SEBASTIAN STONE'S POVI walked back into the kid's room and saw that Anna had set up everything for the playdate. I knew I was going to end up having a tiara on my head or pink nail polish on my nails by the time Athena got home.“Well, baby what do you want us to do?”“Here Daddy, sit here and we're going to have a tea party with all my dolls,” she tells me“Oh, is that so?” Pray tell, what are the names of these beautiful ladies” I asked referring to the dolls.“Well, that's Chloe, Nicki, Kourtney, and Miranda, they'll be having tea with us” Being a girl's Dad is fun.“Okay baby”“Daddy! You didn't say hello to the ladies after I introduced them” she whined“Oh, my apologies ladies, nice to meet you. I am Sebastian and I want to thank you for having me for some tea today” I indulged herIf any of the pack members would see me now, they'd never believe this was their Alpha. It made me happy strangely enough to indulge Anna in her playdate.Anna serves us tea in her little tea cups
ATHENA MONTOGOMERY'S POV.As soon as I walked into the house, I climbed up the stairs and saw that Anna and her father were busy having a playdate.Sebastian is seated on a little chair I'm sure was killing his long legs, with a tiara in his head and pink glittered nail polish on his hands.They were having a play date and I could see the remnants of cookies and chocolate drink they had snacked on.I don't see Hendrix anywhere in the room but I know where to find him.My giggle gives me away as Sebastian looks up and notices me, he tries to coyly make me join them but I take myself out of the mix. I wasn't going to be the third wheel in their playdate today and I'm sure Anna didn't want me ruining her special time with her daddy.I give each of them kisses and leave the room to go to my room to freshen up. It had been a long day and even though I was not as hungry as I should have been courtesy of my loving husband who had lunch delivered to my office. I was tired.I take off my cloth
ATHENA MONTOGOMERY'S POVWe were lying in bed with Sebastian after dinner with the kids and I was so lost in thought that I didn't realize he had been calling my name until he shook me“Athena!” He called out while shaking my body“Yes dear”“What have you so deep in thought? I have been calling your name for the past minutes and you didn't respond” Sebastian nudged me to look at him as he stared expectantly into my face waiting for an answer. “Babe, don't you think it's time for the kids to meet Scarlett? I know you've had your reservations about the whole thing but I honestly think it's time they were introduced.” I pleaded“Babe, you know how I feel about this. I don't understand why you're bringing it up now, is there something I'm missing?”“It's nothing, I just realized that they're 6 years old and they've never met Scarlett, I know it's hard to let everything go but I have forgiven her and I understand that she's not getting any younger, and besides she has been punished enou
ATHENA MONTOGOMERY'S POVI bid the kids and Sebastian goodbye and go back into the house, I do not have a lot of things planned for today at the office so I lounge around the house. I've had a pretty hectic week so I decided to run a bath instead of a quick shower.I go upstairs and turn on the tap to fill the bathtub with hot water, I drop the soap inside the water and wait for the water to fill the tub while I go downstairs to grab my breakfast of pancakes and berries with a cup of coffee.I bring up my breakfast and set it on the table I had prepared for the bath, I enter the bath after getting undressed and allow the hot water to soak my skin. I let out a sigh as the good feeling spread over my body. I nibble on my breakfast and call Valerie to tell her I won't be coming in as early to the office today. I soak up for a good hour and when I step out of the tub, my body is squeaky.I dress up in loose red pants tucked into my cream-colored shirt into the pants and wear low brown he
SEBASTIAN STONE'S POVI'm in the office going over a few documents and papers to be signed. My mind kept wandering to the private lab Matteo had told me about. For some weird and inexplicable reason, I just couldn't seem to take my mind off that.After signing a few documents, I call out to Matteo to come to my office. As soon as Matteo comes in I ask him to drive me to the location of the private lab.“Are you sure you want to go there boss, we've been keeping an eye out there and nothing suspicious has happened”“I just want to know where it is and to see it,” I tell him“Okay boss, I'll bring the car around,” he says and turns to leave my office to go get the car.I arrange the papers on my desk and leave the office after leaving instructions to my secretary to reschedule all meetings and hold calls until I get back.I exit the office building and enter the car, Matteo and I are mostly quiet during the drive, we soon leave the busy area of New York and enter a quiet desolate road o
SEBASTIAN'S POVI did not know what to think when Scarlett told us she was with the supernatural things. My mind felt all mixed up and scared. The room felt strange like something not normal was there. Scarlett started saying words I did not know. Matteo and I stood back to back looking at Scarlett and the supernatural beings coming at us. I used my alpha power to protect us from danger like I always do. Scarlett laughed in a way that gave me shivers. "Sebastian, you never really knew about our world," she said in a voice that sounded not right. More supernatural beings came close to us with eyes that scared me deeply. "Boss, we need to leave here and think of what to do next," Matteo said looking and worried at the things coming near. Suddenly the ground shook hard and the portal thing got brighter. I felt something pulling on me, trying to take me into the portal. I did not want to go in there because I did not know what would happen. Scarlett came up looking strange and said "Se
