Theron
My father was dead. I sat at our house with my head down, running my hands through my hair in disbelief. Kamari had dropped unconscious in my arms after she quenched the flames so I drove her to her house to rest. From there, I drove straight home to find out the damage of tonight’s battle. When I was met with Reed and Delta Norrik at the door, I knew it wasn’t good, but I didn’t expect... A tear escaped my eyes as I reeled in anguish. I was right there! I could have saved him, but I couldn’t get through the fucking flames that had risen so high and hot it scorched the earth. Anger at my mate flared at the thought. I never thought I could ever be mad at her, but if she hadn’t... ugh, it wouldn’t matter. It was done.
We had lost 20 warriors, including Mz. Swan, the Starlight battalion leader, with 50 more injured. I took a few deep breaths to calm my thrashing heart, but the pain was too much. Without thinking, I walked to the
Kamari“Okay...what’s the bad news?” I asked Moriko hesitantly.You inadvertently allowed your power to consume you and everything around you. It pulled all your strength from your body and took off like wildfire, taking whatever it wished. It almost killed you. Undiluted power like that does not differentiate between friend and foe; it just takes. That’s why your mother had explicitly told you to learn how to control your power before using it. Moriko looked at me as if he didn’t have a care in the world, even as his voice and words cut through me like a knife.Not only that, Tala chimed in. But you shut me out! Your power threw me in a cage inside your head and tried to throw away the key. If Theron hadn’t come and distracted you enough for me to force my way in, I don’t know what would have happened. Tala was angry, but I could also hear sadness in her growl. She was quiet for a minute, asse
ReedOne of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was to tell Theron the news about his dad. As soon as he pulled up to the driveway of his house, I ran up and hugged him. I had no words, only relief that he was alive. He was staying strong and keeping face after we told him, but I could tell he felt battered inside. We sat silently while we all processed what had transpired and what it meant now.Reed, please go to the Ostyn house and stay there to help protect the women inside. Now that we know the severity of our situation, we will need the Ostyns’ help fighting the Red Fangs and Ravens because they will be back. I saw your truck out front when I got there. I’m assuming you brought your mate there as well. Yes, I left her with the cat. He didn’t seem to mind. I was headed there after this anyway. I’ll guard them with my life, Alpha. I saw Theron flinch when I said the last bit. We’ve lost so many
I cringed when she said the last part. Mainly because it was true. I was so lost in my magic I didn’t even recognize my best friend. I looked at my mom, who had a ‘We’ll talk about that later’ look, which made me shiver.“I’m sorry, Sera. I dragged you into this,” I said, looking down, ashamed that I had endangered my friend.“It wasn’t your fault. It’s not like you knew you had a maniac for a father, right?” I shook my head with a small smile, thinking we could at least agree on that.“Besides, if you hadn’t dragged me into this, I wouldn’t have met that extremely sexy guy who saved me from that cage and brought me here. Who is he anyway? Is he single?” Sera looked out the door as if she could sense him downstairs. I giggled to myself, instantly warm inside, that not only had Sera met someone worth dating, but Reed had finally found his true mate.***Theron
Kamari“Mom, how are you awake right now?” I asked after our confessions to Sera about what had transpired these past few months. We explained to Sera that she is a werewolf now because my father, an alpha, bit her. She didn’t believe it at first, but after everything she had seen, she didn’t really have a choice not to. She knew about my mom’s gifts, which helped her ease into the idea of werewolves.“the house shot me with energy when she was attacked last night. She knew I’d need enough energy to fight back if something happened. The Raven wasn’t as big of a threat as we expected, so I could sleep again and regain most of my energy.”“You’re going to have to let me in on the house secrets someday; this thing isn’t just a house, is it?” I asked, looking around. It felt more alive than when we first got here. My mom just laughed.“No, it’s not. I used to come here a
“What is there to discuss?” I asked almost angrily. “Do you not trust me either? You want me to walk away from you, too?” I spoke harshly at him with tears in my eyes. I couldn’t stand the look he was giving me.“Kamari, I..” He couldn’t speak, almost stopping himself from the words he needed to say. I didn’t want to hear them. I couldn’t listen to them right now. I felt my magic bubble but pushed it down. I wouldn’t let it consume me again. Instead, I did the next best thing. I flung the back door open and ran into the forest as fast as I could. I needed to get some air, run through the wind letting it take my sadness away, and clear my head. Then, once I’ve calmed my roaring heart, can I face my mate and his rejection?***TheronI had all day to calm my aching heart. But every time I tried, all I could see was the wall of fire and Alpha Zander’s teeth around my father’s
SeraAs I stared at the football field, watching the warriors train, I couldn't help but think what it must have been like for Ari these past few months being engulfed in this world. Knowing Ari, she would have reveled in it. The newness, the fighting, she was always a go-getter, throwing herself into anything that would make her heart skip a beat. If Ari was Yang, I was her Yin. I was much more cautious and safe when it came to new things. Granted, Reed had told me Ari didn't know anyone was Werewolves until recently. That would not have deterred her from wanting to fight alongside them, though.Reed filled me in on most of what happened with the comings and goings of the pack and what had happened with Ari. Reed, my...mate. I still couldn't wrap my head around it all. How the hell did I get flung into this world with a huge, sexy male who gazed at me like I was the first drink of water after being stranded in a desert? Thank God I knew Izabele was a witch for so long
TheronA week passed, and I was no closer to finding her. Hoku was in a scary space. I could barely control his urges and rage. I fought three-on-one every day, and it wasn't enough. We were ravaged to find our mate. I hadn't told anyone, but I knew she was in pain. Those first few days, I could feel it. Something had happened to her. I didn't want to think of all the possibilities. I almost wanted to feel the pain instead of what I felt now, though, nothing. I felt nothing from her. There was no pain or any sensation. I knew she wasn't dead; I would be able to feel it if she were dead.The silence and desperation were growing stronger. When Alpha Zander sent that tracker team to get a gauge on how injured they left us, I made sure he knew we were all but ready to destroy him. Reed and I kept one survivor to interrogate about Kamari. They didn't know anything useful except that they'd been working with the Ravens for many years. When we had gone in for a second day of
Alpha Zander, my father, stared at me with an expression I couldn’t place. His hands were behind his back as he looked around the room at the burnt pieces I couldn’t save before quenching my flames. The Raven witch was behind him with her head down; she wouldn’t even look at me. I wondered what the deal was between my father and her behavior. As my father walked in, he limped slightly. It was barely there, but I noticed. I wondered if it happened at the battle. The battle they baited us and started, the one where they kidnapped my best friend and turned her against her will into a werewolf. The battle that killed Mz. Swan and my mate’s father, throwing everything out the door. Tala let out a growl that reverberated through the room.They both looked up at the noise as I glared at them deathly. My teeth were bared and ready to fight. That was when Alpha Zander did something unexpected. He held his hands up in an ‘I don’t want to fight’
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