I hope you enjoyed the long chapter!
[Apple]My attackers quiver, their legs shaking as their eyes widen. One pisses himself as the wolf takes a step forward. Neither of them moves, frozen in place, unable to react beyond unintelligible whimpers.Snapping forward the wolf's maw opens wide, his teeth dripping with saliva.He can't mean to kill them? Can he? What if someone found out?I take a step forward.The wolf's head swivels, and his eyes, black from pupil to sclera, turn enough for me to see that the wolf has taken over completely.If there is a man inside, he's not there. All that is left is the beast.I place a hand on his shoulder. I've only seen this wolf once before, but I'd know him anywhere. "Sly. Please, come back to me."Sniffing my chest he growls and then turns back to the men. He can smell them on me and he doesn't like it. He takes another step forward, snapping his teeth, spit flying from his muzzle."Rufus, you don't need to do this!" I beg, although part of me wonders why I'm trying to defend these wi
[Apple]Sly's gentle hands set me down on the bed and I feel cherished as he carefully arranges my limbs to keep the worst of my injuries free of pain. His eyes never leave mine as he pulls his shirt off in a rush, some of his buttons breaking in the process, bounding off and landing around us like raindrops.I sigh at the sight of him, his muscles gleaming and hard, the small patch of hair that curls between his breasts inviting my touch. He's always been lovely to me. The first time I saw I thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on. Irresistible. Doesn't he realize that I crave him just as much as he craves me?"I'm sorry, Apple," he apologizes again as he removes his pants and kneels on the bed, completely bare except for his manhood, which I can see pressing tight against his boxers. "This isn't how it should be."The smell of his sweet musk enlivens my senses. I want him. Even in pain as I am, I want him. And I tell him this as I struggle to turn towards him. "
[Sylvester]I have never felt so content, so whole and so terrified at the same time.As I curl up next to her, placing my face against her healing mark as I pull her into my arms, a cord of connection snaps tightly between us and I know that she is mine forever.Mine.I never want to leave this room. Leaving means dealing with reality. And I'm just not ready to do that yet. I want to stay here, lying next to her, bathing in our combined scent."Her scent is much stronger now," Rufus remarks. "Almost wolflike."He isn't wrong. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was a wolf, not a witch. Hopefully, that will help me hide the truth from the pack."What if she is more than just a witch?" Rufus suggests. "What if there is more to our mate than just one side?""What you're suggesting would be even worse," I snarl scolding him for even insinuating that she might be something truly taboo, something that could get us both banished. "This is already complicated enough.""But if...what if we co
[Apple]When I roll over this morning, Sly is still where I left him. I know he must have moved at some point because he's now wearing clothing and smiling smugly although his eyes are closed as if he is having a peaceful dream.I try to pull myself free from his grasp and his eyes snap open."Where are you going," he growls playfully as he nibbles my ear, his hardness pressing against my backside."No...nowhere..." I chuckle nervously as he pounces, pulling me by the hips until I'm underneath him again."That's right," he bites his way down my neck. "Not until I'm done, Little Snack.""What are you doing," I protest as he licks a trail to my breast. "I'm not food!""Oh but I think you are," he lifts one of my legs, parting my lower lips with his fingertips. "My delicious caramel apple. So juicy and sweet."I want to tell him he can't just eat me whenever he wants, but I lose my train of thought when his teeth find my clit. I'm too busy moaning his name to think about scolding him.Whe
[Apple]I have never been so nervous before."Calm, Luna," Beta Rudy places his hand on mine and I feel a wave of peace through our beta bond, relaxing my anxiety. Rudy's always had a calming presence, but now that I'm fully mated to his alpha, his effect on me is amplified.He smiles, knowing what I am thinking. It must be a "werewolf thing". Now that I'm bonded to Sly, I'm discovering a lot more "werewolf things" happening to me and my body.I didn't realize that deepening my relationship with Sly would be a catalyst to becoming something else. I know that he marked me to save my life, but am I still me? Is this a wolf thing, or is it because I'm a witch mated to a wolf?Whatever is happening to me, I need to figure it out soon. I need to talk to Hazel, but I am afraid to see her since I ditched Hawthorne and then fell into bed with Sly. Or maybe the witch who helped heal me, Grandmother Araminta. How do I find her? Maybe Rudy knows?I open my mouth to say something when I hear my na
[Sylvester]Smelling of warm honeyed apples and sunshine, my beautiful mate slams the door behind her, leaving me lost in the wake of her emotions. Since sealing my bond with Apple by giving her my mark, the connection between us has snapped more tightly into place, like a cord of bright gold connecting our souls. I feel her every heartbeat, her passions, her sadness--it’s almost as if we are the same person. I’ve never felt this before. Not with Alexis, not with anyone. Which is why it is so hard to watch her walk away from me. It is taking all of my strength not to run out the door, sweep her into my arms, and kiss her into submission. “Let’s do that,” Rufus pants in my mind flashing me images of all the ways we could calm our mate down with kisses. “I don’t think she wants us to touch her right now,” I argue with my wolf. “Especially not like that.”While I’d love to do nothing more than spend the rest of the day tangled in her sweet-smelling arms, after the way I behaved this
[Apple]I have no idea where I am going. All I know is that I need to get away from this place.After the fool Sylvester made of the two of us on stage I am feeling hot and gross all at the same time.Is it a wolf thing that he’s so into public displays of affection, or is it a Sly thing? Am I engaged to some kind of pervert?"He's just trying to protect you," the voice inside of my head urges. "You should give him a bit of grace. He loves you.""He barely knows me!" I shout to nobody in particular as my sweaty hands push down the edges of my skirt. Even with some distance between us, the ghost touches of his fingertips on my flesh make me shiver with want and anger. "If he knew me, he'd have never done that to me! On stage! In front of the entire pack!”"You're both still learning about one another," the voice urges and I pause. Is that all it is, the awkward growing pains of a new relationship?The sound of wood crackling underneath my footfalls draws my attention back to my surround
[Rudy][At the studio earlier]Apple races past me, her mascara running down her cheeks. Her tears are silent, but I can feel her embarrassment, shame, and anger as if they were my own. “Luna Apple, are you...” She doesn’t turn. She doesn’t respond to me or anyone else as she passes by, her mind elsewhere.Looking back over my shoulder, I see no sign of my alpha. Her words were loud and clear enough for all of us wolves nearby to hear. “Do not follow me!” she had commanded. She is our queen, our Luna. We obey. Even the Alpha, it seems, cannot bring himself to cross her. Not when she’s like this. “Damn it, Sir,” I swear under my breath. I’ve known Sylvester my whole life, and I’ve never seen him as happy as I have when he is with her. I hope he hasn’t ruined it for all of us with this stupid stunt. Both my alpha and luna need care right now, their hearts are hurt and confused. Right now I’m torn between the desire to shake Sly and remind him that being a good Alpha also include
[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