My grandmother gasped, but the two goddesses looked at each other. “You are right.” The three faced goddess smiled back at her sister. “She is the one.” The moon goddess just nodded. “I’m the one for what?” My mouth moved too fast for me to even consider questioning a couple of goddesses. My grandmother gasped. “We do not question a goddess, Amy. Nevermind two.” She eyed the two and bowed again. But the two just smirked.“We do not need blind followers. You can question our judgement, or our cause.” The Moon Goddess smiled as she walked closer to us. “We expect it. Crave it really. Because it means that we have done our jobs.”“Your jobs?” I looked over my shoulder at my grandmother, but she shrugged. The three faced goddess stepped up next to her sister. “Yes. We want our followers, our children, to have free will. To demand it. To walk through their day and fight back tooth and nail because that is what life is about. Making choices. Striving for greatness. Living.”The Moon Godd
“What is what?” I looked around, trying to see what she was pointing at. I turned to look behind me, but there was nothing. I turned back and all of their faces, lit by the glow of the flames, were full of disbelief.Micca came over and pulled out her phone. “Don’t move.” She took a photo and then turned it around. The screen was dark except for the fire to my right and…I touched my forehead where new marking were glowing in the dark on my forehead. It lit the top of my face; the glow was so strong you could just make out my eyes in the darkness. A soft blue, white light emanated from the design carved by the goddesses. I traced the design, awe filled my chest, and a soft tingle hit my fingertips. Before there was just a crescent moon, but now, the crescent moon shifted to a full moon in the center, and two crescent moons on the sides. Vines wrapped around the crescent moons, trailing up into my hair and trailing down the sides of my face. I brushed it again and I felt a stronger vib
“Absolutely not.” Toya shook her head and crossed her arms.“Toya-”“No, Amy. I’m with Toya. You politely, graciously turn them down.” Wendy sidled up next to Toya. And then so did Micca and Hanna. I felt burning behind my eyes as I shook my head.“We don’t agree.” Hanna pulled her shoulders back and had this defiant look on her face.“You guys.” I started turning to them. But Micca stomped her foot. “No.” Her brows furrowed, and she glared at me. “You are our friend, our alpha, and we refused, dammit. I love the Moon Goddess in all her glory, but she can’t take you from us.”I sighed. “I love you. All of you. And I will be your friend and alpha until the end. But when the goddess, goddesses.” I corrected. “When the two goddesses you descend from come knocking, you answer.” I watched their faces fall. “They haven’t asked for anything I wasn’t already planning on doing. We have discussed this many times over.”“But you have a kid now.” Hanna murmured, and I nodded.“Just another reaso
The silence was only broken by the crackling of the fire. Hanna watched as everyone took in her words. She walked over to the pile of wood that Rowan left and chucked a few more pieces into the fire. The sound jolted everyone out of their thoughts. Wendy took in a deep breath, and then she gagged. “What the fuck?” She wretched again, and then the smell hit the rest of us. “What the fuck is that?” Micca gagged too. It was only Toya, Hanna, and I that didn’t gag. We looked at each other and then back to the other two. “That…” Hanna started, but stopped.“That’s what is smells like when you burn bodies.” I finished for her. Micca groaned and rushed away, puking closer to the house, while Wendy looked at me with wide eyes. “Why are you three okay?”“Because this isn’t the first time we had to do this.” Toya walked over to Wendy, pulling her away from the fire. Hanna went to grab Micca, and we walked to Carl’s grave, creating space. “The first time is always the worst.” I offered with
“How do you know this stuff?”“Like I said, the Japanese lines were very proud of their lineage and we all knew who the first family of Tsukiyomi was.” Hanna nodded to Toya. “The real question is, how does Toya know?”“And how Amy knows about the first family?” Micca pointed to me and I smiled.“Toya?” Hanna turned to her. “How do you know about the line from Nut?”“Because she is the one who created my family.” Toya leaned back and looked up at the moon. “We worship the Moon Goddess and Nut. She who oversees the starts and the sky. She saw the wolves, heard their songs, and wished to hear it in Egypt. So she asked the Moon Goddess for help and permission to create our line. My father is descended from her power.”“That’s why you’re so fast?” Micca furrowed her brow. “Not cool. I never had a chance of beating you.” We all laughed, remembering the races Micca tried to win for months. Then, one by one they all turned to me. I turned back to the grave and continued to fill it in. “I kno
Toya chucked a rock at me. “Be serious.”I turned and looked at my friends. “I am serious.” I looked at Toya, with her silent strength and Hanna, how far she’s come. It made sense that they were tied to a goddess. Too much sense. Then I looked at Micca and Wendy. “We were all drawn together. What if there was a reason behind it?”“There was a reason behind it.” Wendy leaned in, like she was going to whisper a secret. “You collected us, like that kids’ show. Oh goddess, what is it?” Hanna snorted. “The one with the weird animal things that say their name?” Wendy pointed to her. “Exactly. The Poki show. Your are a collector of people.” Hanna shook her head but she was laughing with Wendy.Toya smiled but just shook her head in defeat. “I am serious.” I stood. “I hate people, to the extreme. I have only ever had one friend my entire life, and she only had to deal with me during the summers. But you guys, you guys stuck around.”“Amy, I hate to tell you this but your are in fact a nice
