*Maddox*I’m at my desk going over a few reports, trying to decide whether or not to continue to take Beta Seth’s advice when what I really want to do is plan a huge festival and announce to the entire kingdom that I’m having a child with the woman I love when a knock at the door interrupts my thoughts.“Yes?” This had better be important. The guards usually steer away anyone who is just a nuisance.Trinity pokes her head in, and like most times when I first see her, I forget, and confusion washes over me for a millisecond before I recognize the girl fully. “So sorry, Your Majesty, but I have something important to talk to you about.”“Of course.” I set the files aside. I know that Trinity wouldn’t barge in to talk to me if it wasn’t something that needed my attention right away. The look on her face tells me that whatever it is, she’s distressed.Sitting down across from me, she takes a deep breath. “I ran into Isla in the library. She wasn’t alone.”My immediate reaction is to becom
*Isla*Lying in bed next to Maddox, my fingers trailing over his bare arm, I try to catch my breath. We’d made love so ferociously, it reminded me of that first night, when he came into my room, and I thought he was going to claim me, but he didn’t. It was so animalistic and raw. If I wasn’t pregnant, who knows how much more wild it might’ve gotten.But I think somewhere within the thoughtless thrusting, it occurred to Maddox that he needed to be more careful with me, and he slowed down a bit. Now, we are lying here, glistening in the moonlight, looking into each other’s eyes, and I want to know what has motivated him to become so fierce tonight.Does he know about what happened in the library?I think I saw little flecks of red on his clothing when I was peeling it off of him earlier. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like it might’ve been blood.Is it possible Trinity told him already?Maddox lifts a hand and smooths my cheek. “You should’ve told me.” His voice is soft, just above a whis
*Isla*Hiding the book from Maddox isn’t easy, but I manage. He has been so preoccupied with this mess with the Alphas since he had the girls who attacked me beaten and thrown into the dungeon that he doesn’t have too much time for me. But when he does show up, I have no idea he’s coming. He’s just suddenly there. Which means I have to be very careful about when I read the book. I try to have Poppy’s ear to the ground whenever I have it out, but she is not always cooperative.“I think it’s dumb,” she keeps telling me. “Why do you keep reading about it now when you’ve already decided you’re not going there?”“I don’t know.” It’s not a lie. I really have no idea why I am looking at it. I know I can’t go to my island home until after my son is born. Logically, I know that. Still, the more I read about it the more fascinated I become.Then, there was the letter I’d gotten in the mail from my aunt, one she’d obviously sent a long time ago. She’d been waiting for me to get there to help wit
*Isla*Walking down the hallway toward Maddox’s office, I hear Trinity’s voice echo in my head. “You need to be more assertive,” she’d told me. “You have to make sure the king realizes if he can confide in Trinity, he can confide in you. Why is it she always knows what’s going on and you don’t? Because she asks! And when she asks, he feels compelled to tell her. She demands it.”My friend isn’t wrong. I definitely don’t know how to be assertive like Trinity.As I approach his office, I hear voices filtering out into the hallway. I recognize Maddox’s voice immediately. The response comes from Seth.I shouldn’t be standing here eavesdropping, but the door is open just a crack, and they are standing right by the door. I can’t NOT hear them. I could walk away or announce my presence.But they’re talking about Maatua. I can tell by the few phrases I’ve picked up. If Maddox isn’t going to tell me the truth, I’ve got to find out some other way what is going on.“I’m just saying, Alpha, if yo
*Isla*This is probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life.Yet, I seem to be doing it.Seth has agreed to help me. I’ve decided not to tell Trinity because she has been oscillating back and forth as to whether or not she thinks I should go to the island. At first, she sounded like she thought it was an awful idea. More recently, she’s sounded like she thinks perhaps I should do it after all.It doesn’t matter. As long as Seth can help me get out of the castle and delay Maddox from finding out about the situation until I am on that boat, I should be good.Now, I just need to let my cousin know.I don’t trust Antony. Not completely, anyway. After all, he’s lied to me a few times about the true reason why he thinks I should go to the islands. Either that, or he’s just extremely misinformed. Does he really think that his mother wants to kill me? Does he not know that there was another witch involved? Why has he never mentioned the treasure?As I am secretly packing, Poppy
*Maddox*“Sir, I think it would be best if you went to the pack lands of each of the Alphas whose daughters were involved in the incident with Isla and discussed your decision with them personally,” Seth is saying, not for the first time. “I believe it’s the only way that they are going to understand the reason behind your decision to punish them so severely.”“So let me get this straight.” I steeple my fingers together on the desk between me and him. “You don’t think it’s a good idea for me to announce that Isla is pregnant with my child, the heir to the throne, but you do think it’s a good idea for me to travel to six different packs to have discussions with those leaders in order to explain to them why their daughters were beaten and locked in the dungeon. All of that without telling them that they threatened to kill the woman carrying the heir to the throne?”I give him a scrutinizing look. Why would he want me to tell them the circumstances surrounding one issue but not the other
