Rejected and dark-bonded by her mate after her wolf refuses to submit, Ophelia Hawkins is banished from the pack. Forced to flee alongside her abusive mother and younger sister, they return to their hometown of Lunar Isle. It's there, at the birthplace of magic, where Ophelia discovers the truth about her heritage and the purpose of the dark bond now branded onto her flesh. Trapped on an island of wild beasts and magic, she believes her life can get no worse. That is, until she meets her second chance mates: Jude Romero, enforcer to the Alpha, and a Lycan with magic as brutal and wild as the man himself, and Alpha Ryker Romero, cold-hearted, sharp-tongued, and the boyfriend of Ophelia's older sister. Plagued with the agony of a broken mate-bond and two second chance mates she cannot have; Ophelia falls into a darkness unlike any other. Little does she know, there are forces at work in Lunar Isle. Something is hunting her, something big. Something she isn't sure she can survive. Will her second-chance mates step up to the plate when she needs them most? Or will they fail her like everyone else in her life?
Lihat lebih banyakNova“So much guilt. So much curiosity,” he purred. “I would apologize for putting you to sleep, but it would be a lie. This conversation is easier had without you bleeding all over the floor. I could only patch you up, but if you allow me, which you will, I can heal you.”I opened my mouth, ready to suffer the agony of attempting to speak, just to tell him off, when he lunged again. This time, he placed his hand over my mouth. Reading the defiance in my eyes, he pulled his lips back and flashed me his teeth in a grin that was downright cheeky.He reminded me of Jude, with his mannerisms. One smile, one wink, and you’d forget what they were.“Bite me and I will bite you back.” Lowering his hand slowly, he moved it to cradle the back of my head. His hold wasn’t quite gentle, either. There was a firmness—no, a possessiveness to it. I found myself unable to breathe properly. Did all demons have such long eyelashes?Before I could formulate a reply, he brought our mouths together in a kis
NovaI spun around with my heart in my throat and terror ripping through my chest like shrapnel. My vision tunneled. A hand reached for me.I lunged back with a strangled noise, shoving hard, the heels of my palms crashing against his chest. It was Sterling.His eyes widened as I jerked away from him as if he’d burned me. I couldn’t speak. My throat screamed as I stood there stammering and gasping, sobbing like a complete lunatic. I wanted to vanish—to disappear.Sterling held his hands up, gentle, steady—not a threat—but it didn’t matter. My mind said he wanted to hurt me, that everyone did.I turned, stumbled away, but Jude was already there with his fist cocked and eyes wild. He threw the first punch, clipping Sterling in the jaw. Fat droplets of rain began to fall from the sky. They felt like ice kissing my cheeks.Turning away, I began to walk. I didn’t wait to see if Sterling hit back. I knew he would. Without Ophelia and Ryker, Jude was a wild animal with no leash. He wouldn’t
NovaRyker was trying to kill me.I shifted the moment those demons tore through the portal, even though some insane part of me wanted to stand there gawking in horror. Part wolf? More like part deer.My paws hit the ground as the first demon lunged, its trident aimed to skewer me in two. The stench of sulfur and demon flesh singed my nostrils. I dodged left, but just barely. The wind of the blow brushed against my flank.I charged the sword-wielding demon first, sliding under it’s swing. I snapped at its ankle and felt flesh tear beneath my teeth. The sour taste of demon blood filled my mouth, spilling from my maw. It was going to take forever to get out of my fur.Roaring in pain or fury, or some mixture of both, the demon stumbled back, and I lunged again, only for a pair of claws to clip me in the side and sending me flying across the clearing.I hit the ground hard, dirt flying up my nose and into my eyes. Searing pain arced up my ribcage, followed by sticky warmth. Blood. I cran
OpheliaI sucked in a breath and held it until my lungs burned—until the screaming in my chest matched the screaming in my head. Nothing else mattered as I crawled onto his lap. A purr rumbled in his chest, one that told me I was safe with him for the time being. The dark magic hadn’t taken him over entirely yet. I just … I needed to be close while I figured this out, while I came up with a solution.Deep down I knew—I knew there was no way out of this.A choked sound left me, something between a sob and a broken exhale. My carefully crafted restraints shattered, and I lurched forward and kissed him.His lips were fever warm beneath mine, but he kissed me back like I was his lifeline. I knew that if his hands weren’t bound they would’ve been cradling my face, peppering it with reverent touches that made me melt inside.I didn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to think of a world without Ryker—one where I couldn’t be angry with him, where I couldn’t learn to forgive him.Rig
