Osiris POV Matthew and I are sitting at my desk running the expense reports for the next month. A deep frown etches across my face as I look at the numbers. The cost of burning down a warehouse was more than I expected it to be. Without the extra product to distribute, it will be a rough month for the rogue community. "I told you not to burn the warehouse down," Matthew says with an annoyed look on his face. "Now, what are we going to do?" "You are freaking out over nothing," I groan as I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. "Send the Chow that we have to the distributors. It should be enough to get us through the month. In the meantime, we can grow more." "This shit takes time to grow and to process," Matthew groans. "Or have you forgotten?" "I haven't forgotten," I growl back at him. "Perhaps we should plan a raid on one of the King's warehouses. We can get what we need to bridge the gap." "You are out of your damn mind," Matthew laughs. "The Lycan King will have his ass
Willow POV I pull up to the Wolf's Den at exactly 8:55 PM. My eyes glance around the parking lot, hoping to see Osiris outside, but I have no such luck. It looks like I am going to have to go inside. Stepping out of my cute little sports car, I look disgustingly at the building in front of me. This looks like the type of place rogues meet up to do drug deals. The siding on the building is mismatched, as are the shingles on the roof. It looks like the whole building was once painted black, but now it is weathered and peeling. There is a crudely painted wolf howling at the moon on the sign. I wrinkle my nose as soon as I walk into the bar. Even without a wolf, the smell of drugs, alcohol, and sweat is overpowering. The bar is busier than I expected it to be on a Wednesday night. Pushing my way through the crowd, I make my way to the bar. An older woman with bright red hair is handling the bar alone. Most people here must be regulars because she knows their order without
Osiris POVI leave the Wolf's Den, knowing Willow will chase after me. She needs me in order to complete her demands for the Lycan King. If she chooses to let me leave, it will almost certainly mean death for her. The large double doors slam shut behind me, and I pull a cigarette out of my pocket. Rounding the corner of the building, I light my cigarette and wait.The sound of the doors creaking open catches my attention. She came faster than I thought that she would. Perhaps she feels the pull of the mate bond as well. Peeking around the corner, I look for her. She is standing just outside of the door. The wind blows through her hair and carries the smell of wintergreen to where I stand. King is going wild in my mind. 'Go to her,' he demands of me. 'Mark her.'Rolling my eyes at the abrasiveness of my wolf, I push him to the back of my mind. Coming back to the front of the building, I stalk closer to my mate. She doesn't even hear me coming, and I chuckle to myself. The
Willow POV An awkward silence fills the car ride to the rogue colony. I feel like I need to make small talk with Osiris, but I am also fine ignoring his existence. Osiris pulls the car over onto the side of the road and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a red bandana. "I can't let you see the way to the colony. Not until I know that you can be trusted." He tells me. I wouldn't say I like it, but I must play my part well. "What if I promise to keep my eyes closed?" I laugh, pretending to be nervous. "No," Osiris says seriously. "It is this way, or I leave you here on the side of the highway." I can tell by his tone of voice that he is not joking. He will leave me here to protect his colony, and that is something that I will have to learn to respect. "Okay," I say, holding my hand out for the bandana. "I will wear it." "I have to put it on," Osiris says in the same solemn tone. "I don't like to be touched," I remind him, but he doesn't seem to care. "I promise no
Willow POV Osiris slips into his bedroom and shuts the door behind him, leaving me out in the hallway. I let out a huff of annoyance as I lean up against the wall beside the door. I hear raised voices coming from inside, and my curiosity gets the better of me. Pressing my ear to the door, I try to hear the conversation that is coming from inside the room. "Damn it, Nat. What the fuck are you doing here?" Osiris yells. "I just wanted to welcome you home," a seductive female voice answers him. "I can't deal with you right now, Nat," Osiris's voice is becoming more agitated. "Now, put on your clothes and leave." Immediately I step back from the door. A naked woman is waiting for Osiris in his bedroom. For some reason, a surge of anger courses through my body. How dare he claim that he needs a mate when a woman is willingly waiting for him in his room? "Come on, Osiris," her voice carries through the door. "We haven't been together in like a week. Don't you miss me?"
