“That’s not a cat,” Theron whispered, not taking his eyes off the creature lying lazily on me. I looked down and realized Orion was staring at Theron now, too.“What are you talking about?” I looked down at Orion.He’s right, you know. I heard a voice in my head. I jolted at the invasion. Orion jumped off my lap and sat next to me.Hello, Kamari. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance officially. Orion dipped his head as if in a nod. I stared at the creature speaking into my mind wide-eyed.“H-he-hello?” I spoke to him. Theron slowly inched closer to me as if the small white cat was a threat.“How… who?” I didn’t even know what to ask first.My name is Moriko; I am a shifter. But I assure you, I am not a threat…to you. The priestess sent me to watch over you and be your protector. I didn’t know what to say, so I stared
TheronI watched my mate as she sparred with Naya in the rain. A sense of pride filled my chest as I watched the squad and team work with reckless abandon, putting everything into their training even with it pouring outside. Kamari had come so far in the little time she had started training with the squad. You’d think she had been training her whole life just by watching her. It made more sense now, knowing who her father was. Alpha warrior was in her blood, and it sang in combat.It took me less time than expected to join Kamari in the rain after our heated make out session in the car. I was so worked up that I thought I might have to please myself before getting out. Then she reminded me of the cat shifter lying lazily on her lap this morning as if it wasn’t a deadly killer. His words still rang in my head.I am showing myself to you only because you are her mate, which is necessary for her protection. I am here at a request from the high pries
IzabeleI dove into my magic all day to prepare for the inevitable tonight. Conserving and building it to almost exploding was where I needed it, and I hadn’t done it in twenty years. My mind reeled at the thoughts about Kamari and what would happen after she was unbound. I wish the high priestess were here to conduct the spell, but with the hovering sense of war over the town, we didn’t have time for her to travel here. I wouldn’t leave Kamari powerless, even if it meant I would be left vulnerable. I tested the wards around the house and put up extra protections all day while I dove into myself, ensuring I took the proper precautions. I knew Zander would be on these pack lands tomorrow; I could feel it in my bones. I needed to ensure he wouldn’t be allowed to enter the house.Kamari entered the house around midday with Naya, Dani, and Lana in tow. They were excited about something; I could tell by their high-pitched voices entering the kitchen.
KamariI had never been to the attic before. When I first arrived, I had seen the dusted-over window but never thought twice about the room above the house. When we entered through a staircase that fell from the second floor’s ceiling, all that met us was the distinct smell of dust and the smell of an old house. There was nothing up here except a few boxes and space. The walls weren’t finished, and the giant circle window that took up most of the entire wall was dusted so severely that you couldn’t see outside.My mom made her way to a podium off the side while we all climbed in. My mom said nothing as she put a giant book on the podium. With her back turned to us, she raised her delicate hand and snapped her fingers, the sound ringing in the silence of the attic. In an instant, everything changed. I had to rub my eyes to make sure I was seeing clearly. The room was still empty, but the dust was gone, with a lingering lavender scent. Unlit white candl
KamariWhen the ceremony began, I was nervous but found strength in Theron's eyes - my mate's eyes. My heart leaped at the notion. While everyone drew closer and my mom began her chants, all I could think about was every look we stole from each other these past few months. The brushing of fingers, the little stolen moments under the moon or in his car, feeling his eyes on me from behind a tree by the farm, our reoccurring dreams showing us the future, the ache in his absence. Our connection and the pull that drove us despite our pushback all made sense now.I held his eyes, seeing all his love for me in them, as I sensed a familiar sensation rising to meet me. Our bond was my rock and what I held to now. I knew it would hurt so much more than yesterday; I didn't know how to react. For my loved ones, I would bear the pain and not show it for as long as possible. I didn't want them to know how much I was hurting.The pain of the whirling smoke around me was a welc
TheronThe minute Kamari screamed, something in me broke. The blinding light blew us all away, breaking the circle and throwing us to the sides of the room. When I finally adjusted my eyes, Kamari was suspended in the air, screaming and withering against the invisible force holding her. A sudden sharp pain ripped into me, and I knew it was Kamari's pain. It was so much worse than I thought it would be. She was being pulled apart; I could feel it in my soul."She's an elemental," I heard Ms. Ostyn whisper to herself, eyes wide in a surprised and awe-filled expression. I didn't know what an elemental was, but I didn't see the awe of it, only the terror. She couldn't feel the pain like I could; it was consuming her. I ran towards her; I had to get to her to stop it from destroying her. Ms. Ostyn bellowed something behind me, but I didn't hear it. I suddenly froze in place, unable to work my limbs. I couldn't move; the Ostyn witch had thrown a containment spell on me.