*Isla*Seth is a good person to have on one’s side. Somehow, he has managed to convince Maddox to leave just before Poppy and I plan on leaving to meet Antony. If the timing works out right, Maddox will still be out there making his rounds, and I can return here without him realizing I’m gone.Of course, that is assuming he forgets about having this festival around the Blood Moon and never once calls home, when the last time he was gone from the castle, he called at least once a day, so it probably won’t work out like that, but at least I will be able to leave the castle.“I’m going to miss you so badly,” Maddox says near the door to my room on the morning of his departure. He leans down and kisses me, lifting me up off of my feet.“I’ll miss you, too.” It’s the truth. I will miss him. From afar.Seth is waiting for him on the other side of the door, and as soon as Maddox is done telling me goodbye, his Beta will swoop in and take him away.“Be careful,” he tells me. “Just get some re
*Isla*I’m about to turn around and walk out of the restaurant. This can all be over with. I don’t want to put anyone else I love in danger, and if Ben insists on coming along with us, then I’m not going.My brother hops up out of the booth and grabs my arm. “Come on, Isla. Don’t be like that. You’re sounding like Mom. I’m not a child.”“You are a child!” I practically shout at him. “You don’t even have your driver’s license!”“I could have it!” he counters. “Isla, I’ve already died. Really… what else can happen to me?”“You can die again. And this time, I might not be able to bring you back!”“You did this, didn’t you?” Poppy’s words sound like poison as she eyes Antony. He is still sitting in the booth, an amused look on his face. “You really are a disgusting piece of shit.”“Well, I see that your manners haven’t gotten any better in the last few months since last we met,” Antony says to her, his eyes narrow. “Listen, I just thought it might make more sense to have another guy on th
Misty“Everyone’s okay,” I tell Lexa and Addy, laying them out in the center of Ryan’s bed, side by side. Both babies scowl up at me–Lexa, for not being her mother, and my own son for showing another baby attention. Lexa’s face scrunches. She puffs her cheeks out in the threat of a wail while Addy picks up on her energy and begins to whine. I cover my ears, taking the deepest breath I can handle, and scoop both screaming infants into my arms for the hundredth time in the last two hours. “They just won’t sleep,” I say, rounding the corner into the living room where Sarah is still camped out with her new babies, and Sydney is pacing like a madman in front of the windows, looking for any sign of Kenna, Ryan, Aviva, and the kids. Sarah’s fast asleep with her brand new twins resting in a floor cot nearby, but Sydney has free hands, so I thrust Lexa against his chest without saying another word. “Freya’s supposed to be coming up to help,” he says under his breath, still looking worse fo
AvivaRyan looks hilarious in the too-tight clothes borrowed from some rural villager half his height and weight. He glances at me with a scowl, rolling his eyes and cursing under his breath. “Don’t look at me, Aviva.”“I can’t help it. Your whole ass is out,” I giggle, wiping tears from my eyes. Goddess, I wish I had his camera with me. He reaches down to pull what had once been trousers down over his thighs while shooting me another glare. He had to cut them into shorts to fit. The shirt isn’t any less revealing, but at least he’s not naked… or worse, in his terrifying beast form. He’s too exhausted after being in his beast form to shift into his wolf, which would have been easier than this, but I’m enjoying myself thoroughly at his expense. A few of the men from the village titter behind us while I walk a few paces behind my mate who’s turning a deep red in the face and sulking as we walk up the rural road, passing a few shops and cabins where people peek from their windows as we
AvivaThe forest shifts from endless shadows to an assortment of pale gold as the sun rises. I’m sprinting in my wolf form, Ryan not far behind in his. There was no reason for him to shift into his beast, thank goodness. He’s actually slower in that form than his wolf, but we’ve covered serious ground in the two hours since leaving Silverhide. Forty miles, in fact. A new record. Panting, I reach the far edge of the forest that weaves through the tribal territories of the Deadlands. Behind us, the packs of Silverhide and Endova are just waking up for the day. Ahead of us, the sun hasn’t even begun to touch the towering mountains to the far west, where my new powers showed me a glimpse of Maeve and Logan. I’m still getting used to the prickle of energy that wasn’t there before. It’s now the air I breathe–the blood rushing through my veins–the rhythmic thump of my heartbeat. I’m changed; for better or worse, I don’t know. All I know for sure is that we have another twenty to thirty m
