“Okay. Now let’s try removing your scent all together.” My father tossed out and I had to think. What removes a smell from the air, other than air fresheners or candles?“I know this will sound stupid…” Ronnie started, but I just scoffed.“I’m picturing a scented candle in my mind to protect me from my shitty mate. Something that shouldn’t work, and it’s just ridiculous. I don’t think we can get any worse.” He pointed at me and smiled. “True. I was just thinking, a vacuum. It sucks everything in.” I debated the idea.“It doesn’t have to be a perfect idea. Just something you can focus on while your power does the thing you need.” My dad stood and walked over to me. “It’s more about an outlet for your power to flow through. Your power will flow the way you intend it, but you need something to start it.”I closed my eyes again and pictured a vacuum in my clearing. I angled the hose up and plugged the vacuum into an outlet that appeared on the pot, and clicked it on. The noise was deafen
“Grandma.” My dad stood and went to grab for her but she held up her hand. “I’m not here, boy-o. Not really here. She pulled me to you with that.” She pointed to the book.“Your book of shadows. I thought it was lost.” He turned back to the book and hovered his hands over it. “It wasn’t lost, it was hidden.” She looked over at me and smiled. “It was found by who it was meant to be found by.” She walked over and hovered her hands around my father’s face, almost cupping it. “I’ve missed you. But I can’t stay. Watch out for the darkness.”“I love you.” His whisper was soft.“And I you.” She leaned down to kiss his forehead, and then she was gone.He looked over at me and I could see the devastation there. “You met her?”I nodded. “She helped me find myself, my inner self, anyway, so that I could find my power. Even then, the Moon Goddess had to give me a push.”“You met the moon goddess?” Ronnie lept up and rushed over.“I don’t actually know.” I lifted a shoulder and looked back at my
“A Lycan?” I traced my finger over the picture. “I thought they were extinct.”“Most are. Only one left is the king.” My dad pulled the book away from me and switched back to the page he had originally settled on. “Lycans have two forms. A wolf, much bigger than a normal werewolf. And a half human half wolf form, like the ones you see in the movies. Weres can partially shift, but nothing that comes close to the wolfman form.” He pushed the book back in front of me. “Now I want you to focus on this spell and try to create a wisp without losing the change in your scent.”“A wisp?” I looked at the page and skimmed it. It was a step to step spell on how to create a wisp of light. A spell useful for seeing in the dark and one that doesn’t create heat so you can hold it for long periods of time without being burned. “Yeah, this was the first spell I learned from my grandmother. She said it is the safest option as a wisp has no way to ‘burn down the village’.” He smirked as his eyes took on
“Ugh.” A groan from behind the chair had me slapping my hand over my mouth. “Are you trying to kill me, pup?”“I’m sorry.” I looked at my dad, but he was currently bent over, dying of laughter. “Dad?”“Did you see how far he fell back?” Tears were trailing down his cheeks as he cackled. “Rude.” Ronnie stood and dusted off his shirt. “The both of you are rude.”“I really didn’t mean it to do it.” I turned to my dad. “What did I do wrong?”“Well, for one thing, you definitely weren’t thinking about the size of the wisp. All your power rushed to fulfil your wish, and it was as big as it could get.” My dad wiped his eyes and his laughter finally trailed off. “But Ronnie, you know it doesn’t cause harm.”“I know, but I have never seen one that big, and it scared the shit out of me. Sue me.” Ronnie settled back into the chair. “Try to picture it the size of a softball.” My dad motioned me to try again. I closed my eyes. “Iccas lumin torcanta.” I pictured the light a lot smaller than befo
“What is it?” I turned back to face my dad, and he was grimacing. “This isn’t going to be comfortable. But it only has to happen tonight.” He hedged his words, and I just gestured for him to go on. “Ronnie has to sleep in your room tonight.”“What?”“What?” both of us screamed.“The last test is you keeping your scent changed while you are sleeping. Ronnie needs to be close enough to keep track.” My dad pointed to Ronnie, who groaned. “I have to be up all night, don’t I.” My dad nodded and he groaned again. “But you will have tomorrow off to recoup and sleep and I’ll have the Beck with me.” My dad clapped his shoulder, and he dropped his head. “I’m going to go nap then.” Ronnie waved and left the room after my father nodded. “You can go. Keep your scent covered all day.”“Okay. What’s next if I’m able to hold it during sleep?”My father grinned. “Shifting.” I widened my eyes. “What? Really?”“You are ready. Nix and Loki have talked about it and she is ready. She is just waiting
“You can do both.” I shook my head. “I know my dad doesn’t have many female warriors, but that is going to change. You won’t be the only one that wants to be a warrior now. But warriors can still live a full life, including kids.”“I know. But I don’t want to choose.” Cass looked down at her plate. “A mate, a good mate, won’t make you choose.” I patted her hand and finished my steak. “The Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. Mates are supposed to be your other half. I think your mate will understand your want to be a warrior and will support you.”“You think so?” She looked at me with hopeful eyes. “I do.” I got up and grabbed more steak. I was starving. It’s your body getting ready to shift. You will eat like this from now on. Alpha’s burn a lot of calories because they need to shift more. Nix’s voice filtered through and I nodded. “You’re eating a lot.” Cass looked at me as I settled. “Nix said I’m getting ready to shift. Alpha’s burn a lot of calories because we have bigger wolves a