I finished getting dress as someone knocked on my door. I walked over, still wrapping my hair in a towel, and cracked it open. Toya pushed a wine glass into my hand and stepped in before closing the door. “What’s wrong?” I sat down on my bed and took a sip. I knew Toya she had something on her mind and she came in here to talk it out, before bringing in the others. “I’ve been thinking about what you said…about the first families.”I nodded. “What about it?”“What if you’re right? What if we were all pushed together by the gods we descended from and now we are here?” She paced the room.“What if we were?” I shrugged and took another sip. “Does that bother you?”“It doesn’t bother you? We were pushed together, forced to be in each other’s lives, and now we are here.” She faced me. “Do we not get free will?”I eyed her as I took another longer drink this time. “Do you not like being friends with me?”She sucked her teeth. “Of course I do.”I tilted my head. “Are you unhappy with the ot
We all stared at Toya. Then Wendy came over and got into her face. “What’s wrong with you?”Toya pulled back, but her eyes were filled with panic. “Nothing.”“No, Wendy’s right.” Hanna came closer. “You are Amy’s biggest supporter. We are all close, but you and Amy have always had that extra bond. You have never once worried or questioned your spot here, or Amy’s decision. But this…” She waved her hand, gesturing wildly to Toya. “This isn’t you.”I felt my eyes narrow as I leaned against the table. “They are right. In the last three years, you have never once questioned your place here. You have questioned my decisions, but I always appreciated your opinion, but you always did it away from everyone.” “I came to you to discuss this alone, but you brought us down here.” Toya pointed out.“You are right. But so are Hanna and Wendy. This isn’t you.”Toya pointed at all of us. “You’re not buying this, right?”Wendy grabbed her hand. “Calm down Toya. We are just trying to figure out what’s
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 don’t know. But it’s not good. I moved to the clearing, checking on my magic. I had been funneling all of mine and Nix’s 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. “Looky l
But Megan ignored him. He stood and crowded the bars, drawing in more air and her scent. “Fuck.” Then he turned and spun away. “I’ll be back with your next meal.” 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 Vince’s 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. “You smell good.”Megan 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. Vince’s wolf watched her, and then he smirked. “Smart girl. Most don’t notice the silver.” Megan let out a low growl before she tu
There was a bang, and a door slammed open. “Alpha.” The guard at the door called, and instantly we were all on guard. “Leave us.” He motioned for the wolf to leave, and he strolled down to my cell. “Hello.” He watched me with hooded eyes. “Still vicious?” Megan growled, causing Vince to chuckle. “I find it interesting that you aren’t afraid of me.” We barked out a laugh. “Why would I be afraid of you?”Vince froze. “You speak?” Megan rolled her eyes and turned out back on him. “Stupid male.” 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. “Well, you kept your mouth shut the first day we met. I assumed you were mute.” I huffed out a sigh. “I nearly bit half of your face off. My mouth was very much open.”He threw his head back and started laughed. “You did. I will give you that.” Vince leaned closer to the bars and Megan lifted her lip. “You don’t like me, do you?”“Sho
“You are going to let me die here?” Megan let her words sound incredulous. Rick walked to the bars. “I don’t 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 don’t deserve to be here…”“But?” Megan cut in. “But I have a pup and a mate who would be executed if I went against Vince.” He grabbed the bar and I heard the sizzle of his skin against the silver. “I can’t risk them. I hope you and Amy will understand that.” He pulled back and turned away. “Wait!” Megan called after him.He turned. “The guard is coming back in a minute. Be quick.”“Will you come back to speak with me?” She tried to get close. “I have so many questions.”Rick looked back to the door. “I can try. But Rick doesn’t like random people coming in here.”“Then why did you come in now?” Megan pushed. “Because…” His shoulders sagged. “Because I felt like a monster and I felt like I neede3d to explain. If I
He knows. Nix’s words were soft, her eyes fully focused on the man in front of us. What are you talking about? Megan turned back to us. He’s 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, he’s pale, but his eyes are focused. His hand… She trailed off.He’s clutching at his neck. Megan tensed beside me. “What happened first, Rick?”He turned his haunted eyes back to us. “What?”Megan sighed as she crept closer. “What came first? You working with Vince? Or Abby getting branded?”“Does it matter?” He slammed back against the wall and dropped to his ass. “It changes nothing.”“It matters.” She growled. “It matters to me, and I know it will matter to Amy.” “Why?” He dropped his head into his hands. “It
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. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Everything is silver in here.” Vince wagged the key in front of me. “You will just have to be a good girl to get let out.” 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. “Stop!” I pulled away, slowly, weakly, growling softly to show I hadn’t 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 don’t 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? It’s poisoned…poisoned 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 doesn’t have magic. Okay…I don’t know what’s 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. That’s 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 can’t go any faster or it hurt them, it will break down their bodies. Like poison.So you’re
I heard a chuckle and then a soft whispered. “Slepta noir sha dineh por clotin.” Then the world went dark. Amy, stay awake. Nix called me, but I couldn’t 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 wasn’t an attack, like Verity said it was a gentle spell to put her to sleep. We are still awake, and if anything happens, I’m sure we can force her awake. But there is a bright side.What’s 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. “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