Novels by Thessa

Caelan's POVThe message came at dawn, delivered by one of the perimeter guards who'd intercepted a lone traveler approaching pack territory."Says his name is Dr. Theron Ashwood," the guard reported, standing at attention in my office. "Claims he's here at Jolene's request to consult on a matter of ancient magic. He's carrying documentation that corresponds with Jolene, and he knew the password she told me to expect."I exchanged glances with Jolene, who'd arrived minutes earlier looking both excited and nervous. "That was fast. You only contacted him two days ago.""Theron doesn't waste time when something interests him," Jolene said. "And I may have mentioned that this was a matter of life and death involving a potential Vessel."

Caelan's POV"What was. What is. What will be again." Aeliana's hand moved, her finger tracing the symbols on the page. "The war never ended. It only sleeps. And now the darkness wakes, and the light must wake to meet it.""You're not helping," I said, frustration making my voice sharp. "Stop speaking in riddles and tell us plainly, how do we keep Aeliana safe? How do we stop the power from consuming her?""You cannot stop the awakening. You can only hope she is strong enough to survive it." The voice carries on with regret. "Twenty-three came before. Twenty-three fell. But she is different. She has what they lacked.""What? What does she have?"But Aeliana's eyes were already clearing, the golden glow fading from them. She blinked, looking confused, and her hand jerked away from the book like it had burned her."What happened?" she asked, her voice her own again. "I was looking at the she

Caelan's POV"The text says she had a mate," Jolene interrupted quietly. She is reading another section of the journal. "It says her mate tried everything to save her, that he nearly went mad with grief when she walked into that forest. It says..." She paused. "It says the mate bond wasn't enough because what she carried was older than the bond and older than wolves themselves."The dread in my stomach became cold and heavy. "There has to be more. I mean, there has to be something that tells us how to fight this, how to help her control it.""Maybe if we knew what the power actually is," Aeliana said. She'd gone pale, even if her voice was steady. "Every reference talks about ancient power, old wars, light, and darkness. But what does that mean? What am I carrying?"

Caelan's POVThe pack archives are located in the oldest part of the packhouse, a section that predated even my grandfather's time as Alpha. Dust particles danced in the afternoon light that pierced through the narrow window, illuminating rows upon rows of shelves packed with leather-bound journals, scrolls, and documents that smelled of age and secrets.Jolene stood beside me, her hands ready to search for magical signatures in the texts. Behind us, Aeliana examined a shelf of older volumes.I'd tried to convince her to rest, to let Jolene and me handle the research. That conversation had gone about as well as expected."I'm not sitting in our room while you two search

Aeliana's POV

Aeliana's POV* Maya's hands twisted together nervously. "I know you probably have a lot of important things to deal with, and I don't want to be a burden, but..." She took a deep breath. "I want to see my sister. Vera. They told me she's being held in a cell, and I understand why, but I just... I need to see her.Just to make sure she's okay." The desperation in her voice tugged at something in my chest. I thought about the bond between sisters, about what it must have been like for Maya watching Vera suffer under Annalise's control for three years. "You want me to take you to her," I said. "If you could. I know it's a lot to ask, and I know Vera did terrible things, but she's still my sister. She's the only family I have left." Tears gathered in Maya's eyes. "Please. I just need to see her, to talk to her, and make sure she's really alive and safe." I glanced back at Caelan. He was watching us carefully, with his tense posture. If I told him I was taking Maya to the cells, he'd i