[Slate]As I was walking over to the meeting hall, I got an urgent text from Ash. She wanted me to meet in the Alpha suite immediately. She had some upsetting and important news to share, but she didn’t want it to be over the phone or by text. I only agree to her demand because I feel guilty. I hate how things ended between us and feel she deserves a chance at a proper farewell. So I walk straight up the stairs, not paying attention to the hubbub around me. The Alpha Beta Ball is happening at the end of next week. That day was also supposed to be mine and Ashlynd's wedding, so the party planners have been working overtime making all the preparations ready for both events. Every major Alpha and Beta on the West Coast has been invited to attend with us hosting them as a way to apologize for missing the summit at the end of last month. When I pull out my key to unlock the door, I notice that it is already open and not even completely latched, so when I place my key in the lock, it push
[Hyacinth]It was hard waiting for Slate to return. So Bash and I tried to keep ourselves entertained and busy. First, we cleaned the entire house. Bash even put away all of his toys that were strewn all over the house. I moved things in my bedroom, including making space in my dresser drawers for him and placing a new toothbrush in the bathroom in the cup next to mine. I wanted something pretty and lacy to wear for him, but nothing I owned was fancy in that way. So instead I picked my silky pajama top, leaving the bottoms in the drawer. Smiling, I thought of how it would feel to have his hands sliding around on the silk cloth. By the time we were done, there was still no sign of Slate, so Bash and I worked hard to make a special dinner and dessert to welcome him home. We settled on lasagna, a family favorite, with a salad. I pulled out a nice bottle of wine to celebrate along with a bottle of sparkling apple juice for Bash. I sent Bash outside and sent a quick text to Drew asking
[Hyacinth]"Off-road? In a Toyota Corolla? Are you kidding me?!" I shout as he makes a sharp left turn and begins to follow the river. "There is a hidden road not too far from here. We used to use it all the time during the Witch Wars." He explains. But none of what he is saying makes any sense. "Witch Wars?"My voice is starting to become scratchy from all the screaming. "Damn it, Drew! What aren't you telling me?"He doesn't answer. He is too busy controlling his car which is rolling over bumps and twigs like it was a new truck designed for offroading rather than being a simple family car that is almost 40 years old. He is going to have a lot of explaining to do when he gets back home, especially if he has to keep this trip a secret.Something big must have happened at that party last night for him to be acting this strangely. Something terrifying. Drew isn't the type of wolf to go into dramatics over nothing. If he feels that Bash and I are no longer safe in Gold River, then there
[Hyacinth] “Close your eyes, Bash,” a voice from inside me speaks, a voice that is not quite me. “I don’t want you to see this.” I wait until I see his eyes are closed before I focus my attention on the wolf man breaking his way through. Closing my eyes, I feel his flesh beneath my hand and I sense the power bubbling underneath the surface of his skin. It feels unnatural. He was never meant to be a wolf. He is in pain. “You can help him,” the voice inside me confirms. “You can heal him.” “How?” I no don’t waste time asking the voice who they are or where they come from. I know now that she is my wolf and I welcome her assistance. “What do I need to do?” "Do you sense the wrongness, the thing that doesn't belong?" she asks. "Feel with your mind, grab it with your thoughts, and pull it into you. Your body was designed for this. Trust me." Imagining a hand reaching from my mind through the connection I have with the wolf man in front of me, I grasp the wrongness with invisible
[Hyacinth] Their breath is hot and smells of rank, rotting meat as they circle close enough for me to feel their fur brush against my arms. The ground is damp beneath my knees as I kneel, trying to think of what to do next. If I run, they will chase me, and with them this close they will likely tear me apart this time. If I stay still, they will still likely kill me, but without the bloodlust of the chase, they may just play with me a bit, injuring me, but leaving me with a chance of survival. Either way, if they are here focused on me, at least I know that Bash is safe. Or at least, I hope he is safe. The woods at night are still full of danger. He could get lost. He could fall into a hole or get swept downstream. Sitting as still as I can I keep my eyes closed, waiting for the wolfmen to pounce or strike. A cold nose touches my leg and I struggle not to jump. So far they haven't done more than circle and sniff, savoring the scent of my fear. A claw grazes my neck. Swallowing
[Drew]The car is dark and smells of wet earth. Glass is strewn everywhere. My head is pounding and for a moment I forget where I am and how I got here but then it all comes back in a rush of emotion. My eyes snap open. We were attacked and there was an accident. Rogues. Rogues that Cindy said were not real rogues but transformed humans. An impossible truth unless you know that witches are real and never fully died out in the wars. “Cindy?” I call out into the dark. “Bash?” A woman in the distance screams in defiance and pain, followed shortly by another scream of anguish and heartbreak. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I wiggle out of one of the broken windows and into the cold night air. Without thinking I shift into my wolf form and sprint into the forest toward the source of the sound. On four legs I bound forward with the speed and grace of a true alpha wolf. I am larger than most, a true apex predator. My wolf, Drake, moves through the trees like night itself, our black fur blendin
