“Stay with me, baby.” I heard my father’s worried whisper in the darkness. I was floating in this nothingness. There was no light, no sound, nothing except my father’s soft whispers. “Please don’t leave me. I don’t think I could go on without you. Nevermind ever facing your mother again.” I wanted to reassure him.It’s okay daddy. I made my choice.“You saved that family, even the parents. They are still touch and go, but they made it to the hospital. So you have to make it too.” His voice grew stronger, and I smiled. At least they made it.I tried to sit up, roll over or move, but I couldn’t move. I was stuck in this darkness. Is this death? Is this the afterlife we have all heard about? Where was the Goddess? Where were my wolves? We are here with you, Amy. Nix’s voice was still with me. I closed my eyes and focused inside, and they were where they have always been even when I didn’t know it. You’re here.Of course we are. Megan’s bright voice made me smile, her snout pulling int
“I just got you back.”“I know, but he needs to do his job. I’m not going to disappear if you let me go.” I laughed and coughed. I waved the doctor over and pushed my dad back to his seat. “A little breathing room.” “Fine.” He sat back in a huff, and the doctor came and checked me over.“Looks like your wolf did the heavy lifting. You are completely back to full health.” He patted my hand. “You had us worried there.”“Sorry.” I settled back into my bed. I turned to my father. “What happened?”“You killed the last wolf and fell.”I gave my father a look, and he sighed. “We aren’t sure yet. Ronnie is looking into it.” “How did she get away from Beck?”“What?”“How did Aurora get away from Beck?” It was the one thing that was sticking out for me. “Even if she could use a spell with nothing or prep, she was tied up. She shouldn’t have been able to get free enough to hurt him.” “What are you saying, Amy?” My father ran his hands through his hair. “I’m not saying anything…yet.” I swiped
The doctor rushed in with a few nurses and started calling out directions. “Andrea cut off his top. We need to see the wound. Sarah, get the stitches cart and roll it in here.”“Doc, there is wolfsbane in his blood.” My dad was pushed against the wall, trying to get out of the way for the nurse and doctor to work. The Doctor froze for a second, then nodded.“Andrea, stop. I need you to start poison protocols.” We watched as they both stepped back and put on gloves and gowns. Something that is so normal with human doctors is so rare with ours. “Okay, let’s get back to it.” They both dove back to Ronnie. They finished cutting off his clothes and we could see the knife was hilt deep, and red lines radiated from the stab wound.“How did this happen?” The doctor probed the wound. Ronnie screamed and passed out. The nurse came rolling back in with a cart. She rolled the cart to the doctor and was going to jump in, but he held up his hand. “Sarah, wait. I need you to go out and get a fifty f
The doctor was stuffing more and more gauze into the wound, throwing the blood-soaked ones to the ground. He became more and more panicked as the used gauze pile grew. “What’s wrong?” My father stepped up to the bedside.“It’s not closing.”“What do you mean?” My father grabbed the Doctor’s arm, but he shook him off. “The lupine saline should have flushed a lot of the wolfsbane from his system, but he’s still not healing. He’s losing too much blood.” The doctor shoved more gauze into the wound and looked up. Sweat beaded down his face and his eyes were wide. “I…I, I don’t think he will pull through.”“Fuck that.” My dad grabbed both of his shoulders. “You save him.”“Alpha…” The doctor shook himself. “We need blood then.”“Take mine.” My father held out his arm, and the doctor shook his head.“You are A positive, the beta is O negative. He can only take O negative blood.”My father staggered back to a chair that was behind him. He slammed into the chair and dropped his head between h
My father sank with each word. I watched as his world crumbled, and I was sorry for it. It wasn’t what I wanted, but it needed to be said. Beck had caused half the issues here. I was sure of it. “How can you be so sure?” His voice was soft, but his eyes held a tiny seed of hope.“I’m not. But if he thinks Ronnie is dead, then we have a chance to catch him.” I gave him the tiny bit of hope. “I might be wrong. I am more than willing to be wrong. But all of what has happened isn’t sitting well with me. Something is wrong, and someone betrayed this pack. That person is the same one that attacked Ronnie.”“You are making a leap.”“No, I’m not.” I looked next to me to Ronnie. “Ronnie ran all the way from where he was attacked to my room. That gives me a bit of information. He trusted who attacked him, and because of the attack, it made him question everyone in the pack. If it was
I shivered for the next ten minutes, waiting for the cart of food. I focused solely on my father’s eyes, the pain, and my breathing. “You can do this, baby girl.” I nodded and bared my teeth. “Fuck.” I screamed as another wave hit my body. My bones shifted, and I pushed my father’s claw deeper. “Amy, I think the claw is counter intuitive. You’re bleeding yourself, and losing more blood than you should.” The doctor came over and tried to intervene, but I just growled. “If you want me to shift, then remove the claw. I’m doing what I can to stop that from happening.” I felt my face shift, and I screamed again, pushing his claw deeper.Finally, the door flew open, and a girl covered in dirt came in with the cart. “What the hell happened to you, Marnie?”“There was a scuffle outside, but I was able to get through.” She panted as she brought the food closer. I dove for a steak and bit into it. The juices flooded my mouth, and I groaned. I was lost to the food until my father stood up. I
I continued eating, and finally, after the full third cart, the need to shift stopped. I looked up at the doctor, amazed, but he was still working on Ronnie’s wound. But something changed, something eased. I felt a soft graze at my hand on the bed and I turned to look at my uncle, and Ronnie was staring at me. I smiled. “Hi.”“Hey.” He looked tired, but his tired voice had the nurse and doctor jolting. “You’re awake.” The doctor smiled. Ronnie nodded and his eyes drifted close. “Thanks to this beautiful pup.” His eyes glowed grey as his wolf came forward. “Thank you pup. You saved both of us while dealing with my needs, and I know it wasn’t easy.”“I’d do anything for you, Logan. You and Ronnie are my uncle.” I smiled, but I felt a punch to my gut and I knew something was wrong. I stood on shaky legs and faced the door. “I need Ronnie in the bathroom. Sarah, can you stay with him?”“What?” The doctor looked at Ronnie and then back at me. “We can’t move him. He’s in no shape to move.
