© 2024 Anna T. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, distributed, or adapted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except as permitted by UK copyright law. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. Book Cover by © 2024 Anna T. Chapter 1 The small purple flowers that fill the floor crunch beneath my feet, I can smell the pleasant fragrance drifting up toward me, taking me back to a time I had almost forgotten about. The pure, unadulterated magic that created the magical plant that spreads out before me like some disease grasping onto everything in its path and consuming it, pulses in the air, I can feel it brushing against my flesh as I move closer to the circle of stones used by the fairies a time now past. Images of that consequential night so many moons ago flashed through my mind, and even though I lost the queen I so desperately needed to complete the ritual and give me the monumental power I needed to free my kin, I could feel the new queen’s presence. Her magic is like a siren calling out to me on a fog-filled night, her power radiating just beneath the surface and I will do whatever it takes to free that power and take it for myself. “Are you sure this is the place?” I turned to look at the witch I had coerced to help me, feeling my annoyance bubbling at her stupidity. I step closer, making the bell around my neck chime as I make the sudden movement, but I also make the witch step back, I can smell her fear seeping from every single pore on her curvy figure. “Are you questioning me?” “N...no.” she stutters, making the corners of my lips curl up with delight. “This is where I took my sword and drove it through the queen's chest. This spot where you stand is where her heartbeat for the last time, where she took her last, agonising breath as her blood filled her lungs, and this will be where you will take your last agonising breath if you do not summon the new queen to me.” The witch's eyes filled with clear liquid, making her brown eyes glisten in the moonlight, she nodded her head and dropped to her knees, opening a large bag she carried on her shoulder and began to pull things out, placing them on the mystical purple flowers that hid the ground that was once stained a deep maroon from the queens blood just beneath her. I walked around the witch watching her carefully. Her dark skin had a sheen of sweat coating it, and her dark unruly hair looked wild as the moonlight shone through it. Her back tensed up, but she never looked up, concentrating on the task at hand. I had waited centuries for the new queen to be born, centuries of roaming this world in solitude, just waiting until she was finally here and now that time had finally come. 24 years ago I felt a shift in this plane of existence, a shift I was drawn to 400 years ago. The new queen had finally been born. I grew tired of roaming this world searching for her, now I was taking matters into my own hands and bringing her to me, back to the place where I snuffed out that bright, life-giving light from the last queen's eyes, quite poetic really that she would also take her last breath here in the very spot her predecessor did. “This is going to be difficult if you don't know who she is.” the witch complained. “If I knew who she was, I wouldn't need you now, would I?” I snarled, growing tired of her insolence. The witch picked up a bottle of serpent blood and poured it out onto the ground around herself, creating a circle. Next, she poured some of the bitterweed essence into a large golden bowl and some of the blood I had generously given. She raised her arms over the bowl, creating a flame that erupted up into the air. I could feel the witches' magic encircling me, a warm breeze enveloped me, vanishing suddenly as the flame disappeared back into the golden bowl. Next, she picked up a piece of twine, dipping it into the bowl, soaking it in the mixture she had created. She pulled it out slowly and began to quietly chant under her breath. She leaned across, picked up a large silver dagger and began to cut the twine. The wind howled loudly as it roared around her. I could see the witch's hair flailing around her face, but she didn't seem to notice, her already dark eyes looked pitch black now. If I wasn't so powerful, I might have actually been afraid of this witch. The wind dropped and the witch looked up, her smile sinful, but rousing. “It is done. Her life will begin to fall apart, she will lose everything and everyone in her life and she will be drawn here to you. You can rest now, the new queen will be yours, and she will come willingly to you.” I walked around the witch again, stopping in front of her. “How long will it take? I grow tired of these humans.” “It is already in motion.” I turned back toward the town, leaving the witch to gather her things. The trees that surrounded this empty land were ancient but very few exist now. The last time I was here, the land was full of vibrant trees that filled the air with freshness, but the humans that had infested this once peaceful world had cut them down to make their homes to the now overpopulated world that these humans had consumed. “Wait!” she cried, forcing me to stop. “Can I have my brother back now?” “You can have him back when I know your little spell has worked.” “BUT!” I grabbed the little witch by her throat, squeezing until she began to gasp for breath. Her face began to turn red and her long fingernails clawed at my wrist as she tried to free herself. “Do not cross me, witch! When and only when the new queen is here may you have your brother back. