Bye Savina ;)
LUCY:My heart skipped a beat the way Liam kept referring to me as the future Luna.I couldn't lie to myself anymore; I liked that he was sticking up for me and, more importantly, sticking up for the Omega rank in general.I wasn't an Omega, but I knew a few of the warriors on the grounds were. Savina was being stuck up for no good reason."Can I hold you?" Leon asks after kissing my forehead."Uh, I can walk. That will be weird," I say, raising my eyebrow at him for his request."It would help me," he whispers.'He's not showing it, but he is nervous about talking with Seth and Liam. Your scent will calm him down. Let him,' Nia comments.I look over at Liam and Seth before looking back at Leon. I shouldn't feel so weird doing this in front of the other two, but I kind of do."Okay," I say, shrugging.He leans down, grabbing my hips. I quickly wrap my legs around his mid and my arms around his neck.Seth and Liam walk ahead of us. He lets me slide down him a bit so my head can rest on
LUCY:"I will need all of you to hold my hands," I explain, moving over to squish their beds closer.They're hesitant but surprisingly curious, so they scootch to the edges of their beds to reach me in the middle."I want to warn you, I'm going to show you something, and there is some nudity," I say, with my cheeks turning pink.I didn't exactly want to show them this; it was a very intimate memory for Leon and me, but I needed them to trust me.I reach out both arms, allowing them to clasp their hands in mine while the middle girl looks at me."You can hold one or both," I tell her. She reaches out and grabs one hand on top of the other girls. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, focusing on the memory that I want to share with them.I've never done this before, so I'm going on instinct and praying that it works.It's the strangest experience, which is saying a lot to me at this point.I can feel them all collectively in my position as Leon starts pulling me out of my rage. The fla
LEON:After parting ways with Lucy, it was clear that both Liam and Seth hated watching me kiss her.I'd be lying if I said it wasn't satisfying.Liam is trying too hard to act like he doesn't want our mate. I may just rub it in his face so much that he finally admits to it.The walk back to the pack house was quiet and awkward."Did you let Dad know you sent Savina to the dungeon?" I ask Liam as we pass Dad's office.None of us have spoken much lately, leaving the atmosphere thick with unspoken tension that lingers between us."Yeah, he asked why and then said he was proud of me for sticking up for our Omegas," Liam says, no trace of emotion showing through his words.'I bet Bo is pissed off,' Bandit says.'Oh, I'm sure he is. Do you think Liam will come around to his senses?' I ask B.'Yeah, he'd be an idiot not to. He just hasn't had enough time to bond with Lucy. He will see,' B says.His reassurance helps move me into Seth's office for a talk that I've been dreading."Why are we
LEON:Liam is having a hard time opening up about everything, but Seth and I are patiently waiting."At first, I was a little upset to have to share, but ultimately, I remembered what Theo had said. He told me that I would be better suited to help her with this quest since you were her mate," he says, taking a deep breath."So you chose to listen to some Theo guy over the Goddess's gift to you?" Seth quirks back.Oh no."Yeah," Liam says, surprising me.I was getting ready for a brawl, but Liam admitted defeat at this point."I don't get it. Why didn't you just talk to her or me or anyone before you made such a dumbass choice? You made Lucy cry," I say, harsher than I meant to.I can feel Seth getting tense beside me as he hears what I say."I guess I had accepted that Lucy and I weren't mates after I had originally thought we were. I was upset she was your mate when I found out, but I got over it and accepted the task that Theo had given me. Now she hates me," Liam says, tugging at h
LUCY:I watched with great anticipation as my mark worked through their system.They were nearly 100% healed.I had to hold back my tears when I recognized they were reconnecting with their wolves.A knock draws all of our attention to the door. All of the girls quickly pull up the blankets from the bed to cover themselves, shrinking under them.I send them encouraging emotions, strength, and safety, and I feel content with their reactions as they relax."It's just my mate—the future Alpha of the pack. You saw in the memory that he is good." I smiled while trying to reassure them they were safe while opening the door.It definitely was my mate, but not the one I was expecting. His marshmallow scent wraps around me quickly."His hair has grown a lot since that memory," Amelia giggles."What memory?" Liam asks, looking at me strangely."It's nothing. Uh. This is Amelia, Sophia, and Acelynn," I smile, pointing at each of them as I say their name.I'm feeling so uncomfortable that I could
LIAM:She's agreed to hear me out but won't even look in my direction. We're sitting, waiting for food, in awkward silence.'She is just ignoring me now,' I link to Leon.He chuckles through the link before responding.'What do you mean? Where are you?' he asks, with a smile in his voice.Lucy glances at me and quickly turns away.'I took her to the burger place by the hospital. I thought if I showed her I paid attention to her, maybe she would open up to me,' I explain to Leon.He starts laughing full-on through the link again.'You took our mate to a public place to have a private conversation? When did you get so bad at this?' Leon says through his chuckles.Shit. Okay, he has a point. I closed our link because I could tell he wanted to start bantering with me, but I needed to focus on Lucy.I get up, startling Lucy for some reason."I'll be right back; please don't leave," I say.She looks at me and nods before looking away again."Do you have anything you could put the burgers in
