Kayla's POV
Time seemed to slow down. My body refused to move as quickly as I commanded it to. Will and Blake struggled to hold Maddox up. His glassy eyes stared ahead, unseeing.
"Lena," I begged, "I can't lose him."
"He's lost a lot of blood," Lena said, "and Shadow can't heal him. I'm sorry, Kayla."
"Bull," Blake snapped. "He's stronger than this Lena and you know it. He promised me it wasn't a fight to the death. He promised."
A heavy lump formed in my throat.
Maddox's grandparents raced towards us. His grandfather scooped his lifeless body into his arms and sprinted into the woods.
"Send the Lycan boy to meet the witch," his grandfather called back, "bring her to my cabin. He wouldn't want the pack to see him like this."
When we reached his grandparent's cabin Maddox was laid on the sofa, glazed eyes still open, his arm flopped over the edge and blod dripping in a steady flow from his side landing in a stic
Maddox's POVThe scent of Kayla washing over me brought me back from the darkness. Her soft touch brushed my side. Her silky hair brushed my cheek as she dropped something sweet into my mouth."Help me to help you, Maddox," she whispered as she rubbed a warming lotion onto my skin. "Fight. Fight to live."Whatever she poured into my mouth woke Shadow."Our mate needs us," he growled. His pain mixed into mine, whirling around me in a tornado of agony as he strained to heal my wound. Kayla's touch, the pastes she patted into my injury warmed my frozen skin. My limbs were numb and heavy. No matter how much I fought to move, to speak, to focus my vision my body refused to co-operate. The pain was more than I could bear. It consumed every inch of my body racing through like wildfire. My blood boiled like acid in my veins. Each beat my heart made forced more of the wolfsbane around my system.Ka
Maddox's POV A few of my pack loitered in the hall strolling between the kitchen and the dining hall. Casper's voice boomed from the office. Will stood guard outside the door. "Casper sent everyone back to their cabins after Gage sent reinforcements to help guard your territory," Will explained the unusual silence after the chatter and bustle of the last few days. "Casper has no right to make that call," I growled. Mountain Ridge was my pack, the people mine to protect. Since his arrival Casper had slowly chipped away at my power, questioning the loyalty of my pack and my every move. "That's what I said," Will shrugged, "but, I have no right to be challenging your King, that's on you." I nodded making my way to the office. Lena, Blake and Kayla followed. "Finally," Casper growled as we opened the door and filtered inside. He paced the small room with his arm
Maddox's POVBlake grinned up from the blaring screen in front of him."Done," he said as he finished tapping keys. "It's posted.""Great," I sighed. Casper pursed his lips, his head shaking. He was the only one who raised concerns out loud about us posting werewolf business on a human trinket like the internet. Gage thought it was a brilliant idea. No one else really understood him as far as I could tell."So, I can like make friends on this thing?" Princess Serena asked peering over Blake's shoulder with wide eyes."Uh-huh," Blake confirmed. "It's how Will and Amber met.""You mean I can find a mate using this thing?" She jabbed a finger at the screen."Kinda," Blake said, spinning in his chair to face her. "I'll show you later.""Cool," her blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She cooed at the screen as if it had just performed a groundbreaking magic trick."So what now?" I aske
Maddox's POV Willow's heartwrenching sobs echoed through the dusty library. Her tears soaked Kayla's shoulders as she hugged the witch tight. Casper shuffled from foot to foot. Gage loitered behind the embracing women, his gaze shifted down. The sun had long since dipped behind the trees outside. The flickering orange glow of candlelight bounced off the walls, shimmering in Kayla's deep chestnut hair. Willow's wavy mane was thinner, duller, lacking the shine of Kayla's but the shade matched exactly. Willow's knees buckled, she folded in Kayla's arms. Kayla stooped with her, gently lowering the weeping woman to the floor. "She killed my baby," Willow wailed. "She forced me to help her and then she killed my babe anyway. I never got to see her. I never got to hear her cry or stroke her head or smell her soft skin. She never knew my touch." "I'm sorry," Kayla said, pulling away, her hands still rested o
Maddox's POV I gazed at the witch, unblinking, trying to make sense of her words. "Huh?" I eventually managed to squeak. "It was your blood," she repeated firmly. "You were at the castle to celebrate the Princess' naming ceremony. The Lycans refused her request so she asked if the blood needed to be pure. It was because it wasn't pure she demanded I use more. You were ten years old." I shook my head, frowning at her, vaguely aware of Blake at my side, resting his hand on my shoulder. "I think I'd remember a virtual stranger taking blood from me," I said, "you must be mistaken." "You're Maddox Mason?" Willow asked, "son of Nicholas Mason?" I nodded. "Then I am not mistaken. It was her lover's idea. He was close to you." "Who?" Blake snapped, stiffening at my side and tightening his grip on my shoulder. Willow dropped her head and sighed. "I'm sorry," she said looking up at
Kayla's POVMaddox inched closer, grabbing my hand and squeezing so hard my bones threatened to break. The pack filtered in from other rooms, all keeping their distance. Soft sniffles echoed around the hallway.The wolf Nico dropped to his knees at Wilow's feet, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his face into her barren stomach."Willow," he whispered. "I promise, she is out there."Willow shook her head, tears streaked her ivory cheeks. Her lips moved in protest but grief swallowed any sound she tried to make.My heart swelled in my chest."I thought I lost you," Nico cried, hugging Willow harder."You... You left me," Willow snarled as a lifetime of grief twisted into rage and abandonment. "I thought she had killed you and our child but you left me."Nico pulled himself to his feet. He towered above Willow as he took her tiny human hands into his giant paws."I woul
Skye's POVWillow sobbed into my neck. Nico's arms squeezed tighter. My heart threatened to burst. There was so much I wanted to say, so many questions I needed to ask but my brain and mouth refused to cooperate."Did you bring anyone else?" Casper asked. Nico turned his head but refused to loosen his grip on me and Willow."I've been building an army," he grinned. His words brought reality crashing back down. I finally had everything I'd ever dreamed of. A pack who protected and loved me. A mate who would die for me and parents who adored me and a war hung over me, promising to take it all away."Not now," Maddox growled. "No war. Not tonight. Kayla needs time to reconnect with her family. Alaya is no more a threat tonight than she will be tomorrow.""Every second we waste..." Casper started. A low, menacing growl from Lena cut him off."You can give them tonight. Blake and I will welcome any newco
Maddox's POVI left Kayla in my grandparent's small garden with Will guarding the entrance and made my way back to the packhouse. She needed some time alone with Willow and Nico to try and make sense of the bombshell that just landed. A wall of noise smacked into me as I opened the door.I blinked, trying to make sense of the sight before me. Hundreds of strangers were crammed into the packhouse. Amber and Lena were folding out camping beds in the entrance hall."They came," Blake grinned rushing over with a massive grin on his face. "They all came to help.""But can we trust them?" I frowned. Because if we couldn't we were outnumbered two to one."Well, we'll need Skye to weed out any potential spies, but I think so.""Skye?""Yeah, you know, Kayla? Your mate.""Yeah," I sighed running my hand down my face. "I'm just tired and overwhelmed. This is a lot of werewolves.""I