*Isla*Our room is… plain, but I am not too bothered. Framed oil paintings hang on the stone walls, and the smell of cleaner is sharp and acrid in the air. A fireplace takes up the far wall, and a simple, gray rug covers the stone pavers lining the floor. Again, I wonder how old this place is, and who may have lived here before Maddox bought it. I let out my breath, still tired from the journey and aching from being cramped in a car for what felt like hours. It's not musty or dark in the room, which is a miracle sent by the Goddess herself after spending several nights on the stuffy ship from Maatua. I’d rather be home, however. “Not bad,” Poppy muses, turning in a circle as she scans the room. “But it could use a little paint.”“Hopefully we won’t be here long enough to justify painting the walls,” I say, smoothing my hand over the quilt folded at the foot of the four-poster bed. “Maybe we can go back to the castle in a few days.”“You look like you only have a few days left to c
Chapter 4 *Isla* Maddox takes his pants off, laying them over the foot of the bed as I run a brush through my hair. After sitting through a dinner with everyone currently staying in the little manor, including the warriors, I am happy to be in the comfort and privacy of our room. Tomorrow night I could be curled up in our bed at the castle… if I get my way. “I’m going,” I say flatly, narrowing my eyes at Maddox through the vanity mirror. “It’ll be a war zone, Isla. I can’t take the risk.” “Well, I’ve already made up my mind,” I reply hotly, sighing as my belly tightens. I feel awful, and have been feeling worse and worse as the evening goes on. I try to tell myself it’s because I’m as large as a house and have been cramped in a boat, then a car, and haven’t slept in a real bed in what feels like years, but I know deep down it’s because this baby is coming… soon. “I’ve made up my mind,” he repeats, unbuttoning his shirt so he’s in nothing but his underwear. “It’s not safe. I’
*Maddox*Leo was right about the mine shaft. I feel my way through the tunnel, the walls damp with condensation and crudely carved. Leo is ahead of me, holding a flashlight as he walks into the tight, seemingly endless darkness. “You really came here to play as a kid?” I ask, my words feeling wet and heavy in the sudden humidity. There must be an underground river somewhere beneath us, because everything I touch is wet, and my hair is so damp it’s sticking to my face. “Not play,” Leo says with a short laugh. “We’d dare each other to go in. Some say a demon lived in here, a spirit of some guy who died while it was being built.”A shiver runs up my spine but I shake the thought away. “Ah, here, shit–” Leo drops the flashlight, and a loud bang echoes through the tunnel. “Are you alright?”“Fine, I just hit my head,” Leo grunts, and then the area around us is showered in light again as he picks up the flashlight and holds it in front of him, illuminating a huge metal door. I have no
*Isla*“Where’s Maddox?” I wheeze, my body still trembling from the force of the fall. I’m not hurt, by some miracle destined by the Goddess, but my mind is reeling and chest tightening with panic as the warrior who caught me hurries inside the castle, Ben at our side. “And Poppy? Mystica? Antony–”“I’m going to find everyone, okay?” Ben pants. I turn my head to look at him, watching as he picks twigs and leaves out of his hair and clothes. No one had caught Ben. He’d fallen on his side in a thicket of roses, which softened his landing, but still, nothing about the last hour had been easy. All around us, the sound of battle was taking place. The forest had been full of wolves, more than I’d ever seen in my life. And all of this over Maddox choosing me instead of a high-born daughter of one of the Alphas who were supposed to be his allies. But he has the diamond. If we make it through the night…. If we can just make it through the night….I wince, pushing back the pain ripping over m
*Maddox*We push them back, every Alpha and Beta who dared showed their faces at the entrance to my fucking house, along with their armies. My force of five hundred feral, untrained warriors barely weaned from their mothers hammers the enemy line with every passing minute. I am proud, but ‘mI also fucking pissed. Who the hell do these Alphas think they are?And also, where the fuck is Seth?I hurry to put on a pair of pants and a shirt someone has tossed at me, fumbling with the buttons of my shirt. Everything is wet, and I am pumped with adrenaline to the point I’m trembling with it. I don’t know how many wolves I’ve killed today, but I have a feeling that number is only going to increase. For now, there seems to be a brief respite in the battle. Dawn is still hours away, and warriors belonging to me and my allied packs mingle in small groups outside the castle gates. It’s almost peaceful.In the distance, I can hear the furious shouts and commands of the traitorous Alphas who ha
*Isla*I’m not sure if my eyes are open or shut. I don’t know if the tapestry above the bed–the rich fabric woven with florals amongst a blanket of stars–is actually what I’m seeing, or if I’m now laying outside, looking up into the endless, moonless night. I don’t feel the maids clutching my arms. I don’t feel the cool rag Poppy has draped over my forehead. I don’t feel Maddox’s large, calloused hand retreat from my bare, heated thigh. I just feel myself slipping away with each ragged, forced breath. “The baby is stuck. It’s been hours.”“We need your decision, Alpha.”“There is a way, but it means losing the mother.”“You will need to choose.”“The prince–or the Luna?”Choose our son. Choose our son. Maddox, if you can hear me, choose our son!“Isla, please,” Poppy’s terrified voice breaks through the haze, and I feel her shaking hands cup my cheeks. I can’t tell who’s talking. I can’t differentiate the voices of my loved ones from the voices of several strangers. But I can fee
