“Daddy?” Her soft voice was terrified. “What happened?”
“Hey baby.” Carl’s voice softened. “How are you feeling?”“Are you going to leave me now?” Her voice quivered, and I heard Carl choke up.“Not yet, baby. But soon.” My eyes finally started to clear. “He will never truly leave you, young shaman. That I can promise. Our ancestors live on through us. And he will watch over you.” The voice was softer, and when my vision fully cleared, I held her face n my hands. “Amy…you promise?”“I promise.” I kissed her head and she sighed. “I saw what’s to come.” Her voice was stronger. “I know my daddy will go, but you will be there with me. Every step of the way.”“Of course I will.” I didn’t even think about it. I promised to take this baby in. “Amy!&rI looked between my mother and Carl. “Yeah. It is.”“Have you settled in and started on anything?”I laughed. “I have been home for less than I day. I’ve just been focused on cleaning my room.”“Removing the rest of the old scent, I assume?”“Yeah. The Alpha and his son met me at the house as soon as I arrived back home.” He laughed.“What a joke. They tried to catch you as soon as you got back.” His voice grew serious. “Carl, I’ll have everything ready for you.”“Daddy?”“Yeah?”“How fast can the plane get back here?”“One second, we might be in luck.” I heard him put his cell down and pick up his desk phone. “Ronnie, where are you right now?”There was a silence. “How long until you two make it to the plane?” There were a few uh huhs, and then my dad said
We grabbed the pizza and made our way back to the house. As soon as we walked in, Morgan rushed by us and out the door. I looked at my mother and raised my eyebrow, but she just shook her head.I switched the laundry, using the descenting spray. I grabbed the rest of the clothes and dumped them into my bathtub as I heard a knock at the door.There was a lull and then steps towards my door. “Here we are.” My mother opened the door and showed a few men in. They came in with two enormous machines. “Darling, they are here to clean your carpet.”I turned to them and smiled. “How long will this take?”A man scoffed and elbowed his counterpart. “It will take as long as it takes.” He sneered over his shoulder and dropped off his machine. He released his aura and turned to face me. “We only took this job because Vince gave you our card.” The second man nodded. I didn’t recognize them so they wer
I felt the man under my hands tremble and I smiled. โYou are an alphaโฆโ โIncorrect. I am the strongest alphaโฆaround here, anyway. And you insulted not only myself but my alpha mother.โ I looked up at her while pressing his face into the floor. โI know you always tell me to wrangle Nix, but right this second, I donโt think they deserve the pass.โ My mother stared at the men and then lowered herself to look them in the face. โYou have two options. You can get up and do the job properly this time.โ โFor free.โ I growled as I pressed his face into the hallway carpet. I leaned down and let my fangs descend as I snapped them by his cheek. โOrโฆโ My mom looked the second man in the eye. โI allow my newly shifting daughter to take you outside for the insults.โ I growled as I leaned back in. โLet me take out my aggression. I swear it will be quick.โ โBut definitely not painless.โ My mother stood back up. โMake your choice.โ She looked at me. โQuickly.โ
“Nix.” My mother rushed forward and got between us. “You can’t do this.” She pleaded with me, but I shook my head.“Why not?” She growled and looked at our mother. She pushed me back, so that she was in front and I was watching next to Megan.“She has been very unsettled since coming back.” Megan turned to me. “I can’t blame her. She has finally shifted so her alpha aura, and your hormones have put here in a knifes edge. And then there is me. She has been dealing with my mourning my mate, and trying to claim him.”“Megan?” I looked at her, really looked. Her fur was a little patchy, and she looked exhausted.“She did what she had to. She held me back from claiming Brandon and I don’t regret it. It’s just hard. Shannon pushed her too far and now she will get her retribution.” Megan turned and limped back into my soul forest, where she could
“Dad…” Brandon started.But Vince turned full circle to stare at the two of them. “You both abused your rank to protect an unranked wolf when she was overstepping. We have ranks for a reason. There is a pecking order for a reason. Ranked wolves are to protect the unranked wolves. Unranked wolves are supposed to fall in line. They are the backbone of the pack, but they need to know their place!” Vince screamed. “You had a weak child, Morgan. You mated an unranked wolf and had an unranked wolf. That is the chance you take when you mate outside of your rank.” Vince turned back. “But you do NOT allow your unranked daughter to push around the ranked wolves. You throw the entire order of the pack out the window when you do that.”“She is my pup.” Morgan tried again.I growled, tired of his shitty excuse. “And what?” I tossed out. “She is your daughter, but no one was trying to fight h
I turned to my mother and nosed the sliding glass door to the backyard. She hurried to the door and slid it open, and I walked out. I left the room full of the chaos I sowed and let the three of them figure it out. “Mother.” I called out, and she quickly followed.“Nix…Did you have to do that?” She came out and walked next to me.“I did.” I answered honestly. “She pushed her luck too far and we are tired of dealing with her.” I turned to my mother. “Shift. I want to run with you.” My mother let a small smile break out and nodded. She quickly shifted, and her brown wolf was a little smaller than Nix’s shifted form. Bigger than the average wolf.I took off with her trailing behind me. We breached the woods, and I slowed down, allowing her to overtake me as she knew these woods and I didn’t. She shot out in front, dodging trees and bushes she was intimately familiar with, while I b
