Selena POV:
I was saved from the stand-off with Duncan’s uncle later by Neo who wished that everyone enjoy the meal. I turned my attention to helping to pass the dishes around the table and fell into a conversation about my training with Caleb. The rest of the meal remained civil as everyone paired off with the person next to them for more intimate conversations. I peeked over at Duncan occasionally to find him attentive to whoever he was holding a conversation with. He would catch my eye every so often and give me a reassuring smile that I felt was both for me and himself.
As soon as the meal was over, I turned to Lamont, who nodded at me, saying that he was ready to talk to me. I glanced back at Duncan as the two of us excused ourselves from the table and walked out of the house and into the thin vegetation.
My nerves returned to the fore as my thoughts centered on what happened this morning with Meredith and Argon. Or should I say… what didn&rsq
Selena POV:We were at a stalemate and neither of us seemed to know what to say to clear it up. Work and time would be the only method that I would be able to build trust with everyone involved.Lamont saw me as a tool that needed to survive for the better of his coven, but I was hesitant. “Now, if I may, I need to go back to the lunch. It is rude for a guest to be missing for so long,” he said, moving towards the living quarters. I was not completely satisfied with the answers he gave me. Between Meredith, Argon, and him, it was becoming clear that I may not get all the information that I sought. But that didn’t mean that I would stop asking questions. What I did know was that I was here at the Blue Moon Pack to stay. If this area was in danger, I would need to focus my attention on my magic studies. I needed to add to the protection present here. A slight chill ran through me as I thought of the people I liked and the
Selena POV:Icy cold winds surrounded me as I ran along a dark path. It was lined with tall, skeletal trees on both sides. Branches that looked like long, pale, spindly arms with clawed hands reached forward with the intent of capturing me as I tried to escape their grasp. I yelled for help, but my voice came out as a strangled, warbling noise that was quickly drowned out by the howling voices of the trees. All I could do was run. I thought that if I stayed on the path and did not allow the branches to touch me, I would make it to safety. Up ahead, along the path, a saw a tall figure with its back to me. It stood perfectly still as the trees thrashed in the wind, waving their arms around it, not even acknowledging the figure standing stoically. The light was so dim that it took me a moment to realize that it was Duncan.A glimmer of hope moved through me as I knew that if I reached him, I would be safe. “Duncan!” I attempted
Selena POV:He had been quiet in this meeting until that moment. His simple but firm answer sent another chill down my spine. I could feel Duncan’s worry as well, making my stomach turn with unease. “The Magic Eater will not be satisfied until it has devoured all the element energy that exists. It may be attacking more powerful packs now but it will keep going until everything is gone,” Argon continued. Murmurs of apprehension broke the silence following Argon’s explanation. My nerves kept rising, spurring on my fear for this Magic Eater. Would I have been sitting duck if I were still wandering? Or would my blocked magic have kept me safe? “What plan do you have in mind?” Duncan asked to explain. The talking stopped as Lamont and Argon turned their heads in our direction. “Our plan will need the wolves and the witches to work together,” Lamont started, exchanging the map of the world with
Selena POV:After we went back to the house, the weekend felt like someone pushed the fast-forward button. Bed. Breakfast. Repeating the lessons with the wolf cubs. Reading. Another lesson in shifting with Duncan. Reading. Dinner. Bed. Even Sunday’s dinner with Meredith and Argon felt like I was watching it on television rather than actually partaking in the meal. There were moments when things moved so slowly and others where the scene sped up to double-time. All that I perceived of that meal was that it was tense the entire time. Silverware clanked against dishes, the food was hot, and the conversation was cold. It was with great relief that Meredith and Argon left shortly after dinner. None of us were comfortable during the meal, even though everyone wore amiable masks that said otherwise. The whole meal felt false from the start. There was too much history between everyone. I was certain that everyone’s thoughts were foc
Selena POV:After practicing with the wolves that morning, Duncan informed me that my identification was ready. It had been fast-tracked and I needed to sign the release forms and get them together. Returning to civilization was something I had pushed to the back of my mind during the past few weeks. I hadn’t thought about what it would mean to go back to that office mated after vehemently saying that we were not mated. To integrate myself back to the system that Duncan had prepared for me in advance It was with a bit of a shock that, as Duncan pulled his car into the parking lot of the diner, I realized that exactly I would be facing. People seemed to stare as we paced. Fingers pointed and heads leaned together in private conversation. Conversation that I was certain was about what happened between Duncan and me.I had dealt with so much in the past week and was facing things that could mean destruction for the whole residing population, but this l
