Rose The seconds that ticked by felt like an eternity as I watched Pru; her body was frozen in place like a statue forgotten by time. The only slight movement I could detect was her chest's slight rise and fall as she breathed. Matt was going to kill me. I paced around Pru and the demonic crystal; the only noises were the distant water drip and my footsteps. Round and round, I went circling Pru and that crystal. I felt like a vulture circling a dead carcass and shivered at the thought. I stopped before Pru and dropped to my knees, "Pru? Are you okay?" Of course, she wasn't answering me. I don't know what I expected or secretly hoped for. Dread started to claw at the edges of my mind. I felt a brush of warmth caress my mind. It was Delilah. Even though we had not been in sync recently, she was letting me know she was there and that I wasn't alone. "Thanks," I humbly whispered out loud as I stood up and stepped back. Delilah did not answer me, but I felt her warmth as she stayed nea
RoseWe swept the Red Spruce territory, checking every home and piece of land we could imagine, but we needed help finding Luna Emma or Colton. We knew where Alpha Daughtry was. Surprisingly, he acted like an Alpha should; he was shepherding his pack, ensuring they were alright and keeping the bubbling emotions of fear at bay. I may not have thought much of the man, but in those moments of evacuating his pack, he had a glimmer of redemption, but I knew it wouldn't be enough at the end of this ordeal."Where have we not looked?" Orion groaned as he shoved a handful of hair out of his face. Sweat was starting to drip from his nose because of our widespread search. His eyes scanned the horizon as if the answer would magically appear."What about the graveyard?" Matt questioned with concern in his eyes. I gave him a slight nod in reassurance. "We haven't checked there. There's no shelter, so it wouldn't be an ideal place to go, but then again, nothing about this place is ideal." Orion gr
Rose"It was like watching a bad car crash; you couldn't look away, but instead of a gory blood bath, nothing happened. Not even a spark or unusual noise. It took a minute for everyone to realize what happened or what didn't happen." I sighed out into the cup of coffee Iris handed me. My head throbbed, trying to put the past few hours into factual words.We were in the woods, in the unclaimed land between the packs. We had made a temporary meet-up place here after the anti-climatic scene. We were checking in with Iris and giving our minds a break from the heavy atmosphere surrounding the Alpha's family.Iris sat down on the fallen tree beside me. She poured herself some coffee out of the thermos she had brought with her. "I don't even know what to say.""You could tell Luna Emma was relieved, and honestly, I would have been more concerned if she hadn't been." My head hung down, staring down at the ground. "I could never hold it against someone who was relieved that their child did not
Once upon a time, there was a wolf who thought she was nothing special. However, a lucid nightmare would change everything she knew a couple of days before her eighteenth birthday.This nightmare was not just a dream but a premonition of the destruction of her pack. The night of her eighteenth birthday was supposed to be a joyous occasion filled with opportunity. Instead, the night was filled with fire and carnage.Her Alpha, Beta, and pack members were struck down in their prime. The remainder of the pack members and her became rogues.A blessing came from this tragedy, though. The following day another Alpha came to absorb the survivors into his pack. That Alpha was the wolf's mate.B
Rose "You can't keep this up, Alpha." An elderly wolf spoke up. His skin sagged under his eyes, and age spots littered his face. That was Richard Stanton; I had every inch of his face memorized by now. I knew them all now so well. Every freckle, scar, and liver spot on their faces. How many times had we been dragged into this room? How many times had we left our pack territory for this? How many times did the council try to deter my mate? Too many. They were wasting their breath and our time. This whole song and dance was getting old. I licked my index finger and turned a page in my book. How was I suppose to catch up on my reading with such nonsense going on? At any second, I knew I would be dragged into their conversation. Just give me a couple of more paragraphs...please. "Why do you say that, Stanton?" Orion crossed the room and slammed his hands against the council's table. The noise reverberated throughout the room. Every single member jumped in their seats; the tension in th
Rose "Alaric, is that you in there?" I cautiously asked as I attempted to unlock the door. My stomach did a small flip as it was already opened. I wasn't reliving anyone's past, right? This wasn't a premonition that I had accidentally slipped into? "Who else would it be?" The attitude and sarcasm hit me like a freight train. Of course, it was Alaric. Even after over a year and a half, his personality refused to budge or soften. I appreciated it; you always knew where you stood with him. "Did you pick the lock again?" I groaned as I flipped on the lights to reveal Alaric sprawled out on top of my giant reception desk. His dirty shoes dangled off of the edge as he grinned at me.
