Poor Apple. Poor Sly. They both deserve so much better than this. But love can be hard and imperfect in a flawed world.
[Apple]His gentle hands set me down on the bed and I feel cherished. 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. "Love me, Sly. Please." Carefully he peels back what remains of my clothing. It st
[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 outcasted. "This is already complicated enough.""But if...what if
[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 hi
[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 with 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
[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
[Apple]The door flies open. “WITCH!!!” Zion is screaming, his hand pointing, his face bright red as he gasps for air between shouts. “DEMON!!” I turn, expecting him to be staring at my glowing hands now burning with sparkling fire. But he isn’t, he’s staring at the figure in the doorway. A tall young man in a black leather coat glares at Zion with unflinching hate. His auburn hair floats around his ears, held aloft by the power flowing through him, glowing brightly through his skin. Hawthorne Sparks, my best friend’s brother, now stands between me and my captor as he enters the back of the van, his fingers aglow with a vibrant violet flame.His lips twist into a snarl as he leans over Zion. “That’s right, Asshole. I’m a witch and you’re just a wee bitty human who messed with the wrong mage.”In a flash of light, the fire surrounding Thorne’s hand leaps from him into Zion’s chest. It sizzles as it grows across his chest, stretching to cover his body, coating it like a blanket that
[Apple]When my eyes open, I am staring into a dark room. I must have fallen asleep at some point because Sylvester is wrapped around me, his body pressed into my back. Our bed is warm and rich with the smell of us. "Good Morning, My Queen," he kisses my neck. "Are you ready to meet your people?""Can't we stay like this a little bit longer?" I roll over into his arms, kissing his nose. His smile tickles my cheeks as his unshaven face touches me lightly. "A little bit, but then we need to go and greet our beta and your best friend," he kisses my chin, and then my cheek, and the space just beneath it on my neck. "And then our supporters. I intend to show you off today. I want everyone to fall as deeply in love with you as I am." "Oh," I giggle as his trail of love continues down my neck. "I thought you wanted me all to yourself." His hands roll down the sides of my body possessively, stopping at my hips, his fingers framing my waist as he pulls me into him, aligning our fronts. His
[Alexis]The news was broadcast across the city as soon as the conclave of elders was done casting their votes. “It is time that we as wolves took a step towards a brighter future,” Alpha Emeritus Alphonso Greybeard announced, his long hair framing his dignified face for all of wolfkind to view on their screens. “Which is why with a majority vote the council of Elder Alphas have chosen Sylvester Sterling of Silver Crescent Pack to lead us as the next Alpha King.” A cheer could be heard reverberating across the city. It wouldn't have mattered who had won--there would have been cheering just to see a selection had been made. And yet, if you were to pick any wolf out of those in the running based on intelligence, ambition, and charm, Sly was an easy choice. "He was born to it," Alanna agrees in my mind, her chest puffing with pride. "He was born to be king." "He was born a rogue," I shoot back silently. "My father made him a prince." "And you were his princess," she reminds me, sull
[Sylvester]Oh Goddess, what a mess we’ve made of things. My mate…I should have left her alone when I met her all those months ago as a terrified girl from a small town. She’s have been safer with her witch friends, learning about her powers, and growing fully into the bloom of womanhood, without having a political nightmare forced upon her. She’s still so young. Twenty-three. When I was her age, I was a new alpha married to the pack princess still figuring out what my world was all about. Apple is still discovering her destiny, and now she’s Luna Queen. How will I keep her safe now? “Sylvester,” her small voice sounds exhausted. She’s been through so much. Too much considering she’s carrying our pup. “What are we going to do.” That’s a good question. “We’re going to keep her by our side and protect her,” Rufus growls. “You’re their King. She’s their Queen. We need to keep her close to keep her safe.” “If they find out I’m a witch…” her small fists grasp the edges of her dress n
[Apple}"What's my surprise," I try to keep my voice light, even though the joy from the square is quickly dissipating from my system as the weight of what had happened just before sinks into my bones. The hybrids in the witch war, the hate of the people watching Sly speak, the words of the witch in the shop, "I don't do abortions. You're too far along..." Two months, this sweet little life has been trying to show me she's here for two months and I missed it. And now this little life needs me to keep her safe, to keep both her and her father safe. I need to leave to save my family. Pulling over, Sly takes my hand and places it on his chest. "What is it, Apple?""We'ren't heading towards your surprise," I change the subject away from my feelings, not sure how I to say what I need to say.His lips turn downward as a small crease of worry forms between his eyes."The museum, did you know that your father-in-law paid to have it built?"He nods, not surprised. "He had a lot of influence
