STOP. DO NOT GO BEYOND THIS POINT!! If you are seeing this note, this means you have reached the end of what is currently updated for this story. I am going through each chapter one at a time and adding new elements, details, and romantic interludes. I WILL BE UPLOADING THE CHANGES FOR THE NEXT 18 CHAPTERS ALL AT ONCE. As soon as my editors approve those changes, I will add new chapters to continue the story. Once the new chapters update, you will know it is safe to continue. Expect new, exciting chapters to appear by the end of the week! Thank you all for your appreciation and dedication to my story. Victory
[Apple]I have no idea where I am going. All I know is that I need to get away from this place. I am feeling hot and gross all at the same time. Usually, I love the way Sly makes me feel on the outside, but the way he just made me feel on the inside has left me feeling dirty. "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. "If he did know me, he'd have never done that to me!""You're both still learning about one another," the voice is a bit stronger and I start to wonder why I'm arguing with myself. I must look like a crazy person. When I look up I am standing next to a pier. Crescent City is a coastal town, but I didn't realize the stage was this close to the water. It's calm here. Meditative. I can see jellyfish bobbing just beneath the surface the water is so clear. We are fortunate here in Crescent City. Neither witches nor wolves do well in polluted s
[Sylvester]It is taking all of my strength not to run out the door, sweep her into my arms, and kiss her into submission. I breathe in, count to five, and breathe out letting my body settle and my arms relax. She told me not to follow her. Another deep breath in. And out. And in again. This is stupid. Of course, I'm going to follow her. Swinging open the door, I jump back. A tall, leggy female blocks my path as if she were guarding the door. Her predatory smile glows brightly as she pushes her way into the room, placing her arms against my chest while as I stand stunned she reaches up and pulls me into a kiss as she presses her tight body, barely bound in her dress against mine.Alexis. Her jasmine and honeysuckle stench is more cloying than usual as she presses me against the walls, her legs coming up to the side to pin me in place. It's as if she bottled her essence and bathed in it. As she stalks forward it is so overpowering that it warps into something both twisted and wrong
[Apple]Thorne raises an eyebrow, his eyes pitying. "Is it that hard for you to guess why a beast like him would treat you so poorly?" turning towards me his hand reaches out to touch my face. "You are too good for him, Apple." Thorne leans in and breath catches."You know," he brushes aside one of my hairs. "Our powers grow as we explore our bodies more fully. The more in touch we are with the elements, with our world, and with one another, the deeper our bond to the Goddess and her bounty." He licks his lips. Suddenly the air between us feels thick and heady. What is this game between us? Are we friends or something else?"When witches come of age, it is tradition for us to go out in the world and experience as much as we can through all of our senses," he explains. "Witches need to FEEL, Apple. They need to touch and be touched."He trails a finger along the outside of my arm and it tingles, not unlike the feeling I get from my mate bond to Sly. "Thorne," my voice is shaking. "Wh
[Apple]I shut the elevator before he could follow me in, unswayed by the bellowing roar as he pounds on the elevator doors. He can sit in the basement and rot for all I care. Her smell is all over him. Swallowing down bile, I rush into the room we've been sharing and begin to gather my things in large handfuls and shove them into my backpack.I signed a contract. I made a deal to be his Luna and save his pack. And then I made the foolish mistake of letting my heart and my hormones get the better of me."Aggh! Stupid Apple," I don't know why I believed he'd be different than any other man. As soon as I didn't live up to what he needed, he tossed me aside for her. The door slams behind me and I jump. Chosing to ignore him as he marches towards me, I continue to pack. "Where do you think you're going?" He demands, coming up behind me to seize my arm and turn me to face him. "You leaving to be with that witch?""Where I go is my concern," I shout back, my heart beating wildly, accelera
[Apple]Nervous and scared I pick up the phone and call Beta Rudy. He arrives less than 5 minutes later. Thankfully he was already in the packhouse after hearing that Sly had located me and brought me home. I barely have enough time to throw on a shirt before unlocking the door and letting him come through. I tried to hide the traces of our angry lovemaking, and if there are any signs Rudy is polite enough not to say anything as he comes in to check on his Alpha. "What did you do to him?" his voice is quiet as he reaches down to check for a pulse. Seeing his deep sigh of relief, I release my breath as a tear rolls silently down my cheek. "We were, um, you know..." Embarrassed I stumble over my words. Patiently he waits, his eyes kind and soft. "I got a bit carried away and I, well, I bit him."Rudy's eyes go wide as he looks at my teeth marks. They've blistered as if he had been burned and are hot to the touch. "This doesn't look right," he confirms and I shrink, ashamed of my act
[Apple]After texting Rudy to make sure the coast was clear, I carefully made my way out of the Luna suite and back into the Alpha suite. I would not feel comfortable leaving without knowing that Sly is okay. "He's just sleeping," Beta Rudy confirms as I bend down and place my head on his chest. "The pack doctors are at a loss, they say they've never seen anything like it." He looks at me sadly and I feel the worry radiating from him through my new connection to the pack. "If he wakes up," I gaze up at Rudy, my arms wrapped tightly around Sly, "Please let him know I'm coming back. He doesn't need to come hunting for me. I..." my throat swells and I choke on my words as I add "I know where home is.""Do you want me to come with you, Luna?" Rudy's voice is soft with concern. "To keep you safe."I assure him that I am not going far. "I'll text you when I get there, and when I'm on my way back."Nodding he doesn't question me as I take Sly's coat which smells so much like my mate, and us
[Apple] "Why are you bowing," I look between them. "Hazel, this is my grandmother, Araminta Graves I..." "No, Apple," my grandmother places a hand on my shoulder. "She is right," she exhales deeply, dusting off her hands on her skirt. "Araminta Graves, Granny Araminta, is just a ruse, a role. This is my true form," she smiles. "But most of our community only sees this face in very rare moments." "She's your grandmother," Hazel looks up at me in wonder. The way she sees me now changes as she looks at the two of us side by side. "Coven Master Althaea Allspirit is your grandmother?" She looks between us and recognition clicks followed by confusion. "Why are you showing me this? I'm honored but..." "She needs allies," my grandmother explains as she helps Hazel stand. "Now more than ever. The brighter she shines the more attention she'll bring, and not all of that attention will be good." My grandmother leaves that statement hanging in the air above us like a dark cloud, not explaining
[Apple]Rolling over, I reach out and he isn't there. His warmth and his scent is gone. Opening my eyes I feel a deep ache in my heart and know at once he feels my loss as deeply as I feel his. "You should be with your mate," a part of me thinks. "But I can't, what if next time I kill him?" I argue with myself as I often do in moments like these. I won't let the inner voice sway me. I will be resolute. I will be strong. I need to if I want to keep Sly safe. "Stupid girl," in a blur of white, I can almost see someone shaking their head as they turn away. Trying to shake off my foul mood, I roll out of bed and begin my day. I have no idea what kind of day it will be, so I pick out a simple dress and sweater outfit, something I could wear to school or work. The last two days were so hectic I don't know what day it is, or even what I will do with myself once I know. When I make it out into the shared kitchen, I find breakfast already waiting for me. It smells amazing, but not nearly