I dropped down next to her with a thump. “What?”My mother smiled. “I should say my mother was the last pure Lycan, other than the king’s family. And I am three quarters as my father was half Lycan as well. A secret his line has kept almost as well as your father’s magic.” She looked over at me. “You are a little muddled. I don’t know if you have enough Lycan in you to have one.”“Have a Lycan?”“Yeah. So Lycans have a bigger wolf, and a wolfman form. But mixed Lycans, well they are blessed with two wolves…”“Two wolves?”“Yeah. One that is their Lycan, and can have multiple shifts. And their normal wolf. They inherit both wolves.” My mom shifted to her large brown wolf, and then into a smaller grey wolf, then back to herself. She panted as she settled back down on her knees. “It’s also why we keep our clothing. A gift passed down the Lyca
โAlive again?โI nodded. โIn my last life, Brandon, had you killed? Dad was killed. Everyone was gone.โMy mother took it better than I thought she would. โSo you are saying that you lived a first lifeโฆโโWe all do.โ I looked down at my hands, where I was twisting my fingers. โOur gifts, they give us a do over, you can say. Like the goddess wanted us to see what could be, and she gives us a second chance to change it all.โโAnd itโs always badโฆโI nodded. โAs far as I know.โMy mother trembled. โYou saw what happened to your pup, and now youโre changing who your mate isโฆโ She looked at me with a tiny spark of hope in her eyes. โDid you pick where you went back to, the time?โI shook my head no. โThe Goddess selects, I think. One minute I was dying with Brandon screaming over me, and then next I was in bed six years younger. I didnโt choose to come back here. But I know I am determined to change the outcome. I refuse to watch my pup die again.โMy motherโs breath caught, and I saw the
The guard was pacing, nervous. He kept glancing back at me and muttering to himself. That put me on edge. Why does he keep looking back here? Nix stood and started to pace. I donโt know. But itโs not good. I moved to the clearing, checking on my magic. I had been funneling all of mine and Nixโs extra energy into our well. Building it until our flame turned into a giant bonfire. The magic was burning bright, and it took effort to keep it contained, my like my aura. How are you doing? Megan called back to me. We are ready. I shot back. I had been studying the book for days until I figured I could use a reversal rune to block the drain of our power. It will actually pull power from those chasing us and feed it into our bodies until we remove the rune. I had carved the rune into Nix and myself. Megan, I left for last. The door slammed open and Brandon strolled in. I wanted to recoil from the look on his face; it was so vicious. But I would never hide or cower from this man. โLooky l
But Megan ignored him. He stood and crowded the bars, drawing in more air and her scent. โFuck.โ Then he turned and spun away. โIโll be back with your next meal.โ He walked to the door, grabbed a tray he had left there, and came back. He pushed the food through the tray slot at the bottom of the door. Megan popped up. She walked over slowly, watching Vince. She stopped short of his hands. Then she pawed the food tray the rest of the way to her. We walked Vinceโs eyes almost completely disappear into his pupils before his wolf took over. His eyes flashed to a soft chocolate brown, and there was a deep rumbling in his chest. โYou smell good.โMegan rolled her eyes and sniffed the food. Each item had to be sniffed, tasted and then we had to wait for any reactions. But as soon as Megan sniffed the meat, she pulled back and swatted the tray against the bars. Vinceโs wolf watched her, and then he smirked. โSmart girl. Most donโt notice the silver.โ Megan let out a low growl before she tu
There was a bang, and a door slammed open. โAlpha.โ The guard at the door called, and instantly we were all on guard. โLeave us.โ He motioned for the wolf to leave, and he strolled down to my cell. โHello.โ He watched me with hooded eyes. โStill vicious?โ Megan growled, causing Vince to chuckle. โI find it interesting that you arenโt afraid of me.โ We barked out a laugh. โWhy would I be afraid of you?โVince froze. โYou speak?โ Megan rolled her eyes and turned out back on him. โStupid male.โ She tossed her head, glaring at him over her back. He chuckled, then turned back to the door. He grabbed the chair there and pulled it over in front of my cell. โWell, you kept your mouth shut the first day we met. I assumed you were mute.โ I huffed out a sigh. โI nearly bit half of your face off. My mouth was very much open.โHe threw his head back and started laughed. โYou did. I will give you that.โ Vince leaned closer to the bars and Megan lifted her lip. โYou donโt like me, do you?โโSho
