*Isla*Sleeping had been nearly impossible. I’d tossed and turned for much of the night, not sure how to proceed with my alleged cousin, Antony Moon a.k.a. Commander Pepelos. I kept thinking about his mother, how awful it must’ve been for my Aunt Mary knowing that her own husband had killed her to strengthen her powers, how she’d tried to stay loyal to him until he started a war, making my family leave the island, and so many people died.Then… apparently, my aunt had something to do with the awful earthquake that rocked the island and made it uninhabitable for many people.And then there is the curse….Antony seems to think that I can somehow break that curse, and that I’m the only one who can do it, but I have no idea why he thinks that or how I would even begin to do it.I’m sure he will use my uncertainty about my baby to try and manipulate that situation. He will do whatever he can to get me to the island, and then, who knows what might happen?Mystica is right when she says I sh
*Maddox*Breakfast is awkward. Sitting across the table from Alpha Charlton and Alpha Jason, I can’t help but think about everything Trinity told me the night before. I want to kill both of them, but I must abstain from doing so. After all, at the moment, they are pretending to want to be on my side. Both of them are talking like they want me to win the war, as if they are prepared to help.But if what Trinity told me is the truth, that means it will come at a price. I am eating my eggs, waiting for one of them to bring up the topic of a queen consort again. Since all of the other Alphas are having breakfast elsewhere, and this is just Alpha Charlton, his extended family, Seth, and I, no one has mentioned it yet.That doesn’t stop Jason from bringing up another touchy subject. “I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to warn you last night,” he begins, broaching the subject carefully. “Trinity has certainly begun to look a lot like her older cousin these past years.”I am not sure how I’m mea
*Maddox*It is clear Alpha Geofrey was not expecting this sort of force to line up against him and his allies when he decided to take on the role of rebellious aggressor. No, with the backing of Alpha Charlton, Alpha Jason, Alpha Mick, Alpha Evan, and all of the others, it’s quite clear that Alpha Geofrey is outnumbered.He is not a stupid man. He will make a show of fighting us now, but then he will fade away to lick his wounds and come at me again. I know this. I have been in enough battles over the year to understand how the mind of a man greedy for power, someone so lustful to rule that he’ll do anything works.He may say that he is fighting me in the name of his son’s mate, but in reality, this is all a push for the throne. I’ve seen many people attempt to rise up and usurp my power over the years. I saw the same thing during my father’s reign. That’s where I learned how ruthless men like Alpha Geofrey can be.The only way to avoid this going on for several years is by squashing
*Isla*A few days go by, and my cousin wants to speak to me, but I refuse. I think it can only mean trouble. He probably feels like he can talk me into going with him to the islands if he can tell me enough information about Maatua and why they need me there that maybe I’ll change my mind and decide to go.But now that he’s told me if I don’t kill my own aunt, she’ll kill me, I can’t really see any reason for going.I do my best to stay busy. It’s difficult with Maddox gone. News of fighting from the front lines comes in to me, and I ask for updates whenever I can find someone who might know what’s going on, but for the most part, no one tells me much of anything. Only that there’s been some fighting, we didn’t have many casualties, and the Alpha King is repositioning his men in case of another attack.As far as Maddox is concerned, he does call me for a few minutes every day. He is always much more chipper than I would expect, and he refuses to answer any particularly important quest
*Isla*“No.”It’s the only word I can get out as I stare into my cousin’s eyes. He is unblinking, unwavering, as he stares right back at me, the last word he uttered hanging in the air between us.I won’t believe it. I can’t believe it. Nothing that he has just told me makes any sense at all, and if by some crazy, un-understandable reason it is true, Maddox would’ve already told me about it.After all, I spoke to him just last night, and he said nothing about any queen consort, any contest, any new women coming to the castle to compete for his hand—in marriage.No, I won’t believe it. I can’t even let the idea of it being the truth register in my mind, because if it were true, if there was even the smallest possibility that Antony isn’t just making all of this up to make me want to leave, that would mean that Maddox isn’t the man I’ve always thought he was, and my entire life is a lie.Antony clears his throat and finally drops his eyes to the ground in front of him. “You didn’t know,
*Maddox*We are making progress on the war front. Every day, we are able to push our enemies back a little more without actually having to fight. I know that Alpha Eugene is doing his best to try and get others to come into the fray on his side, but so far, none of his negotiating is doing him any good.I know why that is, too, but I don’t want to admit it to anyone. Seth is the only one who dares to bring it up to me, and when he does, I bite his head off every time and tell him we have more important matters to attend to.“Sir,” he says as I sit in my tent staring at a map of the territory we have just claimed from one of Alpha Geofrey’s allies, “I believe you were going to call Miss Isla this evening about this time, weren’t you?”I look up at him in a bit of a daze. I’ve obviously lost track of time. “Oh, yes,” I mumble. “Thank you.” I have a portable phone, though they are very rare in our lands. We don’t have a lot of towers to help with signal transmission, so if everyone had a
