Kaneโs POV We fall backward on the rug, Willow opening her legs and wrapping her feet around my waist, pulling me closer to her. Goddess, what I wouldn't do to get lost in her, forget about everything and everyone for just a few minutes. I want her back, want her to break through the wall and drag me out of the darkness. Moaning softly, I nestle between her legs, pushing the painful erection tightly against her, feeling my resolve to stay emotionless slip away when her hands curl around my ass and she starts to urge me on. Dario comes panting to the surface. Thereโs little of the intelligent creature I know and love present tonight. Heโs more animal and desperate instinct than anything else. โOur mate,โ he growls. โI'll fix it.โ Heโs been desperate to break the wall, aching to feel the full strength of our bond with Willow. As always, heโs hurting so much worse than I am. โBack off, buddy,โ I say, trying my best to be gentle with him. โYouโll scare her.โ But thereโs no holding him
Kane's POV Four hours later, I sneak through the quiet castle, ignoring the few Omegas that are still awake and going about their work. Theyโre not used to seeing my wolf in the castle, and most of them cower away in fear. The guards, on the other hand, give me curious looks, following me with their eyes. I have no idea what Dario did or where he went, but I woke up right on the boundary of the witchesโ forest, naked and freezing cold. I did a quick self-check to reassure myself that I didnโt kill someone or inadvertently hurt myself. I am hungry and thirsty, so at least I havenโt eaten some poor, helpless witch child. Without any interference from Dario this time, I shifted back to wolf form and ran home. He must have really pushed himself to the brink because everything hurt. Within seconds of starting the run home, my lungs burned and every muscle screamed at me to stop, but the worst was my paws. Theyโre ragged and raw and each step sent sparks of pain up my legs. I forced myse
When I saw the dead witches, my first instinct was to call out to Kane, but I realised my mistake a few minutes later when I felt the presence of the Templars hiding everywhere in the village. I walked right into their trap. My instincts didn't warn me, but I'm not too surprised. Templars know how to block witches' abilities. I look around me, then straight up to where a Templar is hiding in a tree. โItโs against the law to kill witches.โ Modern Templars wear black uniforms with white Templar crosses on their left sleeve. Like the Templars of old, women aren't allowed to join their order. Some will get the cross tattooed on their chest, believing it will protect them against supernatural forces. Theyโre wrong. The government funds them, but witches are off-limits because most of the people in power only made their way to the top thanks to our magic. I cast the power and influence spell that put the current prime minister in his seat. โBut we are allowed to kill witches that work w
Trust my father to ruin my life, even from beyond the grave. โFine,โ I say. โYouโve got me. Go ahead and kill me. I hope you have silver bullets in those rifles because I have no desire to suffer.โ โKill you? Oh no, no, no, you are of no use to us if youโre dead. I told you already, Miss Jones, we have orders to bring you in alive.โ Oh lovely. Here we go again. Back to dungeons and endless torture, I suppose. โTo Rome?โ โYes. The Pope desires an audience.โ I snort loudly and fold my legs under me, sitting hip-deep in someoneโs blood and not caring. โWhy?โ Lester crouches next to me. โI donโt know why, Miss Jones. Iโm just a soldier. As youโve said, the kings donโt reveal their plans to the peasants.โ โYou are hardly a peasant.โ Lester chuckles but doesnโt comment. โBind her with silver.โ Oh great. Just what I need. My only fear now is that Kane will feel my terror and pain โ he canโt think rationally when that happens. I try to remember how the witches blocked our bond when the
Kaneโs POV For several moments, I stand rooted to the spot, trying to connect with Willow again, but sheโs blocking me. With a roar, I unstick myself and tear through the apartment to the bedroom, pulling on a pair of shorts and nothing else. I wouldnโt bother with clothes at all, but the castle is teeming with the visiting Alphas and their families, and if Willow survives whatever is happening to her, sheโll have my head on a spike for running around naked in front of strangers' pups. Her guards arenโt at the door, which means they went with her, but it's a hollow comfort, because at best it means they're dead, at worst it means they left her alone and vulnerable, in which case their oaths will kill them. Several Alphas stop as I dash past them, trying to ask me what's going on, and when I don't answer, most of them turn around to follow me outside. They don't need to talk to me to know something is seriously wrong, it's written all over my face. I find Glenn on the steps leading
Kane's POV On my way to the forest, I stop feeling Willow. Itโs as if someone flipped a switch. One moment, I can still feel all her sorrow and regret, and the nextโฆnothing. If the Templars were hoping this would make me back off, they are sorely mistaken. It has the opposite effect on me. I rip my shorts off and shift, increasing my speed. Iโm aware that several more Alphas have joined us and are charging after Jackson and me, determined to help or prove their worth to me โ whichever one of the two it is doesnโt matter, they can fight and thatโs all I care about. I find Willowโs guards, Mario and Arlene, pacing up and down right outside the boundary. They canโt enter and theyโre frantic. I see red, and go straight for them, throwing Mario on his back and clamping my mouth around his exposed neck. The guard lets out a frightened yelp and desperately tries to push me off him, but his efforts are in vain. He needs to die. He should be with her or dead, not out here safe and sound whi
We are on the road for what feels like hours. At first, weโre thrown around the trailer like ragdolls as we travel over rough terrain, and all I can do is hold on to Adare to make sure he doesnโt get hurt. By the time the bumpy ride smooths out and we enter the human territory, I'm covered in bruises, and every bit of me aches. Itโs almost nighttime by the time we finally come to a stop on a seemingly deserted stretch of road. I desperately need to pee, and Adareโs nappy is soaked through. The doors to the truck fly open, and Lester holds out a hand to help us down. Iโd kick him in the face, but Iโm afraid that Iโll lose control of my bladder if I do. โAdare needs a clean nappy,โ I say. โAnd we need the toilet.โ The Chaplain nods and waves someone over. My heart sinks when I see who it is. Claire, the woman who pretended to be one of my guards. โI knew she was off,โ Tully says softly. โHm-hm.โ โLeave the child,โ Lester says. โIโll change him and make sure heโs comfortable.โ Every i
Kane's POV We followed the Templarsโ trail all the way to Drummondโs territory. The Alpha was already waiting for us at the border, wringing his hands and looking terrified. โThey came this way,โ he said and took us to an unused dirt road. โI swear, King, if I had known they were here--โ โYouโd be dead.โ โWhat are they planning? A war?โ โYes,โ I said. โI had a premonition some weeks agoโฆI just didnโt think it would happen so soon. I thought weโd have a few years at least.โ โWhy? Why did you think we had time?โ Drummond asked. โBecause the last time an Ultima was born, the war didnโt start until fifteen years later. It's happening too fast, he's not even grown yet.โ โWhen did you plan on telling us this?โ Drummond was clearly upset at the news, and offended because I didn't tell him sooner. โTomorrow, after my fatherโs judgment.โ โNow what?โ โI donโt know. We canโt attack them on their territory.โ โWhy not?โ one of the other Alphas asked. โThey attacked us. Came to our home,
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