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
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
Selena POV:My name is Selena and I was born a crime.Werewolves speak proudly of how they take care of their pack, but in reality, not all wolves were equals. The pack hunted as a group, the stronger ones leading, while the weaker trailed behind and waited for their turn to feed.The Alphas and the Betas would gorge on the flesh and the muscles, leaving the organs to the weaker ones.Not allowed to show my face, I would hide within the thick foliage and wait until the pack retreated to take a look at what was left of the dead animal.With a pack our size, hardly any muscle was left hanging on the hard-to-reach crevices of the bones. Instead, I would chew into the bones until my jaw would ache and suck out the marrow from the middle.When my father, Bran, was around, he would hunt small rabbits from the end of our territory and bring it back for us. I, as a half-human, could consume herbs, fruits, and vegetables from the wilderness, but he o
Selena POV:I didn’t stop until I breached the thickest line of the woods. There, I waded through the thick bushes, knowing that none of the men in their wolf forms could venture into the thorny shrubberies and hurt their legs.I ran until my bones ached and my legs no longer felt like they could carry me. I knew I had run quite a distance because the landscape was slowly changing.I knew that I shouldn’t stop but I needed to rest. I found a little cave that sheltered me from the weather and slumped down to the ground, allowing my body to sag from the weight of everything that had happened.Just when I thought life would be okay, something came along to fuck everything up.I didn’t want to be part of this pack that hated me. I didn’t want a mate. There were plenty of other women in the pack for them to choose from. Why the hell did they choose me? And I wasn’t buying into the nonsense about the moon goddess.Tho
Duncan POV:As the Alpha of a pack, there was more to do than just lead the wolves into the hunt. Before that, I had to prepare each and every one of them for the hunt to come. If it was a wild buffalo, I had to teach the younglings the dangers of the creatures. A practice hunt was more common than people realized and it was necessary for the safety and prosperity of the pack.Apart from that, there was also the issue of making sure that common resources like shelter, medicines, clothes were in store. I needed to account for repairs, bills, and money spent in general.With the rise of human civilization, living in a community of wolves without associating with the outside human world was difficult. Therefore, we had to play by the human rules.The pack even sent students to college to ensure we were up to standard with modern technology and science. If medicine advanced, the lives of our pack would go along with it.That was my philosophy. It could
Duncan POV:Now that I was closer, I could see what she really looked like. The dark shadows under her eyes were prominent, and the clothes she wore hang on her loosely. She was a wisp of a girl who looked even more fragile than a human.Sylvie, shift.The crackling of bones could be heard and from the bowels of the grass, Sylvie appeared in her human form.The girl yelped and stumbled, taking a step back before she stiffened. She seemed to have remembered that she was surrounded.She let out a small cry and she looked behind her. The glowing eyes of one of my sentinels made her shudder.I felt the urge to console her and held myself back. This girl was not of my pack. I didn’t have to protect her. Even if she was desperate and in need of help.It was not my responsibility.“What’s your name, girl?” Sylvie asked in that deep, angry voice of hers.The little girl trembled. “…
Selena POV: I watched as the large men left the little cabin, leaving me alone with the doctor. He had a kind but withered face and a curious look in his eyes. He scrutinized my body from top to bottom before furrowing his brow. “So, what is your name, child?” he asked. I looked at him in astonishment and wondered what to do. “Do I need to answer that?” I knew for a fact that there would be only one half-breed running from their pack with my name. The moment I said my name, they would know how to look for me. “I was going to put your name on the medical chart for my benefit, but no matter!” he chirped. “Your name has nothing to do with your health, so I will give you a temporary name to distinguish you.” He hummed and looked around the room, searching for an appropriate name. I felt a pang of gratefulness at his understanding. “How about I call you ‘Lemonade’?” he asked after a while. “Lemonade?” I whisper
Selena POV:There was silence outside again and I didn’t bother to look outside again in embarrassment. I shuffled back to the chair and seated myself.I looked down at my twined fingers and waited for a minute to compose myself.I heard the door to the cabin slam open and was startled to look towards it. It was a woman with a tray in her hand. The doctor, too, had startled as was looking at the female in question with thinly veiled horror in his eyes. “Wasn’t Lena in kitchen duty today?” he asked, trying to keep his voice down and out of surprise. He failed miserably because I could hear the anxiety in his voice. Hearing him so unsure, I felt fear creep up my spine. “Oh my, look at what the pack dragged in.” Her eyes scanned over my body and she scoffed. I could distinctly see the disgust in her eyes. I shrank back and slumped into the chair, trying to distance myself from her, but at the same ti
Duncan POV:Neo’s loudly muttered ‘cute’ caught my attention. I followed his line of sight and saw a small body quickly retreat. Neo chuckled and shook his head.“So much for being a threatening presence. The little one surely is scared and embarrassed easily,” he said softly. .A grave expression crossed Neo’s face when he looked at me.We had just left the cabin after Ruth and were distressed by what had just occurred. The whole situation irked me. Not only had Ruth aggressively floundered on my authority, but she had the audacity to look smug about it. The little widening of the half-breed’s eyes had given away exactly what Ruth had done when my back was turned.“Have you thought about what to do with her?” he asked.I shook my head. “So far, letting the doctor assess her for injuries and diseases is the first course of action. A lot will be revealed about her in that case.
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