(Hilda)We heard the screams first. And we felt it when the ground shook. It started as a rumble, but quickly grew. Soren’s head snapped up, his body tense. Without a word, we both rushed to the door, throwing it open and jumping outside. The ground beneath our feet shook so much we had to grab onto the side of the cabin for support. The scene outside was chaos. Pack members from Soren’s pack and Arlo’s were running to the clearing. Their faces were full of fear, and it made a chill run down my spine. “What the hell is going on?” I asked. “Nothing good.” “Soren!” A voice called out, and I turned to see one of the scouts sprinting towards us, his face pale. “It’s Cerelia and Arlo! They’re in the clearing, you need to come quick!” I made eye contact with Soren and we shared the same panicked, confused expression. Cerelia and Arlo… together? What could possibly have brought them to the clearing together, after everything? Soren didn’t hesitate. He grabbed my hand and pulled me int
(Hilda)The argument reached a fever pitch and I felt like I was caught in a storm. Cerelia was mad at Soren for cheating, Soren was mad at Cerelia for hiding the talisman, Arlo was mad at me for cheating with Soren so he was mad at Soren too and I didn’t know what to think.The two packs watched as we all shouted at each other. Their anxiety mirrored my own as the yelling grew louder and more out of control. Anger shaded by guilt, with a heavy dose of emotional distress mixed in. None of us could think clearly while we were this upset.“Please, just stop,” I begged, tears threatening to spill over. “We’re all too upset to think straight right now. We need to calm down and then attempt to discuss things maturely.”Cerelia snorted and rolled her eyes. “It’s a bit late to try and be the voice of reason now Hilda. Did you think you could have both of them? That you’re special enough to keep 2 Alphas dangling from your fingers, panting after you?”I could understand her fury at me. Had ou
Cerelia The pain is intense and crippling. How could Soren do this to me? I’ve known in the back of my mind that he never completely got over Hilda, but I believed him when he told me he loves me. That I’m his rock and the one he chose to be his Luna.I remain hidden in the trees to listen to what else is said. Hilda’s remorse seems genuine, but it changes nothing. It happened, they slept together, there’s no going back and changing that. I have to find a way to move past the pain and figure out what my next move should be.Something strange happened while I was wielding the talisman that destroyed Lilith. I felt a seam of magical power lighting up inside of me. As if it’s been hiding there in plain sight all along, just waiting for the right time to come to life.After hearing Soren beg Hilda to stay with him, it was clear that there’s no reason for me to return to our pack house. A small part of me held out hope that somehow Lilith had cast a spell, forcing Hilda and Soren into eac
Hilda Whatever Arlo may have said in the woods in front of Soren about me belonging to him, he wasn’t showing much of it back at his cabin. He sleeps on a pallet next to the bed and every time I attempt to touch him he flinches away from me.I’m starting to think I may have made a mistake in choosing to come back here. I know my place isn’t with Soren either. I wonder whether he and Cerelia have managed to work things out. I hope so. The pain on her face when she walked in on us will forever be burned into my retinas. Shame is still my constant companion. Hopefully Soren came to his senses and apologized.The accusations he hurled at her in the forest, alleging that she was being manipulative and trying to be the hero, must have hurt her so badly. It rankled me and I’m not the one he implicated. We were in the wrong and he lashed out at her instead of taking responsibility. He was always the steady, level-headed one in our relationship. A bit controlling, but never aggressive. I don’
Hilda He owes me a lot of answers and we really should be talking, but the seductive magnetism of his proximity is overwhelming me. His palm cups my cheek, tilting my head back so he can kiss me. I’m expecting fire and searing passion, instead he offers me tenderness.His mouth claims mine gently, one arm wrapping around my waist, the other sliding into my hair. His tongue slips between my lips, lightly twirling around mine, sliding and moving in a sensuous dance, his teeth grazing my bottom lip. My body immediately tightens in response, nipples hardening, core contracting.“Arlo,” I whimper, wrapping my arms around his neck and hanging on for dear life. My knees are buckling, my head swimming in desire. He pulls my shirt over my head and shimmies my pants down my hips, before sweeping me into his arms and carrying me over to the bed.“You’re so beautiful,” he tells me gruffly, staring down at me. I watch wide-eyed as he shrugs off his own shirt, exposing his delectably wide shoulder
Arlo When she’s in my arms like this, her body coated in sweat, my scent comingled with hers, those gorgeous eyes growing heavy with contentment, the world seems like a perfect place. I want us to stay in this bubble forever.I can forgive what happened with Soren. Once. Maybe I’m grasping at straws, but I don’t blame Hilda for what happened in that cabin. Soren is the one who’s had a year, and a new mate whom he crowned his Luna, to move on from the bond he once shared with Hilda.She woke up a few short weeks ago and was immediately plunged into chaos. I intend to fix that. Our life together will be beautiful. Soren took advantage of her vulnerability. First by kidnapping her and then seducing her. Every ounce of blame for their infidelity will be laid at his doorstep. I don’t care whether that’s fair or not. I care about me and mine and Hilda is my everything.“Arlo, we have to talk,” she says, her voice whisper soft. I can hear the reluctance in her tone. She doesn’t want to shat
