I headed straight for the man on his knees with a vicious growl. As soon as I got close, I dove for the first rogue I was near. Everyone else joined the fight, I knew, but I was focused on saving Carl. It was too soon. I wasn’t ready. And I knew Carly wasn’t ready either. The rogues were pretty big, and as soon as we breeched the trees, they all squared up with us. We were the incoming threat. But what we hadn’t planned on, were there being so many. Even with Erubus, we were outnumbered five to one. The rouge was quick; he dove away from every attack and countered. Toya and the girls were fighting tooth and claw as well, but from the corner of my eye, I could see Carl trying to get up. Trying to help. “Stay down Carl.” I called to him and I could see the thought in his mind. “We were fine. Stay alive. You have better things to worry about.” I called again while nearly avoiding a second rogue diving for my back. That got through to him and he sagged onto his hands, the pain becoming
I watched his eyes widen. “Did you just command me?” I got into his face, our whiskers bending against each other’s face. “You don’t get to give up in a fight. Not now, not ever, and if that takes me commanding you to do so, then so be it.” I growled, but then a soft cough had me whirling. “Amy.” Carl’s soft gasp had me sprinting to his side. I shifted, my graduation gown a stark contrast to the bloody field.“Carl.” I grabbed him around his waist and tried to pull him to his feet, but the scream he let out stopped me. “Come on. You’re fine.” I tried to convince myself. I dropped next to him, cupping his face. “Get up.”“Amy.” His eyes filled. "“No, none of that.” I leaned in. “It’s too soon. She isn’t ready to live without you.”“She’s been trained.”I shook my head. “No. Carl, I’m telling you, it’s too soon.”He gave a sad smile. “It’s always going to be toon soon.” I felt my lips tremble. “Please.” I begged. I knew this was going to shatter his little girl. He shook his head a
I turned back to Carl, but he still shook his head. “It’s too late.” I begged him with my eyes, but I saw the decision on his face. He was set on this outcome, but I wasn’t.I pushed. “I healed from the brink, so can you.” I tried to pull back my hand, but he shook his head again. His face was turning gray, and the light was fading from his eyes. But he took a deep breath and rallied.“Daddy, let Amy help us.” Carly’s little voice was heart wrenching. “Please.” She tried to pull away from his chest, but he started coughing, and his eyes widened a little as blood poured from his lips. “Daddy!” She screamed as she tried to pull away again. Blood coated her back, as Carl lost his grip on her as he choked on his life’s blood. He finally caught his breath, and he stared into Carly’s eyes. I watched as his defeated eyes filled with all of his love for his daughter. “Baby girl. What is the first rule of our kind?” His laboured breathing was starting to gurgle, fluid building in his chest. H
Carl looked up at her. “Leeway? How?”“What’s leeway?” Carly sat up against Carl, still clinging to him, but grasping on to the tiny thread of hope she was being handed. “Leeway, my girl, means the goddess looks away when I nip down here to see my girl here.” She leaned over and I felt the ghost of her lips on my forehead. “When something like this happens, Carl. The goddess looks the other way when, say, someone calls for you.” “How is this possible?” Hanna looked at me, and then back at my grandmother. She smiled up at my friends. “You know of her magic.” The girls nodded, but Erubus stayed still. I saw the tiny smile that sprang to her lips as her eyes landed on him. “Well, Amy sacrifices a tiny amount of magic to call for me, and another to help me come to this plane.” She waved her hands at me. “When she needs me, I come. Do you know what that means, little one?” Carly shook her head as my grand mother dropped to her knees beside me. She raised her hands to hold Carly’s face.
“Amy…” Toya followed me into the house, but Carly pulled her head up. She pointed at the wall beside the door. “Daddy said your friends would need robes, so we have them up and waiting for them.” Her little voice was barely above a whisper as I kept walking. They would figure it out. I headed directly upstairs. I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going, but I knew I didn’t want to deal with that man right this second. Anyone really. But I was in charge of this little girl now, and she needed me. I hit the landing and stared into each room. There were so many bedrooms up here. “What the hell.”“Daddy said we would need the rooms until everything settled down. Your friends are going to be here with us until you find your way.” Until I find my way. My stomach clenched. Carl saw all of this. He knew exactly how he was going to die and he prepared for it all, fully knowing it would never be long enough with his daughter. “Which room is your bathroom?” I looked and found none in the hall.
