*Isla*The stadium is nearly silent as we watch Keenan’s wolf circle around Elijah’s limp body. My blood rushes in my ears as my heart races. Maddox is holding my hand, squeezing, as we cling to the railing and watch in horror as Keenan begins to approach the royal box, his head held high. Maddox’s warriors are lingering on the edge of the field, waiting for Maddox’s command to end the match, but he hesitates, his brow furrowing as he gazes at the black mass of fur and blood lying still in the center of the field. I slowly turn my gaze to Trinity, who has her eyes closed, her fingers knitted as she prays. “Is that it?” Antony says somewhere behind us. “Is he dead?”I turn back to the field just in time to see Elijah twitch, slowly raising his head. “Maddox, look!” I say, shakily pointing a finger at Elijah. Keenan must be looking right at us, because he turns his head as I point at Elijah and stalks back over to him, teeth bared. “He’s going to rip him to shreds,” Antony says in
*Maddox*Shit. I can feel Antony’s smug grin even though I can’t see him. Sure, proposing to the woman who is already the mother of my child AND my Luna at a party in the honor of my new Beta is ridiculous, but he was right to say I had done everything backward already. So, why stop? But now Trinity and Elijah are standing in front of me, stealing what I hoped would be Isla’s spotlight. “Of course,” I say, smiling despite the fact that I’m internally screaming. Isla grabs my hand, her mouth stretched in a beaming smile. Well, at least she’s happy about it. Now what am I going to do? Elijah shows very little emotion but seems relieved as he turns to Trinity and leads her away, the two of them walking shoulder to shoulder. “Well, I’ll be damned,” Poppy giggles. “She wasn’t a threat to you after all, Isla.”Isla turns and glares playfully at Poppy, who makes a funny face at her in return. I catch the placement of Antony’s hand as it rests on Poppy’s stomach and meet his eye, noticin
*Isla*I never really envisioned this moment. Maddox is down on one knee, his eyes turned up to meet mine expectantly. I realize with a start that at this moment, this man, this Alpha King most people won’t even look in the eye out of fear and respect, is kneeling before me… me. “I love you,” I say, my voice trembling. The column of his throat bobs as he swallows, his brow furrowing. “Are you saying no?”“Of course not,” I say softly, then slide off the bench so I’m resting on my knees in front of him. I hold out my hand, and he takes an audible breath, his eyes glistening as he removes the ring–a beautiful ring with what looks like a moonstone surrounded by sapphires–and slips it onto my finger. “Of course I’ll marry you,” I whisper, holding his gaze. His deep green eyes are sharp, focused, and full of what I can only describe as youthful hope. “But you’ve referred to me as your wife a few times already. Why did you feel–feel the need to propose to me–” I bite down on my words as
*Isla*Seth’s body swings from the noose, the rope around his neck taunt as he body drifts in a soft breeze. I didn’t want to come back here after the hanging took place. A day has passed since the hanging, and I spent most of the morning in the castle, alone, waiting for Maddox to return. He’d stayed out here all night. I watch as my mate walks toward me, his face drawn and flooded with an emotion I’ve never seen behind his eyes. I can’t describe it, even if I try to put myself in his shoes and imagine what my grief and despair would be like had Poppy ever betrayed me like Seth did to Maddox. I adjust Isaac’s weight in my arms, smiling empathetically as Maddox nears, his expression softening as we step out of the shadow of a towering oak tree to greet him. “You didn’t have to come all the way over here to find me,” he says, brushing a kiss over my forehead. “I was going to come home.”“I was worried about you,” I reply, leaning into him. Isaac stirs between us, cooing as Maddox’s
Poppy clutches the back of the couch, her freshly manicured fingernails gleaming in the light of the antique chandelier hanging over our heads. I wait to say anything until I hear Ben and Maddox’s footsteps recede down the hallway and out of earshot. Then, I turn to her, sighing as I meet her eyes and ask, “Is this what you want?”“Yes,” she replies with finality, giving me a soft smile. “I love him, Isla. He loves me. And based on what happened today–” she sighs heavily, her eyes glassy with sudden emotion. “The Goddess has been looking out for us, hasn’t she? She let Mystica give you a final, although extremely strange, gift of a vision before she died peacefully with us surrounding her. And she led me to my mate, despite all odds. I want to be with him, even if that means I have to leave your side.”“You’ll also have a home here,” I say softly, trying not to cry. Today has been… very hard. Very sad. Very trying. My body feels wasted with grief as I lower myself onto a chaise, cross
*Maddox*Elijah peers at the map on my desk, his hands tucked behind his back. His hazel eyes shine in the gray light pouring through the windows–another rainy, foggy, overcast day. We’re over the heat of the summer now. I’m thankful for it. It was an especially brutal summer, but given the brutality of the last year, I’m not surprised in the slightest. Ben sits in a chair nearby, flipping through a pamphlet I gave him. He looks up at me, arching a brow. For a moment, he looks like the male counterpart to my mate, that expression so much like Isla’s when she’s thoroughly suspicious of something. “It’s the most prestigious university in the packlands. I went there. Isaac will go there. And, you will too, if it’s what you want.” I watch as Ben flips a page and begins to read about the paths of study the Wellington Crest Institute offers. He could study law, history, art… or go the warrior route, but I doubt Ben would enjoy that rigorous course of study. I see him lingering on the his
*Isla*I lean forward, stretching out my front legs. Shifting feels euphoric, and Maddox is totally right about the fact that I need to do it more. Plus, I have two hours to myself. Well, myself, and Elijah. He stalks behind me, a massive black wolf with gleaming hazel eyes. His coat is thick but marred by scars, giving me a glimpse of his sordid past. For the past hour, he’s been following behind me but keeping distance between us, letting me take the lead. We’ve been weaving through the forest for some time now, but I come to stop at the towering oak tree overlooking the bluff that gives us a sweeping view of the lands below, small villages and towns glimmering in the early morning sunlight. I sit back on my haunches, staring absently over the bluff. The flowers we planted over the freshly turned soil atop Mystica’s grave tremble in the cool morning breeze. Poppy and I had chosen perennials, so they’d grow back every year. I’d planted roses behind her headstone that would one day
*Maddox*“Are you going to be a good girl for me while I’m gone,” I rasp into her ear. We’re covered in sweat, and I’ve been drawing out every minute of the last hour to make this last as long as possible for both of us. I’ve made Isla come at least three times, but I’m not done with her yet. It could be months before I see her again. “Probably not,” she whimpers, but her mouth curves into a devilish smile. I thrust into her, hard, and she arches her back, crying out softly as I continue to drag my cock in and out in a desperately slow motion. Her nails have left long red scratches down my back that I’ll feel for weeks. I hope I do. I hope I taste her on my tongue and smell her scent on my skin until the day I return home. “Please, Maddox,” she whispers, her nails digging into my sides. “I’m so close!”I pick up the pace, reaching between us to circling my thumb over her clit in a way I know will have her screaming my name in a matter of seconds. I rise up so I’m kneeling over her