OpheliaThe drive home with Ryker was filled with tense silence.Something had changed during the walk to his car. It had been wrong of me to call Nova a coward given I couldn’t even bring myself to ask what had happened.Instead, I slipped from the car as he parked in Lucille’s driveway, and scurried into the house, my sore bottom a reminder of what we’d done…and what could never happen again.I thought about it all night, tossing and turning in bed when I should have been sleeping in preparation for my exam tomorrow.Pain was something I was familiar with given I’d been experiencing it at Lucille and Kimberly’s hand for years now. It had been wholly different with Ryker, though. With him and Jude, pain and pleasure were two beasts forever entangled.With them I felt safe.Night turned to day, and I went to my classes as normal. It was easier to swallow Diana’s repeated displays of kindness now that I knew the reasoning behind them. I could at least enjoy the free coffee and pastries
OpheliaIn the end, I swallowed my pride and put on the obscenely gorgeous dress Nova had purchased for me.Ugh, I hated the sound of those words.I’d have to find some way to repay her, my stubborn pride all but demanded it.I slipped into the dress easily enough, marveling at the long lace sleeves that covered my dark bond mark from sight. Returning to my bedroom, I had Nova secure the corset at my back. After slipping on a matching pair of heels, I stopped to marvel at my best friends gown.It was a pretty, pale shade of blue that brought out the pink apples of her cheeks. Similar to my own, it was cut in a typical ballgown style, only instead of lace and chains, Nova’s gown was covered in delicate pink wildflowers.She looked like a spring princess.Before we left, I grabbed a bottle of scent blocker and spritzed myself from head to toe. Nova watched; her lips twisted into a deep frown.“You know, I didn’t get why you used that stuff until the night we scried for answers about our
OpheliaA cold chill slithered down my spine as Sterling twirled me beneath his arm.“Does this mean you’re finally going to tell me what ghost you saw that supposedly knows me?”Sterling’s eyes settled on something just beyond my shoulder, and I couldn’t help but wonder if the dead were watching us dance, whispering to him even from afar.“Spirits are complicated things,” His voice dropped in volume as we glided past another couple, “They’re often confused after their deaths, reliving it again and again. Sometimes it takes a push for them to remember who they once were. You arriving to the island, discovering your magic, joining our coven, it was all one big push.” He grabbed me by my waist and lifted me, spinning us both in tune with the song, “Your grandparents say hello, by the way.”His words caught me so off guard that I stumbled, tripping over my own two feet. Only his steadying hands kept me upright. Without flinching, he continued to steer me through the movements.“I should
OpheliaHe chose not to answer, and instead decided to scowl at me as though I were the problem. Well, if he wanted to be that way, then there was no way I would leave. I’d stay here all damn night!Eventually the song ended, the instrumentals dwindling into a hushed silence. I was happy to step away from Jude, to suck in a deep breath that wasn’t tainted by his mouthwatering scent.Nova appeared through a gap in the crowd with two champagne glasses in hand. Her eyes widened a bit when she spotted me talking to Jude. Clearly she was just as surprised as I was that he recognized me.“Enjoy the rest of the night, Jude.” I hurled his name like a dagger, “I know I sure will.”He grabbed my wrist before I could move away, yanking me into the heat of his chest. Lips skimmed my ear and coaxed a gasp from me.“Careful who you dance with, little dove, because I’m going to break the hands of every man you let touch you. I think I’ll start with Edward.”I ripped myself out of his grasp, “You wou
Ophelia I made it a few feet into the forest, wet leaves and branches crunching beneath my bare feet, when I heard someone shouting my name. “Ophelia!” Nova burst through the tree line, her chest heaving and eyes glossy. She stood there panting, staring at me for several seconds. Her cheeks were red, and not from the blush she had painstakingly applied before the ball. “Ophelia!” I paused and slowly turned to face her the rest of the way, “Goddess, Ophelia, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what Ryker had planned. If I did—” Cold spread throughout my chest, “You’d what?” She blinked at me, droplets of rain clinging to her lashes. The downpour had slowed as I locked away every ounce of pain within my heart. “I would’ve never suggested we go.” We stared at one another, neither of us speaking. Nova took a step towards me. “Why didn’t you tell me? Ryker and Jude, they’re your mates, the both of them. But you didn’t tell me.” It didn’t matter how much I wanted to tell her the truth. My ch
