LucyI turned back to look at the four women on the other side of the room. The two younger ones started glaring at me with glowing eyes. The two older ones looked at me like I wasn’t worth the time. “How old are you, girl?” The older brunette asked. “Eighteen.”Her eye twitched. “You will address me properly, girl.”I blinked at her. “I don’t know who you are.”“Luna,” she hissed. “Don’t you know anything?”“No.”“And you’re supposed to be luna of the Blue Moon pack?” The younger brunette asked, sneering at me. “What a joke. You’re undeserving of the position. You’ll be out of it within a month!”I held back the words I wanted to say, but that didn’t seem to stop the two older ones from looking at me with suspicion.“I suppose you have plenty of time to bear children… Even though you are a half-breed,” the older blonde said, looking down at the tea set between us. “Don’t you know anything about etiquette?”“No,” I said, shifting as my stomach churned as I heard Tina’s warning in th
TonyI saw the car leaving and was glad about it. My hand was still twitching with annoyance at the whole thing. It wasn’t out of the ordinary to have luna meetings, but it wasn’t normal for them to just pop up. And to have Lucy be completely unprepared set me on edge. They couldn’t be trusted, given that their daughters had been slated to be married into our pack. They would likely be a danger to Lucy going forward. I was on a call, so I sent Matt to go and check on Lucy. He left, and I felt his apprehension. What’s wrong?…She’s in the luna’s chambers.I frowned. They aren’t done.The door is locked.My heart lurched, and I went to the door. I raced towards the hallway and found Matt outside the room. I heard her heart beating on the other side of the door and her breathing, coming in slow, soft breaths. “She’s probably just asleep,” Matt said, frowning at the door and turning the handle. It clicked, still locked. “Why would she lock the door?”I knocked. “Lucy?”I heard movement
TonyAs I walked down the main corridor, Matt’s words haunted me. Do you think that the time in the human world… damaged her or something? There was nothing in the old books that said that was possible, but it felt more and more true. I walked into the dining hall, scanning the room for my seat as I tried to put it out of my mind. No one’s lunas were here. This was a meeting for alphas.I took my seat and allowed a waiter to fill my glass and set a salad in front of me. It tasted like ash, but I ate and tried not to think about what was happening with Lucy. It would be alright. Then, David sat across the table from me. We met gazes for a brief moment as the waiter filled his glass and set a salad in front of him. So much for my prayer. “Is Lucy alright?” David asked. I glared at him. “Our mate is more than alright. And I’d appreciate it if you stop thinking of her entirely.”David lifted his glass. “I didn’t take you to be a man who took after his father so much… Isn’t she a bit
LucyI woke up alone, tangled in Matt’s sheets. My stomach churned and churned. I felt sick. I went to the bathroom as I felt like I was going to throw up. Fear made my heart race as I reached the toilet and threw up. The bitterness in my mouth made my eyes burn with tears. This couldn’t be happening. Please, this couldn’t be happening. I didn’t want this. I never wanted kids. From the moment I saw how my adopted parents treated me, from the moment I knew that anyone could be so cruel to a child, I knew that I didn’t want to bring a child into this world. “Lucy?” Matt asked, coming into the bathroom. I turned and looked up at him. There was something bright and happy in his eyes. It made my blood go cold as I trembled. “I’ll go get the doctor, okay?” He bounded away, and I shuddered, shaking my head. I didn’t want this. This couldn’t be happening. I almost laughed. What could I expect? I’d been sold to an auction and bought. I’d been tossed into the world of alphas and lunas wit
LucyShe beamed. “I was assigned. All the other doctors who straddle the line were too scared.”She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, all their growling is more childish than anything to me. Their Dad too.”I blinked. “T-Their Dad?”She nodded. “I was assigned right before he was removed from leading the pack… The twins had to take over, or the pack was going to be split between the other two or… dissolved.”I frowned. “How does that work?”“Witches,” she grinned. “Really scared them straight. It’s pretty extreme to have to go that route, but the situation was dire, and it was the best thing at the time.”I blinked. “Then… does that mean that they… can’t fire you?”She beamed. “It means if they do, they’ll lose more than a doctor.”I let out a breath and felt my shoulders relax. “T-Tony wouldn’t fire you.”“Nope. Though I’m sure, he thinks about it often.” She laughed. “Tony has never liked me.”“Why?”“I don’t cower when he growls,” she said and looked up. “I call him on his shit. I had se
MattI paced. I was so pissed off I couldn’t even eat. How dare she try to keep Lucy from me? From us? I could feel Tony’s irritation through our bond, but I couldn’t reply just yet. I didn’t have anything to tell him. Yvonne had taken Lucy into her office hours ago and after sending one of the servants to tell me that Lucy didn’t want to join me and doctor’s orders. I didn’t have the sense of calm I needed to handle this. Our irritation fed on itself, growing and growing. To make matters worse, hearing that our dad would be released this year wasn’t helping either of us. “Matt,” our nanny called. I turned on her, panting and furious. “Maybe you should go for a run?”My eye twitched. “How can I go for a run when that witch is keeping Lucy from me?”She clasped her hands together. “Pacing and fuming here isn’t going to help at all. If anything, you’re only making your and Tony’s… predicament worse.”I set my jaw. I wanted to argue, but then I heard someone else coming down the hall.
LucyI heard Matt leave as I sank onto the couch and closed my eyes. I didn’t even want to imagine what he’d said to her, but I couldn’t help but feel relieved that he had really left. Was it really that easy? What had she said to him. Yvonne hummed.“How do you feel?” She asked. I shook my head. I was cold. Everything felt jittery with fear like I was just waiting for them to pack me up and take me to the auction house or that people were going to come to the house and take me away like before. “I believe I told you to rest,” Yvonne said. “Though you did a good job putting your foot down. You’ll have plenty of time to practice telling them no, I’m sure.”“I don’t know…”Yvonne chuckled. “Trust me, they could use it. I take great pleasure in telling them no at every opportunity.”I laughed a little. She offered me another cup of tea. I took it, sighing at the way it warmed my hands. I drank and curled up on the couch. “I… dropped the books.”She smiled and waved her hand through t
DavidTony left the dining hall soon after dinner. I considered going after him to try and get some more information about Lucy, but I decided against it. He may have been lying about a few things, but it was unlikely that he was lying about Lucy’s state. The thought angered me that I had to worry about it at all. Blue Moon was supposed to be the most powerful pack with the most powerful wolves, but they couldn’t even manage to keep Lucy safe in their own territory.The twins didn’t deserve her.The tables were cleared away, and I hung around to mingle with some alphas that I recognized from my pack. They each bowed their heads in deference, but as I shook hands with a lower-tiered alpha of the Black Moon Pack, I tried to smile. The man looked at me like he’d rather not ever see me again. I couldn’t blame him. I would have rather killed him ages ago, but he left the Blood Moon Pack to join the Black Moon Pack after my father was killed. He took a large number of people with him, enou
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