Rowan Everything was tinted red. Eris was so enraged it was impossible to keep him under control. The only thing keeping him from shifting was the sight of Luke and Fox on their knees, bound in silver chains. Even then he could feel fur sprouting in patches on his skin. To appease his wolf, Rowan let him come forward and co-front with him. The more that idiot Darren talked the more he regretted that decision. He held Elly close but it was clear she was uncomfortable. “I’m repeating myself because your stupid dog brain must have forgotten the part where I said to accomplish this we would need a massive sacrifice. That massive sacrifice!” His words shocked Rowan at first. The entire idea that Darren thought he could subdue him let alone sacrifice him was so absurd it was hilarious. Laughter burst from his mouth and Rowan had to fight to remain standing. Didn’t he realize either Dane or he could get to him and rip his head off in an instant? They didn’t need their wolves for such a triv
Elly The moment Dane’s teeth pierced Elly’s flesh there was a moment of numbness and disbelief. He marked her, claimed her. A bond with a werewolf was nothing like the bond that she had with Darren. Granted, she never completed the ritual with him. They joined on a spiritual level but they were supposed to join physically to feel the full effects. The tether pulled her to him, it wanted to be completed so her need for him would get stronger the longer she resisted. That feeling was what drove her into Rowan’s arms before. What she felt from Dane’s bite took her breath away. The flood of emotions was indecipherable. A searing pain radiated inside of her in places she couldn’t identify. It wasn’t physical pain but it surpassed any she had ever felt before. When Dane finally withdrew his teeth from her neck he let her fall to the ground. Tears streamed out of Elly’s half-open eyes. She was frozen in place. Unable to think or move, all she could do is feel. Somehow the bond with Darren
Elly By the time the car stopped moving the sky had already turned light blue. The soft morning light flooded through the windows reminding Elly of just how little sleep she had gotten in the last week. The feelings coming through her bonds were still overwhelming and exhausting to her. They pulled up onto the familiar property and Rowan wasted no time. “My wolves?” He hopped out of the car before it came to a full stop. “Nia, please show him the way,” Cecily called over her shoulder as she helped Elly out of the car. Moving her feet one after the other was about all Elly could do at that point. Ahead of them, Austin rushed inside with Amber. Cecily got her to her room and gently sat her in a chair. Elly tried to focus her gaze but everything kept slipping out of focus. “Elly, hon, I need you to focus.” She pushed her hair back off of her shoulder and gasped. A light knock at the door nearly made her jump out of her skin. “What?” She snapped, her calm demeanor cracking. “I need
Rowan “Is it true?” Rowans asked the second the door shut. “Were you going to use me as a sacrifice?” Elly’s silence put him on edge. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to hear. He mistrusted witches so much he would believe her no matter what she said. “Sort of.” His eyes glowed, it was clear he still did not have solid control over. His wolf again. Sweat dripped off her forehead and she was trembling in the chair. He knew he wasn’t the cause but he still chose to stay silent and wait for her to elaborate. “It was part of the agreement I made with him to save Amber’s life.” Rowan narrowed his eyes at her and searched her for any signs of deceit. Her heartbeat was uneven, he wasn’t sure how she was holding herself up at that point. Eris wanted to help but he was just as hurt and angry as Rowan was. She blinded him and endangered his pack in more than one way. He couldn’t forgive that. “Go on.” Eris pushed forward. He wanted to hear her full explanation. It didn’t matter, it couldn’t. The
Rowan Fox and Luke both went wide-eyed. Rowan’s mother was the pack’s mother. There wasn’t a single person that didn’t adore her. Rowan’s mind raced. If Kara had his mother’s phone then she knew that Rowan found a way to defy her. This was a worst-case scenario. “Kara, I should have called you as soon as I realized. I…I’m sorry. Are you okay? Did I hurt anyone?” She held the phone up to her face getting a better view of the screen. Rowan did his best to keep the fear off his face but was certain he was about to throw up. “You mean you don’t remember?” She narrowed her cold eyes at him. “Honestly, the last few days have been hazy. I’ve been lying to everyone and saying I’m fine but…I’ve been losing control of my wolf. Eris seems like he’s getting stronger the closer we get to the full moon. I’ve been doing my best to contain him but yesterday he took over completely. I was completely locked out. There are over 24 hours that I’ve completely lost. “ he took a deep breath and let his v
Elly Streams of hot water crashed against Elly’s bruised and battered body but she felt nothing. It could have been worse. It should have been worse. Her hand wandered up to her shoulder and thought of how much pain she was in. That wound was terrible. Rowan’s wolf tore her open yet there wasn’t even a scar. Her hand kept moving up her shoulder until she felt a shockwave of pain shoot through her body. What was it with random werewolves biting her? She didn’t know enough about them to know if that was normal. Rebekah thought educating her was important but it was obvious that education was limited. ‘Werewolves are dangerous, they killed her mother, and they want to kill her,’ was the extent of what she was taught. The bite on her neck was swollen. It made it hard for her to move her head. She was grateful to her aunt for teaching her how to block out the mark from Dane and the tether from Darren. Keeping the wall up in her mind took so much energy and she was so tired. Elly was begin
Elly When Elly opened her eyes again the bright morning sky had shifted to total darkness. She peeled herself from her damp sheets. The heat that tormented her as she was falling asleep was still roasting her from within. She stumbled toward the door and tried to call out for her aunt. The words stuck in her dry throat, each syllable felt like it left a cut as she tried to force it out. She fell to her knees in a coughing fit. Water, that’s what she needed. She pushed herself to her feet and used the wall to keep her balance as she made her way to the kitchen. It was the first time she had seen the place quiet. They said they were having celebrations every night until the full moon. Guilt gnawed at her. This moon was a big deal and she ruined their ritual. Because of her, they were attacked. Her cousin was injured. She looked out the window and saw there were no torches, no bonfire, no party. There was no one out and about. Just a somber moonless night. She turned the cold tap on and
Rowan There was a lot to think about and not enough time in the day for his brain to process it all. Rowan had been running on the bare minimum amount of sleep for weeks. Ever since the wolves of his pack started losing control and becoming violent. An out-of-control pack was a sign of an incompetent alpha. There was no way Rowan could sleep. The witches of Eternal Flame were very attentive. They checked on the progress of the injured wolves frequently while still giving them privacy to discuss pack matters. At one point they even checked on Rowan, Luke, and Fox. Since Rowan was an alpha they showed him back to the room they reserved for special guests in the main cabin. He wondered if that was their covenstead or if it was just Cecily and Austin’s house. The way it was located centrally to the coven and the way everyone came and went as they pleased showed it was the heart of the village. Yet it was nothing like the covenstead at Silver Moon. Theirs had a cold and unwelcoming envir