[Slate] After having lunch, I had a lot to think about. Not just regarding the doctor, but also my role as an alpha and also as a brother. I’ve almost completely neglected my sister since she returned. She must be so lonely. I should be here every day just to make sure she is comfortable. I should make sure she is needed and wanted and special. She has no one else to do this for her with no mate and both of our parents dead. So I canceled my dinner plans with Ash to sit on the floor with my sister, pulling old photos out of a box I found in the packhouse attic. “Oh My Goddess!” Blake shrieks with glee. “Do you remember this Slate?” She is holding up an old family photo where the four of us, Mom, Dad, Blake, and Me. We are wearing matching sweaters of wolves wearing Santa hats howling at the moon. “I wonder what happened to those sweaters..” “Burned I hope,” chuckling. “I remember having to wear that thing to school the day of the photo. Kids are cruel.” I reach into the box a li
[Hyacinth] “I was really surprised when Drew told me you were coming over,” I yawn, “I wasn’t expecting you to come to my house to take care of me. Of all people, I should be telling you to rest.” “Nonsense,” Blake fusses over me like a mother hen watching over her baby chicks. “Once I called and learned you collapsed at work yesterday, I knew I needed to come and check on you. You are, after all, my favorite doctor.” “I’m your only doctor,” I chuckle. Blake walked the three blocks to my house with a crockpot full of chicken noodle soup. As her physician, I am still a little upset at her for taking that risk with her health. Crock pots can be heavy, especially when full of soup. I told her to never take that risk again, and she rolled her eyes at me telling me that friends do things like that for one another. Friends. She sees me as a friend. I told her I was not sick, just very exhausted, so exhausted that my body decided it needed to take a rest at just the worst moment. It
[Slate] “What are you doing in my pack?” I growl at the invading Alpha. “These women are MINE they are under MY PROTECTION.” How did this alpha even get inside Doctor James’ house? It doesn’t matter, I will protect what is mine and show this alpha who is in charge here. Leaping forward, I easily pin him to the ground. Snarling in his face, my teeth bared, I dare him to fight back. Part of me wants him to fight back so that I can tear his throat out and watch him twitch on the ground. “I live here,” he manages to squeak out as I pound his back harder into the ground. Looking up, I see both Blake and Cindy looking at me with large, terror-filled eyes. “Brother! What are you doing to Drew?” her hands fly up to cover her mouth. “Why are you treating him like he’s a threat? This is his house. We are just visiting.” “He lives here!” These words do not help me calm down. “With HER?” I point at the doctor, my heart racing. “Why?” I manage to ask between growls, not quite sure why I
[Hyacinth] “Do you think that is a good idea?” I do not take the invitation from his outstretched hand. “Wouldn’t that cause problems for you and your fiance?” “Not particularly,” he shrugs. “Especially since she will be there too.” “Is this some kind of trick?” I feel myself bristle. I suddenly feel very vulnerable. If I say no, it could affect my standing here in the pack. But if I say yes, it could affect my heart and spirit. Ashlynd’s coldness towards me has made me feel so unsure of where I stand. I never thought that a reunion with her would feel so awkward and painful. “Do you think it is wise to bring both of us? Together?” “Well it wouldn’t just be the three of us,” he explains. “My Beta, Delta, Gamma, and Epsilon would also attend in addition to my Luna. It is a gathering of pack elders three weeks from now and I thought, as pack doctor, you should also be there. You are also the daughter of a Beta and my Delta and it is time, past time, you had your chance at pack leader
[Hyacinth] [Thirteen Years Ago] "What are you making, Cindy," my father smiles, giving me a warm hug as he watches me sew a very small pair of shoes with delicate stitches. Beaming up with him I smiled. "These are for baby Hawk," I held up the tiny little blue booties. "Do you think Mom will like them?" He pulls me into a deep hug, "Of course she will, Cindy. Although you still have 6 months until you'll meet your new baby brother. Are you sure you want to..." There is a knock on the door. My father kisses the top of my forehead as he answers it. A firm but sad voice speaks from the other side of the door. He isn't speaking loudly, but the Gamma's voice carries and I hear every word. "Delta James, there has been an accident. I am so sorry, but the Beta, she's..." He couldn't say the rest, and he didn't need to. My father knew. Holding the little booties to my chest I cried myself to sleep that night. I would never see my mother again, never hear her voice or feel her touch. My
[Hyacinth] All the blood drained from my father’s face. “What did you just say?” “Eclipse. Is it a type of wolf? I found something in Mother’s records and I…" He rushes up to me and places a hand over my mouth. Looking around anxiously he whispers in my ear. “Never say those words out loud, Cindy. It is never safe for you. Even knowing about it can put you and your son in danger. I’ll tell you what you need to know, but you need to wait for me to come talk to you." He pulls away from me looking at me intently, checking to see if I understand the seriousness or the situation. "Please don’t look into this yourself, Cindy. It isn’t safe," he looks terrified, his whole body shaking as he begs, "Just trust me.” That was two weeks ago. I am usually a patient person, but everything about this sets me on edge. What isn’t my father telling me? When I said “eclipse” his eyes grew wide with shock, his face went red, and his body started shaking. What made him so afraid? I haven’t heard
[Hyacinth] "Cindy!" Ashlynd tries and fails to cover herself, her arms already full with champagne in one hand and a rose in the other, she had no real way to cover herself. Which is how she ended up covered in alcohol and stabbed with thorns for the sake of modesty. "Ash!" I shout in response. "What on Earth are you doing here? Naked?!" "I'm the Luna," she huffs, as she struggles to cover her large breasts with her right arm while her left hand reaches down to cover her exposed crotch. "I'm supposed to be here! This is the ALPHA's suite. I have a key." "So do I," the key catches the light as I hold it out in front of me. "Slate gave it to me himself. We meet here twice a week..." Her face goes from red with embarrassment to the dark purple color of rage. "WHY DO YOU HAVE A KEY!!" she screams loud enough that the whole pack house likely heard her. "Are you fucking him too? Isn't the man you have at home enough?" I slam the door behind me as I boldly stride forward. "Who are you
[Slate] I hope Cindy understands. We always meet on Thursday afternoons around 1 PM, but today I ran into Gamma McCoy who wanted to spend some time discussing pack security. We’ve had a recent uptick in violent situations on our borders. We aren’t sure what has changed recently, but these attacks seem specific, targeted, and very intentional. Because we are such a welcoming pack, even going so far as accepting rogues who want a second chance, and because of our openness, we have been able to expand and grow as a strong pack, some individuals and groups would like nothing more than to see us fail. Maybe this is a disgruntled rogue who was denied membership for one reason or another. Maybe it is the actions of a rival pack, looking to stir up trouble. Either way, the detour took longer than expected, and despite telling Cameron several times that I needed to leave, I ended up running to make my meeting, out of breath, sweaty, and exhausted. The large clock above the staircase in th
[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