Hey friends! More pups. The legacy generation is starting to shape up, but we've got a lot more pups to come. Leave me some love and let me know what you think. See you soon!
Several days after we found Nissa, my mates and I gathered two wolves and five witches to continue our search for the Riding Hoods. It was decided we needed fresh eyes and new energy.The original witches—especially Nissa—were too emotionally shattered after Winnie’s death to offer much help. Besides, after being in the field over a month, they deserved a break. We also needed to test whether rotating our witches affected the Riding Hoods' ability to find us.So far, the switch seemed effective. Shortly after rotating our team, we'd located crucial intelligence in an abandoned Riding Hood campsite. Information about supply drop-offs and hidden routes—things we'd never managed to obtain before—gave us an advantage we couldn't afford to waste.So, naturally, we decided to pay them a neighborly visit.About a week after Winnie’s death, we met up with two other scouting teams to share notes and strategize. Tracking scent, magic, and footprints had led them to a suspicious area, yet no actu
“NOOOOO!” My scream reverberates through the room, my anger explosive enough to shatter windows. “I want answers, and I want them now!” With a furious wave, I sweep everything off my desk, sending papers flying everywhere.The pathetic, sniveling acolyte in front of me cowers, openly sobbing. “I–I d-don’t know, Priestess! I–”With a furious flick of my wrist, I silence her, sending her sprawling to the floor. Blood trickles down her forehead as she crawls frantically toward the door, desperate to escape my wrath.I turn away in disgust, venting my rage with a raw scream that shatters the mirror on the far wall, returning it instantly to the sand from which it was made.Moments later, the door opens again. Without looking, I hurl another blast, shattering the wall mere inches from the newcomer’s face.Lucianne remains utterly unfazed. Her pale eyes flick calmly toward the damage beside her before returning to meet mine. “You sent for me, Priestess?”The black fire swirling through my pu
I never wanted to help the Riding Hoods. I despised their cause. There was nothing wrong with wolves—they were simply another kind of supernatural being. But desperation can drive you to do things you never imagined possible.It all began with Liv’s gentle yet firm refusal when Winnie and I asked to be handfasted. Her mother had met us with unexpected resistance.Liv had known Winnie was bisexual for years, and had openly accepted our relationship since we were fifteen. Winnie was my first everything—first kiss, first love, first heartbreak. We’d been on and off through adolescence, breaking up, seeing other people, then always finding our way back to each other.When we finally asked to handfast, Liv’s objection blindsided us both.“You must have a child to take over as High Priestess or High Priest someday,” Liv explained firmly, her voice calm but implacable.“So?” Winnie asked, brow furrowing. “I’m required to have a child with the High Priest specifically. What does that have to d
One Month LaterThis past month has been packed with chaos, yet strangely little seems to have actually happened. If that makes any damn sense.We’ve made a thousand preparations, yet we’re still waiting for the big showdown. It’s like moving mountains without ever seeing the peak. Building safehouses for the West Coast packs, gathering rogues, constructing bunkers, setting up government plans for the aftermath—all of it necessary, all exhausting. Yet the Riding Hoods remain frustratingly quiet.Which doesn’t add up. At all.Our enemy hasn't disrupted our supply chains or construction sites. They've ignored our fortifications entirely. Instead, they’ve focused their fury on our hunting teams, ambushing us relentlessly, setting magical traps or suicide attacks every time we corner them. We’ve lost trackers—good wolves and witches alike—trying desperately to capture at least one Riding Hood alive. No luck so far. They're like fanatics, willing to die before surrendering. It’s both terrif
Today is the full moon, and I can’t think of a better day to welcome the first group of orphaned pups into our pack. Over the past month, Carmen, Declan, my mates, and I have worked tirelessly to make this day happen—finding a safe location for the pups, filling it with everything they'd need, and preparing ourselves mentally and emotionally.For a long time, I’d let vengeance blind me. I’d ignored the needs of these pups, too focused on revenge against those who’d hurt me and mine. But now, I finally had a chance to atone.One painful discovery was that several of the older pups had already turned feral. Once they had shifted, they abandoned humanity entirely, forming rogue bands to survive. We found these bands vicious and desperate—young wolves forced to violence simply to stay alive. Our packs out west, led by Alpha Declan and Alpha Carmen, had managed to subdue them, though just barely. Now they were heading toward us, led slowly by Declan and Carmen’s wolves, learning trust throu
One second, I’m bent over the bed in Devin’s and my bedroom, pants soaked, Devin screaming that we have to go to the hospital. The next, I'm standing in the bedroom we share with Xander, Devin gripping my arm, and Xander staring at me like he's seen a ghost.“What’s going on?” Xander cries out, though he clearly knows.“She’s in labor!” Devin’s voice is tight with panic. “Her water just broke!”“Get my mom!” I grit out as another painful contraction grips my belly. “She’ll know what to do.”Ma used to help the midwives deliver pups in our pack. She’ll know exactly how to handle this.Then it hits me—Lily isn’t here to ease the pain. Damn it.Only now do I realize Xander’s completely naked, clearly anticipating a different kind of visit. He scrambles to pull on pants just as urgent knocking sounds at the door.“Arya! Dis ek. Maak oop. Die Moeder het gesê jy het my nodig!” (Arya! It’s me. Open up. The Mother said you need me!) Ma’s strong, reassuring voice rings clearly through the door.