ari...mari....kamari...Kamari...It was a whisper, something fuzzy in the back of my mind. I was dreaming. The voice in my head was female, raspy yet soft. It was familiar yet not.H...hello...Who’s there? I whispered back into the abyss of my mind.Thank the goddess. I thought I had lost you, Kamari. The female voice huffed into my mind. My eyes were closed, and I Couldn’t feel my body. I must have been sleeping, and this was a dream. It felt more real than a dream, though.Who are you? I asked again, more forceful this time.I needed to know who was invading my mind before I spoke more.I’m not invading your mind, Kamari; it’s where I live. My name is Tala; I am your wolf. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt you. You can read my thoughts?Yes, your thoughts are my thoughts, just as you can hear mine, too. We are one, you
He grabbed the back of my head and tugged on my hair to lift my face, barring my throat to him. He kissed my throat, nibbling it and licking up my neck to my ear, nipping my earlobe. I shuddered under his touch. I yanked at his pants, ripping the button off with strength I didn’t know I had, pulling his pants down, then his underwear. His arousal sprang out, slapping his stomach. My mouth watered at seeing it. He tore my clothes off; claws had formed on his hands as he ripped my clothes to shreds. Fully naked, he grabbed my leg and lifted it over one of his arms before climbing in between my legs.He released my throat from his mouth and looked down at me, stalling before going any further. He looked deeply into my eyes, and I saw Hoku through them. It was the final strand between us, the last piece between mates, and a question. Tala and I knew we wanted him before he even had to voice it."Please, Theron, we need you." we whispered into his ear before nibbling
The light of the day as it cascaded through the cave made her head pound more. She hated the sight. Spring was her least favorite season. All full of flowers and sunshine; it made her sick. Sitting on the cold, damp earth at least helped her find her bearings. She was still gathering her strength and her senses from when she teleported. It was a gamble; she had never done it before. She was only taught the spell in case she ever needed it in dire circumstances. Well, her daughter betraying her felt like a damn dire circumstance, one she would rectify once her strength came back to her. That girl was foolish to side with the weaker of her two sides. Her fathers blood would never overcome her Raven powers. Her daughters father... Zander. The name alone caused more pain in her chest than she felt like considering at the moment. She didn't even know she could feel such emotions anymore. Not since the first summoning all those years ago. Even her own mother's death didn't hurt quite like t
“Wait, what? Why?” With her now being a werewolf, we had discussed her staying here with the pack and her mate.“It won’t be long. I’ll be gone and back again within the month. I just need to settle everything with school and pack my things from my apartment to move here. Plus, I’d like to give my dad a heads-up. He’s been texting me worried since I haven’t gone to see him recently.” Sera’s dad was the only family she had left. Her mom had died giving birth to her, leaving her dad to raise her solo. I nodded my agreement.“I’m going with her,” Reed announced; I had expected him to want to go with her. Theron came and sat by my side, taking my hand in his while swirling his thumb inside my palm. I leaned into his warmth, laying my head against his shoulder."Are you sure you’re up for it, Reed?" Theron eyed his friend. I looked up at him. My expression must have shown the confusion I felt because Theron smiled before explaining.“With the Desert pack going silent with no word, I’m worr
As the morning sun rose, the birds chirped their morning song, signaling that the crisp, freezing winter was ending and spring was waking up. It had been two months since the battle of clans, with the pack busy repairing the town and healing its injured. Moriko sat outside on the porch in his white cat form, staring at the field that once held a great battle.I sat beside him, scratching behind his ear like an old habit, earning a purr from him. We sat silently for a moment, gazing at the peaceful morning sunrise. In the corner of my eye, I could still make out the black patch of ash that was Morana. It never lifted from the earth, like a scar.“Where will you go next?” I asked to break the silence.“I must return home to the Ostyn Clan headquarters. There is much to do and arrange now that the power has shifted to a new priestess, and the curse has broken. I am needed there to protect your mother.” Moriko had sadness in his voice; he had walked beside my grandmother for decades, ands
