bed. Lunessa looked only marginally better than she did before as she smiled at me. "You did it."When she started to cough, I rolled out of bed and made my way to her. Snuggling up next to her, I grabbed her water and held it up to her. "So did you. Lunessa, the amount of magic you displayed was insane. How are you?""Depleted," she admitted as she sipped her water. "And scared that I might not bounce back.""How did you do it?"She sipped the water more and leaned against me. Less than a year ago, she was the Maiden, a witch who'd saved my life once, e
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Ferrara"Ferrara," London said in a low voice. "You are growling at the kitchen staff."Immediately, I pulled myself back. A dozen wolves stared at us, frightened. "My apologies. My thoughts are elsewhere," I told Finn. "Please continue."The staff cleared their throats. "We have access to large herds here, and we used to use the witches to magic the land to provide for the wild game so we could eat fresh all year. With the magic repurposed," one wolf said carefully, "much of the game fell ill. We tried to preserve meat, but our previous alpha believed in eating fresh and shut us down."Finn frowned. "I believe in eating fresh but also storing when prepping for leaner months. I'll speak to the witches about healing the land once more, but I won't know how long that will take. Do you have the supplies to cure the meat?"One wolf nodded. Finn looked over at us. "Do I have your permission to use some of your soldiers for an immediately hunt before you leave?"We all nodded, and the staff
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FerraraFinn's eyes were red, and his wolf's power still spilled out of him as he sat stock still in the chair at a large conference table. Food was spread over the table, but it didn't look like he'd eaten any of it. Blood was still dried on his skin, and his clothes barely fit him.Two submissive wolves hovered uncertainly at the table, and as soon as we walked in, he dismissed them. They'd scurried out of the room like they'd been shot, and the doors slammed shut behind us."I cannot be alpha," Finn growled. "Not of this pack."I met his gaze head on and lifted an eyebrow. "It's a little late for that. You killed the previous alpha and slaughtered anyone who challenged, which, from what I can tell, included her second, third, and at least ten of her top guards.""I didn't realize that they were challenging me," he said tightly. "Do I have to die to relinquish my new position?"London, Elonso, and I exchanged looks and pulled out chairs at the table. I sniffed at the food. "Doesn't
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FerraraPulling free from our captors, London and I raced up the hill. He got to Lunessa and yanked her from the stone before I could reach Violetta. A large, mutated wolf pounced at Violetta, and I dove into him. Teeth and claws raked into the flesh of my human form, but I ignored it. There was only one truth. If I didn't get to Violetta, she would be torn limb from limb.Shifting faster than I'd ever shifted in my life, I turned and raced back to her. With a roar, I pulled her chains from the rocks with my paws and turned back to her."Ferrara," she whispered and sank into the ground. "I'm sorry. I don't think I can walk, let alone shift. Help Finn."Finn didn't need my help. He was ripping through wolves at an alarming rate. I wasn't even sure he knew what he was doing.Violetta flinched, and I turned as another wolf tried to pounce. Ripping my claws into their flank, we tumbled, but as soon as I found my footing, I returned to her side.If she couldn't shift, she would be vulnerab
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ViolettaThe outer ring of rocks on the hill were etched with symbols and held offerings to the elements. Water from the largest river on the mountain. A feather willingly given from a bird. Earth enriched and blessed. And fire sparked from the kindling of the land.Words from the spell rose up in my head as I was marched through the circle. Below me, an enormous audience had gathered. Most of the wolves were grotesque and foaming at the mouth. It seemed to take all of their energy to be still. Those who weren't mutated seemed so small, but there was nothing innocent in their gaze as they watched.In the silence, I heard someone roar Lunessa's name and then mine. Turning my head, I watched in horror as Ferrara and London were hauled to the front of the audience and forced to their knees. My gaze locked on to his, but there was nothing either of us could do.My chains were attached to one of the inner rocks, and on the other side, Lunessa, also dressed in white, was chained to the same
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ViolettaI hadn't seen Finn all night, not since they dragged me away. I was taken to a completely different part of the building, three floors up, and chained to a different wall with a bed.Cozy.Instead of resting for the ritual, I pulled myself as close to the window as I could possibly get and stared outside. It was the same side of the building, the same view of the ritual circle. No new information presented itself, but while I was trying to find an escape, I was also searching for Ferrara.I could feel through the bond that he was close. Alive. Getting stronger every hour that passed. Hope flared inside of me.When the sun rose, the door opened. Three wolves and three witches stood before me. "Time to prepare," one of them said, her voice laced with excitement. She put a white dress on the bed.I glanced at it and snorted. "If you're hoping this is some kind of virginal sacrifice, I have bad news for you. I have been well-loved and well-fucked.""Don't be ridiculous. The magic
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FerraraThere were at least fifteen dead wolves at our feet. Adrenaline surged through me, but I was losing too much blood. London could barely stand. A familiar male werewolf loomed over us."Ferrara. London." He spoke with a harsh rasp that further identified him. Dolan. Maeve's second-in-command. We never interacted much because Dolan rarely left the territory. Normally, her third traveled with her, something most alphas practiced, but Dolan was a different breed of wolf. Apparently, he enjoyed disciplining. There were rumors that Maeve had wolves in confinement for lifetime prison sentences, and Dolan liked to make them bleed, wait for the heal, and then rip them open all over again."I see you left your whipping station," I said hoarsely as I stood. My legs shook so badly that I nearly fell over again. "Just how many wolves did you bring to take us?""I have twenty more rogues on their way here," he said in a bored tone. "My alpha has commanded me to give you a choice. Continue t
