LandonBlood lingers heavily in the air as I walk down the long hallway of the small prison to where the captive is being held in the cell. I told Rush to stay with Mazy,One to comfort her and, Two, Iโm certain he would kill this guy for touching his mate before we get any answers from him.As I approach the door, I can already hear Elion using our captive as a punching bag. I watch from the small window in the door before entering, itโs true what they say about your firsts, you always remember them.I remember the first time I hunted with my father, the first time I rode a horse, the first time switching on the light, using the telephone and the first time touching a womanโฆ. It also means I remember the first time I tortured a man, the first time I killed, the first battle, the first loss.Iโm 452 years old and still, I remember all the firsts like they were yesterday, the scenery may have changed, but itโs all the same, torture and killing is never easy when one has a conscience li
Elion Weโve been travelling to Hollow Mountain for several hours. The witch says we canโt travel by magic, we must go on foot. I would much rather shift and go as my wolf, but Iโm not allowed to do that either. โSo why Danni? Why an Elephant?โ Landon breaks the silent, monotonous trek with his curiosity. โIโve been wandering around the pack searching for my mate. I figured maybe an Elephant.โ I shrug. โAnd how did it go?โ โWell Danniโs quite feisty and super intelligent but the vibe wasnโt right.โ โThe vibe?โ โYeah, you know the mate vibey thing.โ Sally chuckles to herself, ignoring her I continue โAnyway, I saw a couple of beautiful hyenas the other day but all they did was laugh at me. At first, I just thought well itโs a hyena thing, but it turns out they were truly laughing at me.โ โHyenas are a better option than Elephants thatโs for sure. But arenโt exactly K9 related, they usually stick with their kind.โ I nod, โYeah, I found that out real quick.โ Iโm not going into th
Mazelina Pacing, pacing more freaking pacing.โPlease Mazy for the love of Goddess please sit down!โ Alice shouts making me jump.โSorry. Itโs just this waiting.โโI know, Iโm sorry I shouted. I canโt stand it either.โ Alice stands and paces, โShit now Iโm doing it.โ She flops down onto the couch next to me.โWhy are they taking so long? Canโt Sally just twinkle her nose and poof, they appear?โโOh, please stop this poor girl from watching terrible television.โA young-looking woman with beautiful dark golden-brown skin, brown eyes, and wild curly dark hair.โSally Myers,โ I murmur. I recall the images of her in Landonโs mind.โI do wish a twitch of my nose could teleport me, but I donโt have that ability.โ She winks at me.Elion and Landon both walk in with Charlotte happily skipping between them, holding both of their hands.โMOMMY!โ She squeals running towards me. I open my arms as she jumps holding her close to my chest, โLotty! Iโve missed you so much.โ I bury my nose in her ne
LandonJeremy looks so peaceful even while awake, itโs times like these that I miss my father, the man he used to be. Now heโs dead. Reconciliation was never meant to be. All I can do is keep looking to the future, a future of whether Stella will be in it with us.I donโt understand her hot and cold tendencies, her jealousy, her lack of nurturing our son. All of this is baffling to me, in all my years Iโve seen mates come together with an instant connection, the unconditional love for each other and their pack.Never have I seen something so unusual as our pairing. Did the Moon Goddess get it wrong? Has she ever got it wrong? Was I wrong? I could beโฆ. Maybe I thought I felt those powerful emotions, that overwhelming connection to Stella and thought it meant she was my mate given by the Moon Goddess.I scrub my face with my hands, fucked if I know anymore.Mazy and Rush make it look easy. Alice and Blaze make it look even easier. Aries and Daisy had their share of heartache, but even n
