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[Apple]Tansy was so shocked by my sudden appearance in the middle of the road, glowing like a beacon, completely naked with claws outstretched, that shortly after she recognized me, her lips said my name, her eyes rolled back, and she fell to the ground in a jumbled heap of skintight clothing and too much makeup. Even her shoes, three-inch spiked heels in a gaudy shade of yellow, screamed village tramp. Moon Goddess above, how did I ever miss that she was screwing Zion this whole time? Based on the half-dozen male scents wafting from her body, barely masked by her pea flower perfume, she’s probably screwing half the town. Lifting her legs, I dragged her to the back of the van. Finding her keys, I open it up to find it empty except for two stained mattresses that are strapped together, and 5 sets of silver shackles. Even though she didn’t have any prisoners right now, it is clear that this hexed van was designed to transport witches. Perfect. That means I can bring it inside without
[Apple]Carefully removing the items from their hiding spot, my fingers touch the leather spine of my mother's book, a book that I've never seen before but seems more familiar than the back of my hand. My mind is a confusion of memories that seem like someone else's dreams, moments long forgotten and trapped deep within. Finding this book and mirror, feeling their weight in my hands, is a key unlocking a door in my mind behind which a wealth of memories have been stored. Memories of my mother and I.The room spins and then fades as I am pulled into these memories as an observer, watching everything as if from above, seeing the scenes playing out like a movie of my own forgotten life. I am standing in a small wooden house surrounded by trees. It is so cold outside that the windows are frosted, their edges rimmed with snow. Along the panes, small fingers had traced warm patterns--pentacles and symbols of protection, that my numb fingertips remember making earlier that morning as I prac
[Sylvester]This young pup isn’t a wolf, he’s a rat. What kind of wolf sells his own kind out to humans for experimentation? What kind of wolf laughs about how his father was used as a test subject for the current version of hellsbane.And how can this bastard be the true son of Lysander Moon with a soul so twisted and tainted?“Lysander Moon is my father,” he announced, gasping as I started to squeeze the life from his scrawny neck. “Prove it, you lying piece of shit,” I howled, slamming him into a wall. "Lysander wouldn’t have betrayed his mate. He was too loyal.”He smirks even as the blood leaves his face. “Maybe you didn’t know him as well as you think. But I am his son. You know I am. You can see it, can’t you? You can see my father in my eyes.”Either this pup is lying, or he’s telling the truth, in the end it doesn’t matter. I need him to help me find a way out of this nightmare.More importantly, if he knows about Lysander, and my foster father is still alive, this little pri
[Sylvester]My lip curls as his foul scent fills my nostrils, invading my mind. The smell of him confirms what my eyes can plainly see. Even tattered and bruised and covered in filth, there is no mistaking the proud wolf hunched before me, trapped in a cage like a mutt. It’s Clancy--Alexis’s uncle and Beta-Emeritus from Silver Crescent Pack. Of all the wolves who died in that building as the rogues broke through, he may be the one who least deserved to live. And of all the people I’d want to be by my side when the end of the world comes knocking, Clancy isn’t one of them. If I’m honest with myself, I’d admit that I enjoyed watching what I thought was his demise. If I hadn’t been so distracted by my need to get out of there, I’d have noticed he survived and done something about it then. He shouldn’t have ever left that courthouse, not after all the sins he’s committed. Of all the people to be stuck with as I watch the world burn, he is the last wolf I’d choose.“How are you still
[Sylvester]When taking that first sip of alpha blood while trapped in that underground prison, I hadn’t realized how quickly my ability to heal would increase. It was almost instant, allowing me to turn around and see exactly who hit me in the back of my head. Calyx. The sly young wolf has an even more twisted grin as he holds a bloody, broken chair. I don’t think he was expecting me to still be standing. Swiping him with the speed of an alpha powered by other alphas, I moved more rapidly than I knew was possible. One moment I was standing still, the next, my clawed hand was around his neck, his face slashed to ribbons as I pinned him against a wall.“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” This idiot thought he could hurt me. To be fair, just a moment earlier, being hit with a metal chair from behind would have at least stunned me. Gargling on his own blood he laughs. “Distracting you.” “What?” I don't have enough time to process what is going on when a needle pierces my neck
[Sylvester]Of all the wolves in the world to find me, I should have known it would be him.Rudolph Ian Forrester. Best damn beta in the world."Alpha, thank the Goddess you're okay," he looks down at my bruised and cut form with the biggest gore-covered smile on his face as he reached down to help me up.When I explain that I can't stand because the dead assholes "drugged me like a fucking elephant," he shrugs, picks scoops me up like I weigh nothing, and lays me down in the back of the van. Propping me up against a seat, he opens the door so I can watch him work while recovering from the effects of the drugs.Rudy is efficient as he partially transforms to dig a hole several feet wide and several feet deep. The entire time he does this, he rattles on about how crazy it's been out here since I disappeared from the courtroom, chasing down a red wolf, which I now realize was all part of Clancy's plan. How long had he planned this? Did he somehow set me up to be tried for treason? There
