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
OpheliaMy mate was getting married.Even worse, he was getting married to my sister.My wolf’s anger bled into my veins until I could feel it thickening my blood, pumping hatred into my heart until it’s acidic taste danced along the back of my tongue.“Be calm,” I told her. “We need a level head if our plan is going to work.”Discreetly and with great care I had the warriors from my pack slowly remove themselves from Lunar Isle. With news of Ryker’s wedding rippling across the island, it was all too easy for them to slip away unnoticed.All except for Aisha, who stubbornly insisted she remain by my side.“With all due respect, Luna, I am your Beta. It’s quite literally my job to stand by you.” The female said, her chin lifted with pride. “I ask for the sake of my honor that you allow me to remain here.”Her long hair was slicked into a high pony, which was currently draped over her shoulder. She wore a black tank-top that showed off her chiseled arms, and a pair of leather pants fitte
OpheliaPaling, Kimberly spun around and took off towards the back of the temple.A dark smile tugged at the corners of my lips. Kimberly had never been the smartest, but clearly she was intelligent enough to know that even with the spell she’d placed binding her to Jude, neither of my mates would dare protect her from me.She shoved her way through the crowd, which were stampeding for the doors in sheer panic. Swatches of bland colored fabric flitted before my eyes during the chaos.Smoke filled the air as the wooden benches ignited.I had no intention of killing these people. I merely needed them to act as a distraction so I could confront Kimberly. In a few minutes Aisha would open the doors and let them scurry out like a hoard of finely dressed cockroaches.My magic hadn’t just affected the temple itself, but the land around it. Vines began crawling in through the shattered windows, winding around pillars and those in the crowd. Several screams rang out as the vines snagged people
JudeSeveral days before the wedding…“The fuck do you mean it just closed up?”Ryker pinched the bridge of his nose. Exhaustion weighed heavy on him, but after three days of straight fighting it weighed heavily on all of us. Still, he was shorter tempered than usual. It was unlike him, but then again loss of Ophelia was still clawing its way through the tattered remains of our souls.“I mean what I said Jude,” he snapped, tugging on the sleeve of his dress shirt. The white material was stained with blood, but he made no move to change. “The tear or rift or whatever the fuck you want to call it closed up. Si è chiuso! It’s not there anymore. The rest of the demons that managed to slip through have been killed as well. We have a few fire elementals out there burning the remains.”Well, that explained the smell of charred ass lingering in the air.Nova walked in, freshly showered and stinking of lemon-scented soap. “Don’t either of you find it strange that Beta chick practically jumped
JudeThe entire thing, from the gaudy ass dressed to the faces packed full of make-up, turned my stomach inside out. I wanted to tear it all to fucking shreds. I wanted to carve every one of Kimberly’s twisted, fucked up dreams from her flesh and bathe in her blood.I held onto the daydream of doing just that as I climbed the steps in the temple of the Goddess, and joined Ryker at the podium where he and that bitch would be married.Fuck, I missed Ophelia. Missed her like nothing else. The day we found her in the bathroom, she carved my damn heart out and took it with her. It had been hers long before that though.It didn’t matter to me that she had gone over to the dark side. Hell, I fucking loved it there. All I cared about was whether or not she were snuffing out that light I’d fallen for within her. The light I craved like none other.When you’ve lived in the dark your entire life you have no clue how good that light feels.So imagine my surprise when the doors to the temple fly o
OpheliaI dragged Kimberly along with me as we exited the temple through the side door.The ebony snakes still writhed over her skin, their fangs sunken deep into her flesh. Little streams of dried blood were caked to her arms, throat, and shoulders. She tried to fight against them, but it was futile. They were feeding on my blood. Morningstar blood.It would take a long while for them to tire.Gazing down towards the front of the building, I spotted the guests fleeing from the chapel. They moved in droves, trampling the finely manicured grass in their attempt to make it to the parking lot.I veered left, towards the dense forest. No one would think to head that way. The guests would inevitably flock towards the fire trucks and ambulances packed with healers that were likely already on the way.“I’d say it’s a shame your pretty wedding dress is now stained with your blood, but I don’t particularly care. In fact, I don’t feel much of anything at all.”The closer we neared to the forest
