Can you feel the "end of the book" energy? I promise I won't rush things, but I won't drag them out either. I want you to see the full story, but I also want to keep it exciting until the end! Please leave comments, reviews, and any other feedback! I love knowing that people are out there enjoying my story. And if you are enjoying this story, please consider leaving it a gem or two! I'll add another three chapters later today (Pacific Standard Time). They'll be up by mid-day tomorrow for my fans in Asia. Thank you again for your support! I appreciate each and every one of you :)
[Hyacinth]Arms grab me from behind. I need to go back. I need to find Bash. What if he is still in that house? What if he is burning alive looking for me right now? I claw and kick at my rescuers. "BASH!! I scream over and over again. Why isn't anyone listening to me? "We need to go back! We can't leave him to burn!""He's not there, Luna," someone tries to convince me. "We checked everywhere."I don't believe them. I won't believe them until I have checked every floor from the attic to the basement. I need to see with my own two eyes that my son is not there waiting for me, hiding in some corner. My world goes dark. _____I wake up to the sound of voices in the room next door. I don't know how long I've been out, but the sun has risen fully. "We're going to need to wake her up soon," a muffled voice says.Or I think it does. I focus closer trying to hear their words."They'll figure out where we are hiding soon enough," a female voice adds. It sounds like Beta Caroline Reed. "It
TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter includes scenes of abuse and attempted suicide. Read at your discretion. [Ashlynd]The Grand Warlock insisted that, as his new bride, I would be kept at his estate until the wedding begins. His estate, of course, is the Monrovia Estate, which my mother graciously handed to him after forcing her husband to live in the "pen" with the other "animals." For a woman who seemed so devoted to him only days ago, she has quickly bowed down to the will of the Warlock, not caring about any of her previous ties. She gladly accepted a position as one of his coven witches, donning her blue dress and smiling with the rest of them as they burned down the packhouse. "She wasn't there," My mother was angry as she opened the front door, throwing down her things and bowing at the feet of the Grand Warlock. "After the report of the attack at the prison, we were sure that she had gone there to rescue that Moon Wolf," she spat, refusing to call Drew by his name. "But when we
[Slate]The witches came last night to give Ash a message, and then a few moments later she was dressed in her blue dress and heading out the door. Alone. I am blissfully alone. And this time, she forgot to leave someone here with me to make sure I'm not trying to escape in any way. After the last incident, she removed all of the sharp items from the house. As a wolf, I heal supernaturally fast, but that doesn't mean I can't kill myself if I'm determined enough. But now that I've seen Cindy, and held her in my arms, I can not take the easy way out. I need to fight for her, for us, and our entire family. Our bond feels stronger today. I can sense her even now as she struggles through something. Something terrifying. But then, as I lay here in bed thinking of her, I feel when the terror leaves and she is filled with calm. I try to think of her, to send her all of my love. I hope somewhere, in her dreams, she feels it too. I miss her so much. Filled with thoughts of her, I let my bo
[Hyacinth]As the witches began searching for us again, we realized that it wasn't safe for us to stay on the surface. While we were camped out in the temple, the clinic was lost as the witches had taken it over as their new home base. Unfortunately, that means that the wolves that were too sick to be moved are now surviving at the mercy of those witches. After encountering the carnage in the basement of the packhouse, none of us have faith that any of those patients will survive the day if we cannot change our situation this morning. Thankfully the tunnels are expansive. We can all fit inside if we stretch ourselves out between locations. Unfortunately, none of the juncture points are large enough for any of us to stand in a cluster bigger than 10, which means giving instructions for the next phase of our plan feels a bit like playing telephone, where the message is changed and garbled by the time it reaches the person on the other end.Even with all of our challenges, we have come
[Hyacinth]The tunnel leading to my family home led to a set of tiles in the garden near the base of the fountain. To think I grew up here and never knew this existed. Probably because it took three full-grown werewolves several minutes to unlodge the extremely heavy stone. Whoever placed this here did not mean for it to be found easily. Cameron helps me out of the hole and I dust myself off, looking around to see if we have been noticed. Nobody is out here, everyone is focused on the ceremony out in the big field near the forest, the auditorium standing as a gloomy pillar casts an unusual shadow, one of wolves in cages and children standing on risers even though the building itself looks solid.It's an illusion. None of it is real. And among those children gathered on the risers is Bash. I can sense him.I nod towards the building "The shadow," I say to both Drew and Cameron. It takes them both a moment to see what I'm trying to show them, but when it becomes clear, Drew squeezes m
[Ashlynd]This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. The day I finally get to marry Slate after 7 long years of engagement. But this day is tainted now. The Grand Warlock made sure of that. Reaching for the nearby wastebasket I vomit for the third time this morning. I've been queasy since he performed that spell, draining some of the life energy from that room full of wolf pups. The surge of power felt amazing as it settled into my bones. Even today I still feel stronger than I ever have been.While also feeling the worst I ever have. This pregnancy is unnatural. I would rid myself of his spawn if I could. Why did I have to be born a witch? Why did my mother ever sew that patchwork soul to mine, giving me the powers and pleasures of a wolf? Did she know what she was doing to me when she made that choice? Did she realize that once it was gone I'd mourn the loss for the rest of my life? Because deep in my heart I am still a wolf. And Slate is my mate. We are meant to be tog
[Hyacinth]Ashlynd turns, standing in her full glory as the perfect bride I always knew she would be someday. I wish I could be happy for her, that I could stand by her side as her sister and maybe even be her maid of honor as she walks down the aisle to her mate. It is a shame that my dream will never be real. She and I will not grow together as sisters, sharing in each other's joys. I won't be there at her wedding, because I am here to stop it. "Cindy," her eyes are wide with shock. "How did you get past my guards?"I smile. She is beautiful and she will always be my sister. Unfortunately, she is also now my enemy. "It wasn't that difficult," I take a step forward, reaching for her hand. "Here, let me show you."As soon as our skin touches, I begin to pull from her, weakening her, telling her body that it is ill and needs to rest. Her eyes shift from confusion to disappointment to finally land on anger. "How dare you, dog!" she growls her lips glowing bright blue as her tiara fla
[Hyacinth]As soon as Ash was down the stairs, the music began to play. Lying here, I can hear the sound of the prerecorded wedding march and feel my heart sink with each note. The wedding has officially started. Which means my chance to rescue my mate is almost at an end."It is never too late," Halcyon barks. "I don't care what she does. He is ours and no vow is going to change that." "The problem is," I counter, "Is that Ash thinks the same thing too." "I wish I knew how to do that self-healing trick," I moan. "It would be really useful right now.""I can teach you," Halcyon suggests. "It won't hurt the pup, but you will need to trust me enough to take over."I agree and almost instantly I see her guiding my mind in the steps required to make it work, to look inward and see what is wrong and slowly mend it. Rather than use my powers, it is more like a redirection of energy. Exhausting, but not in the same way as sharing my energy with others is. Soon the pain in my back is almos
[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