Osiris POV I find myself standing back outside of the Wolf's Den bar. I don't know what keeps bringing me back to this place, but it feels like home. It is after hours, but I know that Celeste is probably still inside cleaning up. Making my way around the back, I slip in through the service entrance. As I walk out from the back, Celeste stands with her hand on her hip and a glass of bourbon in the other. Her fiery red hair is falling out of its messy bun, and the wrinkles beside her eyes are more pronounced. Working nights at the bar has taken a toll on her, and I wish that she would take me up on my offer to quit this place and join my colony. But she insists that she is a loner. "I knew you would be back," she says as she places the glass on the bar and continues wiping down the tables. "How did you know?" I groan before drinking the glass of bourbon all in one go. Pointing to her temple, Celeste doesn't answer. "If you know so much, just tell me what I am supposed
Willow POV Rolling my head to the side, I close my eyes again and try to go back to sleep, but it is hard with Osiris sitting this close to me. I can feel his eyes boring into my skin as he takes in my naked back. "Are you just going to sit there and stare at me, or are you going to get some sleep?" I ask, hoping that it will force him away from me. "Your back needs medical attention," he tells me. "It has seen worse," I mumble into the pillow. "It will heal." I feel his fingertips graze along the scars that line my back. The wounds from the many battles that the Lycan King sent me into. I didn't always come out on top. Not when I first started training. My father's training sessions were brutal; I left many battered and bruised. But my father's training was nothing compared to Uncle Faris's. My uncle would train me until I could no longer stand and then force me to train more. I cannot count the number of days I had to hide the marks left by Faris's warriors on my
Osiris POV Willow falls back asleep quickly, but I cannot say the same for myself. The faint scent of her arousal is still in the air, and it is driving not only me but King crazy. My eyes rake over her bandaged torso, and I can feel my erection growing at the sight of her perfectly round nipples trying to break free. 'We have to get out of here,' I tell King, and he only nods in agreement. Carefully I slip from the bed and pull my dirty jeans back on, quickly checking the pocket for paper that contains the drawing of her runes. My hand wraps around the piece of paper, and I know where I need to go. Closing the bedroom door behind me, I consider locking it from the outside but instantly decide against it. I don't want Willow to feel like a prisoner. She is the Luna of my pack and will be treated as such. After alerting the house staff that there is a guest in my room and she is to be treated with respect. I make my way outside to my car. Sitting behind the steering wheel
Willow POV Faris's body floats to the middle of Lycan City Lake, just like his father before him and his grandfather before that. Horns play loudly, signifying the beginning of the lighting ceremony. I watch from a distance as the leader of the Royal Guard raises his hand in the air, and three archers light the tips of their arrows with flames. The leader lowers his hand, and the arrows fly into the air before hitting their mark. As Faris's body is engulfed in flames, I find myself shedding a tear. Not for the man Faris was at the end of his life, but for the man he was before I became his assassin. The uncle who would sneak me out of my house with his mate and feed me ice cream before dinner. The uncle who never missed a school event and treated me like his own flesh and blood even though I was not. Liz pulls at my black dress and looks up at me with her bright green eyes. "Are you okay?" She whispers, pulling my attention away from the end of my uncle's ceremony. "I'm
Willow POV As I watch Endora’s ashes fly away, the runes on my back begin to burn. It feels like someone has poured salt on an open wound. I drop to my knees and claw at my skin through my shirt. My mother and Cordelia rush to my side, ripping my shirt off my body. I look at the runes on my arms, and they are glowing bright red. “What is happening?” I cry out in pain. “Since Endora has been killed, your link to the Coven of the Lunar Star is broken,” Cordelia tries to smile even though I am in pain. “The magical bindings they put on your skin are breaking down.” “They are disappearing?” I ask as I attempt to get to my feet, but my knees buckle under my weight. Exhaustion has finally caught up with me. Wincing through the pain, I look at Faris lying beside me. His face looks peaceful like he is sleeping. I look around me, and all of the fighting has stopped. Faris’s Royal guards must have felt this tether to the pack break when he died. Now they are all on bended knee
Willow POV My two-hour training session turned into five hours. By the time Cordelia is done with me, my arms feel like jello. My feet drag as I walk from the training area back to the farmhouse. I am exhausted, and I cannot wait to crawl into bed for a few hours before Osiris wakes me. As I approach the farmhouse, my heart sinks. A group of rogue warriors is already gathered outside of the farmhouse. Osiris is standing on the porch giving them a speech. When he sees me, he raises his hand and gestures for me to join him. Mumbling obscenities under my breath as I approach Osiris, I realize I am not getting my nap. Plastering a fake smile on my face, I stand beside Osiris. Osiris wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me in close to him. My fake smile turns into a real one as I feel the tingles of the mate bond spread throughout my skin. Osiris's shoulders relax as I nuzzle into his side. He wraps his arm tightly around my waist and continues his speech. "We were att
