*Maddox*Everyone is staring at Trinity, and I feel bad for her.It’s not her fault that she looks so remarkably like her older cousin. Of course, her parents and her uncle knew this going into this situation. They have done this to her on purpose, and I don’t like it! It’s one thing for them to constantly fuck around with me, but she’s just an innocent girl.I know what everyone wants now, and I have to oblige them, even though I don’t want to.My eyes go out the door to Isla. She’s sitting out there with her brother, getting some fresh air. Well, now is just as good a time as any.With a deep breath, I head over to Trinity. “May I have this dance?” I extend my hand to her. The girl’s cheeks deepen into a bright pink color before she nods and slides her slender fingers into mine. I lead her to the dancefloor, and everyone parts to make room for us.She looks lovely in her ballgown, but the more I am around her, the more I see the differences between her and my wife. Rebecca’s nose wa
*Isla*I didn’t know if I should go back to my room or to a garden or maybe straight to my parents’ house, though they hadn’t followed after me. Ben is on my tail, so as I fly down the hallway not really knowing where I’m going, the other thought I had, to the top of the castle and over the side, quickly goes away. Not that I’d do that to my baby, but I’d be lying if I said the thought hadn’t even entered my mind.How could Maddox do this to me?But then… am I really that surprised? He doesn’t seem to understand how I feel about all of this at all. He either doesn’t understand or he doesn’t care or both.I make it to the end of a hallway and have to stop because I don’t have any idea where I am, and I don’t know where to turn. Ben catches up to me then, which he probably could’ve done before since he’s not wearing a ballgown and his legs are almost the length of my body. He waits for me to turn and look at him and gives me a reassuring look. It’s not quite a smile because he probably
*Isla*I think I know what I need to do.It won’t be easy. He won’t let me go, but I need to.I need to leave the castle.Everything that Trinity has said solidifies in my mind that Maddox is not considering my needs one bit, and the fact that I am carrying his child doesn’t even seem to mean anything to him.“I think… I need to go,” I say to Trinity and Ben as we are still sitting in the garden.“Oh, all right,” Trinity says. “To your room?”I stand, my legs still slightly wobbly from everything that has been going on. Ben reaches out to steady me, but I recover before I can fall over or even need to grab him.“No, actually,” I tell her. “I mean, I think I need to go home. Back to my pack. Away from Maddox. And… all of this.”Trinity stands, too. “Isla, I don’t recommend that,” she says, and her voice is still low but stern. “I think that Maddox is going to end up getting himself into a lot of trouble with the other packs if he doesn’t go through with this, but he’s clever enough to
*Maddox*Suitcases. On the bed. Packed.Isla. In her mother’s arms.After the discussion I just had with her father, I can’t believe that her mother is encouraging her to leave the castle. Did Daniel not mean a word of what he was saying when he told me that Isla’s parents would encourage her to stay so long as I could assure him that she wouldn’t have to worry about any of these other women?Of course, she doesn’t have to worry about them. They are white noise. Only here to serve the specific purpose of getting these other Alphas off of my back. I have told her that a dozen times, but she will not listen to me.Now, it seems she is listening to her mother, and the message Constance is telling her is not the same one I just heard from her husband’s mouth.The Luna turns around and stares at me with a mix of surprise and anger in her eyes, possibly a touch of hurt. “I was trying to convince MY baby not to leave, that she needs to stay here and see this through, thank you very much. You
*Isla*Maddox went back to the dance.I don’t blame him. I understand he needs to be there, and I understand a bit more why he didn’t tell me about Trinity, too. I have never lost someone like that before—someone I loved with all of my heart, a spouse, a mate, but I can imagine how painful it would be not only to have lost them, but to also blame myself for their death, and then to see them again.I put myself in Maddox’s position. How would I feel if I had watched him die, thought it was probably my fault, and then saw him again in the face of his cousin?It’s hard to say what a person would do in those circumstances, but it is easy for me to understand that it would be difficult.For the next few weeks, I am hyperfocused on every movement Maddox makes. Which woman is he talking to? When is he talking to them? How does he approach them, and how do they approach him?But he doesn’t disappoint men.After the pomp and circumstance of the ball was over, and all of the families went home,
