“Ugh, child. You smell like wet dog. We didn’t you bathe before coming to dinner?” the Red One, my mother, complains. “I apologize, Red One. The she-wolf is feeling poorly and I had to care for her, as well as clean her portion of the cell.” Just because she has claimed me as her daughter in front of our enemies and this spell is all for my “benefit,” that doesn’t mean that I can speak to her as if she were my mother. She is now and has always been the Red One to me. I haven’t called ehr mother since she backhanded me so hard that I fell down a flight of stairs. I think I was six then. Even with my limited understanding of family dynamics, I know that isn’t something that a loving parent is supposed to do. I have rarely, if ever, been shown any affection in this coven. The first time was by a nanny who had been proud of three year old me for solving an addition problem. She had picked me up, hugging me toward her chest. When my mother came in and saw me in the other wo
Thank the Goddess on high for Nyx’s morning sickness cure. Damn, do I feel so much better! I already know that I am pregnant with twins and I’m scared as hell that something is going to happen to them while I’m here. I know that they need me to be pregnant for them to do whatever fucked up ritual they’re going to do, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t do shit to us. That doesn’t mean that they’re going to allow me to carry my pups to term or that they’ll care for them once they’re born. If anything, they’ll kill them immediately after they’re finished with me. It’s the Riding Hoods, they hate werewolves. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of those thoughts. I’m much more emotional than normal right now. I’m not sure if it’s the stress of being kidnapped and away from my mates and Summer, the fear of what they’re going to do to us and when, or my pregnancy. Probably a combination of all three, but whatever it is, I break down crying at the drop of a hat. I’ve managed
We’ve been here for two days. The cabin is gorgeous. When Gael told us about it, I thought that it would just be a dinky little place out in the woods. This is a huge, three-story lodge surrounded on three sides by a lake. It reminds me of the vampire house in that Twilight move with huge floor-to-ceiling windows on every floor. They’re tinted and double paned with blackout shades between the panes that a remote control can raise and lower, but the view is fucking beautiful. The bedrooms are spacious with attached bathrooms. The whole place is beautifully decorated. There’s paddle boats and fishing equipment, as well as a speed boat for the lake. No electronics out here. Gael’s family wanted to be completely off the grid and able to focus on their mates. There are some books and board games, but all and all, there’s not a lot here for us to do. We have a satellite phone and a mobile hotspot for things that we absolutely have to do by phone or on Zoom, but we try not to us
“Will you shut the fuck up!” Jacob screams at me. We’re getting stuff together for the meeting with all of the wolves and supernatural beings who will be arriving over the next couple of days. They’re trying to come up with a plan of how to hunt and stop the Riding Hoods. Jacob and I are in charge of compiling all of the recent information about the Riding Hoods’ movements, the abduction of Esteban and Kayla, and the prophecy. I’ve got my earbuds in as I’m typing up the notes from Jared, Micah, and Jai from when they arrived at Esteban’s house and everything they were able to glean from the scene and from the people working in the restaurant. I’m listening to Taylor Swift and humming along to the music. Don’t hate, girl’s got bars. I take out one of my earbuds and look at Jacob. “What the hell crawled up your butt and died?” “You are making so much fucking noise I can’t even hear myself think. Just shut the fuck up,” Jacob mutters at me. I take the other earbud out and turn
I’m walking into the conference room where I left Rowen and Jacob when I hear Jacob’s crying. How do I know it’s Jacob? He’s my son. I know which child is crying the same way that I know their individual scents, their voices, and their touch. I had left Jacob and Rowen in here while I was working with Bella and Citra and their covens to start preparing healing potions, as well as offensive and defensive spells to prepare to fight the Riding Hoods. Jacob had been on edge for the last couple of days and I think it has to do with whatever the reason is that Alexander has taken off to see Xander and our families in Selene’s realm. I know that Jacob and Alexander depend on each other. It’s not hard to see the relationship between the two of them. I’ve known for years. They aren’t as discrete or clever as they think they are. Alexander is Jacob’s calm in the storm of his anger, his explosive and occasionally violent emotions. Without Alexander here, it isn’t a giant leap to
We’ve been in contact with Chris, Jared, and Summer a lot over the next few days. The fact that Zak and I don’t have our mate with us is making us just a bit needy. Chris seems to get it and she’s kind of bored anyway. Jared and Summer, on the other hand…I’m pretty sure that they’re ready to tell us to fuck off so they can do all of the things that I know Arya is keeping them busy with. As part of the elite warrior force, both Summer and Jared have been working with the fighting forces of the Supernatural Council to try to come up with a plan to figure out how they can track the Riding Hoods. No one has a solution yet, but we’re hoping that once we all get together we can figure something out. Maybe once we are all here, something will click. But in the meantime, Jared and Summer are scouring the lore to see if they can find anyone who may be of help. And Zak and I constantly checking in is just a bit distracting. I know that we’re being needy. Zak knows that we’re being nee