Hilda“That wasn’t your fault,” Arlo immediately counters. It seems making excuses for each other’s shortcomings may become a bit of a theme. “I’m so ashamed of my actions Arlo, but that doesn’t mean I get to pretend they weren’t mine.”“I won’t ever again, but this one time it means exactly that. If Soren hadn’t kidnapped you and planted doubts in your mind. If I’d been honest with you and not left cracks for him to widen. If, if, if. For all I know my mother cast a spell in order to drive a wedge between us. We’re starting with a clean slate. No secrets, no lies, no subterfuge.”I don’t deserve to be let off the hook this easily and maybe I’m weak for gratefully accepting his absolution without any further argument, but I want to forget that it ever happened.“Thank you. I’ll never betray you again, I swear. My loyalties aren’t divided anymore, Arlo.” His lips descend on mine for a fiery kiss. “How can I possibly want you so badly again already?” he groans. “I’m yours for the taking
SorenDamon is waiting when I arrive at the pack house, prowling up and down with barely controlled fury. “Where’s Cerelia?” he demands, eyes hardening when he sees the confusion on my face. “Isn’t she back?”“No Soren, she isn’t back. She’s your Luna, surely you know where to find her? Or don’t you care what happens to her anymore now that you have Hilda back in your bed? Don’t bother denying it, I can smell her all over you.”“If you want to issue a challenge, Damon, do it. I don’t have the energy for a pissing contest right now. I need to find Cerelia. You may do well to remember that I’m your Alpha and you don’t demand things from me.” I can see that he’s wavering on a knife’s edge, more than a little tempted to go for me right then and there.“I suggest you shower at least 3 times before tracking down Cerelia, unless your aim is to dissolve the mating bond and strip her of being Luna?” Damon drawls. I understand his anger, but that doesn’t mean I intend to tolerate it.“We still
Hilda“I get where you’re coming from, but waiting here will waste time. I don’t know where the glade is, but my family belonged to the same pack for many generations. In all likelihood it’ll be on those lands.” I tell Arlo softly.“Hilda, you were pierced with several arrows and just about dead when I found you. Not to mention that you were skin and bones. Clearly too weak to be running or fighting. That asshole used you for sport.”“I know, but he drove me straight to you, so there’s a silver lining,” I say with a smile, trying to dispel his brooding expression. “I would have found you even if you were on the opposite side of the world,” he growls. “I definitely didn’t need him to try and kill you so I could find you.”“Baby, I love that you’re protective and furious about what he did. If our roles were reversed, I’d feel exactly the same way, but this is more important than that. I’m still alive and happier than anybody has any right to be. We’ll ask Soren to make sure he stays hid
HildaI go to find Cerelia first. I’m pretty sure there’s no lingering resentment or jealousy about my and Soren’s past, but just in case it upsets her to know I still have stuff in Soren’s attic, I’d like to give her advance warning to deal with it.“Hilda, that’s incredible! We have to go and look through your stuff immediately,” she says excitedly, nearly vibrating with elation. “Combined with what I’ve just learned, I think we’ll have an edge Maelor will never see coming!”I’m cautiously optimistic that the artifact will help, but there are no guarantees we’ll even find it. I also don’t want to deflate Cerelia’s optimism with my doubts.“So you have more control now?” I ask with a smile. Perhaps her power alone will be enough to beat back Maelor now that her latent powers are being unleashed. Cerelia smacks her forehead, “I haven’t told you!” she practically crows with delight.“Told me what?” I’m becoming a little concerned that there may be too much magic flowing through her vei
Hilda I’ve been uncomfortable in Tara’s presence since the day we met and she blew a hole in my near-perfect life, but I’m glad Cerelia came to me to accompany her to the small cottage we’d allocated to Tara.“I just need a second pair of eyes to help me make sure she’s not lying,” Cerelia explains. Clutching the piece of obsidian in her hand like it’s tethering her to the world.“Very wise and I’m happy to lend you my deception detection capabilities,” I tell her grandiloquently. She’s apologized twice for bothering me and since nothing else seems to convince her, I’ll tease her instead. Cerelia grins at me, “Okay, fine, I get it,” she retorts.Tara looks surprised to see us and I have to suppress the urge to ask whether she didn’t see us coming. Despite my best efforts, I can’t quite keep myself from resenting her. I do my damnedest to hide it though.After a few quick pleasantries to make sure she’s settling in well, I turn the conversation over to Cerelia.Tara’s eyes grow wide w