*Isla*“Everything looks wonderful,” Mystica says as she finishes examining me. “The baby is a bit small for when we think the child was conceived, but other than that, the heartbeat is strong, everything is proportionate, the rest of the organs are developing on track as well, and movement is right on track. I think we shall have a healthy child in a few months, despite my apprehension earlier. Congratulations to the pair of you!” She stands at the foot of the examination table with her hands clasped together and a big grin on her face.“Thank you,” I tell her. “Do you have any indication yet of the sex of the baby?”Mystica looks from me to the king, and Maddox nods. He wants to know, too.“Well, I do,” she says. “Let me show you on the machine. I think that will be better.”She’s already done an ultrasound to measure everything, but while she was doing all of that, she looked like she was concentrating so hard, I didn’t even want to interrupt her to ask this question. Also, she is
*Maddox*“I understand the significance, Alpha, but I don’t think now is the best time to make the announcement.”Seth is sitting across from me in my office, helping me decide whether or not we should let the other Alphas know about the baby. Now that I’ve seen his tiny, wiggly body for myself, seen that he appears to be healthy, and even heard his heartbeat, I feel more confident that Isla will proceed through the rest of her pregnancy without problems, and we will have a son soon enough. It seems like it’s time to let the other Alphas know the situation, to proclaim Isla “the winner” of this ridiculous contest, and then start preparing the castle for the arrival of the next Alpha King.Seth disagrees with this idea. He is about to tell me why, and this had better be good.“Why not?” I scrutinize him, my hands folded on my desk, wondering what his reasoning could possibly be.“The other Alphas have been complaining all along that their daughters aren’t getting to spend any time with
*Isla*“Well, who was it from?”Poppy’s voice is too chipper for me. I’ve only just woken up from a long nap, and blinking a few times, I try to get my bearings, wondering what the hell she is talking about. Where is Maddox? I glance at the clock and see it’s almost 6:00. He’s usually done working by now.“Isla?” Poppy is fluffing the pillows on the bed next to my head. Why is she in here? Did she wake me up? “You can’t sleep all day! I know you’re growing a human, but that requires food, too. You didn’t eat any lunch before you went to sleep. So why don’t you eat the snack I had the cook prepare while you tell me about the letter? I heard that King Maddox has had Seth in his office for a few hours, so who knows when he’ll be done.”I sit up, feeling groggy. Whenever I don’t wake up naturally from a nap, I am always a grump. My stomach is rumbling, though, and when I glance over at the table, I see that Poppy has brought some of my favorites, including toast with cheese and sliced gre
MistyTwo white wolves in a clearing.Their bodies made of mist and aether, standing side by side.Mates. A marvel of second chances and extraordinary fate.Two white wolves turn toward the sunrise knowing what they must leave behind; what he sacrificed for those he loved and her refusal to let him go into death alone.Two white wolves stand over their earthly bodies. He, battered and still.She, going into death with eyes open, cupping her mate's face between her graceful hands, her eyes locked on his at the moment of her dying breath.Their last words had been simple. I love you.They always had.They’d promised this instance in stolen moments, in private corners, when there was nothing but the stars to light their way.I will not stay here without you.I will not leave you behind.And so, it was.Two
AvivaThe first flakes of snow fall from the sky as I watch Ryan trying to herd everyone in position. Bundled against the cold in a wool coat Freya and I worked tirelessly on for the last three weeks, I step to the side, finding myself in the center of the crowd standing in the middle of the village of Silverhide. I watch my mate and his Beta, James, nudge families together and run back and forth toward a tripod where Ryan’s camera rests, facing us, to gauge whether all one-hundred and fifty people are in view of the lens.Ryan stands behind the camera with his hands up, his hair dusted with snow. “Okay. Nobody move!”A few excited giggles whisper through the front of the crowd where the numerous children are arranged. I glance around, watching as James joins Dahlia’s side, their baby on her hip. The baby girl finally has a name. Cosette, named after a friend of Dahlia, but they call her Cossie for short. Other babies
Two months later…RyanThe Harvest Festival has been held at the festival grounds between Endova, Teshka, and Navvan for centuries. When we arrived two days ago, leaving only a few people behind in Silverhide to make sure the animals are tended to in our absence, the wide, open space had been nothing but rolling plains.Now, it’s a city of canvas tents and twinkling lights, the air spiced with smoke and the smells of meals being cooked at each fire. Songs mingle as I walk through the festival with Aviva on my arm. I’m wearing a normal outfit. Well, not normal, actually. Mom forced me into a suit and tie with the Crescent Falls royal banner and all of my metals from my years as a warrior draped over my shoulders. Aviva is wearing that white, fur-lined dress again and a pair of new sheep-skin boots Freya and Mercy made for her, but instead of freshwater clam shells and pearls decorating her hair, her curls are w