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” I dropped her to the ground, ignoring her coughing as I headed back through the forest. This place was full of supernatural creatures, but I wasn't scared of any of them. In fact, I was going to enjoy myself whilst I waited for the new queen to arrive. I had already made the headlines in those human tabloids during my search for the queen, so now I was going to play with the wolves that claimed this land as their own. After all, I owed the wolves a debt, and I was going to enjoy paying it back.“Tamara needs to see you.” Alice, Tamara’s secretary says quietly as she stands by my desk. I look up to see her brows pulled together and a pained look filling her sweet face. Tamara was the head of accounting in the large business firm I work at. I sit up straight to see her glaring at me through the large glass wall that encases her office. Her dark ebony hair frames her perfectly painted face with beautiful waves that look effortless. I swallow the lump in my throat and stand up, straightening my skirt and blouse as I make my way to her office. I can feel everyone’s eyes watching me as I walk by them, they are all eager to see the Tamara bitch show, and I just so happened to be her favourite contestant. “Ayla, take a seat.” Her voice always sounds so condescending, and the way she says my name, it is always filled with disgust, as if my name is a sour taste on her tongue. I hear the door close behind me as I take a seat on the chair placed in front of her desk, I glance over m
Ayla POV I walk into the lobby of the large premier inn in the the city centre and head straight to the front desk to get a room for the night. Today had been one giant cluster fuck of a day, but I couldn’t go home to my parents just yet. I had run out of Marcus’s flat with just my handbag and coat. So, I had decided to make the journey back home tomorrow, after I had returned to Marcus' flat and got my stuff, but I would have to wait until Marcus had left for work, I didn’t want to see his cheating face. I sat down on the end of the bed, looking around at the clean but plain room. The walls were beige giving a clean feel and the curtains were the signature purple that the chain hotel was known for. I ran my hand across the purple coverlet that ran across the double bed, noting how smooth it felt. The room smelled clean, and a pleasant scent lingered in the air, but my heart ached, I had lost my job, my boyfriend and my home all in the space of a couple of hours. My heart had bee
The night air feels crisp and fresh, there’s a small chill on the breeze that feels refreshing, I can hear crickets chirping all around me and the small birds call out to each other in a beautiful chorus that takes me back to my childhood, to the long summer nights that I would spend hidden in the gardens of the pack house or roaming the forest searching for something, anything that would protect us from Alister. Summer is almost over and the autumn nights will set in fast. The waxing crescent moon hangs perfectly in the cloudless sky, bright twinkling stars fill the black void, giving it warmth. The smell of pine and wet grass mixes with the fresh water and moss from the rocks that line the bed of the small stream that runs along the small dirt path joggers and dog walkers use during the day. Droplets of rain still linger on the vibrant green leaves that hang above me, I feel them dripping onto my black fur as I move beneath the thick, ancient trees that surround me. I can almost fee
Ayla POV If someone had told me 3 months ago that I would have ended up on this road, I would have laughed at them, but here I was. Driving back to my home town to live with my parents because I had no job, no home and a broken heart. I had failed at life and now I was crawling back to my parents with my tail between my legs. My mum and dad had moved out of my childhood home, with me gone and creating a new life for myself they decided to sell the home in the hopes that a new family would buy it and they would go on to create some amazing memories in the house which was a nice thought, they ended up buying some fancy apartment in the nicer part of town where most of the well to do people lived. I had been meaning to stop by and visit them, but life always seemed too hectic. Marcus never really wanted to come and visit with me. He always made excuses as to why he couldn’t come, and my job was so demanding at the time, but that’s not really a good enough excuse. I can see the welcome s
Callan POV I hear the front door closing and look up from the pile of paperwork laid on the table in front of me to see Micha walking in, I glance at my watch and notice he has been gone for the last 90 minutes. His face has a smug look plastered on it, piquing my interest in what he has been doing for the last one and a half hours. “What’s made you so happy?” I ask. “I’ve just met Iris and Wyatt’s daughter, Ayla, and she is.. interesting.” The name Ayla makes my wolf stir and my heart race, but it also ignites fury deep inside of me hearing it come from another man’s mouth. I sit up straight, feeling uncomfortable with what is happening to me from hearing some girl's name. “She’s just moved back in with them, and fuck she’s sexy, I wouldn’t mind getting to know her better. Where’s Eric?” Micha continues as he moves across the penthouse, pulling the fridge door open. Fury pumped through my veins, making my blood boil. I can feel the heat of rage consuming me. I clenched my fists
