Thank you everyone!
Itâs been two months. Two months since we left Valhalla. Two months since we ran away with our tail between our legs. Two months since I found my mate. Two months since this shit should have been done. And what do I have to show for it? A semi comatose mate that basically had to restart her entire goddess making process when we moved from Valhalla to the Underworld. A rowdy and often undisciplined army that has been on ice for two months. Traitors and defectors on all sides. And the worst case of blue balls that Iâve had my entire life. To say that Iâm a bit on edge is the biggest understatement of the millenia. The worst part of all of this by far is the fact that Valhalla ran on a timeline outside of the humanâs timeline on Earth. It was faster. But the Underworld runs under the same timeline as Earthâs.So yeah, two months to get Nyx back to where she was when we left. That would have taken two weeks in Valhalla. But in the Underworld, itâs fucking two damned months!
âNate, man. Letâs go for a run. Youâve been cooped up in this library for a week. Your wolf has to be going crazy. Letâs go for a run. Maybe a shower and a meal that isnât brought to you in a bag,â I say to my best friend. He has been searching for a way to get into any of the three possible places where Nyx could be without someone like Hermes who can get us in and out of different realms since weâve returned home two damn months ago. He only comes out when Dev or Arya force him to for training, or when Slade or Naomi use their alpha or luna tone on him. It was rough going at first. We didnât realize that he wasnât doing all the things. You know, the things like bathing. Eating as often as he should. Sleeping. Leaving the damn library. I mean, Iâve been a little caught up in the mating frenzy that comes with the matebond with Zoe and Kaia. It was slightly extended because of the battle that we had at the gates of Valhalla and I didnât get to check in on my bestie dur
I wake up to the feeling of sparks all over my body, as well as the heat of my mates. I give a little moan, automatically feeling my core starting to get wet. They have this effect on me every damn time. I hope that I never get used to it. My thighs flex with the need that is starting to build up. There is a groan from in front of me and calloused hands roam up my leg to hitch it higher on the thigh of the male in front of me. From the calluses of his hands, I know that itâs Alexander in front of me. It makes me realize that Iâve rolled in my sleep, since I fell asleep with my head on Jacobâs chest. The slight movement, along with the sparks, have caused Alexanderâs body to react too. I can feel his hard cock pressing on my inner thigh, just short of my pussy lips. I canât help it. Push myself closer to him, feeling his cockhead push through my lips and rub against my clit. âFuck!â I whisper as his head pulls back slightly, dragging along my clit. âHow are you already so
âDad, we still can stop all of this. You donât have to give me the title yet. Weâve got another six months. Just finish out your term as best as you can. Iâll be here to help,â Finnegan says as I work on his tie for him. As calm, organized, and bright as my son is, tying a tie has always been a bit beyond him. âSon, weâve talked about this. Your mother and I are done with our leadership roles. With Baâs deathâĶâ I have to stop speaking, the words choking me up. Tears form in my eyes, obscuring my vision. âDad.â Finnegan pulls me into his arms. âI know that itâs hard for you. Iâm not trying to force anything on you,â he whispers into my ear as he helps me hold myself together. âI just donât want your reign as an alpha to end in a way that you regret.â I nod into his shoulder, sniffing as I pull myself away from his embrace. I had told myself that I wouldnât let my depression over the loss of Gregory get in the way of how special this day is. Finnegan deserves that.
âThereâs several different things that youâre going to have to do in order to complete your induction. First, you are to go onto the astral plane and receive Hecateâs approval and her prophecy for your reign. Jaiden will be with you so that there is proof and a second set of ears to hear the prophecy,â I say to Freya. She rolls her eyes. âWhy donât we just have her come see me? Sheâs in Valhalla, but we can get a message to her. It would make things so much easier.â I know that itâs her anxiety thatâs talking, so I take a deep breath before responding. No use magnifying both of our anxiety. âItâs not just about speaking to Hecate, Frey. Itâs also about being about to get into the astral plane, finding Jaiden, and then getting into Hecateâs presence. It takes a disciplined and powerful witch to get into the astral plane by itself, but to find another and to find Hecate? Thatâs another level of power.â I take another deep breath. âPlus, if you were to see Hecateâs real fo
I feel so much better after the run. Letting my wolf out. Hunting down a deer with my packmates. Filling my stomach full of meat and my heart full of the touch and presence of my friends and family. It was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate myself and galvanize me for more of a search in the library. And I hate myself for it. I feel so damn guilty because of it. Why am I allowed this respite when she isnât? I can only imagine the awful things that are happening to Nyx wherever she is in Luciferâs care. I know that she isnât going to be hurt physically, at least not yet. But the emotional toll that this has to be taking on her tortures me every second that Iâm awake. I dream about it when I am asleep. I canât get away from the thoughts of what sheâs going through. This library that Iâve holed myself up in? Itâs the biggest, most expansive collection of occult knowledge in America. It has to have a way to help me figure out where Nyx is. There HAS to be something.
