FerrahI opened the door and Onyx rushed out into the fray. I watched all of the gentleness he had just shown me melt away. The man that I was looking at now was the warrior that was whispered about around taverns and marketplaces. His expression was cold and calculating as he scanned the chaos around us. This was the man that had overseen the war for over a decade. He was decisive and devastating in battle. It was a side of him that I had never seen in person before, and it was captivating. His power was unmistakable. He was the only one that didn’t seem to be overwhelmed by the situation. There were shifters filling the narrow street, both in humanoid form and in wolf form. The air was conjested with the sound of screaming and growling. It was almost deafening. I was amazed we hadn’t heard more of it from inside of the house. The sound of feet on the cobblestones was adding to the clattering sounds of fighting. I could see women running from the street, some carrying childre
OnyxThe moment I stepped outside, I could feel the heaviness in the air. Panic and fear had overtaken the pack. People were running and screaming and the scent of copper was thick in the air. Through the mind-link I could feel Emron, Rydel, and Sybil nearby. It was obvious that none of them had snapped into action as they should have. I wasn’t sure why, but that was a matter for another time. I was able to snap them out of their inaction quickly and get things back on track. The tide started to turn in our favor almost immediately. I ran into the fight, doing what I could do to help the vulnerable make it to safety. That was my focus until the streets were clear of bystanders. Once that was accomplished, I was going to find that bastard Gilliam and tear him apart. A pair of smaller wolves were chasing a young boy down the street. I jumped between them and growled at the wolves. They hesitated and backed up a few steps. The child continued to run in a blind panic. The door o
FerrahOnyx was injured and there was nothing I could do. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move. The huge black wolf’s muzzle was matted in blood and I could see a crimson pool spreading around Onyx. If I could just get to him, I knew that I could save him. Soxor wouldn’t allow it, though. His hold on me was like a vice. All I could do was watch what was unfolding in front of me. Onyx’s golden eyes locked with mine. I could feel tears streaming down my face. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. The pull in my chest increased suddenly. I felt like my heart was going to burst, then something snapped into place and I could feel Onyx’s warmth in my mind. I could hear his voice. Relief and grief flooded through me. I tried to tell him how sorry I was for failing him, but he shushed me. He reassured me of my strength, but I didn’t believe him. I had been useless this entire fight. The moment I stepped outside, Soxor had me under his control. The black wolf started to mov
Ferrah The morning after the Mountain Pass attack was clear and calm. It almost felt wrong for the day to look so welcoming. The sunlight showed exactly how much damage had been done. The loss of life was substantial, but most of those who fell were members of Gilliam’s pack. Bodies were still being identified, so we didn’t know the extent of the damage yet. Onyx was absolutely sick about it. The signal that Emron sent had reached the neighboring packs and reinforcements arrived just before dawn. They were aiding in the cleanup and care of the wounded. It was a relief to have their help. It meant that the people involved in the attack didn’t have to push themselves to deal with the immediate aftermath. They were able to find their families and comfort one another. The members of Mountain Pass that didn’t surrender had fled into the forest. It was likely that some kind of follow up attack would be coming, but with the loss of Gilliam it would take them time to make another move
Ferrah My heart was pounding in my chest as I ran and I couldn’t catch my breath. The exertion of running wasn’t the reason that I was struggling, I was in a panic. I had to find my family. I stopped running so suddenly that I nearly overbalanced and fell over. I looked down at the ground as a sob lodged in my throat. At my feet were two mounds of dirt. There were no signs of violence in the area and no signs or markers to tell me what these mounds were, but it didn’t matter. I knew that they concealed the bodies of my parents. Even though there was no grave for him, I knew that my brother was gone too. The entire coven was gone. They were wiped out in an instant and without warning. I never even got to say goodbye. I was too late. I felt like my knees were going to buckle, but before I could surrender to the grief that was welling up within me, a sound behind me froze me in place. There was no sign that anyone was there. I could normally sense the energy of a person when
Onyx I was having difficulty sleeping again, so I had gotten up early and gone into my office to deal with some correspondence that I had been procrastinating on. Being the Alpha King was a job with many facets, but I doubt that anyone knew exactly how much paperwork it entailed. Sitting behind a desk all morning responding to letters and pouring over maps and reports from my men had never been my favorite thing to do, but it was necessary in order to run the pack. It was dull, but not my least favorite part of my job. There was plenty that was worse than spending a morning writing. The lives of every member of the pack depended on me. We had been steeped in war for all of my life. Half the pack couldn’t remember a time when we weren’t fighting the magical forces of our greatest enemies, and those who could remember life before the war didn’t like to talk about it. It was painful to think about how good life once was when you were sure that you would never see that kind of