I watched Cass pale, and I wanted to hug her. So I did. “Give him a shot. He might surprise you.” I whispered in her ear and then I gave him a small wave. Cass’s arm gripped my hand. “Come on, little wolf, I think we have something to talk about.” Greyson stepped up next to Cass and wrapped an arm around her waist.I pulled my hand from her hand as her eyes pleaded with me. But I just gave her a wave and took off. I turned back in time to see Cass finally turn to face Greyson. She opened her mouth to say something, but he darted in and kissed her. I jumped a little before running the rest of the way to training. “You okay?” Tina called over to me as soon as I reached the training ring.“Yeah. Perfect. Why?”Tina raised an eyebrow. “You dad said you weren’t feeling well the past few days, which is why you missed training.”“Oh right. I’m good now.” I smiled at her and dropped down to stretch next to her. “How has training been?”“Good.” Tina bounced on her toes. “Mostly, anyway. Auro
After training, I headed back to the pack house and up to my father’s office. I heard voices from the other side, so I leaned against the wall next to the door and settled in to wait for whoever was to be done. My ears perked up when I heard my name.“Are you really letting Amy run our pack?” A nasally voice called out sweetly.“Our pack?” My father’s voice was soft and confused. “Yes, my love. Our pack. You promised to make me luna at the next full moon, remember?”“I did?” I leaned against the door and pressed my ear against it. “Aurora, what are you doing?” My father’s angry question caught me off guard. Something was going on inside. Something that my father didn’t like but wasn’t stopping.“Bonding with you.” I heard a ruffling, but I reared back and kicked the door open to see Aurora leaning over my father with his head tilted back. She was pouring something into his mouth, and I tackled her to the ground. My mind linked to Ronnie and Beck. Get to my father’s office now!I bar
Rowan stared at me for a minute before he stood. He pulled out his phone and started to hit buttons. “Did you hear me?” I snarled, and he turned his phone screen to me. “Look.” I stared at his face before my eyes flicked to his phone. It was our text chat. I read through the screen and stopped. “That isn’t right.” I pulled out my phone and selected our chat log and showed him. “What the fuck is going on?” He pulled my phone to his face. I stared at his phone. Messages he sent that I didn’t receive. I pulled his phone out of his hand and clicked to the call log. Nothing. All the calls I made were missing. “How is this possible?” I looked up. Rowan was still looking at my texts. “You texted me?” I just nodded. “Of course I did. I also called. I felt pathetic after a week of being ignored, but I had questions and you were answering my emails.” I handed back his phone. “Wait…you emailed me? My secure email?” I nodded. “Yes.” I nodded. “You told me to. So I did. But I had a questio
Rowan pulled back from my face and looked me in the eye. “Okay.”Nix receded, leaving me panting and confused. “What?”Rowan stood, and I nearly stumbled back from how fast he stood. “I said okay.” His smile was perfect. Everything about him was perfect. I shook my head to clear it. “I’m confused…what?”He laughed and then gripped me at my waist, pulling my body against his and he bent down, kissing my lips and making me nearly moan. His lips were soft, biteable, and I wanted to spend the rest of my night exploring them, but he pulled away. “You wolf has made a good point. If I want to earn her name, if I want anything from you, I need to prove it.” Rowan squeezed my hips, and I felt my eyes flutter from the slight pain. I was learning things about my likes, my needs, in this life I never explored in my last. I was a little lost in thought as Rowan stepped back.I tried to grab at him but my hands met air. I shook my head to refocus, and I bit my lip to stop myself from doing somethi
I screamed and dropped into a fighting stance, only to find Rowan on my sofa staring at me. I tossed my head, dropping the towel that I had wrapped around my hair to the floor. I nearly growled when I found him sulking in the dark, but I just stood up and patted my naked chest. Calm down. I shook my head and chuckled at my stupidity.The feeling of soft skin on my fingertips had my hand freezing. Naked chest…I slowly looked down, as if I was a human in one of their horror movies. When my eyes met the pile of towels, my mouth dropped open. My eyes landed on my naked and prominent chest, currently on full display, and I screamed again. I snatched the towels and ran out of the room. Oh, my goddess. Kill me now. I crumpled on to the bed in disbelief. Did that actually just happen? “What the fuck am I supposed to do?” I dropped my head into my hands and groaned. “I would put on clothes if I were you.” Rowan’s voice sounded right outside my door. His voice was low, gravelly, and filled w
