PEONY CRIMSON'S POVI could see my girls laying in bed with numerous medical instruments attached to their bodies via the transparent glass wall. At first look, they resembled ones in the mortal world, but magic controlled the technology. The infirmary could no longer give the necessary care, so we were in a private room in the tower. Nothing but the pulsing sounds of heart monitors and breathing apparatus filled the room, creating an atmosphere filled with tension and anxiety.The senior healers from the infirmary and the witches took turns checking on them and reporting to Azalea. Then the archmage gave a short nod allowing me to enter. She watched me for a while before leaving me alone in the room."Violet...."I walked over to my eldest daughter's bed. My heart rippled at the sight of her so fragile in the crystal green light. I grabbed her hand tightly, trying to give her some warmth and strength, even though I knew that my own strength felt so weak in front of her."My dear Jas
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVEven after seeing me explode with emotion, Azalea still looked at me with pity. She reached out and squeezed my left shoulder as she smiled thinly. "I get that you're upset about this, but you're not in the right mind. All you need is delicious food and enough rest, then we're up to discussing this matter again.""You're wasting too much time!" I snapped, then muttered wryly, "I'm wasting too much time," my hands clenched into fists, I stared at the archmage with all the inferno burning inside me. "It all ended up like this. If you don't pull out that curse right now, they....""Let's not jump into the conclusion too fast, okay?" Azalea interrupted me, patting my shoulder. I brushed her hand away roughly.I vaguely felt something warming up from inside my chest. Emily was spreading her energy to calm me down. She didn't say anything, just wanted me to be one step more capable of thinking clearly. I breathed in and out, feeling all the freshness of oxygen filling m
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVThat morning, Xander delivered on his solemn promise to take me—or rather, drag me—through the packhouse's hallways.In addition to making sure I showed up for the meeting, he dispatched two deltas to escort me. Around a big table were the most powerful members of the pack, all seated and waiting. They were essentially in charge of the pack. It was inevitable that the topic of conversation would revolve around my destiny, given their presence here.I was placed on the far side of the table, facing Xander who sat at the other end. Azalea sat on his right side, looking at me with a flat, unreadable stare. There were no words spoken in this room. Not only were they waiting for the Alpha to say something, but they could feel his emotions beginning to seep into the atmosphere. I could feel the fire of his rage bursting through my mental barriers because of the mating bond.The meeting opened after Stuart received the signal from the Alpha. He explained everything from
PEONY CRIMSON’S POV"Get off of me!" I struggled to break free from Xander's excruciating hold on my hands as he pulled me towards the tower. My heart was being squeezed by the bond, causing my chest to hurt, as Xander and I were experiencing similar strong emotions that may clash.Quietly, the two witches trailed after. Even though I was clearly dragged against my will, they chose to disregard me. I realized that with Xander's marriage to Azalea, he automatically gained power and authority over the Ravens as well. The wolf pack and the coven were normally partners on the basis of mutual benefit. One cannot dominate or control the other.Xander slammed the door to the room where the triplets were being cared for and shoved me inside. Gloria caught me in time before my face hit the floor. The door slammed before my eyes, even as I tried to pull the knob. It was stuck frozen by magic."Don't you fucking let any of them leave this room!" Xander's anger-filled voice rang out from behind
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVThe sweet warmth in Xavier's arms brought a sense of safety and serenity to my soul. For a few seconds, the world seemed to be ours alone. I drank in the rhythm of his heart, merging with my own. To the love I found in the way his eyes looked at me, a single tear slid from the corner of my eye.As he gently set me back down on the ground, out of nowhere an excruciating pain pierced my chest, making my breath catch in my throat."Ouch!" I hissed softly, trying to endure the pain. Xavier noticed immediately, his eyes full of worry as he released his embrace."Peony, what happened?" His voice was full of anxiety."Ughh!" I groaned, "I don't feel good."I squeezed my left chest, which felt as though thousands of needles were sticking out of it. My head was heavy and my breathing was laborious. Breathing became challenging, as if something were tightly constricted around my chest. The intense beating against my ribs and the churning sensation in my stomach made the pain
PEONY CRIMSON'S POVThe bright light gradually went out of my perception as my surroundings shifted. We were standing in the front yard of the packmansion, which appeared to be glowing after some repairs, with Xavier's hand still around my waist. The procession of maids and employees greeting us surprised me even more. "Welcome back," Xavier whispered, landing a sweet peck on my forehead."Welcome back Luna Peony." they all bowed respectfully.I didn't see this coming. Really, the last time I was here, they all seemed to have forgotten about me. Yet now they were bowing respectfully to welcome my return to White Moon. Xavier led me inside. I glanced at the maids and caught Fey among them. She threw me a fleeting smile of encouragement before bowing again. "What? Why do they call me that?" I asked, "I don't need this kind of excessive respect."Xavier giggled softly. "You need to. Zedd announced it officially yesterday."As I tightened my grip on Xavier's arm, I looked back. There w
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVI rested on Xavier's shoulder and closed my eyes, listening to the calm, regular beat of his heart. His arms encircled my nude body beneath the sheets. I could temporarily forget all the chaos in my life while I was in his warm, secure hug. For the remainder of my life, I needed this comfort, and my triplets did too.I told Luna Lucia about my dream a few hours before dawn, and then Xavier returned to convince me to go to bed. But knowing that Rose and Violet's fate was uncertain, how could I sleep? My longing for Jasmine was intensely pressing against my chest as well. I ended myself whimpering beneath Xavier as he kissed my anxieties off my body rather than falling asleep.I noticed that hues of purple and orange were beginning to emerge in the pitch-black sky outside the window. My body was exhausted from lack of sleep, but at least I was able to think a little more clearly and be more composed than I had been the night before.I blinked, watching Xavier play a
PEONY CRIMSON’S POVElenor gasped. "How?" Alpha Aragon and I assisted Luna as Xavier got a chair for her to sit in. I believed they had rushed here without caring enough about her pregnant self to tell me this right away. Alpha Aragon took off his jacket and set it on his wife's shoulder.I sent Elenor off with Gloria to take care of Rose and Violet's stability because I felt that the ritual would not be performed that day."How could the goddess reach you?" I asked."She came into my dream last night, just like you had that day." She more or less told me that in her dream, the Moon Goddess appeared in the form of a wolf exactly like the one I had seen in my own dream. I still couldn't believe that such a seemingly harmless and meaningless dream was related to all this."So we just cancel this ritual?" Xavier asked, "What do we do, then?"Luna Lucia asked Alpha Aragon to fetch an ancient calendar from the temple's storage cabinet. While scanning the dates on the calendar, Luna Lucia