Sorry for the long delay between chapters. We are so close to the end. Thank you for hanging in with me this far! If you are enjoying the story, consider leaving a gem or two in appreciation!
[Apple] The back of the van smells like fear, antiseptic, and now vomit. I hadn't eaten anything in days, yet my stomach found some way to make a mess of the back of this van. Between the scents, the jarring motions, and being around 4 months pregnant, it was more than my body could take all at once. I wish I were back home. This place isn't home to me anymore. It hasn't been since I found myself nestled next to Sly that first morning after my room was destroyed and he carried me into his bed. Waking up next to him is home. Sly is out there. I can feel it. He feels closer than ever. "Soon," Astrea promises. "Our mate is searching for us now. Can't you feel it?" Checking our bond, I feel it spring to life, and I almost gasp. It's so much stronger than it's been in such a long time. "Sly, can you hear me?" I send through our link. "Please let me know that you are safe." His reply sounds warbled like he's speaking underwater, but the message is clear. "I feel you. I hear you. I'm
[Apple] I now know what it means to be treated like an animal. I knew that some humans hated wolves and witches. I grew up surrounded by the teachings of The Brotherhood, indoctrinated in their rights from early childhood. But it wasn’t until today that I finally saw the truth of it. It’s one thing to be taught that wolves are dogs; it is quite another to be treated as one. The cart they pushed me inside of was made of several cages that can snap together, creating rectangular prisms of various lengths and widths. Each box has a solid base of silver which burns and blisters the flesh until it calluses over. My tender flesh wasn’t prepared for the torture of it, and they laughed as they shoved me inside, throwing me a rotten-smelling towel from the back of the van to use as a barrier. It smells like vomit and piss, but it’s still better than the smell of my own flesh, and far better than some of the wolves have in the adjoining cages. Looking across the row of prisoners, there are
[Sylvester]The witches quickly take over the search. Soon, Rudy and I had nothing more to do than watch. I may be a newly discovered hybrid, the first wolf mage in generations, but I’m still learning my way around magic. At this point, unless it involves brute force or stunning an entire crowd with concentrated life-force, I’m useless.“If you were more witch, you’d be a spell-caster,” Araminta explains. “You’re mate, Apple, is more of a hedge witch, getting her energy from the plants around her. You are both extremely powerful, but you’re more like a blunt instrument. You need to learn refinement to do the work we’re about to do, and unfortunately, having not grown up around your grandmother, you weren’t gifted with her knowledge.”“You knew my grandmother,” I ask, wondering if there is any witch out there she doesn’t know.She doesn’t answer, she just smiles and says. “Remind me someday to tell you how Esmeralda Sterling and I met.”The witches have gone into the other room where th
[Rudy]It's been three days since we realized our mates are in the East, waiting for us. Three agonizing days of hearing her wails of pain in my mind as I fall asleep.But we have a war to win. A war we didn't even realize we were fighting until we were in the thick of it. We have been traveling from site to site, gathering as many wolves and witches as we can, banding together and hiding in the woods as we fortify and heal, preparing for our attack on Pleasant Valley.Sylvester has named all of us lieutenants, with him as our general leading the pack. As we move from town to town, using his unique skills as a healer, Sly has cured bands of afflicted, bringing them back into themselves.Even the witches are helping. As soon as Araminta and Harlem began contacting smaller covens, reuniting them with lost loved ones, both witch and wolf, we began receiving the open support of many of the smaller covens. With wolves and witches finally working together, we may be able to end this nightmar
[Apple] The humans weren’t expecting us to fight back, a mistake they would soon regret as dozens of wolves snap and growl, raking the cages with their long, sharp claws. My call to arms was the spark needed to ignite their anger after months of captivity, torture and suffering. Now the rage of a thousand wolves turns towards their oppressors and, for the first time ever, the humans watching over us realize something. It was a mistake to put us all in the same place. As my box is lowered onto the concrete floor, followed by several others in a continuous line, the room is already loud with the crackle of whips and screams, both human and wolf, as the two sides fight one another for dominance. Even in cages, my people fight viciously, biting any hands stupid enough to move close enough to taste as bursts of energy flash overhead along with the rattling crack of spells hitting walls. Because before we arrived, the witches were already on the move. The humans, in their hubris, di
[Apple] The urge to scream is overwhelming, but I tamp it down, breathing through my nose in a vain attempt to keep my heart from racing from my chest as my mind struggles to catch up to what my eyes are seeing and realize that the twisted puzzle of a man before me had once been a wolf. Now, what is left of him is pieced together with wires, pulled apart and stretched thin. Pieces have been replaced, others removed, and all the while the wolf himself is left in some perversion of painful slumber, his brow permanently creased with both age and pain. Trapped between forms, his nude flesh is covered with patches of red fur and the small amount of hair remaining on the top of his head, where it hasn’t been shaved to add diodes between metal plates, is prematurely gray. Lysander Moon. Once proud Gamma of the Silver Crescent Pack is now little more than a collection of wires, tubes and flesh. This is what the Brotherhood has reduced him to. I'd never met my father before, but somewhe