โYou are going to let me die here?โ Megan let her words sound incredulous. Rick walked to the bars. โI donโt want you to die. But I have no way of getting you out of here without being seen or found out. If I could save you and only lose my own life, I would do it. You donโt deserve to be hereโฆโโBut?โ Megan cut in. โBut I have a pup and a mate who would be executed if I went against Vince.โ He grabbed the bar and I heard the sizzle of his skin against the silver. โI canโt risk them. I hope you and Amy will understand that.โ He pulled back and turned away. โWait!โ Megan called after him.He turned. โThe guard is coming back in a minute. Be quick.โโWill you come back to speak with me?โ She tried to get close. โI have so many questions.โRick looked back to the door. โI can try. But Rick doesnโt like random people coming in here.โโThen why did you come in now?โ Megan pushed. โBecauseโฆโ His shoulders sagged. โBecause I felt like a monster and I felt like I neede3d to explain. If I
He knows. Nixโs words were soft, her eyes fully focused on the man in front of us. What are you talking about? Megan turned back to us. Heโs scum.Nix shook her head. Look at him, Megan. Truly look, and push away your hatred towards Brandon, Vince, and well, all the male population. Megan snorted but turned back.What am I looking for? Megan sighed, but focused. I stepped closer, trying to see what she was seeing.Nix was focused on Rick. Look at his skin. He is sweating, heโs pale, but his eyes are focused. His handโฆ She trailed off.Heโs clutching at his neck. Megan tensed beside me. โWhat happened first, Rick?โHe turned his haunted eyes back to us. โWhat?โMegan sighed as she crept closer. โWhat came first? You working with Vince? Or Abby getting branded?โโDoes it matter?โ He slammed back against the wall and dropped to his ass. โIt changes nothing.โโIt matters.โ She growled. โIt matters to me, and I know it will matter to Amy.โ โWhy?โ He dropped his head into his hands. โIt
I waited until Vince pulled out the needle and I jumped up, growling. I let my hackles rise and I lunged for Vince, but he danced back and slammed the door shut. His chuckle was infuriating, and I lunged, hitting the bars on purpose. I yelped and jumped back from the searing pain of silver. โI wouldnโt do that if I were you. Everything is silver in here.โ Vince wagged the key in front of me. โYou will just have to be a good girl to get let out.โ I nearly gagged, but I lunged again, testing how hard the bars were. They bent a little, making every man jump back. I yelped again and slid against the ground, showing the burns to Vince. โStop!โ I pulled away, slowly, weakly, growling softly to show I hadnโt given up yet. Nix rolled on the ground. You are really selling this, Amy. Vince is eating this up for sure. Megan shook her head. But donโt push it too far. A wolf cornered would fight, but a weaker wolf would stay away from the silver after this. I nodded. Oh, I know. That was the l
Nix and Megan pressed against my side. What are you saying? Itโs poisonedโฆpoisoned how? Nix leaned in, trying to see it closer, but we were stuck where we were. The power that their traps were pulling from me it was transferred to this rune. The quickening. It says it right in the name. It converts your power into physical strength and speed. Like I was doing with our power, but this is for a person who doesnโt have magic. OkayโฆI donโt know whatโs wrong still. Megan leaned against the barrier and I laughed. Do you see the line that cuts through the rune? Both of my wolves focused on the rune that was bobbing in and out of our line of sight as he ran. Yeah. Nix finally said. The part that looks infected?Yes. Thatโs exactly what it is. A poisoning. It breaks the limits on the rune and pushes power into the person. Normally, the person will hit a wall. The wall being that their physical body canโt go any faster or it hurt them, it will break down their bodies. Like poison.So youโre
I heard a chuckle and then a soft whispered. โSlepta noir sha dineh por clotin.โ Then the world went dark. Amy, stay awake. Nix called me, but I couldnโt move. Everything was heavy. I felt like I was snuggled under the best blanket in a dark room. Amy! Megan called after me, but I was snuggled deep into slumber. A few more minutes, guys. I called back to my wolves. I heard them both growl. What is the point of having magic if we fall victim to it? Nix growled, but Megan just sighed. It wasnโt an attack, like Verity said it was a gentle spell to put her to sleep. We are still awake, and if anything happens, Iโm sure we can force her awake. But there is a bright side.Whatโs that? Nix sounded doubtful, but open to listening.Amy will be rested and fully recharged. Then we can figure out what the actual fuck happened. Like, how did Rick catch us?I felt my wolves settled near me. And I rolled to touch them. I wanted to wake up. This seemed like something important. Something was wro
Vince turned to look at Brandon. He looked at its stumpy fingers and shook his head. โWhy would you bring up the brotherhood in front of the wench?โWench? Is he trying to be a fucking pirate or something? Nix snorted and rolled her eyes. Vince is stupid.But I watched him. Something was off in the way he watched us. Ever since I ripped off his cheek. I thinkโฆI think he likes us, Megan. She snapped her head to mine and then gagged. Absolutely the fuck not. She shook her head. But Nix watched him. I think she is right, Megan. Everytime he says something, his eyes flick to us. He is looking for our reaction. She gagged again. No, you two have to be wrong. We ripped off half his face.I thinkโฆI think he likes us because of it. The thought made my stomach clench. Sick fuck. โWench? Dadโฆcommon we all know she is going to be dead soon. So why does it matter?โ Brandon snorted as he passed me, kicking out, but I jumped up and snarled. โI would watch your self Bran. She is feisty. She alr