[Drew] I make a sharp turn and head back towards the sound of the howling wolves. Seeing me the pack rushes to follow me and I laugh as the car is airborne, propelled over a log. Sometimes you need to laugh at your situation to keep from crying and my odds are so impossible right now as I look at the dozens of red glowing eyes in my rearview mirror, that I know I might not survive the next five minutes, never mind the rest of the night. As the pack cuts me off, I stop when I notice the wall of wolves is not budging. I don't want to hurt any of them. These wolves are not in their right mind and cannot be blamed for their actions. They are acting other the orders of another, orders that I cannot resist without my training. I have no intention of hurting any of them. I merely wanted to get Cindy to safety. As the wolves circle, I take a deep breath and begin praying. "Moon Goddess above, hear the plea of this humble servant. Keep them safe, keep them well." As the wolves surround m
[Hyacinth]Bash was looking back over his shoulder at where Drew disappeared. “Is he going to be okay,” he wonders aloud as he stumbles across the bridge. His small limbs are exhausted from all the running he has done so far and his steps falter. Fighting back my own exhaustion I scoop him up into my arms. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” I admit honestly. “But he told us to run to his friend, that he will find us somewhere safe.” His little arms wrap tightly around my neck. “Drew wanted us safe, so we are going to do that. For him,” I insist. I feel his little head nod against my neck and I give him a little pat on the back as I hurry to the other side. My brave little wolf. He is trying so hard to be strong, but I know that he is still worried. I’m worried for Drew too, but I don’t want his sacrifice to be wasted. Seeing the rogues and the behavior of Slate and the rest of the pack, I can understand why he is worried for our safety. Something is going on at Gold River Pack. Something t
[Hyacinth]What happens next still feels like an impossible nightmare. It was such a blur that it almost didn't feel real. Slate and I freed our senior pack members and they in turn freed the others. The remaining witches were gathered and imprisoned in the very cages they had created for the wolves who were now free. Silver doesn't have the same effect on them so the shackles and cages do not burn them, so in a way, we are treating them with more humanity than they ever showed us. The pack leaders who had attended the summit and our pack have allied. We call our new coalition The Protection and Preservation Coalition and as part of this coalition, each member pack has agreed to share resources and skills to build a standing army of trained soldiers with Alpha Silvers in charge of their training, making the Blue Moon Pack the premier location for training the best soldiers..We made the mistake before of believing the witches are long gone. Now that we know that we were tragically
[Hyacinth]The room is filled with the sound of chanting. Nobody has noticed Slate and me yet, which is good. We don't want them to see us. We need to save our people. If we are lucky, we can make quick work of this and save our pack.And our son, who is at the center of it all. He is the source of their spell. I can see the energy being drawn from him like the witches are drinking his soul. Slate squeezes my hand and through our link shows me an image of what we must do. The me from before all of this would have hesitated, but now I know that hesitation will just lead to more heartbreak and pain for everyone. "We can't let any of them escape," he is full of so much vengeance that I am a bit frightened of and for my mate. This time apart, and the pain he has received from the witch's hands, has changed my gentle Alpha into someone harder.Will he ever be free of this pain he now holds inside--someday perhaps but not today. Today he will have his revenge. And so will I. Slowly, I
[Sebastian]I know the bad man in the cloak. I remember him when I met him before. I should have whammied him before he could hurt us. The other kids can see the truth too. His illusions do not work on us. Maybe it is because they are a part of my pack now. I claim all of them. I am their alpha. The mean witches chained us all together. The chains end in a necklace and two bracelets that burn where they touch our skin. Some of us have blisters from where they rest, There is no way to move our hands or legs without much pain.None of us have gotten food or water, and the little ones are so scared.I am scared too, but I don't want my pack to know. I need to be like my papa. Strong and silent, ready to defend them. The grown-ups came to rescue us, and we were so excited to see them. First, it was the Gamma and Drew, but then I saw they were not themselves. They were put in one of the awful silver cages.A kind old lady and a bunch of wolves came in a few minutes later. But like the ot
