ALAIA As soon as she left, I went straight for the grimoire. I carefully looked around it to make sure there weren’t any traps. Who would leave something this powerful out in the open? I took out some powder and threw it over the case. I didn’t see any wards, and my suspicion grew. I knew Mirja was an intelligent witch. I looked around and noticed there was a massive picture of the grimoire. I looked at it on the table, and I had a thought. “If I was a powerful grimoire, where would no one look?” I walked over to the picture of the grimoire. I waved my hand over it and felt the power emanating from it. I stepped closer and could have sworn I heard...voices. I jumped back from the painting, trying to wrap my mind around what I had just heard. Voices were coming from the painting. My heart was pounding, and I knew I was running out of time. I slowly moved back to the painting, and I could hear them. The voices. They wanted me to grab the book. Then, as if something was pulling me
ZIRA I had to be dreaming. It was the only thing that came to mind as I looked at myself in the mirror. I wore my warrior's uniform that fit perfectly like I was never pregnant. I completed the Hunter Trails, beating my high score. There was a celebration with a table full of all kinds of food. My own personal buffet. I couldn't wait to dig in until the scent of something more delicious hit my nose. Hot cinnamon rolls. The smell alone brought me out of my dream as I began to open my eyes. "Don't you dare," I growled, staring at Isabella. She had a finger on one of my mom's famous cinnamon rolls. She looked at me, shocked but not letting go of the roll. "Well, I think I deserve something sweet sitting with you all night," she said, throwing the roll in her mouth with a grin. "How long have I been out?" "Overnight, Miss Lake," Doctor Callie said, walking in. "Twice in one day is a little concerning, especially in your condition." I smiled apologetically. It's not like I wan
ZIRA Two days later I was running through the woods. It was dark, and the only light was from the moon. It was huge, as if I could reach out and touch its cool surface. I was trying to remember if I was running to or from someone. The surrounding trees were destroyed like someone scratched them up. Nina. It had to be. I looked closer and saw black ooze leaking from the lines in the trees, pouring out like tears. The smell was horrid, and as it fell to the grass, it burned through like acid. I started to panic when I heard someone call out. They were far away, and I couldn’t catch what they said, but I didn’t care. I had to escape these trees, so I walked towards the voice. “Hello, are you there?” Darkness started to spread around me. The light from the moon was no more as I moved through the trees. Luckily, I caught a light source moving through the trees, followed by some giggling. “Catch me if you can,” the little voice said with a laugh. It was a child’s voice. “Wa
ISAIAH I told myself this wasn’t that bad. However, the energy in the room was the opposite. I was expecting this. The three of us are in the same room and no drama. It could be because no one had said anything. Alaia and Zira were sitting across from me, avoiding eye contact with me and each other. I could tell Alaia was irritated by how she crossed her legs, tapping her foot in the air. Her arms crossed her chest, and her head was held high. On the other hand, Zira looked as if she hadn’t slept in days. She was fidgeting with her clothes and the necklace. The necklace! She was still wearing it. Luckily, Alaia looked too mad to even notice. No one wanted to be here, but this had to be done. “Okay, I guess I should start,” I said, clearing my throat. “Um, thank you both for coming.” Geez, get a grip. You’re an Alpha, for Goddess’s sake. “Look, I know this is an awkward situation, but I think we can all work together to ensure everyone is happy.” That must have been a keyword becau
ALAIA I stared at Zira’s stunned expression, waiting for her to answer my question. The fact that she was taking a long time to answer didn’t help my anger. I knew she loved him but wanted to hear her say it. Isaiah was caressing my shoulders, and I felt him tense up when I asked her. I may be directing the question to the wrong person. “Umm…” Zira looked back at Isaiah, and I moved to block her sight. She didn’t need him to answer this question. “A simple yes or no would suffice,” I said impatiently after a few moments went by. Zira’s expression quickly changed, and now I could tell she was getting annoyed. Like I could give two fucks. She’s the reason we’re in this predicament in the first place. She stood up a bit taller this time around and squared her shoulders. “Yes, I do,” Zira answered, and I could feel Elaine pushing to the surface from hearing someone was in love with her mate. “But not in that way. Like I said, we’re friends. So, we’ve been there for each other.”
