69"What...?" I gasped, feeling the hairs on my body stand up. "What are you doing, my lady? The tour is only beginning." They chuckled, tugging me by the arm. "But... what? Did you see that?" I looked at the statues which had returned to their previous positions. "See what?" "Could it be that you received a vision from the goddess?" One of them gasped."Then you must see the priestess right away." "Uh... Wait, no. I'm fine," I assured, pulling their hands off. It's probably nothing. "So what else is there to see?"It must be a trick of the light or something. A girl in white robes thrust a tray of fruits in my face. "Would you like to have some?"I picked up a banana and nodded in appreciation. It was a wonder how pristine the temple appeared. I thought it was ruined in the war with everything else. The tour around the temple ended when we arrived a private room. "Leave all negativity out here and try not to think so much. It can be overwhelming for first timers," they said.
I sighed in relief when I heard his voice. "Reed, I'm so sorry for not reaching out sooner." "It's cool. I'm sure it must be dangerous to reach out to us at certain times. What's up? Is something wrong?" "No. Not really. I'm thinking of returning back." "Here? Did something go wrong with the plan?" "Kind of." "It's not there, is it?" He asked gravelly. "Yes." "Shit." "Yeah. But I know where it is and I need to return. You're still where I left you, right?" "No. We had to move to Tennessee." Worried, I gripped the vase tight wishing to see how he looked. "Oh, no. Did something bad happen? Where is Connor?" "It wasn't anything we couldn't handle. Connor went shopping. I don't know why he isn't back but I'm sure he's fine. He's probably charming some old lady's pants." I frowned, letting my jealous rage at this 'old lady' who was with my eye candy. "Hey, you okay though?" I smiled at his question. "Yeah, I'm okay. How about we meet up in Sunnyvale?" "Sunnyvale? The town
"That dress looks better on you than I expected," Celeste remarked with a gentle nod. "How did you...?""Your father never had an eye for fashion so I helped him.""Oh." The breezy pink dress in question arrived earlier this evening when I was putting on black overalls to sneak away in. I made an eye contact with Commander Turner who seemed surprised to see me but he made no move to ask me about it. The main streets of Arth was brightly lit with many colours, upbeat music, tasty street food and chatters. It was easy to get carried away by the exuberant atmosphere. Hugging the stuffed snail which I won from solving a hundred piece puzzle without magic in record time, I skipped around with a bright smile. It was fairly easy-"Would you like corn dog, Phoebe?" I turned. Commander Turner chuckled softly, handing me a hot piece of delectable meat on stick. "Thank you," I said, taking it from him."I suppose you changed your mind about leaving tonight?""Of course not. I was blending a
I woke up the next morning...or afternoon? The sun streaming through the windows made me think it was way too late for morning. Panicking, I sat up and stared at the two men sleeping blissfully unaware of how much time had passed. But I had to admit, after last night, I was so tired that I'm sure I could still sleep even longer. "What are you doing up?" Reed murmured, running his long slender fingers down my arm. "We slept in," I said, climbing over him to get out of bed. I stood up, feeling the soreness in my legs and pressure in my bladder. "And I need to pee.""Dude, wake up," Reed groaned, pulling the pillow under his brother. After I'm done, I washed my hands and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was all messed up and out place, my lips swollen and pink spots coloured my neck and chest. I'm going to smack Connor in the head for this. Grinning to myself for getting thoroughly fucked, I touched my nipples with my cold wet hands. "Need some help?" Connor asked. His 'help'
"What? What's wrong with Reed?" Zoe asked, peering at us with confusion.I shot out of my seat, pulling Connor up with me. "It was nice meeting you again, Zoe but we have got to go."Connor bolted for the door while I hurried to catch up with him. What could possibly happen to Reed to worry Connor so much? Father could not have figured out where I was, could he? I hoped to the gods Reed was alright when we find him. Breathing heavily, I climbed into the passenger's seat when I reached the car. Connor sped off, going past the speed limit. His veins bulged along his forehead, neck and knuckles. I began to fear he might shift into a werewolf while driving. "Connor," I squeaked. The car screeched to a halt in front of my house. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary except for the absence of Reed who should out here, waiting for us and the open front door. My heart thudded in my chest and my palms became sweaty."Reed?!" I shouted as I stepped down from the car. "Reed, where are you?""I
74"What...what's that supposed to mean?" I stuttered. "What happened to Mom?"Uncle Al groaned, a deep frown framing his face. "Must you interrupt me? Zip it before I do it for you... permanently like I did with your mother."Terrified and horrified by his words, my shoulders dropped in defeat. How could he? My heart ached at the thought him who loved me most, who I loved the most, prevented me from growing up with a mother. As he continued to chant, blood began to pool around the twins' feet and crawl towards the corpse. What happened to taking 'a little'? I could sympathize with him, understand him but not at the cost of my mates. I needed Father. He was much stronger and- Holy shit! The dark aura swelled, occupying every space in the room, inching closer to me. When it grazed my fingertips, I gasped at the coldness that felt oddly familiar and familial. Like a puzzle fitting into place in my mind, I took in the shadowy darkness. "No!"Fidgeting, I gasped at the intensity in w
