Apple to the rescue! Thank you for sticking with my story until this point. I hope you are enjoying it. More new updates coming soon as I continue to add delightful elements to this story.
[Apple]“Can we hurry?” I call Rudy up as I fiddle with my phone. I’ve been trying to reach Sly since I left the packhouse but haven’t received a response. “Deep breaths, Luna,” Rudy does his best to calm me as he drives through the street. “Relax.”“What if he’s in trouble?” Feeling faint, the sound of blood rushing through my ears is overwhelming as I struggle to regain control of my feelings. I haven’t been quite myself since we mated and sealed our bond with his mark. All of my senses are heightened and my emotions magnified. It's as if joining with Sly opened a new side of me. A powerful, anxious, and bold side that also feels strongly protective of my big, bad Alpha. “You would know if he were,” Rudy continues to try to calm me. “You’re his Luna. That bond is special. If anything were to happen to him, you’d know.” This must be another wolf thing. Crossing my arms I tell him as much, ploping back into the cushions. “The problem is,” I remind him, “I’m not a wolf.”“I’m not su
[Apple]The room is silent. The members of the Board of Directors sit in their semi-circle, their faces passive, waiting for my response. Sly reaches forward and squeezes my hand. His presence anchors me, reminding me that he is here with me. We are here to face this challenge together. Why do I think I deserve to be Luna?"I don't," I answer honestly. "You'd be better off without me." Clancy's smile warms as he rubs his hands together like I’ve just given him an unexpected present. "From her own mouth, she admits it,” his icy tone chills me to my soul as he glares in my direction, his hand outstretched as he points at me. “She isn't good enough.”A few turn and whisper as Clancy continues to rant. “As far as I see it,” the Beta-emeritus concludes, “This meeting is over, she doesn't want to be Luna.”He pauses to let the words sink in before adding “ Luckily, I already have the perfect candidate you may remember my niece. Alexis eagerly awaits the opportunity to reclaim her positi
[Sylvester]“Apple!” She screams as another flare of blinding light pulses from her body. Pressing the hold button on the elevator, I cover Apple with my suit jacket, but it isn’t long enough to cover her completely, nor snuff her flames. Pulling out my phone I call Rudy. “Clear out the lobby and bring a large, dark cloth.” “A cloth, Alpha?”“Large enough to cover a grown she-wolf. Apple…” “Understood,” my Beta replies. “Done.” When I make it to the lobby it is completely deserted. Rudy is waiting with what looks like a blackout curtain. “I’ve already called Ms. Hazel. I figured she could be helpful.” Rudy helps me carry Apple unseen through the back door. I’ve never been more grateful than I am now for the tinted windows on my Bently. “Cameras,” I grunt and Rudy nods, heading off to take care of any security leaks that might reveal Apple’s true nature. It is going to be harder to keep this part of her hidden with her powers flaring unpredictably. Thank the Goddess this didn’t h
[Apple]Watching my mate walk away felt like a jagged stab of rejection in my heart. Just like when he learned I was a witch, he is retreating into himself, into his fear. And it hurts. It hurts because I love him. And because I love him, I don’t want to leave him. And right now, the only way I can stay is if I pretend to be a wolf convincingly enough to keep this charade going. Because even Alphas are beholden to their pack--And if the laws of his pack forbid hybrids…Placing an absent hand on my belly, I only hope it isn’t too late. We’ve made love so many times, I might already carry his child. “No,” I shake my head. “If that were true I wouldn’t be in heat, right?”There is a commotion in the next room. Standing on shaky legs, I peek into the living room to see my alpha cowing before a very old, very angry-looking witch. “You promised!” She snarls, lightning flashing on her fingertips. “You said you’d take care of her and here you are sneaking off like a …” It’s the woman who
[Apple]“Oh, what’s this?” One of the she-wolves in her group picks my vial out from underneath a nearby seat and hands it to Alexis.Holding the vial up to the light, Alexis tilts her head from side to side, watching the way the light shines through the tiny little pills. “Give that back,” I hold out my hand expectantly. “That’s mine.”“Oh is it,” Alexis plays dumb as she holds it just outside of my reach. “Looks like it’s in my hands. A nice bit of witch magic you have here. But what would Sly’s Luna need with witch magic.” What can I say that will make sense to her without giving myself up?One of the girls in her group, a female with a perpetual resting bitch face, whispers something in Alexis’ ear and I watch in horror as her eyes glow with mirth. “Oh really…? Wouldn’t that be rich?”Turning to me she holds the vial like an accusation as she interrogates me loudly. “Luna Apple, is this BIRTH CONTROL?”I freeze. The other females titter and I suddenly remember them as the trio o
[Alexis]My hands are still shaking as I open my phone and watch Sly leave with his rental slut. Uncle Clancy must have felt something was wrong, or someone must have told him because he picks up his phone after two rings. “Report.” “I’m not on the plane,” I announce, despondent. “Sly saw me talking to Apple and ordered me to stay so I…”“I warned you to keep your distance,” Uncle Clancy snaps. “You were supposed to spy on them, not draw attention to yourself. But you had to push things.”I can almost see him pacing back and forth in his office, the phone on speaker. I’m about to say something snarky in reply but remember my place. I was almost ejected from the pack by my ex-husband only a few minutes ago. I was only seconds away from becoming a rogue. My connection to Uncle Clancy is the only thing keeping me from being cast out of the pack. After I betrayed Sly, I spent 5 years relearning how to be a wolf after his rejection shattered my mind. It didn’t matter that I didn’t accep
