[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 picked 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. My ex-husband almost ejected me from the pack. My connection to Uncle Clancy is the only thing keeping me from being cast out like a common rogue.I can’t be a rogue again. 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 accept his rejection--he’s more powerful. It was e
[Apple]Moon River was not all like I was expecting. Although, maybe I wasn’t really 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.Crescent City is a city, yes, 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.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 up among the 5 packs. “While each one is its own independent pack, they all work together to create unity within the city, each one taking responsibility for various vital resources for mutual surviva
[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,
[Sylvester]My mate is crying. I can feel her pain like a thousand needles stabbing my heart."She's worried about carrying our pup," Rufus sighs. “She’s worried about what that would mean. She doesn’t understand.”Entering the shower with her, I scoop my love into my arms. “Shh.” I hold her to me, my pain lifting as she nuzzles into me instead of fighting to get away even when I’m the one who hurt her.“I am so sorry, Apple. I should have felt something was wrong, I should have pulled out sooner, I should have…”Turning towards me, Apple’s eyes spark with a flash of anger, followed by a well of sadness, her tears mixing with the shower water as they trace the lines of her face. “No Sly, I’m the one who…oh what was I thinking!”Doing my best to mask my own fear, I project feelings of love strength, and support through her bond. I can’t have her feeling bad about this moment, one that if she were born a wolf, we wouldn’t be as worried about.“We don’t know that there will even be a pup,
[Sylvester]5 days have passed since the men with whips came to show me my place. Five long days of being locked in a room, planning what will happen next. After they knocked me out the first time, they took me to this…place. I don’t know where I am now, except that it is some kind of medical facility. All the guards and technicians are humans, and all the patients are…not. I’ve seen Calix twice since arriving. The first time to gloat, the second time to let me know that he has sold his entire rogue pack to these monsters. “My payment for your power,” he sneers. “They’ve been testing this new drug on my father. Funny, I’m surprised the old dog is still kicking.”The last time he came by was to laugh as they whipped me. That was two days ago.My body is sore, but I am not broken. They haven’t managed to make me do a damn thing they want me to do. “Kneel, mutt, and drink,” the human asshole holding the bowl of blood demands. My chains are thicker this time, made silver reinforced wit
[Sylvester]My body is cold and stiff as I slowly regain consciousness. Whatever the bastards drugged me with burns my veins and makes my head pound. I don’t want to be awake, it hurts too much.The sound of birdsong in the distance lets me know that I am still in the forest. The cold, slick, wet floor beneath my cheek and the soft trickle of condensation dripping from a stalactite informs me that I am in a large cave, bigger than the one I had woken up within before. And the heavy weight around my neck and ankles tells me I’m bound and chained. Heavy footsteps approach. “Get up,” cold water splashes across my face, shocking my already stressed system. Sputtering, my eyes snap open, and I snarl upward at the tall figure before me who is hard to make out while backlit by the setting sun. Struggling to sit, I pull on the chains enough to stand in a somewhat crouched position. I guess I should be grateful I can move at all. “You’re going to feel like shit for a few days,” the younger
[Sylvester]This was a trap.This pit is at least 12 ft deep. Deeper than I could leap even if I were in perfect health, which after a week of prison I am not. Whoever dug this must have had it prepared in advance, waiting for the opportunity to spring this trap.Because that is exactly what it was--A clever ploy to bring me out here and put me at the mercy of this lone wolf. Somehow, someone knew my reaction to seeing a red wolf and capitalized on it.The wolf who led me away during the confusion in Moon River City is standing over my dank prison, bending over so that I can see his young face as his jackal-like laughter taunts me from above."Oh how the mighty have fallen," he snorts, as he takes pleasure in my pain. "What a shame."He's right to laugh. I was a fool. My desire to see my old mentor was so great that I charged blindly into a dangerous situation without weighing all the possibilities.Seeing him up close, it is very clear that this young wolf was not Lysander. How could
[Sylvester][Two weeks earlier] The rogues overwhelm the room. I’m not sure how or why, but for some reason, I can push back the worst of their infection with my touch, a glow sparkling along my fur as I reach out and touch their bodies with a clawed hand. Now that I know my mother was a witch, it is as if a floodgate of power that has always been there has finally made its way to the surface. I was more than enough as an alpha. I've always been the strongest, even when I was a pup. Now that I'm a man, there aren't many alphas who can match me. Now, it makes sense. I was never just an alpha. I was a hybrid. A hybrid that had been powerless until now, who had been poisoned by his own mate's bite because I was far too much of a wolf to receive it, and she was still far too much of a witch to give it. I wonder if things would have been different now if we had marked each other after finding our true nature. Walking through the chaos in my wolfman form, my glow brightens, curing eve
