LilyLily’s days blurred into a haze of monotonous pain. It was better than before; she tried to convince herself of that, at least. She was no longer living in a dingy cell with an eleve, but she was in Red Ripper’s pack house, sharing Apollo’s room with him – where he and his minions could keep an eye on her day and night.She tried to keep up the pretence that she was there for him. Every morning, she woke locked in his embrace. He was muscular and warm and, with her back turned to him, his strong arm slung over her waist, she could almost – almost – pretend that it was Elijah holding her close. Even Atticus would’ve been preferable to Apollo, but she knew she was dead the second she let that truth slip.“Good morning, sweetheart,” he purred, his breath, which smelt of stale mint, wafting hotly over her neck and cheek. “I know you’re awake.”Steeling herself, Lily rolled over. He eyed her closely, his gaze alert enough that she knew he’d been awake for a while. She bit back a sigh.
AtticusHe’d been in the woods when he’d heard.Everything was falling into place for Atticus. He’d found something in the forest that could secure a victory against Red Ripper – or at least offer up an easy out if things started to go south. He’d been building up an army, too, preparing to go to war over his mate if he had to.He’d planned on forming one beneath his parents’ noses, marching on Red Ripper, and destroying them to prove his worth to Lily. Once he’d made her safe again, she’d fall into his arms. She had to. Alpha Idiot would never – could never – match up to him. He was her first mate, and he vowed he would be her last.The girl had come at night. Unable to sleep, Atticus had been out in the forest, smacking his knuckles into tree trunks to wear himself out to the point of exhaustion. When weariness was sinking deep into the belly of his bones, he would sneak over to Lily and Maveln’s old cabin and sit on the doorstep. Most mornings, he watched the sun rise there, remem
LilyThe full moon was coming, and Lily had run out of ideas.She’d tried everything she could over the last three days. She’d tried to sabotage Peverton’s supply hunts, distracting him when she’d spotted a Nether Toad he’d said he’d needed or crushing nettles beneath her heel, rendering them useless for the spell.She’d done everything she could without drawing suspicion her way. With her father’s life on the line, she’d risked herself but never him. There was no chance to escape, not with the strange creatures Eryne had created guarding her at all times. She’d tried to stall the spell, tried to get Peverton to put it off until the following month, lying through her teeth to convince him, but it hadn’t been enough.It hadn’t been enough. And now she was held outside, hands wrapped loosely around her wrists, Apollo bearing down upon her with a sadistic smile. The sky was burning, the blood-red sun hanging heavy above the tree line. Dusk would surely follow, and with it death.“Well,
ElijahElijah thumbed the garnet ring, staring down at it with hope glinting in his steel-grey eyes. So much was relying on him tonight but, with this, he almost dared to believe that he would not only see his mate again, but save her. Lily. His heart snapped at the thought of her name, at the conjured image of her gold-flecked gaze. He pictured her smiling, her red-tinted lips pulling wide at the sight of him, and his whole chest clenched.“You really won’t come with us?” he murmured to Eryne.She shook her head. “I will not go back there. If they capture me again, I dread to think what dark magic they may force me to conjure.”“I understand.” He inclined his head to her. “You will be safe here. I’m leaving two Warrior Wolves to protect you in my absence.”She grasped his forearm. “And for that, I thank you. Do not fear, Alpha Elijah. The ring contains all the magic you need.”“It will suppress my shift, when the time comes?”Eryne nodded, with a twinkle in her sickly eyes that Elija
AtticusThe plan was made. His wolves were ready. It was time.The moon rose steadily over the forest, casting silver light through the gnarled, inky branches. Atticus grinned wickedly, beaming up at it as he bathed in its light. He was going to get his girl back tonight. He was going to remind Red Ripper who ruled this land. He was going to win.The war council, which had really been a battle council, had been fairly straightforward. Alpha Idiot had been acting all shifty, barely revealing anything about what he planned to do, even though he obviously hadn’t come all this way without any idea of how to get Lily back. Then again, Atticus thought, he was an idiot – the clue was in his name. So he’d thrust out his chest and taken the lead, as was his right as the smartest, bravest warrior there, and he’d concocted a plan that would surely succeed.It was beautiful in its simplicity. Alpha Stupid would break through the magical wards holding the cells, setting all of the prisoners free
ElijahThe brush of the magic skittering over the veil was cool to the touch. Elijah dipped his fingertips into it, a shiver running down his spine and raising the tiny hairs prickling down his forearms. A sense of foreboding washed over him as he stepped through, his foot landing solidly in Red Ripper’s territory.The entry point of this veil was different to the last one he’d come through. Darkness ebbed and flowed like a river in the far wood, but Elijah turned away from it. He had one goal to focus on: find the cells. Once he’d managed that unnoticed, he could worry about the incessant scratching at the back of his mind and the oppressive weight of magic hanging thick in the night air.Ducking low, Elijah picked his way towards a flickering light in the distance. He’d drawn out a scribbled map of the territory, as it was in his memory, but whether that was accurate to the reality he’d witnessed or if the Red Ripper wolves had changed the pack’s layout since then, he had no idea. I
LilyA howl shattered the clearing. It tore apart the chants, reverberating through each of the elements swirling through the darkness.The blade froze a hair’s breadth above Lily’s chest. She let out a ragged breath, though her eyes remained fixed on the glint of the blade. It shimmered in the moonlight, trembling in Peverton’s shaky grip.“Potentia grym,” he muttered, shaking his head. Then, again, louder, he said: “Potentia grym!” and raised the blade anew. Before he could slam it down into her chest, though, a huge black wolf smashed into him. Lily gasped, twitching away from the blade as it fell. It caught her foreleg, slicing down towards her paw, her blood dripping down onto the earth before she could tear away.The wolf towered over her on her altar, its fur alight with all four elements. The ends of its black fur were tinged red by the flames; air made its hair sway; ivy coiled up its legs; water slicked down its back. A loud sizzling noise drew her attention away. Her bloo
AtticusAtticus relished every racing beat of his heart. He was alive, more alive than he had ever felt, and each solid pound of it meant that he was still there. Still fighting.Still fighting for her.When he’d seen that arrogant, too-pretty-for-his-own-good, so-called Alpha kiss Lily, he’d seen red. He’d let that bright, burning red edging his vision become a prediction of the future: Apollo would bleed for all that he’d done. But this fight was no normal fight. Atticus was strong, brutally so, but Apollo never seemed to tire or lag. He had no weaknesses that Atticus could take advantage of, no faltering glances or too-slow reactions. He was on top form, all of the time, and Atticus’s energy was starting to wane.He whipped his head around, searching through the crowd for his Beta or Gamma. They were lost to the writhing sea of bodies, part of the blur of dark fur and bloody teeth surrounding him, packed tight in all directions. His pride kept him from asking them for help. Apoll