A blood moon rises on the horizon, painting the ground with a bloody glow as it creeps closer and closer to the grounds of Emerald Moon, where a woman is beginning to feel the signs of labor.The packhouse comes alive in preparation for the arrival of an heir, while a group of cloak-clad figures also gather around a circle where a single woman lays bleeding from her wrists, ankles, and neck.As her blood stains the carved pendulum beneath her, the wind begins to swirl, and the dark beast's grunts and groans can be heard echoing around the cave they are safely tucked away in.“The cursed child is almost here,” one of the figures announces, causing excitement to grow around the group.For months, they felt the stirrings of the child and knew that the one they waited so long for was finally being reincarnated. Once the child was there, they simply had to capture it and raise it as their own so that it did exactly what it was that they wanted it to do.“Soon,” another murmurs, making thei
[Rosco’s POV]A bloody, red light bleeds into the room around us, coloring the floor and furniture to match the mood of the evening. On the bed, sitting in the middle of the room, Denali groans with pain as sweat covers her forehead and her body tenses.“Just a bit more,” Cecile, Denali’s midwife, announces. “I can see the head.”“You’re doing wonderfully,” I murmur, brushing a few strands of hair off her soaked skin. “Keep pushing, and soon it will all be over.”Nodding, Denali bites her lower lip so hard that it begins to ooze blood from being torn.As I watch, my heart squeezes painfully, and I find myself wishing that I could take away all the pain that my mate is feeling, but I know in the end she wouldn’t want it that way. Her body was doing an amazing thing, and I would worship her that much more after watching everything she was having to endure in order to bring our child into this world.“One more push!” Cecile announces, drawing my attention toward the bottom of the bed, wh
[Rosco's POV]I watch William’s retreating form for a moment longer before turning and heading back into the room where Denali is watching my mother cradle Serenity. When both ladies’ eyes come to rest on me, I place a smile on my face.“What do you think?” I ask, making my way over to my mother. “I think she looks like me.”Of course I’m joking, but it is easy to see the sadness in her gaze as she watches me. I’m sure she is thinking about how good it would be if my father were here for this, but with his stubbornness, there was no fucking way he would show his face.“I think she looks like Denali,” my mother counters, keeping her voice light. “But she does have your eyes.”Nodding, I look down into the tiny, bottomless pits that rest on my daughter’s face. She’s right; she’s definitely inherited the Torres’ eyes.“Too bad,” I sigh, running a hand through her soft tufts of hair. “I would prefer her to have Denali’s eyes.”At my words, I look over at the woman in question to find her
[Elise’s POV]“Alright,” I announce, fixing my gaze on Rosco. “Why did you want to get me alone?”As I speak, I yank my arm free of his hold and press my hand against his chest.“Did you want to rethink that rejection?”“Don’t be absurd,” he growls, smacking my hand off. “You know damn well that there will never be anything between us.”Smirking, I cross my arms and wait as he stares me down. I had to admit, it was pretty damn funny that he was so full of himself, and it was because of that that I couldn’t help but pick on him. Maybe it was a family trait since his cousin was equally fun to tease.“Then what did you want?” I ask when the silence continues to fall around us. “You ruined my chance to have more fun with your cousin, so it better be good.”“My cousin,” he repeats, his gaze narrowing. “I hope that you will be smart enough to know that you have no place beside him.”“Says who?” I demand, taking offense. “Don’t tell me that you have a cousin complex. Don’t you know that’s gr
[William’s POV]I don’t fight Elise as she begins to lead me away from my brooding cousin. While we move, I can feel his gaze burning into my back and know that when I return later, I’m going to have to deal with his wrath, but given the tense atmosphere between the two earlier, this was for the best in the end.“Thanks for playing along,” Elise sighs once we are out of earshot. “Sorry for using you.”As she speaks, she untangles her arms, but before she can fully release me, I reach out and grab her hand and hold it in place.“Are you just going to use me and throw me away?” I ask. “You and that sister of yours truly are the same.”“The same.” Elise repeats, her voice dripping with venom. “Then why was one of us kept and the other thrown away?”At her words, I feel my heart squeeze with sympathy."Unfortunately, I’m not the one that can answer that,” I admit, knowing this wasn’t the answer she wanted. “You should go straight to the source.”“Mmmm.”Tugging herself free, Elise wraps h
[William’s POV]I climb into my car and pull out my phone, checking my messages from the day, and am shocked to find a number that I don’t recognize. Frowning, I click on it and then feel my eyes widen as I take in the message on the screen.Meet me at the old pub on Burben Street.There is neither a name attached nor an explanation as to what it was that the sender wanted. Reading it again, I wonder whether or not I should actually go, and when curiosity weighs out caution, I rev my car to life and begin to drive.When I arrive at my destination, I move slowly while extending my senses. Since there was no specific place to meet, I couldn’t let down my guard. As I move, I let my eyes scan the area, and when I enter and the overpowering scent of cigarettes and alcohol attacks my nose, I realize why I was asked to meet here. Of course, this would be the perfect place since I couldn’t utilize all my senses.Going on alert, I move slowly until my phone goes off again.Booth in the back co
[Rosco's POV]I lead my mother out of the pack house and toward her waiting car. After my blowup earlier in the night, the atmosphere between us was tense, and I knew that she was most likely wanting to ask what exactly happened but also didn't want to pry.When we reach her car, she turns and takes me in with sad eyes.“Your father would fall in love at first sight with Serenity.” She says, her voice quiet as she treads dangerous waters. “You should really...”“What?” I ask, trying to keep my temper in check. It was her fault that my father and I were currently like this, and there wasn't any reason for me to take anything out on her. “Give him a call when he hasn't bothered calling.”“You know him,” she tries now, but stops as I let out a growl of warning.“He shouldn't put you up to trying to guilt me.” I hiss through gritted teeth. “And I have no intention to apologize. He was the one who made the decision to remove me from the pack due to false allegations against my mate. He is
[Elise's POV]“ELISE!”Rosco's booming voice startles me from a light doze, ruining any semblance of sleep I may have gotten after shifting around for hours to get comfortable.Grumbling, I begin to move again, searching for the perfect spot so I can take a cat nap before breakfast is served.“Elise!” He repeats, finally reaching my cell.“Sorry, Elise isn't home right now; please state your business and then go away.”“Don't you dare fucking play with me right now.” Rosco growls, grabbing my bars and making them groan. “You better fucking answer what I'm about to ask you.”“Is that how you speak to a woman?” I ask, prying one eye open to look at his rage-filled face.“I would hardly say you're a woman.”“Really?” I giggle, opening my other eye and getting to my feet. “Would you like to see whether or not I am?”As I speak, I move forward, and when I'm inches away from Rosco, I hook my fingers in my pants, preparing to remove them.“Make one more move, and I'll fucking kill you.” He w