Mazelina Surprisingly dinner went well, with little to no arguing. Amelda was very quiet, taking us all in, which was unnerving in itself. Iโm wondering if a bit of Landonโs paranoia is rubbing off on me. I know somethingโs a little off with her, but since sitting down together for tea earlier todayโฆโWhatโs got you thinking so hard?โ Rush whispers against my ear.I grin and look up at him through my lashes, โIโm thinking about how we are going to get Lotty to sleep in her bed tonight.โโYou donโt have to worry about that. Sheโs sleeping with her cousins this evening.โ He winks, smug bastard.โShall we move to the sitting room and have a drink? Daisy and I have something we would like to share with you all.โ Aries announces.We all exit the dining room and enter the sitting room; the kids are already upstairs with Akers and a couple of other guards monitoring them.โYou know, donโt you?โ Rush whispers as he takes my hand and places it on his arm, leading the way.โI donโt know what y
ElionSix hours later and Sally enters my room with the potion.โHere you go little one.โ She winks, handing me a small glass. I pull the glass up to eye level and stare at it. โDonโt worry, itโs not going to kill you. Itโll just stop the potion Lydia made for Amelda.โโI guess I have nothing to lose. Down the hatch.โ I say raising the glass and taking it in one shot, surprisingly it doesnโt taste like anything.โDo we know how she came to make such a potion, to lead Elion to believe he found his mate?โ Rush asks.Sally shifts uncomfortably, โI have an idea but itโs not good.โโNone of this shit is good,โ I tell her, sitting on the couch in my room. Rush sits in the single chair, but Sally paces her brows furrowed in concentration.โI believe the scent marker she used for this potion is your mate.โ I jump up. โWhat do you mean?โShe sighs heavily. โMany, many years ago, we used to cast spells to find oneโs mate. It was in a time where some of your fellow brethren were becoming extin
MazelinaโMazy.โ someone whispers. โMazy.โ I groan and roll over. โPlease let me sleep.โ My head is pounding. I didnโt think I had that much to drink last night, but it seems I was really on one.โMazy wake-up, weโre in danger!โ I sit up and groan again, holding my head, โSamara? Where have you been?โ โWeโre in great danger, Mazelina. You need to gather yourself.โ โFor what?โ โWell, hello, Mrs Winslow.โ A tall pale man with hair so dark it almost blends into the darkness itself surrounding him. If it wasnโt for the little piece of hair that has fallen across his face, I would have said heโs bald.โWhereโs Stella and Aries?โโStella is safe and unharmed.โ He grins down at me. โItโs been quite the task, capturing you.โโYou should have given up. My people will come for me.โHe shrugs. โYour people are nothing to me.โ He eyes me thoughtfully and moves closer. โIs Samara in there?โ he taps my head. I shy away from him, but he grabs my chin and makes me face him. โIโd like an answer,
RushWeโve been working on Amelda for six hours, but sheโs not given an inch. She wants Samara to meet her untimely end and doesnโt give two shits about Mazy.โItโs no use unless we had the dagger; nothing we do will be of any good.โ Landon grabs at his hair, angry at himself for not going to the coffee date with Stella. He believes if he was there that this wouldnโt have happened.I donโt think it matters whether or not he was there. Eventually, Fenrir would have made his move one way or another.Butโฆ โI think youโre right. Ameldaโs far too stubborn to give in.โโAmelda has been through far worse torture than this.โ He scoffs, โStill. I canโt bring myself to be so brutal to a woman, let alone her.โ โHopefully, Sally will come up with something useful.โโSir?โ I glance behind me to find Bobby, one of my pack members. โYou have visitors.โI growl, โNow is not the time.โHe clears his throat. โI think you might want to see these visitors for yourself.โโIโll come with you.โ Landon get
