Sorry this went up late, thank you all for your patience! Chapter 28 will be posted in a few hours.
[Apple]Grabbing a towel, I scrub the writing from the mirror as best as I can, but instead of coming clean, it leaves a pinkish-red stain across several panes of glass. Next, I try soap and a bit of cleanser I find under the sink, but the best I can manage is to make the letters a little less clear as if reading them while wearing a friend's glasses. Giving up, I look around for something to cover my face, I tie a hand towel over my nose and run around the room opening every window in an attempt to dissipate the smell. When I look over at the bed, I see that my nose didn't deceive me when I first walked in. "That nasty bitch peed on my bed!" I growl. "Come on! Doesn't she know I'm just doing my job!""She's just trying to scare you away," the voice inside my head suggests. "Don't let her win." Grimacing, I hunt under the sink until I find a pair of rubber gloves and pull the comforter off of the bed along with all of the sheets, blankets, and ruined clothes. Once I have everything
[Sylvester]I knew that she was the right pick for this job. She is so different from any she-wolf I've ever dated. She shapes the world around her with her smiles and frowns, brightening the room with her light. She almost glows with energy, and when I saw her with the pups tonight, I could tell that they could feel it too. If she were a wolf, I'd have been afraid to make her my Rental Luna. A wolf with that much charisma is destined to run a pack. Because she's a human, she'll never be a threat. "She'd never be a threat because she is ours," Rufus rolls his eyes in my mind. "Alexis was once ours too, remember?" Or so we thought. I don't understand why she's come back. I know it's not for me, no matter what she's been telling the Board of Directors. "Apple is different," Rufus insists. "She is OURS. Alexis was never really ours." The way he emphasizes our ownership of her usually means one very particular thing--something that can't be possible. If it were, I'd send her as far a
[Apple]"Good Morning, Apple," the Alpha stretches slowly. "Did you have pleasant dreams? You were making quite a bit of noise in your sleep." He plants a kiss on my temple and then rolls out of bed as if waking up next to me is the most natural thing in the world. I try not to watch him stalk around the room in his boxers but I fail. Miserably. He's an absolute Adonis. His body is so well-formed that even his muscles seem to have muscles. He isn't overly bulky but moves with the predatory grace of a wild animal designed to hunt its prey.And right now that prey is me. I take long steadying breaths as he walks toward his bathroom. "How did I end up in your bed," I ask in what I hope sounds like a neutral voice although internally I'm seething. I fell asleep on the couch, the only way I could have gotten here is if he carried me in here from the couch where I fell asleep."Don't worry," he says to assuage my worried frown. "We didn't do anything more than sleep next to one another, a
[Apple] "Alpha," I pull on his arm. We are seated in the car, just moments before Rudy opens the door. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"I try to pull my dress to cover the mark and the alpha growls softly. As I move my hand slowly away, I look to see his eyes watching me attentively. "Don't cover it, Apple. You should be proud of it. That mark on your neck is better than an engagement ring. If my wolf is so smitten with you that we'd willingly leave that kind of mark on such an important location," he explains, a touch of anger in his voice. "Most people will assume I'm very close to declaring you my official mate." Reaching down, Alpha Sylvester adjusts the deep v of my dress, until it frames his nibble mark like fine artwork. Looking me up and down appraisingly, he smiles widely. "I wasn't planning on this mark appearing, Apple, but I plan to take advantage of it. I was only thinking of saving your honor last night, but now that I think of it, I really couldn't have planned i
[Apple]Sitting at my desk, drinking a cup of coffee, and shouting into a phone, is the she-wolf of my nightmares.Alexis.Looking poised, professional, and every inch the Luna in charge, she sits in my place like she belongs there. As Rudy starts to growl softly in outrage, she raises her eyes briefly, then blinks away as if we are invisible, returning to her call.The nasty bitch who peed all over my room just snubbed me. I'm usually not a violent person, but I have a sudden urge to claw out her eyes. "Excuse me," I almost raise my hand to get her attention but remember myself. "Um...Hi, I'm..."Irritated, she closes her phone and addresses Rudy, ignoring my presence entirely. "Oh, you're finally here," she holds up a stack of papers. "Can you run these down to accounting?"To his credit, Rudy doesn't flinch. In his calm, easy-going way he says. "I'm sorry, Ms. Greystone, but you have the wrong office. I'm sure you'd be more comfortable in one of the visitor's suites down the hall.
