Myra groaned miserably as she leaned back on the chair. The minimal moonlight that shed through the thin fabric of the curtains sprayed out across oriental carpet. It felt like ages had past since she started her search through Horace's parchments and books, yet nothing came to any value for her or what she was looking for. In fact, what exactly was she looking for in all of this? A deeper answer to the Karmina issue or a secret to her mother's and possibly her own family tree? "If what I was told was true, then mom always had Werewolf blood within her." Myra stated aloud as she set another heavy book aside. As true as that is, My, the Goddess locked away her Werewolf spirit. We need to understand why she did so. "Well, any information on that isn't in these." She gestured to the books she already skimmed through. "Nothing about Goddesses or Karmina or even Angels." She grumbled as she picked up a leather bound journal with aged parchment within. She blew on the cover, a dust clou
She found us already? How many more were lurking around? Myra was inconsolable, but Aiden couldn't blame her. After staring her death in the face, anyone would have been terrified. Be it man or beast. Lily had scooped the child into her arms, hushing her softly, but her eyes were fixed on her Mate that was still tearing this now dead creature apart. Damion had dashed forward and got to Jayce's side when a guttural snarl drew his attention down the hall where Nigel's corpse lay. Aiden peered around the corner to find Nigel's hand twitched and his chest rose. His arms lay back with his head dragged up to a sitting position. "Uh Jayce?" Damion tapped his side. "Nigel doesn't look so good." He informed him. Jayce finally focused in on the risen corpse in the middle of the hallway. Nigel's head teetered from side to side for a moment before it cocked to the right. His eyes glazed over, but the moonlight gave visibility to the gash in his throat. Black ichor dripped from the open wound.
In my Community? In my Pack House? After my daughter?! Being angry was an understatement. Jayce felt a murderous sensation after he killed the Undead mountain lion. Just seeing his daughter in danger, within range of a monster. His vision went dark, but the taste of blood, decay and ichor were the only things that filled his senses. He wanted it dead. Deader than dead. He wanted it dead to the point that even Magic of any kind couldn't resurrect it. Then there was the aftermath soon after with his Pack members that had seen what he'd done. That part didn't phase him at all, but the concerns they had only risen with the impatience and anger that boiled. Arguments ensued. Calming a large room of Werewolves was never an easy feat, but he managed to do so. Barely. He just needed to provide more answers to the additional questions that piled up. Jayce waited until the last member left the Pack House, accompanied by his own Warriors. He combed his fingers through his hair as he rested a
The look on his face only seemed to confirm her suspicions. Everything was happening for a reason. Things are as they should be. Even if the puzzle pieces were coming together slowly, they were finally forming the bigger picture. They descended the cold stairwell into the basement. The cool and damp stone wall was wet and smelt of mild mildew. She rarely ever came down to the old prison space, even to collect aged old documents that should've been filed in the Archives. It always filled her with dread knowing its history. So, any time she needed to collect something, she always asked either Jayce or Damion to grab her for her. But she couldn't avoid it this time. The moment her feet settled on the basement floor, rot and mildew filled her senses. She immediately covered her nose from the stench as she her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit space. Cells lined side by side on each wall, filled with boxes and shelved with crates with overflowing documents and books. No matter how much got
"How interesting." She smiled sweetly as her vision returned to her. "He's more powerful than I realized." "My Lady." Nol's voice reached her from the doorway. "She's here." He informed her. Karmina peered over from the corner of her eye to his dark silhouette in the door. The dim lantern light behind him hid his gentle features. "Good." She got to her feet. Karmina waved her hand in a half circle around her and extinguished the candles that encircled her. "She sure took her time to get here." She said with a hint of disdain in her tone. "You have never made it easy for any of them to find you." He mentioned to her as he stepped aside. His moon silver hair swayed and rested over his shoulder. She stopped just inside the door and eyed the gold and black embroidered vest he wore with black slacks and shoes. His silver hair partially pulled back into a ponytail and half-hazard rested over his shoulder. His eyes appeared vacant as he waited obediently for her. "I couldn't have a plac
His eyes flickered between each memory that passed before him. Searching. Endlessly searching. What he came to realize after this predicament ensued, his memories faded. Little by little at first, but noticeable. The deeper he dove, the more he realized his own demise at hand. For the longest time, he was aware of the outside world behind the eyes of his host. With each passing and renewal, those memories never went away. He could easily pick up the remnants of a childhood memory from his time in Egypt to the memories of his reign in the Roman Empire. Never once had he failed to recall important information or something that didn't matter at all. This worried him deeply, but he had yet to voice this concern to his host and his Mate. "Nox?" her sweet voice called to him from the shadows of his realm. Nox glanced over his shoulder. The warbled visions of times past broke away into pieces before they faded away entirely. Azura approached him with a slight tilt of her head. She radiated
