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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
Osiris POV I pull up outside of my mother's house and take a deep breath. While my mother may be kind and gentle, she wasn't always this way. She is doing her best to make up for her past actions, but it doesn't take away the trauma that I endured as a child. Now that Willow has brought up the last memory I have of my father, bits and pieces of that night keep flashing through my mind. I remember running to my father. I was excited to see him. But there was something different eyes that night. It could have been embarrassment or maybe shame, but it still didn't stop him from doing what he did. He turned his back on his mate and only son for some alliance. I vowed that if I ever found my fated mate, I would treat her with all the love and respect that the Moon Goddess expected from us. Now that I have Willow, I plan on protecting her from all of the evils of this world, even if it means protecting her from herself. After we visit my mother, a visit to Petra will be in ord
Willow POV The drive back to the rogue colony is silent between Osiris and me. His hand rests on my knee, and he nervously draws circles with his thumb. I know that he is trying to process everything he has heard tonight. I am used to finding out the secrets of others, but this time it is different. This time, it is personal. Osiris is my mate, and I have already decided where he goes; I go. His path is my path. But it occurs to me I have never told Osiris. "You know," I start hesitantly. "I wouldn't have let you mark me if I didn't want to be part of this." Osiris looks at me out of the corner of his eye but doesn't say anything as he continues to drive. "I am serious," I say. "The first vision I had was of you marking me." "You saw last night?" Osiris says, and there is a hint of anger in his voice. "Well, no," I say. "I sort of changed the vision." "What do you mean you changed the vision?" Osiris removes his hand from my knee and grips the steering wheel tig
Willow POV I move through time and space so quickly that I fall back on the ground. My air is knocked from my lungs, and I lay back on the ground, trying to breathe. With my eyes closed, I breathe in and out deeply. The smell of smoke fills my lungs, and panic fills my senses. All I was looking for was some reassurance that everything would be okay. But it doesn't appear that I am going to get it. This isn't going to be a happy memory or vision. Sitting on the hard ground, I look around and gasp at the sight before me. I am in the middle of the rogue colony’s town square. Every building that surrounds the town square is ablaze. Getting to my feet, I spin around in the vision. There is no clue if this is a memory or a glimpse into the future. People are running from the buildings as the fire spreads from one to the other. Screams and sirens fill the air. Children are huddled together, crying while their parents run into the burning buildings, trying to save what the
Keena POV An ear-piercing scream wakes me from my sleep. I was dreaming about a fire and awakened to find myself covered in sweat. The dream was so vivid. Almost as if it were real. I look to my side and see Ward still sleeping peacefully beside me. The scream must have been part of my dream. Grabbing my robe at the end of my bed, I wrap it around myself and head to the kitchen. My feet pad quietly against the hardwood floor as I pace back and forth. I cannot shake the feeling that something terrible has happened. I look out the huge bay window in my kitchen, hoping to catch a glimpse of something that will ease the worry in my mind. But I find nothing, and the unease in my mind only continues to build. I close my eyes and try to reach out for Willow, but I am left with emptiness. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrap around me, and tingles erupt all over my skin. “Why are you awake, Princess?” Ward whispers. “Something is wrong,” I mumble. “I feel it too,” Ward tell
Osiris POV My phone buzzes on the nightstand, waking me from my comfortable sleep. I squint my eyes open and check the time on my watch. It is 4:00 am. Who the hell is calling me at this ungodly hour? Willow is sleeping with her head on my shoulder and her arm and leg wrapped around me. She is holding onto me so tightly that I am unable to get to my phone. "Willow, Baby," I whisper next to her ear. "I need to get my phone." Willow grunts uncomfortably in her sleep but loosens her grip around me. I wiggle out of the tangle of Willow's arms and legs and grab my phone off the nightstand. I look at the screen and see that it is my Beta Matthew. I groan as I slide out of bed and head into the bathroom to take the call in private. "What?" I growl. "We have a problem," Matthew says urgently. "There is a man being held in the dungeons who claims to be your mate's father." "If he is Willow's father, why is he in the dungeons?" I sigh. "Because he is the former Beta of Ly
Willow POV My father gets to his feet, still clutching his chest. I was never a member of the Lycan City Pack, so when I was banished, I felt no pain. My father is one of the strongest men that I know, and if the pain can bring him to his knees, then it must be awful. There are tears in his eyes, and I don't know how to comfort him. I have never been one to show my affection. I hold his hand in mine and give it a little squeeze. “What about mother?” I ask. “Was she banished as well?” “I don't know,” my father shakes his head. “I keep trying to reach out through the mate bond to find her, but I am met with nothing.” “You don't think Faris hurt her, do you?” It is becoming difficult for me to speak. “No,” my father says. “I would be able to feel if she were in pain or worse.” I feel helpless, and I don't like it. “I am going after her,” I say as I make my way back to the farmhouse. “Woah, Mighty Mouse,” Osiris says as he pulls me back by my hand. “You would be walkin
Willow POV I unsheath the sword from my back and take a deep breath. There are at least twenty of Faris’s men trying to break through the swirling vortex. Each time one gets close to the wind, they are thrown back. I have seen my mother’s magic before, but I had no idea she was this strong. My father’s lycan is the first to leave the cover of the tree canopy. He wastes no time ripping the arms off the first warrior he encounters. The warrior screams as he falls to the ground, but no one notices. The wind muffles the sound of his screams. King is the next one to join the fight. Unlike my father’s lycan, King moves stealthfully through the chaos. He inches closer to the house. One of Fairs’s warriors is thrown back, and King catches him as he falls to the ground. Placing a single paw on the warrior's chest, he rips out his throat and tosses it to the side. Now, it is my turn to leave the safety of the trees. I spin the sword in my hands as I walk confidently into the fig
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.