The next few weeks passed in a whirlwind of class, training, and silence. I dragged myself through the door after yet another long day. I dropped my dinner onto my coffee table and face planted onto my couch, and groaned. I was exhausted. I wasn’t sleeping properly and in between classes and the double training; I was running on hopes and dreams at this point. I rolled over with a groan. “Fuck.”My phone gave a tiny ding, and I scrambled to pull it out of my pocket. It was a quick text from Wendy telling me she made it home. I tossed my phone with another groan. This time, I sat up and screamed. “I’m so fucking stupid.” I gripped my head in my hands and pulled at my hair. “Goddess, how could I be so stupid?” I stood and stalked my way to the bathroom connected to my bedroom and stripped off my clothes.You’re not stupid. Megan offered, but Nix stayed silent. I jumped under the hot spray and instantly crumpled to the floor. I leaned my head against my knees and for the first time si
Vince closed his eyes and shook his head. “I will make an announcement later. No one should be stupid enough to rub that in any wolf’s face, but to do it to an Alpha is asking for death.” He huffed out a breath. “Are you okay now, Amy?”I made it look like I was fighting Nix for control. I started to shake, and she receded slowly, laughing the entire time. This is going to be fun. Nix chortled as she slunk back into the dark forest of my mind. The fur receded, and my eyes and fangs shifted back. I watched as Vince and Brandon both breathed out a sigh of relief. “I should say I am sorry for losing control, but I’m not. Nina deserved everything I did to her.” I scoffed. “She’s lucky I didn’t kill her.” I turned to Toya and Wendy. “Thank you.”“Always.” The two of them squeezed my sides and then sat back down in front of their food. I turned back to Vince. “Am I in trouble?”He stared at me, really stared at me as if he was trying to figure something out, but then he slowly shook his
The others were already sitting when I walked over. Toya was openly staring at me with a smirk. “Did you have a little fun in line there, Amy?” I chuckled, but I was still angry. “It’s like a rot in this fucking school.” I slammed into my seat as the others just stared at me. “No matter where I turn, someone is bullying someone. When did this become our status quo? We are not fucking humans.” I had to calm myself down, but this is kinda perfect. It shows that I’m not doing well. I allowed tears to come to my eyes and I shook my head. “I’m sorry.” I wiped at my face in frustration. “It’s okay.” Toya followed my lead and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. I heard her sniffle, and a tear hit my shoulder. “Look at how pathetic you two look.” Instantly, Nix was at the surface. Fur rippled down both of our arms. Black against her dark brown. We looked at each other and both of our eyes were shifted. We separated and looked behind us to find Nina and her band of idiots. And Nix ripped a
I stretched my neck as I walked into the caff. Sleeping on my couch was about as comfortable as you assume. I felt my neck pop, and I wanted to groan. I shook myself as I headed to the line to grab breakfast. I needed food and caffeine as soon as possible. I grabbed a tray and waited for my turn. I felt myself wobble on my feet. I was more tired than I thought. It’s also the emotional side of things that is weighing you down. Megan’s voice called from the darkness of the forest in my mind. Last night wiped you out. First it was Toya’s emotions, then your own, and you ended the night with your mother’s emotions pressing down on you. It takes a toll. Nix agreed, and I had to nod. They were right. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. If I could have missed today I would have, but I set this meeting up last night with everyone and we had a plan to make. “Excuse me.” A soft voice called from behind me. I turned to see an omega male. “Yes?”His eyes widened. “It’s your turn to g
I woke with a jolt. My mother was standing over me with slightly swollen eyes. “Baby?” I wiped my eyes.“Mom, is everything okay?” I grabbed for my phone on the table. It was six in the morning and I wanted to cry. I finally crawled under the covers at almost midnight, and I loved sleep. “It’s morning. I didn’t mean to scare you, but I’m heading out.” I sat up and rubbed my eyes again. “Are you sure?” I grabbed for her and pulled her down by my legs. “How are you doing?”“I’m okay, baby.” She leaned in and kissed my forehead. “I shouldn’t have come here.” She ran her hands down my hair. “Of course you can come here, mom. Any place I am you can come. Anytime.” I reached for her other hand. “I will never be too old to not need my mother.” I smiled at her. But she shook her head. “No, baby.” She closed her eyes and looked over my shoulder. She was thinking about something. “I was selfish.”“What do you mean?” I felt her hands convulse in mine. “If, goddess forbid, your father was ac
Her sobs were ragged, but it was the screams that broke me. We crumpled to the floor as she screamed her pain, and all I could do was hold her and allow her to release it. She wouldn’t listen to me until she did. It wasn’t until I heard the door shut that I realized Rowan had left.I grabbed her around her shoulders, and under her legs and I picked her up. I carried her to my bedroom and laid her on my bed. And then I did the only thing I could. I pulled the phone out of the lockbox and I dialed my father. It was late, but I could only hope he would answer. I slid in behind my mother and I waited for the ringing to stop. I closed my eyes in defeat when the call went unanswered and his voice played in my ear. “Hi, you have reached Alpha Gavin Maclean. I’m currently busy, but I will get back to you.” My mothers screamed again as she heard my father’s voice. “He’s gone.” Her scream shook the sliding glass door. I hung up the phone and called back. “I told you he was gone, baby.” She g