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[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
[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
[Apple]This is my third bonus shift this week at the Trail’s End Diner. I’ve been taking on all the extra work I can to free myself of this hell hole and I’m almost there. Just one more day of work and I’ll have enough to drive away and leave this place forever. “Order up!” I grab the food from underneath the light and weave my way around customers to set a too-greasy hamburger and fries in front of an older gentleman with a wandering hand. I’ve been avoiding my stepfather’s touches since my breasts first budded, so I have learned how to avoid such advances. If I were bolder, I might scream when his hand finds my hip instead of my ass or thigh. But I don’t want trouble. I just want to finish my shift and go home. “Hey Apple,” Tony from the post office walks in with a big smile on his face, “I saw this and thought you might want it before you went home.” He pulls a large envelope with the words “Crescent City University” written in bold black font. “You know what they say about big
[Apple]Crescent City is the nearest metropolis to Pleasant Valley and home to the largest population of supernaturals on the West Coast. Mostly werewolves, and maybe a few witches, they stick to their own kind for the most part, although they go to school and work side by side with humans. Growing up in Pleasant Valley, an all-human community, I didn't encounter many supernaturals. Which is why it was so startling to find myself in the middle of a city full of them. At first, I look around in awe, mesmerized by the bright lights and vivid sounds, but then as I drive around downtown I realize two very important things:Number 1--I don’t know where I’m going.Number 2--After three hours of driving to get here, I’m starving.My idiot ex-boss didn’t even let me gather my tips before I left, and my wallet was empty. I can’t touch the money in my savings account--that’s for school. So I’m stuck to my secret car stash of cash that I keep underneath the passenger’s seat. Reaching down, my
[Apple]Raising a single eyebrow, a young man with dazzling golden hazel eyes helps me regain my footing. My breath catches, as his warm hands send tingles along my arms. “It's dangerous out here, Miss,” he warns, as he hands me my bag, his face blank and uninterested.“You should watch your step.”“Thank you,” I reply nervously as I lean over to gather my remaining items off the ground. “My name’s Apple,” I start to say as I look up again only to discover that he has vanished, almost as if he was never there. “So much for people being friendlier here,” I grumble as I dust myself off. I guess cute doesn’t mean kind.Shaking my encounter with the mysterious hazel-eyed boy, I rush to my car and begin the drive to the other side of town. Turning on my radio, I discover that all of my stations have changed with the new location, and it takes a moment to find one playing something I can sing along with.When an ad for Rental Luna plays, I turn it off. Disgusted. I couldn’t imagine a job
[Apple]As I take the offered seat he relaxes and much of the pulsing, tense energy in the room starts to dissipate as he moves into a more professional, less predatory, position behind his desk. “A luna is not just a companion, she is the Alpha’s help mate, taking a share of the pack responsibilities so that everything runs smoothly.” He explains. “Luna is the public face of the pack. She speaks for them and represents their strength.” “So like a customer service position?” I squeak nervously, trying to make sense of everything.“No.” His eyes glow, offended by the comparison. “An Luna serves her pack, but she is not a servant,” his lip curls, upset at my cultural misunderstanding. “She does the work of being approachable and available to our people so that I can do the work of managing the more aggressive elements of pack leadership. She guides our pack with a firm but gentle hand, almost like a pack mother.” “Why are you telling me this?” I tap my fingertips on the knee of my jea
[Apple]My attacker releases me, dropping to the floor, showing his neck in supplication to the man growling behind him.Alpha Sylvester Sterling.“For the crime of touching my luna, you are hereby dismissed from your position,” he snaps his teeth, now slightly pointed.“Yes, Alpha,” the wolfman grovels.Sylvester reaches down and with a single claw, scrapes a large, long “R” across his back as the man screams.“You are packless now, rogue,” the Alpha spits in rage. “Any wolf low enough to attack a defenseless woman is not honorable enough for the Silver Crescent pack or any other pack within our organization.”“Please Alpha, mercy,” he begs pathetically, dropping his chest to the pavement. “I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t know she was yours.”“I am not your Alpha anymore,” Sylvester’s eyes are glowing like blue fire. “Now get out of here before I change my mind about skinning you and leaving your hide on the side of the building as a warning to others.”Becoming a rogue slowly drives
[Apple]“Hi, Alpha Sterling,” I tried to sound cheerful, even though I felt like I failed. “Can you please ask your Beta to pick me up at 7:30 instead? I don't want to sign anything...yet," I explain. "I just want to give it a try."My heart is racing and I am unable to sleep as I process what I’m about to do tomorrow. What am I going to wear, how am I going to survive in a building full of apex predators. Staring at the clock across the room, I watch the minutes tick by slowly. Why does it feel that I’ve jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire?A brisk banging on the door jolts me awake. I don’t know when I fell asleep, but by the way my eyes are burning, it couldn’t have been that long ago. “5:59” I groan as I peek through my swollen eyelids.Maybe they’ll go away, or Hazel or one of her roommates will get it. BANG. BANG. BANG. “Ms. LeRoux!” the doorframe rattles with the strength of his banging as he calls my name repeatedly. Falling off the couch with a thunk, I hurr
[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
[Apple] My handsome mate, the mightiest alpha in the west, is kneeling before me, his heart in his hands. “...You are already my luna. Would you honor me by becoming my wife?” I can taste my heartbeat on the back of my tongue. So much has happened so fast. But when he looks up at me with those eyes the color of the sea, I know I’m lost. Bending down, I answer him with kisses, sparks igniting between us as my energy flows into him from where our lips touch. “Yes Sylvester Sterling,” I smile against his mouth. “I’ll marry you.” Whooping in joy, Sly rises to his feet and swings me around. Laughing, for a moment everything else falls away. The stresses waiting for us beyond this room are nothing compared to the strength of his love flowing between us along the bond, my own witch energy moving through us as well, so powerfully that Sly’s skin seems to glow. Sly is glowing. How? “Sylvester,” I pull away, “Stop. Put me down. You’re…” The door to the shop slams with so much for