IZZY POV
I was tackled and I fell heavily against the wall of the shower. The beast put four paws on top of me and began to lick my face.
My shrieks turned to giggles as I fought to get up. The beast was holding me down and licking me vigorously as a mama cat licks her kitten. I was helpless with laughter.
The door to the bathroom crashed open, the heavy wooden door torn off its hinges and landing on the floor with a crash. The huge gold cat, skittish, jumped off from me, out of the shower and out the open window of the bathroom.
“What is it?” Reese asked, wild, looking around for whatever made me scream.
I sighed. I knew I was going to sound like a fool and that the boys probably wouldn’t believe me. “There was a big cat in the shower with me,” I said, weakly, knowing how it sounded.
Caleb was next through the door, skidding to a stop. “What is it?” he asked
REESE POVWe had truly idyllic days on the island. True to my prediction, Izzy spent most of the day wearing nothing at all, frolicking around on the beach. We swam together, laid out on the sand and mated every chance we got.“What about dinner in town tonight?” I suggested to my brothers. “We’ve kept her on this island for two weeks. We can take her to one of the resorts, have dinner and then watch some of the shows.”Ethan nodded. “I like that idea. You think it’s safe?”“There’s three of us watching her,” Caleb said. I could tell he liked the idea. He had been the last of the three of us to be marked by her but his bond with her was probably the strongest. He could feel her emotions before the rest of us could. I saw the pride in his face. He wanted to take her off the island and show her off his beautiful mate.
IZZY POVI woke up slowly, every muscle in my body aching and screaming. My eyelids seemed too heavy for my face and I couldn’t lift them to open my eyes. I drifted in and out of consciousness.“She’s no use to us dead!” The voice cut through my brain, and I struggled to focus. “How much of this stuff did you give to her?”“A syringe. It barely took down the guy that was with her. We figured they told us wrong, and she needed more.”“It’s wolfsbane, idiot. The guy that was with her is her mate. He’s bigger and stronger and a future alpha. Of course it would take more to incapacitate him.” The first person sounded mad.“You should have warned us. The only reason we were able to take down the guy is that we surprised him and got the syringe in him before he knew what was happening. She’s a fighter
IZZY POVMy body ached and my mind felt fuzzy. I rolled over to my side and vomited.Someone was expecting that. My face was caught and guided to a basin and my hair was held back. The hands were cool and gentle and not what I was expecting.I warily opened my eyes and looked up. An older woman smiled at me.“That’s normal. Your body is trying to get rid of all the wolfsbane that you were given.” Her voice was soft, and she seemed unconcerned as she took away the basin and wiped my mouth for me. I flopped back on to the pillows and tried to make the room stop spinning. After a moment, it slowed down.I felt vibrating coming from the left side of my bed, and I cautiously moved my head to see what was causing that. Stella was laying next to me, purring. I looked at the woman who gave me a slight smile.“She wouldn’t leave your side.”&l
ETHAN POVWe were heading to the airport. Izzy had a little temper tantrum with us, telling us that we needed to treat her like an adult who was capable of making her own decisions. My brothers and I apologized and agreed to keep her informed, but then she went ahead with the plan that my brothers, dad and I had originally come up with. I am not sure I understand women.She was still angry with us, though. I could tell by the way she stiffened up when I touched her. My wolf was angry with me for making her mad and I knew that my brothers’ wolves were equally pissed at them. It made us all unhappy and a little cranky with each other.The only one on this flight that was in a good mood was the damn cat. Stella was coming home with us. I wasn’t happy about it, but it really wasn’t up to me. She saved our mate, as Reese pointed out. We owed it to her to give her the best home we coul
IZZY POVTime stood still for a moment. No one moved and the phone was quiet. Silvo was smart enough to let the triplets process the information before continuing.“You are the new Alphas. Your mother is waiting for you to come home. As are we all.” His voice finally broke. I realized for as big of an ass that Silvo could be, he genuinely loved his Alpha.“How is mother?” Caleb asked. His voice sounded stiff. I went over to him and took his hand in mind, leaning in and letting my bond soothe him.“Not well,” Silvo said. “Alessia is with her. She’s not eating or drinking.”Ethan walked through the cabin and went to the cockpit door. He went inside and spoke to the pilot, and then stepped back.“I let the pilot know that it’s imperative that we arrive as quickly as possible,” he told Silvo.
