Rose
Too many bodies were crammed into Brigid’s little cabin. There were only two people who had room. Orion paced the floor. He had hastily thrown his hair up in a messy bun with a couple of stray pieces hanging down, framing his face. Brigid was unfazed in her chair.It was hard to move without bumping into another person. It was like we were trying to make a werewolf pyramid on her couch. At any second, I thought it would collapse. It was an Armando sandwich on the bottom tier. Iris and Alastor made up the bread, which left poor Damian to be the meat. Harriet was content as she nuzzled up against Alastor. My options were Damian, Iris, the floor, or standing. Sitting on Damian would only bring the wrath of Orion, and the floor would interrupt my mate’s pacing rhythm. I was about to give up and just lean against the couch; until Iris grabbed my hand and pulled me on top of her.“Oh, come on, Luna. I won’t bite...well, at least not you.” Iris beamed at me beforeMattIt was a typical nonpatrol evening, just like the others since I became a pack warrior. I was in the training center with my headphones on, letting my surroundings melt away into empty space as I finished my set of Romanian deadlifts. I let the barbell clang to the floor before stretching out my hamstrings. I shook my arms out, allowing them to flop back and forth, preparing myself for another set. It felt like I was being smothered by a wet blanket, so I stripped the sweat-drenched shirt I was wearing, letting it fall to the floor.I added some more weight on each side of the barbell. I took a deep breath as I let my fingers curl around the barbell into a mixed grip. I wriggled my feet shoulder’s width apart, and with one quick fluid motion, I stood up straight, clasping the bar.I felt sweat drip down the nape of my neck and over my chest with every deadlift. When my set was over, I dropped to the ground and pulled my headphones from my ears. Only then di
MattI hesitantly pushed the heavy wooden door open, ready for anything that might come our way. Nothing but stale air with a mix of dust greeted us. I sniffed the air for anything prominent that could give me some clues, but the only thing I could pick up was the faint scent of rogue.“Maybe someone found a key and opened it?” Iris offered as she followed closely behind me. I felt her warm breath tickle the back of my neck. We dropped our bags in the foyer as I peeked around the corner.“Yeah, they just happen to find a random key and then go around to the dozens and dozens of buildings searching for the winner.” I scoffed as we crept down the hall.“Don’t mock me; it was just an idea. Why are we sneaking around? There are no fresh smells lingering.” Iris ignored me as she walked around me. “Let’s just do a sweep of the house and keep on moving. The more we walk around on eggshells, the more creeped out I am going to get. I’m sure this place was lovely w
OrionI had just finished a pull-up when an ear-piercing scream echoed throughout the packhouse. It was Rose. I immediately dropped from the bar I had been dangling from and hit the ground running.***Rose, are you okay?*** I mind linked her as I bolted up the stairs. Instead of receiving an audible response, all I heard was uncontrollable sobbing. Seconds later, I busted through our bedroom door, finding Rose a crying mess on the floor. As I took steps closer, I noticed she clutched a box in her hand, but her head hung low, blocking my view.“Flower?” I cautiously asked. At the sound of my voice, she hastily placed the box on the ground, scrambling to her feet. Tears streamed down her face as she launched herself into my arms. “Shhh, baby, it’s okay. I’m right here!” I tried to calm her, but it only seemed to fuel the raging inferno behind her emotional outbreak.“It...It’s...not okay.” Rose managed to choke out through her cries.“What the hell w
HarrietThe thought of Matt being held hostage made me completely numb. I would always have a soft spot for Matt. No matter how much he infuriated me or let me down, deep down, I would never forget the boy with the floppy curly hair who looked so lonely staring out of the packhouse window. I remember the first time I really saw him, I was eight. I thought he looked like a sad miniature poodle or something. Whenever I teased him and called him 'poodle,' it brought so much joy to his eyes. He just wanted human interaction. Why couldn't the adults that walked around him see that?Growing up, we always had a pendulum type of relationship. Sometimes we rarely spoke, and sometimes Matt rivaled Rose as my best friend. The older we got, the pendulum seemed to slow drastically. Months ago, I thought that Matt would be my mate, it had felt like the swaying pendulum had finally stopped, but fate had other plans for us. The fire illuminated all the cracks and impurities in our rel
OrionAfter hours of staring at various maps of the surrounding mountains, we had come up with about a dozen areas that would be a suitable place for Kroll to be hiding with Iris and Matt. When I examined Iris’ ear, I knew that there was no way they would be in Silver Crescent. By the time her ear would have been cut off, packaged, smuggled into my territory, and delivered, it would become much more rigid if it was from as far away as Silver Crescent. I also knew Kroll was smart enough to not linger in my territory. He was a sociopath, but even in the twisted recesses of his mind, he was more intelligent than that. I sent out groups of warriors to only scout the areas. They were not to engage or put themselves in any danger. They were to report back as soon as they found anything.Damian had fallen asleep in one of the chairs by my fireplace, but Alastor was bursting with frantic energy as he paced my office deep in his own thoughts. I leaned back in my chair; exhausti