Selena POV:Lamont looked between us in amusement then turned his head to speak to Meredith, who was standing a few steps behind him. “Excellent, their bond is moving along faster than expected,” he commented, satisfied. Test after test.“I will be in the study if you need my assistance,” Meredith said, giving both Duncan and me a nod before leaving us with Lamont. “So,” Lamont began, clasping his hand together as she addressed us with an excited smile.“Alpha Duncan, will you be joining us today?” he asked. “Yes,” Duncan responded contritely. “I will be overseeing the training today. I will see the progress for a few days before I return to pack business.”“Understood. Alpha, I suggest you take a seat and watch as I work with Selena.”I gave Duncan a reassuring look that I would be okay. He walked over to the small table on the side of the p
Selena POV:“I am so sorry. Here, let me take a look,” I asked him. “I know Ed has some burn cream in the kit. Maybe it can help.”“Selena, I am fine. I will just run it under cold water,” Duncan grumbled as he stood in front of the kitchen sink in the house, with his arm under the water. I tried to get a look at the damage that I had inflicted on him during the lesson, but he was being the strong alpha male and kept maneuvering his body to block my sight. His pain was fading but his irritation grew with each second. I knew without a doubt that I deserved it. He had warned me of the type of lesson that I was facing. I should have tried harder to keep my cool. “I am so sorry,” I said again. “Elemental power caused the burn, you need to get it checked out by Ed quickly. Please.”When I felt his pain during the lesson, it had scared me. Lamont had indeed continued his subtle twist of words
Selena POV:The surrounding area was completely shrouded in a gloomy mist as the sun decided to hide behind the masses of grey clouds the next day. It was as if the weather was privy to my thoughts and mimicked them for the world to see. I had felt unease after the phone conversation Duncan had telling us to meet at the location of the trap. The feeling had followed me through the rest of the evening and throughout the day as I trained. Along with the uneasiness, an odd certainty had taken up space within me. I suddenly knew my purpose of being in this place, being mated to Duncan. It seemed like I was living a strange destiny with people I have known for a very short but crucial period of time. I was connected to them by some twist of fate or the plans of a higher power, in their opinion. But this knowledge was making my head spin, making me wish I was elsewhere. Was it wrong of me to wish this and want to be removed from the responsibility? The expecta
Warning: There is sexual content up ahead. Please beware.Selena POV:“Selena, thank god!” Meredith exclaimed into tears the moment I walked into the greenhouse. She ran over to me and hugged me tightly, sobbing into my shoulder. I hugged her with as much intensity, needing a moment with her after passing through the destruction. I felt nothing but gratitude to the powers that had allowed me to live and see the people I love alive. With everything that could have gone wrong, it was truly a miracle. We pulled away but kept our arms around each other. Meredith’s face was a contradiction in expressions. It held tears of released fears but it also showed absolute love for me. “We were so worried,” she started and then stopped to swallow down some of her tears. “When the ritual was over and we had all survived, I knew you had succeeded but we couldn’t find you. We tried everything but you… I mean&helli
Duncan POV:In Meredith’s greenhouse, we all felt the abrupt shift in the air. It seemed to be gone as suddenly as it had arrived. I looked over at Lamont with a questioning look. He looked stunned as well. I walked over to him and watched as he processed what was happening. “Is it gone?” I asked. “Yes. They succeeded,” he said quietly. But he didn’t look pleased. I arched my brow, feeling anger rise in me at his reaction. He looked up and then shook his head. “There is a shift in the air, but I can’t pinpoint what is wrong.” He sighed. “Call the witches.”I moved out of the greenhouse and looked outside. I could sense the destruction this thing had created, but it was farther off than the pack than I had realized. I dialed Argon and Meredith’s phone, but it just wouldn’t connect. I was sure that the magic eater had destroyed the power lines and it wouldn&rsquo
Selena POV:We were surrounded by the darkness.I was shaking with helplessness. I felt its ice-like fingers moving towards me and I frantically moved away from it. Looking over to my right, I saw that it was Meredith’s hand I was holding. She wore the same expression on her face that was flowing through me. On the opposite side of her, Argon was holding on her other hand. We had found ourselves in a small opening in the forest, trying to regroup, only to fall into its trap. The trees and bushes around us were alive with unnatural and pure gloom, foreshadowing what was about to befall us. “Everyone, get into position!” Argon shouted. The noise from the forest was loud enough that normal conversation was impossible to hear. As I looked at the others taking their position, for a brief moment Duncan’s face floated into my head. My own fear changed into warmth. His face—his person—everything, had become something
Selena POV:Duncan’s cellphone rang just as we acknowledged what was happening. He answered it quickly, practically yelling into the receiver over the noise being created by the wind and water outside. The humans were terrified. “Yes. I know. We think so too,” he said, his eyes boring into mine. There was chaotic fear and absolute certainty. The lights above us flickered a few times and then went dead. The emergency lights flashed on almost immediately as we emerged out to the main area. A waiter was crying to calm a crying girl afraid of storms when she noticed us. “I am sure the lights will be back on momentarily,” she said quickly, but I could see she was physically shaking. Duncan was trying trying to move us out the doors, but I stalled him to take a good look at the humans. Absolute fear. These people would be caught in between powers they didn’t know about. What would help them?
