The mystery of the island grows.... IF you are enjoying this story, please consider gifting it a gem or two :)
[Charlotte] “Or at least I think he is,” her voice goes from confident to uncertain. She places a hand on her head. “Things have been confusing since I woke up.” “How long have you been awake,” I ask. She seems lost, both in mind and spirit. “Something isn’t quite right about her,” my wolf sounds both hesitant and confused. “She doesn’t feel like our mother, not quite. Something has been taken from her.” “I don’t know,” she admits sadly. “Until I saw you running through the woods, I was not sure if I had been here for days or decades. I have no memory of anything other than the accident and waking up on the table. I wish I knew more. I wish I had some kind of clue.” She looks so close to crying she is so overwhelmed with emotions. “And things haven’t been quite right since I woke up,” she admits. “Like my abilities. They are completely different. I seem to have lost the ability to heal, but instead, I can do this,” she raises her hands to the sky. “Create illusions. This has nev
[Hyacinth] There is a flash of light along the treeline. I see the silhouette of the woman who claims to be my mother, although from a distance it is hard to tell who she is. The further away she becomes, the harder it is to make out her details. “The Witch!” One of the men near the docks screams pointing towards the lights. “She’s back!” All of the searchers rush off to hunt her, to find the mysterious woman of the woods. They seem far more concerned with her than they are with finding Bash and me. Only one man stands near the boats, waiting. Gregory. Drew’s mentor. “I was wondering when you two would show up,” he shrugs as he unties the boat. “You better hurry before they become suspicious.” “Why are you letting us go? I demand, wanting to know the truth of all of this. “Drew asked me to watch after you, to keep you safe,” he looks over our shoulders nervously, as he gestures for us to enter the boat. “I thought this would be the best place to hide you but I was wrong.
[Hyacinth]Again I find myself standing in front of the little yellow house where everything began to change for me and Slate. Nervously I look around. I am sure this place is no longer safe, with both witches and watchers hunting us, but I cannot think of another place to go. I need allies if I am going to go back to Gold River. Allies and a way in that won’t draw too much suspicion. I am hoping that our friend in the yellow house can help us. Jeffrey is shocked when he opens his door to find both of us standing on his front stoop. His shoulders slumped, he sighs as he allows us to pass him into the warmth of his home. “You shouldn’t be here,” he hisses as he pushes us inside. “It isn’t safe for you to be seen this close to Gold River. the network has been compromised. Where’s Gregory?” he looks behind us, expecting to see the large, gruff wolf glowering from the street.“I didn't know where else to go," I confess as I hold onto Bash tightly. "Gregory is still on the island. He fou
[Hyacinth]I decided to take Jeffrey’s advice and headed back towards the coast, to the Blue Moon Pack. We haven’t been back this way since we adopted Drew into our little pack, and I find myself remembering Linda, my mentor. I miss her and her wisdom. She’d know what to do in this situation. “Well, Bash,” I sigh. “Are you ready for another road trip?”“Is it to see Papa,” he bounces up and down in the car. We are borrowing Jeffrey’s old sedan, hoping not to draw too much attention as we travel. “I miss him.”“I miss him too,” I place a hand on his head and another on my belly as I say, “But we are going to need all the help we can get if we are going to free Uncle Drew, Auntie Blake, and,” I pause, not sure what to call my mate when speaking to my son. He calls him Papa, but he isn’t his father, and…“Papa,” Bash finishes for me. The glow of love in his eyes is so bright it makes my heart ache. I wish so much that I could give this little wonder the family he deserves. “...and Papa,
“I’m sorry, what?” I cough. “I mean, Drew and I are friends and…”Mariana laughs even harder. “Don’t worry,” she takes a breath. “I was only messing around. I know that my brother is happily mated and married. They came by on their Honeymoon. Blake is way better than you for him,” she smiles, holding out her hand to shake, “No offense.”“None taken,” I assure her, and Stella, who happens to be her Luna I soon learn. They’ve been married for 10 years and have two pups of their own. They invite us over to their house just across the street from the pack house. Bash hits it off with their two sons, Jade and Fletcher, and the three of them play in their tree fort until late in the afternoon while the three of us talk. I explain my situation and the craziness at Gold River. I don’t go into detail about the Guardians or the island, but I do let them know we need to be very careful who we trust. “So my brother, and his mate, are stuck in that hell hole,” Mariana is pacing back and forth, “A
[Ashlynd]My mother insisted I be here instead of with my new mate. Even though we've only been mated for one day, I can feel the pull so strongly through the mark on my neck. When he plunged his teeth inside of me, I felt pleasure beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I want to feel him inside me so badly right now. I know that if I have a bit more time with him, I can get Sage to mate with me as well. Slate fought me at first, but now he's all mine. Instead of being by his side, I am stuck here, supervising the creation of our new “hall.” She insists that my presence is needed since I am the one technically holding them all in thrall. I don't see why that even matters since there isn't a single wolf out there that is strong enough to break the magical chains binding their souls to me. Not even my step-father, the mighty Delta, can break his bonds. Mother would only need to hold the chains for a little bit longer. She is a much more powerful witch than I am. I don’t see why i
[Hyacinth]We do not have any time to waste. The leaders of the West Coast packs are set to arrive early tomorrow morning. Which means we need to get everything else in place tonight. "Do we have anyone on the ground in Gold River who can help," Mariana queried as we began making a list of who and what we needed. "Drew and Blake," I list off quickly. "But I don't know what their status is. When I last saw Drew he was able to resist their mind control and...""Another advantage of being a Gibbons Moon Wolf," she interrupts. "Superior strength, but also mental toughness. He is almost impossible to brainwash." "Unfortunately," Stella chimes in, "Blake wasn't a strong enough Crescent Moon wolf for her to have any protection from her abilities. If anything, because of the Crescent nature, she was more susceptible. Crescent Moon Wolves were always intended to be diplomats. They are good at empathy and charisma. They are also known for not quite mind-reading but something pretty close to
[Hyacinth]“Hi,” I step out of the car with my hands above my head. “Cameron, you remember me, right? Dr. Hyacinth James, Delta Henry James’ daughter…”“I know exactly who you are, traitor,” he pulls out a gun which he then points at my head. He is flanked by two other wolves that I do not recognize which I assume must be members of the River City Pack. “Do not step any closer. I would rather not kill you, but I also can’t trust you,” he pants, his eyes wide and red. “I know you are a witch.”“A witch!” I gasped both startled and upset. He can’t be serious. I look up into his unflinching eyes and realize he believes what he is saying. He really thinks I am a witch!“Cameron, Gamma McCoy, listen,” I stay very still, afraid he’ll misunderstand my intentions. “I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but I can assure you that…”“I know you bewitched the pack!” He shouts. “Della and the kids did not recognize me when I tried to go home. The Luna sent me here looking for you. She convinced
[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