Faris POV I leave Natacha sleeping in my bed. Her new mark shimmers under the morning light shining into the room. I had expected her mark to match the one I had given Kayla, but it is different. A beautiful rose blooming under a full moon now resides on her neck. Natacha had been more than willing to accept my mark. The lovemaking between us had been patient and gentle. I was worried about hurting the pup that grows within her. But when it came time for Natacha to mark me in return, I couldn't let it happen. It felt too much like I was replacing Kayla. Natacha pretended she understood, but I could feel her pain through the bond between us. She was disappointed. Pulling on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, I head into the office that adjoins my bedroom. Sitting down at my desk, I begin to make plans on when and how to attack the rogue camp. But my heart isn't in it. Now that I know I have an heir, nothing else seems to matter. It all feels petty. "Why shouldn't I let
Willow POV After much negotiation with the doctor, he finally agrees to let me leave the hospital. The wound on my neck is almost healed. I have not been brave enough to look at it. I don't want to see the damage that Osiris has done to me. After taking a shower in the tiny hospital bathroom, I open the bag of clothes that Osiris brought me from the farmhouse. I roll my eyes when I see a pair of bright red lace panties and a matching bra. Sticking my head out of the bathroom, I hiss at Osiris. "You couldn't have brought something more comfortable?" There is a mischievous grin on his face. "They looked comfortable to me," he chuckles. I shut the door in frustration, and I begin to pull on the leather pants and black t-shirt. I pull my hair up into a ponytail and walk back out into the hospital room. But there is no one in there. I peek out of my hospital room and see nurses and doctors frantically running toward the entrance of the hospital. I can hear the sounds of
Faris POV It is the wee hours of the morning when I finally return to the royal mansion, but the mansion is already buzzing with activity. I quietly slip past all of the Omegas who have already started their morning chores. I go upstairs and past the room that Natacha is staying in. Her scent of lavender and roses is wafting through the door. She barely smells like a rogue anymore, and I wonder if it is because she is carrying my child. Slowly, I turn the doorknob, and I am surprised to find it is unlocked. The door opens with a slight creek, causing me to cringe. I consider walking away, but curiosity draws me further into her room. Natacha is sleeping peacefully. I have to admit she is beautiful. Not as beautiful as my Kayla, but still beautiful nonetheless. Tiny puffs of breath leave her full lips as she sleeps. She is sleeping in an oversized t-shirt. A smile crosses my lips when I realize the t-shirt is one I had left behind at her apartment. The t-shirt has ridd
Osiris POV Ella grabs my hand and teleports back to the hospital. The wind swirls in the sky as the witch sisters appear out of nowhere beside us. I am unsteady on my feet as the world comes back into focus. "I don't think I will ever get used to that," I grumble as I choke back the vomit rising in my throat. "You will get used to it over time," Ella says as she gently rubs my back. I shrug off Ella's hand and turn to the four witches. "We don't have time to lose," I say. "We need to get to Willow." Once I have regained my balance, I head into the hospital with the witches following behind me. As we walk through the halls, people scatter away from me and the women walking with me. Whispers follow us through the corridors. Many of my pack members have not seen so many witches together in one place, and their eyes follow us as we make our way to Willow's hospital room. As we approach Willow's room, the doctor is waiting for us. He looks the witches up and down before o
Faris POV Natacha follows me into the royal mansion, keeping her head down. As we walk through the mansion, I can hear the whispers coming from the Omega servants. They are wondering why I have willingly brought a rogue into Lycan City. My personal Omega, Jessica, is leaving my bedroom when I reach the top floor of the royal mansion. Her face blushes deeply when she looks at me but quickly disappears when she lays eyes on Natacha. Jessica's nose wrinkles as she catches Natacha's rogue scent, and a scowl tugs at her lips. "How can I help you, Your Highness?" Jessica says with a fake smile spread across her face. "This is my close friend, Natacha. I need you to set her up in the room next to mine," I instruct Jessica. Jessica doesn't try to hide her displeasure at the thought of a rogue staying within the royal mansion, but still, she gestures for Natacha to follow her down the hall. Natacha hesitates to follow the young Omega. "Are you coming with me?" She asks nervou
Osiris POV A headache is pulsating at the back of my skull as the doctor tells me the damage that Willow sustained to her neck when I tried to remark her. I know I should be listening to what he has to say, but the only thing I can hear is the steady beep of the machines coming from her room. To me, those are the only sounds that matter because they are the only indication that she is still alive. My eyes wander past the doctor to the room filled with Willow's family. Her adopted father, mother, and grandmother are all surrounding her. They are all wearing identical faces of worry, and it is all my fault. I couldn't have known what would happen when I tried to remark her, but I should have known we got away too easily. I should have known that the witches had something more sinister in store. Guilt fills my brain as I think about what I have done. My mate is fighting for her life because I was determined to make her mine again. "Alpha?" The doctor interrupts my thoughts.