*Maddox*He looks like her. He has her blonde hair, even if it’s only a fine, silken dusting of it so far. I run my fingertips over his eyes, closed tight against the light flickering in the quiet corridor. They’re the same shape as her eyes, and I know as he starts to open them and see the world for the first time, they will eventually be the same heartbreaking blue as the mother he will never know. I will see Isla in him. I will see her everytime this unnamed boy looks into my eyes. I don’t know if that's a mercy from the Goddess, or a haunting reminder of every past wrong I’ve committed. I prayed and prayed to the Goddess as they cut my mate open to save the child I’d so desperately and selfishly wanted. I prayed she’d spare Isla, that she’d see past my sins and doubts and save the one thing that had ever truly mattered to me. Fuck my title. Fuck my territory. Save my mate. Save my mate. Save her. I didn’t take my eyes off Isla’s face the entire time. Mystica had given her some
Maddox’s eyes are even greener than normal in the soft clouds hovering over our heads in the unruly back garden. He stares at me, unblinking, his mouth slightly ajar as his brow furrows in confusion. “Did you hear me?” I say, taking a careful step towards him. Debris from the storm–broken branches and trellises ripped from the potted plants scattered everywhere–block my path as I lift my dress and gingerly close the distance between us. “You’re soaked! You’ll freeze–”My words are cut short as Maddox crushes me to his chest, his fingers curling and digging into my back. He trembles, his face pressed into my shoulder as he inhales deeply, then pushes me away. I’d told myself I wasn’t going to cry, but here I am, turning into a blubbering mess as my mate wraps his strong arms around me and nearly suffocates me with his strength. How can I even explain what happened? It’s practically impossible given that my memories of the birth of our son–our perfect, perfect son– are fragmented and
RyanThree Days LaterTarsian is gone. That’s the only way to describe it. The cities, the packs… it’s nothing but endless, blood-stained desert now. Even the sea lapping against the shores of Serpentia is stained a dark red, but I watch it fade as I stand on what’s left of a deck overlooking the ocean. Behind me, the incessant chatter of the injured and healing overwhelm the sound of the waves. A few people walk along the sand–warriors of different ranks and alliances. A young man in tattered Arcane Umbra armor talks to a group of men in armor from the Roguelands, reunited with old friends. The curse is gone. The soldiers the Umbra Mortis turned into his puppets, his monsters, well… so far, they have no memory of the war, which is a blessing. The rest of us remember, though. How could we ever forget what happened here? How are we possibly going to move on? “Ryan?”I turn toward Kenna’s voice as she steps toward me, edging around a group of nurses from Moonrise here to help treat
ColeI choke myself awake. Smoke fills my lungs, smothering my senses for precious seconds I quickly realize I don’t have. Muffled voices fill my ears–a few shouts of pain, of surprise. People are calling out for friends and comrades.I’m not in the afterlife. I know that immediately. Pain echoes through my body like waves, driven by the tide of my heartbeat as my body claws back to life, my chest wounds knitting together in real time. But my hand is freezing. I squeeze the fingers tangled in mine and jolt back to reality, rolling with effort to curl my body around Misty. “No,” I breathe into her hair. “Come–Come back.” I can’t feel her anymore. My hand slides up to her neck, my fingers trembling as I feel for her pulse. It’s there, but barely. A weak thump that pauses for several heartbreaking seconds. “H-Help!” I try to shout the word into existence, but my voice cracks painfully, turning into a scream. “HELP!”Figures rush toward us in a blur. The battlefield erupts into view, sh
MistyI land on my feet in a sea of mist. Silver fog snakes around my ankles, around my glimmering armour made of pure light. For a moment, I think I’m… lost within the aether–in the misty, shadowed undercurrent that separates our realm from the Goddess’s kingdom. But wet grass squishes beneath my boots as I stumble forward, breathless, damn near in pieces. Rain pelts the top of my head as I grope for anything to grab onto before I careen toward the ground. I yelp as my body lands with a thud. Thunder booms, followed by its rolling echo as it bounces toward me. The rain fizzles to a gentle whisper as the mist begins to part. A great stone wall comes into view, and then two voices carry toward me, lifted in alarm. I sit up with great effort, kneeling as I gasp for breath that won’t fill my lungs. I slowly lift my head and see two women–one young and… stunning, with long, blonde hair and ocean blue eyes that seem to glow as she holds my gaze, her lips parted in surprise. The seco