Rose*** Doesn’t she look pretty this morning.*** I mind linked Alaric as I scooted over in the cracked pleather booth to make room for Heather to sit by me.Heather had her platinum blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail and was wearing a simple blue sundress with a chunky cream sweater thrown on top of it.Heather slipped into the booth beside me and immediately picked up the menu. We all knew the menu by heart, but she still took the time to look it over.Alaric’s eyes bugged out of his skull at me. During Alaric’s time in Black Moon, he became almost like a little brother to me. I had been the baby in my family, and all three of my siblings seemed pretty apathetic when it came to me. They teased me, but that was the extent of their interest in me. Alaric appeared to fill a hole I didn’t know I had in my life.“Why are you two up and functioning so early?” Heather yawned and nuzzled her head into my shoulde
RoseAfter my breakfast with Alaric and Heather, I left them arguing in front of the diner. Alaric would annoy her, and eventually, she would pull herself away from his trap. Whenever she did, Alaric was kind enough to look after my little library until I was done with my meeting with my favorite witches.A gentle breeze drifted through the streets of the pack. Bleeding hearts, blackeyed Susans, dogwood, and bluebells harmonized with various other wildflowers.Spring had always been one of my favorite seasons. My mother's garden had come alive and was the most beautiful during that time of year.Things were a little different now. My mom had a garden at her new home, but it wasn't the s
Rose"It was like watching a bad car crash; you couldn't look away, but instead of a gory blood bath, nothing happened. Not even a spark or unusual noise. It took a minute for everyone to realize what happened or what didn't happen." I sighed out into the cup of coffee Iris handed me. My head throbbed, trying to put the past few hours into factual words.We were in the woods, in the unclaimed land between the packs. We had made a temporary meet-up place here after the anti-climatic scene. We were checking in with Iris and giving our minds a break from the heavy atmosphere surrounding the Alpha's family.Iris sat down on the fallen tree beside me. She poured herself some coffee out of the thermos she had brought with her. "I don't even know what to say.""You could tell Luna Emma was relieved, and honestly, I would have been more concerned if she hadn't been." My head hung down, staring down at the ground. "I could never hold it against someone who was relieved that their child did not
RoseWe swept the Red Spruce territory, checking every home and piece of land we could imagine, but we needed help finding Luna Emma or Colton. We knew where Alpha Daughtry was. Surprisingly, he acted like an Alpha should; he was shepherding his pack, ensuring they were alright and keeping the bubbling emotions of fear at bay. I may not have thought much of the man, but in those moments of evacuating his pack, he had a glimmer of redemption, but I knew it wouldn't be enough at the end of this ordeal."Where have we not looked?" Orion groaned as he shoved a handful of hair out of his face. Sweat was starting to drip from his nose because of our widespread search. His eyes scanned the horizon as if the answer would magically appear."What about the graveyard?" Matt questioned with concern in his eyes. I gave him a slight nod in reassurance. "We haven't checked there. There's no shelter, so it wouldn't be an ideal place to go, but then again, nothing about this place is ideal." Orion gr
Rose The seconds that ticked by felt like an eternity as I watched Pru; her body was frozen in place like a statue forgotten by time. The only slight movement I could detect was her chest's slight rise and fall as she breathed. Matt was going to kill me. I paced around Pru and the demonic crystal; the only noises were the distant water drip and my footsteps. Round and round, I went circling Pru and that crystal. I felt like a vulture circling a dead carcass and shivered at the thought. I stopped before Pru and dropped to my knees, "Pru? Are you okay?" Of course, she wasn't answering me. I don't know what I expected or secretly hoped for. Dread started to claw at the edges of my mind. I felt a brush of warmth caress my mind. It was Delilah. Even though we had not been in sync recently, she was letting me know she was there and that I wasn't alone. "Thanks," I humbly whispered out loud as I stood up and stepped back. Delilah did not answer me, but I felt her warmth as she stayed nea