“Why are you helping us?” I ask Nyx for what seems like the one thousandth time. Normally, she gives a vague answer. “The is the wrong direction for the coven.” “My mother is too power hungry.” “This isn’t what I want to be.” But that isn’t enough of an answer. She’s started helping us gain our strength back. The high levels of silver in our chains had been hurting us and tamping down our wolves. She placed a spell above our skin beneath where the cuffs would rub, like an invisible adhesive that made it so that our skin wasn’t touched by the silver. It gave us a connection back to our wolves and helped us to heal, though we still couldn’t link outside of the cell because of magical wards that surrounded the building. That wasn’t something that she could do anything about without the witches noticing. She also was giving us more food and intel about what was going on around the coven. Like she was really prepping us to leave. I have to say, I thought it was some kind of t
I have no idea how Aubrey did it, but she managed to get both Kanati and Huitzilopochtli to come help us find our people and track down the Riding Hoods. Apparently, we weren’t the only race that the Riding Hoods were taking people from. Every single supernatural race was missing anywhere from one to four members. Something big was happening and the world of Supernatural Creatures was done with the Riding Hoods. We all knew that they needed to stop. Kanati, the very first man according to Cherokee legend, looked to be about 25 years old. He is tall, even by werewolf standards, standing nearly at Dad’s height, making him one of the tallest in the room. Both he and his translator, Kamama, both have a year-round tan from being out in the sun all day. They both have very angular features with starkly cut jaw and cheek bones and noses as flat and sharp as an arrowhead. He wore his long black hair in a scalp lock, which means that the hair was shaved except for at the crown of his
I have no idea where we are or how long we’ve been here. Loviatar, the scary ass bitch, has us tucked away in between words. We can interact with objects in the real world, but are more wraiths than anything. It has the benefit of not being hungry, tired, or thirsty, but it’s a rather lonely existence. The only time since Loviatar has ‘saved’ us that we’ve had interaction from the outside world is when Nyx contacted me through the coin. Her words still haunt me. “I was the one that set up the ambush on the witches in the fae realm. I was the one that killed all the witches that you left behind.” “We’re coming for you.” “I’ll be the one that finally puts you down.”I have no idea where I went wrong with her. I treated her the exact way that my mother treated me and her mother treated her. It inspired unending devotion and a need to please in both me and my mother. I had no idea how much Nyx hated me. She always showed such deference. Like she revered me, as she should.
I’ve been hanging out with some of the acolytes from the Crone, Maiden, and Mother covens since we came Arcadia. It’s been great to be around all of these witches again. I’ve missed the sisterhood that comes with it. Many of the witches were weary about interacting with me. But after calls from Nora, Citra, and Bella, they relaxed. With their leaders believing me, they were willing to give me a chance. Though my powers are far and above the acolytes, they are the closest to my age and I’d rather find some friends than a magical peer. Not that’d I would have find one anyway. When I told Kayla that my powers are far above behind and beyond any other witch’s, I was telling the truth. The unfortunate part is that I don’t have a lot of the same experiences as they do. Being stuck in underground tunnels with old hags my whole life and very little interaction with the outside world, I don’t have a lot in common with them. My accent and the fact that I’m still seen as a Riding H
“So, what are we thinking?” Roman asks the second that he sits down. “About what, Roman? There’s a lot of stuff we have to go through,” Zak says amused. “Geez, man. At least wait until we all sit down. I haven’t even had my coffee yet,” Erick grouses. He and Roman are close enough to be brothers, so they give each other shit all the time. “Shit. I have no idea how Justine puts up with your impatience. I’d have you bound and gagged before coffee every morning.” Waggling his eyebrows at his best friend, Roman says, “How do you know she doesn’t?” Justine comes over and smacks Roman on the back of the head. “What did I tell you about telling secrets outside of the bedroom.” Erick glares at him. “TMI, dude. Too fucking much TMI.” I can’t help but laugh at them. They remind me of how Charlie, Zak, Brandon, and I used to be with each other. Zak, Brandon, and I are still like that, but I do miss Charlie’s part in it. My childhood best friend. Even though I get to see h