Ferrah Alpha King Onyx Hale was the source of the pull that had lured me through the early morning light into the deep forest. The feeling in my chest was bubbly and pleasant and I hated it. It was the same feeling I had when I was a young girl and the boy I liked smiled at me, but this was much more powerful. This was undeniable and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t will it away. The Alpha King was standing there in front of me and I was frozen in one spot and staring at him like a starstruck fool. I wanted to lash out and attack him. This was the first time I had been face to face with him since he killed my family. Plus he was alone, there were no guards to get in my way. It was almost unheard of for him to travel without at least his beta by his side. This was the best chance to kill him that I was ever going to have. But I couldn’t move. My mind couldn’t accept what was happening right now and as I struggled within myself to understand what I was feeling, I was
OnyxThe tall, slim woman with the dark eyes was staring at me, just like I was staring at her. I knew who she was the moment I saw her, although I didn’t know her name. I had seen her all those years ago when I had destroyed the Autumn coven. She saw me that night. Her face had stuck in my mind, although I didn’t know why. I had seen the horror in her wide eyes and paused in my rampage. Before I could react to her sudden appearance, she turned and fled. I had started to pursue her, but something stopped me. Instead, I watched her flee into the forest and I chose to let her go. She was young and afraid, but that had never stopped me before. I had thought of her often through the years and wondered what happened to her. Now, here she was, and she was my fated mate. She was only a girl when I had seen her then, but she was a woman now. She had grown not only in beauty, but in strength. I could feel the power of her magic crackling in the air as she stood there. She must have
Ferrah The morning after the Mountain Pass attack was clear and calm. It almost felt wrong for the day to look so welcoming. The sunlight showed exactly how much damage had been done. The loss of life was substantial, but most of those who fell were members of Gilliam’s pack. Bodies were still being identified, so we didn’t know the extent of the damage yet. Onyx was absolutely sick about it. The signal that Emron sent had reached the neighboring packs and reinforcements arrived just before dawn. They were aiding in the cleanup and care of the wounded. It was a relief to have their help. It meant that the people involved in the attack didn’t have to push themselves to deal with the immediate aftermath. They were able to find their families and comfort one another. The members of Mountain Pass that didn’t surrender had fled into the forest. It was likely that some kind of follow up attack would be coming, but with the loss of Gilliam it would take them time to make another move
FerrahOnyx was injured and there was nothing I could do. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move. The huge black wolf’s muzzle was matted in blood and I could see a crimson pool spreading around Onyx. If I could just get to him, I knew that I could save him. Soxor wouldn’t allow it, though. His hold on me was like a vice. All I could do was watch what was unfolding in front of me. Onyx’s golden eyes locked with mine. I could feel tears streaming down my face. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. The pull in my chest increased suddenly. I felt like my heart was going to burst, then something snapped into place and I could feel Onyx’s warmth in my mind. I could hear his voice. Relief and grief flooded through me. I tried to tell him how sorry I was for failing him, but he shushed me. He reassured me of my strength, but I didn’t believe him. I had been useless this entire fight. The moment I stepped outside, Soxor had me under his control. The black wolf started to mov
OnyxThe moment I stepped outside, I could feel the heaviness in the air. Panic and fear had overtaken the pack. People were running and screaming and the scent of copper was thick in the air. Through the mind-link I could feel Emron, Rydel, and Sybil nearby. It was obvious that none of them had snapped into action as they should have. I wasn’t sure why, but that was a matter for another time. I was able to snap them out of their inaction quickly and get things back on track. The tide started to turn in our favor almost immediately. I ran into the fight, doing what I could do to help the vulnerable make it to safety. That was my focus until the streets were clear of bystanders. Once that was accomplished, I was going to find that bastard Gilliam and tear him apart. A pair of smaller wolves were chasing a young boy down the street. I jumped between them and growled at the wolves. They hesitated and backed up a few steps. The child continued to run in a blind panic. The door o
