Kaneโs POV The meeting with Alfred is swift and decisive, although Willow doesnโt speak much. She decided to sit back and observe despite multiple attempts to draw her into the conversation. All I keep thinking about is how Iโm the worst kind of scum. Everything inside her screams that she doesnโt want to do it, but I donโt see any other way. If she outright refuses to take her position, the witches will keep attacking us, and sooner or later they'll start winning. Theyโre zealous in their desire to get their high priestess back. โFive of the twelve council members are still alive,โ Alfred says. โThey were against Willowโs kidnapping, and didnโt participate.โ โWhat about the others?โ I ask, glancing at Willow who is chewing into her lip and staring at her brother. โThe witches donโt want to fight anymore. Too many have died already.โ โAre the five surviving members the same ones that helped me when Moon Flower attacked?โ Willow asks. Alfred shifts in his seat so he can look at Wi
Kane wakes me, his handsome face beaming down at me. โDid you have a good nap?โ he asks. I sit upright, trying to focus my sleep-blurred eyes on him. โWhat time is it?โ โAlmost six,โ he lifts the fussing Adare out of his cot and hands him to me. โI guess he wants to nurse.โ I nod. โYou smell good,โ I say without thinking. He does. He smells different, more earthy and musky. โI took a shower,โ he says. I laugh. โThatโs not what I mean. Do you have a new cologne?โ He shakes his head. โYour senses start to enhance when the full moon approaches. I smell the same as always, youโre just more aware of it.โ โI know that alreadyโฆthatโs not it.โ He frowns. โI donโt know, Willow. Nothingโs changed.โ โItโs weird,โ I say and latch Adare to my breast while I keep an eye on Kane. โItโs like when Iโm in heat, and everything about is just moreโฆalluring.โ He shrugs, but thereโs a curious frown between his eyes. โYouโre not in heat.โ โNo.โ โThen I havenโt got the foggiest. Did you pump a bott
I pace up and down the apartment, my eyes dashing between Glenn, Tully and Kane. No one's saying anything. All we can do is stand here and stare at Kane who looks like he's about to throw up. Iโm livid and bristling with jealousy. Itโs taking every bit of restraint I have not to let Suri go so we can run to the widows' hostel to kill Dani. Right in the middle of all this, Adare wakes up, and because of the wine I had earlier, I try to give him the bottle, but he keeps pressing his lips together and shaking his head from side to side, refusing to open his mouth for the fake nipple. โCome on baby,โ I say. He opens his mouth and starts wailing. I take the chance to quickly pop the bottle in his mouth, but he pushes it out with his tongue, and gives me a look of betrayal. โItโs the same milk, buddy, just a different container.โ โItโs because he can smell you,โ Tully says from the door. โHe wonโt take the bottle because he can smell you.โ I look up at the young woman. โHow do you know?โ
Kane's POV I have never experienced anything like it. My body craves to be with Dani, but my head hates the idea, and my heart only wants Willow. Dario is angry, homocidal โ he doesnโt want to be with Dani in any way shape or form, is furious that she's back, but the physical craving, mine alone it seem, doesnโt let up. I feel gross, violated. Willowโs spell lasted a good hour before it started to wear off. I started using my own magic, not to put up a barrier between Dani and me as Willow had done, but to stop her from feeling it. All I want to do is protect Willow, and this is the only way. She barely has any control as it is, feeling Daniโs heat, which is more intense than it should be, will send her careening over the edge into a murderous rage. I canโt think clearly. The need to mate is too strong. I can now clearly tell the difference between the desire to mate with someone you love and respect, and someone you outright despise. The physical yearning does not match the emotion
Kane stumbles into the bedroom, soaking wet and almost blue from the cold water. A flicker of lust, probably Daniโs, ripples through me as I watch him dress in the tightest pair of boxer briefs he can find, followed by joggers and a long sweater. I never really gave it much thought, but it must be hell for a man to hide an erection he doesnโt want. He heads towards the door, grunts turns around and comes back to bed. He flops down on his side, nearly launching Adare and me into the air as he hits the mattress. โDo you feel better at all?โ โNo,โ he says and pulls a pillow over his face. โAnd I wonโt until her heat passes in a day or two.โ โOnly two days? Didnโt mine last longer?โ โIt was your first time,โ he answers, the pillow muffling his voice. โIt can last a little longer the first time.โ I go through the routine of burping and changing Adare, then scoot up the bed to sit next to Kane with the baby resting against my pulled up legs. He is wide awake, staring at my face. I play
Glenn walks back into the living room about fifteen minutes later, his face giving away the whole story. โHe doesnโt have answers either?โโNo, but heโs tackling his library.โโI still say we have to go over there and just ask her,โ I say.โI agree,โ Tully pipes up. I smile at her and nod.โShe wonโt tell you,โ Glenn says. โOr she may not even know herself.โIt doesn't matter. This whole conversation is pointless. I already decided that I'm going to talk to her, and I plan on following through. "We're going anyway." I glance at my watch. โWhere is the wet nurse?โโShe said sheโd be twenty minutes,โ Glenn answersโItโs been an hour.โHe curses. โIโll go see whatโs keeping her.โI donโt want her here, but I donโt know how long it will take me to find the answers I need, and the longer we wait, the longer Kane suffers, and the stronger the bond between him and Dani becomes. โHow are you adjusting?โ I ask Tully while we wait for Glenn to come back. I want to talk about something, anything