OpheliaI awoke to a lengthy text message from Lucille threatening me to hell and back for punching Kimberly in her piggish face.As I expected, I was grounded until the end of time, which meant I’d have to sneak out tonight in order to make it for Coop’s ritual. Lucille also felt the need to mention I could no longer see or speak to Nova, and that if she had her way I’d be promptly expelled from Eclipse University.She had also signed me up for a morning shift at the Moonlight Lounge, which meant I couldn’t wallow in bed the way I so desperately wanted to.Eight more days, I told myself.Eight more days until I could set my mother free.I lost myself in the fantasy of what might happen once I had her back. Would she remove the spell on Lunar Isle? Would we leave this place and start over somewhere new?The thought of leaving Ryker and Jude made my heart constrict painfully, but what was there left for me here? Other than Nova and Coop, I had no one.I put on my big girl pants, both m
OpheliaRyker stood, a growl ripping through his chest. “What the fuck is this? Who are you?” His tone left no room for questions.“He’s a dead man walking.” Jude said flatly.It was horrible of me to hope and pray that Alpha Hunter lost his life here tonight, but I did. Goddess, I prayed for it harder than I’d ever prayed for anything.Too bad Alpha Hunter was smarter than that.Alpha Hunter tipped his head to the side, his blonde locks skillfully messy. Even now, several of the girls nearby were sizing him up, coy smiles lighting their faces.“I—” Hunter gazed down at me, genuinely confused. “I thought you were going to tell them about us?” He blinked the unease from his eyes and smiled at Ryker, oozing confidence. “I’m Alpha Hunter. Opal and I dated way back when. We recently rekindled things, so I wanted to surprise her with a visit.”Ryker’s eyes grew bright with murder. The sand around his feet kicked up, “You dared come to my pack without asking permission? Do you truly think t
Ophelia “Hey, Coop. Why don’t you spark up a couple of joints? It’ll help us relax before the ritual.” Coop tugged me outside the sliding glass doors and onto the small patio. Sarah was perched on Arielle’s lap, twirling one of her girlfriends braids around her finger. The two broke into grins as they spotted us. “Fuck, I’m so ready to get this done with.” Arielle huffed, snatching the joint from Coop mere seconds after he lit the thing. She exhaled a puff of smoke into the air, “I’m practically shaking, I’m so nervous.” Sarah planted a kiss on Arielle’s lips, swiping the joint from her fingers. “After this we’ll have our own coven. No one will fuck with us ever again.” With each puff my nerves began to ease. A weightlessness settled over me, making me forget all about dark bonds and unavailable Alpha’s. Once the joint was nothing more than a stub, we headed inside. Denver had moved to another point of the circle, leaving his back facing us. I looked over his shoulder, down at th
OpheliaI waited until I heard his bedroom door close before letting out a slow breath. Turning back to the scrying bowl, I placed a quick silencing charm over the room to ensure the conversation would be private. I wouldn’t put it past Edward to eavesdrop.Magic spilled out of me in a steady stream. I let it seep into the herbs as I hastily poured them into the water. It was my sloppiest work, but I couldn’t focus more than a few seconds at a time. My mind would drift to those birds, and to the feelings stirring in my chest, and my hands would begin to shake.Scrying was an imperfect art. Much like a vast city with a network of alleyways, there were many ways to get to one place. I merely chose the straightest, fastest one.“Dad!” I shouted and my own voice echoed back at me. The water rippled, like rain disturbing the surface of a puddle, when my father’s face appeared. He stood over me as if I were lying on the ground. It made the angle of the image seem off. As the water was distu
