*Maddox*Leaving a nice warm bed where I was snuggled up in the arms of the woman who loves me, the woman I have finally admitted I love, too, wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve done in my life, but as I head to the dungeon the morning after we brought in the assholes who slaughtered the innocent people in the house at Duster pack, I know my job is about to get all the more difficult.I am hopeful that some of the difficult work has already begun. While Isla had slept with her head against my chest, I’d utilized the mind-link to let my most persuasive warriors have a turn or two with the bastards. My hope was that I would find a bunch of broken men who had all confessed to their crimes so that when I had them terminated, no one would feel any sympathy for them.Dealing with Zabrina would be more difficult, but that could wait.I take the steps quickly, feeling like the king I am. My mind goes back to the sight at the house, all of the blood, the dismembered bodies, the crying children.No
*Isla*Maddox was gone when I opened my eyes. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He told me last night that he had a lot to do, but I insisted he stay with me, and he did.I had fallen asleep on him in the bathtub, so he probably didn’t have much of a choice.Now, I am sitting at the dining table eating my breakfast while Poppy fake dusts because she doesn’t need to keep dusting.“I just feel really bad for that baby,” she is saying. I take a piece of toast and break it apart before putting a small piece in my mouth.I haven’t gone to check on Maddy yet, but I will. Not because I want to keep her. I understand now that Maddox is right. It’s not a good idea. I’m trying to come to terms with the fact that I’m expected to do everything Sydney just did yesterday soon enough–except for the dying part. That I’d like to avoid.“I feel bad for her, too,” I manage between bites.“I mean, in this day and age, now does that happen?” Piper continues. And I don’t have an answer for her. “Was Mystica
*Maddox*I sit behind my desk, silently swiveling my chair back and forth, just an inch this way and an inch that way, but it’s enough to keep my mind locked on the issue at hand.I have a decision to make, and it won’t be an easy one.Seth clears his throat from the chair across from me. That’s his way of saying he wonders if I’m ever going to respond to the question he asked several minutes ago.It’s one I don’t have an answer for, one that I’ve been mulling over since before I even told him he needed to come to my office to talk this through. Of course, I don’t expect him to have an answer either, but for the most part, Seth is the one I turn to when I need answers. He’s level-headed, smart, insightful, and doesn’t get distracted easily.Right now, I am not distracted either, for once. Lately, it seems like every time I try to make a decision, Isla leaps into my mind, and I’m completely sidetracked. Today, even though I am looking forward to relaxing in her arms at some point, but
*Isla*I hum a lullaby to Maddy as I rock her to sleep in my arms. Thanks to the wet nurse, she has a full belly, and I feel blessed by the Moon Goddess to have the opportunity to sit here and watch her sleep.I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m not keeping her. In fact, one of the women from the nursery told me earlier today that they’d contacted some family members that are related to Sydney’s mother, and they are planning to come and pick her up in a few days. Of course, they will be thoroughly interviewed by the king and myself first. Maddox will allow that, I have no doubt.I’m not the Luna, and I probably never will be, but when it comes to taking care of the packs’ children, I am willing to assert myself. Perhaps spending so much time with Maddox is making me feel more confident in my ability to make a difference for the better in the kingdom.As I rock and hum, I think about Maddox. I know he’s very busy today. He’s trying to decide what to do with all of those people who h
*Maddox*The sound of hammering resonates even though I’m inside looking out at the gallows that are being constructed in the courtyard. It’s been years since the last time I’ve heard that sound, and this is the first time I’ve ever ordered it myselfBut I don’t feel bad about it.This is something that has to be done, something I know will accomplish several goals all at once. It will get rid of these people who have committed horrific crimes against the crown and the citizens of my kingdom. It will show that I mean what I say when I decree that all of the packs are meant to work together toward a specific end. And finally, it will send a message to anyone out there who is thinking perhaps I am making a bad decision or that I am weak that they shouldn’t fuck with me.That’s really the biggest message I am hoping to send, and I hope that my enemies both far and wide hear that message and ingrain it into their brains for the rest of their miserable lives.Seth is quiet beside me, and I
*Isla*“Who the fuck are you?”Maddox’s outburst has me letting go of my brother, Ben, but standing between the king, who looks like he’s about to storm right through me and knock my little brother out the window, I put up my hand and shout, “Maddox, stop!”I hear Ben mumble a curse word I’ve never heard come out of his mouth before as he drops to his knee. “Your Majesty!” he declares, and I can’t tell if he’s afraid Maddox is angry because he’s not being subservient enough or if my brother realizes Maddox has the wrong idea.“Who is this asshole, and what the fuck is he doing in your room with his arms wrapped around you?”The king steps to the side and I have to move quickly to get in front of him. “He’s my brother!” I shout.Maddox looks like he’s about to shift, he’s so mad, but when he processes what I’ve yelled at him, he stops mid-lunge, and his eyes widen almost as much as his mouth, his razor-sharp canines picking up the light from the lamp overhead and twinkling–not in an en