Ayla POV “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just grab some wine and we can drink at your place?” I asked Nicola for the tenth time since leaving my parents flat. No matter how hard I tried to fight her on things, I always somehow seemed to cave in and do what she wanted, I think it’s because she is so domineering and dynamic, that I couldn’t really help but say yes to her. I squirm in the fake leather seat in the back of the taxi feeling underdressed, especially in comparison to Nicola. I hadn’t brought many of my clothes when I went back to Marcus’ flat, I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible so I grabbed the first things my hands landed on and threw them into the bag but Nicola was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted something. I must admit she did have a way of making me feel good about myself, and she had managed to pull off making me look somewhat decent. She went through the few clothes I did have, picking out the nicest top which was a simple white top
Ayla POV I spun around to see Micha and Eric watching me trying to make the great escape. “You caught me!”I held my hands in the air making them smile. “We are just heading to another bar, do you want to join us?” Micha asked with a dashing smile. I found myself nodding my head in agreement, even though I had just been longing for my bed, I knew going with the two handsome men would be much more fun. “Great, let's go!” Eric clapped his hands and climbed into the front of the taxi I had just gotten for myself to take me home.The night seemed to blur into nonstop laughter, Micha was hilarious and such a smooth talker, ladies seemed to be throwing themselves at him and Eric was oblivious to how good-looking he was. Not once did either man try to make a move on me, and I felt like I was in the company of people I had known my whole life. We ended up falling into a taxi and rolling home at 2 am, something I hadn’t done since I left uni. As I stumbled out of the taxi the fresh air
Callan POV My mind was in turmoil. Haunted by a fucking scent and a name that had no meaning to me. That name was branded onto my brain, repeating over and over until I wanted to scream just to hear something different, and that scent was burnt into my nostrils. God, it made me feel like a man starved of water for a thousand years and the source of that scent was the elixir of life. I lay on the sofa listening to the sound of the wind as it rushed past the window, rustling the leaves of the forest surrounding me. I closed my eyes, praying to the goddess that I could finally fall asleep, but she had different ideas, she wanted to torture me and play the mantra going around my head louder. Ayla, Ayla, Ayla. “Fuck it!” I growled. I grabbed my brown leather laptop bag which was filled with the paperwork I had been trying to complete before I left for the pack meeting last night and sat down at the dining table, pulling out the folders of work that I couldn’t be arsed to do. But wha
Callan POV I stand on the stage looking out toward my pack. Minister Robert stands in front of me; his long red robe brushes against the floor of the stage. I can hear the silence of the night; not a single sound can be heard apart from the pounding of my heart in my ears. The smell of pine trees fills the night air; it mixes with the smell of perfume and aftershave of the pack, all watching this monumental moment in our pack's history. “Does anyone here challenge Callan Carmichael for his title as alpha?” Minister Robert shouted, piercing the silence with his booming voice. I found myself holding my breath as I waited to see if anyone accepted the challenge; silence swirled around me as my heart pounded in my chest. “Please kneel, Alpha.” Minister Robert demanded. The muscles in my body relaxed; my pack wanted me as their alpha; no one challenged my title. I dropped down onto my knees. Minister Robert took the wolf dagger out from his belt rope and sliced the palm of his han
Ayla POV Everything feels surreal; the only time I know reality from illusion is when Callan touches me. His fingers brushing against my skin makes everything snap back into place. The world stops morphing into one of fantasy and becomes the world I know. His touch calms the chaotic affliction that is consuming my body and my soul. I can feel him trying to reach me through our bond; it feels like a constant pounding on my brain, like I have a door inside my head and he is knocking on it desperate to get in, but if I let him in, if he finds out the truth, how my body feels like it’s going to implode at any given moment taking me and everything around me, he won’t go through with his alpha ceremony, and even though it was only a dream, I can’t shake the warning of the lady who called herself Selene, the goddess of the moon. It wasn’t that long ago I thought I was dreaming of Duscellis and Runduc, and how very wrong I was about that. The nurse Callan has asked to stay with me is sitti
Callan POV “Ayla, you need me.” I protest as I slip my shirt on. Ayla had been awake for most of the day, but I wasn’t convinced she was actually any better. She had eaten quite a lot today, which was something she hadn’t done for the last few days, but her skin still looked a little flushed, and her temperature only seemed to settle when I was touching her; standing close to her, I could feel the heat emitting from her body; it was like standing next to a radiator on a cold winter's morning, but she was insistent she was fine, stubbornly insistent. I had tried to feel her through our bond, hoping to see if I could feel what she was feeling, but she had somehow locked it up again. She was sitting on the bed watching me, her breath caught in her throat as her gaze followed my hands as I buttoned up my shirt. “No, your pack needs you, Callan. I promise I will be ok.” “Knock knock, are you ready?” Micha asked as he stuck his head into the room. “Almost,” I answered. “You look bett
