[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
[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] 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
[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]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]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