Kacie
Come on, Kacie.
I’m trying, Ath.
Well, try harder!
Easier said than done.
Sweat beaded on my temple and across my forehead. It was harder than I would have and I grunted as I struggled against the will of my gift. It clearly didn’t want to listen and as I fought against the wall that separated my will from it, the flame flickered. With one final push, it finally shattered.
The wall separating our wants fell to the ground and I felt my power leave my body. Instantly it obeyed me and I grunted as the force almost left me breathless. Opening my eyes, my jaw dropped as I stared at the view in front of me.
What I had been trying to do was send the flames from my fist. That was what I picture
KacieThere was no doubt in my mind as I stared at Clara. I knew what I was about to do and I didn’t have an ounce of hesitation. her head jerked to the side and her gift obey and blocked my flaming sword as it swung at her. That’s when I saw it, she stood there wide open and it was now or never.The flames were small but burned bright with intent. I took a deep breath and lunged at her. A few seconds in mid-air and Clara turned her head slightly. She stared at me but there wasn’t shock or surprise in her eyes. She may not have seen me coming but she knew, of course, she knew.It was too late for her to dodge but I had the feeling she didn’t have any intentions of trying to get out of the way or protecting herself. Was this a test? Was I being tested? My mind was a jumble of thoughts.My left hand connected with her first, the flames scorching through her dress as
Kacie The thoughts I’d had in my head just a few moments ago replayed in my head and I was mortified at the way I had been thinking. Burn down the world? What the fuck. I sat back on my legs and stared at my hands. That was the effect of my gift. I would never want to hurt anyone else. I would never choose to do that. That wasn’t me… was it? I’d been ready to do what Clara and her sisters came here to prevent. I know it was only the first day but the future was looking bleak. I’d been doing well in the first half of training with Clara but in the last half… I’d failed miserably. I couldn’t see a future where I would or could have full control over my gift. Would I always be a danger to those around me? Would a day come where I would hurt Viktor or Jake? We were able to prevent me fr
Kacie“You’re half-witch, Kacie. I was privy to the meeting where Viktor shed light on the pack but I didn’t know you actually believed it. That pack had the gift of fire but your wolf also erupts into flames. Your power calls to mine, you should have felt the same thing.”Her words hit me but for a moment, I’m too stunned to speak. A witch? Me? I shake my head, the idea is ludicrous. What Viktor found out makes more sense than this. This doesn’t make any sense.“No,” I denied. I knew who I was and a witch wasn’t it. “Your gift doesn’t call to mine. Your power doesn’t call to mine and I feel nothing from you. I don’t feel anything but darkness an-and coldness.”Clara tilts her head as she listens to me, she watches me and sees more than I’d like for her to see. She watches
JakeIrritation and frustration filled my mind and caused my body to tense up. We hadn’t been home that long but already I needed a break, needed one. I was more stressed than I was trying to let on but I could only hold back so much. We’d been through a lot in the last couple of days and I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge.As soon as we came home, we were fucked two different ways and not in the fucking way I’d like. Goddess, how I’d like to get a moment alone with Viktor and Kacie. A large group of rogues had attacked different sections of our pack and a pack of witches showed up.The witches came to our aid but it didn’t do anything about the suspicion that oozed from my body. I trusted my gut and since Clara had first arrived, my gut screamed danger.When she arrived with two other witches warning bells were going off. Alarms that c
JakeWas she watching how they fought?Would she say anything about their fighting style?Was she looking for weaknesses?Were they really here to help us?My wolf, Jason, mentally shook his head. He didn’t care for the witches either but he’d been more focused on my mentality. As if I were stressed and close to the brink of no return. I had something to protect, I had people in my life that I wanted to keep safe.Jason suggested we let the witches spar with the warriors. I was tempted by the idea of seeing them on the field. Our warriors would be able to learn how they fight.It would have made things a lot more interesting. Shit, it would have made my day better but I wasn’t about t
JakeDon’t even.What?Don’t do that.Do what?Don’t try and play innocent with me.I don’t know what you’re talking about.Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Alpha.Viktor.What?Viktor.I know your name.So why not use it?Why can’t I call you Alpha?No one said you can’t call me Alpha.Why do I have to ca
