Carl looked up at her. “Leeway? How?”“What’s leeway?” Carly sat up against Carl, still clinging to him, but grasping on to the tiny thread of hope she was being handed. “Leeway, my girl, means the goddess looks away when I nip down here to see my girl here.” She leaned over and I felt the ghost of her lips on my forehead. “When something like this happens, Carl. The goddess looks the other way when, say, someone calls for you.” “How is this possible?” Hanna looked at me, and then back at my grandmother. She smiled up at my friends. “You know of her magic.” The girls nodded, but Erubus stayed still. I saw the tiny smile that sprang to her lips as her eyes landed on him. “Well, Amy sacrifices a tiny amount of magic to call for me, and another to help me come to this plane.” She waved her hands at me. “When she needs me, I come. Do you know what that means, little one?” Carly shook her head as my grand mother dropped to her knees beside me. She raised her hands to hold Carly’s face.
“Please don’t do this.” I begged over and over, but no one was listening. I thrashed against their hold, but nothing. “I am your luna.” I screamed at the top of my lungs, but then his laugh from the other room broke all the fight in me. “Luke please.” I begged once more time, my voice horse.“Kill it once it’s done. Toss her out. She will have to survive on her own from here on out.”He can’t mean that. This was our baby. “Our baby.”“Is a mistake from the Moon Goddess. One I will rectify.” His voice called again from the other room. He wouldn’t even face me. “Now do it. That’s an order.”“Yes, Alpha.”It was a mistake to come here.It was a mistake to give him everything.“Oh, and doctor?” Her sweet voice called from the other room. My stepsister, Shannon. I gritted my teeth. “Don’t use any anesthetic. She should feel everything.”“Yes, Luna.” The doctor turned back to me with sad eyes, but when he picked up the scalpel, I knew I was screwed.I’m sorry, baby. Momma couldn’t save you.
I opened my eyes to find myself surprisingly alive. “Amy hurry, you’re going to be late.” I jolted up and look around, confused. What was going on? Where was I? “Amy!” The voice called again and I shook myself. I stood up from the bed and looked around again. I recognized this room. It was my childhood bedroom. I hadn’t stepped foot in this room since I found my mate, Brandon. I heard a knock on the door and my mother opened it. Before I could process what was happening, I ran into my mother’s arms. “Mom, you’re here.” I started to cry. “I’ve missed you so much.”“Amy. My girl.” She laughed as she patted my back. “I saw you yesterday.” She pulled back and I looked into her amber eyes that matched my own. “Happy birthday, baby.”I leaned into her hands and realized that today was the last day I spent at home. I found my mate on my eighteenth birthday. “Thank you, mom.”“Hopefully, you will meet your mate today and start your new life.” She smiled at me and I felt my blood freeze. I di
“Pack your bags, Amy.” My mom came in, surprising me from the list I was making. “What?” I looked up. “Why?”“You are going to spend the summer with your father. I already got the approval from the Alpha.” Mom smiled down at me. “Come on, baby. Pack your bag and get ready.”I jumped to my feet and ran to my mom. “I can go?”“Just for the summer, baby, then you will be back here with me. I had to promise that you would be returning here.”I pouted. “Mom, I really don’t want to be here.” I wanted to make them pay, but I wouldn’t risk him finding me.“It’s okay baby, you will understand once you see your dad.” She patted my hair and kissed my cheek. “Now get ready.”“Okay mom.” I kissed her back then she left me alone. I grabbed my phone to lock it and then turned back to my closet. I packed my bag and then headed into my bathroom when I heard the downstairs door slam open. “I fucking knew it.” I heard Shannon scream down stairs. I ignored her as I grabbed everything from my bathroom a
I slipped into the back of the car after putting my bags in the back and buckled in. I had barely takin a breath before I launched myself over the seats and into the driver’s arms.His laugh made my eyes prickle. “Hey love bug.”“Uncle Ronnie. I’ve missed you.” I climbed over the seats and sat up front. “What are you doing here?” Ronnie was my dad’s beta. Not related, but he had been there for most of my life. “You think I was going to let my cheeky niece come to pack lands alone? Not on your life.” “Dad sent you?” I laughed.“Dad sent me. He is a worry wart your da.” He smiled over and laughed with me. “As soon as your mom called, he sent me with the jet.” “He didn’t have to.” I just shook my head and buckled my seatbelt. “Of course he did. He never gets to see you enough, and now you’re sending in the summer. What’s going on?” My uncle looked at me and I just shook my head. “I don’t want to be here.”“Why?”I looked down at my hands that were twisted. “I’m afraid that my mate i
“I lived another life, and I died.” I stumbled over my words and I felt my father freeze. A quick look to Ronnie had him locking the door and waving his hands. I felt the air still, but I was focused on my father’s eyes. “This morning I woke up six years in the past after living until I was twenty-four, and growing my own pup only to have my mate to rip him from my body.” My father’s and Ronnie’s snarl shook the walls, but I raised my hands. “He betrays me for my step sister who convinced him that I cheated and the pup wasn’t his, so he killed us both using silver scalpels, and killing any love I had for him at the same time.” I looked up at my father and the tears rolled down my face. “Pup.” His voice was choked up, but I raised my hand. “I don’t want him to be my mate, daddy. I know I won’t survive it. I need to change it. Everything, and it starts with hiding my scent. I told mom what I needed, and she called you. How are you going to help me?” I was starting to panic. “I don’t