[Apple]Moon River was not all like I was expecting. Although, maybe I wasn’t expecting the right things. I’ve only ever lived in two places my entire life--Pleasant Valley and now Crescent City. And while I saw versions of the fabled Werewolf capital in movies as a kid, it isn’t the same as experiencing it in real life. Yes, Crescent City is a city, but Moon River is a metropolis. Almost everyone here is a werewolf and the city is so big that it has not just one but five major packs: Bloodbane, Steel Fang, Crystal Claw, Goddess Valley, and of course, Moon River Pack. Sly does his best to explain this big city to my small country self while we stand in the train station with our luggage. “Each pack is like a shining point of a star,” Sly describes as he shows me how the city is divided among the 5 packs. “While each one is its own independent pack, they all work together to create unity within the city, each taking responsibility for various vital resources for mutual survival. God
[Apple]"Of course," I nod, as I squeeze his hand and his body slowly relaxes.We check in and make our way up to one of the luxury Alpha Suites on the top floor. As the representative of one of the largest packs in the country, we have a very nice overview of the entire valley. Unfortunately, a handful of major alphas are on this floor and a few minutes later we hear Alexis' piercing giggle just a few doors down. Her voice is soon joined by a deeper laughter, which I guess must be Rodrigo.Sly's eyes flash red, his hands opening and closing as his nails lengthen and retract. But is it because of what he said earlier or what he hears now? Could it be that seeing this elder wolf with Alexis is setting off a nerve?"Sly?" I call out. When he doesn't respond, I call his name louder, "Sylvester!"He jumps, coming back to the here and now, and I release a deep sigh as his eyes slowly return to blue. "What happened," I step forward. He could tear me in two when he is in this kind of a mood,
[Apple]I should have known he’d be the one who would find me first. Of all the wolves in Crescent City, he has always been the one looking out for me. From the very beginning our bond has been strong.He really is the very best Beta a pack could have.“Luna,” Rudy gasps, doing his best to bow while holding his side as he leans against a wall. “Thank Goddess I found you!” Stepping out of the shaddows of the alleyway, the first thing I notice is that Crescent City has changed. Since stepping through the portal to arrive in my great-grandmother's shop, I've spent all my time back here underground in Haven. Haven, if anything seems even more bustling than normal, full to the brim with witches wanting to keep their families safe with the disaster happening live on TV. But here on the surface, everything is unnaturally quiet and still. The shop fronts are abandoned, stuck in a state of unchanging, forever trapped in sales from last month. The streetlights are blinking red and a few pie
[Apple] No. I can't breathe. There is no way that anyone in that room is going to survive. I'm going to be a widow before I have a chance to be a wife. The wolves holding whips jump to the front of the line at first, swinging like mad until one by one they begin to fall, and the remaining defenders, afraid for their own lives, turn tail and run in the opposite direction. But the cowards soon discover that all of the exits are barred, the bodies of the living dead, wandering, mindless rogues poisoned by some drug, push at every door and window. The courtroom is like a box of cookies, and the rogues already have their hands inside. It's only a matter of time before they are all consumed by those wolves' insatiable hunger. "This is April McKaine coming live to you from the courthouse," the frazzled reporter whispers into a camera whose cameraman has either fled or fallen. The camera is tilted to the side as she hides under a bench, her fine white suit blemished with dirt and bl
[Sylvester]The sting of Chancy's whip burns more than just my body--it sets fire to my mind, searing my soul as I fall into memories from an almost forgotten moment of my childhood. [18 years ago]We were a small collective, just twenty wolves. No alpha and no lands, so we couldn't be called a pack. We were all rejects, wolves that didn't fit anywhere else, so we were forced to wander from pack to pack, begging for whatever charity they might have. For lack of a better term, we were rogues. My mother tried her hardest to make the best of things but I could see it wearing her down. My father had been her fated mate, as unfortunate as that was for her because he was an alpha and could afford to reject her. She, on the other hand, couldn't handle the separation, and while she kept up a brave face for me, after three years away from our pack, a place I can't even remember, she had withered, her omega body unable to handle the strain of a broken connection. So like many of the other ro
