ZIRA It was quiet. Too quiet as I walked in the woods. It was so quiet; my footsteps in the snow echoed around me like in an acoustic room. My breath was visible, and a chill surrounded me like a bad omen. I am really missing my room right now. The closer I got to the cliff, the tighter I pulled my coat in. I kept thinking about what to do. I tried calling Isaiah and Isabella, but nothing went through. Maybe Alaia tapped their phones or something. I reached the tree line and spotted a cloaked figure near the cliff’s edge. I could tell it was Alaia by the swell of her belly. I surveyed the area and didn’t see Victoria anywhere. Maybe she was lying. No. She had her phone, right? I watched as she walked along the edge of the cliff. This is your chance. Voices in my head whispered. All you must do is push her. I flashed back to the dream of me being pushed over the cliff. All I must do is push her. “Where is Victoria?” I yelled while stepping closer to her. Alaia didn’t move.
ZIRA I stood still for a few more moments before walking over to Alaia. I stood a few feet away, thinking she would jump up and attack me. My heart was pounding in my ears, so I couldn’t tell if she was okay. Hell, I didn’t know why I cared. Because I’m not a monster. “Alaia?” Silence. Only the sound of the wind could be heard. I took cautious steps toward her body. I bent over as my hand shook to touch her shoulders, and she lunged at me. She pushed me to the ground, pinning one of my arms with her foot and one of her hands. She used her free hand to bring the knife right under my throat. My claw mark across her face turned into black ink as it healed. Werewolves, even half-werewolves, don’t usually heal like that. “Now look at what you made me do. I have to use magic to heal faster, you little bitch,” she spat in my face. The knife dug deeper into my skin. I could feel it burning from the silver. I struggled to get out of her lock. “I was going to make this quick, but I th
ISAIAHHunter and the warlock George held me back as I tried to take back control from Devon. To him, Alaia did no wrong. She was his mate and had no faults. On the other hand, I had an inkling that something was off with her, but I couldn’t blame her without proof. If we were wrong, it would only create friction in our strained relationship. That thought alone made Devon come out in full force. “How dare you blame her when she helped you rescue your witch, your mate!” Devon snapped at Zack while pushing Hunter and George away. “Watch it, young Alpha,” Zack growled back. Isabella and James stood between us as we glared down at each other. So now there were two angry Alphas in close quarters. That is never a good sign. Isabella looked at me. “Devon, Isaiah, please,” Isabella pleaded. “Zack wouldn’t implicate his own sister without reason. So let’s just hear him out, OK?” Devon wanted to punch someone, mainly Zack, but even he was curious about what Zack wanted to say. He huffed at
ALAIA A chill roamed through the forest air, and the half-moon gave enough light to pierce the surrounding darkness. Words couldn’t express what I was feeling right now. “All I’m saying, son, is there will be a white werewolf in our lineage again, and he or she will have to be Alpha.” Alpha Jack’s words played in the back of my mind as I watched Zira struggle at the edge. “Not just a plain Alpha werewolf, but an Alpha with powers like the Goddess. This is a blessing, and you will waste it giving the position to someone else.” Now that position will be up for grabs, Grandpa, you’ll just have to get on board. White Werewolf or not, my child will not be denied her birthright, and no one will get in her way. I pushed Zira over the edge and was disappointed that she didn’t scream. Didn’t matter. Her defeated expression was enough to keep me satisfied. I could barely hold my excitement as I watched Zira quickly disappear through the fog created by the waterfall. That was what I
ISAIAH I howled to alert my patrols and shifted. I checked for Alaia’s scent. It was faint, but it was enough to follow it. Along with hers, I caught a whiff of a rogue. Just one. Why would one rogue be here? I made it to the clearing before the rest of my men and saw him near her. “GET AWAY FROM HER!” Devon growled loud enough to make the snow from the trees fall to the ground. Nas turned towards me, and his eyes were black. His wolf was at the surface. I wasn’t worried about him. I could feel Alaia’s breathing slowing down. I needed to hurry and get her out of there. A blue wolf came to one side of me and a gray wolf on the other. Then, the rest of my crew surrounded Nas. He looked around and noticed he was surrounded. He stepped away from Alaia. I shifted and walked straight to Alaia, daring him to do anything. He held up his hands as a few of my men went after him. Hunter took over, escorting him back to the dungeons. I turned Alaia over and noticed black veins covering
*Trigger Warning: Death* ISAIAH The room was dark aside from the light coming through the window. I held my breath as I stared at Alaia standing beside the window. Her back was turned to me, but I could hear her whispering something. “Luna, you shouldn’t be out of bed,” Doctor Callie said, moving beside her, but Alaia shrugged her off. “I don’t need you telling me what to do!” Alaia snapped at her. She turned around, not noticing me at all. She held a pink blanket in her arms, cuddling it to her chest. She looked completely different. Her skin was pale like ash, and spidery black veins were spiraling from her temples, disappearing into the hospital gown. “Luna Alaia, it’s best if you try to get some sleep. You underwent an extensive operation.” “Shhh,” Alaia said softly. “You will wake the baby.” Alaia sat on the bed, rocking back and forth, speaking into the blanket. “It’s gonna be okay. You are not alone. Mommy has you.” Doctor Callie looked at me for assistance, and I rea
ZIRAColdness. That was the first thing I remembered feeling when I hit the river below. Then, in an instant, I was sucked into oblivion. I wasn’t sure if my eyes were open or closed. I couldn’t see anything. Just lying...in darkness, or maybe I was floating. I couldn’t tell. Where am I? Was I in heaven? Hell? Would the Goddess take it out on me? I couldn’t tell if I was moving. I couldn’t see myself. Is heaven just a black abyss? That would be disappointing. Behind what I thought was my mind, I heard something. Was it water? I think it was water. I felt cold. I never felt this cold before. I was beginning to feel numb. Was I dead? I must be dead. Wait, if I’m dead then… Oh please, please, Goddess, keep my baby alive. He’s innocent in all this. I’m the stupid one. Please. I reached out for anybody to hear. Nina, Isaiah, Isabella, my parents, anyone. I needed to keep him alive. I tried to reach for him, to feel him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I cried and screamed, and I
JAMES After helping the Alpha Isaiah of the Black Moon Pack, I waited until I got news about Victoria before rejoining Zack. She was broken up badly, but at least she was alive. I felt out of place, so I waited to help get my aunt settled before leaving with George to return to Zack’s pack. It was strange seeing Alaia again after so long. I didn’t get to see much of her, which was good for me, but what I did see will forever be cemented in my mind. Spidery black veins sprouted over her face, which told me whatever happened in that forest wasn’t good. I knew I didn’t want to be around that when she woke up. Who knows what state of mind she was going to be in. Seeing me might bring up things neither one of us wanted. I didn’t want to think about it, so I busied myself with Zack and helped him get his pack under control. It took hours to finally get control of the pack members, assess all the damage, tame the fires, and get rid of the rogues’ bodies. I took a break to ensure my m