I walked to my room and screamed when I was tackled to the ground. I started laughing as Cassie got off me. “Why the heck didn’t you tell me you were coming?” She punched my shoulder as I stood. “I didn’t know until this morning.” I hugged her to my side. “I missed you.”“I missed you too.” She pulled back and tossed me a small box. “Happy birthday.”I laughed again. “With everything that has happened, I had pretty much forgotten that it’s my birthday today.” “The big eighteen. Have you shifted yet?” Cassie jumped up and down with excitement. I just shook my head. “I don’t shift. You know that.” My face fell. I heard chuffing inside of my head. “I think you are just blocking it. You have a wolf. We all feel her.” She bumped her hip into mine. “I can feel she wants out.” My wolf chuffed in agreement.Cassie is smarter than you. My wolf’s voice ricochetted in my mind and I just smiled. There are things I cannot tell you, even now, but eventually, if we are lucky, you will find out y
When we got to the mall, we walked into the clothing store. “I need a new dress.” Cassie pulled me to the back and started to go through the racks. “Why do you need one of these dresses?” I pulled a dress off the rack and held it to my body. The form fitting dress flared out at the bottom. It was a beautiful mermaid formal dress, but white wasn’t my color. “Your homecoming ball.” Cassie grabbed a short pink number that would look horrible with her skin tone. “Put that down and what do you mean homecoming ball?” Cassie froze and then slow turned back to me.“Don’t tell your dad I told you.” She rushed back to me and grabbed my hands. “Frick, I knew I was going to mess this up. You are my best friend and I knew I would mess this up.”“Calm down.” I laughed. “I would never tell my dad you messed up.” I wrapped my hands around her shoulders and shook. “Cassie, calm down and just tell me.”She smiled and nodded. “I was supposed to take you dress shopping for a surprise home coming party
Carl looked up at her. “Leeway? How?”“What’s leeway?” Carly sat up against Carl, still clinging to him, but grasping on to the tiny thread of hope she was being handed. “Leeway, my girl, means the goddess looks away when I nip down here to see my girl here.” She leaned over and I felt the ghost of her lips on my forehead. “When something like this happens, Carl. The goddess looks the other way when, say, someone calls for you.” “How is this possible?” Hanna looked at me, and then back at my grandmother. She smiled up at my friends. “You know of her magic.” The girls nodded, but Erubus stayed still. I saw the tiny smile that sprang to her lips as her eyes landed on him. “Well, Amy sacrifices a tiny amount of magic to call for me, and another to help me come to this plane.” She waved her hands at me. “When she needs me, I come. Do you know what that means, little one?” Carly shook her head as my grand mother dropped to her knees beside me. She raised her hands to hold Carly’s face.
I turned back to Carl, but he still shook his head. “It’s too late.” I begged him with my eyes, but I saw the decision on his face. He was set on this outcome, but I wasn’t.I pushed. “I healed from the brink, so can you.” I tried to pull back my hand, but he shook his head again. His face was turning gray, and the light was fading from his eyes. But he took a deep breath and rallied.“Daddy, let Amy help us.” Carly’s little voice was heart wrenching. “Please.” She tried to pull away from his chest, but he started coughing, and his eyes widened a little as blood poured from his lips. “Daddy!” She screamed as she tried to pull away again. Blood coated her back, as Carl lost his grip on her as he choked on his life’s blood. He finally caught his breath, and he stared into Carly’s eyes. I watched as his defeated eyes filled with all of his love for his daughter. “Baby girl. What is the first rule of our kind?” His laboured breathing was starting to gurgle, fluid building in his chest. H
I watched his eyes widen. “Did you just command me?” I got into his face, our whiskers bending against each other’s face. “You don’t get to give up in a fight. Not now, not ever, and if that takes me commanding you to do so, then so be it.” I growled, but then a soft cough had me whirling. “Amy.” Carl’s soft gasp had me sprinting to his side. I shifted, my graduation gown a stark contrast to the bloody field.“Carl.” I grabbed him around his waist and tried to pull him to his feet, but the scream he let out stopped me. “Come on. You’re fine.” I tried to convince myself. I dropped next to him, cupping his face. “Get up.”“Amy.” His eyes filled. "“No, none of that.” I leaned in. “It’s too soon. She isn’t ready to live without you.”“She’s been trained.”I shook my head. “No. Carl, I’m telling you, it’s too soon.”He gave a sad smile. “It’s always going to be toon soon.” I felt my lips tremble. “Please.” I begged. I knew this was going to shatter his little girl. He shook his head a