LIAM:I waste no time going into my unprepared speech."There's not really any excuse I can come up with to justify what I did, so I'm not going to waste too much time trying to sound like I can make it right," I start.'That wasn't the best approach,' Bo says.She lifts an eyebrow at me while finishing her bite but doesn't say anything."What I mean by that is I spoke without thinking clearly. I didn't mean what I said," I say, rubbing my hands together.I'm so nervous that I've lost my appetite and my palms are sweaty."You know, I thought I was going to be the one who had a hard time being a good mate, but I think somehow you and Leon ended up being worse," she starts laughing.Is she seriously making a joke right now?"Lucy, I'm being serious!" I'm irritated as hell by this.She tries to make a serious face before she starts laughing again."Why are you laughing?" I'm genuinely confused by this, but Bo starts to chuckle, too.Now I'm smiling, trying to bite back my laughter as she
LIAM:I swam in place, watching her swim on her back in circles for a while.She was softly singing, something I'd never heard before, but it was beautiful.I had no idea she could sing, but I suppose I didn't know much about her yet."Mom used to sing to me sometimes. Always the same few songs," she comments, now opening her eyes.I swim over to her and grab her, pulling her body into the water.I was struggling to see her presented so openly to me, but she only made matters worse when she wrapped her legs around me.Goddess, she smells so good. "You brought me here to say sorry?" she asks, finally talking about what I've been trying to talk about.She seems almost intoxicated. I'm trying to balance between what I want and the right thing to do."Yes. I also wanted to share this place with you," I say honestly.It was all I thought about the night after I made my mistake. My mom had made the perfect suggestion, but I was too busy in my head to see it.Lucy wouldn't usually be this i
LUCY:As I was thinking about what I had said to Liam at the waterfall, I realized that the truth had only become apparent to me after I said it out loud.This acknowledgment started to make me nervous.Tricia is fidgeting nervously next to Sybil. "Sybil, you didn't answer Lucy's previous question. Who do we say our truths to?" Trish pipes us again before Sybil can answer my second question.We were both eager to understand the rituals of this pack.I know I need to get Tricia alone so we can talk; something is definitely up with her.Tricia is looking at Sybil with desperate eyes, waiting for her to answer her question."There is no science to it all, sweetie," Sybil responds, making Tricia's face fall. She was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of sharing secrets, and I couldn't blame her; I had felt that way for so many years."It's like magic, really. It was how I was able to open my heart fully to Leander," Sybil says, in a dream-like state.She looks off into space for a whil
LUCY:"What was that about in the dungeon? You seemed scared after we left," Trish asks as we head back to the packhouse.I wasn't sure how to explain to her what I saw, so I shrugged it off. "Mom calls it Dragon Eyes," Trish responds at random.I stop in my tracks and look at her. What is she referring to? The way my eyes shift?"Your mom could never do that, or at least I had never seen her do it. I was curious, and when I mentioned it to my mom, she said it's been many years since a Fae was gifted with that kind of magic," Trish smiles, looping her arm through mine as we continue walking.We were walking back from visiting the hospital. The girls were in high spirits. They loved the clothes that Liam had picked out. He really had the best taste. I was glad he was there to finish up their shopping because it really wasn't my thing.Tricia was excited about their marks but hadn't said much, which didn't surprise me as the girls were present, and Trish was very kept to herself abou
LUCY:As we get to the dungeon doors, I can't help but smile once again.I look up at the guards, who, based on their expressions, know exactly who I am now.It's not their fault they dragged me here at one point. They were only following orders.Once they bow their heads at me, the bratty waitress finally realizes I'm behind her."Ugh! You!" Fern rolls her eyes at me before turning around to face the guards again."Why can't she have visitors!?" she screams at the guards, who look at me for help."You'll see her tomorrow, Fern," I say calmly.I had no idea why my magic was in a key, but once it was within me, I felt just a little bit more at home. A strength had settled in me that felt like it was always mine.It was familiar, and I welcomed it."She isn't Luna yet. She doesn't get special privileges," Fern says, glaring back at me."If Alpha doesn't want visitors, then I suggest you listen," I respond.She doesn't hear a word I say. She pouts at the guards like it will make a differe
