RykerI had no choice but to leave the book behind for now. My shirt as well considering it was now coated in that strange, greasy substance the tendrils of darkness left in their wake. I’d have to come back for it later and make sure the spell that Kimberly placed on Jude wasn’t just broken.I wanted it destroyed.Sterling hadn’t been too far off when he claimed the disturbance on the island was Death.I raced through the winding streets of downtown Lunar Isle, craning my head left and right. My heart hammered in my chest. People were running in all directions, most shifting into their wolf forms to take off into the surrounding forest. The voices of my people assaulted me, racing down the mind-link in a slurry of panic and terror.“Alpha, help us!”“The children! Get the children!”“What’s happening? I don’t understand!”“What are these things? Someone needs to alert the covens!”Sunlight streamed down, bringing humidity and heat that my wolf’s tongue lolling out. It was a beautiful
Ryker“He’s not working alone.” Nova added quietly, “Ophelia’s with him. Do you think…”“Spit it out.” Jude snarled, his gaze turning murderous. Blood coated him from head-to-toe as if he’d bathed in the shit. “Go on, Nova. Say it with your chest.”“Jude,” Sterling sighed.Nova’s brows creased. “Ophelia could’ve helped him do this. You said he got away with that trunk of his. Why would they go through all that trouble if it weren’t for something worthwhile? She could be behind this too. Like it or not, she’s made her choice again and again.”Vines crawled up from the cracks within the earth, slithering along the ground as they crept towards Nova. More than one began to sprout thorns which twisted and curled upwards, ready to draw blood.“So what are you proposing?” Jude said quietly. “Are you saying we should kill them both? Get rid of them and maybe all of this will end?”“Goddess no, Jude. I’m not saying we should kill Ophelia you fucking crazy—”Sterling nudged her, “Maybe we shoul
Ophelia I had a bad feeling about leaving my father behind to distract Ryker and Jude, but it was too late.The moment the rings magic recharged I stepped through a portal that, thanks to a quick tracking spell, took me to Southern Florida. That was where Hunter’s father, Alpha Neil, had last been spotted. Apparently he and a group of his men were stationed there for the time being while his ships surrounded Lunar Isle.How Ryker and Jude went this long without giving him the remains of his son was beyond me. Considering all that I’d done, and was about to do, I couldn’t very well judge.Rest in peace, dickhead.I followed the glowing golden threads of the tracking spell all the way to a private shipyard in Ft. Lauderdale.Yacht after yacht sat nestled against a wide dock that spanned several yards into the ocean. The waves were gentle as they lapped against the ships hulls, creating a quiet melody that reminded me of Lunar Isle.I caught myself taking a deep breath of the salty air a
OpheliaErnesto was like most werewolves, which meant he was built like a mountain and had muscles larger than my face. His tanned skin was slick with sweat, which made little sense considering it was nice and cool inside Alpha Neil’s office.That meant he was nervous about something. Why, though?I pointed to myself, a contrite smile spreading across my face. “Oh, you think I’m Aisha? Right, I almost forgot.”The magic holding my façade in place slipped. It cracked before Ernesto’s very eyes, peeling away like flecks of porcelain off an old doll.“Who…” He trailed off, eyes skating over my low-cut top, pleated skirt, and combat boots with knee-high socks.I snapped my fingers. “Up here, Ernesto. Goddess, you’re like fifty. Get a grip, old man. You seriously don’t remember me? I’m a little bit offended. Try and think hard. I was different back then. Sweeter. Kinder. More naïve.” A harsh edge entered my voice. “I was destined to be your Luna once, but like everything else that too was
OpheliaAlpha Neil threw back his head and let loose a laugh that rippled across the crowd. Many of the warriors joined in, their eyes flickering with equal parts humor and malice. The way they roamed over me, lingering on the places where my skin showed, was nothing short of telling.They saw me as a weak, pathetic woman who had yet to learn her place.Many in the crowd—those who had lived under Alpha Neil’s thumb for generations—didn’t so much as chuckle. It was the women who looked on in silence, their expressions carefully guarded.The rest watched on in shock at seeing a small, seemingly defenseless girl challenge their Alpha.“I’ll do no such thing,” Neil smirked. “I’d much rather take you into custody where you’ll be of use to me. I’m sure your second chance mates will be happy to know you’re safe and sound.”The wind kicks up, stirring around Alpha Neil and shooting across the crowd where it ruffles my clothes and causes my hair to fan out around my shoulders.I press my tongu
OpheliaThrough blood, sweat, and tears I was now the Luna of an entire pack.I relished the irony that it was the very pack I’d been destined to rule over and would have had Alpha Hunter not rejected me.It brought a smile to my face imagining his ghost rolling in it’s grave, frothing at the mouth at the realization that both he and his scumbag of a father had lost everything.“She’s a cheat!” One of the warriors shouted shortly after the crowd had climbed to their feet. The cry came from a muscled warrior whose baby face told me he hadn’t seen many battles if any. “She used that knife to kill our Alpha!”I cracked my neck, wincing at the little jolts of pain that shot down my spine. Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground where Neil’s body lay, I smiled at the warrior.“Your Alpha,” I cooed. “Who had his son publicly reject me because I refused to bow and submit? Your Alpha who then had said son place a dark bond mark on me, replacing my will with his own. They made me a slave.
OpheliaI kept my mind blank and expression neutral as I walked up the steps leading into the safe house.Had I not taken another dosage of my daily potion I would have been drowning in a sea of volatile emotions. All of which stemmed from the fact that somehow my father had torn open a portal on Lunar Isle.That wasn’t at all what I had in mind when I said I needed a distraction.I pinched my lips together and took a moment to compose myself before opening the front door. Surely he knew that wasn’t what I had wanted. As angry as I was with Jude and Ryker I never wanted innocent people to suffer.Not having access to my emotions didn’t make me crave bloodshed. Sometimes, in situations such as Ren Nakamura or Ernesto, it was necessary, but not in this case.“Ophelia, right on schedule.” My father said by way of greeting as I slipped through the dining room. He stood in the small kitchen, leaning against the counter. Sitting on top was a cutting board. A butchers knife stuck out of it,
OpheliaI shook my head as if that would untangle the clusterfuck of information currently rattling around in my skull.“Opening a portal into the heart of the demon realm wouldn’t just let a few measly demons through. It would let them all through. It…It would be chaos. Bloodshed. The end of—of everything.”“No, that’s where you’re wrong.” He insisted. “Our ability will allow us to control the demons. They’ll act how we want them to act. Think how we want them to think.”“But I can’t control demons!” My voice had a shrillness to it that made me wince. My father pulled back, a small but knowing smile on his face that gave me pause. “You think I can control them.”“Yes, I do.”His answer was a punch to the gut for reasons he wouldn’t understand. If I could control the demons—if I possessed that ability from the very beginning—then it truly was my fault that Denver, Arielle, and Sara had died. It was my fault Coop was now possessed.I could have saved them all had I known.My magic reac