OpheliaMy eyes fluttered open as a set of harsh whispers pierced through my consciousness. It was impossible to keep still when my soul recognized the voices.“We know exactly how they got on the island. What I want to know is why that pezzo di merda sent a flock of demons …” His words were laced with venom, ending on a growl that left the rest unintelligible.Jude’s reply was softer, but no less intense. “And we will find out.”My heart began to race. They had to be talking about my father. Again. I took a steadying breath and pushed myself up. There was a dull throb in the places where I’d been wounded by the demon birds. I glanced down and saw white bandages covering parts of my body.“Bird wounds weren’t healing right.” At the sound of Jude’s voice I looked up. My mouth went dry. He was leaning against the wall of my bedroom, his fists jammed in his pockets. An indolent smile unfurled across his face as he caught me staring. Thankfully, he didn’t comment. “There was some kind of
OpheliaAnother one of their strange cries split the air, followed by another, and another, until they melded into a chorus of screams. I closed my eyes, but it only made it worse. They sounded just like wailing infants, their voices far higher and shriller than they had any right to be. The hairs on the back of my neck lifted.“Ryker,” I breathed, my voice trembling. “What the hell are those things?”There was a strange rumble as the red eyes began to rise in height and grow brighter, burning like hot coals. Their cries continued to build, grinding against my skull like a hacksaw. I fought the urge to clamp my hands over my ears.“No clue, but I don’t think we should stick around to find out.”“Well, we can’t just move. They’re clearly watching us.” I hissed back.Flicking my eyes upwards, an idea popped into my head as I looked at the streetlamp. It was one of those that hung from an arch, making it possible to bend. Ryker followed my line of sight and made a small sound under his b
OpheliaRyker blinked once, then threw his head back and roared with such veracious laughter that the entire pizza shop went silent. He cleared his throat, his eyes darting around. I watched in awe as the Alpha of the island blushed.I pointed at him, the smile on my face for once genuine. “That’s exactly what you get for laughing at me.”“Tell me what happened next,” He said, his eyes sparkling. “What did your teachers do? What about the other students?”“They were all horrified, obviously! It was dead silent too, and when I made it to the door I tried to pull myself up, but my damn foot was still asleep.” Laughter was bubbling out of me now too, trickling like a leaky faucet. “I had to nudge the door open and crawl out into the hallway. Goddess, it was mortifying.”“That is pretty bad, but it’s got nothing on my story.” Ryker said with such assurance that my laughter faded, and I instead raised my brows at him.“Really? Pray tell, Alpha. You don’t seem like the type to embarrass.”H
Ophelia“You’ve been suspiciously absent from our family dinners,” I pointed out, chomping into a bite of pizza for emphasis. My eyes rolled back, and I practically moaned. Pizza should not be that good.A smug smile flashed across his face, and I decided it looked absurdly good on him.“I’ve been busy.”Busy was an understatement. He missed the last four, which was unusual. I had only started attending them to keep Jude from playing his twisted pranks. He thought it was hilarious when he moved every single piece of furniture from the dining room to my bedroom.Truthfully, I wasn’t all that angry about it anymore.Eating dinner with Jude wasn’t the worst thing in the world. We talked about everything but the glaring issues between us, which is exactly how I wanted it. I never would have thought, but Jude enjoyed all things art. We spent one evening going over every book we’d ever read. My list was limited since I hadn’t read for enjoyment since we moved from Alpha Hunter’s pack, but J
OpheliaMy head throbbed and my mouth tasted faintly of alcohol as I stumbled out of bed that morning. The room spun slightly as I made my way to the bathroom, my bladder screaming with each wobbly step. I gripped the doorframe for support and physically recoiled when I flicked on the lights.Magic surged out of me like a whip and the bulbs lining the mirror exploded, sending sparks raining down. I let out an inhuman groan and flicked my hand at the mess, sending the glass skittering into a neat pile. My head throbbed again.Cold water trickled down my face as I hunched over the sink. Little pinpricks of cold radiated across the apples of my cheeks. They were almost as red as my blood-shot eyes. Staring at my reflection, a sudden clarity pierced through the fog of my killer hangover.I couldn’t keep going on like this, relying on alcohol to chase the nightmares away. Quite frankly, I hated the stuff. Why did it have to taste so awful? No, I couldn’t do this anymore. I needed that poti
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