One, two, three. One, two, three. Lily let out a breath as she displayed another barrage of punches into the punching bag. Sweat gathered on her brow before it streamed down to the tip of her nose. When she brought her fists back again, she felt the muscles in her shoulders tighten up. "You're doing it again, Lily." Aiden commented as he held the punching bag in place. "If you continue to tense up your shoulders like that, it's going to decrease the speed of your punch." He tapped the punching bag. "Now ease up. Focus on the power in your legs and configure it into your arms for speed." Lily nodded as she relaxed her shoulders a bit as she held her fists up. One, two, three. One, two, three.With the slight twist in her hips, she struck the punching bag slightly harder than before, but not as fast as Aiden told her. His brows furrowed together for a moment as she punched again. Quietly evaluating. "Alright." He said, as he stepped aside. Lily lowered her fists to her side as she
There was no doubt in his mind of the power that Lily contained. However, he wasn't prepared to truly witness the outcome of this power. The demonstration of power displayed put a new perspective in his Warriors that he hadn't seen before. Offering their throats had always been a common courtesy to power, but the kneeling was very much new to him. You feel threatened by her. Hearing Nox's observation stung Jayce. "Not threatened. Concerned, yes, but not threatened." Jayce corrected him. He took the stairs back to the second floor. "This is just new and rather unexpected." You feel uncomfortable, though. Does her training truly bother you? "No." Jayce said immediately. He turned down the hall back towards his office. "The training is necessary for what is coming." Jayce. You feel off about this. No matter your excuses, the results are still the same. Jayce came to a stop in the middle of the empty corridor. "It has always been my duty to protect her. For the past ten years, thi
When was it that he last touched me like this?Jayce's lips glided along the arc of her throat. His tongue flickered out to feel her pulse that raced beneath her skin. His hand roamed over the curve of her hip, his fingers hooking on the leggings she wore and tugged them down earnestly. Lily felt his Mark ignite, throbbing with an ache that had been deprived for months. Her nails dug into his back, raising a soft growl from his throat. The sound raised goosebumps along her exposed legs and a shiver to run down her spine. He sat up. His fingers shifted into claws and tore her shirt open. Ten years ago, this would have surprised her, even made her call out in shock, but her fingers caressed his cheeks and brought him back down in a welcoming kiss. She felt him sigh against her lips as he melted against her. His claws woven into her hair as he wedged himself between her thighs. "Lily..." His voice a deep rumble in his chest. "I have a darkness within me." He murmured against her lips.
His head ached when he stirred. There was a slight weight on his chest when his eyes fluttered open. As his blurred vision began to clear, he recognized the room he and Lily were guests in at Aiden's home. The warm glow of the setting sun spread across the ceiling through the blinds. He inhaled deeply. The sweet scent of Lilies filled his senses and his eyes dropped to his Mate and her head that rested on his chest. Lily... The flash of memory from his Wolf nearly taking her life flooded his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hand clamped over his face when he felt her shift and sit up. Her sleepy gaze swept over him before they brightened with alertness. "Jayce!" She smiled with relief. "You scared me. You've been out for a couple of days." She informed him as she brushed his hair from his face. "Lily..." He grumbled weakly. "The kids will be so relieved." She went on. "Myra has been worried sick, and the boys are confused." "Lily." His sharp tone ended in a growl. She fell
Nox curled up in a puff of black fur amidst the depths of Jayce's subconscious. The memory of his beloved Mate pinned beneath him while trapped in his frenzy. The fear in her eyes would forever be engraved in his mind. "Is this where you plan to hide from me?" Azura's sweet voice caused his tail to stir faintly. Even in his distress and misery, her presence still brought him a sense of joy. "You should not be here." He told her, weakly. "I do not wish to bring you more harm." "You never harmed me or Lily." She reassured him. He felt the weight of her along his side as she rested on him. "We thought we lost you for a moment, though." She admitted as she brushed her muzzle against his ear. "That terrified us." "I am not safe to be around, Azura." He growled softly as he pushed himself to his feet. "What if the next time I truly hurt you and Lily? What if I hurt the pups? Or kill..." "Nox." Azura spoke sternly, but with a layer of softness as she sat up. "I know you. Even in these