IZZY POVThe Funeral Rites were scheduled for that night. In the werewolf culture, it was custom to do the Rite immediately after death, however Jenna had insisted that her sons be home for their father’s Rite. And now we were going to do both of their parents together.Mom helped me pick out an outfit. I wore a long black dress with a white fur lined cape over the top. I put on leggings and snow boots; the ceremony takes place outdoors and on a lake.The bodies of the Alpha and Luna were gently washed and dressed by my mother and the triplets. I sat on my bed hugging Stella while that was taking place. I could feel the sorrow pulsating through the mate bond, and I was at a loss as to help my mates. I felt like their sorrow was crushing me.The bodies were put into long boats and then carried through the woods to a lake that was tucked back into the Packlands. I had seen it on my run with Heka and made
IZZY POV“We need you,” Reese growled into my ear. “We need to mate with you. All of us.”I nodded. I had known that reaffirming the mate bond would be important for the triplets tonight. Their grief was palatable, and they had just taken on the huge responsibility of the pack.I let Reese pick me up and begin to carry me back to the Alpha House. The rest of the pack followed us out of the woods, before heading to their own homes to try to get a few hours rest before starting their day.My mother gave me a quick glance and then turned away. I felt for her, knowing that she was dealing with her own grief, but my mates needed me now. I would find her later in the day and be with her then.Reese was swift and Caleb and Ethan kept up. He bounded up the stairs, not letting my feet touch the ground before he deposited me into our bedroom.“Get undressed,&rdqu
REESE POVIt has been a week since the Funeral Rite. The hole that the death of my parents left seems almost too much to bear sometimes.My brothers and I shared a large office with three separate desks and a large area in the middle with comfortable chairs and couches surrounding a low table for an informal meeting area. Typical for us, Caleb was the only one that was consistently behind his desk. I tended to sit in a chair and use the low table and Ethan liked to sprawl on the couch and shout his input at us.We were in our usual places going over the suggested warrior assignments for the next month. Alessia remained our Gamma and she was in charge of setting things up and giving them to us to approve.I threw the proposed assignments back on the table. “Alessia knows these warriors better than we do. I trust her judgement,” I said. Ethan opened an eye and looked out at us.&nb
EPILOGUE TALIA POV “Coming!” I answered my mom, looking in the mirror and tucking my hair behind my ear. Today was my eighteenth birthday and I was officially going to introduce my wolf to the Pack. I had technically been able to shift since I was a baby, but we had managed to keep that a secret from almost everyone, though it had been a close call a few times. My brothers were coming back from Mongolia with their mate, Zaria, and their friend, Leo, to help celebrate my birthday. They were on some sort of a mission for the Council, but they got permission to come home for this event. They were twelve years older than me and I liked to tease them about being old. They didn’t think I was as funny as I knew I was. They were cool, though, and all my friends loved my brothers. Their mate was also pretty awesome. She was the daughter of our Beta and one heck of a warrior. She went to the same camp my grandmama was accepted to. Only the best warriors are allowed to go. I ran
IZZY POV I rubbed my swollen belly and sat down behind my desk with a sigh. Baby girl was seriously a week overdue, and I was over being pregnant. I wanted to meet my Talia and that moment couldn’t come soon enough. A lot had happened in the three months since the Summer Solstice Celebration. Elder Voltaire had officially asked permission to join our pack and he put in his retirement notice to the Vampire Council. Apparently, serving as head Council Member for three hundred years was enough for him. We gave the Blood Moon Pack to Griz and Destiny. We talked a long time about it and had first asked Leo if he was interested in taking over for his father. He had vehemently turned down our offer, insisting that he never wanted to see the Blood Moon Pack again. When we had gone to visit, I could see why. The pack needed a lot of work and there was a general sense of discourse. Griz and Destiny agreed to take on the Pack with Griz being named the first non-wolf Alpha of a Pack.