JakeThe whimper that left my throat was nothing short of sexual. The rebellious part of me that had brought us to this point had tucked tail and left town. I loved when he called me his. Maybe I was starved, maybe deep down I was an attention-seeking whore but I needed confirmation sometimes. I loved it when he praised me and I needed to hear it. It soothed something inside of me I didn’t know needed it.“No one can take that away from you. No one can take you away from me. We have something beautiful right now. You, me, and Kacie. Don’t let your negative thoughts about someone who actually didn’t have a chance come in between what we have.”Captured, I couldn’t move, I was lost in his black obsidian eyes. Remembering myself, I nodded. His grip on my throat loosened and I found my balance before his hand dropped. He was right.We do have something amaz
JakeWho else besides an Alpha’s Luna could poke and prod him without losing his life? It was a thrill I didn’t always admit I liked. I was a worrier and I knew it was the part of me that was insane that whispered negative things but I couldn’t help it. It was hard to ignore them when they only grew louder.Viktor was good at extinguishing all of my fears. He demanded my attention and right now he held all of it. In the past and the present, he’d been good at this. I’d always been able to come to him and get that mental break but things were different now, or they had been. He could always tell when something was upsetting me and he’d been able to help me unload.In the past, the moments we’d had together were rough and anything but gentle. Once upon a time, he’d tied me up and brought me to the edge only to deny me time and time again. It wasn’t until I begg
My heat aches as the thoughts flit through my mind one after the other. Tears prick the corners of my eyes before filling them. My chest pangs with the need to be wrapped up in his arms. I know without a shadow of a doubt that Jake would do all of those things. He would care for me as he had before. He would look after me as my Beta, my partner, and the father of our child.My soul wept for him, my heart broke for him, and my mind went mad for him. I curled into a ball on the bed and grasped at the sheets as the pain poured from my body. I screamed as it became unbearable and my vision went white. I cried out, my cry turning into a scream, as the door burst open. It slammed against the wall, but still my vision remained impaired.I couldn’t see anyone, but I heard voices. I felt the rush of people around me and hands checking me and prodding my belly. I froze when I felt the warmth of a hand on my shoulder and a familiar scent I didn’t think I would ever smell again. I threw my head ba
Kacie I want to bury my head into his chest but I can’t. I can’t bring myself to look away. I continue staring at him as Viktor lays down by his side. He props himself up and stares down at him. The love and sadness in his eyes blend into one. His gaze darts back and forth between the two of us. A sad smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “I love you,” I whisper. “I love you,” Viktor says quietly. We shared stories, we cried, we laughed. I told him about one of the mornings after my Luna Ceremony when I woke up and found Jake naked across from me. He flexed and tried to show off. Viktor chuckled and shared a precious memory from when they first kissed. It was sweet and I wished I could have seen the look in Jake’s eyes if he had heard Viktor tell the story. The next memory Viktor shared with me was the look on Jake’s face when I walked out that first day in Ken’s house. When he smelled me and knew I was his mate, he only trusted Jake to be alone with me. That’s why he let him
Kacie“I have one request,” I said.“Anything my love,” Viktor said.“I don’t want him in the lobby. I want him in our room. Can we do that?” I asked.“We can do whatever we want Kacie,” Viktor answered.In the olden days, it was common for our kind to spend the dead’s last night with them. It was like a ritual, we clean their bodies with a cloth, wash their hair, and clothe them in something loose. After the ritual the body is placed in the living room or the pack lobby if the dead was an alpha. The family would then bring their blankets and pillows to sleep in the front on the couch or the floor. It’s the last night you get with the dead. It’s a form of closure and was done away with one hundred years ago, or at least that’s what Viktor told me. When he told me about it I clung to the knowledge and asked him if we could do it too. He admitted that he mentioned it to gouge my reaction. We looked into each others eyes and knew without a doubt that we needed to do it.It may have been
Kacie “I’ve failed. I failed and lost him,” Viktor said. The weight on his shoulders was large enough to make anyone crumble beneath it. Still, my mate stood firm. My heart broke for the mate we’d lost, but it soared knowing that he was safe. Instead of keeping my thoughts to myself I would make sure he knew. I would make sure he knew every day how much I loved him, how much I needed him in my life. I would make sure he knew how loved he was, but first, he needed to face Jake. He needed to come to grips with it as I have. He needs to make peace with it, so he can move forward. We both needed this. “Come here,” I said. I watched as he mentally drew back, away from me as if he would hurt me. As if he thought he’d lose me too if he touched me. I reached for him, my outstretched hand open in offering for him to take it. He had to take it. Viktor stared at my hand for a moment before his eyes darted to Jake on the ground between us. Desperation clear in his eyes when he looked back at m
