Delaney We lay in each other’s arms, and I have to say that I’ve never felt this peaceful in all my life. I’m filled to the brim with this feeling of security. This feels right—this whole thing. I don’t have any regrets. I’m not even thinking about what comes after this, which honestly should be something I should think about. But right now, I don’t want to over complicate anything. I feel Alec’s heartbeat steadily against my cheek. This is the first time that I’m not thinking about my father and the whole mess with Margaret since it happened, and whenever the thought enters my mind, it’s quickly pushed to the back of my mind. My wolf hasn’t felt this at peace in a very long time. Finally, he sighs and says, “I wish that it could always be like this.” “Me too,” I admit. “Stay with me, then,” he says before shifting so he can look at my face. I search his face, trying to understand how he can even be serious. I want to say yes—more than anything, I want to let my
Alec The time that Delaney and I spend together comes to an end, like all good things. It physically hurts to watch her get dressed in the morning so I can drop her off near one of the entrances. I really wanted more than anything to be with her. One word from her would seal my fate forever. If she told me that she wanted to stay with me so we could run away together and start a new life elsewhere, then I would gladly go with her. That wasn't a lie. I want to be with her. I'm willing to fight for this. However, she has a duty to her people, one that I don't have toward my own pack, lamentably. It's admirable to see it in her, and I would never dream of trying to take her fighting spirit away from her. That only leaves one thing. I'll have to fight, too. I'll have to do whatever is possible to ensure that there's a place in the future for us. I’ll do whatever it takes, I realize, to make this work. Maybe I’ve lost my mind, but I don’t really care. I haven’t felt this alive in ye
Delaney As soon as I climb down the hatch, I know that something is horribly wrong.To start with, there’s smoke everywhere, so much of it that my eyes start to burn immediately, and the thickness of it hits the back of my throat when I inhale and makes me cough. Panic rises in me, reaching an all-time high. What is this? What’s happening? These are the questions that I’m asking myself because there’s no way that this is normal. I start toward the passageway, and find it by a miracle because of how difficult it is to see. I don’t see a single person around, and the closer toward the houses and the bar I get, the hotter it gets, too. Fire. There’s a fire. Many of the houses on either side of me are in flames, and I gasp, horrified. Goddess, what happened? “Hello!? Hello!? Is there anyone there!? Hello!?”Nobody. Nothing. I don’t receive a single answer. I use the hem of my shirt to cover my nose. I needed some water, but this will have to do. I start speeding up as I look around,
AlecAs soon as I open the hatch, smoke billows out of it, so thick that it threatens to choke me. Shit. I can’t believe this. My eyes are wide as I take in the scene in front of me. This can’t be happening. How? How did this happen!?I stand, contemplating my options. I didn’t even ask Carla what she meant; I just hung up the phone and came straight here. But Delaney supposedly went through this hatch, unless she saw the smoke and turned back. If that’s the case, where is she and how can I find her?I look around desperately as I weigh my options. The one thing that begs my attention is how on earth Carla managed to find out about all this. I stand back and run a hand down my hair as I stare at the hatch. When I think of climbing down the side ladder, a distant explosion that causes fumes to rise from the hatch is heard, and I stand back from it even further. Going down there would be suicidal, and I have to believe that Delaney would never go down there. She’s not there. I hav
Delaney We arrive at a very obscure, shady motel. Nobody goes to the reception, so I’m assuming that it’s not necessary. Pollux has the key to one of the very last rooms, so he opens it and we all slip inside. Cade carries Paola in, and immediately sets her down on one of the twin beds. I look around at the group, and run a hand down my hair. Guilt is an understatement. I’ve ruined everything. Everything. Once again. Now, we don’t have a home, and many of the rebels have been caught and taken to locations that we don’t know. We have no way of rescuing them. Matteo is also gone, and he hasn’t contacted us at all. It’s all a mess, and Cade says that he doubts we’ll be able to come back from this. Alec. I’ve been trying not to think about him, but it’s getting increasingly harder. Everything we went through felt so real. The way he touched me. The way we kissed. It was all out of a fairytale. It was magical. But he used me. For some reason, he used me. Distracted me, maybe. And th
DelaneyRegrouping hasn’t been easy, and the waiting feels endless. But finally, Matteo gave us a sign of life. He’s on the way to us right now, and he claims that he has information that might leave us optimistic. Honestly, that’s exactly what we all need. The last few days haven’t been easy on any of us, so any bit of news that might cheer us up will be welcome. I can’t begin to imagine what he’s going to tell us, but he wouldn’t have said that he had good news if he didn’t. I’ve felt a bit calmer since talking to Pollux. I still feel responsible for the ruination of the Underworld and also the numerous deaths that occurred. Yes, I hadn’t given Alec any map, but if I’d told people about it instead of wasting time being seduced by him, then many lives could have been spared. I’ve been trying not to think about him too much, and there’s so much to talk about that it’s been fairly easy. The only thing that reassures me is knowing that we’ll get back at them for what they did becaus
Delaney“Three days,” Matteo says to the whole group. “That’s when the meeting will be held in the courthouse.”“How do you know?” I ask Matteo. “Obtaining this information hasn’t been easy, and it cost us a few lives,” he says, a shadow descending upon his face. “Reynold snuck into the courthouse to go through the papers. He was caught, but not before sending the date and time to me. My guess is that he quickly disposed of the phone before the Gammas got to him.”I don’t know who that was, but I feel sad. Very sad. People die for this cause all the time, and it helps me understand what my father felt. He was the one who’d encouraged this movement, and in the end, all the deaths around him hadn’t amounted to much. Goddess, it’s still shocking to even think of that man in such a way, but he is my father, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m ever going to see him again. But he’s wrong, though. No death is meaningless when it comes to a movement like ours. It sends a powerful message ac
Delaney"Cursey," I hear Trevor Whittle say in a sing-song voice. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"Laughter follows his words. I remain hidden behind the huge oak tree and desperately try to catch my breath without making a sound. I breathe shakily behind the hand I placed over my own mouth while my heart slams against my chest. I'll never understand why these elites don't leave me alone. I've done nothing but try to stay out of their way, even at school. But regardless of how much effort I put into being invisible, I can never hide from them. Maybe it's the fact that I'm the only person in the werewolf world who was born under the infamous Black Moon and got to live, or maybe it's my red hair that makes me stand out wherever I go. Nevertheless, these elites—the sons and daughters of the leaders of our pack—follow me and insist on reminding me about my pitiful existence every day, and today is yet another one of those days. Only, there are two things that set today apart from