Callan POV The sound of our footsteps bounces off the stone floor and echoes up in the high ceiling of the hallway that wraps around the courtyard where the ancient tree stands. Ayla’s excitement bubbles inside my chest; I can feel a strange energy surrounding her; it feels like static, all the hairs on my arm are standing on end, and the energy is radiating from her across the space, filling every crevice of the narrow hallway. I open the door, holding it as she walks through; she glances up and smiles at me, but her eyes make my breath catch in my throat; they are ablaze, bright purple lights shine out from her eyes, but she looks so ethereal. I watch as she walks across the courtyard; her footsteps are light and make a soft padding noise on the stone floor, her hips sway so seductively, I feel entranced by them and her curvaceous ass; her hand is outstretched toward the tree, and as she passes by the beautiful violets my mother planted, I watch in awe as they all seem to bend towa
Ayla POV My head is buzzing; all I can hear is a low humming noise, but the sound is deep and resonates in my bones, making my body feel like it’s shaking. My body feels like someone has replaced my blood with acid, and my skin itches so bad, it feels like I have insects crawling just beneath the surface. I’ve not left Callan’s bedroom for the last couple of days; I can see the worry in his eyes every time he comes to check on me, but he has more important things to worry about than a stupid virus that will be over soon. Callan’s touch and sleep seem to be the only release I get from the pain, but I don’t want Callan to drop everything just so he can stay with me. Lately, my dreams have become demented; as soon as I close my eyes, all I see is women being hunted by Runduc, pain and brutish force inflicted upon these innocent women that I feel so connected to. I can feel their torment and pain as if it were my own, and the people I love lay slaughtered by his feet. I hear their scream
Callan POV “He's bullshitting!” Micha growled as he paced the floor of my office. The air in the room felt thick; I could feel Micha’s fury and Eric’s outrage smothering me. If it wasn’t for Ayla’s scent, which seemed to surpass all the other scents in the room, I would have lost my shit an hour ago when Micha demanded we speak. “And what if he’s not?” “He is.” He growled. “What if he can help me protect Ayla?” Micha stopped pacing now and turned to glare at me. His jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed. “I will help you protect Ayla and Eric will; you have a pack out there willing to protect their Luna. We don’t need some fucking nut job who we don’t even know.” “He’s right, Callan. Rosie and her coven are helping us; we don’t need someone like him.” Eric agreed. Ayla stood up from the sofa in the room and made her way over to me; the sound of the denim of her jeans brushing against her legs got closer along with her intoxicating scent, which was already chasing away the migra
Callan POV The smell of food still lingered in the air from dinner; all of the tables had been pushed aside, and benches had been set out in rows facing the front of the banquet hall, where I sat waiting with Ayla. I must admit it felt fucking amazing having her sitting beside me like this; my Luna was taking her place. The large chandeliers above us cast a bright white light into the room, but there was an unnatural chill in the air, even though I was happy to finally be getting rid of Alister, a giant ball of dread coiled in my stomach. Minister Robert stood in front of me, ready to address the pack, and sitting to my right were Micha, Eric, and Freya. My mother sat at the very front on the benches, blending in with the pack; she had her hands folded in front of her, resting on her lap; she had a grim twist to her mouth, and every time she answered Ron, who was sitting beside her, she responded with a slow nod. Not once did she speak; she just slowly nodded her head as if she was o
Ayla POV The sound of birds singing outside drifts through the open window, which allows a cool breeze to flow through the room. Callan's skin feels warm beneath my cheek as I lay on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. “Good morning, beautiful.” He grumbles; his fingers brush through my hair. His arm tightens around my body as he holds me close against him. “Good morning,” “How are you feeling today?” He asks. His hand travels down my back, his fingers trailing up and down my spine; sparks of excitement flick across my skin. “I feel better.” And I did; lying like this with Callan made me feel good, amazing even. My skin didn’t feel like it was on fire, and I no longer felt lightheaded. I felt full of energy. Callan gently sat up, pulling me up with him. “I have to go to training; are you sure you're ok?” “I’m fine. I need a shower, though; is that ok?” His eyes flashed black, and I felt my lips curling up. “You make this so hard.” He grumbled. Callan
Ayla POV Callan’s aftershave wrapped around me in a cocoon of safety; tingles ran across my lips as I felt him pressing his lips against mine. My eyes fluttered open, relieved at seeing his handsome face hovering above me, safe and untouched by Runduc. As I swung my legs out of the bed, it felt like my brain was spinning around inside my skull. I stood up wanting to get some of the food Callan had brought me, but the floor felt strange; my feet felt so heavy, like I had two bricks connected to my legs, which felt like two strands of spaghetti. My knees buckled, but thankfully I fell back onto the soft mattress, but that worry that was etched into Callan’s eyes earlier today hit me hard in my head like a train had crashed into my brain, my throat felt tight, and my chest began to burn. I didn’t want Callan to worry; he already carried the weight of the world on his shoulders because of me, and I didn’t want to burden him more than I already had, but as I leaned down to give him a kiss