Alexander and Jared ask to talk to me in the alpha suite after the ceremony is finished. I wait until the party is over and allow Mémé Clara to take Lily to our rooms. Esteban and I take the elevator to the fifth floor of the large packhouse. “Why do you think they want to talk to you?” Esteban asks, though I’m pretty sure he knows. “Tehre’s only one reason they would call me on the night that they have figured out that they are mates,” I say, drily. “Same reason they didn’t have Jacob take over his role as lune tonight?” His face mirrors the anxiety that I’m trying hard not to let consume me. Because this is not going to be a fun conversation. I nod. “JoJo.” Jacob lets us into the room, having changed already. I hug him. “Hey, cuz. How you doing?” He hugs me tightly before gesturing me to come in. “Reaping the consequences of my rash actions,” he says sorrowfully. He turns to my mate, hugging him as well. “Hey, Jacob. Congratulations on finding your mate,” Esteban say
I stand in front of a large group of wolves, fresh matemarks on my neck. A stark difference to my twin who stands beside me, a bittersweet air of excitement and sadness. I feel so bad for Alexander and Jacob. They are my brothers. I love them, care about them and seeing them in this pain hurts me. For now, I can’t do anything about it. For now, I have to stand here during this ceremony and then I have to go through the mating time. But after that, I’ll help them find their mate. I’ll help them at least talk to her. And if I have to, I’ll help them deal with their rejection. “Brothers and sisters!” Declan cries out and my attention is drawn back to the ceremony at hand. “We are here today to welcome another alpha and beta into the Moon Goddess Pack!” The entire room erupts in cheers, stomping of feet, wolf whistles, and pounding on tables. Declan holds up his hands and the crowd quiets. “When our goddess created wolves similar to her son Lycaon, she wanted to give h
All of us fall forward, bodies in tangles in the sheets. But the rest doesn’t last long. Because Rowen’s wolf is the one that is always closest to the surface, he tends to incite Summer and my wolves into even more of a frenzy, especially when we are in bed. And now? When we still have one more mate to mark? They are rubbing themselves around in our minds, urging us to complete the bond. They want their final mate marked and mated. And I, for one, am very happy to oblige. I manuver in the bed so that I’m behind Rowen. I pull on his hips until he’s on his knees. “Mmmm, what are you doing back there, Jare?” he asks, his voice full of desire. “Fucking my mate,” I growl out, slamming into his hole, bottoming out in one thrust. “Holy shit!” he nearly screams, pain and pleasure mixed. I know that his wolf loves the savageness with which I’m taking him. And I know that Rowen himself loves it when we dominate him. It doesn’t happen often, because he’s just so damn good at it.
Rowen has to carry me to the bedroom. I’m not kidding you when I say that the orgasm I just had was the most intense in my entire life. It was like pleasure not only took over my pussy, but infused through every fiber, every neuron, every cell of my body. I’m pretty sure that I blacked out. My wolf was so satisfied, I think she actually purred like a goddess-damned cat! But the satisfaction didn’t last long. I have two mates to mark. Jared has a bottle of lube in his hand, crawling towards us on his knees across the bed. Rowen sets me down and I immediately start crawling over to Jared. “Lay down,” I tell both of them. They are both going to be getting fucked tonight. Might as well make sure they are both loosened, lubed, and ready. Because the way that my arousal is still flowing down my thighs, I’m not going to need it. When they are in position, I pour lube on both of their holes. “Closer together,” I tell them. “I want to suck on both of your cocks while I fing
We stayed with Dad throughout the night, laughing about old times, talking about the responsibilities that will come with our new positions, and talking about the matebond. I can’t wait until I get back to wake up and find my mates. The fact that I know exactly who my mates are, that they are the ones that I’ve wanted my entire life, takes away all of the anxious energy that I’ve been feeling leading up until my birthday. Now, I’m just filled with excitement and impatience. “Am I allowed to tell Summer?” I ask Dad as we’re getting ready to leave. “Yes,” he smiles wide. “You can even mark her if you want. She’ll feel the sparks.” Dad’s face suddenly takes on a worried expression. “Selene was supposed to be here to tell you that. She swore me to secrecy a long time ago. Hell, before Jared’s birthday. She said that she made it work out like this because of the fact that the three of you are Elite warriors and will be needed in the war to come. She wants you at your stronge
I had a feeling that I would be seeing my boys tonight. The night before they were born. Their 21st birthday. It’s so hard to believe that the babes that I held in my arms when they were born, the pups that I have watched grow, both with me and on Earth, are going to be fully fledged wolves. I’m so proud of the males that they have turned out to be. They are strong, brave, kind, loving, and, above all, happy. I love them so much and I am the proudest papa wolf in the entire would because of them. Right now, Alexander has been dealt a shit hand. A really shit hand. I feel awful for him. Jacob really screwed the pooch on that one. I legitimately don’t get it. I mean, I wanted to have my mates more than anything in this world. The only thing that made me even think about rejecting Arya was to help save her pain. But I always, always, always wanted them. I mean, I know who all of our pups are mated to. Jacob, Rowen, and Alexander. I also know who all six, well seven