[Alexis]"Where are you going, Apple? Where have you been?"Hunched in the back of the crowd, I cover my face with a hat as I watch her scamper into a dark alley. My connection, Willow, will arrive any moment now with evidence that will destroy this weak bitch once and for all. She's got a secret. I can tell. A woman knows when another one is trying to hide something shameful. Whatever Apple's up to, she doesn't want anyone else to know.Which means, of course, that I must know everything she's been up to. Every small detail. Looking over my shoulder, I keep my face blank as she follows Sly into a luxury rental. I don't think she saw me. Not that it matters. There's nothing she can do. I know at least one of her secrets, one that can tear everything down if the public finds out. "I'm sorry, Sly. But everyone needs to know the truth about her. Especially you." Dipping into the shadows of the alleyway, I find what must have been her destination. An apothecary shop. Turning the han
[Apple]The faint echo of her words shakes the branches of my mind as my feet, rooted in place, level me frozen, unmoving and staring at the witch before me unblinkingly as my heart and lungs fight to settle.With just a handful of words, everything I knew to be true about me changed.“Two months,” I repeat, placing a hand over my belly. Concentrating on my core energy, I send a tendril of my warmth and light into my abdomen, hoping to find nothing. A faint spark flickers beneath my palm. She's been with me this entire time, from the first time Sly and I mated, back when my life was in danger and he claimed me as his because a life tied to him was better than deathAnd he didn't want me to die.A second flicker flutters beneath my hand. Her wolf. She's a wolf and a witch. A hybrid. Too dangerous to live. The apothecary shakes her head sadly as my feelings telegraph across my face. “You poor child, you had no idea. May I assume the father is…willing to help you care for your child?”
[Apple]The next morning, I wake to find Sylvester gone. My heart jumps until my mind clears from the fog of the night before and I notice a tray next to the bed with a covered plate and a single red rose in a tall crystal vase. The note next to the tray says, “I’ll be back this afternoon. Enjoy yourself. I’ll meet you for lunch.” Beneath the note is a platinum card with his name engraved in bold letters. Below his name is my own, although not quite my own. The card reads:“Alpha Sylvester S. Sterling. Luna Apple B. LeRoux Sterling.”“Cheeky wolf,” I smirk. “When did he have this made? Awfully presumptuous. We aren’t even married.”“Yet,” the voice in the back of my head adds. My heart flips with nervous joy. He wants to keep me. He must have planned that dress to be part of his proposal. He made it look so casual and Hanging from the back of a chair is one of Sylvester’s scarves. Picking it up, I breathe his scent deeply feeling my body calm. I’ve only just woken up but I already
Chapter 084[Apple]Killed for loving a witch. Feeling dizzy, I sat back against the headboard, grasping the sheets in my hand for support as I waited for the world to stop spinning. I wanted to hold Sly, I wanted to comfort him, but I couldn’t when my own heart and mind were spinning. What have I done? Has loving me condemned my mate?“I had been living with Lysander Moon for two years. His mate, I always just assumed she was a wolf. As a child, I didn’t think about those things yet or asked questions about things like that. I had mostly grown up as a rogue and hadn’t spent much time around witches or even many wolves other than my mother. Looking back, I realize there were small signs, but they were very careful.”Sly’s breathing is shallow and rapid as he relives the past. Reaching forward, I place my hand on his clammy cheek. He calms instantly, falling into my touch. Turning his face until his nose rests on my wrist, he inhales deeply. A shiver of gratitude trickles through our
[Apple] After the fiasco with Alexis, Sly decided to spend the rest of the evening curled up in each other’s arms. It wasn’t sexual, but it was intimate, and a much-needed balm to the stresses of the last few days. It was enough just to feel one another and wrap ourselves in one another’s scent. I had never been so driven by my senses before meeting Sly, if anything I avoided feeling too much. I never let Zion get this close to me. Even when I thought I was giving him my love, I realize now that there was always a wall between us placed there by me. Was I aloof with Zion because I wasn’t ready, or was it because he wasn’t my mate? Either way, thank the Goddess that I waited. I couldn’t imagine having him touch any part of me now. It all belongs to Sly. Every part. Lying between his legs, skin to skin, I cuddle up to Sylvester’s chest. His arms, wrapped with a thick woolen blanket, envelop me, pulling me into him. He smells like heaven and I tell him so and he chuckle