My entire body was tense at the news. Werewolves didn’t bite each other to mark each other as mates. We had moon marks. Even if it was a kink, opening your mouth wide to bite someone was a bit extreme. I thought back to the photos from the attacks where people’s throats were ripped out. Francium could have easily done that to Claire if he hadn’t pulled back.I wondered why he had. The drug seemed to take over good sense. Was it because they were mates?My stomach turned. I couldn’t be sure that Francium was a part of the attack, but he could have been aiding them in some ways, transporting bodies, and so on. It would explain the blood and everything else. He was involved. Those pills were probably some version of the substance that was killing werewolves and making them crazy.I thought back to the women who had been recovered and found to be pregnant. What if this wasn’t a new thing? What if werewolf women had been stolen before, impregnated and their children were used to infiltrate
“Do you think he’d talk to you about it all?”Claire glanced at me. “Do you think it would be safe to ask?”I shook my head. “I still say it’s better for you to stay away from him for now…. You could stay at the estate. Classes have been cancelled for practically the rest of the semester. You could just come home.”Claire shook her head, lowering her head. “I can’t… I don’t want to.”Her voice trembled on the edge and I sighed. “Well… then, how about chaperoned visits?”Claire scoffed. “What am I ten?”“No, but you’re in danger. At least this way, you could still see him. We could… do double dates or something.”“With you and His Majesty?”I scoffed. “No.”“Then who?” She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Who would you really want sitting next to you on a double date?”I wrinkled my nose. “No one. Not really, but this isn’t about me. It’s about you.”Until I could investigate Francium and his family more thoroughly it was really the best option.Claire nodded, “You’re a good friend. I’ll… I
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing or what I was seeing. I leaned back around to be sure I wasn’t wrong, but there was no mistaking it. He was shorter, slimmer, and much paler than Candido, with lighter hair. While he was still taller than Sibyl, even in her heels, he wasn’t as tall as Candido. I pulled my phone out, aiming it at the sight and pressing record. I zoomed in to make sure I got their faces and focused my hearing to get every bit of their conversation.Was he in league with the vampires or just Sibyl’s lover? Who else would benefit from getting Sibyl on the throne quickly other than Norton?“But… But I’m so close,” she said. “Oh, please…”“That’s what you get for being over-eager. What if your father comes out here and catches you?”“Oh, he already knows, you know that,” Sibyl said. “Everything will be fine. Don’t tease me like this.”“And Candido?”“My father will keep him busy for a long time. Hours. Candido’s going to fight to the end to hash out all the details and
I could try to run, but nothing in me said it was a good idea. It would be better to try and get as much as I could out of this man. Slowly, I rose to my feet, stepping just out of the shadow of the tree, but no further. If I distracted him, I could hope to outrun him, but that was a slim chance. He’d darted over her so fast. Before I even managed to push my power, I would be caught, but maybe I could fight him off enough to get closer to the house to alert security. There had to be a guard around here.If not Candido’s guards, then there was definitely a Moon Shadow person around. I’d had them tailing the Red Moon cars for a while. Someone would be nearby. I had my safety beacon on, so at least if I died here, someone would find me, but I didn’t feel like he was going to kill me tonight.At least, I hoped he wasn’t.“You’re much prettier up close,” he said, looking at me. “That golden hair of yours is really something. I thought it might be a dye job, but your eyebrows are about the
I thought he would come out, surely, he heard me, but he didn’t show up. I almost called his name again.Then, I heard Sibyl’s voice. “I didn’t think I was asking anything hard! You should pay for my dress!”“Have your father pay for it,” Candido replied.She growled as I leaned against the wall near his office door. They had to be around the corner. Normally, I would have walked on, but I couldn’t muster up the strength, so I slumped down and simply listened.“You’re being so selfish. I’m not the only one getting married! I’m going to be queen—”“You will never be queen, Sibyl,” he growled. “How many times—”“I’ll be your wife! You can’t deny me my right.”“I can do as I please,” he said. “The budget stands as it’s the only thing your father can afford. Perhaps you should be focused on finding something suitable since you moving up the date so much has eaten through over half of it.”“Why can’t I just be excited to be married to you?” Sibyl asked. “Why are you acting like this is suc
I shuddered, thinking back to the man and the glow of his eyes, the way his face had shifted and changed. I felt sick. He’d met Candido already and no one had ever noticed the difference.The link between vampires and werewolves had to be stronger than I thought if they could slip into our society basically undetected.I had to talk to Candido. I had to try and keep calm during the conversation and not get upset with him. He was such a great man, sticking to his morals and all that, but this was about more than that.Now that he had at least started to think about what vampires could want with werewolf women, why they showed up pregnant and so on, he had to start questioning Sibyl. Maybe he just believed that she was entangling herself with another werewolf to spite him or just to be willful and selfish, but maybe not.I got out of the tub and wrapped my injuries as much as possible. Someone had left a tray of food and I ate it. My hunger strike wasn’t doing me any favors if I had to
