NeroWalking out of my office, I head straight for the living room where I know Camellia and Morana are busy settling down with a movie. They both look up when they see me walking in, and Camellia aims the remote at the TV.“What’s wrong?” she asks when she sees the look on my face.“Creed Volkov’s witch is here,” I say, watching as surprise flickers across her face before I walk out of the living room. We’re either getting answers today, or a fuck load more questions.The front door is already open when I walk into the foyer, and Nova Volkova walks inside. Shorter than Camellia, blonde hair, crescent moon mark below her eye and a circular gem in the middle of her forehead. It always surprises me how different to other witches she is. For one, she’s completely bubbly.“Nero! You haven’t changed at all, I see. Still broody,” she says as she approaches me with her hand outstretched. She has a few years on me, but she could seriously pass for someone younger than me.“Being broody is a L
NeroAfter our talk in the kitchen, Camellia stays with Morana, offering her quiet support while Nova gets everything ready for tonight. I decide to go to Osiris to tell him what’s happening; I don’t want him freaking out when his memories suddenly return.His bedroom door is open, and he’s laying down on his chaise by the window when I enter. When he sees it’s me, he sits up and his eyes narrow. “Everything okay?”Walking toward him, I place one hand in my pocket and nod. “There’s new. News I think you will want to hear,” I say. “The witch is here.”His eyes widen. “Oh, is that what the commotion below is about?” he asks, tilting his head to the side. “Bad news?”“Depends on how you look at it, I suppose,” I start. “Morana can be saved, and the memories taken from you will return as soon as the Meraloth is removed. Nova is scheduling the ritual for tonight.”He raises an eyebrow. “I hear a ‘but’ in there.”I sigh. “But Camellia’s memories can’t be retrieved. It’s been too long and if
OsirisEverything has come back, but instead of feeling like ‘the old Osiris’ I feel empty. I remember everything, how I ended up losing my memories and everything before that. Wasn’t I always happy and upbeat? Always looking for the bright side and all that shit? Shouldn’t I feel happy, or relieved? Why do I still feel dead inside?I look down at my scarred hands, the different negative emotions drifting through me. My brothers are going to be so disappointed that I’m not the same Osiris as before; I hope they don’t blame themselves for this.There’s a knock on my bedroom door and when I look up, I see Orion. There’s a question written on his face, one I can’t bring myself to answer.“Are you okay?” he ends up asking instead of the one I know he wants to.“I’m fine,” I say with a shrug. “Tired and overwhelmed, I guess.”Orion frowns, and I know he’s picked up on my mood. “Are your … I mean, can you remember anything?”I fucking hate how our relationship has become like this. We use
CamelliaI won’t ever be the same again, and somehow, I’m okay with that. When I first heard that I won’t ever have my memories returned to me, I thought that was it. I’ll never be the old Camellia everyone is used to and Nero won’t love me the same as before.But I was wrong. Nero loves me regardless, and I finally admitted that I love him as well. Osiris has been avoiding me, and that was before he asked to leave the pack house for a while. Nero says it’s because he needs to find himself again, and I can’t fault him for that. Everyone says he changed, but I understand more than they think.He lost his old life, grieved for it and then suddenly got it back. There’s no way he’d be the same again. I don’t know what made me think I’d ever be the same Camellia if I ever got my memories back. It’s late and Nero isn’t home yet. I know he and Orion had some pack business to take care of, so I’m not too worried. Nereo is tucked in, Aeron has decided to stay with a friend on his college cam
NeroI sit in my office, staring at the map of our territory laid out on the desk. My mind is racing, trying to piece together everything we’ve learned. The Summer’s Edge Pack.The thought that their Luna brainwashed our mother before she died makes my blood boil. She’s the reason our mother wasn’t the woman we remembered during Morana’s pregnancy. She’s the reason Morana was cursed with that Meraloth.Orion walks in, his expression as dark as mine. He knows what I’m thinking, and he’s already on board. This can only end with death, and it sure as fuck won’t be ours.“We need to take them down,” he says, his voice cold and resolute. “They’ve taken too much from us, Nero.”I nod, clenching my fists. “I’m not letting this fucking slide. They’re responsible for everything—the memory loss, the curse on Morana, even the shit we’ve gone through with the pack. We need to end this.”Orion steps closer, leaning over the map. “The Summer’s Edge pack is small, but they’re well-defended. The Lun
NeroCamellia is laying in bed reading a book when I walk into our bedroom. She looks up when she hears me and her eyes widen when she sees me stripping my clothes off.“Nero?” she asks, putting the book on her nightstand and watching me stroke my cock as I approach her. “What—”But I don’t give her a chance to ask me questions before I’m on her, kissing her like she’s the very air I breathe. She wraps her arms and legs around me, pulling me close to her and I can already smell her arousal.Trailing my kisses down her neck, I bite her lightly and grip her nightdress in my hands, tearing it from her body. She gasps when my mouth is on her nipples, carding her fingers through my hair and making those sounds that have my cock painfully throbbing against her.“Nero… What’s going on?” she asks in a breathy voice. “Is everything… Gods, is everything okay?”“Everything is perfect, baby,” I murmur against her skin, suckling her nipple into my mouth. She whimpers when my hand slides in between
NeroI pace back and forth in my office, the weight of Seraphine’s words pressing down on me like a fucking boulder. My mind’s a mess of anger and frustration, and I know there’s only one person who can help me make sense of all this—Nova. But when I dial Creed’s number, I already have a sinking feeling that things won’t be that easy.The phone rings, each passing second cranking up my tension. Finally, Creed picks up, his voice steady as ever. “Nero.”“Creed,” I reply, trying to keep the impatience out of my voice. “I need to speak to Nova. It’s urgent.”There’s a brief pause on the other end, and I hear the faint sounds of wind and rustling leaves. Creed must be outside. “She’s not available right now,” he says after a moment. “She’s dealing with some pack business. What’s going on?”I grit my teeth, trying to rein in my frustration. “I don’t have time to explain the whole thing. Luna Seraphine mentioned something during our… conversation, and I need Nova to confirm if it’s true.”
NeroCamellia and Orion are in my office with me before the meeting with Creed today. I hate keeping her out of the loop about pack issues and never understood how other Alphas did that to their Lunas. Camellia was never going to be just a pretty face; she’s my partner in every way that matters.“Do we know what to expect when he gets here?” she asks from the chair to my left. “I mean, from what you’ve told me, you’ve only recently become amiable.I nod. “Yes, our relationship before all this wasn’t all that good, but no. I don’t know what to expect from this visit. The fact that he feels like he needs to be here already has alarm bells going off in my head.”Orion is leaning against the opposite wall watching our exchange. “This would only be his second time in our pack lands, it’s definitely something to be worried about.”Before I can agree with him, I feel a ripple in my wards and know Creed has arrived. I look at Camellia and Orion and nod. “Creed’s here. Better go be the welcome