LucyHe laughed. “Trust me, you’ll know. She’s not nearly so subtle as an instinct. What are you feeling?”I shook my head, unable to give it words. I pressed my hand to the rough bark of an ancient oak tree. It felt warm and alive in my hand. I felt it pushing against my hand like it was trying to give me something. “Take a deep breath,” Luke said softly. “Close your eyes and let it happen.”I closed my eyes trying to relax. Then, the warmth grew and started to sink into my palm. I felt energy coursing through me. When I opened my eyes, I could see the whole forest through the trees. I heard birds and the babbling river several miles from where I was. I felt the mountains starting deep in the earth. I was so dizzy with it that when I stumbled away from the tree, I collapsed. “It was… much,” I whispered staring up at the tree. “I feel so warm.”“Oak trees
MattFor the rest of the ride back to Blue Moon, Tony was on the phone with various people, generally seeming like he wasn’t slipping off the deep end. Some of the calls made him growl, but a lot of them didn’t. I couldn’t tell if he was getting any closer to figuring out who else from White Moon might be alive and where they might be, but I was grateful for him being distracted. It had been too close. My stomach was in knots. How long could I keep up this lie? I pulled out my phone and opened a message to the Council’s information line. I’m a shifter who has been cursed by a witch. How long will the curse last?I swallowed, waiting for a reply. It depends on the strength of the witch and their intentions behind it. It will also depend on the strength of the shifter. Have you been formally tested?I blinked and glanced at Tony. I couldn’t ask Tony. I would have to ask our beta, but I couldn’t do that wi
MattThe pull to lend my power was too strong to ignore, I let it go surging into him as our beta opened his shirt and started to fumble the bullets out of his chest. He choked, and his eyes fluttered open as the last one came out. He looked at me, his eyes hazy. “Matt…”“Just rest for a second.”“Matt…” He said again, blinking blearily. “You’re… I can’t…”A bullet hit a rock nearby, shattering a piece of it and sending the debris scattering. Our beta looked at me. “You have to take him. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can.”I swallowed and looked down.“No,” Tony groaned. “We’ll… fight. We can’t—”I reared back and punched him in the face. Tony’s head flew back, and he fell unconscious. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I bent and lifted Tony onto my should
LucyAfter the field trip, my mind kept going back to the sight of that door. Duke had been pretty quiet too. When we got back to the coven campus the morning before out classes, we walked quietly to the front of the building and headed to the human campus. It felt like we were both too deep in our thoughts to say anything. When our next combat class came, Duke seemed to be in a slightly better mood. As we made our way to the room, I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. The last class had felt a bit overwhelming, and I didn’t really know if I had been following the plan he’d given me well.“Relax,” Duke said. “It’s only the second day.”I nodded and entered the classroom. Luke paired me with another girl and Duke with another guy, but I realized quickly that she was way more advanced than I was. With a roar, she toppled me over her shoulder, slamming me onto the ground hard. It was the fifth time in the l
LucyHe looked down at the girl as she curled up on her side. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt her."Tears welled up in my eyes, a flood of emotions overwhelming me. I stood there, my fists clenched, a mix of conflicting emotions swirling within me. Guilt gnawed at my conscience, and I struggled to process what had just happened. It hadn’t meant to hurt her really, but my anger had just come out of nowhere.“But she did say something, hm?” He asked. “Goading you? Mocking you?”I nodded. “Yes.” He nodded and looked down at the girl. “Let this be a lesson in antagonizing your opponents.” He turned to the rest of the class. “The things you learn in this class could save your life or someone dear to you. It is not a method to torture or carry out petty revenge. You have a problem with someone, solve it before you come into this classroom.”He crouched beside the g
TonyI was going in and out of consciousness. The only thing I was sure of was that Matt was still carrying me, and we had been walking for hours. The moon had fallen. The rain had stopped and the sun was starting to rise in the distance. I looked over at our beta who had found a large branch to use as a walking stick. The dragon shifter still hadn’t introduced himself. He didn’t seem like he wanted too either. I had a lot of questions, but he didn’t seem to be forthcoming with information.What clan was he with? What territory were we in? What sort of debt had we incurred?My mind was foggy, and I struggled to stay conscious and quiet as my wounds were jostled with every step. Suddenly, he stopped. “This is the border,” he said. “You said you were of Blue Moon.”“Alpha Matt and my brother, Alpha Tony. This is our beta.”I turned my head looking at the dragon shifter. He looked at Matt w