"So what's the plan?" Lucas yelled over the gust of wind whipping against us. "Render him powerless," I yelled back."I still say we kill him.""I agree with your mate, princess."I threw a glare at Reed. "Enough about that. We have to subdue him and then gag him. He has his protection shields up but I will try and breach it. When you do, take him down." "I knew I should have taken that charmed rope with me," Reed grunted and cursed under his breath. "Connor? With me." Like a blur of brown, Reed broke into a run after his brother. I stood my ground, trying to rip a hole through his defences with spells. It felt like I was walking into a steel wall each time I tried. Gritting my teeth, I pictured myself bulldozing his walls. "Guys!" The steel wall was closing back in, crawling to seal up a visible wound. When my vision cleared, Connor had managed to jump in, having found the breach first. He transformed into his human self and charged against my uncle. As I watched the two of them
When I stepped on the other side, the council room came into view. All members of the council wore a cold mask. Even Commander Turner lacked the softness in his eyes. The lining of my stomach rumbled with dread as I stepped closer to the table. "Good morning," I whispered. "Phoebe Woods," Father said in a cold, commanding tone. "The council has called you today on the charges of theft, fraud and repeated disregard for the laws of Arth. Are you guilty of these charges?" Unease settled in my stomach like a flock of butterflies flailing in a flood of guilt. I trembled under their hostile gaze. It would be useless to explain myself. Perhaps I should have done things differently. Nodding, I looked my father in the eyes and said, "Yes.""Do you accept whatever punishment the council passes on?""Yes." My teeth ground together, and blood rushed to my ears. Father watched me for a moment, unwilling to reveal his true emotions. "You are hereby stripped of your position and powers," he sai
When Morgan left, it felt like life pushed me back into my reality. Wiccan terminologies and slangs I thought I had forgotten came out of me as Morgan and I chatted, and reminisced about the good old days and the things that happened in my absence. The house buzzed with everyone talking about their day, well except Claire. She stalked Morgan out of here. A mail arrived an hour later, requesting all Alphas to be present for a meeting that evening. The sudden call turned the atmosphere tense as everyone realized the cause and could only imagine the outcome. I catered to the potions and charms Morgan made, keeping them in a safe drawer in my room. The strong colors showed the potency and strength the potions held. It would be possible to protect the house and everyone in it with these alone. “Are you hiding in here to cry now that your friend is gone?” I laughed at Jess words as she walked in into the bedroom. “Reed and Connor said to check in on you. They would have done so themselves
I pulled Morgan into a hug once more. It felt as though he might disappear if I take my eyes off him or let him go. He laughed and held me steady, reassuring me. I drew back and took another look at him. He dressed in casual clothing and boots but his exhaustion was clear as day on his face. “If I knew I would be missed this much, I will stay away longer,” He joked, his gaze shifting to the giggling babies. “Aw, babies. Any of these happen to be yours by any chance?”“No.” I picked up Pete from the hastily made bed of soft towels and pillows. “This little guy is Pete and the other is Theo.”He shook his head and refrained from carrying the baby. “Babies are cute to look at but I don’t know how to care for them. That is Ace’s job.”“Try it! He’s soft and cuddly.” “And easy to drop.” He rejected the offer once more. “When will you start popping out yours?”Turning Pete to rest on my chest, I threw Morgan a scowl. “Why are you here anyway?” “Wiccan envoys from Arth decided to drop by
The construction of the safe house came along faster than we expected. Rhys and Liam worked as contract construction workers in a private company. Their knowledge was useful in gathering materials and putting in the work to build the shelter. I tried to help by lifting tools and joining materials together. When my usefulness was outdone by the werewolves’ strength and speed, I resigned to working with Orion to get more provisions. As we began to offload the groceries into the car, the shadows suddenly spread across the ground. The wind picked up, bringing with it a storm of dust. As I shielded my face, my clothes pulled against me. I helped Orion get into the backseats of the car to hide out. “I don’t believe this change in weather was included in the weather forecast this morning,” he said, coughing. My nose itched as I looked at the dark sky. The clouds covered the sun, blocking away rays that attempted to escape. The sand storm might have been overlooked by the forecast team,
“Where have you been?” I grabbed the demon by the collar of his shirt, demanding. “I asked you a question, you damn demon!”“Go easy on the shirt. It cost me a lot.” He grabbed my wrists, loosening my grip on him. “I ventured a little farther and got captured.”“What? Who did it?” I noticed the dark blood prints on his shoes and knees of his white trousers. “Why is there blood on you?”“Calm down, Princess. Some of it isn’t mine.” He sighed heavily, running his hands through his hair. “I took a small vacation back to hell to regain some of my awesomeness.”“Quit saying shit and tell me what happened.” I offered him a glass of water then wondered if demons needed to drink water at all. Lucas drank greedily, and wiped his mouth when he finished. “Some crazy witches caught me, the ones serving the ‘Lord’ and tried to use me to do their dirty work.”“Tried?”“They used me to do their dirty work, okay? Murder, extortion, anything you can think of. It was awful not having a free will.”
