[Hyacinth] The light on the other side of the tunnel is not particularly bright, but it is such a stark contrast to the flashlight-illuminated dimness of the tunnels that our eyes need a moment to adjust. Our noses, however, do not. The scent of sweat, urine, blood, and death overwhelms us as we enter the jailhouse. It is evident from the smell alone that nobody has checked on these prisoners in quite some time. This means nobody will likely miss them either. If we are quick and careful, we may even succeed at breaking him out without anyone being the wiser. "It seems strange that they left Drew so unguarded," I muse. "You'd think they would keep a better eye on such a strong alpha." The packhouse jail is small, consisting of two simple hallways with 4 cells each. In the first hallway, the smell becomes obvious. I shield Bash's eyes so he doesn't see what is left of the humans turned into wolves for the sake of the witches' plans. Those same poor men who were sent to kill me
[Hyacinth]Gamma Cameron McCoy can be surprisingly convincing when he needs to be. He's attractive, charismatic, and intelligent. If anyone has a chance of tricking the witches, it's him. Or at least it should have been."Oh no, Mama," Bash is shaking. "The witches! The witches are coming."That is all the warning we received before we were tossed into chaos. The lights flicker out all at once as steps descend. "Cindy, get Bash out of here! Go!" Drew urges, but we stay, frozen in place. He's right, neither one of us has enough power to fight.Or so I thought. "You are bad witches," Bash starts to growl, his wolf speaking with him. "Bad, bad witches." The steps on the stairs stop. The next sound is of their bodies crashing to the ground and then slapping against the walls as their bodies twitch. Roderick quickly casts an illusion of normalcy, one that shows the cells as they should be, just as the next two witches come into view. The first two bodies, which are now foaming at the
I relax as I feel my son relax against me, transforming from the powerfully protective alpha to my little boy. "Okay Mama," he closes his eyes, nuzzling into the crook of my arm, releasing the witches and wolves under his power. "We can get the other ones later."The sound of bodies slamming against the floor slowly stops as each body affected by his powers grows still. Nobody says anything, not wanting to be the one to break the calm of the moment. What we all just witnessed is terrifying on so many levels. Bash's abilities are far more expansive than even I had known. I have never seen him control the minds of so many people at once. I've been with him his entire life and watched him grow and learn, and I had no idea he had this in him. I can only imagine how terrifying it must be to people who aren't his mother. I will always love him. He is my baby. But they have no reason to trust him. Because what they saw wasn't the act of a child. It was the act of a potential monster. Th
[Sebastian]The words, they are calling to me. "Come be a hero," they sing to the beat of drums. "It is your destiny. Join us." Mama is still sleeping. Baby sister is fluttering awake, but she is too small to follow the song. "Keep Mama safe," I tell her even though I know she can't understand me. She's still very little. "Let Mama sleep." My little sister wiggles even more in protest. Mama groans, feeling sick in her sleep."Stop it," I point a finger at Mama's belly. Little Sister is a bit of a brat. She doesn't listen to me. Maybe it would be better if I knew her name. Then I could command her to be good and she'd have no choice but to listen to her Alpha. Her wolf's name is Crystal. She is very tiny too but maybe she can make the baby be good.""Crystal make baby behave," I order quietly, using my alpha voice."Slate," Mama whines in her sleep. She thinks I am Papa. I give her a small kiss on her forehead like she does for me when I am having nightmares. Poor Mama, she is so ti
[Ashlynd]As soon as I came home I scrubbed my body. But that wasn't enough, not nearly enough. I needed to feel Slate inside of me, his seed washing away the tainted feeling of the Grand Warlock's hands from my body.I was asleep, safely curled in Slate's arm when I heard the doorbell. It is dark, not quite dawn when I creep down the stairs to answer. I wasn't expecting to see one of the many sisters in blue standing on my stoop. She looked elegant and polished, as all coven witches do, her blonde hair cascading over one shoulder as she leaned forward to hand me a note and a white taper candle."Mistress Witch," she curtsies recognizing my new status as the Warlock's official concubine, before disappearing into the darkness. The note says that he has a surprise for me. Something for the spell and my wedding as well. I look up and think of Slate sleeping in the room above me. I hate to leave him. Not only because I want to stay by his side, but because I cannot trust him to stay wh
[Ashlynd]"Sebastian James," The Grand Warlock takes a step towards us, his knarled hands with fingers steepled and visible while the rest of him is still in shadow. My sister's son turns his head towards the voice. "I know you," he says with absolute confidence. "You're the bad man from the..." The small child falls to the ground silent, his eyes closed, his body still. "That is how you deal with a moon pup," he pushes the little boy's leg with the toe of his boot. "Don't worry, he'll still be useful later and none of the others should be a problem."I nod obediently, but what I want to do is ask him how he knew who this child is, and more importantly, how the child recognized him in return. That shouldn't be possible. Nobody can see past the Grand Warlock's shadow. It is a spell that is as ancient as our order, a way to protect his identity. And yet a small wolf pup of 5 years old knew his secret in a manner of minutes. But where would little Bash have encountered him? How does
[Hyacinth]I can smell my mate wrapped around me. His warmth and his love cover me with his gentle scent and in this moment I feel whole and safe. "Wake up, Hyacinth," he whispers in my ear. "Our son needs you."I feel a quick flash to my chest as if receiving an electric shock that moves from my toes to my head in a wave, only to leave me feeling drained and weak. "Now! Hyacinth! Save our boy!"______I startle awake. I have slept in so many different beds in the last week that it is no surprise that I am in yet another one. But where am I? And why does it smell like Slate?Then I remember. Our little group took back the packhouse last night and then Bash and I went to bed after battling against the witches who had kept Drew captive. Both Bash and I were so exhausted that we were encouraged to go to bed straight away. Drew tucked us into the Alpha suite, a room that is now by rights mine as well, as Slate's Luna. So that is how we got here. But why would I have such a strange dream
[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
[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