Kacie In an attempt to feel whatever warmth Jake had left I pushed my body as close as I could to his. I ignored the unevenness of his body, the difference between it now and what I remembered. Everything in me came flowing out as my hair flowed out all around me. My hands grasped at his muddy shirt and my heart broke for the second time today. Jake’s body was hard and the finality of it pulled the sheet from beneath my feet. I was no longer able to deny the crushing reality. The warmth was seeping out of him as quickly as the clouds had formed above us. Footsteps squelched behind me announcing Viktor’s presence. My pain vibrated in his chest as he stopped behind me. It was enough to pull him away from mourning his sister. The curiosity outweighing the fear led him to me. I could feel his pain as he felt mine. I knew when he saw who lay beneath me because he made an unintelligible sound behind me. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to lift my head. I couldn’t look back at him. I couldn’
KacieI’ll hurt you.I don’t want to hurt you.I don’t want to hurt him. I wouldn’t hurt him. The urge, no, the need to make sure I don’t hurt him runs through my veins as the idea of burning him strikes me hard in the chest. It’s like an ice cold bucket of water and I feel like I’ve jolted awake from a dream. The flames protest against my will as my mind refuses to hurt the man in front of me. For the first time since becoming aware I look at him. My eyes wander over black hair, a sharp jaw, and full lips. Dark tired eyes filled with worry stared down at me. My mate reaches for me a second time and this time I extinguish the flames with the flick of my wrist as realization dawned on me.My mate.He’s okay.He’s alive.If my mate is here than why am I so hurt?My does my heart bleed?I lean in toward him and his hand gently grazes over my cheek, his shoulders relaxed, and relief stared back at me. I was safe. I was in one piece. I had survived. If he hadn’t gotten my attention things
Kacie My father’s breathing is haggard and strained beneath me. At my words he roars angrily. He’s weak, useless below me, unable to get away. When I straighten my back, lift myself up, and stare down at him. I take a moment to look over the expression of fear and regret in his eyes. I don’t bother with emotion because right now, I feel nothing. There’s only a high, a haze of bliss from his acceptance. It’s settled over me as I hover over him. The power of taking what I want, getting the revenge I sent out for. I’m hurting him, torturing him, killing him. I focus on this as he stares up at me. “All of this will do nothing. You may have killed my friends and you may have won the fight between you and I, but there’s one you haven’t and can’t win. You can’t win against death,” Charles chokes. I don’t want to hear anymore. I don’t want to hear the truth drip from his lips like poisoned honey. I won’t let him win and I won’t let his words get to me. I won’t change my mind and I won’t hea
Charles yanked his arm back but I didn’t let go. I did the opposite, I dug my nails in as he pulled, my claws dug into his skin and ripped. Blood pooled and burned, he yanked again this time, ignoring the bite of my nails as they pierced deeper. He wrenched his arm free, or what was left of it. I could feel his skin under my claws, chunks of meat between my fingers, as he cried out in pain. I take a moment to enjoy my work. His once scorched pink skin had turned black, blood ran down his arm and dripped to the floor. Charles turned to glare at me, and for the first time since meeting him, fear stares back at me. He clutched his injured arm and I watch as his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows nervously. Sweat pools on his temple and slides down his brow. I chuckle at this small victory. He must have thought that I would be an easy kill. The young girl he once knew died a long time ago. Did he think that his words would have weakened me? Did he think that his words would have an affect
KacieNow that I knew Viktor would be okay, I could give in to what I’ve wanted since seeing the devastation the Elders caused. Now that I knew that Clara would have Viktor, I felt the opposite of what I’ve before at the thought of them together alone. I felt relief. She would make sure he was safe. I turned from Clara and focused on that man I once called father.Answering to the call of my growing flames I dashed forward. I promised to give them what they wished soon. The need for blood, for sliced skin, and the smell of burning flesh drove me forward. I would have what I desired, I would have my vengeance, my revenge. My anger fanned the flames and they grew hotter than they ever have before. I screamed out in anguish as I rushed toward the man who should have been the father I deserved. He was nothing but a disappointment.Tears run down my cheeks before they dry up and evaporate. I don’t cry for him or what I’m going to do, no, I’ll revel in my father’s death. The tears continue