[Apple] I am standing in a mist-covered field, a gray sky overhead, the sun hidden behind a massive black cloud promising rain. In the distance is a wolf. He is large, far taller than a man even on four legs, his silver-tipped fur catching the faint light filtering down to us. Around us, everywhere, are bodies. Some wolves, others men and women with glowing skin. “Mate,” the wolf growls from across the field. “I’ve found you. “Mate,” I repeat, my heart mourning the loss of so many lives, my own hands stained red with the blood of the wolves by my feet. “Why did it have to be you?” The wolf transforms in front of me into a tall man covered in scars. His black hair curls around his shoulders and his eyes are the most startling shade of blue-green. “Alpha Rufus,” I call him. Strangely, he has the same name as my Sylvester’s wolf. He looks a lot like Sylvester too but with bolder lines and a stronger chin. “Witch Queen Astrea,” he bows, his eyes flashing as my glowing hand lif
[Rudy]We are so close to finding Sylvester. I can feel it. I know this is going to work. I trust Hazel and her abilities. She is a powerful witch, she just doesn't give herself enough credit. Just because her magic isn't flashy doesn't mean it isn't as potent."Well she's put a spell on me, anyway," I grin as I dart across the street from the park, her juniper berry scent freshly imprinted upon me, the taste of her still on my tongue.Shortly after I first met Apple, I realized there was something special about that brunette witch with sparkling eyes the color of changing leaves—green, brown, and gold all at once. I wasn't sure what it was at first, as I've made a habit of avoiding any type of closeness that could lead to confused feelings. I didn't want a mate; I had no use for one. I intended to spend the rest of my life serving the Alpha family. It is a duty that I am glad to have, a responsibility that I cherish.I love my job. I had no intention of ever giving it up.And then I m
[Hazel]“You’re doing the right thing,” Rudolph tries to convince me as I say goodbye to my dearest friend one last time. “You and I both know it isn’t safe for her above.” He’s right, and I hate him a little bit for it. There are a lot of things that I’ve grown to dislike but also love about him. Damn it, Moon Goddess, sometimes you have a funny sense of humor. “Well let’s just make sure that none of us regret this,” I push past him, our bodies tingling as our knuckles brush against one another. “Let’s go find your alpha and bring him home.” “What about your brother?” the stubborn Beta crosses his arms as he leans against a wall and watches me pack my satchel with various spell components. Unlike Hawthorne and Great-Grandmother who are both sorcerer-class witches, as a hedge-witch my energy needs to funnel through another medium. This means my magic comes through in the forms of potions and tinctures, a magic that can be felt with your fingers and tasted with your tongue. “We don
[Hawthorne]It's a portal. This wall was hiding a portal.Taking a deep breath, I follow after my family matriarch in a leap of faith, biting my lip to keep from screaming as the chilly dark of a void portal takes me to wherever she's gone. Traveling in the spaces between spaces, the void of eternity is a skill that only witches have. You need to have enough glow to sustain the cold, hungry darkness, as it feeds off our life force, taking a small bit into itself as payment. Even witches need to be careful, as a less powerful witch could be drained dry from anything other than the shortest of distances. It feels like I'm falling forever before my feet find purchase on a well-woven rug covering a smooth, stone floor. Usually, portal travel is quick, only seconds. That it felt like several minutes meant that this place wasn't anywhere near Crescent City. It also means that wherever we are isn't a place for a common witch. If I weren't descended from Araminta Thorpe herself, the most po
[Hawthorne]I was three drinks in when my great-grandmother swept into the tavern, her sudden appearance quieting every laugh and sob with the sheer power of her presence. Even the music seemed to disappear as the door closed behind her and she made a direct path to the bar where I sat surrounded by other lovesick witches mourning their losses over cheap beer.“Come with me child,” the old witch commanded in a voice barely above a whisper, as she leaned in. “If you want to help her, you’ll come. You aren’t doing either one of you any good moping around here.” She barely masks her disappointment as she looks me up and down. I've seen that look on her face before, every time that I disappoint her. Now is no different except for the rushed intensity of her movements. Her glare has the power to incinerate stone, so I moved quickly before there was nothing left to me than ash.The powerful Coven Mistress doesn't wait for me to catch up as she sweeps from the room, her cape billowing behind