FerrahI opened the door and Onyx rushed out into the fray. I watched all of the gentleness he had just shown me melt away. The man that I was looking at now was the warrior that was whispered about around taverns and marketplaces. His expression was cold and calculating as he scanned the chaos around us. This was the man that had overseen the war for over a decade. He was decisive and devastating in battle. It was a side of him that I had never seen in person before, and it was captivating. His power was unmistakable. He was the only one that didn’t seem to be overwhelmed by the situation. There were shifters filling the narrow street, both in humanoid form and in wolf form. The air was conjested with the sound of screaming and growling. It was almost deafening. I was amazed we hadn’t heard more of it from inside of the house. The sound of feet on the cobblestones was adding to the clattering sounds of fighting. I could see women running from the street, some carrying childre
Ferrah It was obvious from the look on Rydel’s face that he had seen Soxor. I knew that before he confirmed it with his description. He was distrubed. I could see that he was shivering just slightly. His instincts were screaming at him that there was danger and he knew that he should run from it, but he couldn’t. His obligations to his pack wouldn’t allow him to. He was looking to Onyx for guidance, but he wasn’t able to focus on Rydel. The rest of the room had erupted in a cascade of panicked questions and arguing. They were pushing towards Onyx, demanding his attention and trying to shove each other away. Sybil was shouting over the crowd, demanding that they calm down and shut up. It only caused more argument as the thin haired Alpha screamed that she was a traitor and she had brought this down on us all. I wanted to focus on what was happening. I wanted to help Onyx, but my mind was reeling. I could hardly breathe. The room felt too small and the air itself felt like it w
OnyxDamien, the Alpha of River pack, had been aggressive with Ferrah from the moment we entered the room. I could feel my anger beginning to bubble under my skin. The disrespect in his tone was impossible to miss. He was always close with Gilliam, and I knew that this situation was a sensitive one for him. But that didn’t excuse his lack of decorum. I kept reminding myself that Ferrah didn’t need me to speak for her. I had to intercede to keep the elders in order, but I did my best to hold my tongue until my intervention was necessary. Tensions were high, that was to be expected. Ferrah’s escape, Sybil’s betrayal, and the truth about Gilliam conspiring against us had all come to light within a few days. Everyone was having trouble processing it. Ferrah was doing an admirable job explaining the situation to the assembled alphas. She was articulate and persuasive. She came from a long line of great leaders, so it shouldn’t have surprised me. I was impressed with how well sh
FerrahOnyx had his arm around me while we walked to the meeting with the elders. I was grateful for the reassuring contact. There were people openly staring at me as we passed them. It seemed like they were hurrying out of buildings to see us pass. I could hear whispers, but I couldn’t make out anything that was being said. Some people were glaring at me, others seemed nervous. A few were looking at me with excitement, which confused me greatly. I wanted to ask Onyx about it, but he was deep in thought. I focused on the sound of our feet on the cobblestones. The walk to the old brick house was short, but the stares of the pack made it feel like it was taking forever. “Ferrah,” a woman’s voice called out. I looked up in surprise to find Sybil hurrying towards me. I looked down at her leg. She had a slight limp, but she seemed to be moving without pain. “You’re alright,” I said in relief. I was concerned that I had been too late in getting Sybil home. Her injury had looked
FerrahI smiled as I started to wake up. I felt more well rested than I had in a long time. I cracked my eyes open to find that the source of warmth beneath me was Onyx. He was still sleeping and his arm was wrapped firmly around me, holding me against him. I snuggled closer. There was nowhere I would rather be right now. Late last night, Onyx and I had shared a shower, then he had ordered a light meal to be brought up to the room. I smiled as I remembered the light conversation and heavy flirting that had filled our evening until finally, exhausted and sated, I had drifted to sleep in his arms. It was surreal to think that this is how our relationship was progressing. It wasn’t very long ago that my greatest ambition in life was to kill him. So much changed in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so safe. Sleep was normally a short and shallow thing for me. It was dangerous to sleep too soundly when you were traveling and even in the coven settlemen
Ferrah We were kissing. I should have been appalled with myself. I should have been horrified that I would let this man who had haunted my nightmares for half of my life put his hands on me. But I wasn’t. The way his lips felt against mine was right. I realized that this was what the pulling in my chest had been leading me towards. This was what I wanted. Onyx cupped my face gently and moved closer to me. I gripped his arms and pulled him in eagerly. He made a surprised sound, but allowed me to guide him closer. I was shocked by my own boldness, but the touch of his skin against mine was too much for me to resist. The pulling feeling that was plaguing me was stronger than ever before. I made no attempt to fight it. I let it guide me. Onyx made a soft sound against me as I pulled him onto the bed. The mattress dipped under our combined weight as he straddled me, his lips never leaving mine. Heat was coursing through me, making my breath catch in my chest. I shuddered