*Isla*“Did you hang up on him?” Poppy asks me. She is pacing the floor about ten steps away from where I am sitting in the chair next to my bed, still staring at the phone. “You did, didn’t you? Bastard! Serves him right.”I do not bother to remind her that Alpha King Maddox is our sovereign and we should not be calling him names. Given the circumstances, she can call him whatever she’d like to.The Moon Goddess knows I’ve called him enough names myself in my head over the last couple of hours that I can’t be pointing out what she’s doing as if I am totally innocent. I just haven’t said anything out loud.I didn’t want to believe it was true.After I spoke to Antony, I came back to my room and walked in to find Poppy standing in front of my bed with her arms folded. I couldn’t tell if she was about to cry or if she wanted to scream, but I knew at that moment that whatever it was that had her so worked up it had to do with Maddox.And since I’d just heard the worst news imaginable abo
*Maddox*It was a four-hour drive from where I’d been stationed near the front line of the war back to the castle, and I’d have to be back early tomorrow because there’d been activity along the ridge we were currently considering attacking. Alpha Geofrey appears to be amassing his forces on the other side, getting ready to come after us.I need to be there if he attacks because, even though some of the other commanders are very good at their jobs, none of them have the sort of battle experience that I have. None of them are as capable of making sure the war goes the way it needs to as I am.For that matter, none of them are as good at anything as I am, but that doesn’t matter at the moment. I have to go home.I’ve thoroughly fucked up—again—and if I don’t get back to Isla as soon as possible, well, she might not be there when I do get back.And this time, it won’t just be her running off through the woods in the middle of the night. She’ll have our baby with her.I’ve contacted Comman
AvivaTwenty minutes is all it takes to get fully suited in my Endovian shifting clothes, halter, and knife belt. Misty watches me examine each blade before sliding them into position, metal gleaming in the star soaked darkness. She’s dressed similarly, and her eyes hold a silent promise.We already lost Maeve.We’re not losing Logan, too.We have no idea why he ran away to, but I’m sure as hell about to find out.Cole’s staying with the kids, and Ryan’s staying behind to gather his troops to begin the search for Maeve.It’s probably close to 3:00 A.M when Misty and I set out, following Logan’s scent. He doesn’t leave the village by the road, however. His scent follows the trail toward the lake.I stand on the edge of the dock in my wolf form. He was here, but his scent is faint. He was on the move, that’s for sure, and as we follow his s
AvivaSilverhide is in absolute chaos. I race toward the packhouse, still wearing pajamas, of course, but yielding my gilded bow, sending my arrow flying toward the molted beast trying to get inside. Claw marks mar the door–vicious and wide–and the beast, once a wolf, I believe, but now sporting four rows of massive, sharp teeth and multiple eyes, thrusts its entire weight against the door, causing the wall around it to splinter on impact. My arrow pierces the small of its pack through and through before whizzing back to me. I catch it, prime my bow, and send it flying again. This hellhound… it’s fresh. There’s nothing old and tired about it. Magic pours off its body, and blood stains its mouth and claws. People are screaming inside the packhouse. People–mostly women and children–who’d been enjoying their breakfast before this creature came over the valley to rain terror on my pack. If I’d left the packhouse only a few minutes earlier, I would have known why Ryan and Evander weren
MistyI snatch Addy from Kenna’s arms and break into a sprint, Aviva hot on my heels. Kenna’s voice behind us, calling out to her kids, fades as I burst through the doors of the packhouse and race across the village. The healer’s cottage rises ahead, but my lungs are burning when I finally reach the front door, which is ajar, and shove my way inside. The smell of herbs and spices hangs in the air… but that’s it. The cottage is totally empty. “Hello?” I shout, clutching Addy for dear life as dread overwhelms my senses. “Cole?!”Aviva skids to a stop behind me, panting. “Where are the guys?”“I have no idea,” I tell her, scanning the room. There’s a single door along the wall, tucked between two ceiling height bookshelves full of jars and small wooden boxes likely filled with more herbs. Aviva hisses in frustration and turns for the door, murmuring something about finding Ryan and Evander, and leaves me in the cottage alone. I step toward the worktable, noticing the fine coating of
