SELENE POV Before I even opened my eyes, I could feel that I was bound by the wrists and something cold yet hot at the same time was clamped around my neck. The air was damp and cold on my skin and I could hear the slow drip of water somewhere in the distance. Blinking slowly, I tried to push past the aching of my head to look around the room. Torches on the walls illuminated an all-stone room with chains fastened to the floor and the ceiling, casting eerie shadows across the walls.There were no windows showing the outside so I had no idea what time it was or how long I'd been imprisoned here. I tried to hear beyond the dripping water but was met with silence. I felt like I was trapped under the earth. The only access in or out of the room was a giant wooden door bolted shut with bars barring the single window. The chilly air against my legs caused me to look down, and I realized that I was dressed in nothing but a thin shift. The bastards had even taken my shoes. It was then
SELENE POVA triumphant smile appeared across my face at the sound of the battle that raged somewhere in the distance. "Is that fear I see in your eyes?" I asked scornfully. Damion shot me a vicious glare. "I'd watch your mouth if I were you, witch," he cautioned. Damion turned back to the man at the door and barked, "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there and stop them!"The man turned and scurried off and Damion slammed the door. I watched as he stalked back and forth, sensing the tension in his shoulders. He was scared. If he was this nervous at the wolf pack's arrival, he must not have what he needed to use me as this wolf charmer. Or else he would implement it now. I listened quietly to the chaos going on outside. The thought of Tor fighting to rescue me at this moment filled my heart with hope. If what Damion said was true and I was truly a half-shifter, did that mean that… did that mean that Tor and I were mates? The thought felt right. In fact, it felt like a
SELENE POVDread filled me as we ran through the chilly morning air. The atmosphere was still gray as the sun hadn't yet risen over the horizon. Grayson had Tor over his shoulder and was moving swiftly around the trees. Cassius had tried to carry Tor, but his injured leg was hindering his movements. Cassius had sent Arlo ahead to alert Ellwood of Tor's injuries so she was ready to treat him the moment they arrived. My whole body was racked with worry and I tried my hardest to keep up with the quickness of the shifters as I ran through the forest barefoot. Grayson stopped ahead of us and turned to Cassius and me who were flanking him. He looked between the two of us. "Beta, I think we should go on ahead," Grayson said catching his breath. "The silver on her is slowing me down." He gestured to the choker that was still clamped around my neck. Cassius nodded. "Ok," he turned to Nasir and Kian. "Stay close to Grayson." Nasir and Kian gave a curt nod and without another word, the
TOR POVI had been cooped up in my room for three days now healing from the silver arrow injury. Cassius had put his foot down and refused to even let me out of the room. In all that time I hadn't been able to see Selene and it was driving me mad. The last time I'd seen her she was tear stricken and covered in my blood. While I was not happy with being told what to do by my Beta, I knew that he was right. They still had not been able to find a way to remove the collar from Selene's neck. So she had also been sequestered in her own room, unable to leave at risk of injuring someone else. The thought of her being isolated in her room for this long was not helping my restlessness. After going through the torturous thoughts of losing her the night I was kidnapped, the need to be close to her was stronger than ever. Standing, I walked to the door of my bedroom. It sounded quiet on the other side, so I opened the door and slipped out into the hallway. I didn't want to be caught by Ava
SELENE POV"So what now?" Tor asked as we stood before the three rivers that flowed gently across the rocks. I was currently dipping my toe in the water to test its temperature. The water was cold and crystal clear. I watched as small fish flitted out from underneath some moss. "Now we whistle a song, I guess," I said with a shrug. Tor contemplated this for a moment, his eyes going distant as he thought. Then he started to whistle a song I'd never heard before. The melody was haunting yet soft and beautiful. It was easy to get lost in the tune as I watched the water of the rivers flow. All the while, the last remnants of daylight cast its warm glow across the rocky riverside. When Tor finished I looked at him and saw his silver eyes were full of emotion. "That was beautiful," I said softly. "Where is it from?" Tor cleared his throat to mask the sentiment that was clear on his face. "My mother used to sing it to me," he said gruffly with a shrug. I was about to respond
SELENE POVChloe led me over to a chaise across from the hearth whose embers were close to burning out. I laid back on the pillows and lifted my chin so that Chloe had access to my neck. Tor stood in front of me at my feet watching closely. The elder witch sat on a stool next to the chaise, in her hands were a small ceramic pot and a paintbrush. "The silver has been enchanted," Chloe said as she dipped the brush into the pot. "We will need to break the enchantment before we can remove the collar." Tor's arms were crossed over his chest as he watched, his silver eyes following every movement Chloe made. She brought the loaded paintbrush to my throat and added a few brushstrokes. As she worked, the temperature of the collar began to rise. I shifted uncomfortably and Tor seemed to notice because he took a step closer. "Calm down wolf," Chloe said without looking up. "She is going to be fine." With one final stroke of the brush, Chloe sat up. "What did you do?" I asked, unab