I woke up slowly, alone on the couch and wrapped up in the blanket that I had put over Candido the night before. There was faint light coming through the window. It couldn’t have been any time later than five or six in the morning. My body still ached from the night before, but I didn’t feel as bad as I had. I lifted my head to look at the tray on the table. There was only one, and it was different from the one that had been there last night.I bet it was breakfast for me. I set my jaw. I needed to eat. I needed my strength, but that didn’t mean I had to eat with him or in a way that he knew I was eating. I could sneak out later and get something to eat.My heart lurched at the thought. That man was waiting out in the world somewhere until I knew how to spot him, avoid him, or could capture him, it wasn’t safe. Not with the wedding still on track to happen.That conversation last night was clear cut: Candido knew that Sibyl was unfit to be his wife in any way, and he was still going t
I locked the door behind me, put in my headphones, drew the curtains around my bed and got to work. The click of my fingers on the keys filled the room as I tuned into the pages and pages of reports from New Moon, Red Moon, and surrounding areas. I put them to one side of my screen and started looking for the vampire in any photo across social media, security cameras, and anything else I could get into.But there was nothing. I worried my lip and looked over at the book about vampires. I pulled it to me as the rest of the case records started to load and my program continued to search.I opened the book, flipping the pages, straining to read it. I flipped it around and pushed my power until I could just barely feel something behind my eyes and rumbling in my chest like my wolf waking up and growling down at the page.I growled as my head began to hurt from staring at the page for so long.There had to be some way to read this damn thing!Before I could throw it aside. I felt something
She cocked an eyebrow. “They might be related, but there’s no way to know if they’re compatible.”“They’re both golden wolves. That should be enough.” I swallowed. “I don’t care what you have to do, you have to keep him alive.”Her eyes drifted down to Candido with an odd expression on her face. “I’ll see what I can do,” she looked up at me. “But… there will be a hefty cost.”“I don’t care,” I said. If Candido was really being used to stabilize Solare, whatever that meant, then I had make sure that he had enough life force, that his body still remained, after that was done to wake up. “I developed a drug that strengthened wolves,” she said. “I have a feeling that it would at least help.”My eyes bulged. “You’re… You’re the one who made the drug for the vampires.”She smiled. “I am. And?”I growled at her. “You’re a traitor.”Her smile turned cold. “And you aren’t the alpha king’s mate.”She cocked an eyebrow. “Given the state of the world, do you think they’ll care?”“Of course, the
“It was unsure if my Beloved King would have ever risen again and to what world,” she said. “It was for the best that I changed the path.”“We’re mates,” I said again. “We’re mates. Nothing you say can change that.”“Mates,” she scoffed. “A tool for conquest. Were you not listening? The vampiric power you inherited from your mother was the only reason you could fake the moon mark. The white fur you inherited from your father turned platinum because of it. When you were no longer a vampire, after Cillian had drained the last of that power out of you, you were just a plain werewolf…”“I don’t believe you,” I said. “I won’t believe you. You’re just trying to trick me.”“Your real moon mark vanished the night that your mate died trying to protect you.”I saw the senior diving in front of me and jerking as the bullets hit him in the chest. “Him?” I growled. “No. I can’t believe that.”“Neither could your mother,” she laughed. “By the time you met your grandfather, I had already been makin
I pushed at the wall, trying to get over there and drag Estella away from Candido. Then, Vanessa appeared dressed in a wispy gauzy red dress. She looked younger than the last time I had seen her. Two younger men followed her, chatting with her though I couldn’t make out what they were saying. They were dressed in red tunics. Then, I saw Claire and Francium striding towards them in red. They were holding hands. Her hair was gathered up in a flower wreath as they smiled together. They looked so happy together as they sat beside Candido and Estella. Soon, I saw other people. I saw Claire’s parents and the people I remember dying over the course of the war. They sat together in a circle around Candido and Estella, chatting happily. “Don’t be happy!” I yelled, banging on the wall. “Claire! You’re supposed to be my friend! Get her away from my mate!”No one even noticed I was there. They laughed and chatted, welcoming other people as they came to join them. Everyone else was wearing red,
