She was falling…
She was floating…
A downward spiral into the open grave…
Midway down, Rachel was overtaken by a sense of hesitant peace. The fall down was not what she expected. She’d envisioned herself making a swift fall and an even more swift connection with the cold, hard earth waiting for her below.
Instead she found herself floating gently, with no fear, no trepidation and absolutely no horror to speak of.
Some dark spirit had pushed her into an open grave. Was this how it would end for her? With no one around her to say a final goodbye? No Mom, no Becca, no Buck and no Galen? Her heart wrenched at the thought of her loved ones, left behind once the spirit killed her. Would she not even hold Galen one last time?
Rachel closed her eyes and fell deeper into the waiting abyss…
When she opened her eyes, she found herself laying flat on her back, on a marble floor, in a cold empty room. She sat up, stretching and trying
Black widow… Rachel braced herself against the accusing tone in the spirit’s voice as she pulled her gaze away from Galen’s animated corpse. This was a trick, nothing more, designed to throw her off guard. “I know none of this is real,” Rachel said, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible. “I grow tired of your games.” Her words were met with a bitter peal of laughter as the doll looked at Galen and reached out its fingerless, stitched hand, to smear the bloody tears across his face. “Perhaps,” it answered, “or maybe a foretaste of what’s to come. Watching your life fall apart is almost more pleasurable than killing the wolf.” Enraged, Rachel reached out to grab it, but it was lightening fast. It was out of her reach in a split second. “Twisted bitch! What do you want from us?” Rachel spun around at the sound of its almost maniacal laughter. It was sitting in the front pew, intently gazing at her. When its laughter final
Their voices, sounding slightly disorientated, came through to her as if from the depths of a cold fog, sweeping some desolate countryside. Odd, but comforting. “Fucking hell, how did this happen? And why isn’t she waking up?”Galen …“I had no idea leaving her there would lead to this.”Becca…“The spirit wanted her life. It wanted my baby’s life…”Her mother…Rachel wanted to open her eyes, wanted to see them, but her eyelids felt heavy, as if opening them would be the most monumental of achievements. What happened? Why was she feeling so powerless?Slowly, her fragmented memories became whole while listening to them. The dark spirit attacked her, trapped her in some vile illusion, using her father’s memory as a weapon to attack her and make her lose her mind. She heard the heaviness of her breathing, felt the heightened racing of her heart as she recalled every moment of its demented plan. What did it want? Why torment her in this way?“How did you know Liz?” Galen asked, the angu
Waking up, Rachel smiled contentedly, knowing she was in her own bed. She rubbed her eyes and stretched , trying to remember the dream she had. Why did it seem so fuzzy? She recalled falling asleep while everyone was in the room, and then she remembered speaking to someone in her dream, but for the life of her, she couldn’t think who it could be. Turning, she found Galen asleep beside her. His chest rose with each breath and she gently placed her hand over his heart, his closeness giving her comfort. His eyes opened and when he saw her, he pulled her into a tender embrace, kissing her and holding her close to him. She rested her head on his bare chest, the sound of his heartbeat in her ear. Was this man, this wonderful man, really the target of a dark faction, all because of her? How could anyone even dream of hurting him? “You scared me,” he whispered into the darkness. “I would not make it in this world without you. Do you know that?” She inhaled his scent, and held him tigh
It was raining, when Galen arrived at the Bruce Compound, the following morning. He zipped up his jacket as he made his way to the front door. In light of Enid's death, Sophia Bruce had sent him a text the previous evening, requesting to see him. Inwardly, he wondered if the Alpha had plans to fire him, but he remembered Enid saying she was a good person. Perhaps this meeting was just a formality for them to officially meet? Other than that night, when she'd saved his life, he'd never had any contact with her again.The door was opened before he could even knock. From the looks of the man, who introduced himself as Stefano, Galen surmised he had to be of high rank, within the pack. The fading scars on the left side of his face and the deeper scars in his neck, surely from a wolf bite, indicated he was either a warrior wolf, or perhaps even a Beta."I am her second in command and her highest ranking general," Stefano said. "Guard your mind, Mr Munroe. I can read your thoughts."Galen c
“My son?”Repeating the words Sophia had just spoken, Galen felt a sense of dread, and cold shivers running up and down his spine. What game was the Alpha playing? Why would she make such a ludicrous statement?“Yes,” Sophia softly replied. “I am your mother, Galen. As well as the mother of Jax and Gustav. I can only imagine how this news must sound to you.”Galen snorted, pulling back from her. He ran his fingers through his hair as his mind tried to comprehend what the Alpha had just told him. It was a lie, it had to be. How could she be their mother? Had their whole lives been some convoluted plot?If this were true, so many things would make sense. His parents’ coldness towards them. The way they treated them as if they were strangers at times, and not their own flesh and blood.Could this be true? Were they not the sons of Brian and Anna Munroe?The quickening of his pulse alerted him to the fact that he had to calm down. His body, tense and taut, was trying to shift, as a way