Four months later Landon Nobody knows the sorrow I have for Estelle. Not because I still love her; strangely, I donโt love her at all. I donโt even hate her. Instead, I feel sorrow for my son, who will never know his mother; however, despised she was, Estelle was still Jeremyโs mother. I watch him sleep soundly in his big boy bed. Itโll be our last night at our home. I quietly exit his bedroom and slowly close the door so as not to disturb him. โAre you ready?โ Flora asks; this woman has been a blessing. โYes. Jeremy is sound asleep; I have everything packed and ready to go.โ โGood. Let me know if you need anything. Iโm on call.โ She taps her head and walks to my front door. โThanks again, Flora.โ She takes my hands in hers. โEva was my only comfort in that horrible place. I will do anything, absolutely anything, to get her back.โ She grins broadly, โSheโs gonna love you.โ โFlora, letโs go already.โ Elion gripes. I wave goodbye to them both. I chuckle to myself, remembering E
Rush Everyone is cheering. Mazelina did it; she defeated the bitch. I look down at our daughter. โItโs okay, baby girl. Mommy won.โ Charlotte shakes her head and points up at the sky, โMommy is falling.โ I look up and see Maze is shifting into human form and falling fast. โCatch her!โ I command the dragonโs; the order is unnecessary as theyโre already flying to grab her. One dragon, Brenton, catches her. He swiftly shifts as he lands, holding Maze in his human arms. โThank you, Brenton,โ I tell him as Alice takes Charlotte from me, taking her to Akers with the other children. Fenrir is already on the ground, his brothers and sister holding him down while Landon guards them with a few other guards, keeping Fenrirโs Coven from taking him. Brenton lays Maze slowly, carefully to the ground. Samara comes to our side. โI donโt understand. This should not be happening; the balance is restored.โ โShe took a dagger to the heart, Samara. Weโre not all completely immortal.โ I tell her as I
MazelinaSomething hits me hard. Howls, snarls, and screaming are all drowned out by a powerful explosion. My vision turns a blinding white and then dulls slowly until my eyesight goes black. The constant ringing in my ears is what pulls me back; I canโt hear anything else. My heart is racing, and yet my breathing is calm. I open my eyes slowly and see stars; no, not stars, itโs like little white spots. I must have hit my head pretty hard.I realize I am on my back and see the starry dark sky as the white spots slowly disappear. โWhat the hell was that?โ I touch my head; under my fingers, I feel a large lump growing smaller and smaller. Soon it will be gone. I turn my head and see Samara staring back at me, our fingers almost touching. โSamara?โ I call for her inside my head.Tears run down my cheeks; Iโm so used to hearing her. Please talk to me, Samara. She doesnโt answer. I stare at her glassy eyes. No! She canโt be gone; this was supposed to work. Samaraโs eyes blink at me, and sh
MazelinaโHeโs close.โ I tell Samara, but before she can answer, we see the new addition to the room. A table, not like the pretty dais Samaraโs body is currently laying on, except this one has straps. โWe arenโt going to make it. I canโt shift.โ โIโm sorry, Mazelina. All of this is my fault.โ Samara cries.โWe will not cry, Sam. We will be strong till the end.โ I feel a little bit stronger and decide Iโm not going down without a fight. I struggle out of both of the Vampireโs arms.Vamp Oneโs head slams against the stone wall with a loud crack, his face frozen in a permanent grimace. Vamp Two tackles me to the ground.โSheโs going to shift!โ he screams out. Another pair of arms hold me as they pick me up. Geri grins at me, his fangs out, ready to bite me.โDo it. Iโm sure your brother would love you to bite me.โ I sneer.โBe careful what you wish for, little wolf.โ His grip loosens, and I knee him in the balls. His breath whooshes in my face, but he doesnโt let me go, โDirty trick.