KamariShe was okay; she was bleeding, but Mother was going to be okay. I nuzzled her, overjoyed to see her again, letting loose some healing magic to knit Mom’s side up. Only she didn’t need my magic; she was already healing fast, which was new. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me.“I knew you’d come, just in the nick of time, too.” She whispered to me. I nuzzled further into her, needing to feel her warmth and know she was okay. The sound of her scream before would haunt my dreams for days. I felt movement behind me; I turned out of my mother’s arms and moved protectively in front of her, watching Morana stand off with Verena.“Get out of the way, you stupid child!” Morana screamed at Verena’s wolf. The wolf held her ground, huffing air out of her snout.“What are you doing?! You’d choose them!? The ones that killed your father!?” a single tear escaped Morana’s eye as she spoke about Zander.“I’m doing this for you! So you can rule! Now get out of the way!!” The markin
KamariI was the wind and earth, I was lightning and fire. I ran into the fray with full abandon. I let the bond guide me to where Theron was fighting my Father. Snow stung my eyes as I dashed through the blizzard. As I ran toward him, I saw wolves stop to watch me run past them. They paused and stared before going back at it, battling the Phantom warriors and the animals of the forest that had joined the fight.A few light-colored wolves dared to run at me. I unleashed my fire on them in my wolf form, allowing Tala to mix her power with my Ostyn blood. Fire clashed with ice, creating water in my eyes from the raging snowstorm, and I lost track of what was real and what was magic. It almost looked like my magic formed through Tala as a bird of fire, tearing into the wolves as we fought with teeth and claws. A mountain lion leaped on the remaining wolf, fighting him off and giving me time to go to my mate.I still wasn’t 100 percent sure how I did it. I was running through the forest w
TheronDo you have any last words, pup? Zander spoke triumphantly into my head with death in his eyes. I mentally pushed on the bind the Raven had on me, trying with all my might to get free. She began to sweat with the pressure, but the bind held firm. Zander took a step closer than another. I moved my eyes to see the remaining warriors of our pack fighting viciously outnumbered but standing their ground.A wolf got through the Cadre’s barrier and slashed Dani down her side. She howled in pain, her blood staining the white snow beneath. Rune shot out off the ground, shifting in the air and throwing his wolf form at the wolf to get him away from his mate.It opened a hole in the barrier big enough for several enemy wolves and a few witches to break free and run towards the house. That was when the cat jumped through the busted door, attacking anyone near the opening. Alpha Zander had shifted back into his human form, unafraid of the vulnerability it put him in, and wrapped his hands ar
ReedIt was a fucking slaughterhouse. We were outnumbered three to one at least, and with everyone battling for the past several days, we were exhausted. The snow didn’t help either; it kept getting in our eyes, watering our vision, and making it hard to keep the focus on our opponent. Zander planned and executed this well. We would need a miracle to win this war. I swiped and killed mercilessly at the Desert Pack. From what I knew of the slave traders, they deserved nothing less.Where is he? Rune asked in my head. I looked to see him step up beside me in his human form with two broad swords. Rune had always enjoyed fighting with swords in battle and would often switch off between his wolf and warrior form “to ease the tension for both forms,” he had said. Rune was one of our most formidable warriors because he was so good in both forms and enjoyed both sides, sometimes a little too much. Where I would fight out of necessity, Rune fought for
ReedI stood staring at Ms. O as she worked her magic on Theron. At first, nothing happened. fear coursed up my spine when I saw the look on Ms. O’s face. She couldn’t hide the terror and sadness in her eyes. I couldn’t make out his heartbeat or even feel his presence for a split second. I dropped to my knees in shock, sitting there, helpless, beside his bed. This wasn’t happening, this couldn’t-Slowly, I saw Theron’s skin turn from ash to golden brown, and his breathing grew steadily. Without thinking, I burst out in laughter, a tear sliding down my cheek. My joy was short-lived when I heard slamming and hissing outside the room. Ms. O and I both looked at the door at the exact moment. I became alert immediately when Arkyn pushed to get out. He had been reeling the past few days, needing to fight and protect the pack battling outside these walls.“I’ll protect him. Go! Help them, save her, please.” The last
Izabele“NOOOOO! You can’t! You can’t sacrifice yourself like this!” I raged while I slammed my fist into the door that wouldn’t open. Whether it was her or the house that locked me in, I didn’t know, and I didn’t care; I was mad at both of them. I bellowed at the door, trying to claw my way out when someone interrupted me.“Umm, Ms. O...Ms. O? MS. O!” I turned to look at him with tear-stained eyes. He took a step back with his hands up, smart boy.“From the feel of her power, I-uh, think she can handle one witch, right? And-”“NO, she cannot. The High Priestess’s power comes not from fighting or battle spells but from healing. She is our greatest healer and greatest seer. She can see...She can see...she saw this. She insisted she came with me when I said I was coming here. She knew...” I trailed off, not wanting to say what I knew was coming next. Her words from a few day