TenRoman Eliot Roman has had many dinners with his pack before. They all gather in the dining hall, lined with tables so everyone that lived in The Stellarum could eat together. Young and old alike. Although for werewolves, that line usually blurred. Shifting made it so that they lived long lives. As long as they could shift, it was hard to kill them and they usually healed swiftly from most things.His mother and father were at the head of the table, centered in the middle for everyone to see. He entered with Nora on his arm. The dress that she had picked was perfect for her. He had dreamed of this moment. Nora meeting his parents, in that exact dress. It was why he had bought it.His father stood when he saw him. “My boy!”Roman smiled at him. His father, Remington Eliot, was a tall man, who had short, greying hair and gold eyes. The same gold that all alphas and their heirs had. “Dad,” he said with a smile, “This is Nora.”He smiled over at her. “Nora Connolly, you have no idea h
ElevenNora ConnollyNora couldn’t remember the last time that she was angry. Over the years, she had become numb to it. Maybe because she was angry all of the time. It was hard not to be when you had one, constant thought in your mind.My parents were killed. She did think about other things. But it was always there, in the back, where it shouldn’t have been. And for some strange reason, the universe thought that it was funny to pair her up with a werewolf. One of the monsters that had killed her parents in the first place.Although, was it?Maybe the universe had paired her up with a werewolf to keep her safe from the rogue wolf that wanted her dead. She had no idea. All she knew was that she was in The Stellarum, a place filled with them, and it was also the last place she thought she would be. She was also helplessly lost.“Need help finding your way?”Nora jumped at the sound of Aion’s voice. He stood behind her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Oh. Hi. Come to drag me back to
TwelveRoman EliotThere was something wrong.First, he was overwhelmed by fear. Panic. Emotions that he didn’t normally have, because as next in line to be alpha, he didn’t have the luxury of those emotions. Then there was a heaviness. Something he had never felt before, as if something was gone.His cell phone rang then, and Roman answered them. “Aion?”“They’re both gone.”Roman didn’t know how to answer that. “They’re both gone?” he asked. “Tell me that you’re not talking about Nora and Winter.”“Who the fuck else do you think that I’d be talking about?”Roman glanced around the room. The pack was still eating, talking, and laughing the way that all pack dinners were. They might not have all been related, but they were still family. They were all bound by their loyalty to each other. “I sent you to protect Nora. And you should have protected Winter too. How did this happen?”“When I took Nora back to her room, Winter wasn’t answering. I went in to check on her. And the room to the
ThirteenNora ConnollyShe was in a forest.More specifically, the forest where the attack on her parents had happened. And the campsite…the bright, orange tent that her dad had gotten. The fire that had long since burned out. The graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows her parents had gotten for s’mores were on the table, unopened.“What the hell?” Nora muttered.There was no way that she could be back at the campsite. She knew that. It had been years since that day had happened. But now, there was something off about it. This wasn’t a memory. In memories, you couldn’t feel things. You might remember the sensation of the pain, but you didn’t feel the wind against your face as you remembered because the wind wasn’t there.“Noraaaaa….” Someone was calling her name. It was a soft, female voice. “Noraaa….” She turned around, searching for the stranger that was calling her. There was something familiar about the voice, but she couldn’t pin point exactly where it was coming from. “He
FourteenRoman EliotShe was alive.She was in a room he had never seen before, but she was alive, and she wasn’t pushing him away as he wrapped her in my arms. He cupped her face in my hands and brushed back some her hair from her face. “Are you okay?” he asked.She looked up at me. “Is there anyone with you?”“There’s a bunch of people looking for you,” he said, “I meant to tell you. You can’t just go wandering around here. The buildings magic.”Nora pulled away from him. He hated that. He hated her not being in his arms. Hated how much distance there was between them even though she was right in front of him. They didn’t know each other yet. And so that mate connection was there, but not the way that it should have been.It was faint. And if he had found her sooner, that would have been completely different. But something had kept him from her. It made him angry every, single time he thought about that. “There’s magic in the building?” Nora asked.