Momentarily, Galen was at a loss for words. Did Sophia just say their own father wanted them dead? What nightmare was he trapped in? A long lost mother and now a murderous father. It seemed almost absurd, but the earnest look on Sophia’s face, assured him, it was anything but.“Your father was an Alpha too. I believed he loved me and our family, but everything had been a lie. He was power hungry, and planned to subjugate The Daughters Of The Moon. He wanted to eradicate our matriarchal line, and meld our pack into his. We fought many battles once the truth came out. He was even in league with witches, to help him destroy us. When he realized he was weaker than I was, he tried to hurt me the only way he knew how. Through my babies.”Her voice drifted off. Galen could see how much the memory of the betrayal hurt her. She must have loved him deeply. He softened a bit, and when he spoke, his tone was much kinder.“He tried to kill us?”“Yes, he did. The compound was fortified, so he used
When Rachel came downstairs, Becca had already started a fresh pot of coffee. The smell of it lingered in the air, and Rachel realized she hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since the previous day. Her stomach rumbled, and she reached for the cereal, as Becca prepared their cups.“You look so much better today,” Becca teased. “A good night’s sleep and a hot wolf can do wonders.”Rachel smiled. She couldn’t disagree with Becca on that point. Even while asleep, she was aware that Galen had held her in his arms all night long.She was always aware when he did that. Him holding her, provided her with a sense of safety, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. The contrast to what they had, and what she had with Peter in their ill-fated marriage, was almost blinding in hindsight. For Peter she had never been enough, but for Galen, she was his world.Their talk the night before had also helped in easing her mind. Now that Galen knew everything, it would be so much better to face
After finishing their cereal, Rachel and Becca headed out to the porch with their coffee. The thunderstorm was abating, and had changed to a soft and comforting drizzle. The smell of the rain warmed her heart and as they sat down on the swinging lounger, Rachel inhaled deeply, savoring the sensation it awakened in her.Becca playfully shoulder bumped her.“Since we were kids, this was always your favorite kind of weather. I remember how you used to open every window and door, to Mom's chagrin."“It gives me peace,” Rachel smiled. “And the forecast looks like rain for the whole week, so I am in my element.”“Dad loved it too…”Becca’s voice trailed off in sadness at the mention of their dad. Rachel scooted closer, pulling Becca into an embrace. The memory of their father's death, was still so raw for them. He died, doing what he loved though. Saving lives.After his death, the city even honored him posthumously, with a medal of valor. That was the day, when it really sunk in, that he w
A bulldozer couldn’t barge through the tension in the room, once Sophia was done recounting her story.Rachel nervously twirled her hair, finally working up the nerve to glance Stefano’s way. His anger was brimming beneath the surface and she feared he would shift and attack Sophia.His muscles were straining and his jaw was clamped tight in frustration. He balled his fists and Rachel could tell he was doing everything in his power to not unleash his wolf.Melora, was Vivianne’s daughter. Of all the things she’d expected Sophia to say, this was not one of them.“For two people who always strive to do the right thing, who never make morally grey choices, I can only imagine how little you both must think of me,” Sophia stated flatly. “Please, you have to try to understand why I did what I did.”Rachel choked and swallowed back a bitchy retort before finding her voice. She stood up, gently placing her hand on Stefano’s shoulder. He looked up at her, and nodded as he began to breathe deep
“That’s a beautiful name,” Sophia answered. “Tell me sweetheart, do you know where your mommy and daddy are?”Melora absentmindedly stuck her thumb in her mouth, deep in thought for all intents and purposes and Sophia felt another wave of guilt wash over her. Why was she engaging in small talk with the bastard? Why couldn’t she just take out the dagger and end her, as she’d planned?It seemed the little girl wakened her maternal instincts. Instead of wanting to kill her, now she wanted to protect her.“Miss Chrissy says they went to heaven,”Melora said softly. “She says I must be a good girl without them.”Sophia resisted the urge to pull her into a tight hug. This child, this little girl, was literally the embodiment of the betrayal she’d suffered. Mercy was not to be her destiny.When she looked Sophia in the eyes once more, though, Sophia couldn’t help but see her own children, reflected in her eyes.“Does Miss Chrissy treat you well?”Melora nodded. “She gives me lots of treats.