The IV was changed from the one I had to a fresh bag of saline and lupine. I felt the rush of cold fill my arm as the solution went to work, counteracting the wolfsbane. Then the doctor and nurse started in on my wounds. They weren’t healing. Which is exactly what I needed them to do. Sure, I could have not made them as deep as I did, but I needed this to be believable.“Fuck.” The doctor looked up and me and I smiled. The nurse realized that she still had on her old gloves and gown, and she quickly changed. I wanted just another level of safety and I mentally flipped through the book of shadows I was working on memorizing and I found a spell. One that was undetectable once it settled. It sealed a room. So I looked to the bathroom door and focused on it. I had nothing that was needed for the spell, not the fire, nor the supplies, but I had to try.I closed my eyes, held out my hand, and whispered. Selta sealter bog forshire. I felt it settle o
Shannon shrieked, surprised. Morgan jumped and Brandon, stupid Brandon, tucked the lock picks down by his side. “I’ll ask you again. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” This time, I let a snarl leave my mouth.Brandon stood with Shannon and Morgan at my door. Morgan and Shannon took a step back, realizing the danger, but Brandon took a step closer to me, trying to force my door wider. “We are here to discuss something with you and your mother.” He tried to be sweet and leaned in to kiss my cheek as once again he tried to push past, but I held the door tightly tucked to my side. I looked over at Morgan and Shannon. “I asked you two to leave for a couple of days. I asked you to give her some space.”“Amy-” Brandon tried to interrupt, but I stepped out of my room, pushing him back with a stumbling step and closing my door. “Why are you back here?” I left my face show my anger, my annoyance. “This is my house, too.” Morgan tried to stick out his chest. “I shouldn’t have to leave.
Everyone turned in horror as Carly stood in the grass, white eyes blind to the world, voice too deep for a freshly seven-year-old child. Rick turned back to me, because the goddess left my body, and we were once again alone. “Is that who I think it is?”Carly chuckled in a voice that sounded like she was grown. “If you are asking if I am the Shaman, I am indeed.” She turned to me. “High above us, where the stars can reach, the secret you are searching for has taken root.” Something in my chest loosened. Something my soul has figured out, but my brain was still trying to catch up. “What do you mean?”“You know.” She smiled, and then I watched her start to fall. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and before she could slam into the ground, I caught her. “Holy shit, you have the shaman here?” Rick paced.“Abby is playing with the shaman?” Shelly looked confused.Ternen, sweet Ternen, just looked at us. “Who or what is the shaman?”Everyone froze for a second and then everyone, in
I nodded. “There is still so much you don’t know, and we don’t have time to explain it all today.” I turned in a slow circle. “I honestly wish we could. But every time you come over. We can come here, allow the girls to play, and we can talk in more detail. But…” I crouched down, trying to figure out how to make out here more protected. “Yes, there will be a war.”“How are you so certain?” She looked terrified. I could see her twist her fingers. “Because I know how the king feels. He wants to rip all the rot out at once. The rogues. The alphas. The men and women that turned their backs on their kind for power.” “But you could be wrong.” She tried again. I closed my eyes and I felt the shift. I was no longer alone. “No, my dear girl. She isn’t.” I felt my body turn, almost as if Nix was in control. But I looked beside me and my two wolves were watching with me. I heard a few gasps, and I turned back to watch.“Who are you?” Rick stepped in front of his mate, but the person sharing m
“The closet is the escape plan?” Ternen looked about as confused as Rick did.I laughed. “Just follow me.” I walked into the closet and they all followed. “Close the door behind us, Ternen, please.”“Okay.” I heard the door shut before I opened the next door, and then the one on the other side.“You have a door that leads to a door?” Abby giggled.“I do. Do you want to know why?” I asked, still using the other door to block their view.“Why?” Abby came up behind me, and I opened both doors wide. “Because this is a magic closet. Follow me.” I waved them forward, and we walked through my bedroom, down the hall, and down the stairs.“You have another house in your closet?” Shelly’s words were filled with awe. She turned to Rick. She elbowed him. “We can barely afford the one and she has a huge house in a closet.” I laughed and winked down at Abby. “Come on, I have someone I want you to meet.” I held out my hands and she lifted her arms.“Sorry.” She whispered as we started down the ste