I felt awful. A person being happy about someone else’s misfortune has a price. Having a conscience does little good and gives little benefits but it pays. It pays to have people be indebted to you. Okay, that’s enough with this terrible monologue. But I was right. Those two blondes are twins. The cab stopped in my familiar, middle class town. I stepped into Jess’ clinic and found it empty. There was no sign of struggle or blood. Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself into thinking she stepped for a moment. Making use of the private bathroom, I showered and changed into some dress I found in a lost and found box. The bell at the door jingled as the door creaked inwards. I stopped mid-twirl and stepped towards the entrance. “Doc is out at the moment,” I said, sweeping my hair into a messy ponytail. “Oh, it’s you guys.” “You sound disappointed to see us.” Connor carried in a gift basket while Jess held a bouquet of fresh flowers. “Where did you go earlier?” “Out and about.” I look
"Is that a limo?" The nail file fell to the clean tiled ground with a sharp clang. I gawked at the sleek black, long vehicle parked in front of the clinic. I scurried to the door, gawking at the extravagance. When Alpha Simon said he would send transport, I did not think he would send a flashy one. This was highly unnecessary. What if my mates were present? How did they even find me? “Jess? I’ll be back in a few.”“That,” she pointed at the limousine. “…is for you?”“Surprisingly so.” I turned to grab my purse. “Could you not tell Connor and Reed about this? Ill let them know myself when I get back.”“But what if they drop by?” she asked, darting another look at the vehicle outside. The suited driver stepped out of the car, and came around to wait at the passenger’s door. “Make up an excuse. I am sorry about this and thank you, Jess.”“But where are you going?” she yelled as I dashed out of the clinic. “Be careful.”Climbing into the vehicle, I waved her bye. Settling in, I came f
The day to intrude on Alpha Simon came sooner than expected. I took a cab, growing unsettled by the minute as the vehicle entered the next town. I had the cab pull up in front of the town's hall. When I got off, my plans suddenly seemed childish. What was I thinking? How am I supposed to find an Alpha in a town of many people? What was I going to do, walk in and ask for a Simon? There could be a thousand Simons in this town for all I knew.I watched people come and go, unable to tell the difference between them. They could all be normal people, wondering if I was the weird one. I brushed my hair out of my face, irritated by the afternoon breeze. I really should not be here. Pulling out my phone, I looked for a cab to get me back home. A shadow cast over my figure as someone fell in step beside me. "The Alpha bet you would be here but I did not believe him."Startled, I flinched at the low voice and looked at the bearer. It was the Mohawk dude from the other day. His piercing gaze sh
"Reed explained the situation to me. I do agree it's important to calm everyone down." She peered at me with a firm gaze. "I believe you have been explained to how the process goes." "Yes," I replied. "This might be a source of discomfort to you, baring yourself to wolves at a time like this. Don't worry though. The test will take place before the council and some by this time next week." I nodded in understanding. "I can't wait to get this over with." "If you don't mind me asking, have you come in contact with any witch since your banishment from Arth?" "No, none." "Strange," she mused. "Pardon me but when Arth is this quiet, its people are up to no good." "I like to think they are just healing from the mess. Besides, they have a serial killer bound. They are probably preoccupied with investigating than planning another attack." "Let's hope so." Her grave tone tugged at my nerves. Connor grabbed my hand and gently squeezed. I might have been banned from Arth but my friends h
In bed, I curled up in Reed's arms, browsing celebrity gossip on his phone. The evening found the Pack House quiet after the departure of Simon and his men. Connor, Jeremy and Rhys went to make sure they were truly good from our lands and scurried around for signs of another invader. Simon have no other information other than what he wanted from us: me. From his manner of speech, it seemed to be something of grand scale. If it was, Alpha Simon should know that I do not bear powers that made a witch a master of the elements. Before I retired, I sent Lucas on a spying mission. He had been keeping an eye on the imprisoned witches who continued to work in secret. I paused in my reading, feeling Reed's hands venture under my night gown and massage my breast. It reminded me of how long it has been since we last made love. With everything that has been going on, it seemed like the last thing on anyone's mind. Besides, the kids are right next door. I could hear them reading a book with Lia