RyanAn hour earlier…I can’t scrub the image of Aviva dead in my arms out of my head. It’s been several days since the battle, since the moment I put her in my uncle's arms and turned back to the ravaged scene, not knowing whether or not she survived the journey all the way to Maatua.Three days. It was three entire days before Sydney arrived in Silverhide with news about my mate. I’d just arrived back at my territory, exhausted and in tatters, when he clapped a hand on my shoulder and used his powers to spirit us to Moonrise, then to Veiled Valley, then to Maatua. He’s not as strong as Ryatt. Jumping took a toll on us both, and when we finally arrived at my grandparents’ beach house, I collapsed before I even made it up their driveway.Everything since the battle is a blur. Navvan is just… gone. The few survivors were mostly women and children who’d left the villag
AvivaI wake with a start to bright, warm sunshine and the smell of salty air. I grope white sheets, blinking several times to clear my vision as an unfamiliar bedroom fades to life around me. Warm white walls. Pale wood finishes and sleek furniture in soft browns and creams. White curtains drift in a salty breeze coming through several open windows, and a glass door opens to a deck with a view of… a view of the ocean.I’ve never seen the ocean before. From where I lie, I can hear the waves crashing on a white sand beach. Music I don’t recognize drifts toward me, carrying two voices with it, one male, and one female.“Your parents worry about you endlessly, Misty.”“They have nothing to worry about. It’s not like I’m ten anymore, Grandpa. I can make my own way in the world now. Plus, where was their worry when they shipped me here four years ago, huh?”“You
RyanI’ve been dreaming about tying Aviva to my bed, but I’m going to make it a reality for entirely different reasons. Now, I’ll be tying her to keep her there, forever. No more hunting. No more fighting. No more killing rogues barefoot in the woods.No more putting herself in situations like this. I will do her dirty work. I will gladly do it. I roll with Hardan in his… hellhound form? Whatever the fuck he is now. I wish, Goddess, I wish I could have faced him man to man instead of beast to beast. I would have loved to see the look on his face when I ripped out his heart for even thinking for a second he had some kind of claim to my mate, even before I found her. We roll down a decline. I sink my talons into his belly, ripping hard, but I already know hellhounds aren’t that easy to kill. We crash into an oak tree. Leaves shower over us as he tries to claw free of my grasp. He’s calling out, bellowing strange, high-pitched howls. The forest floor rumbles as I sink my claws into hi
AvivaI’m having the time of my life.I zigzag through the woods in my wolf form after three rogues who’ve decided they want nothing to do with me. In fact, the rogues have stopped hunting me over the past several hours and instead are trying to get as far away from me as possible. Their prey has become their biggest predator.I did my best to lead the horde away from Endova. That was my goal–the reason I made the snap decision to leave my mate behind and race into the jaws of death itself. Now, I have the horde moving away from the tribal packlands all together, herding them back into the open plains like a shepherd, and they’re my sheep–if a shepherd killed their sheep, that is.I’ve lost count of how many there are. My red fur is completely black with their blood. I catch my reflection in another small, burbling creek as I leap, seeing only my eyes shining like polished amber against a
Ryan“She’s not here, Ryan,” Mercy hisses as I run through the village. She’s hot on my heels, grabbing my fur to try to pull me to a stop but I’m not in my right mind.It’s been five hours since I last saw Aviva. Andrew and I have been scouring the forest and plains for any sign of her, but I lost her scent, and my desperate attempts to mind-link with her have come up empty and silent.I shift into my human form the second I cross into the pack house and immediately crash into one of the tables, tripping over the bench and landing on my side with a crunch. I’ve been in my wolf form since last night. Exhaustion sings through my bones as my vision spins. I hear Andrew similarly falling to the ground with a choked groan before hurried footsteps reach the pack house. Someone throws a blanket over me with a scoff, followed by Mercy’s sharp, soprano voice ripping through the air as she starts s
RyanIt’s barely dawn. Four hours ago, I was taking a deep breath as I tucked my mate into our bed, and now we’re here, lying low in the grasslands ten miles from Silver, with twenty of my best warriors scattered behind me. Stars still fill the sky, shining under a blanket of deep navy and vibrant violet. It's kind of hard to stay focused when the sunrise looks like this, the first echoes of gold casting Aviva, in wolf form, in a halo of light. She’s crouched in the swaying grass just a few feet below where the rest of us are lying, hiding in the scant brush and scorched trees. I watch her edge forward a few inches, her body covered in weapons and leather–one of her special dresses from Endova. A half dozen whispers ghost through my head, mingling with the thundering of my heartbeat in my ears as we watch, and watch, the dozen or so rogues passing by, moving in a lazy formation toward the forests we, and the tribal packs, call home. ‘What are they doing?’ Andrew lies on my left sid