FifteenNora Connolly “Who is this woman again?” Nora asked. “Glinda North,” Roman replied. The two of them had taken his black Bugatti to a tall, green building called The Emerald. It was a community of witches, who had been in the states as far back as the 1600s. “Right. She’s a socialite or something?” she said. Roman rolled his eyes. “She’s a socialite, yes, but she’s also one of the most powerful witches on the east coast. She’s been around for centuries.” She raised an eyebrow. “Witches are immortal?” “Not exactly. No, they just live long lives. Magic makes them heal faster and move quicker.” Nora blinked. “Magics weird.” “It goes by its own rules,” he said. He got out, and he went around to open the door for her.Nora looked up at him. “But…if I’m a witch, does that mean that I’ll live a life as long as hers?”Roman took a deep breath. “I don’t know. Those would all be go
SixteenRoman Eliot“Have you two fucked yet?” this came from Glinda as they walked to her apartment.He glanced over at Nora, who was blushing. He smirked. “No, we haven’t. But we’ve only known each other for two days, Glin. Why do you ask?”Glinda stopped walking and turned to look at her. “Because your girl is in a world of trouble. And she’s going to need all of the help that she could get. Isn’t sex how you make it so that she has werewolf powers, or whatever?”Roman sighed. “Glin, you’ve been friends with me for a while now. You know that’s not how it works. Mates only get werewolf powers after they have children. It’s not just about sex.”“Are you sure?” Glinda asked.“I’m positive,” he said, “besides, as long as she’s with me, Nora’s always going to be safe. I will always put her life before mine.” Nora glanced his way with a curious look on her face. “You barely know me.” “You have to be the only woman that doesn’t get how this works,” he said, “I am y
SeventeenNora Connolly She’d never been hit with that much force from anything before. It was like a gale force wind knocking her to the ground. She felt it when she hit the ground too, all through her body, so that when she picked herself up she ached a little. “Are you okay?” Roman asked, as he used his big, strong hands to help her stand. Nora was shaking. The wind had knocked her out, and Glinda stood looking at her like she was appraising her in a new light. Nora took a deep breath. “I’m bad, aren’t I?” Glinda made a face. “The building let you in.” “So?” said Roman, who was holding her close to his chest, she realized for the first time. “What does that mean?” “If you think just the loft is magical, The Emerald is made up of hundreds upon hundreds of rooms. All filled with witches and magical beings. The building knows when to protect itself so it’s strange that the building let you in, but the loft won’t.”
Forty-six:Roman Eliot "Just, for the record, I hate high heels," Nora told him, "And don't get used to me going to fancy events." Roman smirked at her. "This is for your cousin." "I know." She smiled a little. "Are you comfortable with this?" "I should be asking you that. Your family were the ones that were originally in charge of this coven. You're the one that's giving up something." "I'm fine," Nora said, "I've still got my magic. I've got you. Winter's going to make a great High Priestess. We just need to work together to make sure that Merrick doesn't come back and try to take over again." "You don't feel like running?" Roman asked. It had been a little over a month since they had managed to make Merrick disappear. He hadn't heard from Glinda, but he suspected that she was doing everything she could to try to save him from himself. That was what you did when you were in love with someone. It was
Forty-five:Nora Connolly Nora didn’t listen well. When you spent your time fending for yourself, listening to what others wanted was usually the last thing on your mind. Roman dressed hurriedly and was running down the stairs. Nora, who was becoming more comfortable with her magic, snapped her fingers and was dressed within seconds. She ran down the stairs with him. “Nora!” someone was screaming her name. It took her a second to register that it was Winter. And that was only because she saw her being levitated up in the air against her will. “Traitor!” this was shouted by Merrick. He was dressed all in black, his long coat swirling around him as wind filled the house, rattling it to its core. “Did you really think you could steal my power?” “Merrick!” a voice from behind him called. Nora turned and was startled to see Glinda standing there, a look of desperation in her eyes. “Merrick, stop this. This is not your destiny!” Me
Forty-fourRoman Eliot Potions took a long time to make. Which meant that there was at least two days for them to wait as it simmered. No one knew they were there yet so it was time to take an opportunity for them to lay low and figure out a plan. It also gave Roman a chance to connect with Nora again. “Are you still feeling good about this?” Roman asked. The two of them had found one of the rooms, and were staying in there. There were even some old clothes that they’d changed into. “Yes,” said Nora, “I think making Winter the High Priestess makes a lot of sense. She knows The Coven. I don’t. And I think…I think it will give her and Ares a chance to work through some things.” He smiled at her. “It’s nice to see you understanding how important mates are now.” She smiled back. “Well, it helps that I’ve got a pretty great one that comes calling whenever I’m in trouble.” The two of them had crawled into bed. The room they were in