[Apple] Every day I watch my mate dragged into that courtroom and placed on that podium, center stage in a ridiculous farse of a fair trial. Sylvester never stood a chance of defending himself. His fate was sealed before he stepped foot in that room. Despite Sly Sterling being a werewolf, all of Haven is watching the proceedings with bated breath, and while there have been some comments about how the wolf "deserves whatever foul future he receives," there are more voices saying "His mate is one of us and he stood by her." When I walk around town, people recognize my face from the proceedings and bow in reverence. The girl who is a witch and dared to love the Alpha King--Granddaughter of the Coven Mistress and a Thorpe! Such a prestigious background with such powerful allies. In a way, he's become a bit of a hometown hero. One of Crescent City's own defending the rights of all of us, not just wolfkind. "It's time," Thorne, turns on the television. The screen focuses on a
[Alexis]I've been trying to keep him safe, and still, he chooses her. That weak, sniveling, useless girl. She doesn't know how to be a Luna, she hardly knows how to take care of herself. What is the use of having so much power at your disposal if you cannot use it as it is intended?I can't let my uncle see the rest of this footage. "Erase it," I tell my old delta, "Wipe the record clean. Nobody should see this...ever. Do you understand?""Yes Luna," he bows, still loyal after all these years away. "As you command."I have given Uncle Chancy an edited version of the tape from the clinic where the botched procedure created the opportunity we needed to finally topple Sylvester. The footage shows Apple strapped to the table. It shows her idiot human boyfriend demanding that she be cut without anesthesia. Fool. If he had just been more patient, and let things happen as they should, she wouldn't have awakened. The light that shone from her immediately grew so bright that it blinded the
[Sylvester]The first day of the trial was long and ardorus. I am exhausted mind, body, and soul. Several alphas came forward, each with their own evidence against me. The first, of course, was Clancy, who presented the case, standing up in court declaring he had proof of my guilt, that I've broken my bond as Alpha. His testimony was followed by the head of Rental Luna and the Alpha from Arc de Lune. All saying the same thing. "Alpha Sterling forced us to lie. His Luna isn't a real wolf." My status as Alpha is tenuous at this point, awaiting the end of the trial. Although nobody in the courtroom doubts the conclusion--I will soon be a rogue again. The march back to my cell was solemn. The room that they placed me in was in the basement of the city center, where all the criminals were housed as they awaited trial. Due to my status, the guards shoved me into the corner cell, one that looked more like a room and less like bars and bricks. "For privacy, " the guard explains, "Due to yo
[Apple]“What is it, child?” Araminta stands, setting the book down beside me. “Calm yourself and come in. Tell us what it is.”Thorne walks across the room and removes a decorative piece of fabric on a high shelf to reveal an old TV covered in dust with a small remote control on the platform next to it. As he presses the small silver button we all stand back. Slowly the screen comes into focus. We don’t need to search to find what we are looking for because what we need to see is on every channel. A trial, not just any trial, but according to the news “The biggest trial since the War Crimes Tribunal” after the Witch Wars. A small, mousy blonde with large eyes and a larger mouth dominates the screen as she gazes directly into the camera. She is wearing a yellow suit dress that contrasts brightly against the cool gray marble of the Moon River City Courthouse, her hair pulled back from her face in a tight bun. On her hand is a large ring, signifying her pack status as a Luna. Very lik
[Apple] The dusty old tome creaks as the old witch opens its worn, leather spine. "As Coven Mistress," she pauses to explain, that as the elder-most witch in the collective, she is the one the rest turn to in times of need. "I keep track of the lineages, or what's left of them since the war. Before we started killing one another, wolves and witches intermarried and raised families together in large, joint communities. At our core, we witches and wolves aren't so much a different species but two sides of the same coin, genetic siblings. It wasn't so uncommon once for witches to be born with a second form, or wolves with the ability to cast marvelous spells." The nostalgia in her eyes has me wondering again just how old she really is. How long do witches live? Is it that much longer than humans? "But then things started to change," the old witch sighs. "As they always do. We didn't need places like Haven, and they didn't always live in massive packs--that's something that came later.
[Apple]"I miss him." Blinking awake, I stare up into the faces of my friends, Hazel and Thorne, who look at me with a mixture of relief and deep concern before looking up at one another and sharing the non-verbal communication of expressions and gestures I've grown familiar with after being around the twins for so long. They're both worried about me. Not just worried, terrified. How much did they see? Do they know that I tore those men apart?"Apple, how do you feel," Hazel places a tentative hand on my forehead, her cold knuckles tapping me gently as she checks for a fever. Everything hurts. My hands, my back, my legs, and my heart. I tell them as much and their worried expression deepens. Hazel looks over my shoulder and I turn to see Araminta standing at a cauldron like a classical witch, mist billowing around her shoulders as she stirs something hot in a deep cast iron pot. Seeing me watching her, the corners of her eyes crinkle as the light twinkles off a pair of half-moon s