BrigidAt an early age, I knew I was different. It always seemed like I knew a little bit too much for my own good. I would hear these faint whispers that no one else could hear. The whispers always seemed to get me in trouble. Children in the town would refer to me as creepy and torment me whenever they could. Their parents never stopped them because, deep down, I knew that they thought I was bizarre as well. There were very few people who accepted me for me. I took comfort in my sister, my Papa, and my Mama. It was us against the world, a world that found me weird and unnatural.My Mama had light brown hair that she kept cropped right below her ears but always had beautiful finger waves gracing it no matter what her day held. My Papa had tanned skin and rich black hair. My little sister, Aisling, was my little defender, even though she was three years younger than me. She was so sweet, but her personality would flip as soon as someone was cruel to me. We lived on a s
Orion"I need your help, though. I need you to help me find Iris and Matt." I nearly whispered, but I knew she heard me. "I know it's been….""Don't you even think about saying decades." Brigid cut me off with a look that could kill me."I know it's been a while. I just need you to try...please. For Iris? For Alastor? For me?" I looked down at the ground as I finished my plea.The seconds felt like an eternity as I waited for her to respond to me. I focused on the soft roar of the rain falling on the roof, but instead of soothing me, it only made me more anxious than she would reject my request. I knew that Brigid stopped using magic before I was even born. I wasn't sure how her magic worked or even if she could do anything since she started blocking out the whispers so long ago. Anything she could do would be helpful. Knowing we were doing everything we could do was better than knowing we didn't try every avenue."You know, I can't make any promis
MattPain radiated throughout my head. I tried to open my eyes, but the world was fuzzy and began to spin uncontrollably. I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but if anything, it made my sight worse. Thud, thud, thud. My head pounded away. I was lying face down; something damp was pressed against my body. I splayed my fingers out, feeling around me. I wasn’t in my cell. Where were my shackles? Pan was still dormant, though. If the silver was gone, where was Pan? Why wasn’t he back? I inhaled deeply; the overpowering smell of damp soil and leaves invaded my senses, causing me to wince as the thudding in my head struck again. Pain ran down my spine, like a wildfire, as I tried to push myself up, but I groaned as I clasped my neck, falling back to the soil. What had Kroll done to me?“Iris…” I murmured as I tried to sit up again. My whole body felt as heavy as lead, and every slight movement sent my head spinning. Nauseous washed over me from the tip of my toes all the w
RoseOne moment I was floating in my bathtub daydreaming about Orion, and then the next thing I knew, I was lying on a bed of damp earth, twigs, and fallen leaves on the forest floor. The sweet aroma of honeysuckle and moss tickled my nose.
RosePru sat across from me at the breakfast nook table. She gently shook her leg as she wrapped her fingernails on the table. We had been sitting like this for an hour. I was scared her leg was going to fall off.“What time is it?” Pru broke the silence.“Only a quarter past five.” I sighed. “You are going to be fine.”Pru wasn’t precisely scared to join the pack, but she was a ball of nerves. She was so calm that night with the Fallen Moon rogues. I found her fascinating; she was almost the complete opposite of Harriet.“I know, I know.” Pru offered a halfhearted smile. Matt was in a meeting with Orion, Alastor, and Damian. Orion had told me I could join in, but my heart told me to keep Pru company.“I think you are overthinking it.” I reached across the table and placed my hand on top of hers. I hope I was able to offer her some shred of comfort.“I know.” I heard that response way too many times in the past hour. She was just focu
RoseBeams of late morning sun danced across the hardwood floors. I snuggled deep into Orion's chest as if he could make the morning go away.Last night after the 'bonfire,' Orion had carried me on his back to the packhouse. I never thought I would get used to being carried around on someone's back so much. Now it was second nature.I pulled the duvet up over my shoulder, trying to fight off the slight chill in our room. I guess it was time to either start wearing more clothes to bed or either crank up the heat more."I suggest the heat. I would hate for Orion to have to wear more clothes. I prefer him naked myself." A voice echoed in my head. She was there; Delilah was back. I felt my breath catch in my throat."You are back!" I squealed at my wolf."I am.""I missed you." I really had. I was lonely without her. Everyone else had been trying to prevent it, but it couldn't be helped. I saw through the movie afternoon with my girls. No
