[Hyacinth]Again I find myself standing in front of the little yellow house where everything began to change for me and Slate. Nervously I look around. I am sure this place is no longer safe, with both witches and watchers hunting us, but I cannot think of another place to go. I need allies if I am going to go back to Gold River. Allies and a way in that won’t draw too much suspicion. I am hoping that our friend in the yellow house can help us. Jeffrey is shocked when he opens his door to find both of us standing on his front stoop. His shoulders slumped, he sighs as he allows us to pass him into the warmth of his home. “You shouldn’t be here,” he hisses as he pushes us inside. “It isn’t safe for you to be seen this close to Gold River. the network has been compromised. Where’s Gregory?” he looks behind us, expecting to see the large, gruff wolf glowering from the street.“I didn't know where else to go," I confess as I hold onto Bash tightly. "Gregory is still on the island. He fou

“I’m sorry, what?” I cough. “I mean, Drew and I are friends and…”Mariana laughs even harder. “Don’t worry,” she takes a breath. “I was only messing around. I know that my brother is happily mated and married. They came by on their Honeymoon. Blake is way better than you for him,” she smiles, holding out her hand to shake, “No offense.”“None taken,” I assure her, and Stella, who happens to be her Luna I soon learn. They’ve been married for 10 years and have two pups of their own. They invite us over to their house just across the street from the pack house. Bash hits it off with their two sons, Jade and Fletcher, and the three of them play in their tree fort until late in the afternoon while the three of us talk. I explain my situation and the craziness at Gold River. I don’t go into detail about the Guardians or the island, but I do let them know we need to be very careful who we trust. “So my brother, and his mate, are stuck in that hell hole,” Mariana is pacing back and forth, “A

[Hyacinth]We do not have any time to waste. The leaders of the West Coast packs are set to arrive early tomorrow morning. Which means we need to get everything else in place tonight. "Do we have anyone on the ground in Gold River who can help," Mariana queried as we began making a list of who and what we needed. "Drew and Blake," I list off quickly. "But I don't know what their status is. When I last saw Drew he was able to resist their mind control and...""Another advantage of being a Gibbons Moon Wolf," she interrupts. "Superior strength, but also mental toughness. He is almost impossible to brainwash." "Unfortunately," Stella chimes in, "Blake wasn't a strong enough Crescent Moon wolf for her to have any protection from her abilities. If anything, because of the Crescent nature, she was more susceptible. Crescent Moon Wolves were always intended to be diplomats. They are good at empathy and charisma. They are also known for not quite mind-reading but something pretty close to

[Hyacinth] My hackles raise, as I take a step forward, not flinching as their guns raised and aimed at my chest. “I am not a witch,” I insist. “But I do need your help dealing with witches who have infiltrated my pack, bespelled my alpha, and plan to do something during the summit tomorrow.” “I can vouch for her,” Mariana speaks up. “She has been nothing but truthful since we have been introduced. We came here hoping you might ally with us to help reclaim her pack.” “Funny,” his smile is small as he points to Gamma McCoy, “You are the second pack to approach me today for an alliance. Unfortunately for you, the Gold River Pack has a much more convincing story.” He looks over at the Gamma, who stands there without moving, barely even blinking as he listens. “Your Luna says that you were kicked out of your pack 6 years ago because you were using powerful spells to seduce the young wolves in the pack. You then wandered the countryside packless until you were able to seduce the new

[Hyacinth]Gamma McCoy fought against the bars, but I held on tight. Now that I can see what is wrong with him and how I can help him, there is no way I am letting go. Thankfully, the process of clearing the curse from his body was a simple one. Just as I pulled the spell from those poor humans who had been infected and turned into a type of wolf--they just needed to be free of what was wrong. Setting a body to what it should be is far easier than trying to change it.Which makes me wonder: Why are the witches working so hard to change the true nature of wolves? What is their end goal?And dear Goddess above, what does it have to do with Moon Wolves?Now that I know how to fight back I need to know if there are any other wolves like me, wolves with the power to help me win this battle. Because there is no way to deny that this is indeed a battle, not just for the heart and soul of my pack, but possibly something bigger than all of us. As soon as I am done cleansing McCoy of his infe