I hope you enjoyed this chapter! =]
LUCY'S POV:Leon suddenly gripped my waist, sending me into an internal spiral. My heart was beating out of my chest a hundred miles an hour as the trauma in me surfaced like a living nightmare."If you listen better this time, I might let you eat tonight," Alpha Zeak's voice rang in my ear.I could still feel his fingers plunging into my bare skin as he gripped my waist, squeezing my bones and sending shooting pains up and down my sides.He didn't need to hold me this tight. He always tied my hands down; there was no way I could escape anyway. He enjoyed the torture, my pain, the way I was powerless to him.'Lucy...' Nia whispers soothingly, bringing me back to reality as Leon's hands on my waist release their hold on me, making me feel like a hundred pounds of weight had been released from my chest. "Will you put your head on my chest and let me tickle your back?" Leon says quietly.When I look up, he is rubbing small circles across his chest, crumpling the plain black t-shirt that
LEON'S POV:'She is so timid,' Bandit comments, his voice laced with concern. 'We will figure it out B, don't worry. She is already loosening up to us,' I respond back to him.Her scent is complex.She smells like a summer night: fresh air from the calm after a rain storm lingering with waves of fresh-bloomed wildflowers, smoke from a blazing fire burning nearby, combined with the taste of ice-cold homemade lemonade.I didn't know taste could have a smell but that's the best way I could describe it.Her cheeks are blushing from my insinuation. There is no way she can't feel how stiff my cock is.My body is reacting instinctively to having her on my lap this way.It's not something that can be helped. This is what she does to me and will always do to me."Sorry," she responds to my playful banter. I don't want her to be sorry; I want her back to her old, playful self, but I can tell this topic makes her uncomfortable."No, don't be sorry for how you affect me." I gently lift her into m
LEON'S POV:I look down at Lucy in my arms. Thank the Goddess for her.I already knew she was going to make me a better man by the way I was reeling my emotions in rather than letting them explode like I always have in the past.My teeth are chewing at the sides of my cheeks. I'm torn between confronting Seth and just letting it go completely.I get Lucy tucked into her bed, kissing her cheek before I reluctantly pull away from her.I push open the back door. I can hear Jason's footsteps behind me before I step outside.He catches the door and jogs up behind me as I'm stripping my clothes off in a hurry."Hear him out first," Jason warns me as the door behind him slams shut from the wind.I cringe at the thought of that sound waking Lucy up.He knows I'm angry Seth didn't tell me.I can't promise I will, so I don't say anything at all before I shift.His scent is easy to find. As I pick up speed, my paws hit the dry earth hard. Echoes of my paws meeting the surface below it flutter th
LUCY'S POV:I wake up feeling more refreshed than I have my entire life.My eyes flutter open. I look in each direction, expecting to see my mate, but I'm left with nothing but the black and white scroll patterns stitched into the comforter resting over my body.There was no light coming from the window. How long had I slept? It can't possibly be nighttime, I thought to myself.A crackle of thunder makes me jump.'Something feels off,' Nia comments as I settle back into bed. The lightning follows soon after, lighting up the room briefly.'What do you mean?' I ask her.'I don't know exactly. Find our mate,' she says firmly.My bare feet hit the cold wooden floor with a thud as I slowly panicked at the emotions that were mixing with Nia's.I stumble my way to the door before I grip the doorknob hard and turn it open.I rush down the hallway and down the stairs to the first floor and into the living room. Jason is nestled on the couch, eyes closed, clearly taking a nap."Where is Leon?!
LUCY'S POV: 'Something still feels off,' Nia says.'No shit. I think Leon and Seth got into a fight,' I say back.'Of course, they did, but this is something else,' she responds, making me want to crawl into a hole and never come out.After stripping the wet clothes from my body, I moved to the dresser and pulled out the dry ones.'What do you mean "of course they did"?' I ask. She sighs in response.I set my t-shirt down on the bed before slipping on a pair of new sweatpants when a knock comes on my door.Before I can say anything, the knob twists and turns, and the door opens. My foot catches on the waistband of the sweatpants as a result of me whipping my head up to look at the doorway.I fall back, smacking my head on the wall beside the bed. Thankfully, it was not hard enough to knock me out.Leon runs over to the side of the bed where my half-naked, crumpled body is on the ground once again."Get away! Haven't you heard of knocking and waiting for permission to enter before you
SETH'S POV:I feel ashamed of letting things get this far. I really didn't mean to feel this way but my connection with her in palpable.Her connection with Dax makes me question everything. He hasn't felt a connection with another in so long. It has only fueled my feelings.Her laugh and smile make me feel weak.She is definitely Luna material. She isn't afraid to put anyone in their place but only when it's necessary. She is strong, thoughtful, and kind.Even at her younger age it's easy to see she was made for the position.She is staring into me and I can't even figure out how to start the conversation."Is it true?" she asks breaking the ice in the most obvious way.I look up and meet her eyes. The perfect blue orbs that have been captivating me for weeks.I swallow hard before answering."Yes. I'm sorry Luna," I say trying to be as formal as I can.I don't refer to Leon or Liam as Alpha because we grew up together. It's almsot less formal to address them this was.She scoffs. I k
LUCY'S POV:The walk up the stairs felt like I had aged at least thirty years.Emotionally and physically exhausted on every level.'Stop being a baby,' Nia says, making me laugh.'Fair,' I respond making her snicker.'You like Seth, you know you can't lie to me, right?' she says, making my stomach sink.'He's not our mate, Nia, plus we already have one other mate out there and we don't even know who it is,' I say in a more irritated tone than I had intended.'The more the merrier if you ask me,' she says, making me blush."NIA!" I hiss back out loud this time."I've never seen someone talk to their wolf out loud like that," Leon's voice comes from behind me.I had been pacing back and forth down the hallway while talking to Nia. Trying to gain some strength to go inside Leon's bedroom.He stood in the doorway, nearly taking up the entire space with his broad shoulders and height. His wet hair looked slightly more blonde than white, combed perfectly in place. I could tell he had just g
LEON'S POV:It took everything I had to hold Bandit back. He was pushing so hard to shift and murder everything in sight.The only thing that kept me strong was her scent. I have no idea how I lived this long without her.I felt complete. I can't explain how grateful I felt that she was willing to look past how I acted and give me a chance to be better.She felt like the missing piece to a puzzle I had been trying to solve for so many years. The Moon Goddess couldn't have possibly gotten things more right with her.It nearly broke my heart into pieces when I realized she was more concerned about me still wanting her rather than what she had been through.Bandit immediately backed off after we realized she needed validation not redemption in that moment.His temper was nothing to be messed with but he was a softy for our mate. He howled in pain as Lucy asked us if we still wanted her.I'm still blown away at her focusing more on whether I was put off by it than raging over the way she
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