SELENE POVThe next hour was filled with laughter as we both ran around hunting for a perfect stick to widdle down into a spear. We then found a small creek that weaved through the tall redwood trees. I had hiked my dress up to my thighs and tied it off loosely at my hip. Cautiously, I waded through the water that came above my knee with my freshly carved spear.Tor had just barely finished his spear when he joined me at the water's edge. He pulled his shirt off revealing his naked chest. I fought back a blush at seeing his strong bronzed body in the sunlight. "You're not off to much of a start," Tor teased as he watched me tip-toe through the shallow creek. "You are going to scare the fish off before you can even spear one." I gave him a look. "It's called finesse; something that you and your clumsy feet wouldn't know anything about," I said haughtily, sticking my tongue out at him. Tor scoffed and laughed at the same time, unsure to be offended or entertained. "You are tr
SELENE POVI was running for my life through thick, black clouds of smoke. Ash suffocated my lungs and there was the taste of blood in my mouth. With every step I took, I felt like I was being pulled backward instead of moving forward. I could feel hot tears streaming down my face as I tried to navigate through the wall of smoke and ash. Screams echoed through the blackness, deafening me. There seemed to be no refuge from this god-awful place. Just when I thought I would go mad with fear, I saw a silhouette in the distance. I would recognize that stance anywhere - it was Tor! With a sob of relief, I ran to him and threw myself into his arms. He wrapped me in a comforting embrace and I cried into his chest. "It's all right, little witch," he said soothingly and stroked my hair. But something was wrong. It wasn't Tor's voice. His grip grew stronger around me to the point of pain. My eyes flew open and I looked at the man who held me in his brutal grip. Damion's amber eyes looked b
SELENE POVOne week later…I stood in front of the mirror admiring my dress which I had just finished crafting. It had taken most of the afternoon to finish, but finally, it was done. The soft creamy silk glowed in the firelight with pearls dotting the elaborate lace trim. Walking over to the bedside table, I opened the jewelry box and found the bracelet that Tor had given to me on the night of the Fete many weeks ago. Slipping it onto my wrist, I admired the moonstone as it sparkled gently. It brought a smile to my lips when I thought about my and Tor's first dance together. It seemed like it was an eternity ago. My mind played through the events of the last few weeks. I couldn't believe that it was all finally over. Now on this beautiful warm night, I was about to celebrate my mating ceremony with Tor. My eyes landed on the scars on my wrists caused by the silver shackles that had yet to fade and thought of Damion. The man had been so lost in his grief that it had driven him ma
TOR POVI willingly dropped to my knees as I looked into Selene's glowing white eyes. "My Luna, please come back to me." Then everything around us went completely still.Selene's eyes flashed a viridescent green before she threw her arms aside like she was breaking free from stone. "NO!" Selene screamed, her body releasing a shockwave of energy that freed us from her spell of subjugation. Her hair flowed about her face as power permeated from her. She was glorious as she stood there, her breath heavy and shallow and her eyes glowing that brilliant green that I had grown to adore so much. Standing, I couldn't help but smile as her teary eyes landed on mine. Warm relief filled her face. But the moment wasn't long-lived when I saw Damion had unsheathed a dagger and was lifting it to plunge it into Selene's heart. All Selene could do was lift her arms to defend herself. But I was already there thrusting my body into Damion's to throw him off his feet. We rolled on the ground
SELENE"My Mate. My Luna." The words echoed all around me and I tried to follow them through the white blinding void. But the more I searched, the farther away the voice seemed to be. I spun in a circle, looking for something other than the glowing white atmosphere. But there was nothing else. I was alone. The loneliness permeated all parts of me as I turned in desperate circles, my breathing coming faster and faster. I didn't even know who I was. All I knew for certain was that I was lost. I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around myself and began to cry. Tears of despair rolled down my cheeks as I squeezed myself tightly. Who was I? Why did I feel such dread in my heart? Would I ever escape this purgatory? A soft tinkling of metal caught my attention, I lifted my tear-stained eyes and looked around. "You are not lost, Selene," a soft melodic voice echoed across the nothingness. I jumped at the sound and quickly stood on my feet. Looking around, my eyes