[Sylvester] My body is sore, but somehow I manage to stand on shaking legs. "No need," I assure him. "I'm fine." Rudy's eyes widen with shock and uncertainty. "Alpha?" His deep timber vibrates with fear and wonder, "How are you doing this?" With each step I take forward, my footsteps become more sure as I feel my spinal cord fully knit itself back together, the muscles in my back recovering as I move. "I was trapped in that place with the remaining elder alphas." My smile is more of a grimace as I remember how one by one they took the knee, only to be slaughtered by Clancy and Calyx. "All of them." "Does that mean...?" His voice is a whisper as the truth of my words dawn on him. "Please, Rudy, don't bow," I request with the edge of an order as I turn away and head towards a large crystaline lake. I can't bear to see his reverence or watch him bow before me as his king- a title I now loathe to have after seeing all the death such power can create. Because it isn't just the alphas b
[Araminta] The door swings open, and I’m face to face with an angry alpha, glaring down at my gathered group as we walk inside. At my back is Hawthorne, along with Coven Master Harlem and his apprentice, Parris, from the High Witch Council. They were the only ones willing to help me find the Alpha after the meeting concluded, and I lost my great-granddaughter in a flush of claws and fur, running after the last traces of her mate bond. “I did my best, Alpha,” I snap back, exhausted from my trip. “She’s impossible to tame, you should know that as well as anyone. She’s a LeRoux. They’ve always been stubborn. Besides,” I take a deep breath. “She ran off chasing you. I was hoping to find her here.” The two wolves move aside and I can’t help but be reminded of a similar meeting a lifetime ago between me and a promising new Alpha King, his beta by his side. There was a similar feeling of friendship blended with antagonism, only unlike before we are on the same side. “Weren’t you witche
[Apple]On my third day of hiding, I woke to the sound of trucks rolling through town towards the city center. Large container trucks rattled along the highway, their horns blazing.Something is happening, but what?As if on cue, my stepfather storms out of the trailer, shouting over his shoulder at Tansy, who stumbles after him, his shirt in one hand and a beer in the other. Throwing his shirt over his head, Doc covers his blindingly white, naked chest right before taking the beer, knocking it back with a quick, enthusiastic chug.“Damn it girl,” Doc swears when he spills some down his front. "This beer is warmer than whore's piss. Why the…”“Dad, you don’t have time for this,” she pushes him towards the truck. “Remember, you’re meeting with the mayor in 15 minutes.”Tansy looks over her father’s head at the road leading down to town, her brow pinched with concern as she folds her hands nervously, twisting her fingers around one another as she paces. “Why are you in such a hurry?” Do
[Apple] When the dust settled and the truck came to a halt, two middle-aged men came stumbling out, half drunk, patting themselves on the back. "Damn it, Doc, that was fun," Evan Paige, Zion's father and the Mayor of Pleasant Valley, laughs as he dusts off a set of fatigues. He's a handsome man, an older version of Zion with the classic All-American athlete look, large muscles, blue eyes, and golden blonde hair. His has a bit of gray at the temples, and his face is finely lined with age, but there is no mistaking their parentage. Zion is practically his younger twin. Or he was until I killed him during my first shift. In the end, it seems he really did love me. He even warned me about Clancy, even though it was too late. "Any day, Ev," Doc belches and then laughs when he bleaches a second time. "Maybe a few less beers if we're gonna hit so many bumps. Damn, rogues had to take to the forest." "Yeah, next time let's bring the ATV..." They continue to plot as they walk inside the tra
[Araminta] The door swings open, and I’m face to face with an angry alpha, glaring down at my gathered group as we walk inside. At my back is Hawthorne, along with Coven Master Harlem and his apprentice, Parris, from the High Witch Council. They were the only ones willing to help me find the Alpha after the meeting concluded, and I lost my great-granddaughter in a flush of claws and fur, running after the last traces of her mate bond. “I did my best, Alpha,” I snap back, exhausted from my trip. “She’s impossible to tame, you should know that as well as anyone. She’s a LeRoux. They’ve always been stubborn. Besides,” I take a deep breath. “She ran off chasing you. I was hoping to find her here.” The two wolves move aside and I can’t help but be reminded of a similar meeting a lifetime ago between me and a promising new Alpha King, his beta by his side. There was a similar feeling of friendship blended with antagonism, only unlike before we are on the same side. “Weren’t you witche