Kane's POVThe fever wakes me I donโt know how many hours later. I can smell a guard right outside my door, and someone, Iโm guessing Willow, opened the window to let the cold night air blow over me. I can barely breathe, and my heart feels like itโs pulsing in my cock.I fall off the bed and crawl to the bathroom, where I fill the tub with cold water and roll into it. Holding my breath, I sink my whole body into the freezing water, biting back a scream as the ice folds around me.It helps, but doesnโt do the job as well as it did earlier. I come up for air, and lie back, ignoring the urge to get out of the tub so I can escape the cold. At least it numbs my body, and I can barely feel the hard-on that refuses to let up despite the icy water.I will not touch myself below the waist. Dani will feel it, thereโs no way she wouldnโt, and I refuse to give her that kind of satisfaction. Iโd rather see my cock rot off than give in to any physical desire for her.Such is the pull of her heat t
We drive up to a large building Iโve never seen before, not that Iโve had much time to explore the castleโs grounds, but youโd think a double-storey mansion would be more difficult to hide. The whole place is fenced in behind a row of trees, and female guards patrol the perimeter of the mansionโs grounds. โLots of security for a bunch of women and children,โ I say. โHm,โ Glenn grunts. โItโs a somewhat arcane set-upโฆbut back in the day, before we outlawed rape, widowed she-wolves needed protection from the young males. They have no mates, and they are not virgins anymore, so the unmated males used to see them as free game.โ โThat has changed, I trust?โ โOh yes. Decades ago when Kaneโs grandfather put a stop to it, but some of the old traditions and ways of life stuck. It helps, the routine and the laws, it keeps the order.โ โI know, Kane told me.โ No one tries to stop us as we get out of the car and walk up to the large front door. โThe she-wolf in charge is called Mistress Elsa. S
Dear readers, I would like to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read Willow and Kane's story. This has been one of the longest books I've ever written, and when I started out I did not expect it to turn into this epic saga, but I regret nothing. Nothing I tell you :). I fell in love with Willow and Kane, and I am genuinely sad to say goodbye to these two, but unfortunately all stories must come to an end. Thank you for your support througout this wild ride. It means the world to me. I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until we meet again. All my love, Celice
Kane Madden, Lycan King of Felan, wakes up to an unearthly racket right outside his bedroom door. Slightly concerned, he glances at his heavily pregnant wife and smiles despite his annoyance at his oldest sonโs shenanigans in the hallway. Willow Madden, his mate of fifteen years is heavily pregnant with their second set of twins, two boys this time, and Kane sincerely hopes this is the last time. Goddess knows he loves his children, all eight of them, and heโs sure heโll love numbers nine and ten just as much, but itโs getting difficult to keep up with all the pups. They are exhausting. For a time, he was sure that theyโd never have more children, but after one wild afternoon in the forest, Willow did get pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl, as their remarkable son predicted. She named the twins Josiah and Jocelyn, after the previous occupants of their home. Kane thought it was macabre, but Willow insisted, saying they had to honour their ancestors. That would be the same twins wh
Itโs a beautiful summerโs day, and the drive up to the cabin is pleasant enough. Kane and I have found a peaceful kind of comfort in each otherโs silence, and we rarely need to fill the quiet with inane background chatter. We are content, just being together. I inhale the lovely fresh air, remembering the first time I came here. The night Suri was born, the sheer exhilaration of feeling my wolf come to life...and that was all thanks to Agatha. Dear, sweet Agatha who never found a final resting place because we went to war and in the chaos, we forgot all about her. Our funeral home has since been bombed off the planet, and we just take care of our dead our own way as we'd done during the war. There arenโt that many of us left anyway. The few surviving wolves live here now, and those that refuse to come to safety are dying off โ Templars bearing a lingering grudge either murder them, or the wolves yield to their unrelenting urge to join a good war. Kane once told me that wolves had be