TOR POVAdrenaline coursed through my body as I stalked toward the gates of the compound. The sun's glow was orange and red as it began its final descent through the sky, making the atmosphere heavy and poignant. It was as if it were already reflecting what blood would be shed come nightfall. I watched the guards above on the battlement start to scramble when they saw me approach. Arrows were knocked into place and aimed at me as I stepped toward the doors. Anticipation rolled through me as I felt the arrows threatening gaze on my skin. Stopping before the giant wood doors, I waited. I listened as the guards yelled at one another from behind the stone walls. Being as I wasn't dead yet, everything was still going to plan. It wasn't long before Damion leaned over the edge of the stone wall, with that infuriating smirk that was ever present on his face. "You never fail to surprise me, mutt," he said shaking his head. "How do you intend on getting yourself out of this one?" "I n
SELENE POVIt had to have been days since I was imprisoned. My magical powers were all but drained by the silver shackles so I was running on little energy. All I could do was sleep and daydream about Tor rescuing me. Damion would visit from time to time to feed me. And day by day, he would slowly try to break down the fragile walls of my psyche. I did all I could to not let Damion's taunting words affect what little hopes I had left, but it was getting harder as the minutes ticked by. A couple of days ago, I swore I felt Tor's energy somewhere through our bond. My heart had leaped at the sensation, but just as fast it dissipated. The sorrow I felt had been unshakeable since that day. My heart ached with loneliness that was only burdened more by the aching of my body. The silver had slowly seeped away all my strength and my muscles burned as I sat against the cold stone of the dungeon. Just as I was slipping in and out of a dreamless sleep, the door opened letting blinding lig
TOR POV Cassius and I raced back to the gorge and the entire way there, my mind reeled with a plan to break Selene from Damion's grasp. Dawn was breaking when we returned to our base as we slipped down the sides of the canyon walls. We shifted to humans and I walked determinedly through the warriors who had spent their time resting and sparring over the last couple of days. They were biding their time well before the battle begins.As I made my way through the pack, I spotted Kian and Nasir talking with Grayson, Sage, and Arlo. "They're back," I said with elation. Cassius and I hurried over to the group and were soon joined by Ares and Magnus. "What did you find out?" I asked the twins, trying to manage my composure. I had been on a razor's edge for the last couple of days, waiting for the twins to return with word from the witch settlement. I had to believe that they would come to our aid, but I couldn't help but have my reservations. While helping us would rid the threat
TOR POV The second the doors had closed between Selene and me, I ripped myself out of Grayson and Cassius' arms. I was about to charge the door when Cassius grabbed my shoulder again. "Alpha!" he said, I turned on him with murder in my eyes. He took a step back but still gave me an imploring expression. "That weapon, it can destroy us all." I glared at him for a moment before my eyes scanned the packs behind him and somewhere in the haze of my murderous fury, I knew he was right. With a snarl of anger, I clenched my fists. "Move out!" I shouted, before shifting into my wolf form and galloping away from the door. Every step that took me farther from Selene sent bolts of devastation through my body. We were mere hours from sunrise when the packs had made their retreat back to our temporary base. It was a small gorge about an hour's run away from Damion's compound. I'd spent that long hour re-running what had just happened over in my head. By the time we had reached the sa
SELENE POV "Spare him and I am yours," I said unwaveringly, as I looked up at Damion who was a hairsbreadth away from murdering Tor. Tor's face had crumpled into despair when he saw me. "Selene," he said with pure heartbreaking misery. "Don't you f*cking dare." The battle around us had died off as everyone had stopped fighting to watch with bated breath what would happen next. I saw Cassius from the corner of my eye, watching and waiting to make a move. Damion's cruel laugh echoed off of the walls of the compound. "Isn't this just a treat?" Damion's voice filled with mock delight. "And why shouldn't I just kill them all right now?" he asked with a sneer, his hand flexing on the lever of the crossbow. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Because like he said," I started, gesturing to Tor, "there are hundreds more wolves outside ready to rip your guts out. So either we all die, or you get to live and you get me." Damion's jaw flexed as he stared between Tor and me before finally
TOR POVThe next morning, I was still raging inside over Ira's disrespect to my mate. Magnus had assured me he had punished Ira, but there was no suitable punishment except me beating the living h*ll out of him. But I had to put those emotions aside for now as we were growing closer to Damion's location. If all went as planned, we would be arriving at his compound by nightfall. The tension grew amongst our packs as we neared our destination. The wolves were restless as everyone mentally prepared for the battle to come. I was still trying to figure out what to do with my stubborn mate before we arrived at our destination. Since dawn had broken, we were moving in our wolf forms through the marshy wetlands. By the time the noon sun was shining its golden rays down on top of us, the terrain had blissfully dried out. We were now galloping hard and fast through grassy plains. There was little to no cover around us, with hardly any trees and little foliage. Only wildflowers and sageb