The tub finished draining as Carly stood there, and I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, he is.” She shivered as I turned the warm water back on, allowing the tub to refill. But I doubt she felt any of it. I helped her back into the water and squeezed more shampoo into her hair, the water barely changing color this time. After I rinsed, I added the conditioner. I knew I was stalling. What do I say to a kid who just lost everything? “Carly…” She barely registered me, but her eyes finally met mine. “I won’t lie to you and tell you that the pain, this hurt, will go away anytime soon.” She whimpered, her little lip trembling as she turned to face me fully. “Pain like this, loss like this. It’s going to hurt for a very long time.” How do you explain this kid of loss to a child?But she nodded. “I don’t think I’ll ever not miss my daddy.”I cupped her face. “And that is okay.” I wiped her tears. “But daddy wants you to be okay. And he wants you to be happy. Right?” She nodded as she bit her bottom lip. “
I opened the letter in my hands, and a wave of raw pain hit me in the chest. Carl’s neat handwriting met me. Amy, I know right this minute I am laying on the cold earth after doing everything to save my little girl. I know you just spent an hour taking care of her, and for that, I am eternally grateful. But if you allow her to stay awake, she will hurt herself. I’ve seen it. So I beg you to put her to sleep. Use your magic, and put her to sleep every night for the next few months. She is a child, but she is my child, and I know her. She is an old soul in a tiny body and she sees more than you think she does. But she doesn’t see the entire picture yet, and if you allow her to, she will put herself in danger. And with it, the world. I looked up from the letter to see Toya standing close. “What’s wrong?” She came closer.“He wants me to put her to sleep. For the next few months.”Toya took the letter and read it. “He’s seen it.” She handed me back the letter. “I can’t blame the child
I had to cover my mouth before any sobs broke free. I couldn’t break down yet. Not yet. I looked to the ceiling, praying for a bit more time. I had things I needed to do. I put the letter on the desk and took in a deep breath. I looked at Toya. “Have everyone picked bedrooms.”“What are you going to do?”I stared down at my dirty dress; I turned to the closest. I probably wasn’t going to find much to wear, but I was going to need something else to do what I had to. I opened the closet and UI stumbled back a step. There was a sticky note on a shelf and I pulled it off. This room was always yours. I was just using it. The closest was filled with women’s clothes. I grabbed a black sweat suit and pulled off my dress. Toya came over, confusion on her face. “What is all this?”I had to bite back a sob. “He filled it for me.” There were two laundry baskets pushed into the corner. One clean, and one obviously dirty. “He lived out of baskets.” I walked over and grabbed a shirt, pulling it to
Vince turned to look at Brandon. He looked at its stumpy fingers and shook his head. “Why would you bring up the brotherhood in front of the wench?”Wench? 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 think…I 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 think…I think he likes us because of it. The thought made my stomach clench. Sick fuck. “Wench? Dad…common we all know she is going to be dead soon. So why does it matter?” Brandon snorted as he passed me, kicking out, but I jumped up and snarled. “I would watch your self Bran. She is feisty. She alr
I sat still. I knew I couldn’t run away without being caught, so I would sit, watch, and wait. I was going to hold back on any magic use until I was somewhere else. Since Rick said the forest was covered in magical traps, this was once I was out I would be safe. I just needed to get out first. Rick narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t going to come quietly, are you?” I just settled on the ground. I wasn’t stupid, but I wasn’t going to just fall in line, either. He chuckled and turned to Morgan. “Watch my son. Don’t let him get close to the wolf.” Morgan nodded, but Vince was already turning away. “Rick, come with me. You can carry me back here with our shit and the pup.” Rick’s eyes tightened again and then he nodded. He smiled. “Yeah. Poor thing has to survive another week.”He shifted and left the clearing while Morgan and Brandon glared at me. “Are you seriously still going after Amy’s mom?” Brandon sagged against a tree. “I mean, I get it. She’s hot. And the power of the women in tha
Vince yelled as he tossed me to the ground. Morgan kicked me as soon as I hit the dirt, chunks of grass and twigs flying, the swift kick to my stomach sending me into a tree. I yelped as my shoulder broke, along with a few ribs, but Vince just looked at me with surprise as a chunk of his face slowly knitted itself back together. I looked at him through hooded eyes, but I watched with satisfaction as his cheek slowly rebuilt itself. Blood poured from his left side of his face. The lip hung loose, cut adrift from the portion of his cheek. I ripped away. His teeth were visible, and the surprised look in his eyes made the slow healing a little easier to deal with. Brandon looked at his father with wide eyes. “Are you okay?” He went to move closer, but that was the moment I spat out the hunk of meat I had in my mouth, as if his blood was poison. Vince didn’t look away from me. I sat up and wretched, like I was going to vomit. His blood and bits of flesh clung to the inside of my mouth.