I headed straight for the man on his knees with a vicious growl. As soon as I got close, I dove for the first rogue I was near. Everyone else joined the fight, I knew, but I was focused on saving Carl. It was too soon. I wasn’t ready. And I knew Carly wasn’t ready either. The rogues were pretty big, and as soon as we breeched the trees, they all squared up with us. We were the incoming threat. But what we hadn’t planned on, were there being so many. Even with Erubus, we were outnumbered five to one. The rouge was quick; he dove away from every attack and countered. Toya and the girls were fighting tooth and claw as well, but from the corner of my eye, I could see Carl trying to get up. Trying to help. “Stay down Carl.” I called to him and I could see the thought in his mind. “We were fine. Stay alive. You have better things to worry about.” I called again while nearly avoiding a second rogue diving for my back. That got through to him and he sagged onto his hands, the pain becoming
I stared up at my grandmother as she pushed me back down to the ground. “How do I find her? How do I find your cabin from here? Are we even close?” My questions fly out of my mouth and she smiled as she settled next to me. She grabbed my hands. “Calm my girl. Focus on me.” She breathed through her nose and out of her mouth. “Follow my lead. Match me, and once you’re settled, we can find your girl.” My girl. The words seemed so foreign, but as I thought about it again, it settled in soul, and she was right. She was mine, almost as much as she was Carls. I focused on her eyes, matching my breathing with hers. She nodded. “Good. Now close your eyes. And picture that little girl.”Once again I closed my eyes and remembered the bright giggling little girl I first met at Carl’s store. So little, yet so bright. Her blonde curls danced in the light. Carl’s protectiveness, her innocence, all came rushing back. And so did the panic I felt as I found her on the ground, white wide eyes and cold
Nix ran past everyone on campus and headed for the trees. I pulled back enough that I was hovering over our magic, pulling from it to feed power into my body, into the girls’ bodies. “How is this possible?” Toya called to me and I laughed. “Magic.” Nix called back and a few of the girls howled. We ran past the edge line of the trees and starting weaving through the trunks. “Nix?” Thistle called Hanna’s wolf. “Yeah?”“Where are we going?” She called as she picked up her pace. I thought of Carly. She was at most seven, but she sounded younger on the phone, closer to five or six. I knew where she was, my grandmother’s cabin, but from here, I had no idea. But I trusted the goddess, and I trusted my wolves. “The goddess will show us the way.” Nix called back and I nodded. Megan pushed closer to the barrier. “Megan? What are you doing?”She looked at me, then back to Nix. “You are wasting magic, feeding Nix. Focus on the girls, I will send my strength to Nix. This way we will have you
I felt my aura, which for the last year I have kept securely under wraps, because it was still growing, unfurl. I was still so young when everything started. Even then, I was too strong for anyone of them to really challenge me. But now? Now I was something never seen before. Still, I kept most of it hidden. My power fell in waves, everyone felt it. There were gasps from the crowd and Vince and this woman stepped back. I smiled, and I knew it was predatory. I pulled my power back in, clenching my fists as it fought. It wanted free rein. It craved relief. But I was stronger, so I tucked it away and turned back to the crowd. “I started this day with such hope. Hope for our future. Hope for our packs. This was the very beginning of our lives. I got ready with my friends.” I turned as stared at the man that had rushed to the side of the stage. My rage burning in my eyes. “I celebrated my twenty-first birthday.” I watched him wince. “And I came here for my graduation with my speech prepar
I turned my attention to Vince, who had come up next to me. “I think this is the place.” My eyes flashed and Vince took a step back. I redirected my attention back to the crowd and the reporters. “My father, Gavin Maclean, was an outstanding man. He did a lot of this community, and I refuse to allow anyone to speak ill of him. He was as far from a traitor as one wolf could actually get.” I met eyes of a few people in the crowd, and I saw their doubt, or confusion. So I pushed on. “He donated billions of dollars to the council annually. Way above the allotted amount so that smaller packs could stay in the alliance, but reinvest their fees into their own packs. When I asked him why he did it, supported people we didn’t even know. His only answer was that people deserved the chance to thrive. He wanted them to grow, to become stronger, to build up our community. My father donated millions to this school annually, to support the students here, and giving them more opportunity by designati
I walked past all the reporters and made our way inside to our seats. We sat down with the rest of the students, saying hi, and settling in before one guy turned to me with a sad look. “I don’t agree with what they are doing to you Amy.” I looked, really looked, at Chad and raised an eyebrow. “Look, I know we aren’t really friends, and we have just had class together, but I know everything you and your dad have done for all of us. I may not like you personally, but your family doesn’t deserve this bullshit.” He shook his head. “We all talked about it, and all of us agree. They are painting a target on your back. This is happening today for a reason. I just wanted to warn you. And to let you know, we all stand beside you.” I stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was serious. We had never been close. Sometimes I thought he even hated me. I think my face conveyed that when he smiled again. “Like I said, I don’t like you, but you helped me. And my family. We won’t stand