Forty-threeNora Connolly She was going to help Winter take back The Night Coven. There was still a lot about magic that she didn’t understand. But she liked the idea of helping her cousin get what was rightfully hers. The Night Coven wasn’t her world. She’d stumbled into it by accident. Even though her family had been part of it, they had run from it. And she had to think that there was a reason for that. Still, she would do whatever it took to help get it back from Merrick. Nora stood in front of the grimoire, staring at it. It was an old book. With pages that had been weathered from time. The name Connolly was emblazoned on it in silver, with stars that surrounded it. She reached her hand out and let it hover over the top of it. “Are you okay?” Roman asked. Nora bit her lip. “I’m fine.” He was holding her right hand, and stroked it lightly. “You don’t sound fine.” “After everything that happened with my parents
Forty-twoRoman Eliot Roman stared. He knew ghosts existed but he had never seen one up close. Werewolves were more about keeping magic in line. Less about using it. Although since he was part warlock, he wasn’t entirely sure now if that were the case. What did a werewolf with magic do? More importantly, could a coven and a pack exist together? The idea of humans knowing about the Powerists was that it should have made life easier for people. Not bring more conflict to them. “Is that even possible?” Roman asked. “Witches and werewolves working together? I always thought we were supposed to keep them in line.” The old woman shook her head. “The idea was, when we revealed ourselves to the humans, that there was safety in numbers. If we could help each other, then there was less chance that they would try and hurt us. And by presenting a united front, together we could actually make progress happened. A lot of this stemmed from your mom, Roman. Elaine
Forty-one:Nora Connolly “I’m sorry, you want to what?” Winter looked at her completely baffled. “Swap my powers with you.” Winter tilted her head to the side. “You don’t want magic?” Nora shrugged. “What am I going to do with it? I mean, I barely know how to use it and I’m a werewolf’s mate. There’s no reason for me to have magic.” She was surprised when Winter looked at her with rage. “You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Nora raised an eyebrow. “I figured this would make you happy. I don’t want to be with Merrick, you don’t want to be with Ares. I’ll give you my power. This fixes everything.” She shook her head. “No. That power was given to you for a reason, Nora. You can’t just give it up. I know that you don’t want to be with Merrick, but being with the High Priest is an honorable thing. The Goddess wants you to work with Merrick to help the world.” “Then why was I mated to Rom
Forty:Roman Eliot Even though Roman was a werewolf, magic was something that he had never truly understood. Werewolves were about nature and instinct. Some aspects of their life were magic---like Endymion, the god of the moon that gave them their powers. But using magic itself wasn’t something that Roman had any clue about. That was why he went to Glinda. She was the one that could find lost things, or make a potion to cure a common cold, or enchant someone who was annoying him to get turned into a garden gnome or something else equally annoying. What he didn’t realize was how much weirdness went into it. At the moment, he was sitting in an empty room of The Stellarum. His mom was currently lighting candles, and smudging the room and there was some kind of circle of herbs around him like he was a chicken about to be cooked. After she had explained that Roman was part warlock, and related to The Night Coven, he had been dragged to the empty room by her. Then, t
Thirty-nine:Nora Connolly Nora didn’t know what she expected when she was at her grandmother’s house. Especially considering that she hadn’t known that there was a family home to begin with. Her memories of being a kid involved moving from city to city whenever something went wrong in her parent’s life. Although now that she thought of it, she couldn’t remember what it was that had gone wrong. “Ready to go in?” Winter asked. “This place has been vacant for years, and it only opens with blood magic from a direct descendant.” She looked up at the house again. It towered over them, a large, Victorian thing that was pink and black with rainbow glass windows. She didn’t think she would ever be ready when it came to facing her past. But there was no point in running from it. She was standing right in front of it. Even as she stood there, the houses magic made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Come in, come in, it seemed to whispe
Thirty-eight:Roman Eliot He tried to remember what he knew of his mom’s past. He knew that when she first found out she was his dad’s mate, she hadn’t bene happy about it. She’d been in love with someone else. He also knew that she came from some place in upstate New York and that her family hadn’t approved of the whole thing which was why they hadn’t seen them in ages. He knew his mother. But at the same time, he realized, he didn’t know his mother. He knew Elaine Eliot, the pack Luna. He couldn’t say anything about Elaine Eliot, the girl, or Elaine Eliot, the young woman. She had always been this fearsome force that he knew better than to make angry. “Are you going to knock?” Aion asked. He turned to glare at his friend. “Yes, I’m going to knock.” “Okay, because you haven’t done it. And you know that she’s the one that has the clue to finding Nora. Do you not want to find her?” “Of course, I want to find her!” he snarled.