RushChaos, itโs all fucking chaos.Sally and I are blocked from the stairs once again. Sally pulls me along to look for another route only to come against more men and women of the Coven.Everyone is fighting, and Iโve snapped more necks than I care to count. I just want to get to Mazy.โWeโre surrounded,โ Sally yells: we move back-to-back, waiting for one of them to attack.โTake it easy. Wait.โ I tell Sally we need to wait; Blaze and his people are coming. โWait for it.โ I change my stance, ready to strike when out of nowhere vampires jump from the windows above, something dark flies in front of me, โBlaze!โI watch the Vampire grin with satisfaction, holding Blazeโs heart in his hands before crushing it. Rage so hot bursts through my veins, I donโt know how I got in front of the vampire so quickly, but one minute heโs six feet in front of me and the next I have his own heart in my hands, his eyes widen as he stares at his own heart before his body slowly turns to ash.Sally is sit
RushโEveryoneโs in position,โ Elion tells me via mind link.โTheyโre taking her to Samaraโs body. Mazyโs body is weak from the potions. She cannot shift.โโWhereโs our bloody Moon Goddess?โ Elion growls.โWe have never relied on her before. We canโt start now. As soon as Loki gives the signal, we pounce.โโAye, aye, Captain.โAlways and forever the smartass. I have Landon and Elion at two different entry points. Skoll and I are at the other two. I can feel my packโs energy rise, making my hackles stand on end. I glance up at the full moon.โI donโt know where you are, Moon Goddess. We need you.โ I pray at the Moon.โI hope she heard you,โ Bain growls: he has been even more restless than I have, eager to bring our mate home to our baby girl.โWe canโt lose faith now, Bain.โI glance around at our pack; some have shifted into their animals; others are still in human form. Those still humans have powers they cannot summon when changed into their animal. Fenrir and his Coven have no i
MazelinaSamara is quiet again. Fenrir remains unconvinced and started ranting for hours about bringing her back. He kept going back to her body and shouting at her as if she were alive. It took him a while to realise that Samara had stopped communicating with him. That sent him off the edge again.Fenrir went into a rage, pounding at the walls, screaming things in a language I donโt understand until finally, he dragged me back to my room.Itโs been hours since I saw him, or anyone for that matter. But now thereโs a flurry of movement outside my door and noise outside my window.โRush,โ I whisper into the darkness.The cell door swings open, and two vampires rush at me, โCome on.โ Vamp One grunts as I struggle to get my arms free. I will not go willingly.โYou will have to kill me before I let you drag me back down there.โVamp Two chuckles and tightens his hold on me. โI could arrange that.โโNo. You will not harm this woman.โ Fenrir commands, making all of us freeze in our place.โY
Rush โWe have the numbers. We will get her back.โ Landon reminds me again. He and Elion have been taking turns making sure that Lotty and I are alright and reminding us that Mazelina is okay, and we will get her back. But Iโm struggling. Itโs been a week, and every day Lotty is crying because she canโt talk to her Mommy. For the first time in my life, Iโm scared. Iโm afraid to lose my mate, and Iโm fearful for my daughter and what will happen to her; if one of us dies, the other will follow. I watched it happen to my mother right before my eyes. I donโt want this for Lotty. โStop doing that. Lotty will have both of her parents.โ Elion claps me on the back. โYou remember when I had to kill my father, and my mother immediately died after,โ I tell him. He nods solemnly. โI know, brother, but itโs not going to be like that for you and Mazelina.โ โNo?โ I look out over our pack. We selected the perfect spot to rest for the night, tomorrow will be the battle, and all I can hope is that
Fenrir The girl is infuriating. I know sheโs lying to me. Samara is telling her so much more than sheโs letting on. But I have another card up my sleeve, one that will even shock Samara. They will both see how deadly serious I am about bringing my beloved back to me. After three flights down to the underground, we come to the most secure part of our home. There are no guards down here. It is that secure. Only two people in this world will know what is beyond this door, me and now Mazelina. I enter the encrypted code, the retina scan slides out and scans my eyes, next is a pinch of my blood, another code, and the door unlocks. The entire castle could blow to smithereens, but, this room is impenetrable. It could outlive me if I werenโt immortal. Mazelina shivers behind me, โMy apologies, I sometimes forget how cold it is down here.โ I take my coat and drape it around her shoulders. She smiles appreciatively, likely thinking that Iโm kind. She is only but the vessel of my beloved. I