Kane's POV I wasnโt sure what would happen in the months and years that followed after we signed the peace treaty, so we went with the tried and tested 'go with the flow' method. For a time, everything went back to normal. Drake and Patrick ran the business, and more and more my little brother took over my duties in the company. Proof, Willow liked to remind me, that Omegas are just as competent as any other wolf. The overseas wolves went home, and as soon as they were sure the threat had really passed, the European wolves followed suit. The only ones that stayed were the humans. I claimed the human town as part of my territory during the peace talks, and the residents now affectionately call it Wolftonia. Leif left, taking his strange sister with him. Only later did we learn that Silkeโs time on earth was limited and that she had foreseen her own death long before she ever came here. Unbeknownst to all of us, including Willow, a vรถlvaโs dying energy projects outwards, and what we m
Adare runs around the garden with Roland. The two boys growl and stalk each other like prey. My motherly instinct is to jump up and stop them before one of them gets seriously hurt, but Rosie quickly grabs me and pulls me back to my chair. โNo Queen,โ she says. โThatโs how they learn. They wonโt hurt each other.โ โAre you sure?โ โIโve seen them play this game a hundred times. Iโm sure.โ Dammit. My throat burns and I have to fight against the tears. Iโm so happy that my son is home, but Iโve missed so much. He is the size of an average three-year-old and when I talk to him, I sometimes forget that heโs not even two yet. I choose not the think about it. I choose to focus on the here and now. My family is whole and complete and that's what matters โMama! Look!โ Adare squeals and tackles Roland to the ground. โGood job, buddy,โ Kane says behind me. I look over my shoulder at my mate. โYouโre back early.โ โYes. Peace talks broke down.โ โWhy?โ โClement wants my humans.โ โI thought
Kane rolls over to my side and pulls me into his embrace. I donโt even bother to open my eyes. Itโs been a wild few days. โOh Goddess, no,โ I complain. โHavenโt you had enough?โ He laughs breezily in my ear. โNeverโฆbut for now, yes.โ He flutters kisses over my jaw and neck. โHow do you feel?โ โLike I got run over by a penis-shaped bulldozer.โ โHey, you wanted it.โ I finally manage to drag my eyelids apart. โI did.โ I smile at my impressive mate. โThe first two days were great.โ โI know.โ He rolls away and swings his legs off the bed. โThe last day always feels more like a punishment than pleasure.โ I turn over onto my side and stare at his broad back, the strong muscles flexing under his skin. โNo regrets though, right?โ He looks over his shoulder at me. โNone.โ He gets up and stretches, scratching his ass as he walks to the bathroom. A minute later, I hear him open the tap. We donโt have electricity yet, but Iโm not so sure I miss it. Life is kind of peaceful without the cons
Kaneโs POV I sit on the couch in the dark living room, watching the glowing embers in the fireplace, trying to ignore the call of Willowโs heat and the fever that's trying to consume me. I'd go to her, but she's still asleep. tโs not time, she canโt feel it yet, but she will in another few hours. I should be sleeping, prepare myself properly this time, but I canโt switch my milling thoughts tumbling through my head off long enough so I can go to sleep. Iโve already sent orders out to bring the power stations back online and ordered our army to stand its ground. Thereโs nothing else to do now but wait for Clement to come back so we can finish up the peace agreement. In the absence of entertainment or imminent danger, the only thing I have to keep myself occupied is my own thoughts, and all I can think about is the possibility that Willow will get pregnant. Here, in the quiet of the night, all by myself, I have to admit the truth. I never want her to get pregnant again โ not becaus
Kaneโs POV For the next few hours, we talk about the meeting with Clement, the future, and a whole lot of nothing. Thereโs something comforting in it, just friends having a chat about life, love, and everything in between. I glance at my watch, surprised to see that it was well past midday. โThatโs it,โ I say and get up, stretching my too-tight muscles. โWeโre taking the week off. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of war to last me a lifetime.โ โShall I collect Adare?โ Zael asks on our way out. โNot yet. I donโtโฆWillow thinks heโll be safe here, but I want to make sure.โ โIf what she said about The Goddess is true, sheโs probably right. She hasnโt been wrong so far, has she?โ I scrunch up my face and rub my forehead. โI donโt know. I canโt think straight anymore.โ Zael nods. โI know the feeling.โ โDid you get any retaliation over the Raymond thing?โ โOf course I did.โ โAnd?โ โAnd nothing. I handled it...it won't come back to you.โ โDo you think this war is over?โ
Kane's POVIt had been weeks since we slept comfortably, and even though we both sort of hinted at passing the night making love, neither of us could actually gather the energy to do more than snuggle down in each otherโs arms.For the first time in weeks, perhaps months, I wake with a smile on my face, completely relaxed and almost happy. The only thing I need to complete my joy is my son, and he'll be here soon enough.I stretch languidly, and slip out from under Willow and go to the bathroom to get ready for my meeting with Clement. I hope against all hope that Willow misunderstood The Goddess and that there would be no human war. I hope, and I pray, that Clement would listen to my advice and stop it before it even starts.The castle is freezing, and Iโm shivering so much that I cut myself several times while I shave. Rattling like an excited dog, I run back to the bedroom, pull an extra blanket over Willow, then rush to the closet so I can dress in one of my suits and my long, thi