Seeing his tears and hearing his apologies broke Lily. For a moment, as everything finally fell quiet, all she could do was stare down at the unconscious body of her Mate laying atop her. What happened to him? To Nox? "Jayce?" She brushed his hair from his face. "Lily!" Aiden had sprinted over to her and slid to her side. "You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" He asked urgently. She shook her head before she turned her gaze back to Jayce. "Can you..?" "Here." Zalakai knelt down and took Jayce by the arm and hoisted him up. His Demonic form had also receded. Aiden took Jayce's other arm and together they pulled his unconscious body off of Lily. "His clothes." Lily remarked when a leather jacket fell onto her chest. "Don't worry about his lack of attire." Rayleigh told her. Lily peered down, having forgotten that her clothes had torn away when she shifted. She rose to her feet, holding Rayleigh's leather jacket to her body. "We have to get him back to the house. He'll be out for a
"Dammit!" Jayce growled. "Calm down, Nox." He spoke through gritted teeth. The moment the damn Demon antognized him, Nox practically went berserk. He didn't blame his Wolf for just wanting to protect his Mate, but he would've settled by now. There was something wrong. Something very wrong. "You idiot!" The familiar feisty tone of Rayleigh sent a shiver through him. The women were back. Lily was back... "Nox, stop!" He grabbed onto Nox's leg, attempting to drag him back, but the large Wolf kicked him aside. Jayce grunted as he falls back onto his ass. "Lily..." Nox growled deeply. Jayce pushed himself to his feet when he noticed in the persception that Zalakai seemed to hesitate. Why? After coaxing him for so long. The Demon's eyes seemed to shift away for a moment. There. A soft crunch of boot against the dry grass. Was it Rayleigh? Zalakai would only hesitate if it came to her, right? Nox's fur bristled as he bared his teeth. A dark mist filtered through his sharp teeth. His pier
The ground quaked beneath her as her eyes snapped open. Snarls thundered through the clearing. The first she noticed was Dante crouched in front of Willow protectively, his gaze fixed on something across from them. Next, she realized arms had embraced her and Amira, who had been sitting beside her. Aiden had been holding them for how long she wasn't sure, but his grip was of iron though. She couldn't fully sense it, but his Wolf was on high alert. Nox!Lily's head swiveled around until she found what was going on. Zalakai, in his pure Demonic form, was in a pin against her Mate, also in his true form. The ground had torn up with dirt and grass scattered about. Zalakai and Jayce were in a grappled stalemate, each with their own fair share of exchanging wounds. "Jayce!" Lily pulled herself from Aiden. "Don't!" Aiden grabbed her arm to restrain her. "This is his mess to deal with." "What the Hell happened?" Amira asked him. "Zalakai antagonized Jayce," Dante informed them. Willow g
"Explain to us what you have learned so far of Karmina." Hecate requested as she linked her hands in front of herself. "She's tucked herself away in an abandoned mansion a previous Werewolf King had lived in." Amira stated. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded up map she had put there earlier. She laid it out over the table. "Based on Willow's previous visions, the location is marshlands surrounded by plains or dead trees." "Would you know the locations of where Nox was at one point?" Lily asked Leto. Leto inclined her head with a slight frown. "I am afraid once I gave life to the Werewolf King, his whereabouts were none of my concern." "And that is where you failed." Hecate clipped. Willow gave the Goddess a stern look, and the deity turned her chin away. "You're not exactly guilt-free here either, Hecate." Willow added in. The Goddess scoffed softly, but her posture eased slightly. "Even when we questioned Xander, he has a minimum recollection of how they
What a way to stand out. Rayleigh silently observed the other women that accompanied their Goddesses. She was unaware of Lily's devotion to Leto or if there was devotion at all, but the Goddess seemed rather doting on her. Like a mother to their child. Then there was Amira alongside Artemis, but instead of a parental figure that Leto aired for Lily, Artemis and Amira were as colleagues. A mentor and student, perhaps. Artemis had taken off her bow and was going over step by step of its creation while Amira listened intently. Rayleigh was mildly aware of Amira dabbling with bows over the past year now before crossing the waters to retrieve the Werewolf Queen. She just wasn't aware of how seriously Amira was taking the Hunter role now. Rayleigh glanced back as Hecate, a towering presence, glided in alongside Willow. Willow, a soft and innocent woman, looked out of place beside the night Goddess. Hecate, who not only radiated with otherworldly beauty but also had a confidence about he
The presence of the Goddesses was overwhelming. It surprised her that her knees hadn't buckled yet. Leto's kind and welcoming smile. Hecate's cool yet stern gaze. Artemis's curious incline of her head. It was an unexpected trio to come across. But perhaps, not so much unexpected. Lily was the first to follow Leto up into the ruined temple. The Wolves that acted as a barrier had curved around Lily as well in the same protective manner. Though, she believed it was more so for the sake of the Wolf that resided in Lily now than the Human counterpart. Amira took her place alongside Artemis without question. The Huntress placed a hand on Amira's shoulder and gave her a squeeze of reassurance. There was a silence between them, but words didn't need to be spoken. There was an understanding between them that a shared look was the only thing necessary. Rayleigh trailed along after Amira quietly. She seemed out of place here. Was she questioning her own beliefs? Willow was aware that Rayleig