[Apple]This is my third bonus shift this week at the Trail’s End Diner. I’ve been taking on all the extra work I can to free myself of this hell hole and I’m almost there. Just one more day of work and I’ll have enough to drive away and leave this place forever. “Order up!” I grab the food from underneath the light and weave my way around customers to set a too-greasy hamburger and fries in front of an older gentleman with a wandering hand. I’ve been avoiding my stepfather’s touches since my breasts first budded, so I have learned how to avoid such advances. If I were bolder, I might scream when his hand finds my hip instead of my ass or thigh. But I don’t want trouble. I just want to finish my shift and go home. “Hey Apple,” Tony from the post office walks in with a big smile on his face, “I saw this and thought you might want it before you went home.” He pulls a large envelope with the words “Crescent City University” written in bold black font. “You know what they say about big
Crescent City is the nearest metropolis to Pleasant Valley and home to the largest population of supernaturals on the West Coast. Mostly werewolves, and maybe a few witches, they stick to their own kind for the most part, although they go to school and work side by side with humans. Growing up in Pleasant Valley, an all-human community, I didn't encounter many supernaturals. Which is why it was so startling to find myself in the middle of a city full of them. At first, I look around in awe, mesmerized by the bright lights and vivid sounds, but then as I drive around downtown I realize two very important things:Number 1--I don’t know where I’m going.Number 2--After three hours of driving to get here, I’m starving.My idiot ex-boss didn’t even let me gather my tips before I left, and my wallet was empty. I can’t touch the money in my savings account--that’s for school. So I’m stuck to my secret car stash of cash that I keep underneath the passenger’s seat. Reaching down, my fingers
[Apple] The urge to scream is overwhelming, but I tamp it down, breathing through my nose in a vain attempt to keep my heart from racing from my chest as my mind struggles to catch up to what my eyes are seeing and realize that the twisted puzzle of a man before me had once been a wolf. Now, what is left of him is pieced together with wires, pulled apart and stretched thin. Pieces have been replaced, others removed, and all the while the wolf himself is left in some perversion of painful slumber, his brow permanently creased with both age and pain. Trapped between forms, his nude flesh is covered with patches of red fur and the small amount of hair remaining on the top of his head, where it hasn’t been shaved to add diodes between metal plates, is prematurely gray. Lysander Moon. Once proud Gamma of the Silver Crescent Pack is now little more than a collection of wires, tubes and flesh. This is what the Brotherhood has reduced him to. I'd never met my father before, but somewhe
[Apple] The humans weren’t expecting us to fight back, a mistake they would soon regret as dozens of wolves snap and growl, raking the cages with their long, sharp claws. My call to arms was the spark needed to ignite their anger after months of captivity, torture and suffering. Now the rage of a thousand wolves turns towards their oppressors and, for the first time ever, the humans watching over us realize something. It was a mistake to put us all in the same place. As my box is lowered onto the concrete floor, followed by several others in a continuous line, the room is already loud with the crackle of whips and screams, both human and wolf, as the two sides fight one another for dominance. Even in cages, my people fight viciously, biting any hands stupid enough to move close enough to taste as bursts of energy flash overhead along with the rattling crack of spells hitting walls. Because before we arrived, the witches were already on the move. The humans, in their hubris, di
[Rudy]It's been three days since we realized our mates are in the East, waiting for us. Three agonizing days of hearing her wails of pain in my mind as I fall asleep.But we have a war to win. A war we didn't even realize we were fighting until we were in the thick of it. We have been traveling from site to site, gathering as many wolves and witches as we can, banding together and hiding in the woods as we fortify and heal, preparing for our attack on Pleasant Valley.Sylvester has named all of us lieutenants, with him as our general leading the pack. As we move from town to town, using his unique skills as a healer, Sly has cured bands of afflicted, bringing them back into themselves.Even the witches are helping. As soon as Araminta and Harlem began contacting smaller covens, reuniting them with lost loved ones, both witch and wolf, we began receiving the open support of many of the smaller covens. With wolves and witches finally working together, we may be able to end this nightmar