OpheliaLight ripped around us, not bright or searing, but warm. It formed a tunnel of energy, and on its walls I saw a slideshow of the earth moving past us—hills and valleys, cities and towns.Holding Ryker tight, I jumped.Like the snap of a rubber band, we were spat out somewhere else. Our legs tangled and we crashed onto solid ground. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs. Ryker hit the earth beside me, completely unmoving. My arms trembled as I pushed myself up, my body exhausted from using all that magic.Even with my neat little siphoning trick, ley line travel took a lot of energy.Someone’s two-story family home loomed before us, its towering white columns mirroring the clouds drifting lazily across the sky. The wide front porch stretched out like open arms. There was even a swing swaying gently from the evening breeze. A neatly stacked pile of firewood rested against the side of the house, and the scent of sun-warmed grass filled the air.Using magic, I dragged Ryker
OpheliaWe left the manor exactly as it had been, shifting into our wolf forms to travel to the nearest town. The run helped dull the sharp edges of my thoughts, but the moment we arrived, reality came crashing back down.The town was small and worn. The kind of place where the streetlights flickered, and the air smelled of cheap gasoline.The motel wasn’t much better with its peeling paint, flickering sign, and lobby that reeked of mildew, but it had a bed and hot water. That was plenty enough for me.Inside the cramped room, I told the others, “When I was traveling with my father, I met a demon. One of Hell’s princes.” At this Nova paled. I knew she was thinking of the demon currently trapped in her bedroom—the incubus. “It showed me a vision where my mother was alive and well. She wasn’t twisted by dark magic, or corrupted, or anything like that. She was just herself.”I left out the other parts. The ones I couldn’t say without severing ties from my father entirely, and that would
OpheliaThe front porch creaked beneath our weight, the sound deafening in the silence. Every whisper felt like an accusation, every breeze a paranoid thought that chilled me to my core. I was sure my father would step out from behind a pillar, or a hedge.I inhaled deeply, reaching out with my magic. “There aren’t any wards on the house.”Nova made a face. “That’s surprising. We had a hell of a time making it through the forest, but this place has nothing?”“Morningstar likely assumed no one would get this far.” Sterling crossed his arms. “Or, depending on which point we entered, the wards we encountered could have varied entirely.”“It did feel like they intersected in some areas,” I pondered aloud.“That is elaborate. Like a moving puzzle.” Ryker huffed. “I’d expect nothing less.”I reached for the door handle, my fingers grazing the cold, swirling metal. A sharp sting shot through my finger, and I jerked back with a wince. A drop of blood welled on my fingertip.“Damn it,” I grunt
OpheliaHe balled his hand into a fist and the earth trembled before splitting open. Vines with wickedly sharp thorns, curved like the blade of a scythe, lunged from the ground like vicious snakes. There was a yelp, followed by a wail of pain as Jude’s vines struck the wolf closest to us.Nova fell to the ground, her mouth open in a soundless scream. Blood spilled from a deep gash across her chest, one right below her collarbones. Jude turned, his eyes wide with curiosity. “Well, fuck, that’s not good.” “Grab below her arms!” Ryker bellowed at Sterling, who jumped into action to haul Nova up. She let out a pained groan that twisted my stomach into knots. There was so much blood. So much crimson. “Focus, tesoro. We need you to keep up the protection shield as long as you can. Sterling has herbs on him that will heal her, but we need space to use them.”His voice snapped me out of my panic, and I nodded. Drawing magic from the earth was slower with all the wards in place. I was confide
OpheliaFor the next hour we trudged through the uneven terrain, navigating over thick roots and jagged rocks, the towering trees pressing in from all sides.I continued to rely on a mix of my magic and the blood racing through my veins to lead the way. My fathers house was still mine to some degree—still mine by blood. I was beginning to realize that in the magic world, blood held power.The further we delved, the harder it became to see ahead—especially with the fading light. Branches hung low like skeletal fingers, clawing at our clothes.Eventually the air thickened with humidity, and soon, fog curled along the ground, rising in creeping tendrils. It clung to our skin, damp and warm, carrying the scent of earth—rich, almost sweet.“Watch your step,” Ryker said a moment too late.Nova’s mouth flew open as her foot caught on something unseen, her balance pitching dangerously forward—straight toward a steep drop-off we hadn’t even noticed. Jude reacted first, clamping his hand over h
Ophelia “Chin up, girl! Oh, and tuck that stomach of yours in. Honestly, try not to look so pathetic, Ophelia. You’re being mated to an Alpha.” Mother muttered quietly, “Goddess only knows how that one happened.” I bit my tongue when she yanked the front of my simple cotton dress down, exposing a fair amount of cleavage. Speaking up would only make things worse. She might not be able to strike my face, but she knew how to punish without leaving marks. “Yes, Lucille.” She didn’t care for when I called her mother. Apparently, it made her feel old. That didn’t stop Astrid and Kimberly from calling her it, but they’d always been her favorites. Mother snared a lock of my strawberry-blonde hair and tugged hard. Her flat, dark eyes scoured my face in search of a flinch or wince. “You should have let me dye this mess for you. Alas, it’s too late. Not that it matters in the slightest.” She said with the wave of her hand, “Soon enough, you’ll be someone else’s problem.” A problem, that’s ...
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