[Alexis]How dare they.This is the company that my father built. By every right, it should be mine. As I walk down the hallways, I can see my father's hand in every detail. He poured his heart and soul into this company only to have his vision squashed by the very same upstart foundling he pulled off the streets. Sylvester. I want to hate him. I've tried to hate him. No, I do hate him. "That's never been true," Alana speaks to me from the shadowed corners of my mind, her white pelt shining in my thoughts. "You loved him once with all your heart. You love him still, just admit it." "No, Alana," I correct her, "I pitied him." "You loved him. And I love Rufus," she curls up in a ball, tucking her nose under her tail. "And I still don't forgive you for what you did to him." None of it matters now. I have a job to do, and his new little tart is getting in the way. I need to speak to the Board of Directors. The elders brought me here to reconnect with Sylvester, and now our plans ar
[Apple]I could see the rage brewing in Sylvester's eyes even before he took a step toward his Beta. Rudy immediately falls to his knees before the Alpha, his head bowed, prepared for the worst. "Explain now, Beta." There is nothing Rudy could say that would save him from some kind of terrible punishment. He is responsible for keeping me safe when the Alpha cannot, and I was harmed by Alexis on his watch. "It's all my fault," he begins, telling everything from how we entered the room and how he failed to keep Alexis from putting her hands on me. The longer he spoke, the more tense Sylvester became, holding onto me so tightly I'll probably bruise. Wolves, I've learned, are very possessive. Especially alpha wolves. Hazel had warned me about this possibility, that once the alpha considered me "his", Sylvester would be unable to keep himself from being as brutal as he deems necessary when it comes to protecting me.It won't matter that Rudy did his best. It will only matter that he fai
[Apple] Sylvester seems so happy, but all I feel is terror. I'm not a real wolf. What am I going to do in an agency full of alpha-class she-wolves? They'll smell my weakness a mile away.Not only that, the Alpha didn't ask me what I wanted to do. He just signed me up for classes as if my opinion didn't matter. "No," I pinch my lips as I grab my cup of water and take a sip. The miniature rose bush in the center of the table shakes as I set the glass down with too much force. "I have classes this afternoon. I can start tomorrow." "Skip class, get your friends to give you notes," he brushes off my concern as he takes a bite of his steak sandwich. "Problem solved." I close my eyes and repeat, “No." Why isn't he listening to me? He's always so stubborn. As I open my eyes, I cross my arms in frustration, accidentally knocking the rose bush over, leaving a trail of dirt and muck behind as I scoop the plant back into its overly fancy pot. Carefully, I replace the dirt, apologizing to t
[Rudy]It's been three days since we realized our mates are in the East, waiting for us. Three agonizing days of hearing her wails of pain in my mind as I fall asleep.But we have a war to win. A war we didn't even realize we were fighting until we were in the thick of it. We have been traveling from site to site, gathering as many wolves and witches as we can, banding together and hiding in the woods as we fortify and heal, preparing for our attack on Pleasant Valley.Sylvester has named all of us lieutenants, with him as our general leading the pack. As we move from town to town, using his unique skills as a healer, Sly has cured bands of afflicted, bringing them back into themselves.Even the witches are helping. As soon as Araminta and Harlem began contacting smaller covens, reuniting them with lost loved ones, both witch and wolf, we began receiving the open support of many of the smaller covens. With wolves and witches finally working together, we may be able to end this nightmar
[Sylvester]The witches quickly take over the search. Soon, Rudy and I had nothing more to do than watch. I may be a newly discovered hybrid, the first wolf mage in generations, but I’m still learning my way around magic. At this point, unless it involves brute force or stunning an entire crowd with concentrated life-force, I’m useless.“If you were more witch, you’d be a spell-caster,” Araminta explains. “You’re mate, Apple, is more of a hedge witch, getting her energy from the plants around her. You are both extremely powerful, but you’re more like a blunt instrument. You need to learn refinement to do the work we’re about to do, and unfortunately, having not grown up around your grandmother, you weren’t gifted with her knowledge.”“You knew my grandmother,” I ask, wondering if there is any witch out there she doesn’t know.She doesn’t answer, she just smiles and says. “Remind me someday to tell you how Esmeralda Sterling and I met.”The witches have gone into the other room where th
[Apple] I now know what it means to be treated like an animal. I knew that some humans hated wolves and witches. I grew up surrounded by the teachings of The Brotherhood, indoctrinated in their rights from early childhood. But it wasn’t until today that I finally saw the truth of it. It’s one thing to be taught that wolves are dogs; it is quite another to be treated as one. The cart they pushed me inside of was made of several cages that can snap together, creating rectangular prisms of various lengths and widths. Each box has a solid base of silver which burns and blisters the flesh until it calluses over. My tender flesh wasn’t prepared for the torture of it, and they laughed as they shoved me inside, throwing me a rotten-smelling towel from the back of the van to use as a barrier. It smells like vomit and piss, but it’s still better than the smell of my own flesh, and far better than some of the wolves have in the adjoining cages. Looking across the row of prisoners, there are
