*Isla*The Temple of the Moon Goddess rises above the city like a silver fortress, glinting in the soft spring sunlight. It’s a gorgeous day, not a single cloud in the sky. A warm breeze rustles the wildflowers that are just starting to bloom on the sloping green hills surrounding the temple. I stand with Madeline on the marble steps, looking out over the kingdom. Our kingdom, me, and my soon to be daughter-in-law, the future Luna. The heir to my title. Standing beside me with her hair pulled back away from her face and wearing a sleeveless shirt, I notice little scars along her shoulder and arms, and feel a sudden urge to reach out and touch her. Guilt washes over me as I take her in, the slightness of her body, the way her eyes always seem lined with grief–and suspicion. I don’t know all of what she’s been through, but I feel like it’s partly my fault. “She’s ready for you.” A temple attendant in a white and silver robe appears behind us. I turn to the woman, who is not even si
*Maddy*I hadn’t realized what changes had taken place in the city outside the castle since I first came to stay there. Even during my last trip into town to be fitted for a wedding dress with Ella, Rosie, and Hannah, there hadn’t been this many… people. Warriors, all of them. Some are so young they look barely old enough to be leaving their mothers, let alone going to war. Isla sits between me and Ella in the backseat of the car as we drive toward the castle through the city center. She holds our hands and stares blankly out at the window at the armies gathered in camps in what looks to be a stadium of some kind with a wide, grassy plain out front now covered in tents. Even Ella’s in shock, her eyes glued to the window and her mouth slightly parted. “There’s so many of them,” she whispers, turning to her mother. “Your father and brother have been busy the last few days,” Isla murmurs with a hint of annoyance, but her eyes betray her casual demeanor. “These warriors are from the ne
*Isaac*I’m skipping three steps at a time as I chase after Maddy. She’s remarkably fast for someone who’s doesn’t even have a wolf, which grates my nerves to the point I’m gritting my teeth and needing to grip the walls, the banisters, or side tables to keep my footing as her tiny feet kick up carpet runners in her haste to get away from me. “Why are you running?” I shout, but she disappears around another corner, her speed sending a whoosh of air in my direction that causes the paintings on the wall to rattle in their frames. This is insane. Me chasing her through the castle is insane. Her thinking my feelings for her don’t go farther than a business friendship-one reliant on occasionally closeness and intimacy–is particularly insane. “Maddy!”“Leave me alone!” she cries, her voice hollow and echoing down the chamber nearing her bedroom. Her tone gives me pause, and I come to a screeching stop, my sneakers squealing on the freshly waxed tile. Her room is at the very end of a long h
*Maddy*There isn’t much to say about the grand dinner thrown in honor of the Alphas who’ve brought their warriors to slaughter. Dressed in finery, they grovele at the feet of the Alpha King, praising the strength of his royal army that now numbers in the tens of thousands. I sit in a gown of red silk that flows over the new curves several weeks of food have afforded. I eat the extravagant food and sip the expensive wine without tasting it, and once dinner is over, I allow Isaac to help me from my seat. The Alphas boweto their future queen, and I watch from the second floor balcony as Isaac and his subjects walk into a sitting room to talk more about the impending war over glasses of whiskey, the door shutting behind them. I remain on the balcony overlooking the grand foyer. I watch the silent guards by the door as they do their best to remain alert and awake. Other then Isaac, the only other royal family member to be at dinner tonight was Maddox. I’d been told by Hannah that the w
*Maddy*When I was a child, my father came home from one of his mysterious merchant trips with a large, fabric bound book. It was large enough to cover my entire lap, and so heavy I couldn’t lift it on my own. The cover was embroidered with whirls and swirls of silver and gold thread, the outer edges detailed with delicate symbols and lettering none of us could read. “It’s very old, Starling,” he’d said to me, laying the book carefully in my lap as I trembled with childlike excitement. “You must be extremely careful. You never know what kind of magic may be inside, and what gods we’ll upset if any pages are torn.” He’d said it in jest, of course. At least I thought so at the time. But he’d been right to be careful with the massive text. Inside were stories of a land lost to time, each page illustrated with great care and skill. Myths and legends of the old gods and goddesses and their trials, stories of their people, their subjects, their heroes and enemies. And their beasts. They
*Isaac*“You’ll burst through the seams if you keep moving like that,” Cassian says with a bite in his voice as he fastens my leathers–a vest and forearm guards–over my black shirt. Pins displaying my status as not only the Alpha King, but a warrior of the highest rank, are displayed over my heart. The outfit is what I’d wear if I were to meet with an enemy face to face. No royal jewels rest atop my head. No velvet cape lined with fur. No rings on my fingers. Just me in all preparedness to fight. “Your mom’s going to have a fit–”“She’s aware this is what I’m wearing,” I cut in gruffly, barely glancing at my reflection in the full length mirror in front of me as I reach down to take my jacket off a nearby chair. It’ll be the only wedding-like attire I’ll be wearing today, and it’s pitch black, just like my shirt and pants. I look more like a shadow than a groom, but so be it. This day doesn’t feel like anything to celebrate. I’m not the only one getting married in my fighting leath
*Maddy*I feel like a puppet as the temple attendants turn me this way and that way, the high priestess rambling off another long, blisteringly boring monologue. Isla stands beside me listening intently. Her eyes are sea glass in the golden light of the sunset now pouring through the temple windows. How long have we been here? Hours, at this point. I’d been swept away from the castle in the early hours of the morning and now the day is nearly over. The only day I had left with my now husband. I grind my teeth, waiting for this ceremony to be over. Apparentl,y it’s much more than Isla ever had to go through because it includes what the Priestess calls “the passing of the crown,” which hasn’t happened in decades. I glance at Isaac, who’s standing in wait on the other side of the room, flanked by Alphas from several territories. He’s watching the proceedings with interest, and a hint of sympathy. His mouth curves into a soft, almost smile, one meant just for me. Goddess, I just want
*Maddy*I didn’t mean to mark him. It was something inside me that overwhelmed all rational thought and momentarily blurred my ability to reason. Like some force had overpowered me completely and drove me to madness. I’m panting as he holds me against the tile wall, hot water streaming over us and mist lifting from the dark stone floor. I look down, trying to rein in my ragged breath and thundering heartbeat as I watch glitter swirl into the drain. “I’m sorry,” I whisper so softly I’m sure he can’t hear it over the spray of the water. But his mouth is trailing down my neck and over my shoulder, leaving hot kisses in his wake. I close my eyes, my heartbeat thumping madly in my ears. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what happened. Isaac, I–”His hands grip my hips as he presses into me from behind, hard and fast. I yelp in surprise but the sound turns to a deep, cry of ecstasy that has my toes curling and head falling back. He holds me there, sheathed to the hilt, our bodies
MistyI flip a page in my journal, squinting at the terrible handwriting I’d scribbled down last night when I’d woken from my latest dream. I can’t comprehend what I’d been trying to say. Dark? Hurt? Silver? Those words look somewhat clear. I can’t even remember writing them down. I close the journal with a sigh and slip it back in my purse, hanging the bag over the back of my chair in the common room of my dormitory. It’s a massive building with a pitched roof, several towers, and spooky, darkened alcoves, but it’s home, and right now, I’m sure I’d be able to hear Georgia singing her heart out in the shower if the nagging, incessant voice in my head would shut up for a single, blissful second. I’ve come to the conclusion after two years of hearing what I can only describe as white noise and the occasional static screech, like I have a radio fixed inside my skull, that the voice isn’t my internal dialogue. No, that’s a separate entity in itself, and I’m constantly at odds with the u
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