âMom, seriously? We can do this together. Or I could get Jaiden or Nora to help me. I doesnât have to be Nathan. Heâs already got enough going on,â I plead with my mother. You would think that at 20, nearly 21, I would be able to stand up for myself without resorting to whining. But when Bella Martin has it in her head that sheâs gonna do something, thereâs very little that will change it. Including her daughterâs anxiety disorder. âFrey, Nathan is the most powerful witch/wolf combination in existence. He also has powers that are very similar to yours. And itâs not like you donât know each other. You basically grew up together. By the Maidenâs blood, heâs changed your diaper. Youâre basically siblings,â Mom says, arranging the food in the cooler for me to take with me. I groan, not only because I question my motherâs wisdom in letting a seven year old change an infantâs diaper, but also because she has to remind me that Nathan was the one that did it. If it isnât comple
Nyx has been awake for two days. Her eyes glow every time that she speaks with a dark fire. Her aura is stifling, worse than my fatherâs and heâs one of the most powerful gods on earth. Itâs mostly because sheâs not used to her power and she hasnât been able to calm it down in the presence of others yet. Sheâs started several hellfires in Hadesâs castle, much to his and Persephoneâs chagrin and Luciferâs delight. âSheâs even more powerful than I had dreamed,â heâs said several times, an obvious sense of awe in his voice. And any time that Lucifer touches her, because she refuses to touch him voluntarily, her power is magnified. Itâs evidence of their matebond. Itâs also evidence of how much destruction the two of them could cause. And how powerful any child of theirs could be. Itâs fucking scary. And I realize that any chance that I had of leaving the Underworld without Luciferâs blessing is gone. Because if he so much as touches Nyx, he could level a good portion of
So much pain. Those fucking angels! They killed my mate. They killed MY CHILD! And then they tried to kill me. I had enough power left within me in order teleport away from them to the edge of Tartarus. But I was bleeding heavily from a wound that eviscerated my stomach and just missed my heart. Otherwise, I would have died right then and there. I used all the power that I had left to make my way through the cyclopses, the hydra, the river of fire. And then I make my way down the labyrinthine walkways, looking for my first love. Only she will have the power to heal me. Only she will have the power to bring me back to what I was before. I donât know how long it took for me to get to her. How much blood flowed from my body. How much pain I felt. How low I had to get. I laid on the ground, covered in dirt, dehydrated, and weak. And then I feel someone push me with their foot.
Itâs so hard to believe that the war is over. All of that build up and fear for just one, admittedly epic, fight? I guess I just never realized how much war is about waiting for something to happen. Hermes says that itâs really like that, but itâs still hard to believe. The angels are all up in a tither worried that they havenât been able to find evidence of Luciferâs body being gone. We havenât heard anything from their god, so Iâm assuming that heâs not worried about it. I mean, itâs been two weeks and nothing. Gabriel has even come to Jacob and said that he can start the process of detaching from the Christian god and giving up his powers. Though, halfway through Gabrielâs instructions on how to do that, Michael showed up and basically begged Jacob to remain a Throne for another six months. Just in case Lucifer came back. After meeting with Maeve, Dougal, and Win, the results were mixed. Maeve hated being a Throne.