TRICIA: [Days Prior - Part 2]I've been walking around, following my mom as she grabs items she wants to take.I'm trying to be helpful, but she is being meticulous with everything she wants to bring.She sets a stack of books on the table and finally makes eye contact with me again after I had pressed her about the Aphirages. I place my hands on her shoulders, searching her face for answers."Mom, I have never questioned anything you've asked me to do or say. Why won't you explain what the deal is with the Aphirages?" I say, continuing to push her into giving me answers.She's never been protective of something the way that she is with the flowers; aside from a book, she's never let me get anywhere near it.Even as a sneaky child, she always somehow knew when I was trying to break into the lock that held it shut."I also have other questions, such as why you said Seth would certainly change the course of events for Lucy!" I added, feeling as frustrated as ever.She looked around the
LUCY:Leander made all of the warriors leave.They have a few of their elite guarding Gatheo's home to ensure he doesn't go anywhere.I specifically asked that he not be let down to see Savina, to which Leander stated he didn't plan on allowing that anyway.I felt awful for the disruption I caused during the meeting. It was clear that these meetings were typically much more productive.Leander looked somewhat defeated and didn't hold much eye contact with me during the process of everyone leaving."Alpha, I'm sorry for causing such a scene," I say as Leon holds me from behind.Liam is being nosey, rummaging through the box, trying to figure out what's mine.I can feel it in my heart each time he grabs it or touches it."What have I told you about formalities, Lucy?" he smiles at me before grabbing me from Leon's grip and hugging me.The hug didn't last long before Leon grabbed me back and pulled me to my seat, which he decided would be his lap."Alpha lineages typically have a gift. O
TRICIA: [Days prior]I snuck through the secret passageway my people had made hundreds of years ago to prepare for the transition. That's what they called it: the transition. To me, it was the separation of myself from my heritage.We were like prisoners of our truth and power. Hiding among the werewolf communities as simple shifters.Being at the Cresent Moon Pack felt like removing the bars to the cell that my mom had kept me in.I know she had only been trying to protect me my whole life while we worked to guide Lucy the best we could."Trish! What are you doing here?!" My mom's voice comes from her room as I enter the house."Mom! Things changed. The visions we had discussed are not all aligning as we hoped," I explain to her as she rushes to hug me.I look around our comfortable little home—the home I was raised in on the edge of the Silver Moon Pack.The majority of our neighboring cabins were also Fae. All of us are waiting to live free again."Sit, child, let me get you someth
LUCY:I'm not trying to be disrespectful. My questions were genuine even though everyone in the room looks like they disagree; except for Seth who holds the same smirk throughout my questioning.It's clear that I haven't been raised to believe in the process they're used to and clearly respectI wasn't taught the way everyone was in this room. No one want's to answer my question or make it seem as if they agree with where I'm headed in this conversation."Let me guess. The first son of each member takes their father's spot?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.Leander sighs. He doesn't like my line of questioning, either.Maybe I was bitter for Kragen rejecting me simply because I was a girl or maybe it's because what is taught as normal to them, never felt normal to me."Are you questioning the order of things, Lucy? It's no different than the first born of an Alpha taking over the pack. This is how we've done it for thousands of years. It has always worked," Leander says, with a half frown,
LUCY:"I thought you were mad at me!" I fake frown at Trish.She looks nervous. Her normal casual demeanor shifted after I pointed out Saul staring at her.She blew it off like it was nothing."You had a lot going on, Luce. I just wanted to get there and back. I knew you'd insist on coming with me, but I couldn't wait any longer," she responds, justifying her off-behavior. "I'll meet you at the conference room," Liam announces before kissing the top of my head and taking off with all the bags.I wondered if Seth would be there, which made me feel guilty. He was the Beta, so surely he would be there.It wasn't a terrible thing that I wondered, right? I think to myself, realizing I'm chewing the crap out of my nail.'You know what I keep saying,' Nia giggles.'Shush it,' I quip."I wish I had a wolf to talk out my thoughts with," Trish comments at random as we head to the conference room."I'll be your wolf," I say, trying to make Trish smile."A girl's night after this?" she asks.Her
LEON:Lucy was uncomfortable at every store we went to, and even though she didn't say as much, it was apparent.She clung to me the entire time.She didn't know her sizes very well and didn't like to ask for anything, so Liam ended up staying behind to grab things he thought she would like.We were both trying not to push anything nor did we want to embarrass her by asking personal questions. We already figured that if she hadn't been out to eat, she likely had little to no experience in a shopping mall or outlet.'You're going to love what I found at the last store,' Liam links me.We were still getting used to sharing a link with Lucy. We were able to separate the two, but I knew we would have to be careful to make sure we were linking the way we intended.'Oh yeah?' I ask him as Lucy clings to my arm.She was right. Everyone was staring at her—more than even I had expected, but no one had done or said anything disrespectful yet.Liam stayed at the last clothing store we were at w