[Hyacinth] Once the stars cleared from my eyes and my lungs remembered how to breathe, I looked up at my handsome mate lying above me, his body resting on his forearms, still glowing from the power of our union. My legs are wrapped around his waist as my body seeks to capture every last ounce of his love. Panting, and covered in sweat, our bodies rock softly as we settle back to earth. My legs slowly relax. We just made love in the forest after playing tag as wolves. For so long I never thought I'd have this, that I'd have a mate. But now that our souls are joined, I know that he isn't just my mate--he is my other half. "Hyacinth," Slate speaks into my head, his words as clear and sharp as if he had opened his mouth and said the words aloud. As he gently pulls out of my core to lie down next to me, I shiver at the feeling. It feels so much more intimate now--I not only feel what I am feeling, but I can feel what he is feeling too, as if I am both of us at the same time. Lying
[Thirty minutes earlier][Roderick]I should have never come here. I should have stayed in my swamp. Wolves and witches are dying all around me, terrified as they watch my illusion unfold around them. This is why others cannot use my power. This is why we stay far, far away from all of this. When a wolf like me interferes, when we join the fight, it often causes more harm than help. We intended to scare the witches, but a spell like this does not discriminate. Everyone in the area is affected, including the wolves who are little more than prisoners. Rushing from their seats, they may run towards the shelter of the auditorium. Those who were sitting closer to the front almost trample the ones towards the back as they make a mad dash to escape. The Beta and her team move forward, eliminating as many witches as they can. Unfortunately, the wolves in the audience are not in control of their bodies, the spell holding them captive is. And right now the remaining witches are terrified
[Ashlynd]I am dying. I know I am dying because I can feel the life draining from my body as the blood flows from my wounds, wounds that were inflicted by the love of my life and my darling sister, his mate.Seeing them run after one another, initiating their mating ritual, covered in my blood is not how I expected my wedding day to end.If only I hadn't been born a witch. Today would have been magical when Slate and I finally found one another, joining as man and wife. It would have been the beginning of a beautiful life together. But instead, my sister and the rest of the rebellious pack attacked and took everything important away from me in one deft move. When she bit the rings from my hand, I could no longer feel his heart, how in those moments as the spell started to take hold, he both pitied and hated me. The spell to make him my familiar, my witch's pet. would have forced him to be loyal and faithful and do what I wanted without complaint.It would have been as if I were the
"Mark me?" I whimper as I retake my bipedal form, returning to a body with only two legs instead of four. "You are my Luna," he growls as his form shifts above me. It has been so long since I've had him this close to me, naked and vulnerable, wanting to touch me, that I start to cry as I reach up to touch his chest. "Are you sure that is what you want," I want him, now more than ever, but I don't want him to feel like he is making a mistake. His expression softens as he bends his elbows, lowering himself to me so that he can press his lips to mine gently. "It's all I've wanted for a very long time, Hyacinth. I want you to be my Luna, my wife, and the mother of my pups.""About that, I reach up and touch his face," that night, before you asked Ash to be your mate.His face darkens. "I don't want to talk about that right now," he insists as he kisses me again, this time with more need. "I want you, I want my mate. And I need you to be mine, now. Not just because I want you, but becaus
[Hyacinth]Slate gives me a small head start. Bounding ahead, my heart pounding, I run on my new wolf legs, sprinting through the trees, weaving around them like the breeze itself, touching the branches and the bark with my fur as I brush past them yet easily missing any logs, rocks, or pitfalls in my path. I am graceful and strong in my wolf form, and my legs are long and powerful. Even though Halcyon is the one in charge, I can still feel everything--the cool wetness of the soil beneath the pads of my feet, the smell of fresh rain in the branches of the tall pine trees. And the scent of my mate not far behind me. He smells so good, so mouthwateringly delicious. Like the sweetest candy.Now I finally understand the gravity of what had been taken from me when my mother chose to seal off my wolf. She took away a whole world of sensations. I played in these trees as a little girl and ran through them gleefully as I played with the other pups. I had no idea what I was missing without
[Hyacinth]By the time I make it to the top of the aisle, Ashlynd is already holding Slate's hand as a preacher speaks over the two of them. Next to her are two of her new witch sisters. Next to Slate is nobody. I have already missed the part where they ask those in attendance if they have any objections to this union. Knowing Ashlynd, she probably didn't even include that part. She isn't the type to welcome opposing opinions. Everyone is focused on the scene in front of them. In the audience is my father and his wife, my evil witch step-mother. Also included are all the alphas and their senior cabinet members who came to the summit and Alpha Beta Ball. Every important wolf on the West Coast, as well as a few from the East Coast and one as far away as France. I'd be impressed if I wasn't terrified. All of these wolves are under her compulsion, controlled by the spell worn around Ashlynd's neck. I stand there, unnoticed and numb, unable to move as I listen to his promise to love an