25 Years Ago…The dungeon, located directly beneath the Bruce compound, was shrouded in darkness. It hadn’t been used in years, not since the battle which took place between witches and werewolves, instigated by Vivianne and Klaus, when they attempted to subjugate The Daughters Of The Moon and steal the pack’s power for themselves.Back then, nearly all the cells were in use , filled with captured witches, and all tortured for their crimes against werewolves.The pack’s ruthless way of dealing with their captives, was one of the main reasons the truce came about and had been tenuously in place ever since. The Bellinghams, as the most prominent coven in town, managed to keep the smaller covens in check and greatly helped in maintaining the status quo.Sophia adjusted her eyes to the darkness and searched along the damp walls for a few lanterns to light. She’d sent the two soldier wolves to bring the girl to her. The sooner she acted, the sooner peace would settle in her mind.There wa
“Alive?” Rachel gasped in surprise. “Vivianne’s daughter… is alive? Where the hell is she then? Do you have her locked away somewhere?”She heard Stefano’s sharp intake of breath and when she looked his way, his expression was beyond incredulous. This was all they needed. Another one of Sophia’s secrets.How did she ever expect her sons to accept her as their mother, when a new skeleton tumbled out of her closet, every 5 seconds? Just how many secrets did this woman have?“By the Moon Goddess, Sophie,” Stefano said. “What have you done?”Sophia had the good sense, to at least keep her eyes downcast, in a guarded measure of shame. It was obvious that she never expected this secret to see the light of day. Vivianne spilling the beans, threw an unexpected wrench in her plans, to keep it under wraps.“She’s here, in Colby’s Cove,” Sophia answered. “I’ve been keeping an eye on her, ever since I spared her life. It gives me no pleasure to say, but I indeed planned to kill her, but when I s
Clouds aimlessly drifted across the moon as Rachel pulled up to the Bruce Compound. The guard at the gate let her in without question. It seemed everyone was aware of her position in the Alpha’s son’s life. Even the guards at the boutique the other day, treated her with a high level of respect.Vivianne had vanished before her eyes, in a whirlwind of fire swirling around her. Clearly, she was able to access her magic, while being inside Liz’s body, which made her even more dangerous than what they’d previously thought. The only glimmer of hope in all of it, was knowing that Liz was still in there, too. Stefano met her as she walked up to the front door. From the frown on his face, she could tell he was worried. He also looked tired. Pulling double duty with his two charges, was no mean feat.“Seeing Sophia this late?” he quizzed. “Is there news of Gustav? I was surprised when you called and requested to come here.”Rachel shook her head and gave him a quick recap of her confrontatio
Rachel locked her front door as soon as Becca drove away, leaving with the promise that she would go straight home and lock herself in, too. The thought of asking Sophia for a spare guard crossed her mind again, and she mentally chided herself. It would go against Becca’s trust, and she didn’t want bad blood between them.With Liz gone, Becca was the only family she had.She sauntered to the kitchen and made herself a sandwich and a cup of tea. She’d hardly had an appetite the last few days, but she knew she had to eat to keep her strength up. Galen would be pissed if he thought she was neglecting herself.Her heart broke for him and she didn’t want to add to his worries.Every time they spoke on the phone, he sounded a little more despondent. The search for Gustav was giving up dead ends on all fronts and it was eating away at him. She wished he was home, but finding his brother was important too.Finishing her food, she cleared up and was about to head upstairs, when a familiar voic
“Would you like to make the call?”Sitting in a small diner, Jax froze, mid bite from his burger, glaring daggers at Galen.“Why me? She’s known you the longest, even called you ‘son’.”Galen chuckled. It would take a lot for Jax to get on board with Sophia being their mother, even more than him. His gut told him though, Gustav would accept her with open arms, after giving her a piece of his mind. Between the three of them, Galen was the level-headed one, Jax was prone to indifference, and Gustav was the most forgiving. That’s why he stayed with the Munroes when both his brothers left. He firmly believed they could change, until he saw with his own eyes they wouldn’t so easily.“When we find Gustav, the three of us have to sit down and find a way to deal with this,” Galen said. “This woman is our mother and it’s not something we can or should ignore. At the very least, we all have to table our feelings, her included.”“Why shouldn’t we ignore it?” Jax shrugged. “She ignored us our en
Sitting in his pick-up, Galen wiped at his brow and reached for the bottle of ice cold water next to him. The sun was setting but the heat was still unbearable. Jax and the two tracker wolves were combing the warehouse district and he was on lookout. Not that he wanted to be. He wanted in on the action, but Jax had been on lookout the day before, so it was only fair.Thus far, all their efforts to find Gustav had been in vain, and it was getting more difficult by the minute to remain hopeful.He was grateful to Sophia for sending the two trackers. When he’d spoken to her, to tell her Gustav was missing, he could sense how anxious she was. He still didn’t acknowledge her as his mother though, and neither did Jax, who also briefly spoke to her on the phone. He was equally upset about the deceit and was trying to wrap his head around it.Galen tried to convince him to have Marissa and their daughter, Tamara, go to Colby’s Cove, for their own safety, but he was dead set against it. He wan
One Week Later…“When dad died, it was easier almost. We had a body; we knew he was gone…We could even plan a funeral. Now we don’t even have that…”“Do you think mom is really gone, Rachel? Would she just leave and go without saying goodbye?”Becca’s voice was tinged with sadness and Rachel reached for her hand, where they were sitting on the porch, watching the sunset.The last week had been rough. Since Allison’s revelation that Vivianne had taken control of Liz’s body, everything just seemed to go to hell.Liz had vanished. After coming back to her senses in the boutique, Rachel immediately called Becca and they rushed to Liz’s house, only to find her gone. They had no idea where she was or what Vivianne was planning to do.Sophia had the entire town combed by her best guards and even she came up with nothing. It was as if Liz had disappeared from the face of the earth.To make matters even worse, Gustav was still missing. Galen wanted to come back home the second he heard, but s