Pru Air hissed by me as I focused on the fluffy tail of Maera. Before I knew what was happening, my body collided with something so hard my breath from my lungs escaped, as it felt like I had burst through a glass wall. I squinted my eyes shut and threw my arms over my head, trying to protect myself from the impact. When I pried, my eyes opened Maera had vanished. I scrambled to my feet and brushed myself off. No longer was I in the town; I did not know where I had ended up this time. I looked around, finding myself in what looked like a dark cavern. My footsteps echoed softly as I walked along the wall of the cave. I reached my hand up and casually grazed fingers across the border. It wasn’t rock; it was cool to the touch and as smooth as glass. It was crystal; I had finally found my way to the heart. I let out a sigh of relief as I peeled my hand from the wall. I was getting closer. The sooner I was done here, the sooner I could get back to Rose, and the sooner I could get back t
Pru A flash of powerful lightning licked the air around me as I fell into the abysses. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as a scorching breeze whizzed past me. The temperature cranked up the further I descended. Sweat rolled off my brow and evaporated instantly, leaving only the whisper of its presence. I couldn’t tell you how long I was falling; it could have been seconds, minutes, or hours. The further I plunged, the quicker I lost track of time. It was just me and the darkness, but this wasn’t the darkness I knew. With every inhale, the air was sharp and painful, almost as if venom was seeping into my veins. Each breath was more brutal than the last; it was like an elephant was stomping on my lungs. Abruptly, dozens of tiny red orbs rained down on me with a crack of irate lightning, the souls. In my freefall, I reached out and touched one of the wisps. It burst into violent flames, and a cloud of thick black smoke poured. I coughed as I tried to wave the smog away, bu
Rose“What do you mean, Pru?” I asked with a shaky voice. I trusted Pru with my life, but my stomach knotted at her words. Why was it best the guys weren’t here?“Do you trust me, Rose?” Pru’s eyes reflect the soft glow of the crystal.“Of course I do, but what are you going to do?”“Promise you won’t tell Matt.” Pru’s eyes fell to the stone floor.“I-I promise.” I gulped and nodded. As soon as the words left my lips, Pru turned to face the crystal.Pru fell to her knees in front of the pedestal and lifted her hands to the crystal. It was only then did it hit me what she was going to do.*************************************************************PruAfter I officially joined the Black Moon pack, Matthew and I had some growing pains. I was introduced to a new place, a new lif
RoseThe floorboards creaked underneath our feet as Pru and I crept through the empty packhouse. Even though I knew no one was around, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that we were being watched.“Rose,” Pru’s voice was soft and comforting. She wasn’t looking for a response. If anything, she was reassuring me that I wasn’t alone in this, that she would be by my side.I nodded at her and tried to lift my chin higher as we walked to Luna Emma’s study. Did Pru and I know what we were doing? Hell, no, but we would wing it until we destroyed that damn crystal.Once we were in Luna Emma’s study, Pru’s eyes ran wild, taking in everything she could. If we had the time, I knew she would love to go through everything in the room and soak up all the information she could.I immediately stepped up to the desk like it was second nature and rummaged through the drawer to open the secret passage. I hear
Orion I watched as a sea of confused faces streamed past me into the forest. Children, women, and men filed past me. Each one was more oblivious than the last. I couldn’t believe this was where we were at now. I had never even thought about potentially evacuating my pack, but then again, I had never tried to kill them all. There is no way we could have asked Iris to try to convince Alpha Avi to have Lunar Lake house any more of the Red Cedar pack members. After the magic was snuffed out, or maybe even contained, what was going to happen? There was no way in hell I would just leave Alpha Daughtry and Luna Emma in charge of their pack. I doubt there was any hope for them. If their pack members didn’t kill them first, we would have to report them to the council. Realistic
Rose The sun lazily crept through the curtains of the packhouse, shedding a golden pool onto a fruit bowl on the countertop. I sat at the kitchen bar, staring at a bruised banana, tapping my fingernails on the counter. The noise echoed throughout the empty room as my heart chaotically hammered away in my chest. It had taken everything in me to walk away from my mate and come back to this house. He was on the other side of the border; he was safe, for now. Matt and Orion were helping evacuate the oblivious pack members. None of the villagers knew the truth; they just knew that they were being forced out of their homes and evacuated into the woods. Eventually, the truth would be revealed, and that is when the shit would hit the fan. All the stability of their pack would