[Sylvester]The witches quickly take over the search. Soon, Rudy and I had nothing more to do than watch. I may be a newly discovered hybrid, the first wolf mage in generations, but I’m still learning my way around magic. At this point, unless it involves brute force or stunning an entire crowd with concentrated life-force, I’m useless.“If you were more witch, you’d be a spell-caster,” Araminta explains. “You’re mate, Apple, is more of a hedge witch, getting her energy from the plants around her. You are both extremely powerful, but you’re more like a blunt instrument. You need to learn refinement to do the work we’re about to do, and unfortunately, having not grown up around your grandmother, you weren’t gifted with her knowledge.”“You knew my grandmother,” I ask, wondering if there is any witch out there she doesn’t know.She doesn’t answer, she just smiles and says. “Remind me someday to tell you how Esmeralda Sterling and I met.”The witches have gone into the other room where th
[Apple] I now know what it means to be treated like an animal. I knew that some humans hated wolves and witches. I grew up surrounded by the teachings of The Brotherhood, indoctrinated in their rights from early childhood. But it wasn’t until today that I finally saw the truth of it. It’s one thing to be taught that wolves are dogs; it is quite another to be treated as one. The cart they pushed me inside of was made of several cages that can snap together, creating rectangular prisms of various lengths and widths. Each box has a solid base of silver which burns and blisters the flesh until it calluses over. My tender flesh wasn’t prepared for the torture of it, and they laughed as they shoved me inside, throwing me a rotten-smelling towel from the back of the van to use as a barrier. It smells like vomit and piss, but it’s still better than the smell of my own flesh, and far better than some of the wolves have in the adjoining cages. Looking across the row of prisoners, there are
[Apple] The back of the van smells like fear, antiseptic, and now vomit. I hadn't eaten anything in days, yet my stomach found some way to make a mess of the back of this van. Between the scents, the jarring motions, and being around 4 months pregnant, it was more than my body could take all at once. I wish I were back home. This place isn't home to me anymore. It hasn't been since I found myself nestled next to Sly that first morning after my room was destroyed and he carried me into his bed. Waking up next to him is home. Sly is out there. I can feel it. He feels closer than ever. "Soon," Astrea promises. "Our mate is searching for us now. Can't you feel it?" Checking our bond, I feel it spring to life, and I almost gasp. It's so much stronger than it's been in such a long time. "Sly, can you hear me?" I send through our link. "Please let me know that you are safe." His reply sounds warbled like he's speaking underwater, but the message is clear. "I feel you. I hear you. I'm
[Hazel]We woke to the sound of wolves howling and the rattling of squeaking wheels over concrete floors.Trapped as we are in our prison of silver, we witches had nothing better to do than to watch the humans at their dark work. Seeing them about their daily strife is the only amusement we have.Except that it isn't amusing. Not one bit.I wish I could unsee the parade of humans pushing carts laden with cages, cages containing terrified wolves, trapped in their bestial forms, huddled in corners, their eyes sad and sunken, their arms and legs bald where they've been shaved and poked, used for whatever sick experiments happened behind the great, steel wall.The doors to the wall are wide open today, and I can see deep inside that mysterious chamber. I had wondered if that had been where they kept the wolves. And now, seeing the condition they are in, I wish I had known sooner so that as we witches planned our escapes, I could have planned to free them as well.No one should live trapped
[Apple]On my third day of hiding, I woke to the sound of trucks rolling through town towards the city center. Large container trucks rattled along the highway, their horns blazing.Something is happening, but what?As if on cue, my stepfather storms out of the trailer, shouting over his shoulder at Tansy, who stumbles after him, his shirt in one hand and a beer in the other. Throwing his shirt over his head, Doc covers his blindingly white, naked chest right before taking the beer, knocking it back with a quick, enthusiastic chug.“Damn it girl,” Doc swears when he spills some down his front. "This beer is warmer than whore's piss. Why the…”“Dad, you don’t have time for this,” she pushes him towards the truck. “Remember, you’re meeting with the mayor in 15 minutes.”Tansy looks over her father’s head at the road leading down to town, her brow pinched with concern as she folds her hands nervously, twisting her fingers around one another as she paces. “Why are you in such a hurry?” Do
[Apple] When the dust settled and the truck came to a halt, two middle-aged men came stumbling out, half drunk, patting themselves on the back. "Damn it, Doc, that was fun," Evan Paige, Zion's father and the Mayor of Pleasant Valley, laughs as he dusts off a set of fatigues. He's a handsome man, an older version of Zion with the classic All-American athlete look, large muscles, blue eyes, and golden blonde hair. His has a bit of gray at the temples, and his face is finely lined with age, but there is no mistaking their parentage. Zion is practically his younger twin. Or he was until I killed him during my first shift. In the end, it seems he really did love me. He even warned me about Clancy, even though it was too late. "Any day, Ev," Doc belches and then laughs when he bleaches a second time. "Maybe a few less beers if we're gonna hit so many bumps. Damn, rogues had to take to the forest." "Yeah, next time let's bring the ATV..." They continue to plot as they walk inside the tra