CereliaAfter a day of rest, I’m back to normal. As quickly as my power drains, at least it regenerates just as fast. Yesterday had gone well, but there’d been a moment where it was touch and go and my blood runs cold every time I think about what could have happened if I lost control and the mages got their powers back.“What’s wrong?” Soren finally asks with a small frown. I’ve been pacing like a caged tiger and he’s been very patiently trying to ignore me while attempting to read. Hilda found the book in the huge library Arlo’s pack has tucked away in an underground fortress and tasked him with checking whether it contains anything useful.Apparently we’re not the first werewolves to have a run-in with mages. The book is titled: Illusions and How to Dispel them. So far it hasn’t offered up anything of practical value.“I’m sick of having such inconsistent control over my abilities,” I tell him. “Yesterday very nearly went badly wrong. What if I got all of you killed?” Soren puts th
Cerelia“You’re sure about this?” I murmur, glancing at Hilda where she stands near the edge of the ley line, her arms crossed over her chest. She’s radiating confidence, but I know her well enough by now to see the tension in her clenched jaw and the way her fingers subtly flex.Hilda glances at me, her lips quirking in a faint smile. “I have to be, don’t I? Besides, we’ve got a solid plan and I trust you, Cerelia.”“Let’s hope your faith isn’t misplaced,” I say, exhaling to calm my racing heart. Soren steps closer, placing a comforting hand on my back. I can feel the warmth seeping into me, grounding my emotions. “She’s right. You’ve practiced for this. You’re ready,” he tells me with unflappable certainty.Before I can respond, King Arlo’s voice cuts through the quiet. “We won’t have much time before they get here. Everyone, to your positions.” His tone is sharp, but I catch the way his eyes linger on Hilda.We scatter to our designated spots. Percy and Nixie flank me, their stance
HildaTalking to Cerelia helps solidify what I want, but Arlo gets to have a say in this too and I’ll discuss it with him when the time is right. For now, I’m taking the potion. If he agrees, and we decide to take the risk, it will be the last time though. Which means I’m more motivated than ever to eradicate the mages.“I have an idea, but the final say has to rest with Cerelia,” I tell the war council that evening. The inner circle consists of Arlo, me, Cerelia, Soren, Percy and Nixie. Soren glances at me heavily, already unhappy with whatever I’m planning to propose.“I’ve seen a glimpse of what Cerelia is capable of now and that brought me the idea.” Turning to face her I say, “If this is going to place you in danger of burning out, or it seems like more than you can handle yet, you say no.”“I won’t know until you tell me what it is,” she responds when I keep staring at her. “I’m serious Cerelia,” I say emphatically. “If you’re not sure, we wait until you’re ready.” She nods, but
HildaI’ve never had a close female friend before. I was one of the boys until one day Soren looked at me in a way that set a whole flock of starlings into motion in my stomach. I still fought and trained the way I had before, but suddenly I wanted to look good while doing it.There are other female warriors I’m friendly with, but Cerelia is the first woman I’ve opened up to emotionally. The irony isn’t lost on me. “Look at us, moving past our issues and bonding,” I joke.Cerelia eyes me knowingly. “We did that a while ago, even if we haven’t stated it quite so unequivocally before. What are you avoiding?” she asks astutely. Maybe this is why I hung out with the boys. When it comes to emotions they’re as observant as a tree.“If you apply this kind of perceptiveness to your surroundings nobody will ever get the drop on you,” I inform her. Cerelia crosses her arms and continues to stare at me inquisitively.“I need a potion to keep me from conceiving,” I finally whisper, unable to bear
CereliaTwo weeks of working with Tara has honed my skills far more than I could have ever foreseen. Judging by the expression I’ve caught on her face more than once, my rapid improvement shocked her too.I’m still drained and near collapse every night when I get to crawl into Soren’s arms for some well-deserved rest, but my magic is much stronger than it was before and I’m able to stop Tara’s attacks almost as quickly as she manages to launch them.The hour I spend with Hilda just after sunrise has become almost the only time we get to talk and I look forward to it. I’m not advancing quite so swiftly here. I can lunge away from a direct attack with reasonable speed and throw an almost decent punch. Sword training was a disaster and Hilda proclaimed it to be a waste of energy.“You have magic. That’s where your greatest strength lies. It’s going to take weeks to build up the kind of musculature you’ll need to properly wield a weapon and I’m really hoping we’ll be done with all this by
ArloHer pussy tries to suck on to my finger and keep it trapped inside, while she makes all the beautiful little noises that never fails to drive me wild. She’s like silk around my digit, her sweet liquor making it feel like I’m dipped into liquid silk.Her ass is still red and glowing. I would have stopped much sooner if she didn’t keep imploring me to continue. If she hadn’t been steadily pumping out moisture from between those slick, swollen pussy lips, I would have stopped regardless, but the proof of her enjoyment was clear to see.“Please Arlo,” she squirms on my lap, trying to force my finger deeper inside her. Pulling it out I go back to stroking her. Gently parting her folds so I could pet the sensitive interior. My index finger tracing circles around the nub of her clit. It’s already engorged and the slightest touch makes her shudder.“You said you want me to be in charge, love,” I tell her placidly, pressing down hard with the pad of my finger for a few seconds, before ret