"So she had powers before her wolf woke up?" Elder Randall questions after Kas tells the Elders her story. He sounds suspicious of Kas's claims. "Randall, Kas is sitting right here. Please address her directly. She doesn't have a rank right now, but she is Blood River's future Luna Regent." I scold the old man. Randall gets a sour look on his face at being corrected and huffs at me. There are fifteen werewolves from around the world on the Elder Council, making up the international governing body for all werewolf kind. They are former Alphas and Alpha Regents who have been elected to their council positions after they turned their packs over to their successors. There are many who believe I will be elected to the Council one day. Only time will tell. The knowledge of the Elders is passed down from generation to generation. Each specializes in the history of their region. If anyone can give us answers about Kas, it will be them. We are in the third hour of this meeting and haven't g
"Let's break, gentlemen. Take the time you need for lunch, tea, follow up on pack business, whatever you need. We'll reconvene later this afternoon." Saint's growl reverberates through my voice as he fights for control. I don't wait for an answer. I bow and leave the room with Kas following close behind. "Bronx! What's the matter?" Kas calls after me. I can't stop. Saint is forcing his way to the surface. I can't risk hurting her or saying something I'd regret. She has been working so hard the past couple of weeks, meeting with the therapist, eating healthy foods so she can gain weight, and getting to know pack members. I can’t ruin that progress by losing my temper in front of her. Even with all the positive strides she made, she still has nightmares almost every night. She tosses and turns, talks and cries in her sleep, and wakes up screaming in cold sweats. I sleep on her sofa, so she won't be alone when she wakes up. It's my responsibility to keep her safe. I cradle her in my ar
Kas's POV Bronx looks like a swamp monster as he walks towards me with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. I stand up when I see him, putting my hands over my mouth with a little gasp. We make eye contact. With all the mud, I can't read his expression, but I can feel his pain. Not physical pain, emotional pain. "I need you." He growls as he walks past Milo and Lenora. He leans over, wraps his muddy arms around my waist, and picks me up. He doesn't even break his stride. He just keeps walking. There's a squishing sound where his skin contacts my clothes. Welp, I guess this outfit is done for. After listening to everything Milo and Lenora just told me, I had no idea what reaction to expect when Bronx got back, but it certainly wasn't being thrown over the shoulder of a swamp monster. "Uh, bye guys. Thanks for the talk." I wave at Milo and Lenora. They wave back with confused looks on their faces. "Want to tell me what's going on, Bronx?" I ask as he climbs the stairs. He just
When I come out of the bathroom, Bronx is sitting at the breakfast bar waiting for me. He's back to his stoic composed self, looking handsome in a tailored blue suit with an eye patch to match and a crisp, white shirt unbuttoned at the top. I sit next to him and place my hand on his arm. “Bronx, if being trained by witches is the only way to help me, then that is what I need to do. We have to accept that. Elder Henri is right. I don't want to hurt anyone because I don't know what I'm doing or can't control my abilities. I understand your concerns about witches being here, so I think it would be best for me to go to them, if they agree to it. That way they don't have to come here and you don't have to worry about the pack. We just need to come to an agreement with them on what the terms are for me being there.” He rubs his hands on his face and sighs thinking about it. "Alright, Kas, but it would mean we would have to be apart for a while. Henri's pack is too far away for you to come
“Well, you're going to get to go to France. That's so exciting!" I say as cheerfully as I can once we're alone. Kas smiles at me but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure I will be more excited as the date gets closer. Right now, it makes me nervous and sad, I guess.” “Kas, I know it is kind of weird timing, but what do you think about moving into my apartment instead of staying in the suite? I mean, if you want to stay in the suite that's fine too. I just thought, you know, maybe you would be more comfortable... here?” I rub the back of my neck as she looks at me, contemplating my request. “Sooo... we would sleep in the same bed? You wouldn't sleep on the sofa anymore like you do in my suite?" She asks tentatively. "She's gonna say no! You fucked up, dummy!" Saint howls. “Shut up, Saint!” “Whatever makes you comfortable, Baby. If you want me to sleep in the bed, I promise I won't try anything. I want everything to be at your pace. If you want me to sleep on the sofa, I c
Bronx's POV I wake up in the morning to find Kas and my bodies are completely intertwined. She didn't wake up once all night. No crying, no nightmares, or screaming. Just peaceful sleep. I nuzzle her sparkly silver hair, breathing in her scent feeling completely content. Feeling her all over me, combined with her scent and our mate bond, I start to get aroused. Saint howls with excitement. "Okay, wake her up so we can mate already!" "Stop it, Saint." "Can we at least mark her?" "Saint, I said knock it off." "Prude." Just then, Kas rolls away from me with a sleepy little groan as she rubs her eyes and opens them. "It's morning already?" "Yeah, Baby. You slept all night! How do you feel?" I sit up and realize her legs are still draped over mine. "Really good!" She sits up and stretches. I see the top buttons of her shirt have come undone. I turn my head with a gulp. My movement makes her look down and gasp. Seeing she's almost exposed, she instinctively turns toward me for pro
“Welcome Luna Iokaste, welcome gentlemen. I'm Lady Camille, mother of this coven." An older woman standing in the middle of the entryway welcomes us. "Luna Iokaste, you are correct. You will not be able to feel your bond with your mate while you are in our realm unless he is here with you. Never fear, we have spells that will help you overcome this feeling so you can concentrate on your studies and training. We will show you to your rooms in a few minutes, but first we need to go over some rules.” Marco pats my hand. "Give it a chance, Luna. If it's too much of a problem, I'll call the Alpha.” Lady Camille begins as if she didn't hear what Marco just said. "Now, the first thing to know is you will not be able to speak about the things we do here. Our land has an enchantment that will prevent you from being able to do so. “The second thing is that your weapons and cell phones will not work here, gentlemen. You're welcome to escort Luna Iokaste anywhere you want, but I assure you, the
The first few days, I let myself wallow in my own misery, moping around the apartment. I don't even shower. I spend a lot of time on the balcony, letting cigarette butts pile up in the ashtray. When I can't stand the silence anymore, I throw myself into work. I get to the office by seven in the morning and leave after eleven at night every day. After three days, I realize Carly is working the same hours to try to keep up and looks exhausted. I let her know she doesn't need to stay the long hours I do, she can work her regular hours. She seems relieved and grateful. Milo and Lenora distract me over the weekend with movies and shopping. I don't need anything for myself, but I picked up some kitchen gadgets for Kas as winter solstice gifts. On day eleven, I woke up ready to train. Saint has the itch to spar, which is bad news for my sparring partners. I get to the training grounds and let the trainers know to queue warriors up so I can burn some energy. They already know what to do whe