RoseAfter a couple of hours of blanket forts and cuddles, a knock on the door sounded, reminded us that there was a world outside of this room. I peaked over the top of the couch to see Orion and Alastor lingering in the doorway.“Okay, ladies, you have stolen my mate for long enough. It’s time to get ready to go.” Orion walked over and gently poked my nose. I stuck my tongue out at Orion as I crawled out from under my blanket.“We did not even have her that long!” Harriet whined, and she dramatically clutched my blanket to her chest.“You are going to see her again in ten minutes,” Alastor mumbled as he leaned up against the back of the couch and ruffled Harriet’s curls.I gently stretched my arms up and out as I stood up. My muscles ached, and I silently prayed that Delilah came back soon. I hadn’t felt this bad since I had the premonition when I was Pru ran in the woods.I let my fingers intertwine with Or
Rose“Anyways, we have gathered to discuss Alaric and Pru.” Orion cleared his throat.“What’s there to discuss?” I almost jumped to my feet; my heart frantically hammered in my chest. I couldn’t live with myself if they were punished or turned away from our pack. I turned to look at Alaric, Pru, and Matt. Pru and Matt had their fingers interlocked. Alaric had his head tilted to the side; his curiosity had been tantalized. I could see the cogs turning behind those gray eyes. Why were they so calm?“Luna,” Alastor spoke up. I whipped my head to face him. The sudden movement made my neck muscles scream in pain. I winced but tried my best to hold my composure.“Pru saved me. Pru saved Matt. It’s not like Pru asked to be there. They kidnapped her, too! She was taken; they stole her life and her grimoire. Alaric undermined his Uncle, his Father, and all those rogues whenever he could! He put his neck on the line for us when he didn’t have to. If it wasn’t for P
RoseOrion and I didn’t get back to Black Moon until past sunrise. Orion wanted to stay and help dispose of the bodies, but Alastor and Harriet wouldn’t have it. They took care of the bodies and the fire, erasing the presence of the war the best they could. I rode on Orion’s back during the journey home. Clutching Pru’s jacket for warmth and some sense of modesty. I didn’t really want to have a Lady Godiva moment after the night I had.I honestly didn’t remember much of the trip back home. Once I was on Orion’s back, I knew I was safe and didn’t have to worry about anything. I do remember my parents smothering me, though. My father checked me over at least twice, and my mom almost threw me into the bathroom. After they were satisfied I was clean and not going to die, they went home. I knew that they would be back as soon as they had a catnap.Orion had asked me if I wanted to stay in the guest room, but it was time to go back to our room. Kroll couldn’t touch us
Rose Greta’s hands wrapped around my neck, trying to squeeze the life out of me. If she was trying to scare me, it wouldn’t work because I had already seen the darkness that waited to consume anyone it could. Compared to that, she was nothing.Her fingers dug into the flesh of my neck, a small stream of blood escaping. Greta was desperate; air bubbles escaped from her mouth.I elongated my claws and slashed through her jacket to her forearm. Greta let go of me and clutched her arm in pain. I grabbed her hair in my hand and violently yanked it.In the water, I had the advantage. Greta was dressed for the Autumn weather; her boots and jacket would do nothing but weigh her down in the water. The best part, though, was that she couldn’t use her fire.I may have been naked, but I would rather be exposed to the cold water than to have anything on me slowing me down.Greta threw a punch at me, causing me to lose my
Orion“Oh, hello, little puppy, have you seen the pathetic Alpha of Black Moon? I was thinking his head would be a delightful souvenir of this battle.” Kroll’s voice rang through the air as clear as a bell. Every word was peppered with cruel satisfaction.I shifted back to my human form and stood tall in front of the disgusting excuse of a wolf. “Is that what my mate was? Just a souvenir?”“Oh, of course not. Your little flower? That’s what you call her, right?” Kroll’s lips curled up into a disgusting grin. “Well, she is the crown jewel in my little collection.”I let out an earth-shaking growl. My mate was a Luna, not a cheap tchotchke for a lunatic’s shelf.“Down, boy,” Kroll smirked; he knew he struck a nerve. “Is that how you treat your superiors?”“The only thing about you that is superior is that distorted God complex of yours.” I casually ran my fingers through my hair. “It’s a shame you are such a sociopath.”“I am not a soci
RoseWith every stride my paws made, I could feel the demonic warmth of Greta's rage encroaching on me."You can't run forever, little girl!" Greta cackled from behind me. A crack of her whip cut through the woods coming after me. Just a little bit further. I skidded out of the woods onto the road I had been on in a different time. Its course seemed unchanged, thank Goddess. The path from my premonition was the same except for a layer of asphalt.I ran down the road as fast as I could. The asphalt gnawing on the pads of my paws. If I wasn't in a life or death situation, I would probably love to wander through the area.My back left paw was ripped out from under me as Greta's fire scorched my fur. My jaw crashed into the street. The taste of metallic blood rushed into my mouth; I had bitten my tongue on impact. I jerked my leg away from Greta's fire, scrambling to get away."Just give up. You will never win against me." Greta taunted me. Her