NovaAfter using the bathroom, I made my way to the kitchen, catching myself on the walls as the house tilted left and right. Smacking my dry lips, I winced. I needed something to drink that wasn’t straight liquor.So, I made myself a martini, extra dirty.I was putting the vodka and vermouth back when the temperature in the room began to rise. Warmth like molten honey began to drip down my spine in a rhythm my body had memorized. Panic seized me and my throat closed, causing me to choke. As I coughed into my fist, my eyes watering, I could feel that warmth grow and spread.That was how the ghost—or whatever the fuck it was—made itself known. I didn’t know how long it had been here. It only started acting up recently. I immediately went to Sterling since he was practically an expert on the dead, but even he couldn’t help.“I can’t get a read on it. Whatever kind of spirit it is, it’s hiding from me. Are you sure you tried all of the banishments in the spellbook? And none of them worke
NovaI was no stranger to guilt.I had seen it appear like a shadow on the wall the day we found out our mother died. Since then I could feel it looming over my shoulder those moments where I failed to protect Coop—failed to help guide and raise him the way I promised her.There were bad moments, like seeing my brother strapped to a bed at the same asylum Alpha Ryker’s father stayed at, where it felt like the shadow wasn’t just leaning over my shoulder, but whispering in my ear.Five more hairs, only five. I reached up and tugged them at the root, chewing on my lower lip as I felt each one pop free. They lay in my hand like strands of pale ribbon.Mom always loved my hair.Things hadn’t always been this way, but I no longer could remember a time where the guilt didn’t gnaw at me. Over the years it had grown into a bigger beast than even my wolf could tame.“You do know that we’ll have to find some way to disguise me, right?” Ophelia said as I walked back into the room. Another wave of
OpheliaAfter that night at Edwards I realized that alcohol helped chase the nightmares away. It wasn’t sustainable, and I knew that, but it at least bought me a few nights’ sleep while I tried to figure something else out.Sneaking out to the library again was becoming an impossibility, so I had no way to look for my own alternative. I had no clue how Ryker managed to run an entire island, when I could barely manage a hundred. There was always someone who needed something from me, and even with Aisha’s help I felt like a child playing at being an adult.I quickly became tempted to accept the potion Jude offered instead, which he left outside of my door every single night, but why should I?He agreed to give me that potion, not some replacement. He could deny it and twist my words however he wanted, but I wasn’t going to give in. He couldn’t walk all over me just because we shared some bond.When Nova’s ‘friend date’ rolled around later that week I was almost relieved. That was until
OpheliaI was never going to forgive that asshole.Dashing through the forest, the earth steady beneath my paws, the warm wind rustling through my fur, was the only thing that kept me sane. I focused on my muscles coiling, on the tension that came when I launched off the ground, forcing myself into a sprint.It was better than thinking. Anything was better than thinking.The forest gave way to soft dunes as I neared the coastline. My paws sank into the sand, slowing my pace. I walked, my chest still heaving from exertion. Part of me wanted to keep running, to lose myself in the thrill, but exhaustion was creeping in, and I knew Ryker and Jude would only come and hunt me down. This way I could say I was with Edward, and they’d back the hell off for a little while.Edward’s beach house sat in the distance. The lights on the first floor were on. They cast an amber glow onto the surrounding foliage that felt welcoming. From where I was standing, I could see the winding pathways that circl