Cole“Undo it,” I tell him. “Take the curse back and reinstate order.”He purses his lips to a thin line, confused. “But, Cole, I can’t. It’s not something you can just… stop. Think about it. Use that big brain of yours. Do you see this place? Tarsian is so much bigger than the rest of Eastonia. Riches beyond belief lay below the sand. There used to be mines and forges here, mines that pulled silver and moonstone from the ground and forges that turned that into magic. Yet, in our time, the magic is hoarded by the royals–the Allied Kings.” He sweeps his hand toward the battle. “But not anymore. Once I open the gate, it’s over. This world will be no more. You can come with me, Cole. Be a god instead of a king.”“You can’t, Richard. You failed. Misty is safe, with her family. You needed her to do this.”He smiles a bit sadly, but his eyes flare with mischief. “Yes, she is. Such a shame, really. It would have been easier to do it with her help. Quicker, less leg work for me.” He opens the
Misty“Forgive me, please,” I say to Mom as we walk side by side to the war room, which is really just a massive training area at the very base of the castle. “I know I just got back…hours ago….”“Bring them back for me,” she replies sadly, her hand ghosting down my back. She stops at the staircase leading to the furthest depths of the castle. I turn to face her, and she tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “I’m okay here. I’ll keep the kids happy and comfortable.”That’s my mom’s power. Being the leader of this family. She has a knack for bringing everyone together, keeping everyone loved and… whole. I pull her into a hug and squeeze. “I’ll come home again, I promise. I’ll be bringing my mate home with me in time for Solstice, I promise.”Her tears fall into my hair. I reluctantly let her go and turn for the stairs, refusing to look back. I have to look forward–only forward–if I’m going to get through this. Ella’s already in the armory, sorting weapons, her eyes locked on her tas
MistyEverything else is a blur. Aviva’s screamed words. Ella’s rushed explanations. Grandma taking me by the shoulders and leading me away, tucking me in a sitting room somewhere in the depths of the castle. I barely feel her arm on my shoulder. I barely register sitting down in a chair, holding the bloody pages in my lap and watching the firelight dance over the untidy scrawl I know so well. I sit there for what could be hours. Eventually, I’m joined by Sarah and Kenna… and then Aviva. Still, I haven’t read the letter. I’ve read my name, addressed at the top of the first page, over and over again. This is his final goodbye, and I’m not ready to accept that. “What are we supposed to do?” Kenna grinds out. “The reports coming out of Tarsian are–”“I don’t fucking care what they are!” Sarah’s voice pitches with fury. “The father of my sons is fighting for his fucking life right now, Kenna.”“My mate, too!” Kenna shouts. “But we’ve been told to stay, to be prepared to defend Moonrise
MistyI wait in the hallway for Luke, not believing he’s actually here, in Moonrise, in the same place I currently am. Eventually, he’s escorted around a corner by two of Ella’s royal guards. His eyes go wide when he sees me, his cheeks flushing. “Misty–”“Luke,” I whisper, trying to smile at him, but my heart is skittering out of my chest. He glances at the guards before taking several swift steps ahead of them to reach my side. I pull him across the hallway to a set of windows and benches overlooking the city of Moonrise, now bathed in afternoon light. “You got out,” he says in disbelief. “I heard that you had, but I didn’t believe it–”“Is Georgia safe?” “Yes, she’s with her family. Her father’s fighting, but she and her mother went to Crescent Falls–”“What did Cole have you working on in the castle?” I rush out. “I was supposed to help you with it but never got the chance.”He pulls a small, oval object out of his jacket pocket and hands it to me. “It’s a cryptex. He said it wa
MistyBefore my body even catches up to itself, Mom has her arms around me, pulling me into the tightest hug possible as Sarah’s powers shudder away, falling like ash that covers the ornate red carpet in one of the upper wings of Aunt Ella’s palace in Moonrise. Golden finishes blur my vision. My senses go haywire for a fraction of a second before familiar scents and voices bring me back to reality. I slowly fold my arms around Mom’s back and squeeze. Neither of us says anything for a long, long time. I stand on my tiptoes and rest my chin on her shoulder, closing my eyes and breathing in her sweet, floral scent. She’s been wearing the same perfume for decades. She always smells the same–the smell of my childhood. “Mama,” I whisper into her strawberry scented hair. She trembles with silent sobs, cupping the back of my head as she pulls away. Her big, dark blue eyes–eyes she shares with Sydney and Ryan–sweep over my face, over the new lines of exhaustion and heartbreak. I feel a p
MistyIt’s morning. Early morning–still too early for the sun to breach the mountains and send light spilling over the village of Silverhide. I roll over on the couch, wrapped in a thick blanket, and stare at the dying embers in the stone fireplace across the room. I haven’t slept. Pain echoes through my body, settling deep in my bones. It’s not a sharp, bright pain. It’s the kind that aches and throbs–a dull thrum of noise that makes it impossible to focus, let alone close my eyes and rest. I feel empty. Empty, and alone. ‘Why did you do this to me?’ I ask through the sliver of bond I still share with Cole… I hope. I hung on so tight when he rejected me, refusing to let him do it. But his voice is no longer in my head. My eyes are dry and rimmed red as I watch the embers flicker like stars against a sea of darkness. I have no tears left to cry. I used them up. They’re gone. Ryan and Aviva’s bedroom door opens nearby, a shadowed figure ducking as Ryan steps out of his room and