âWhat do you mean by âallâ?â Sarah asks, sheathing her sword and stepping forward. Aliya looks satisfied, âI mean this necromancer was linked to all of the others. He was in the middle of some spell when he stumbled on to you and decided to attack you. Killing him, killed all those who were linked to him.ââThat means all the bodies they controlled have also decreased,â I murmur, realizing the significance of this victory. âExactly,â Aliya nods. âWeâve instantly decreased their numbers which is going to go a long way in helping us.âEven as I agree with him, something strikes me, âWhy was he here though?âNobody has an answer to that. After a moment, Sarah reaches into her pocket and brings out a smaller version of the map her grandfather gave us. After studying it for a few minutes, she points at something, âThereâs a human village here.âHer face is grim, âWhat are the chances that the village has been wiped out?âI look over her shoulder and point at anot
My jaw goes slack at his bitter declaration, âWhat? True mate?ââYes,â Damon sounds almost defeated. I look in the direction of where Aliya escaped and I hesitate, âHow is that possible? Sheâs a witch-ââAnd Iâm a shifter,â Damon snaps, sinking on top of a log and glowering at the ground. âIâm well aware that we are different species, Lucas. Iâm not blind.ââBut it canât be possible-ââAnd yet it is!â He looks at me, both defeated and angry at the same time. âIt is possible because itâs happening.âI donât really know how to react right now, âHas it - Has something like this ever happened before?ââWeâre looking for answers. Weâve not - The bond hasnât set in place. Weâve held it off but itâs getting harder and harder to do.âThe despair in Damonâs voice is hard to ignore and I study him in silence, trying to rack my own brain, âThere must be some precedent.ââWe havenât found any-ââBut records have been lost and destroyed by the Order,â I insist. âYou c
There are shocked faces when eyes turn towards us but before anyone can say anything, I step up, âWe were sent by Fred to protect the archives room and join the battle.âThere are wary glances towards us till one of them steps forward, âIdentify yourself.âAll of them look battle hardened and it takes a few minutes of explanations for the suspicion to disappear from their eyes.A few men and women approach the front of the group. Their first question on their lips is for Fred.âIâm sorry,â My voice is heavy. âHe didnât make it.âTheir faces fall and the grief in their eyes is a terrible sight to see. âHe saved us,â One of the older women says, sadly. âHe sacrificed his life for us.âSarah looks at me before turning her attention towards the woman, âWe are very sorry for your loss. But we also need to know all the details. Fred mentioned some prophecy. He told us that you have been gathering an army and thatâs the archives room needs protection.âMy lips cur
My memory of Samantha is hazy. My interactions with her had taken place when I had been under Carmineâs control. But from the way she looks at me, I know that she doesnât have a very good impression of me.However, she smiles broadly at Sarah, âItâs been a while.âAnd to my shock, Sarah runs towards her, throwing her arms around the older woman in a tight hug, âHow have you been?!ââBusy,â Samantha hugs her back before letting her go and looking around. âItâs been a hell of a year. And what about you?âShe holds Sarah away from her, studying her, and then frowning, âYouâve lost considerable weight.âSarahâs smile slips and she changes the subject, âWhen did you get here?ââIâve been in contact with the Records Keepers Clan ever since I left. Iâve been gathering allies. I have some people planted within the Order and have been receiving information. An army is marching here. Theyâll be here in a few more days.Aliya tells Samantha about the prophecy we know.âItâ
âThatâs more than an army,â I hiss to myself.Sarah makes a sound agreement, âWe donât have enough people.âHer voice makes me go cold and I turn around and take her hand, desperately, âPlease go! Take your wolves and go! Go back to the pack or to your grandfather!âI can see the worry in her eyes but she shakes her head, âLucas, itâs âââSarah,â I cut her off, frightened for what might happen to her. âLook at them. We have no chance. We donât have enough fighters. They clearly came here well prepared. And if they already know about this prophecy, they know itâs talking about you. Theyâve unconverted enough information about your life to know. Sarah, run!âHer hand tightens around mine, âIâm not leaving you here. Or Kayla. I can summon the wolves. That will give us an edge.ââNot at the cost of your life,â Fear is gripping my throat. âWhy are you being so stubborn?! Why canât you just listen to this once?!ââThis once?!â She glares at me. âYou want me to leave you
The silver wolf comes flying towards us, slicing through the vampires with incredible strength. Her teeth sink into the one who has me and he screams as she rips him apart.I take advantage of the momentary distraction and jump right into the foray, pushing the vampires back.An arrow flies towards us, embedding itself into the neck of one of the vampires and as he gasps, I crush him quickly and effortlessly. Once weâve essentially pushed them back and have a moment to ourselves, Sarah stops and looks at me. I pad over to her, sniffing her, as if to reassure myself that itâs really her. She lets me sniff her and then moves away, uncertainly in her eyes. Lately, the rift between has been growing smaller and smaller but I can understand her wariness. She takes a few steps back before rushing into the battle, leaving me behind.I transform back, trying to a get a hold of my senses as I stare at her.A year of thinking her wolf was dead when that was never the case.
