Everything Jess had just explained to Jonathan was not something he was ever expecting. He felt as though his mind was in a complete whirlpool and he couldn’t get it out. He sat on the couch with his face in his hands, trying to maintain himself. He felt a mixture of anger, hurt, betrayal. They were emotions that were mainly directed at his mother.He wanted to understand her point of things and why she kept these secrets for so long, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was almost like everything he thought he knew in life, everything he was a wolf, was a complete lie.Right down to his own father’s death.Jess revealed to him how they come from the same bloodline as Benjamin Davis. She didn’t want to tell him, and it was something she was hoping to keep from him his entire life. But Sabrebite was in danger and Jonathan needed to understand how bad things were looking.Now he understood and he couldn’t help but feel disgusted.“I was really young,” Jess told him, “when my m
Confessing everything to Jonathan was the hardest thing she’s ever had to do. The way he looked at her, as though she was a complete stranger, crushed her heart. She never wanted this for him, and she was hoping to keep this from him for a lifetime. But she knew it would have to be a subject at some point since giving Graham that cufflink.That was the biggest mistake of her life, but she did it to protect her son. She would do anything to protect her family; even if it meant putting the pack, and all other packs, in danger.Jess didn’t think Jonathan would ever forgive her again, and he might not. But right now, his main concern was protecting the packs from Graham. She was really proud of that mindset. He reminded her of Regan every day, and it made her miss him that much more.After telling Jonathan everything, they came up with the plan to summon Naomi, the Witch of Perception, during the red moon ceremony. This was something she’s never done before, and she wasn’t sure when the la
I was trying my best to register everything being said to me. But I was also feeling a bit delusional after everything I’ve been going through with this pregnancy. I was well enough to get out of bed and walk around, not that I should be, but I certainly wasn’t well enough for what was about to come.Jonathan was telling me that he was some descendent of Benjamin Davis, the Overseer. Graham apparently had some kind of cufflink that allowed him to see and hear everything at any given time in any pack. Which meant he was probably listening in to their conversation as they spoke. There was a way to diminish the powers of the cufflink, but they had to summon a witch for that to work.None of that made sense.The things they were saying were almost laughable.There was no way any of that could be true, but Ronnie and Jonathan looked so serious as they spoke to me. There were no traces of humor on either of their faces and Ronnie wasn’t good at lying. She always gave it away because she coul
The morning of the red moon ceremony, merchants were setting up their shops on the sides of the town’s streets. Jonathan could already smell the street foods cooking and preparing for a day of fun before the grand feast later that night.Chief Miller already had deputies patrolling the streets and making sure everyone was safe. Jonathan had guards and the army patrolling the woodland forest and making sure no wolves enter or leave during the night. He was planning on spending the ceremony also patrolling the woods and preparing himself for any type of battle that may break out.He no longer trusted Graham and feared that there was going to be a territory war starting soon. He just hoped that his mother would be able to summon Naomi in time and diminish the powers to the cufflink.Jonathan still wasn’t sure how he was feeling towards his mother; even a few days later, he was still feeling a bit hurt but at the same time he needed to focus his attention on protecting Sabrebite and keepin
I had never seen somebody so beautiful in my entire life. Her body was the shade of milk chocolate; her figure thin and wrapped in a dark beaded gown that went down around her feet. Her hair was thick, dark, and braided down her back, landing around her waistline. She had a face of a goddess; eyes of a deep emerald with speckles of gold, which brought out the warm coloring of her skin.“Naomi…” I breathed. “She’s real.”The countdown began as the red haze made its way across the moon. Jess stood outside her white chalk circle. In the center of her circle was the sage, the pink rose, and a chunk of Jonathan’s fur. I watched as she took a match and lit the center of the circle, igniting it into a large flame. Taking the book in her hands, she spoke the summoning spell in Latin; I couldn’t understand what she was saying but as soon as she began speaking, the light orange and yellow flames began turning pink and then purple.Ronnie and I stood back as Jess continued speaking, the flames gr
At first, I could hear the flow of the river down the creek, and then I could feel the coldness of the water droplets caressing my features. Cool air filled my lungs with the sweet sensation of breath; I could smell the spring flowers blooming from the valley nearby.I dug my fingers into the leafy green grass that surrounded me; the softness and plush tickled my body. As I opened my eyes, I realized I was at the woodland forest river. When I was able to turn into my wolf self, during my hunts, I would come to this river and sit. Pondering life and the mysteries the world brings.It’s been months since I been here; it felt like I was finally home.In the distance of the river, there was a hazy fog; it formed above the water. Through the fog, there was a figure that stood. It reminded me of Naomi when she came through the light during the summoning.As the figure came into view, I was taken back by the beauty that stood in front of me. She was a slender woman; she wore a white gown that
There was a ringing in Ronnie’s ears; the explosion happened so suddenly she could hardly grasp the concept of what just happened. She just remembered Arina falling to the ground, and she screamed out Arina’s name in horror as blood splattered across her face.The smoke was dark and thick, making it difficult see-through and breathe. Ronnie got a glimpse of Erick’s panicked expression as he searched through the cloud of smoke for her. She tried to call his name out, but more smoke made its way through her lungs, stopping her words and making her cough.Thankfully, he heard her coughing and his eyes found hers. They widened as she began falling to the ground herself. Before her body reached the ground, his arms were already around her in a protective hold. She had no idea how he was so calm and able to navigate so easily through the smoke, but he manages to pull her off to an area that was less intoxicated.The dirt around her was hinged from the explosion and she still heard a deep rin
Jess saw Jonathan in the distance when the explosion went off. It didn’t hit them, but it was close enough towards the town where it could have gotten the others. On the way through the woodland forest, Naomi had mentioned that there was going to be an explosion and that they needed to get down before they were hit. She said that it’ll clip Arina, Jess, and Erick but it won’t kill them.She sent out a warning to Erick, telling him that he needed to get the girls out of there as quickly as possible. It was their only chance of surviving. As for them, well, they needed to get to Jonathan before Graham got to him first.Jess could hear the gunshots coming from some of the surrounding towns and it worried her that they were going to march through Sabrebite with guns as well. In her wolf form, she could smell the outsiders approaching and they were arriving quickly.The woods were flooded with different wolves from Sabrebite; a lot of them were only there for hunting during the red moon cer