“Alpha?” Carly peeks into my office.“Yeah, Carly. Come in.” I wave to her. “I’m more… just… hiding out.”“I understand. Um, still no word on Marco or Andy.” She comes in and sits in the guest chair across from my desk. “The Luna’s flight is in the air. She and Tyree be landing in nine hours. Lady Camille says they secured Tavi in the coven’s manor home and the Menae are all ready to leave as soon as they get the word. Oh, and Sondi asked me to tell you again, thank you for letting her stay in the packhouse while Tyree has been away.”“Okay, well, that’s very sweet of her. Uh, from my end, Delilah confirmed she and Pan are ready to go, too. Psyche, Arrow, Hedone, and the Erotes have their marching orders too. Heph just needs to make sure Lex fits into the harness he made for her.” I rub my hands over my face. “Milo and Reggie are following protocol. So, I have no fucking clue if they are ready to go or not.”“May I speak candidly, Alpha?” Carly looks at me sympathetically. “Of course
Kas’s POV“I’ll try to keep it to an hour, Diane.” I take a last look at myself in the mirror.“Take as much time as you want, Kas.” Diane turns me toward the door. “You haven’t seen your mate in over a month.”“Thank you, Diane.” I give her a hug, then make my way downstairs.The staff opens the door to the dining room for me. Inside, they transformed the area where ranked members usually sit into a makeshift living room complete with plush rugs, dimmed lighting, and a television on a table playing my favorite cooking show with the volume off.Bronx is sitting on a sofa with several coffee tables set lengthwise in front of it to provide distance from another empty sofa across from him. As promised, there is a small pizza piled high with pepperoni and green peppers on a plate in front of the empty sofa.“Hi, Baby.” Bronx grins, but stays seated. “Mrs. Miller brought you a milkshake, but we can get something else.”“N-no. It’s fine.” I giggle as I take my seat. He never fails to find w
“Have you spoken to Lady Camille?” I get into Pan’s car after I close the front gates behind him. “Tavi?” “They are experiencing a disruption on the borders of their realm. The sisters are doing everything in their power to hold the threat at bay.” He nods, focusing on the long driveway. “Okay.” I tap my foot eager to get to the packhouse. “Okay?” He slows the car to a stop and looks at me. “Iokaste, are you alright? I mean, with all factors considered. I just told you the secure location your child is being held is under attack.” I look him in the eyes. “I’ve never been better. Drive.” We ride to the packhouse in uncomfortable silence. I watch out the window at the village that should have pack members going about their everyday business. There’s no one from landscaping clearing snow from the sidewalks. The pack guards are not on their daily ten-mile run. No wolves are galloping on the treelines, getting exercise in the deep snow. This place should be filled with people who depe
The dark magic inside me flares, pulling and clawing at the edges of my spirit. Now that I’m protected by the power of the throne room, I give it the space it’s yearning for until it is one with my spirit and Lex’s. Heat surges through my body, and for the first time, I’m aware of the crown floating above my head with colored spires glowing brightly. “Do you like our force field?” I pull the shield from my back. The action causes thin quills to grow from the harness and weave themselves around my body until they form a short protective dress made from the lightweight metal feathers of Hedone’s Stymphalian birds. Spaulders made of the Colchian dragon spread over my shoulders. As the body armor tightens to fit me, I roll my shoulders, grab the sword out of the compass rose, and take a defensive stance. A high pitched, maniacal laughter fills the echoing room as if it’s coming from a thousand mouths. Aphrodite steps back and looks around in horror. She pulls her whip from its harness
I release my grip on the shield and catch it by the edge before it hits the floor. Aphrodite is looking down at her marred body, assessing the wounds that are already healing. Arrow said she would heal fast since she’s immortal, but he wasn’t sure how fast since he had never seen her injured before.“One minute, fifteen seconds.” Lex paces in my mind. “Kas, distract her! If she can’t focus on her wounds, she’ll heal slower.”Anything is a weapon. I let James and Marco’s words echo in my mind. I look around and make a split decision. The shield will only hinder me in hand to hand combat if Aphrodite is using her electrified whip. It’s supposed to provide protection. Unfortunately, I need to go on the offensive.“Hey bitch. Catch!” I know she can’t hear me, but it makes me feel better. I throw the shield like a frisbee, hitting her square in the jaw. She grabs her face, holding a giant chunk of skin that is hanging from her cheek. Before she can get her bearings, I run full speed and la
“I can’t bring her back. The Goddess Leticia Latmus wasn’t lying. The only way for Aphrodite to return from the Waiting Room is for her to concede to the Menae.” I scoot back on the bloody floor, trying to catch my breath. “How did you get inside the barrier?” “I concealed myself under my throne.” He holds the tip of the sword closer to my nose. “Now, I said, bring her back or stand against me Iokaste Latmus. I will fight for Aphrodite’s honor.” “Her honor?” I slowly rise with my hands over my head, but I don’t drop my sword. It shakes violently from the weakness spreading throughout my body, but I don’t dare drop it. I stagger my feet under me for balance, but my body sways anyway. Maybe it’s from the loss of blood or maybe it’s because deep in my mind, I know this must be the end, but I feel myself laughing in the face of one of the most violent Gods who has ever existed. “And what do you find so funny, you entitled little brat?” He grits his teeth. Excuse me. Hi, probably not t
Bronx’s POV“Good morning, Mrs. Khan. Good morning, class.” I give the children a brief nod and tentative smile. “How is everyone?” I set the cupcakes and the book on Mrs. Khan’s desk. All the children giggle and squeal when they see me.“Good morning, Alpha!” Mrs. Khan guides them to say in unison when she gets them settled in.“Class, Alpha Bronx is here to help us celebrate Maya and Dre’s birthday.” She stands in front of the class and claps her hands. “He’s taking time out of his busy day to be here. What do we say?”“Thank you, Alpha!” The kids all chip happily. “Mrs. Khan, can my daddy sit next to me to read the dragon book?” Maya raises her hand high in the air. “Pleeeaassseee!!! I wanna help him!”“I’m sure we can arrange for that, Maya.” Mrs. Khan winks at me. “Alpha, if you’d like to grab my chair, we’ll get everyone to the reading circle.”“Sure thing, Mrs. Khan.” I turn and go back to her desk. I notice a board near the front of the room with a banner that says ‘Winter M
“Marco, come on, bro.” I pull his shoulders to get him to look at me. “Come on. It’s Bronx. Talk to me, big guy.”“My name is Marco Sanchez. My wolf’s name is Clash.” Marco looks through me and continues to mumble. “I gotta beautiful wife. Her name is Musu. We got twins. Deago and Inez. There’s a thing here. It looks like a woman, but it ain’t. It’s a monster. She can’t take my memories.”“That’s right, Marco. No one can erase your family. You’re too strong for that.” I run my hand over his face. He’s cold and clammy. When I lift his eyelid, his pupil is completely dilated. Shit. I listen to his heartbeat. It seems strong and steady. Good. “Marco, I need you to listen to me. Your kids are here, bro. They’re scared and they need their dad. They need you, but I need you to snap out of it. We can’t let them see you like this. That won’t be good for anyone.”Marco leans his head on the wall and continues to babble under his breath. “He needs medical treatment.” Saint paces. “Yeah. That’