*Isla*Staring at Maddox, I try to understand what it is he’s saying, what he’s just screamed at me, but it’s difficult, and I’m not sure I will be able to comprehend it without some sort of a better explanation.I wait, hoping he will say more, but all he’s doing is shaking his head, running his fingers through his hair.I’m going to have to ask him. “What do you mean my birth certificate is fake?” My lips are trembling as I ask the question. I thought this would be the proof he finally needed in order to see that I really am from Maatua, that I am a princess, but he doesn’t even want to accept this government-stamped, issued document.A loud sigh escapes his lips as he says, “Perhaps we should speak about this another time.”“What?” I blurt out. “No! You can’t say something like that and not explain yourself. You essentially just told me my entire life is a lie!”“Your entire life is a lie?” he repeats, his eyes wide and wild as he looks at me. “Isla, if this document were true, you
*Isla*“No.”I stand there, staring at Maddox, unable to comprehend what he’d just said to me. I have to repeat the word out loud before it fully sinks into my mind. “No?” I ask him.“That’s right, Isla. There’s no way in hell that I’m letting you go to Maatua. Not now. Not ever.” He is standing in front of me with his hands folded across his chest, looking down at me, as if his word is final.Technically, his word is final. After all, he is the Alpha King. He would be able to keep me from going there in several different ways–everything from just ordering me and compelling me to comply so as not to go against the word of the king to locking me up in the dungeon near Zabrina and the other captives he’s just brought in from Hill Country pack.Not that I think he’ll go to those lengths, but as I look into his narrowed eyes, I understand that he means what he’s saying to me. For whatever reason, this is not up for discussion.But that doesn’t mean that I’m willing to just say, “Oh, okay
BrieI open my eyes as I’m falling through thin air. I don’t even have time to scream before my body drops into water. Deep, rough water that drags me under the second I suck in a salty breath. I flail against the waves, trying to find the surface, but the undercurrent drags me down again, pulling me by my dress and tossing me upside down. My head hits something hard, and I screech, but the sound is empty. I suck in water, choking, and realize quite suddenly that I’m drowning. I go as still as possible, using the last of my energy to start moving with the current instead of against it, which turns out to be the best idea I’ve ever had, especially under duress. I open my eyes underwater, staring down at the shallows. It’s sunny. Daytime. And below, seaweed waves between large, gray rocks. Pockets of sunshine dance through the water, illuminating seashells in shades I’ve never seen before. Another wave crashes over the top of me, sending me rolling into even shallower water, and fina
MaeveCole and Misty have a beautiful suburban home in Shadowcrest. It’s always the same–always smells like freshly baked cookies and the flowers she keeps in vases all over the house. Tonight, as my toes brush the ground, and my powers funnel back into my body, it smells like… popcorn. “You pig! You’re not going to eat all of that.” Josie’s voice, so similar to her mother’s, drifts down the hallway. I landed in the foyer, which is dark, soft moonlight drifting in through the windows and casting the stairs and framed photos of the family in silver shadows. “If you wanted more, you should have added it to the order,” Adrian argues then yelps after a smacking sound reverberates toward me in the gloom. “Give me one of your tacos–”“Or what?”“I’ll tell Mom.”“She’s in Eastonia, dumbass. Hey!” A scuffle ensures. I have two seconds to jump into the shadow of Misty’s study just off the foyer when Cole walks down the stairs, still wearing his hospital scrubs. The sound of a shower running
LoganRyatt and Evander walk out of sight across the bridge connecting the barracks to the main streets of the city. I look out of my old bedroom window at the sunny glare casting shadows over the valley. The shadows move as the clouds dart across the sky toward the castle, toward my wife, who I’d much rather be with right now than here. I… I don’t have anything to pack. Anything that meant anything to me–my laptop, my fucking glasses–were lost in the shipwreck. I have the clothes on my back, and even those were borrowed from who-knows-where, left on the dresser in Brie’s bedroom by the ghost that haunts her house. She’s all I have, and it’s not like I can pack her in my duffle bag and take her with me. I crank open the window to let in some fresh air to cut through the overwhelmingly male smell of the barracks. I turn to my empty duffle bag with a sigh, bracing my hands on either side of it on the bed, and hang my head, but a whoosh of air rushes out behind me, and I turn in time