Selena POV:Following the success of the new ritual, practice continued daily for the next week. The tension I had thought was snuffed out returned in another form. Instead of flaring emotions, it was restlessness that gripped me. The unspoken question of when the magic eater would come hovered over everyone. There was no certainty about when the magic eater would arrive, but we were expected to carry on with our lives as if it were business as usual. It was starting to become too much to handle and we were feeling the drain outside of normal ritual work. I found myself nodding off a few times during wolf training. Duncan was exhausted too. Each time I practiced, the ritual chipped away at me, but Duncan bore the brunt of the emotions. His heart felt heavy as he couldn’t shoulder the load with me or offer anything that my stubborn pride would allow. On top of that, we were both frustrated that there never seemed to be a time when we were truly al
Selena POV:I walked out of the bathroom after my hot bath and found Duncan fully dressed and looking at the journal next to him. Lamont had handed him the book before we left with a request to bring it with us to tomorrow’s practice. He was dozing off and when I approached him, he started awake. “Sorry,” he mumbled, sitting up and rubbing a hand across his eyes.I laughed at how boyish he looked and perched on the edge of the bed next to him to rub his neck. “With you running around all day and emotionally supporting me, you are more tired than me. I am surprised you are still awake.”He smiled sleepily and leaned towards me to rest his chin on my shoulder. I reached my other hand and massaged the top of his head, enjoying the feel of his soft hair and the gentle waves of contentment radiating from him, relaxing me in return. “Nice,” he sighed, setting more against me, drifting back to sleep. I g
Selena POV:The home phone rang as I was cleaning the dishes. Knowing that it was most likely Duncan trying to contact me, I hastily wiped my wet hands on a dishtowel and managed to answer it by the fourth ring. “Hello?”“Selena, Lamont needs us to head over to the greenhouse to go over the new ritual. Should I come to pick you up now?” Duncan asked, getting straight to the point. “Sure, that’s fine,” I told him, feelings tingles of stress and strangely enough, eagerness when he said the word ‘ritual.’“Great. I will be home shortly,” he said before quickly disconnecting the call. Did that mean we could use this new ritual? I had transcribed the segment and felt unsure about it. But it was still worth a try. .The greenhouse was alive with activity when Duncan and I walked through the back door. My eyes landed on Argon, who was helping Lamont lift a large pot
Duncan POV:As soon as we were back from wolf training, I practically dove in to get the witch notes out. I placed the package on the table and carefully unwrapped it to find an old, beat-up, leather-bound book nestled within it. A frayed red ribbon was stuck between the pages and I gently opened it to the section marked. A crude ink drawing of a circle took up one side while scribbles of what looked like notes were on the other. The only thing that I could read with ease was the top note in larger scrip that said: “Negating dark energy.”“What did you find?” Selena asked quietly, taking a seat beside me and leaning over for a better look at the contents. I pushed the books towards her so that we could share, hoping she might be able to decipher some of the faded writing on the pages. We were both quiet for a few minutes as we studied the content. Selena broke the quiet with a sharp intake of breath and sat back. Her emotions had changed
Selena POV:“Duncan, I know that you have more experience in being the leader of the pack, but I am not dumb. And I am not without knowledge of being a witch. My instincts have helped me a lot and I haven’t been wrong when I listened to them. I trust your instincts as the alpha and want to approach Meredith for help. I know you thought it was the right thing to do, but please trust me,” I whispered. He stopped the movement of his hands and remained quiet for another second. His emotions revolved around us, but none of them were anger. “I know you are not dumb. You are a talented witch and alpha female. I just forget sometimes that you are capable of so much more. All I want to do is protect you…” he said sincerely and then spoke softer. “…because you are mine.”He pulled me along him so that we were lying chest to chest, my face above his. A wave of sweetness rolled inside me, seeping into my pores as that