ZIRA The power in this room was palpable. I was nearly choking on it. Even more than the choker I was wearing. I instantly regretted my decision to keep wearing it. Why the hell was I wearing it anyway? Even though my head was down, I could feel Alaia’s eyes burning into me like lava. If looks could kill, I would be dead twice over. I didn’t dare meet her gaze. She probably would have taken it as me being defiant, trying to show her up. It was the last thing I wanted. I really just want to leave this room and never come back. Besides, I needed to pee or possibly throw up or eat something. Yes, food. I groaned inwardly. How could I be thinking of food right now? We’re having a serious conversation. Pay attention, Zira. I glanced up quickly, and she still stared at me while Isaiah kissed her neck. The idea of throwing up returned stronger than ever, but I suppressed it. I really wished she could look somewhere else. Even though my eyes were cast down, she still made me feel
ZIRA violent content ahead I woke up in a dark room. Was it still nighttime? I looked around and saw nothing but darkness. I got up from the bed and started walking further into the darkness. There was nothing in sight. I started to panic, looking around for any signs of life. “Why do I always find you lost somewhere?” A figure materialized out of the darkness, and I saw it was Isaiah. Light was shining off his body as he walked towards me. I was so happy to not be alone that I immediately ran to him and gave him a huge hug. It felt great to be able to hold him again. “I thought I was alone,” I said into his shirt as he rubbed my back. “You’re never alone. I will always be there for you, Zira.” My heart swelled when he said my name. It was a melody to my ears. Then I heard laughter behind me, and another figure walked out of the darkness. It was Alaia. No light was coming from her, so I could barely see her. “Here you are again taking something that’s not yours, Zira!”
ALAIA I lay on my mate, trying to catch my breath after another round of lovemaking. This has been constant for the past month and a half. He had just returned from a run with his pack, smelling the pine needles and the morning air. Apparently, that’s all it took to get Elaine up and ready. I was surprised he hadn’t said anything about me giving control to Elaine whenever we had sex. I knew full well he wouldn’t like my answer. Don’t get me wrong, I can feel everything Elaine feels, and it was my body, but something in me was holding me back. Back for what? I wasn’t sure. I just knew intimately touching him was too much for me. I felt like I was cheating someone. Or maybe I’m still not fully ready to accept that this was my life and I have someone who was bound to me. In my mind, I just hoped it would be James. When Maria died, I knew I would be his second-chance mate. I was ready to step up and help him through the most painful part of his life, but he pushed me away further.
ISAIAH Water splashed on my face for the hundredth time as my son’s laughter filled the bathroom. I looked down at Arias, who apparently got a kick from throwing soap in my face. Each time seemed to make Arias laugh more. “Arias, we’ve been in here for twenty minutes. You have to let me wash you,” I said, trying to grab him, but Arias slipped out of reach. “That’s it. I’m coming in.” Arias shrieked, trying to get away from me. I couldn’t help but laugh. Who knew bath time could be this fun? After another ten minutes or so, I was able to thoroughly wash and dress Arias for bed. I laid Arias down in his crib and grabbed a book to read from the bookshelf. Arias climbed out of his crib and
ZIRAI stretched and yawned as the light from the window crept across my face. I reached across my bed and realized it was empty. I instantly sat up. Panic starting to set in. I looked around the room for him, and it was empty.I was on my way to get out of bed when the door to my bathroom opened. James walked out and noticed my panicked face. He cocked an eyebrow, with a smile playing across his face.“What?”“I thought,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “I thought you were gone.”James laughed. “Where would I go?” James asked sarcastically. “You barely let me pee without hovering over me. And that snoring-”
ZACKAfter Alaia’s death, getting things back together slowly improved as the days passed. I took her body back to my pack to have a proper burial. Mirja didn’t think she deserved it. She wanted to burn the body, but I stopped before she could.True, Alaia was evil, and I knew that. However, she was still my sister, and I felt partially responsible for everything that had happened. So, I brought her home and buried her next to our parents. She was their problem.After that matter was settled, our days were filled with rebuilding the Blue Moon Pack. With the help of Alpha Isaiah and Alpha Fiona, we were now working at a ninety percent capacity. Most of the houses were rebuilt, and Bronx proved to be a responsible Beta. George and Harry came around more often. Harry was obsessed with Mirja’s knowledge of
ISABELLA"No, no, no!"Luna Bella's screaming filled the entire hospital room and down the hall. She sat in bed, holding her hands out in front of her while Victoria stood in front of her. Victoria sighed, holding a teacup of medicine in her hands."Luna Bella, you have to drink this to get better," Victoria said to her, clearly frustrated. "Are we seriously going to go through this every morning?""Are you seriously going to force me to drink that crap," Luna Bella growled at her.Hitting the breaking point, Victoria growled back. "Drink it!"Luna Bella leaned back with a shocked expression before glaring at Isabella, who sat back, watching everything unfold.
