*Isla* The first night of the trials went well, all things considered. A large banquet was held in our honor, and the camp outside the stadium had been full to the brim with people from all over the pack lands. But I am quickly realizing how little I actually know about the lands in which Maddox’s title encompasses. “I’ve never talked so much in my life,” I say, my voice hoarse and cracking like gravel as I reach for a bottle of water. Trinity shifts her weight in her chair, the white canvas of what Ben calls “The Luna’s Royal Tent” billowing over our heads. “Well, I’d say you met everyone and their mothers, grandmothers, great aunts and weird cousins,” Trinity chuckles before sipping from her own water bottle. She isn’t wrong. The field in the stadium had been filled with tables and chairs, live music blasting, and food and drinks flowing freely for hours and hours. I’d walked around with Isaac and Maddox, formally introducing myself to Alphas of both large, well established and
*Maddox*“She’s mad at me,” I say to Antony as we stand in the royal box overlooking the stadium. The entire room smells strongly of coffee and whatever light breakfast is being laid out in silver trays buy my staff. Antony makes a noise in his throat, grunting like he knows exactly how I currently feel. “Why?”“Trinity, actually,” I sigh, rolling my ankle as I look down my black coffee, the fluorescent lights reflecting in the inky black liquid. “Why not just send Trinity away? She has family elsewhere, doesn’t she?”“Isla isn’t mad at me because Trinity is here….” I sip the coffee, exhaling deeply as I balance the mug on my knee. “She’s actually taken a liking to Trinity all of the sudden, and now she’s dead set on defending her against Trinity’s mate.”“What?” Antony leans back in his chair, his eyes narrowed into cat like slits. “Trinity doesn’t have a mate–”“She does–and it’s Elijah.”“The Alpha of Moorn’s brother?”“The one and only.”“Goddess.” Antony runs his hand over his
*Isla*The stadium is nearly silent as we watch Keenan’s wolf circle around Elijah’s limp body. My blood rushes in my ears as my heart races. Maddox is holding my hand, squeezing, as we cling to the railing and watch in horror as Keenan begins to approach the royal box, his head held high. Maddox’s warriors are lingering on the edge of the field, waiting for Maddox’s command to end the match, but he hesitates, his brow furrowing as he gazes at the black mass of fur and blood lying still in the center of the field. I slowly turn my gaze to Trinity, who has her eyes closed, her fingers knitted as she prays. “Is that it?” Antony says somewhere behind us. “Is he dead?”I turn back to the field just in time to see Elijah twitch, slowly raising his head. “Maddox, look!” I say, shakily pointing a finger at Elijah. Keenan must be looking right at us, because he turns his head as I point at Elijah and stalks back over to him, teeth bared. “He’s going to rip him to shreds,” Antony says in
*Maddox*Shit. I can feel Antony’s smug grin even though I can’t see him. Sure, proposing to the woman who is already the mother of my child AND my Luna at a party in the honor of my new Beta is ridiculous, but he was right to say I had done everything backward already. So, why stop? But now Trinity and Elijah are standing in front of me, stealing what I hoped would be Isla’s spotlight. “Of course,” I say, smiling despite the fact that I’m internally screaming. Isla grabs my hand, her mouth stretched in a beaming smile. Well, at least she’s happy about it. Now what am I going to do? Elijah shows very little emotion but seems relieved as he turns to Trinity and leads her away, the two of them walking shoulder to shoulder. “Well, I’ll be damned,” Poppy giggles. “She wasn’t a threat to you after all, Isla.”Isla turns and glares playfully at Poppy, who makes a funny face at her in return. I catch the placement of Antony’s hand as it rests on Poppy’s stomach and meet his eye, noticin
*Isla*I never really envisioned this moment. Maddox is down on one knee, his eyes turned up to meet mine expectantly. I realize with a start that at this moment, this man, this Alpha King most people won’t even look in the eye out of fear and respect, is kneeling before me… me. “I love you,” I say, my voice trembling. The column of his throat bobs as he swallows, his brow furrowing. “Are you saying no?”“Of course not,” I say softly, then slide off the bench so I’m resting on my knees in front of him. I hold out my hand, and he takes an audible breath, his eyes glistening as he removes the ring–a beautiful ring with what looks like a moonstone surrounded by sapphires–and slips it onto my finger. “Of course I’ll marry you,” I whisper, holding his gaze. His deep green eyes are sharp, focused, and full of what I can only describe as youthful hope. “But you’ve referred to me as your wife a few times already. Why did you feel–feel the need to propose to me–” I bite down on my words as
*Isla*Seth’s body swings from the noose, the rope around his neck taunt as he body drifts in a soft breeze. I didn’t want to come back here after the hanging took place. A day has passed since the hanging, and I spent most of the morning in the castle, alone, waiting for Maddox to return. He’d stayed out here all night. I watch as my mate walks toward me, his face drawn and flooded with an emotion I’ve never seen behind his eyes. I can’t describe it, even if I try to put myself in his shoes and imagine what my grief and despair would be like had Poppy ever betrayed me like Seth did to Maddox. I adjust Isaac’s weight in my arms, smiling empathetically as Maddox nears, his expression softening as we step out of the shadow of a towering oak tree to greet him. “You didn’t have to come all the way over here to find me,” he says, brushing a kiss over my forehead. “I was going to come home.”“I was worried about you,” I reply, leaning into him. Isaac stirs between us, cooing as Maddox’s
Poppy clutches the back of the couch, her freshly manicured fingernails gleaming in the light of the antique chandelier hanging over our heads. I wait to say anything until I hear Ben and Maddox’s footsteps recede down the hallway and out of earshot. Then, I turn to her, sighing as I meet her eyes and ask, “Is this what you want?”“Yes,” she replies with finality, giving me a soft smile. “I love him, Isla. He loves me. And based on what happened today–” she sighs heavily, her eyes glassy with sudden emotion. “The Goddess has been looking out for us, hasn’t she? She let Mystica give you a final, although extremely strange, gift of a vision before she died peacefully with us surrounding her. And she led me to my mate, despite all odds. I want to be with him, even if that means I have to leave your side.”“You’ll also have a home here,” I say softly, trying not to cry. Today has been… very hard. Very sad. Very trying. My body feels wasted with grief as I lower myself onto a chaise, cross
*Maddox*Elijah peers at the map on my desk, his hands tucked behind his back. His hazel eyes shine in the gray light pouring through the windows–another rainy, foggy, overcast day. We’re over the heat of the summer now. I’m thankful for it. It was an especially brutal summer, but given the brutality of the last year, I’m not surprised in the slightest. Ben sits in a chair nearby, flipping through a pamphlet I gave him. He looks up at me, arching a brow. For a moment, he looks like the male counterpart to my mate, that expression so much like Isla’s when she’s thoroughly suspicious of something. “It’s the most prestigious university in the packlands. I went there. Isaac will go there. And, you will too, if it’s what you want.” I watch as Ben flips a page and begins to read about the paths of study the Wellington Crest Institute offers. He could study law, history, art… or go the warrior route, but I doubt Ben would enjoy that rigorous course of study. I see him lingering on the his
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