MistyCole moves through our little kitchen in a hurry. He practically jumped out of bed this morning, grunting and bumping into the dresser and the doorframe in his haste to get dressed. It’s not even light yet, and the usual dense morning fog that swirls through the village hasn’t yet lifted, but Cole is making so much noise that Addy wakes up in a fuss, his little face twisted as he begins to wail in my arms. I’ve been up with him for an hour now, at least. Cole, who’s been amazing with divvying up the nighttime wakings so we each get a few hours of sleep, didn’t even stir. In fact, when I rose from bed to take Addy out of his crib, Cole rolled over and covered his head with his pillow. I shouldn’t be angry, but I am. He acted strange all night–distant, and quiet. More quiet than usual, I should say. It was like he was in a trance, and after an hour of trying to talk to him when he returned from dinner at the packhouse, he’d simply laid down in bed and passed out cold. I hate t
AvivaI barely slept that night. Actually, I didn’t sleep at all. I paced the living wishing for the first time since Lexa was born that she’d stop sleeping through the night to give me something to focus on other than the fact Logan saw two white wolves. Sure, some wolves have white fur. Like Sarah, for one. Misty, too, is a pale gold, but neither of them have sightless, silver eyes. Another chill snakes up my spine as I pace across the living room again, rubbing my eyes. I did my best to convince Logan he’d seen some of our pack members, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that’s not the case. The last time I saw two white wolves was before the war, and I now consider them a warning. A warning of things to come, of trials coming my way, of the threat of death. Part of me hopes it was just Maddox and Isla paying us a visit, but the creeping sensation in my chest makes me think otherwise. I don’t have powers. I don’t have visions. But I see these fuckers when no one else can…
AvivaTo say I’m relieved to be home is an understatement. Our group is greeted with enthusiasm, especially after it’s revealed that we snagged enough deer and elk to see us through nearly the entire winter, and a huge banquet is held in celebration. Notably absent from the dinner is Misty. Lexa sleeps peacefully in my lap while my gaze drifts across the packhouse. I sweep past Ryan to a new face in the crowd. Well, not entirely new, but new to the dinner held here every night. Kyra, wearing a dark green cloak, stands close enough to Cole that I feel a sudden jolt of unease as she reaches into her cloak and pulls out a vial, pressing it into his hands. Cole nods in thanks, but the line between his brows is evident. He looks like he’s in pain as he turns away from her, his skin slightly pale and eyes watering enough that I feel myself rising from the bench in an effort to walk over and ask what’s wrong, but then he turns back to the conversation he was having with a group of men an
MistyCole groans against my neck as I reach between, running my hand down his chest to the deep V of the muscles of his waist. He kisses me again, hungerly this time, his tongue sweeping over mine in a slow dance that has sparkles of pleasure rippling over my skin. I sigh against his mouth as he grinds his hips against mine, rocking us back and forth, his hands drifting down my sides and settling on my ass with a squeeze. He slides his hand beneath my shirt, revealing how naked I already am. “I didn’t bring any pajamas,” I admit, my voice pitched with excitement as he smiles against my lips. There’s no panties in his way tonight. A dull, throbbing ache radiates through my lower belly. My inner folds are already slick as he drags his fingers through them, lowering his head against my shoulder and trembling with anticipation. “Fuck, Misty, you’re soaking wet.”I close my eyes and arch when he presses two fingers inside of me, his thumb stroking slow, teasing circles over my clit. I
Misty“Aviva, stop!” I shout as she begins to turn toward the woods, her bow raised and arrow primed and ready. My powers ignite, stronger than they’ve ever been, and explode through the clearing in bright, blue light that sizzles into the ground. I swear, somewhere deep in the swirling, blue ether, I hear what sounds like a lock clicking–like I’ve just jammed a key into a padlock and wrenched on it until it turned–and then the ground shakes violently, a crushing, grinding sound beginning to echo through the clearing. Red eyes appear near the tree line–three sets–barreling toward us. Aviva roars as she pulls back on her arrow again, but then she… disappears with a surprised scream. “Aviva?!” I shout, then choke on her name as the ground beneath me falls away. My powers burn out. I’m falling through the darkness, reaching blindly for anything to grab onto. Something beneath me hits the ground with a crunch, and then I’m landing on top of the object, which turns out to be Aviva. We
MistyLogan is quite gaunt. That’s the first thing I notice as I linger in the doorway of the healer’s cottage, watching Cole check Logan’s ears. Cole is amazing with kids, and it shows, because Logan cracks a smile at something Cole says and Aviva interprets. But Cole’s eyes are heavy with concern when he turns away from the boy, his eyes scanning his notes before closing his notebook and setting it on the counter. Aviva, wearing Lexa on her back, takes Logan’s hand and leads him out of the healer’s cottage, closing the door behind her. I watch through the window as they walk away, into the rolling, morning fog. It’s a chilly late summer morning–the first truly cold morning since we arrived last week. It’s been four days since almost everyone fell ill, but thankfully that’s over. And, Kyra isn’t here right now. She’s off doing something in Endova, according to Cole and Ryan. I feel immediately more relaxed in her absence. “So? Is he going to live?” I try to tease to break the t