Misty“Briar,” Sarah says weakly, sweeping her thumb over the perfectly pink baby girl’s cheek. Sarah smiles softly, her eyes still glazed with exhaustion and her hair damp with sweat. “And this one–” she reaches for the second baby, another girl, nestled in a traumatized Sydney’s arms. “Celeste.”“Those are beautiful names,” Aviva says gently, laying another warm rag over Sarah’s forehead. I’m watching from afar, my trembling hands cupping a mug of calming tea that’s doing nothing for my system. I was a teenager when Sarah came into Sydney’s life. I remember whispers about her falling ill but didn’t understand how horrifically sick she’d really been until now. Sarah is a Mystic. She’s different. It takes so much more energy to heal her. Healing her sucked my powers dry, and I feel… shockingly empty right now. It was like running a marathon and then getting hit by a bus, but she’s alive, and so are her twins. Sydney accepts another cup of tea from Ryan with a weak nod. He looks lik
MistyCole doesn’t tell me I should get some rest, and for that I’m eternally grateful. I pace the cabin, watching as he organizes and takes inventory of his medical kit. I remember the day I found out he was a physician. It had been a shock. My arm had been torn to the bone by a rabid, cursed wolf, and this man–this stranger who I thought was evil–sewed me back together again. That feels like a lifetime ago. Maybe it was, honestly. Sometimes I wonder if our weeks in Richard’s fortress actually happened or if it were a fever dream. But the glint of lantern light on the sharpened edge of a scalpel pulls me back into reality as he drops it into a pot of boiling water. “Are you going with us?” I ask into the silence. Cole’s mouth twitches with something unsaid. He shakes his head, glancing at me over his shoulder. “No. I’m going to stay here with Addy and be available to anyone who needs a healer.”I wait for him to tell me I should try to get a few minutes of sleep, but he doesn’t. I
Aviva“No one needs to worry about me,” Sarah says confidently, cradling the swell of her belly as she leads our group through the woods toward the lake. “I’m not going to go into labor right now, I promise.”Sydney grumbles something under his breath in response, the words drifting on the warm breeze making the leaves dance above our heads. Ryan’s hand is on my lower back–a warm, solid presence. Lexa’s asleep in her sling on his back, and when I look up at the two of them–with Ryan wearing a traditional Endovian sling and his face cast in uncertain shadows–I feel a prickle of regret. Part of me believes I shouldn’t have told him about what I saw in the forge. The past lives I walked through, the wars, the downfall of our kind… and most importantly, the fact that in another life, we lost our children and were separated for decades, only to find each other again in the very last moments before we both died. It stings to think about, though it doesn’t affect our lives now. I’m not sur
AvivaI watch Sarah and Misty leave the room. Misty takes Lexa with her, giving me a moment alone. I should be resting right now. If Maeve and Logan aren’t found by sunset, I have to put these new, unnatural-feeling powers to the test. I listen to the soft conversations taking place just beyond the bedroom door. I already know Ryan’s on edge and doing his best to handle this situation, but having Evander and Sydney here isn’t helping his stress levels at all, I fear. His wife almost drowned, his uncle wants me locked up in Moonrise until my powers fully emerge to ensure I’m not a danger to myself and others, and Maeve and Logan are still out there, hopefully together and safe. The door opens a crack before widening, revealing my mate and a large plate of food. The scent of blueberry syrup fills the air, bringing back memories of making this exact breakfast for my sisters, but that… causes my mind to drift back to the tangle of new memories. Memories of the countless lives my soul
MistySometime in the dead of night, Cole took Addy from my arms and laid him in his crib. I was next and woke up tucked against Cole’s chest as the first rays of warm, morning sunlight drifted through the window. Addy wakes up happy every morning lately and is beside himself with glee when he sees me looking down into his crib, extending my arms for him. Cole thinks Addy looks like me, but I beg to differ. I think his hair will be blond, of course, given that both his parents have fair, light hair but his eyes are starting to change from that soft blue to a paler, icier gray, like Cole’s. I run my fingers through his hair while he nurses. Cole continues to sleep, and I let him. I’m dreading starting our day, honestly, and stepping out into the village to see the aftermath of Kyra’s destruction and wait for news about Maeve and Logan.I feel awful for Kenna. My heart is shattered for her and Evander. I hold Addy c
MistyCole’s arms are wrapped around my stomach, his eyes widened in disbelief as he stares at Aviva. She looks like a wet rat right now–completely soaked to the bone with her hair plastered to her face and her knife belt hanging off her waist, but otherwise she’s whole.My powers are a meer flicker of what they usually are, but I feel them simmering to life as the strange, glowing symbols all over her arms and legs start to dim, and the roaring in my ears fades to the point I can hear my rapid heartbeat and Cole’s heart behind me. Ryan looks devastated. Devastated, and shocked–a myriad of emotions I can’t even begin to put into words. He shakes his head, mouthing Aviva’s name as he reaches a hand toward her then retreats. Aviva looks terrified as she scans the group, panting hard, her breath coming in shallow rasps. She turns her gaze back to Ryan, and her expression shatters, tears welling in h