IZZY POV“So what do you do, Elias?” Reese asked. I could see his nostrils flaring a little to see if he was a wolf. I didn’t sense a wolf in him, but I wasn’t going to ask. It was kind of like asking someone’s religion or income. If they offer the information, we could talk about it. But only if they offer it.“I’m a bounty hunter,” he said. Kat was clinging to his arm.“A supernatural bounty hunter,” she corrected. “He works for the Council, believe it or not.”Elias smiled. “Kind of. They hire me on occasion. I work for myself,” he corrected her gently.“Sorry,” she said, smiling. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. I grinned. I was so happy for my friend.“Tell us about one of your captures,” Destiny asked. She was next to Griz,
IZZY POV“How are you doing?” I asked Destiny. We were busy hanging decorations around the backyard, and it was the first time I had a moment alone with her in a week. I knew she was feeling really guilty about Kat leaving.She shrugged. “I’m okay. I just feel awful every time I look at Griz. I never intended for her to leave. I just wanted her to be more careful.”I dropped the streamer I was holding and put my arm around her. “I know. And so does everyone else, including Kat. She just needed a change. She spent so much time and effort making sure every part of Cornelius was destroyed that she doesn’t know what to do now. She’s just trying to find her place.”Destiny sighed. “Tell Griz that. He is worried about her.”“She’s moving around pretty quickly,” I offered. “I think sh
IZZY POVThey say a Luna’s work is never done. They’re right.I got back and had my bath and some alone time with my mates, but the pack business didn’t slow down. I was involved in the planning of the half-way house we were building as well as another youth center. I approved budgets and began working on the nursery upstairs, a room we hadn’t used in eight years. And then I began to plan the summer solstice celebration, a tradition that we had upheld since we first started it thirteen years ago.“Black and white this year?” Destiny asked. “I hate black and white,” Lucy said. “It makes everything look so formal and this should be fun.”“Okay. Black and gold?” Destiny was relentless. Lucy threw a wadded up napkin at her.“You only want black because you love it,” Lucy accused her.Destiny shrugged.&
IZZY POVThe gavel dropped and the room exploded. I turned and Kat flew into my arms, hugging me. She wasn’t normally demonstrative, and I was pleased. I needed someone to hug right now, and Kat was perfect.She was also a great bodyguard. She pulled me through the reporters at the door and only got tripped up by one of the fae reporters who used projection to try to block us. Kat pushed him over and got me out of there and into a taxi without further incident.“Keystone Airport,” she told the taxi driver, naming a private airport. I was guessing that my mates had communicated with her.“I can’t wait to get back to the pack,” I said, leaning against the back seat. “I’m exhausted. I just want a bath and an uninterrupted night of sleep.”“I’m not going back with you,” Kat said suddenly. I sat up.“Why?
IZZY POVThe twenty-four members of the Councils filed out, leaving me standing at my table, still in the handcuffs. Thanks to Johan, the handcuffs were the normal ones that they used in the human world which meant I could break them if I needed to, but I wasn’t going to. I wanted the shifter world to see what was going on.After the council members left, Kat walked over to me bringing a couple of chairs. She plopped them down and I gratefully sat. “Did you have a vision earlier?” she asked.I nodded, rubbing my forehead. “Was it obvious?”“To me,” she answered. “I know you. I was about ready to create a diversion.”I chuckled. “You’re a good friend,” I said. A look crossed her face for a second but then disappeared. I had said something that bothered her. Curious.Her phone chirped and she looked at it.&n
REESE POVThere was an outburst from the spectators in the viewing area. The main werewolf and main vampire council members were banging their gavel, telling people to be quiet. We all exchanged grins.“We are not the ones on trial here, Luna,” the main vampire council member said fiercely.“No. You’re not. I am. And I am telling you why I had to do what I did,” Izzy said. She turned to the werewolf council again.“Who among you believed that the prophecy from Nehum thirteen years ago was about me?” She kept eye contact until all twelve members had their hands raised. “And who among you thought that the prophecy was also about my sons?” The same twelve hands were raised.“And the same on the vampire side?” she asked, turning. Reluctantly, some of their heads nodded. The others resolutely ignored her, keeping thei
REESE POV“This session will now come to order.” We were watching the trial on television. The Council, in their infinite wisdom, had decided at the last minute to broadcast the trial on a special encrypted channel that Packs would have access to. We had turned it on first thing this morning when we woke up, looking at an empty room somewhere in Salt Lake. We were watching when the members from both Councils filed in, twenty-four in total. Johan was part of the werewolf council. Alessia had gasped when she saw him take his seat.They had brought Izzy in with handcuffs on. I had roared, losing control of my wolf, but Alessia had wrestled me down. “It’s for show,” she had soothed me. “They’re not silver. Just look. She’s fine. She can break them in a second.” Vin was not convinced but at least he gave me control back.“Isadora Killian, Luna of the Moonstone Pack, you were called before the Council today to answer to an entire list of charges. But you were not the only one