ATHENA'S POV Their eyes met mine. "The Eclipse Coven has gotten into packs, causing problems and making events go their way. To beat them, you must unite the packs, show their real plans, and face their leaders." Sebastian's jaw got tight, he was very ready now. "We will protect our pack, uncover the truth, and break apart the Eclipse Coven."The person nodded as they approved. "There is a prophecy - a clue to beating them. You must find the Oracle of the Midnight Crescent. Only she can unravel what fate has in store and guide you in the big fight to come." As the person left us with unclear help, disappearing into the dark, I turned to Sebastian. "We need to find this Oracle and learn the prophecy. Our future depends on it."He met my eyes, I could see he was ready to face anything. "We will deal with this head on Athena. The Crescent Moon pack will not be toys for the Eclipse Coven's plans." We had no idea then this was just the start of a challenge testing our pack ties and c
SEBASTIAN'S POV I moved with purpose feeling the heavy leadership weight on me. The prophecy whispers shared unclear lines and each step brought nearer the must-come reveal. Scarlett's shaky will become a focal point shaping our fate's complex tapestry. A surge of power came from the Eclipse Coven ranks showing an enemy veiled in mystery. My instincts screamed knowing a threat bigger than this fight. The battlefield became a place hardening destinies in powerful forces' searing shaping heat.Amid the chaos, Athena's strong voice cut through above all. Her light of reason aimed to guide Scarlett to redemption's path. Our complex shared past rose in this crucial moment where forgiveness and change balanced on thin ice. As the fight reached its top, Scarlett Stone made her choice. The after-echoes spread through the mystical world leaving their mark on how we see ourselves. The last prophecy lines unwound showing a reveal changing how we know our kind's order.The person with Eclipse
Hendrix POVI stood gravely before the large ceremonial fire, the flickering flames creating dance shadows on the old stones around me. For my family history, this hallowed place carried decades of power and memories. Tonight, I could sense the weight of that legacy heavy with respect and feeling.Raising my arms, I started the hallowed rights passed down over innumerable years. "We come here on this holy equinox to pay tribute to Athena and Sebastian, the fabled founders of our family. Along with building this wonderful family, the mates whose unwavering love and unbreakable friendship shaped the entire path of our lives.As the gathered members of my pack listened with great concentration, my words rang across the quiet forest grove. We gathered together as one on this night, mothers and fathers with babies in arms, wizened elderly with lined faces, raucous younglings hardly able to contain their excitement."Their story is one of huge hardships faced with far more fortitude, of dar
Athena & Sebastian's POV Athena's povI sighed contentedly as I savored the brilliant glow of the fall sunset streaming over the large den windows. I curled in my beloved overstuffed chair while ribbons of blazing orange and crimsons bathed the old timber beams in warm, nostalgic colors.Though my face showed the wrinkles and lines from a very busy life, I felt an ageless tranquility cover me like a gentle, reassuring blanket. Once so brilliant and strong, my piercing blue eyes now reflected a calm ocean of earned knowledge and fulfillment.A faintly familiar smell of cedarwood and spice floated around as two strong, worn-out hands gently rested on my thin shoulders with learned sensitivity. Sebastian bent down to tenderly kiss my forehead, and I reached up to grab his palm. "You look so wonderfully calm, my eternal goddess," he said softly, his voice rasping but preserving that virile tone that still made my heart flutter after all these years. Looking up at him with a gentle smil
Hendrix POVAs I looked at the young people fresh-faced before me, the crackling fires covered the ancient lair in a warm, flickering brilliance. Though soft in years, I could already see the marks of great leaders in their controlled poses and focused eyes.These dogs stood for the birth of a new age to be developed on the hard-earned ideas and visions left to us by my heroic parents, therefore reflecting the future of our combined packs. It was now my great responsibility as Athena and Sebastian's son and Jax my younger brother to educate this new generation those revered values and ancestral knowledge."You all know the significance of why we've convened here this night," I began, letting my rich baritone carry the whole weight of the occasion. "The holy ceremonies to raise you from students to sovereigns over the continuation of our civilization's enlightened precepts."A handful of the younger ones seemed uncomfortable at the gravity of my words. I wore a forced smile on my worn