Weeks passed, and in that time, I made the remaining people do what needed to be done. They fixed up the building Candido and I were in. While they couldn’t get the water or electricity working, there was a roof and the floors were cleaned. They brought me food when they came to check on Candido and busied themselves with trying to contact whoever else might be alive. “Miss Hedy.”I looked up, glaring at them. “How many times have I told you to call me luna?”The man lifted his head. “Until the king confirms it, I would never disgrace the position that way.”I glared at him. “Then, I suppose you’ll be tried for treason, then.”His eyes narrowed as two people entered the room. “You’re supposed to be regent, right?” The woman asked. “You have some authority.”I lifted my head. “I’m luna.”She pointed at the man beside her. “Then tell this man that I want nothing to do with him and he should leave me alone.”“We’re mates!” He growled. “You’re not going to leave me.”“There is no mark,”
When I opened my eyes, I knew I wasn’t awake. Candido wasn’t there with me. I was seated across a long table that I had never seen before. The windows were all made of stained glass. Moonlight filtered through the colorful glass and sent the colors splashing everywhere. At the other end of the table was the vampire king. He was darker than I remember, but his hair glowed the way it had in that castle. The crown on his brow twinkled with light. To his left, like an odd reflection, was Marius. His blonde hair didn’t glow, and he didn’t wear a crown, but looking at the two of them it was so obvious that he was related to the thing. Their eyes glowed the same. I clenched my jaw and glared at them both. “Where am I?” I asked. “If you think you can change my mind about—”“The time to change your mind has long since passed, Hedy,” the vampire king said softly. His lips twitched into a small smile. “The time to make different decisions is long since over.”He took a deep breath and shook h
I shook my head. “You’re lying. You have to be lying. How would you know if the door was closed?”He laughed. “It was closed to her and all the other traitors. No child of Lunae who still walks in the Goddess’ grace would be turned away from returning home.”I swallowed and shook my head. “She never got Candido’s grandfather or father… I imagine she’s burning with jealousy that you’re so close to what she wanted,” he smiled. “Or maybe she’s proud that you share the same tastes.”“None of that matters,” I said. “I’m not a vampire. I never was. I’m a werewolf. I’m Candido’s mate. Tell me what you plan is. What are trying to do? If you’re trying to hurt Candido, I’ll never forgive you.”He laughed, throwing his head back. “Why would I give a fuck about your forgiveness, traitor?”“I— ““You’re even worse than Hedwig in some ways,” He laughed. “At least Hedwig mourned Candido’s father and grandfather. At least she was faithful in her pursuit. You jumped at the chance to get as close to f
I fell to the ground, choking. For a moment, I imagined Candido stroking my hair like we were in one of the parlors at the Estate before the war. I could almost hear him reading a book to me, some book that I was supposed to read for class but didn’t want to. I didn’t remember the words. I wasn’t even paying attention to his words or the book. I didn’t care. I just loved that he was spending time with me. It was all that I wanted. It was all that I had ever wanted. I closed my eyes and let myself sink into the memory. Slowly, the darkness faded. I felt his lips on my forehead then he was gone. It was so cold. I shivered in the wind that picked up over the mountaintop. I opened my eyes. Dawn was coming over the mountain. I shook and rolled over and tried to get up. I could see Candido there. His fur was still golden. He hadn’t turned back. He didn’t move. I crawled toward him. “Candido?” I whispered. “Candido? You can’t be gone… She promised me. I… You promised.”I got to him and we
“Fuck!”I rolled over and tried to see what was happening as I sucked in breath after breath. I choked, trying to catch my breath as I saw a glint of silver cut through the air. The man barely choked as his head tumbled through the air. His body went up in flames. Then, I saw Raven’s face. Her eyes were filled with blood-red light.She walked toward me. A flash of silver went by me and the gag loosened. I spat it out and my hands fell apart like the cuffs were broken. Her sword was aimed at me. Her expression was cold as she looked at me. Her hand trembled. Tears streamed down her face. Her jaw trembled. Then, she lowered her blade. I couldn’t believe it. I looked around, searching for someone else, but there was no one. It was just the two of us behind the barrier. Then, the wall of light shimmered and started to fade.I heard a stroke of thunder and turned as lightning fell from the sky and slammed into the side of the mountain. I smiled. Candido was using his power and winning. W
The fury simmered behind the tears in her eyes before she turned back to the group. They talked a little longer When they broke apart, none of them came my way. Most of them went with Wren, but the man with bandages headed toward a different truck. I eyed him suspiciously. What was he doing separate from the rest of them? Were the rest of them going to Candido and leaving him behind? Where were they going?I looked across the way as Harper and Wren and the others looked at me, glaring. Their eyes were filled with red light. They drove away, never taking their eyes off me. One of the women was crying. I looked over at the bandaged man as he hauled himself onto the back of the truck, still leaning to one side. Then, the truck I was in started to drive away. I turned back to see where were going and knew we were headed toward the mountain from my vision. My heart started to race. It seemed like we were heading to the end of the war now.“Black Team,” someone said. “En route to Gold Tea