We all stood, and I turned to Shelly. “Are you ready to take the vow?”She took a breath and then nodded. “I am.” “Good. Repeat after me.” I walked her through the vow. “Are you ready?”She nodded. “I, Shelly Clark, vow to keep your words from everyone excerpt the goddess. I swear that nothing you say that could be used against you to cause harm will leave my mouth. Only the goddess will know our secrets and I beg her to keep them for us.” We all watched as her eyes widened. She turned to Rick. “That’s what you meant.” I lifted a brow. But she just laughed. “When he came home, he said that when you were out for lunch, you had a moment that filled him with an amazing sense of belonging.” She blushed as she rubbed her chest. “I was a little jealous, as I thought he meant you, but he meant the vow, the acceptance from the goddess.”Rick smiled and nodded. “Amy is great, but nothing came close to that feeling.” He turned to Shelly. “Except the day I mated you.” Then he turned to Abby. “A
A pin could drop. That’s how quiet the room was when I looked at Shelly. But she just stood there, hand hanging loosely by her side, staring down at me. “What did you say?”I took a deep breath. “Sit down and listen to the full story. I will ignore the fact you hit me because you are emotional and worried about your child. But make no mistake. I am an alpha wolf and I will not suffer disrespect so easily.”She stumbled back a step and sank down. Rick grabbing her hands and flashing me an awkward, apologetic smile. “What were you saying?” Shelly looked at him with a tiny bit of hurt in her eyes, but Rick just kissed her. “Let her speak. This isn’t her fault, babe.”Abby sighed and pushed up to her knees. She was face to face with her mom. “I now your worried, and you don’t understand, but Amy is the only reason I’m still alive.”Shelly stared down at her daughter and a tear slipped out. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes flicked up to me. “I’m so sorry. I just…” “I know, and it’s okay. Protecting
I had finally pushed enough power into the pup for it to lift her head. “Hello there sweet heart.” I brought her up to snuggle and then put her on her feet. “Nix.” I nodded, and she was already inching closer. She put her snout right against the pup and we waited. She was feeling her strength, trying to gauge how much time I bought them. She pushed closer, and the pup shuffled over and curled up on her front paws. She rolled over, showing her belly, and Nix nuzzled in, breathing in her scent. “A week.” Her words were soft. “We bought them a week.”I looked down at the two girls. “Can we do this every week?” I sat back on my heels. “Will this keep working?”Nix huffed out a breath as she settled with the pup. “I don’t know, but it means we will have to keep track until we can remove the hex.”Abby wiped her face. “We won’t die?”I pulled her into my arms and stood. “Not today.” I walked away, but stopped. “Are you staying here?”She placed her head down on to Nala. “For a bit, I want
My heart broke as I watched Abby comfort her wolf. “Nala?” I leaned over the three so I could see her face. Abby nodded. “I don’t know how, but as soon as I touched her, I knew her name.” She rubbed her face against the patchy, dull fur. “She is sick, like me, isn’t she?”I just nodded. “Yeah baby girl, she is.” She snuggled in closer.“Why is she so small?” She cracked open an eye and hugged her wolf pup closer. “Shouldn’t she be bigger? I should have met her soon, right?”I looked at Nix and remembered that I started talking to her when I was about five or six. She had always been there, strong, steady, and my best friend. My heart ached for the pair in front of us. “Yeah, she should be bigger, but so should you. The sickness ate away at you strength, at your power, and it stunted you.”She looked at me with sad eyes. “It’s okay, you know.”“What is?”“That I have to die.” She closed her eye as her puppy whined and rolled over into her arms. The tiny wolf cracked an eye and used a
“Okay.” I stood up. “I can grab the things I need from the kitchen after dinner. We will do it then. Okay?” Everyone nodded. “There is a reason I brought you here, other than the fact that we can speak freely.”Alannah looked around. “What is it?”“I need your blood.” I grimaced. I looked around and saw that once again my mom was ahead of me. In the bathroom on the counter, there were five plastic cups, a small knife, and one bandage. I nodded over to the bathroom and waited for everyone to walk in. I sat down on the toilet and gestured to the tiny cups. “It’s not a lot. But where I am going to take you, you need to be added to a spell so that you can’t be traced.”They just looked at each other before they nodded. Every one grabbed their cup except Abby, she walked over to me. “Could you help me?” She swallowed loudly. “I’m not supposed to get hurt cause it will make my sickness worse.” She was scared, but I pulled her close. “Can I tell you a secret?” She nodded. “When I was your a