[Apple] The back of the van smells like fear, antiseptic, and now vomit. I hadn't eaten anything in days, yet my stomach found some way to make a mess of the back of this van. Between the scents, the jarring motions, and being around 4 months pregnant, it was more than my body could take all at once. I wish I were back home. This place isn't home to me anymore. It hasn't been since I found myself nestled next to Sly that first morning after my room was destroyed and he carried me into his bed. Waking up next to him is home. Sly is out there. I can feel it. He feels closer than ever. "Soon," Astrea promises. "Our mate is searching for us now. Can't you feel it?" Checking our bond, I feel it spring to life, and I almost gasp. It's so much stronger than it's been in such a long time. "Sly, can you hear me?" I send through our link. "Please let me know that you are safe." His reply sounds warbled like he's speaking underwater, but the message is clear. "I feel you. I hear you. I'm
[Hazel]We woke to the sound of wolves howling and the rattling of squeaking wheels over concrete floors.Trapped as we are in our prison of silver, we witches had nothing better to do than to watch the humans at their dark work. Seeing them about their daily strife is the only amusement we have.Except that it isn't amusing. Not one bit.I wish I could unsee the parade of humans pushing carts laden with cages, cages containing terrified wolves, trapped in their bestial forms, huddled in corners, their eyes sad and sunken, their arms and legs bald where they've been shaved and poked, used for whatever sick experiments happened behind the great, steel wall.The doors to the wall are wide open today, and I can see deep inside that mysterious chamber. I had wondered if that had been where they kept the wolves. And now, seeing the condition they are in, I wish I had known sooner so that as we witches planned our escapes, I could have planned to free them as well.No one should live trapped
[Apple]On my third day of hiding, I woke to the sound of trucks rolling through town towards the city center. Large container trucks rattled along the highway, their horns blazing.Something is happening, but what?As if on cue, my stepfather storms out of the trailer, shouting over his shoulder at Tansy, who stumbles after him, his shirt in one hand and a beer in the other. Throwing his shirt over his head, Doc covers his blindingly white, naked chest right before taking the beer, knocking it back with a quick, enthusiastic chug.“Damn it girl,” Doc swears when he spills some down his front. "This beer is warmer than whore's piss. Why the…”“Dad, you don’t have time for this,” she pushes him towards the truck. “Remember, you’re meeting with the mayor in 15 minutes.”Tansy looks over her father’s head at the road leading down to town, her brow pinched with concern as she folds her hands nervously, twisting her fingers around one another as she paces. “Why are you in such a hurry?” Do
[Apple] When the dust settled and the truck came to a halt, two middle-aged men came stumbling out, half drunk, patting themselves on the back. "Damn it, Doc, that was fun," Evan Paige, Zion's father and the Mayor of Pleasant Valley, laughs as he dusts off a set of fatigues. He's a handsome man, an older version of Zion with the classic All-American athlete look, large muscles, blue eyes, and golden blonde hair. His has a bit of gray at the temples, and his face is finely lined with age, but there is no mistaking their parentage. Zion is practically his younger twin. Or he was until I killed him during my first shift. In the end, it seems he really did love me. He even warned me about Clancy, even though it was too late. "Any day, Ev," Doc belches and then laughs when he bleaches a second time. "Maybe a few less beers if we're gonna hit so many bumps. Damn, rogues had to take to the forest." "Yeah, next time let's bring the ATV..." They continue to plot as they walk inside the tra
[Araminta] The door swings open, and I’m face to face with an angry alpha, glaring down at my gathered group as we walk inside. At my back is Hawthorne, along with Coven Master Harlem and his apprentice, Parris, from the High Witch Council. They were the only ones willing to help me find the Alpha after the meeting concluded, and I lost my great-granddaughter in a flush of claws and fur, running after the last traces of her mate bond. “I did my best, Alpha,” I snap back, exhausted from my trip. “She’s impossible to tame, you should know that as well as anyone. She’s a LeRoux. They’ve always been stubborn. Besides,” I take a deep breath. “She ran off chasing you. I was hoping to find her here.” The two wolves move aside and I can’t help but be reminded of a similar meeting a lifetime ago between me and a promising new Alpha King, his beta by his side. There was a similar feeling of friendship blended with antagonism, only unlike before we are on the same side. “Weren’t you witche
[Sylvester] My body is sore, but somehow I manage to stand on shaking legs. "No need," I assure him. "I'm fine." Rudy's eyes widen with shock and uncertainty. "Alpha?" His deep timber vibrates with fear and wonder, "How are you doing this?" With each step I take forward, my footsteps become more sure as I feel my spinal cord fully knit itself back together, the muscles in my back recovering as I move. "I was trapped in that place with the remaining elder alphas." My smile is more of a grimace as I remember how one by one they took the knee, only to be slaughtered by Clancy and Calyx. "All of them." "Does that mean...?" His voice is a whisper as the truth of my words dawn on him. "Please, Rudy, don't bow," I request with the edge of an order as I turn away and head towards a large crystaline lake. I can't bear to see his reverence or watch him bow before me as his king- a title I now loathe to have after seeing all the death such power can create. Because it isn't just the alphas b