[Sylvester] My body is sore, but somehow I manage to stand on shaking legs. "No need," I assure him. "I'm fine." Rudy's eyes widen with shock and uncertainty. "Alpha?" His deep timber vibrates with fear and wonder, "How are you doing this?" With each step I take forward, my footsteps become more sure as I feel my spinal cord fully knit itself back together, the muscles in my back recovering as I move. "I was trapped in that place with the remaining elder alphas." My smile is more of a grimace as I remember how one by one they took the knee, only to be slaughtered by Clancy and Calyx. "All of them." "Does that mean...?" His voice is a whisper as the truth of my words dawn on him. "Please, Rudy, don't bow," I request with the edge of an order as I turn away and head towards a large crystaline lake. I can't bear to see his reverence or watch him bow before me as his king- a title I now loathe to have after seeing all the death such power can create. Because it isn't just the alphas b
[Sylvester]Of all the wolves in the world to find me, I should have known it would be him.Rudolph Ian Forrester. Best damn beta in the world."Alpha, thank the Goddess you're okay," he looks down at my bruised and cut form with the biggest gore-covered smile on his face as he reached down to help me up.When I explain that I can't stand because the dead assholes "drugged me like a fucking elephant," he shrugs, picks scoops me up like I weigh nothing, and lays me down in the back of the van. Propping me up against a seat, he opens the door so I can watch him work while recovering from the effects of the drugs.Rudy is efficient as he partially transforms to dig a hole several feet wide and several feet deep. The entire time he does this, he rattles on about how crazy it's been out here since I disappeared from the courtroom, chasing down a red wolf, which I now realize was all part of Clancy's plan. How long had he planned this? Did he somehow set me up to be tried for treason? There
[Sylvester]When taking that first sip of alpha blood while trapped in that underground prison, I hadn’t realized how quickly my ability to heal would increase. It was almost instant, allowing me to turn around and see exactly who hit me in the back of my head. Calyx. The sly young wolf has an even more twisted grin as he holds a bloody, broken chair. I don’t think he was expecting me to still be standing. Swiping him with the speed of an alpha powered by other alphas, I moved more rapidly than I knew was possible. One moment I was standing still, the next, my clawed hand was around his neck, his face slashed to ribbons as I pinned him against a wall.“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” This idiot thought he could hurt me. To be fair, just a moment earlier, being hit with a metal chair from behind would have at least stunned me. Gargling on his own blood he laughs. “Distracting you.” “What?” I don't have enough time to process what is going on when a needle pierces my neck
[Sylvester]My lip curls as his foul scent fills my nostrils, invading my mind. The smell of him confirms what my eyes can plainly see. Even tattered and bruised and covered in filth, there is no mistaking the proud wolf hunched before me, trapped in a cage like a mutt. It’s Clancy--Alexis’s uncle and Beta-Emeritus from Silver Crescent Pack. Of all the wolves who died in that building as the rogues broke through, he may be the one who least deserved to live. And of all the people I’d want to be by my side when the end of the world comes knocking, Clancy isn’t one of them. If I’m honest with myself, I’d admit that I enjoyed watching what I thought was his demise. If I hadn’t been so distracted by my need to get out of there, I’d have noticed he survived and done something about it then. He shouldn’t have ever left that courthouse, not after all the sins he’s committed. Of all the people to be stuck with as I watch the world burn, he is the last wolf I’d choose.“How are you still
[Sylvester]This young pup isn’t a wolf, he’s a rat. What kind of wolf sells his own kind out to humans for experimentation? What kind of wolf laughs about how his father was used as a test subject for the current version of hellsbane.And how can this bastard be the true son of Lysander Moon with a soul so twisted and tainted?“Lysander Moon is my father,” he announced, gasping as I started to squeeze the life from his scrawny neck. “Prove it, you lying piece of shit,” I howled, slamming him into a wall. "Lysander wouldn’t have betrayed his mate. He was too loyal.”He smirks even as the blood leaves his face. “Maybe you didn’t know him as well as you think. But I am his son. You know I am. You can see it, can’t you? You can see my father in my eyes.”Either this pup is lying, or he’s telling the truth, in the end it doesn’t matter. I need him to help me find a way out of this nightmare.More importantly, if he knows about Lysander, and my foster father is still alive, this little pri
[Apple]Carefully removing the items from their hiding spot, my fingers touch the leather spine of my mother's book, a book that I've never seen before but seems more familiar than the back of my hand. My mind is a confusion of memories that seem like someone else's dreams, moments long forgotten and trapped deep within. Finding this book and mirror, feeling their weight in my hands, is a key unlocking a door in my mind behind which a wealth of memories have been stored. Memories of my mother and I.The room spins and then fades as I am pulled into these memories as an observer, watching everything as if from above, seeing the scenes playing out like a movie of my own forgotten life. I am standing in a small wooden house surrounded by trees. It is so cold outside that the windows are frosted, their edges rimmed with snow. Along the panes, small fingers had traced warm patterns--pentacles and symbols of protection, that my numb fingertips remember making earlier that morning as I prac