LucyA few days after the incident in class, I got into the car with Stacy, headed for the city council meeting. Since I was a supernatural person living in their territory I was required to come. We walked in to the large hall and took seats. As I sat in the Hecate Coven city council meeting, surrounded by supernaturals of all kinds, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness.“Am I supposed to say anything?”Stacy laughed. “Not unless you want to. Oh, look.”She pointed to the lower levels where David was walking into the room. He was dressed in a full suit. His hair was styled nicely, and he was speaking with another, older man. He shook hands before taking his seat. Then, he turned and looked up at me. My face heated and I waved.He waved back. The atmosphere in the room was charged with anticipation as the council members took their seats. The chatter slowly died down, and the meeting officially commenced. The c
LucyA few days later, the call for werewolves in Hecate City to help with testing the barrier came out. I rode with Duke from school to the meeting site. David was already there. They had us walk outside the small clearing before casting the barrier over the area. As we stood before the barrier, anticipation and curiosity filled the air. The shimmering wall was supposed to repel us just for being werewolves. "All right, step through.”I nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and trepidation. We walked through easily and someone took notes before someone stepped out with us and took our campus rings, tagging them with colors so we knew whose was whose. “Try again.”I stepped towards the barrier, and I felt a tingling sensation, like static electricity running over my body. However, much to my surprise, I passed through the barrier effortlessly. It didn't repel me at all."That's odd," Duke remarked, glancing back at Da
LucyThe morning sun, a mischievous wink through the blinds, painted golden stripes across our bed. I snuggled deeper into the warmth of David's embrace, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest a soothing lullaby. He slipped his hand across my lower back. The warmth of his bare skin against mine set a spark of pleasure through me. He rumbled low and content into my hair. “Wake up,” David rumbled. He kissed my head and twined a curl around his finger. “We have things to do.”“You shouldn’t have kept me up all night.”He chuckled. “You didn’t say that last night.”I nudged him. He dipped his head to nip my lips. “You know, if it’s too much, you can always tell me to slow down.”He’d been saying that for five years now, and I never found a reason to tell him to. He knew that. His eyes flickered between colors. I nipped his lower lip. “Give me a reason.”He smirked and rolled me onto my back. “To slow down or…”“To get up,” I said as he kissed
LucyI sat on the cold stone, watching her, but she didn’t move another muscle. I didn’t know how long it had been, but it didn’t matter. The spectral glow around her was starting to dim, and my mind was just too stressed to do too much thinking. The light of the ritual, the spell I’d used, the blood on my hands all flashed through my mind, and part of me wondered if it was all just a dream. I looked down at the stained and ruined gown. The armor was as pristine as ever, but most of the embroidered roses were torn or stained. This dress would never be white again, let alone whole. I flicked a piece of the long, gossamer fabric and shook my head. I really liked this dress.“Lucy!”I turned my head toward the sound of David’s voice, wrung out and relieved to hear him. He was rushing through the air towards me. He dropped down a few feet from me, looking so worried I could cry.I smiled at him as he dropped to his knees beside me and threw his arms around me,
LucyI sailed through the air, landing with a jarring thud within the ritual circle. With a trembling hand, I pushed myself up, my senses on high alert. A figure, cloaked in darkness, appeared in front of me. My blood ran cold. Selene."Well, well, Lucy," her voice, honeyed yet laced with venom, slithered into the darkness. "Thank you ever so much for making this easy at last.”I grit my teeth. I wouldn't go down without a fight. Straightening my shoulders, I met her gaze, my voice shaking but resolute. "You underestimate me.” “No, Lucy,” her voice dropped, and a cruel smile twisted her lips. "You underestimate me.” The chanting grew louder around me. I lunged for the necklace, my fingers grazing its cold surface before Selene snatched it away, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. But that touch, fleeting as it was, ignited something. I felt her pushing at my mind. I felt her shoving me back until I could see the forest from before, and we were fighting in a ci
MattMy vision pulsed and flickered, a strobe light of pain blurring the edges of reality. Tony rained blows down on me, slashing with claws. Each hit chipped away at my resolve and my control, leaving behind a raw desperation to end this quickly. My armor protected me from most of the damage, but still. He was always the stronger of the two of us. I thought it was just because he was the older of the two of us, but this was different. I thought for sure he was going to bite off my head. Then, a flash of golden light arced through the air, and a spear lanced past my shoulder, catching Tony square in the chest. I turned back to see Ginevra hovering in the air. Her golden dress glowed as she passed me with a glowing winge spreading from her back. What the absolute fuck?Tony staggered, falling to the ground, and Dad darted forward, encasing Tony in a shimmering web of light. The wave turned to chains. He thrashed and howled, straining against the magical bonds, but t