I heard them all shift and start after me. One after the other, I heard a growl and then charging feet. Even Rick, who knew I was going to be out here, was charging after me. Rick, fucking Rick.Why would he want me to see all of that? Megan’s words were ragged. She was waning, but Nix was pushing her body to the brink. I think he needed us to see that. Maybe this started as a couple of friends, and he thought they were joking. Or it was a what if, and then he fell in love with Shelly?Nix panted but hummed her agreement. I think it was probably in the middle. He thought they were just assholes joking around with the women they were using, and then he found his mate. But he didn’t want to let go of his friends. Until his pup came back branded. Megan finished, and Nix agreed.I feel bad for him. Her words made us stop. But Nix pushed on. This about it, you’re trying to stay loyal to your friends but faithful to you mate and you think that witchcraft is probably fake and then suddenl
Morgan shrugged. “You should have kept your pants on. You only had to keep it in your pants for a few years, and you can’t even do that.” Morgan leveled him with a look. You can blame Shannon all you want, but let’s not pretend she is the only one you’re fucking.Brandon glared at him for a minute before laughing. “True.” He sighed. “But Shannon was the only one Amy had to deal with.”Morgan level him with another look. “Again, it isn’t her fault you decided you wanted to drain Amy of her power. You could have chosen anyone else.”Brandon sighed. “True again, but she is so fucking strong.” He grabbed his dick. “And she is so fucking stuck up. I was going to enjoy draining her.” Rick laughed. Fucking laughed, but when he turned, I saw it. A flash of something in his eyes. He didn’t want to be here. What the fuck is going on here? Megan called back to us, but neither of us knew. “Shut the fuck up.” Vince called back and everyone quieted. “Verity. How fucking long now?”She sighed as s
The world blurred past us. The trees became blurred sticks as we wove in between. Bushes became wider obstacles that we jumped over. The animals, the birds, they knew something was happening, and they stayed quiet and out of the way. Megan passed the borders of the pack lands, she weaved between the border patrols that were following their routes, and others that were just out for friendly hunts. We finally slowed to a stop to catch our breath and to figure out where to go. She looked around. Nix receding back beside me and collapsing. Are you okay? I hurried to her side. Yeah. She huffed and sagged against me. I pushed too hard, that’s all.I cuddled her to my side, holding her up as she caught her breath, and I realized the sun had set. How long did it take us to run here? Nix huffed out a breath. Not long. Around two hours. Why?Why is the sun setting? I looked around and the woods were definitely darker. Megan looked up, and we saw it. She checked the sun, but there was nothi
I drove past the pack members that had lined the street. All of them were waving and bowing, giving my mother a farewell deserving of a luna, not just another pack member. But she has stepped up where Vince’s mate failed. My mom helped with the pups. She made sure they were taught properly. She fought for the females of this pack. And wolves never forgot their debts. I drove down block after block of our pack, saluting to my mother, who wasn’t even here to see it. I waved as I drove past the guards at the beginning of the land, and then we were out. My mother’s body double disappeared, and I called for the jet to get ready to take a flight to the coast and come back. “Who are we taking?”I laughed. “No one.” There was silence on the other end. “Take you families for a vacation to the coast if you like, my gift to you.” I looked at the dash. “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Get everyone to the hangar to leave and I’ll transfer you twenty thousand to have a nice weekend. Make s
We made it back to the house and my mother was ecstatic, dancing her way to my room. We shut the door, and she twirled. “Where do I go?” She turned to me and I just gave her a look. “I know I’m going to the cabin. I just mean how? Won’t the pack notice if I don’t leave?”I waved my hand. “I’ll use magic to pretend to drive you away and I’ll leave your car at the airport and run back. Just pack your essentials and we will go over.” I kissed her temple. “But let’s be quick.”“Why?” She sat on my bed and I pulled out black clothes. She just lifted her eyebrows. “What are you going to do? Rob a bank?” I laughed. “I need a shower and descenting spray.” I rummaged through my bathroom, but my mom stood and went into my closet. “What are you doing?”“I put the extra spray in here, foolish girl.” She came out with a bottle. “Now tell me why.”“Rick.” She just twirled her finger. “Rick what?” She handed me the bottle, and I put it on my counter. “When he told me to go home for the day. He to
Vince looked at me, then he turned to Morgan with a raised brow. “Well, then…” He sat back. “There isn’t much of a choice, is there?”Morgan turned to me. “Amy, you can’t be serious. I raised you. I was your dad.” My eyes flashed and Nix was in front in a second. “Repeat those words and I will call the Cath Báis for pure arrogance from you. You barely looked at us when we were a pup. You did everything and anything to take our mother’s time and attention from us. And when I finally shifted, you stole our bonding night.” Nix chuffed a warning call. “So think before you open your mouth again, beta. If you step on my father’s legacy and my mother’s hard work, then I will not hold back. I will rip you to shreds and reunite you with your mate.”Morgan paled. “Nix…I didn’t mean-”“You dodn’t mean to take credit for work you had no hand in. You didn’t raise me. You didn’t pay my way. You didn’t even house me. Amy bought the house. Amy’s money paid for everything for her and her mother. You