As we drive through the woods, entering the clearing to our pack land, the sun is beginning to descend, casting bright hues to stain the horizon. We have been driving for hours, only making a pit stop here and there to get food or take a toilet break. Glimpsing in the rearview mirror, I cast a quick peek at Luna before I return my gaze to the front. She looks so peaceful, and angelic looking as she continues to sleep. The gentle cadence of her breath, punctuated by the occasional murmur, spurs me on to remain vigilant - to get her as far away from her mother as quickly as I can. She may not see it; I know Saffron sure as hell doesn’t, but she is our future. She is going to save our pack, and together we will break the curse bestowed upon us all. Just by Luna coming here of her own will, shows me that she is nothing like her evil mother. She has sacrificed everything to save our pack line, knowing that she will forever belong to us and that the life she once had, no longer
I jump out of the Ute, the door slamming shut behind me with a resounding thud. My fingers drum irritably against the bottom of my packet of cigarettes, a familiar ritual that always calms my nerves. And right now, my nerves feel like they are shot with restlessness.I whack the bottom of my packet against the palm of my hand while I look out into the crowd that continues to form around Blaze. He's taken it upon himself to courageously explain everything that has taken place in our absence.Like, the death of our Alpha.The finding of our mate, with the shocking discovery that she is our enemy and somehow, destined to be our saving grace. All rolled up into one curvacious being with a sharp tongue that stings like a silver whip, laced with spikes and wolfsbane. Not to mention that our mate's mother was the witch that damned us all to hell. How we fought spellbound wolves and still have one gagged and tied up in the cargo of the Ute for Lily to punish herself. Oh, and not forg
“Careful, darling,” Saffron hisses, gripping the roof of the Ute above my head. “I just might let you.”Licking my lips, I reel in my escaping breath as every fibre in my body hums.What the fuck was that?I have never felt pleasure that intensely before.As much as my mind wishes to royally screw Saffron over, my body craves to jump him and allow him to do whatever he pleases with me. Sexually.This is insane. I’ve known him for less than twenty-four hours, and I feel this magnetic pull towards him that has my heart racing fiercely in my ear canals.This pull toward him is a desperate need I can’t seem to control. It’s overwhelming, making me crave his touch.Straightening my spine, I press my forehead against his. “What was that?” I ask breathlessly, hating how close he is to me—reminding me of the pleasure that was currently surging through me.One corner of his mouth curls upward. “You like pain, darling, and I have a feeling that you and I are going to get along very well. I now
I do my best to keep my feet rooted in the ground. The expression on Lunas’ face is making my wolf inflamed. He is clawing at my chest, and I have to grit my teeth to hold him back. Because the moment I set him free. There is no telling what he may do to Lily. “Lily…” I snarl with a homicidal expression. “You have less than thirty seconds to remove yourself from our mate before we release our wolf onto you,” I warn her in a strained tone, feeling my veins pulse beneath the layers of skin on my body. “One more second, Blaze. I promise.” She whimpers. I know she can see everything that transpired at the hospital through Lunas' eyes, and part of me hopes she finds some solace through Lunas’ vision. “Please…” Luna sobs in a hushed tone that is filled with agony. “It hurts…” “Lily! Release her. Now!” I use my alpha voice, as I can feel the last ounce of control I have slipping through my fingers. A loud howl disperses across the clearing as it travels with the wind. Saffron has s
ONE WEEK EARLIER:As the dead leaves billow around my paws, they caress me with affection while I stand tall at the edge of the cliff with my head tipped back. Mist blankets the horizon like smoke contaminating the climate. This place right here, on the edge of the cliff that looks down at the river is my safe haven. A secret place I come to when I need to escape the pack; when things become too unbearable to face head-on.For some unknown reason, I feel a connection to the Earth. But as I continue to gaze up at the moon, I cannot ignore the surge of heat that thrums through my veins and weaves through the dark fur across my spine.But that sensation quickly vanishes, just as promptly as it appeared when the sound of Lily screaming tears through the still night. It threatens to burst every blood vessel in the branches of my pounding heart.I wish I could take your pain away, my dear strong sister…Her torment and agony are undeniable as it travels with the wind, and it takes everyt
Present Day:It’s no secret that working during the blood moon sucks for us that are stuck working the graveyard shift at the hospital tonight. I have seen everything from shifters coming in with fierce wounds that are unexplainable, to psychotic outbursts, then within hours, they are walking out of here as if nothing has happened.But… this time two years ago, a male in his early thirties was rushed through the emergency doors riddled with bullets, and he’s been back every year since.He’s currently lying on my operating table as we speak, but this time something is different because he’s not conscious, which is highly unusual. If this were a hospital for non-shifters, it would be expected, but I don’t work in a regular hospital for humans. I work in one out of six shifter hospitals within the country, and my patient lying on my operating table unconscious has me feeling a little nervous.It’s just after midnight, the moon is shining stunningly brightly outside and for some unknown
I lean against the wall in the waiting room as there are no seats available. It looks like things are about to get chaotic around here as the human nurses run from one end of the hospital to the other looking like headless chickens.I find it odd that there isn't a shifter healer in sight in a shifter’s hospital. Personally, I don't see how the human race can attend to our unique needs if they can barely understand our genetics. 24hrs. Saffron and I have been in this town for 24hrs and my willpower to stay away crumbled like a freshly baked cookie.What brought me here was the sweet aroma of vanilla, no matter how hard I tried to stay away, I couldn’t and my wolf will not allow me to leave until I figure out what is keeping me here.Even though, time is of the essence; with every passing minute, my pack is closer to dying. My body refuses to listen to my mind, and my feet feel like they are rooted to the spot.Saffron and I must locate this witch and convince her to lift the curse,
My vision slightly starts to blur as the words: “Fair, Selene, Goddess of the moon, love, and light. I beg you to suppress the magical powers of my precious child, Luna, under this moonlit night. She is Moon kissed and shall receive her powers when her true lovers awaken her from within. Under your moonlit heavens, so it shall be!” chant in my head over and over, drowning out my surroundings.“I… I need to use the bathroom,” I mutter as I tear my mask and gown off, feeling like I'm internally suffocating, and I rush out of the room.Something’s wrong.I don’t feel right; normal.I rush through the busy corridor to the bank of elevators, tearing my key card off my blouse and pressing it against the metal-encased scanner. The elevator doors slide open almost immediately and I quickly step inside, pressing my key card against the metal-encased scanner inside the elevator car.The moment the doors close, I press the top floor button, and drop to my knees, rubbing my hands up and down my a