[Ashlynd] “Mother, it didn’t work, it always works!” My mother winces as she listens to my continued whining about losing the Alpha this afternoon due to my stupidity. We are standing in the parking lot where Slate disappeared two hours ago. She is trying to be patient as she listens to me, but I can also see the throbbing vein in her forehead signaling that she is inwardly annoyed, even if she isn’t expressing it outwardly. “So tell me again, slowly, and in a clear voice, what happened…exactly.” Mother asks calmly, her voice steady and low, not revealing even the smallest hint of irritation. “What happened before you entered the elevator? “They were almost kissing!” I shout. She glares at me and I lower my eyes and my voice. “I caught them in time, but their lips were so close.” “Would it have been their first time?” I can see her cataloging details, as she tries to make sense of what occurred. “Do you know why they were kissing this time?” “He kissed her quickly once before,
[Slate]Where am I?I’ve lost track of time. I am not sure when I shifted, but something happened to force me into this form. Sage isn’t speaking, even though he is in control. The last thing I remember is being in the elevator with Ashlynd, but everything goes blank. I hope I didn’t do anything to her. I’d never forgive myself if I hurt her or anyone else due to lack of control.My paws ache like I’ve been walking around for hours. The sun is starting to set and the chill from the water is making me shiver through my fur. I don’t feel right. I want to shift back, but I don’t seem to be able to do so. Sage is in control, even if he isn’t talking to me. I don’t feel right. Not just the lack of control, but also sick. My body is hot and cold, moving from anger to lust to fear. What is that smell? I know that smell. It smells like home. Vanilla, Anise, and Apple Blossoms with a touch of something stronger. Something irresistible. I could live in that scent, drown in it, roll around in
[Hyacinth] “Mates,” I pull away. “Impossible! I don’t..” Slate pulls me into him and he wraps his arms around me. My heart is beating rapidly, pounding against his chest and mine, fluttering like a caged bird. As his face draws closer, I hold my breath. I should push him away, tell him to stop. But I don’t want to. Damn it, I never want him to let me go. It feels too good, too right for me to want to escape. “Slate, I…” I can barely form words in his eyes. “What about…” He doesn’t let me finish my question. His lips touch mine, the sensation sends electric pulses throughout my body, rolling over me in waves of pure bliss. The tingling stretches from our lips to our interlaced hands as he pulls my arms above my head and begins kissing his way down my neck. “Cindy,” he breathes against my skin. “I am so happy it is you. So happy you are my mate.” “Slate, wait,” I free one of my hands. “You’re still engaged to my sister…I…” “I don’t want to think about her right now,” he shake
[Slate]She is quivering beneath my fingertips and I want nothing more than to follow her request, to make love to her all night if she wanted.But this is her first time. Her first time should be special. Not like this. “Hyacinth,” I run a hand down the side of her body, petting her like I would to calm a stressed wolf. She responds to my touch as only a mate might, arching her back as the tingles running through her body brings her joy. She is so lovely. Goddess, she is so beautiful. I want her so badly that my soul aches with the need to touch her, to join with her completely. “Are you sure you want this?” I check again. I don't want to take something she is not ready to give. “Yes,” she repeats, her face twisted in confusion. “Why do you keep asking? Don’t you want to? I mean…”“You dolt!” Sage is screaming at me inside my head. “Kiss her!”“She’s terrified,” I explain to my impatient wolf. “I want her to be comfortable and this…this doesn’t feel right.”‘Maybe she’s so uncom
[Hyacinth] This time, when I woke up next to a man in a strange room, I knew exactly where I was and exactly what had happened. It isn’t a shock. I am not in pain. I do not feel shame and fear or worry about what other people will think. I do not feel like a bad girl, a bad wolf. I feel desired and loved. Well and truly loved. I have something I had long given any hope of finding. A mate. Smiling, I roll over to watch him sleeping next to me, his chest moving up and down. I've never had much opportunity to observe him so closely before, so I'm taking in every small detail, memorizing him before we start our day--like the small patch of freckles that dots across his nose or how he has the longest chestnut-colored eyelashes I have ever seen. How his short hair waves around his ears in loose curls, or how he has a small patch of curly auburn chest hair in the very center of his chest. I smile as I place my hand on his downy chest that, for some reason, I find both inviting and c
[Hyacinth] Slate blinks. “What do you mean?” he looks genuinely looks baffled. It is obvious that the thought of what we should do next never really crossed his mind with any type of depth. Maybe it’s because he is Alpha, and he is just used to people doing what he wants them to do. “We tell them the truth, of course,” he kisses my fingertips..” You and I are mates. We found each other. We want to be together. Everyone will be happy for us. I don’t see the problem.” “But what about my sister?” I ask him directly. “You haven’t broken things off with her yet. Do you think it is fair to her to show me around as your mate without letting her know first? What will you do if either Drew or Blake or even worse, Bash, tells her by accident?” “I think Drew and Blake could handle the truth,” he grins. "It's not like they don't understand what it is like to find your mate and keep it to yourself." “Maybe they can,” I admit. “But do you want to risk it? It’s bad enough that we are going to b
[Hyacinth] As Ash opens the doors to the restaurant, a stray breeze kicks up some fallen leaves, swirling them around her like a cape of dirt and broken promises. Angry doesn’t begin to describe the look on her face as she glares, her eyes like lasers, at the space where we are sitting. Marching over to us, she stands above the two of us, her whole body radiating anger. “Slate,” her voice is tight. “We need to talk. Now.” “What happened to you, Ash,” Slate looks just as puzzled as I feel her wind blown and dirt smudged appearance, which doesn’t meet her usual polished standard of elegance and poise. “The last time I saw you was in the hospital. You were upset, but you seemed fine.” “WHERE have you BEEN?!” her nails are cutting into her hands as she shouts. “Can we please speak about this outside,” he pleads. “This isn’t the right place or time for what we need to talk about. I don’t think that anyone…” “You don’t think…?” her voice continues to raise. “That’s right, you don’
[Hyacinth]“What do you mean, something bigger?” I turn from watching Ash stumble down the street back towards the hospital to looking at my mate’s scruff, unshaven face. He is so handsome, even when he’s not quite clean or ready for his day. In many ways, he is even more attractive because he is so relaxed and at peace even after Ash’s terrible display. Slate turns to me as well, his blue eyes intense, as if battling his own thoughts. "I don't know," Slate answers, shaking his head sadly. I can see that he is worried and sad about Ash. They were together for six years. I'd worry more if he were not concerned about her. "But whatever it is that I cannot remember about yesterday, either Sage doesn't remember either or he is hiding it for some reason. She was the last person I remember seeing and then you were the next person once I was in control again. It just feels like too much to be a coincidence."I find myself unable to argue with his logic. There has been something very off ab
[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