A parent should never have to bury their child. Ever. Even though Nyx wasnât of our blood or even of our species, she was just as much our child as Jared, Summer, and Chris. Even though she was only with us for a less than a year, she was our pup. And this is the worst pain that Iâve ever experienced, aside from the pain of losing Charlie. I stand with Kayla, Brandon, Jared, Summer, Rowen, Chris, and Esteban. Little Lilianna sits on Chrisâs lap, the two year old not understanding what is happening. Neither do the triplets, Nixon, Natalie, and Nolan. Each are sitting with the parent that they seem to gravitate to the most: Nixon with her little hands trying to wipe the tears from Kaylaâs face, Natalie in my arms and giving me hugs and kisses to try to comfort me, and Nolan sitting stoically in Brandonâs arms though he has his hands wraps around his fatherâs fingers. No, our pups donât know what has happened, but they know that something is wrong. Nathan stands on Kaylaâs othe
I immediately know when Lucifer has been slain. We all do. Thereâs a power in the air that just dissipates. Itâs there one second and then itâs gone. And then the enemy either surrender or run away, dropping their weapons as they go. Oh, there are a few die hard proponents of what Lucifer was trying to do, but they donât last long. They are quickly overrun by fae, witches, wolves, shifters, supernaturals, or angels. Within an hour of Luciferâs death, all of the fighting is done and the medics have flooded the field. Gods and goddesses either heal right there on the field or teleport those that need immediate medical attention to the surgery tents. Arya and I quickly turn to the Elite and pupsâ mates, and our friends. âSummer! Jared!â Arya says, looking up from healing a nasty bite to Tomasâs leg that is already showing signs of infection. âHere!â Summer shouts out in a pained voice. I turn to see
All three of us see the Morning star leaving the palace and stepping onto the field with the angels and we know that time is running out. We have to hurry and get to Nyx and sever her bond with Lucifer so that he is weak enough for them to kill him. No one else seems to be guarding the castle, at lest not on our side. I can see that demons and gods are getting into ranks and preparing to get onto the battlefield. The problem is, theyâre too slow. The angels are already hear. They have breached the walls that surround the castle, their armor and very skin gleaming, their swords and battle axeâs, and spears coated in the multiple colors of blood that each of these evil beings possess. âWe need to get inside while theyâre all occupied,â Rowen says as we run towards the gates. âAnd before anyone comes in as reinforcements.â âAnyone see how to get the gates open?â Alexander says, his eyes rapidly taking in the structure in front of us.
The second that we make our way through the gate into the Underworld, weâre all ready to start fighting. I mean, thatâs the logical thing to do, right? Problem is, we seem to have gone into a gate where there are minimal guards. Like, this gate seems to have been forgotten completely. There's two there and they were taken out by the blast that opened the gate. Either we got really fucking lucky. Or weâve walked into a trap. Angels pour into the hole behind us, creating a perimeter to keep us safe from behind. No, they wonât be able to stop Lucifer, but they are cannon fodder that will slow him down. Yeah, that sounds really fucking shitty to say it like that, but they knew the score when they were assigned to the role. It is what it is. From the gate, I can see Hadesâs palace, where Lucifer and his new queen, Nyx, have been staying since they were kicked out of Valhalla. Weâre coming in about five miles to the south and three miles above the palace. The gate is in
It is killing me to wait here with the gods while my mates are all in three different spots right now. Iâm so agitated and distracted by this fact that my winged shoes are making me float about a foot off of the ground. Josefina is with her parents, fighting near the front lines. What I hate is that she doesnât have any powers to fight with. Sheâs just got her strength and skills as a warrior and a wolf. Thank fuck that the wolves take fighting seriously, so she has a ton of skill. But that only helps me feel just a little bit of relief. She is definitely the mate that Iâm most worried about. But then thereâs Alexander. He and his twin are escorting Nathan to get to Nyx so that he can kill her and the child in her stomach. Hecate had told us that Nyx is in labor starting this morning. So they have to get to her quickly. Of course, that means finding the right time to get past the enemy army ahead of the rest of our allies and then fight whoever Lucifer has guarding the
The contractions had been happening off and on for the past two days. âBraxton-Hicks,â Persephone assured me. âItâs just your bodyâs way of getting ready for birth. It can happen for a long time before you actually go into labor. I really wouldnât worry about it if I were you.â But I knew better. I could feel this evil thingâs elation as it could feel me preparing for birth. It had been tossing and turning in my stomach, moving into position for birth. So when I woke in the wee hours of the morning today, feeling strong achy bands of pressure all around my stomach. I let out a wheezy, breathy screams as the feeling took my breath away. I had been laying on my left side, my head pillowed on Luciferâs arm, his other arm keeping me pulled into him. When I had woken in pain, it woke him up as well. âWhatâs wrong? Whatâs happening?â Lucifer asks, his eyes are wide, but his voice is laced with aggression and protectiveness. He had moved over top of me, caging me against t
The screeching sound that comes from above us sounds like a combination between the howl of a wolf, the cry of some kind of bird of prey, and a womanâs scream. We look up and there are seven of theseâĶthings. They have the body of a woman, looking heavily pregnant and near giving birth, talons for feet and wings like a giant eagle, and the head of an enormous rabid jackal. But the belly is actually full of the babies and men that theyâve eaten. They are wearing what looks like a skull bikini, a skull covering each breast and her vulva. Itâs fucking weird and looks very uncomfortable. In their hands, each carries one knife made of fire and another made of ice. The Lamashtu. The seven aspects of the Mesapotamian Goddess of evil. Think Hecate, but in seven different bodies instead of sharing the same body. And when I say that she was evil, I mean EVIL. Evil just for evilâs sake. One of the few goddesses in all of the various pantheons who didnât have a reason to be evil. S