LucyPeter's breath hitched, rasping, and shallow, then deepened into a cough that wracked his battered body. His eyelids fluttered, eyelids so pale they were almost luminous in the dim torchlight. He struggled to get up, leaning on his Spear and on Michelle. The light pulsing through the Spear rippled over his skin. He let out a soft sigh and stumbled a little. “Peter?”“I... It’s gone.”“What?” Michelle gasped as his hair started to change, losing the gray color and growing dark. His face turned younger until I was sure that he was all of twenty-something. He grew a bit taller, too, bigger until his shirt strained against his chest and his buttons popped. He flushed. “Well… that’s not…” He cleared his throat as Michelle smiled up at him. “So this is what you looked like in your youth?”He scoffed. “I’m much younger than you think.”He grunted, pressing a hand to his side. “Wish the Spear would heal the wound, though.”I winced. “Sorry… it’s a
PeterMy feet pounded a frantic rhythm against the uneven earth, branches whipping at my face, thorns tearing at my clothes. How long had I been running? How much further did I have to go? I didn’t know, and it didn’t matter so long as I got there. My lungs burned, legs screaming in protest, but still I ran. The trail of blood behind me and the patchwork of wounds across my body, chunks of missing and regrowing flesh, weren’t my concern right now. The creature—the wolf was after me, and unlike before, it didn’t seem willing to back off or slow down. It was going to kill me, and what happened after that was anyone’s guess. Behind me, the guttural snarl of the wolf echoed through the trees. Too close to be comfortable. Too close to make sense. This was too much like that dream, but worse. So much worse. The sky was a kaleidoscope of images I could barely make out. They flashed in the sky and in my vision, making it hard to see. I saw Lucy. I saw Michelle. The long
LucyAdrenaline surging, I grabbed Michelle and pulled her after me deeper into the inky depths of the tunnel.“Quick!”She panted. “What’s going on? Peter—”“He’s possessed,” I said. “Just keep running for now!”I saw my Allison up ahead, leading me down another tunnel. Behind us, I heard Peter's guttural snarls, the rhythmic thud of his feet echoed eerily in the confined space. We had to lose him and the other one quickly, but we didn’t seem to be putting enough distance between us. Panic coiled in my gut, urging me to run faster and push my body beyond its limits. Michelle kept up relatively well. We twisted and turned, navigating the treacherous path by torchlight and the spectral murmurs of White Moon's fallen. But the passage seemed to twist back on itself. When we were back at the forked path, the faint light that had been illuminating the tunnel went out, plunging us into darkness.Michelle shuddered. She drew closer to me and tightened her grip on m
LucyI was back in that house with that couple that adopted me. I felt the floorboards creaking as I went downstairs. I saw the men in suits. I shrieked, turning. Not again. I couldn’t be back here. Where was David? How had I gotten back here? I looked down. I wasn’t… wearing the dress or the armor. I had no daggers. My hair was just as uncombed and dry as it had been then. When I looked in the mirror, the skinny young woman who had barely had anything more than ramen and school lunch stared back at me. My stomach lurched. The door opened, and I turned to run, knowing what was about to happen. I dug my heels in as dark shadows pulled me towards the door. I felt myself being lifted onto someone’s shoulders. I fought and kicked, but all my training and all my strength were gone. I saw the calendar on the wall, but the date was different. It wasn’t my birthday. It was the day of the Crescent Moon Festival. I screamed, grabbing anything I could manage. Then, Sele
DavidOren's head arced through the firelit air, landed, and rolled. His body dropped to the ground, still spurting blood. Then, all hell broke loose.The shimmering barrier around the Ball faltered, rippling like a pond, before collapsing entirely. Hunters poured into the arena, their snarls blending with everyone's shocked gasps. “Defensive measures, now!” I yelled, my voice carrying over the sound of the attack. A group of dragon shifters took to the sky as my blade clashed with the first hunter. How had they gotten through the barrier? I saw a flicker of a ghost and growled. “Selene!” I shoved the hunter back, slicing through him before sending out a shockwave of air. She’d been behind this, and maybe she’d been planning this for years, using the werewolf virus to spy on the preparations. It would make sense to try and get rid of me. I was the direct descendant of Fenris. More than that, it was their movements. Each and every one of them moved e