“Liv and Leo, you’re both doing so much better! It’s wonderful to see you out and about, among your people, at meals, and enjoying walks in the park. I’m so glad to see you healing!” I say, genuinely happy.They exchange a warm but nervous glance, clearly hesitant. Liv smooths her skirt, her hands restless. Leo’s expression is similarly anxious. I sense immediately what’s coming—they’re ready to retake leadership of their coven.Frankly, nothing would make me happier. Managing two covens, navigating life with my new mates, and tracking down the Riding Hoods and the traitor has been incredibly stressful.Though, when it comes to stress relief, Gregory and Jamal have been an absolute blessing. Heat rises to my cheeks just thinking about them—about how insatiable I’ve become, how much I crave their touch. Maiden help me, I have to refocus before witches develop a werewolf-like sense of smell.Keep your mind outta the gutter, little witch, Jamal’s voice chuckles warmly through our mindlink
Two months later…Two full months—and nothing. No leads on the traitor. No idea where Iris is. No sign of the Riding Hoods. Absolutely nothing.It’s not like we haven't been trying. Each interrogation requires Bella, Arthur, Liv, or Leo present because only a High Priestess or High Priest can safely cast the truth spell. Each session drains their energy considerably, limiting us to two interrogations per day, max. So far, we’ve cleared 90 witches, but there are still 142 to go. It's the slowest investigation I've ever been part of, and every day without progress feels like torture.To keep things organized, Bella volunteered her coven first. Liv and Leo had enough on their plates already, dealing with their recent decision to step down as High Priest and High Priestess. They’d chosen Hawk and Citra as successors—choices everyone agreed were perfect.Everyone except Hawk and Citra, apparently.Hawk, for all his brilliance, wanted nothing to do with leadership. He was convinced he wasn’t
The tunnels twisted and turned in an endless labyrinth beneath the Hoia Baciu Forest. The scent of damp earth mixed with the faint metallic tang of blood and decay. The flickering torchlight cast eerie shadows along the stone walls as I strode through the corridor, my Thane, Sybil, walking briskly beside me.“How is she doing?” I asked without breaking my stride.“She is much more stubborn, much more resilient than we anticipated,” Sybil admitted. “But we believe we may have turned the corner, High Priestess.”“Oh?” I arched a brow, intrigued. Morgana’s torture had been… sluggish. Less satisfying than I had hoped.Torture, after all, is not simply about the body—it is about breaking the mind. True suffering comes when a victim loses their very sense of self, when they beg for death, only to have it denied over and over. And yet, Morgana had proven difficult to crack.Nine months. Nine months of relentless torment. We had shattered her bones and healed them daily, forced her to endure t
The ride from Texas to our packhouse should normally take 21 hours, but we’ve made it a one-week trip, sending our beta, Landry, ahead of us in our plane. He will help our people move in and settle while Brandon, our parents, and all of our pups take a little side trip for some downtime.Carl, Richard, and Lauren elected to move back to Artemis lands with us. It’s where they lived, where Carl and Richard grew up, and where they raised their older children. Now that they had a new set of pups, they wanted to come back. My mom and Charlie’s parents were also moving back with us. It was their way to see their grandpups grow but also to honor the lives of my father and Charlie.Carl, Richard, and Lauren were a little upset that Dev, Arya, Jakey, and the twins were remaining in Texas and that they wouldn’t be able to see them as much, but we’ve already got a couple of trips scheduled back and forth so that all the cousins could get together and we could see our best friends.Our side trip t
The past few months have been some of the most emotionally difficult of my life. Not only am I nearing the end of my pregnancy with our little boy, but we are also leaving Texas— all of us. Except for the old Diana pack and Arya and Dev’s pack, the rest of us will be gone by tomorrow.The last three months have been consumed with finalizing pack laws, succession rules, and building the new packhouses for each territory. We've been moving everything from our old homes, figuring out pack logistics, and ensuring every wolf is accounted for. It’s been exhausting, but necessary.We also had to choose our new betas, gammas, and deltas. In a twist of fate, Donavon asked to be our beta so that Kesha could stay close to Slade and Chloe. Rin made the same request to serve under Case, Chloe, and Sev, so their families could stay together. That means Mike and Seth will also be moving up north. But the tech squad doesn’t need to be in the same room to work together, so at least that transition will
"Reports have been consistent from all of our sources. Other than one of the fae discovering what was left of Locasta’s body in the bayou, there hasn’t been a single sighting of any Riding Hoods on American soil,” Hawk says.We’re in one of our combined council meetings, with all the alphas from every pack in the U.S., as well as the heads and representatives of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone covens for Hecate. There’s also a representative from the Seelie Fairy Court and an ambassador from the Unseelie Fairy Court. The sooner we can get all of us on the same side, the better we’ll be protected from groups like the Riding Hoods. We’re hoping to expand this into a global alliance—a kind of supernatural U.N.For now, the fae are willing to let the U.S. be the test subject. Convincing the other shifter groups, however, has been difficult. Many remain elusive or outright resistant to the idea. Zak’s presence would have helped—his Goddess gifts have a way of swaying even the most stubborn mi