Kaylaâs face grows tense and she takes a step back, âThatâs not normal. I donât even think thatâs entirely Other. Iâve never seen something like it.âThe creature has a human face but completely expressionless. However, there is a vicious greed in its eyes as it looks at Kayla, whose flames begin to spread down her arms.âSarah,â I say in warning. âThis isnât good.ââI know,â She replies, her face pale. âKayla-ââHe wants me,â The Phoenix says, harshly. âDonât get in our way. That one is powerful-ââWeâre not leaving you by yourself!â I hiss and Sarah nods in angry agreement. The frustration in Kaylaâs voice is sharp, âHeâll kill you!âSarah pulls out her swords once again, âWeâll take our chances! You stay behind us!âThe enemy seems to have given a wide berth to us, no one wanting to interfere in this new fight.At first there is silence and then the demonic looking creature makes a beeline for Kayla. Kayla lets outs a stream of fire that stops the creatur
A hush falls over the battlefield as everyone turns to look at the ball of flames that has enveloped Kayla.Sarah is holding on to me, gasping Kaylaâs name, as I hold her back from running straight into the fire ball which is expanding inch by inch.Aliya, who is badly wounded, hobbles over to us, âIt shouldnât hurt her. It canât. Sheâs the Phoenix. Fire is her element.âBut she sounds shaky as well, uncertain.âAliya,â I give her a pleading look as Sarahâs blood begins to pool around her, her face going pale. âHelp her!âAliya crouches next to Sarah, placing her hands on her body, trying to transfer some healing power into her.However, it doesnât seem to be working.Her face is white as a sheet as she tries again before letting out a gasping breath, âI canât. I canât heal her. Itâs like something is blocking me!âMy hands shake as I see Sarahâs eyes grow dimmer by the minute.I shake my head, desperately, my eyes burning with unshed tears, âNot like this! Y
SarahThe days that follow are sad ones. We all have to come together as a pack to work through the loss of so many loved ones. âI really thought we were finding peace,â Dustin says, as we gather together three days later. âI hoped it would stay.ââWeâll find that now,â I tell him. âThere are always going to be times of peace and times of conflict. Iâve learned we have to accept that as a way of life. Thatâs the downside of being in a wolf pack.âBut the good days outnumber the bad. And weâre strong, weâre fierce. Weâll get through this and defeat any enemies that might come up next. We just have to trust in each other and have faith in the pack.âThe words resonate with me as I say them. Despite all the hardships, Iâm more devoted to this pack than I ever have been. Iâve learned to accept the ups and downs which are easier to manage now that things between Lucas and I donât feel quite as fragile.âThatâs why youâre a great leader,â Dustin says. âYou inspire us all to do just
LucasAs I watch my baby in Sarahâs arms, Iâm happier than I ever thought Iâd be. A son and a daughter. It feels like now our family is complete. Though Iâm open to more children in the future. Right now, Iâm just content.Sarah and I tend to be rough sleepers though. So, as Sarah dozes off, I take Evelyn from her arms and place her in the bassinet. Then, I join Sarah on the bed.âSheâs beautiful,â I say, cuddling my sleepy mate. âYouâre beautiful. Iâm so grateful to you for bringing our children into our life like you have. âI know itâs never easy. I wonât even pretend to understand what you go through. But you give up so much for our family. I appreciate that more than I can express.ââAnd I appreciate you,â she says. âYouâre a wonderful father and a fantastic husband. Iâm so glad to share all of this with you. Iâm so grateful to be building a family with you.âI kiss her and the warmth of having my true mate in my life envelopes me. It just feels so natural and right when y
SarahâThat is an incredible offer,â I say, my eyes staring right into Azarâs. âYouâve promised so much, and I know weâd both prosper within a formed alliance. However, we canât promise our daughterâs hand in marriage.âMy words prompt a hearty response. Some are mere whispers while others are outright defiant. Many canât believe that we would turn away from this. But we have to do whatâs right for our daughter.âNow, Iâm not shutting down the idea of a future marriage completely,â I clarify. âMaybe our daughter will end up with your son. Maybe they will be mates.âBut weâll have to wait and see once sheâs old enough to decide. Since weâll be allies regardless, theyâll know each other. They can spend time together.âIf our daughter decides that your son is her mate and they both love each other, then they can get married. Weâre going to leave that up to her though. We donât want to make such a big decision for her before she can even consent to it.âAzarâs demeanor falls. It re
LucasSarah looks at me with an expectant look on her face, and Iâm just not sure what I should say. The kiss still bothers me. It hurts me. As her mate, I have reason to be upset.The guilt still haunts me though. It reminds me of how I hurt her. It whispers that I deserve this. I know that I deserve this.âItâs nothing,â I insist.âLucas, please open up to me,â she says. She takes my hand in hers and looks at me with those eyes I never can resist. âI saw you and Azar last night,â I confess. âI saw the kiss.âSarah looks at me with shock and guilt written upon her face. I hate that. Itâs proof that what I saw was true. They did kiss. She betrayed me.âI know I betrayed you horribly,â I continue. âSo, I understand that I deserve that. But it still hurts, Sarah. âI thought we had moved past all of that. I thought we were solid. I thought we werenât ever going to let anyone get between us again. But I guess I was wrong.âJealous tears through me as the kiss replays in my min