BrieThe moment my bedroom door closes behind us, Logan’s mouth is on mine. The lock slides into place with a soft click, and an even softer groan leaves his mouth when I reach up to run my fingers through his damp curls. He smells like rain and leather. Like the promise of warmth and comfort through another stormy night. And now this man–this loud, obnoxious, opinionated man… he’s mine. He presses a kiss to the ring he bought today on a whim. It’s a simple band of gold–that’s it. “I'll give you a better one when I return,” he promises, kissing the palm of my hand before his lips find mine again. “A ring with a diamond the old gods can see from the heavens.”“I don’t care about that.” I giggle as his hands glide down my sides, pulling me close. Outside, thunder booms, the room lighting in ribbons of blue as lightning splits the clouds, but in here, it’s warm. It’s private. It’s just us. He removes my cloak. It falls to the ground in a heap at my feet. He’s careful with the dress,
MaeveBrie is… radiant. She glows in her simple white dress of lace and satin, her hair falling loose over her back and shoulders as Logan slowly, tenderly, lowers the hood of her dark blue cloak. The temple is quiet and dim, moonlight flooding the altar. Logan knits his fingers in Brie’s and brings her knuckles to his lips, pressing a kiss against them. They’re bathed in silver, the windows behind them dancing in starlight. It’s beautiful, really. It’s what I envisioned for her, one day, what I thought would be… years from now. I watch my sister–the person I love the most in all of the world–intertwine her soul with someone else, forcing myself to unravel the ribbons binding my heart to hers. She doesn’t belong to me anymore. Logan looks at her as they kneel before the priestess in her silver robes. They lean into each other like being inches away is too far apart. And the look on his face as he brushes his lips over her temple… he loves her. He’s devoted–body, and soul. My heart
Brie“Tonight?”“Yes, tonight.”“How?” I laugh, taking a step away from him. “We-we can’t.”“We can,” he says breathlessly, shaking his head. “The temple stays open all night. We’d just need to find a priestess.”“We’d need a witness,” I whisper as the cogs in my mind start turning. “I’d need a dress–”“I’d marry you like this,” he says, taking my hands. “But please, for the love of the Goddess, marry me before I go.”I blink up at Logan, my heart swelling and squeezing simultaneously. There’s still a whisper in my mind that warns me that he could change his mind, that he can’t really want me, but I… banish it, giving myself to him fully. “Are you sure?” I ask, scanning his eyes. “I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want you to be my wife, Brie.”“I’m already your mate.”“It’s not enough.” He brushes my hair out of my face and kisses me, but a rush of air alerts us to a visitor making their way up the stairs to the tower. I pull away as a soft knock sounds on the door. Neither
BrieLogan steps into my dad’s office. All eyes turn to him as he scans the men–Sydney, Grandpa Ryatt, my father, a few others that serve both my father and grandfather as generals, captains, and commanders. Logan’s eyes are like polished, imperfect emeralds as he eyes my grandpa wearily, like he’s not entirely sure he understands what Ryatt just said to everyone in the room. “Brie, you don’t need to be here for this,” Aviva whispers behind me, knitting her fingers in mine. But Logan growls, “She stays.”A silent, heavy, creeping hint of tension scatters around the room. The entire castle would explode if someone lit a match right now, I’m sure. My spine tingles as Logan turns to Ryatt and says, calmly despite the bite in his voice, “There’s nothing in Emberfyll.”“Quite the contrary,” my grandfather replies immediately, rounding my father’s desk, his shadow powers simmering and coiling around his fingers, “Debris has been washing up on the southern shore of Tarsian for decades now.
LoganBrie looks exhausted, but otherwise… happy, thank the Goddess, as she sits between her mother and Misty, listening to their conversation and picking at a sandwich. I lean my elbows on the table across the room where I’m sitting in silence, alone, still waiting for my mind to catch up with my body after Maeve jumped with us from the middle of the ocean to Veiled Valley. A shadow moves into view, crossing through the doorway before a shadow breaches the informal living area. Ryan looks around before turning the corner, beelining for me, waving away several rushed questions coming from the group of women on the couches nearby. He braces his hands on the table beside me, leaning down to whisper into my ear, “I need to speak to you in private before Ryatt returns. Can you come with me?”I glance at Brie, who’s watching us with her brows furrowed in worry. I suck my teeth before nodding, and Ryan moves back a step so I can stand. Brie and I have been using the mind-link as much as
BrieI pull the stool out from under my vanity, sinking down and facing Blake. I’m older than him by a few months. We’ve always been close, even when we were younger, and he tended to want to play rowdy boy games with Aris. He always sat quietly and played tea-party with me, though, without fail. He’s also the pariah of the family and knows it. His powers rival Ryatt’s, which is a terrifying thought. In fact, I often question who’s more powerful–him or Maeve? But that’s not a fair question at the moment, given that Maeve’s powers aren’t even fully developed yet. Blake, however… he exudes energy that makes my skin tingle as he sits in my desk chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “You found us, didn’t you?” He nods, a flash of guilt darkening his irises. “I admit I didn’t even look until Maeve cornered me. She felt you, she said. Sensed your arrival back in our waters.”I wonder how much Logan told the family. Probably everything, I’m sure. That man can talk, and I love that abou