JudeOphelia was furious.Considering I was the one who made her feel that way, and she was my reason for existing, I should have felt guilty, right?Really, I blamed her father. He was the one that introduced her to that potion instead of getting her the help she needed. I wasn’t exactly the biggest spokesperson for mental health, but I made a promise the night I lost Ophelia and that was to never ignore the signs. Our girl was struggling, and if we could see it then surely her own flesh and blood could.I read Morningstar’s body language the few times we saw him and either he was a damned good actor—as good as myself—or he genuinely felt something for Ophelia. That didn’t fool me though. I also knew that love was both a tool and a weapon, and it didn’t discriminate against who it harmed.He might care for her in his own fucked up way, but he had no issues with using her either.My dove never failed to surprise me. She glared down at the potion in her hand, her lip curled in a silent
OpheliaAfter one last game we returned to our table for another round of drinks and for some crappy bar food.“Cheese fries.” I moaned, not caring that the waitress had given Jude the food whilst completely ignoring me. My stomach let out a snarl, the vicious kind that came when you had a few too many drinks. “At least there’s one good thing left in this world.”Jude took a drink of his whiskey. “Is that what you think? That there’s nothing good left in the world.”I licked some cheese off the tip of my thumb. “It’s what I know.”“If you’re here that means there’s good left in the world. That’s what I know.” He said, simply put. This wasn’t him trying to be charming, it was just Jude.The laugh I let out was one I didn’t recognize. “I’m not good anymore.”“That’s a load of shit. Since when?”“Doesn’t matter.”“No, you said it, now follow through. You’re not good anymore, fine. When did it happen? What made you go full dark side? I’m going to assume it wasn’t Ryker and I, because you
OpheliaAs we stepped inside, the scent of leather, whiskey, and cigarette smoke assaulted my senses.I was enveloped by the low rumble of conversation and the clinking of glasses. In the background I could hear the squeal of an electric guitar from the classic rock music playing from a jukebox in the corner. Men and women of all shapes and sizes filled the dimly lit space. Several of them, though not all, had tattoos and leather vests full of patches. A motorcycle gang, then.Jude's hand rested on my lower back as he guided me through the crowd. I could feel the heat of him through the thin fabric of my jacket. The phantom caress of sparks licked up my spine and I shuddered. His lips twitched and I knew he felt my reaction to him, the bastard."You brought me to a biker bar?" I asked, more than happy to change the subject.He looked downright sinful in his long-sleeved Henley. It clung to every ripple of muscle across his broad chest and arms. The sleeves were currently pushed up to
OpheliaPlot twist, it meant Ryker was full of shit.When I finally received Edward from Jude’s greedy clutches he was battered to hell and had a broken wrist. The broken wrist, as it turned out, was from Ryker. He didn’t even bother to be gentle as he grabbed him by the back of the neck and hoisted him off Jude.The bond was thrilled. I was annoyed and had a mild case of heartburn.When Edward trudged up to me with his shirt torn and stained with blood he did so with his nose in the air. I wasn’t sure why I thought he had the decency to at least act ashamed. I still had a lot to learn apparently.“Come the hell on before I kick your ass too,” I snarled under my breath. Spinning around, I began to storm off in the direction of his car. Anger had my blood boiling. When paired with this heat it was a deadly combination. “I can’t believe you both just did that, and over what? Over your own silly egos! You’re worried about what my father will think. Well, what’s he going to think about th
OpheliaCome on, baby. You’re smarter than this.They were wrong, the two of them. They didn’t know the truth. All they knew was what we were shown the day we scried. I was sure I could’ve found a way to show them the truth myself, but was there a point? Did I really want them on my side?They weren’t on it before. Why would they be now?Just two days later I managed to evade Edward and shift into my wolf to run to the library. I needed to research what might’ve happened to my mother’s soul without him hovering over my shoulder. Surprisingly, Jude and Ryker had been busy the past couple of days. Neither one bothered to tell me what they were doing, but I didn’t care.A twinge started in my chest.Correction, the mate-bond cared.As soon as the library’s door closed behind me I shuffled behind the nearest stack and followed it deeper into the room. There were a few students seated at tables in front of the librarian’s desk. I’d have to avoid them. Word traveled fast when you were a par