LucasIâm surprised then when I wake, Sarah isnât beside me. I panic. After everything thatâs happened, I simply canât help it. There are too many ways things can go wrong.I need her near me. I need to always know that sheâs okay.After a deep breath, I realize that something feels wrong. Something seems off. I walk to Fergusâ room and see him sleeping peacefully. I tuck the baby monitor in my pocket and step outside. I wonât go far, I canât go far without Fergus, so hopefully sheâs close by.It doesnât seem like she is at first. I look all around our home and donât see her. Then, I go towards the back yard and I stop.Sarah is there, but the tree line, but sheâs not alone. Heâs with her. The anger from earlier boils within me again.I know I shouldnât be jealous, especially not after what I did to Sarah. I have no right to worry about that after all I put her through. And nothing truly awful has happened between them. I donât have a solid reason to be upset.Besides, I tru
LucasâYou donât have to give an answer right now,â he rushes in to say. âIâm not expecting you to be sure of anything right now. Itâs just something to think about.âIâm so taken off guard by this that I donât know a single word to say in response. I have tried to push aside my fears that he wants to seduce Sarah and getting to know them all a little better has helped me to do so.My daughter though⊠I never thought heâd be after my daughter. Arranged marriage? âThatâs a big topic,â Sarah says slowly. âWeâd definitely need time to think about it further. Weâd have to talk through this amongst ourselves.ââOf course,â Azar replies with a pleasant smile. âIâm not trying to force your hand or anything. Take as much time as you need. It is a big decision but I think itâs the right one.âWe donât stay out much longer than that. We circle back to the gathering for a little while. But everyone is tired, so we all head back home soon after.Itâs only once weâre back home that every
SarahI take a moment to give Lucas a hug and another kiss before we step into the area where the feast is being hosted. I can sense that heâs still a little insecure about things, but he had no reason to worry. Iâm going to be true to him always.Iâll admit though, I am intrigued by this new pack. I wonder about the kinds of magic they can do. Iâm curious about all they have to offer.As we walk towards their Alpha, the pack starts to congregate together, which is a little strange. Before this, they were mingling with everyone else. There seems to be a shift though as we approach them.âWeâre so grateful youâve accepted us,â Azar says, flashing that friendly smile. Is there anything flirtatious about it? I donât really think so.âTo show our gratitude, we would like to show you something,â he continues. âA little show before dinner.âI hesitate. What if this is something malicious? I donât know anything about this pack. Is it a trap?Theyâre already here though. They could tr
LucasAfter everything else thatâs happened, Iâd be lying if I said I wasnât worried about this new pack joining us. Itâs not like itâs uncommon for packs to approach each other, especially if they think a mutually beneficial alliance can be formed.The fact that packs are now approaching us like this shows our growth. Iâm proud of Sarah for bringing this pack to greatness like this. Iâm happy to welcome newcomers in.Itâs just that thereâs been a lot going on lately. And it still seems like a risk to allow anyone new to come into this peaceful place we created.Then, I realize that Iâm sounding a bit like how Liza sounded when we brought Brandon in. It gives me more empathy towards her but also makes me realize that maybe Iâm being a bit paranoid.It will be good to have another alliance. This could ultimately be beneficial to us. So, I help answer questions as the pack follows us. I remain as engaging as possible as I get to know them.âYouâve truly created something impres
SarahChills run down my spine as I listen to this prophecy about our daughter. I always knew our children would be great. But I never expected something like this.Could it be true?I assume it is considering the way this prophecy has been delivered. What does it mean though? How do we deal with something like this?Before we can ask any questions, the bubble floats off into the sky which grows lighter again. The lights turn back on. The candles are re-lit.Lucas and I look to each other as everyone looks to us for answers. Yet Iâm stumped. Usually I know what to say, but not this time.âI have no idea where that came from,â I admit. Iâve found that when it comes to being Alpha, the best way to approach these sorts of things is from a place of honesty. âHowever, I can say that I feel blessed.âItâs clear our daughter will be special. I donât know exactly what that means yet, but we will take care of her to the best of our ability. Weâll cherish her just as we do Fergus. Weâll