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Willow POV Uncle Faris is unusually quiet as we drive to my drop-off location. I haven't been alone with Uncle Faris for this long, for years. Eventually, Faris stopped communicating with me altogether unless it was about my work as his secretary. Chad became the one who would deliver my assignments. Half the time, I wasn't sure if Uncle Faris even knew what the jobs were. The longer we drive, the more uncomfortable I become in the silence between us. "Did you know?" I finally ask Faris. "Huh?" Faris responds. "Did I know what?" "Did you know that the runes on my back are meant to seal the light magic within me?" I ask. "I might have heard something about it," Uncle Faris mumbles. "Did you know that I was supposed to be raised in the light?" I continue my barrage of questions. "What is the big deal?" Faris practically screams at me. "Just have the runes removed, and it will unleash your light powers." I slap my hands on my cheeks in fake surprise. "Why didn't I think of that?"
Willow POV The doors slam shut, and I try to hide my shock. I have never been able to do any other magic besides my visions before. This magic feels different. It feels robust and dark. I know that I shouldn't indulge in the darker side of my magic, so I try to push it to the side, but it keeps trying to surface. I look down at my hands, and they are glowing red. It appears that red flames are bursting from my skin. The four men in the office back away from me, but I am too busy looking at my hands. "Willow," Chad yells from behind me. "What the fuck are you doing?" I don't know how to answer. I certainly don't want to tell them I don't know what in the hell is going on. The flames don't seem to be burning my skin, but they sure as hell look intimidating. Spinning around with a smile, I hold my hands to my side. I can see my hands glowing brightly in the reflection of Chad's eyes. "Did you think I would make this easy on you?" I laugh. Chad swallows audibly and ta
Hello My Lovely Readers. As most of you I am a mother first and an author second. Today's update was late due to a family emergency. The emergency is one in which it will impeed my ability to update regularly for a few days. I am unsure of how long my writing will be effected. I do hope that the emergency will be resolved somewhat timely. I will do my best to try and work out an update schedule that allows me to both care for my family and provide you with the chapters that you all patiently wait for. Thank you all for being amazing readers and fans and being patient while my family navigates this chapter in our lives. Solange Daye
Osiris POV "Willow!" I shout as I wake up from a deep sleep. I look around the room, and there is no sign of Willow anywhere. Her scent is still strong in the air, so I am sure that she hasn't been gone long, but I get the feeling that something is wrong. There is a strange burning in my chest that I have never felt before. I hear someone rattling around at the front of Willow's small cottage. The smell of her wintergreen scent leads me to the kitchen, but it isn't Willow that I find. Ducking down below the counters, I see a head of fiery red hair. Celeste is trying to hide from me, but I can see her perfectly manicured red nails on the edge of the counter. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I growl at Celeste, but she pretends not to hear me. "Answer me," my voice booms through the cottage. "I was looking for the girl," Celeste says as she stands from her poor hiding spot. "Just why were you looking for my mate?" I ask. "I got a bad feeling," is all Celeste says. "Where is she
Willow POV The smell of Chow fills the air as the building burns behind me. I cover my mouth and run from the building as fast as possible, but my legs are weak. Blood runs down my shoulder from the bullet wound. My hands are covered in blood, and I don't know if it belongs to me or someone else. This isn't the first time my blood has been mixed with others. But this is the first time I have been so wounded that I feel lightheaded. Or maybe it is the smell of the Chow burning in the air that is making me lightheaded. As I run up the hill away from the burning office, I trip over a branch and hit the ground hard. My hands claw against the ground as I try to pull myself back upright. My gloves tear against the roots and the rocks sticking out of the earth. My shoulder and arm go limp as I reach the top of the hill. Rolling over onto my back, I look up at the stars. I try to lift my arm, but I am unable to move it. I lay on the ground, waiting for someone to find and kill
Osiris POV It all happens so quickly. Willow's body goes ridged, and her eyes glaze over. I look at Willow's hand, and the very tip of Celeste's thumb is resting on the palm of Willow's hand. I smack Celeste's hand away from Willow, but it is too late. She is already deep into her catatonic state. I tap Willow gently on her cheeks. "Stay with me," I beg of her. "Willow! Stay present." Celeste is frozen beside the couch. "What is happening?" "She has entered your memories," I tell Celeste, but I have a feeling that Celeste already knows what is going on. "How do you know what she is seeing?" Celeste asks. "I only know what she has told me," I tell her. "For your sake, I hope you aren't hiding anything from me." Celeste swallows hard, but she ignores my words. "We need to get this bullet out of her shoulder. She is still losing blood." Celeste pulls out a pair of pliers out of her bag and a bunch of herbs. "How did you know to bring all of these things?" But Celeste's eyes on
Willow POV I am not surprised to see that Celeste has run. I knew she wouldn’t hang around after what I saw in her mind. I don’t understand why she hasn’t told Osiris about what she has seen. But there is one thing I know for sure: we cannot stay here any longer. It won’t be long until Faris realizes his little mission to kill me failed. If I know him as well as I think I do, he is already on his way to my cottage. “We have to go,” I tell Osiris as I hurry to my bedroom. Quickly, I pull on some comfortable sweats and a spare pair of gloves. The pain in my shoulder is unbearable, but there is no time to lose. I slip my blood-covered combat boots onto my feet and head for the front door. But Osiris doesn’t follow me. I peek my head back into the front door and look at him as if he has lost his mind. “What part of we have to go, did you not understand?” “You need to rest,” Osiris frowns. “I will rest when I am dead,” I spit at him. “And if we don’t leave soon, that cou
Petra POV I wrap my hands around the mug of hot tea, trying to warm myself from the chill in the air. The leaves on the trees are changing from vibrant shades of green to the beautiful yellows and golds of fall. The wind howls around my cottage, and I wrap my cloak around my shoulders. My cottage can be drafty when the wind becomes unruly, but it is too early in the season for it to be this windy. Something ominous is brewing, and I have an awful feeling that I know what it is. Closing my eyes, I reach out into the abyss, looking for Seraphina, or Willow as she is called now. I get the feeling that she is in danger. As I look through the darkness, like I have done so many times before, I find Seraphina. I was right; she was in trouble. I can only catch snippets of what is happening, but she is covered in blood with a gun in her hand. Suddenly, the vision goes dark, and a bright light flashes behind my eyes. I clutch my chest as darkness consumes my soul. My eyes fly ope
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.