THIRD POV After her little laughing fit, Alaia turned her attention back to Mirja, who was trying to claw her way out of Alaia’s grip. Alaia could see her brother stalking back and forth beyond her little shield, looking just as helpless as his little mate. “You know,” Alaia started with a malicious smirk, “it tickled me when I found out you were my brother’s mate. All this time, I couldn’t figure out why you always dismissed my plans of wanting to kill him. Subconsciously, you were always on his side. You just didn’t know why. So now I’m going to enjoy killing you while he watches.” Alaia tightened the hold around Mirja’s neck as Mirja gasped for air. Alaia was so wrapped up in her fury to kill that she didn’t notice anyone entering her space until the last moment. She whipped around and came face to face with James. 
THIRD POVAlaia blocked another attack from Deacon as he pushed her away from Arias and Zira. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Zira finally getting up and assessing the situation.Alaia looked around, confused. James’ wolf, Deacon, was attacking her, but she could clearly see James’s body in the hall. Unfortunately, her mind was so clouded that she couldn’t figure out who was real. Besides, this wolf was moving too fast for her to focus on attacking.This…this wolf had to be an imposter or some sort of trick. She thought.Deacon kept attacking her, pushing her back, and she could feel herself getting weaker, or maybe it was tiredness. She watched Deacon stand between her and Arias. The one whos
THIRD POV It took a moment for Zira to realize she was being carried. Then, she looked up and saw James, who noticed she was awake. “You...you rejected me,” Zira said softly, and it tugged at James’s heart. “James would not reject you, Zi. I can tell he loves you,” James said to her. Zira looked at him, confused. “You’ve never called me Zi before, and why are you speaking in the third person?” “I’ll explain when I get you as far away from here as possible,” James said as he proceeded down the long hallway. They descended a few hallways before Zira squirmed out of James’ hold. “No,” Zira screamed. “I have to get Arias. I have to find him.”
THIRD POVThe sounds like that of beating drums echoed throughout the woods as werewolves collided with each other. More rogues descended upon them as they tried to hold the line. Deacon maneuvered as best as he could, taking down a rogue every step of the way, but they seemed to be multiplying. He did his best to concentrate, but he felt pain spiral throughout his body occasionally.Zira. He had to get to her, but there were too many obstacles.“Portals are open,” George linked him.Deacon immediately started running towards George when a rogue jumped right before him. Maybe it was because he was only a few minutes away from her, but he felt a new kind of energy surge through him.
THIRD POVMary gripped the bottle behind her back as the rogues glared at her. She tried controlling her fear as she approached them, but it slowly took over as she felt her legs shaking slightly. She was still just an Omega with meager fighting skills.“No one should be in this area,” growled the she-wolf as she gave Mary a once-over, noticing the shaking. “Why are you here?”“Luna Alaia,” Mary squeaked out before clearing her throat and failing to stand tall. “I’m here at Luna Alaia’s request. She wants me to check on the baby.”Mary tried to step through them, but the she-wolf held her back. Mary was able to get close enough to spray the pheromones on the she-wolf.