After the ceremony, Gregory and I help Jamal back to our cabin. Every time I see him in that damn wheelchair, I get livid all over again. Those witches. I can’t believe Locasta and Morgana got the drop on him.He freely admits he was distracted—he had taken a call from Seth and Mike about incoming witches. It turned out to be nothing, just the Crone coven sweeping through like they promised. Apparently, no one had thought to inform our tech team of that part of the plan. And no one but Jamal had their phone turned on.Morgana had woken up just before the call. While Jamal was preoccupied, she directed Locasta to retrieve a knife from her boot—silver and coated in wolfsbane. They cut themselves free, then stabbed Jamal in the back of the neck, severing part of his spinal cord. He collapsed immediately. The wolfsbane knocked him out, and the silver cauterized the damage. For a time, he couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t even breathe on his own.Arya and Dev managed to purge the wolfsb
Zak and I have been in a fog since Charlie’s death yesterday. The one and only thing that has brought us any solace is our pups. It seems like, overnight, they began looking more and more like their mother. Though both of them have always had Charlie’s gray, raincloud eyes, their faces and bodies seem to have gotten leaner, their chins more pointed, their cheeks hollowing slightly to reveal high, sculpted cheekbones. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but others in the pack have noticed it, too.Our families are around us. Friends come in and out of our cabin. All of our mothers—Lauren, Danielle, and Clara—busy themselves with the pups, cooking, keeping things moving as if that will help. The house bustles with people, but I barely register them.The only things that ground me are Zak’s hand in mine, the weight of Christy’s sloppy kisses on my cheek, the warmth of Jerry’s small body as he curls into my chest.I know I eat. I shower. I dress. I might even respond to people. But it’s all
So many emotions. Thank the Goddess on High that I’ve been training on how to empty myself of other people’s feelings. If not, I’d be drowning in them, rocking in a corner with my thumb in my mouth. Despair. Pain. Rage. Dread. Determination. They flood over me like a tidal wave, crashing against my mental defenses. But using the techniques Meredith taught me, I let them wash over me and drain away, like waves receding from the shore.I have to keep my head on straight. My job is twofold. First, I need to help my friends process their grief without letting it consume them. Zak and Brandon’s pain is like a living thing, a force that threatens to unravel everything if I don’t keep it contained. I push their suffering to the back of their minds, tempering their anger to something useful. They don’t want this—but they need it.Then there’s Dev. His grief is just as raw, just as deep, but there’s a difference. Beneath his devastation, there’s acceptance. A flicker of hope. He knows that he’l
Zak and Brandon push through the door, Brandon almost immediately shoving Zak to the floor as a ball of lightning rushes through the air toward them. It slams into the door just above their heads before Gregory vaults over them, a shield of the same crackling energy covering us as we begin to move through the doorway.Gregory’s ability to mimic Morgana’s powers surprises her, giving Jamal the time to step into the room after his mate. His power fills the space, nullifying all the goddess gifts of those within a 100-foot radius (we checked). That includes all the witches’ powers. The only ones that won’t be affected by Jamal’s power are Arya and me. Our gifts aren’t Goddess-given but Goddess-like. He can’t take away what is part of the Goddess.The look on Morgana’s face as she drops like a fucking stone is almost enough to make me smile. Her scream echoes through the stairwell, the resounding thud as she lands and the breath whooshes out of her is immensely satisfying. Unfortunately, o
I don’t know what gave me the idea of the salt trail. Honestly, I haven’t been able to think of much since I’ve been here. The thought of us being so close to freedom seems unreal. I never thought that I would escape the Riding Hoods alive. It makes the frustration that Charlie is feeling about us going around in circles barely register to me. I’m still finding it hard to believe that we’re going to get out of here.But the salt sparks a memory of my favorite childhood fairytale. My mother hated it, the way that the witch was portrayed, but I loved the thought of children being able to outsmart an adult like that. I read every version I could find and acted it out with my toys all the time. I even made Mom, Dad, and Bella call me Gretel for about a year.So, I really shouldn’t be surprised that my old favorite story came to me in a time of need. The whole scenario was made better by the fact that Charlie called me Gretel. I feel like I’m getting some of me back. Like I’m starting to wa