Anna POVAcross the sandstone walls of the den, soft candlelight danced shadows that appeared to bring the old etchings to life. Scenes of great wars, somber ceremonies, and the otherworldly visues of the ancient ones danced in the dazzling light. I inhaled steadying, letting the holy aura envelop me as I dropped myself onto the soft fur before the ceremonial fire pit. My fingertips gently stroked the strong wood lovingly white oak blessed by Luna Amara herself, drenched in berries. Its airy, cleansing tendrils brushed my flesh like a phantom mist.Since I had formally adopted Alpha's mantle, today was the first full moon. A fresh moon cycle was breaking through a fresh era. One whereby I would guide our unified alliance into an unparalleled period of peace and illumination. No little chore for a young person two decades old. But my spiritual background and the iron will have passed on from my ancestors inundated my very cells with blessed power and conviction. Little footsteps' gen
Athena POVTen Years A flickering in the lifetime of an eternal, but eons appeared to have changed all around me. From the roots of conflict and hardship Sebastian and I had lived, so much had blossomed.The den bathroom mirror flashed back a mature beauty, residual youthful brightness now enhanced by a royal, almost imperial posture. Laugh lines framed whole lips, showing a ten-year history of great happiness. My small, toned body nevertheless turned alpha heads. Sebastian most definitely never gets bored with destroying me every night as lovesick newlyweds do.As I turned the diamond encrusted wedding band around my finger, I felt a gentle satisfaction. Now the perfect unity symbol I had created for that terrible Sienna embodied the purest spousal loyalty. The great light of our love had sterilized her deadly daggers of betrayal and evil. A high pitched shriek pulled me from dream. I grinned, adjusting my summer tunic as tiny feet pounded closer. The door opened and a tiny tornado
Sienna Mother POVMy tending tools' regular clunk against the hard-packed mud floor offered a calm cadence. Every careful cut of root vegetables and herb mixing functioned as a little ritualistic offering to drive out the demons of past misdeeds.I still felt the weight of that darkness weighing down on me, an inky, stifling miasma of sadness, wrath, and misplaced vengeance almost corrupting me beyond redemption even now. The road I had begun down in the name of exacting revenge for my daughter Sienna was one tinged with terrible crimes and sins. But I had been spared completely giving my soul to those horrible depths by the kindness and intelligence of the Nightwalkers and allied packs. My life had been given an improbable continuity, a chance atonement I knew I could never merit.Sometimes even the basic tasks of attending to the spiritual and medical needs of our new haven felt like an unjustified privilege. The mother of a deranged, homicidal monstrosity, how could I be given r
Athena POVOur caravan reached the last mountain pass as the first rays of light were barely peeping over the horizon. A collective silence descended over the worn-out procession of wolves as the jagged forms gave way to the expansive views beyond.This was it the rich valley Hendrix had sought with every deliberate step of our exhausting journey. Virgin and pure like the earth before the embrace of civilization's development, a real paradise unspoiled by human efforts. As we first viewed the panoramic sight, Sebastian's calming presence at my side helped me. From this distance, the promise of refuge emanated from the very ground itself - a rich, earthy scent that piqued my increased lupine senses. Hendrix signaled for the packs to make camp just inside the pass, clearly understanding the need to gather before setting off into our fresh starts. Though tired to the bone, the assembled thrumming masses carried a tangible pulse of relief and expectation."Well!" The austere rumbling of
Sebastian POVOur large pack was leaving the gathering grounds as the first rays of dawn just peaked on the horizon. Though my body had long since given up the vitality of youth, in those first moments an almost electric stream of energy surged through me. This was it, the start of our magnificent journey into hitherto undiscovered territory.My eyes strayed over the line of wolves walking solemnly beside me. So many well-known people, generations of bloodlines and kinships entwined under those lupine pelts. It was a humble sight that sent off a reflexive protectiveness right down in my core.Whatever paths forward, whatever dangers we were destined to face, I would make sure our people came out on the other side intact. Too much had already been given up to let this desperate endeavor fall apart before it could start."You're quite reflective this morning." As Athena dropped into step next to me, her little voice caught my attention. " EVEN for you."I sensed the rueful half-smile of
Hendrix POVI waited in the hole for the packs to react to my suggestion in great silence. The choice of whether to leave our ancestral house felt like a millstone around every lupine throat. It was against every strand of our beings to uproot our whole lives and to turn our backs on the places that had protected us for ages. Still, the hard fact of cold could not be overlooked the human world was invading far too much of our land. If we stayed, exposure and the carnage that would surely follow seemed like an increasingly certain fate. The alphas started nodding their terrible assent one by one. First was Drystan, with his sharp but firm rugged features. The grizzled warrior understood the great need of this circumstance after seeing enough cycles of violence and death. "You make a good point, Hendrix," he rumbled, his rich baritone booming across the hollow. "Much as it hurts, we have to give our packs top priority. If moving is the only way we can guarantee our ongoing safety and