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LUCY'S POV:After finally collecting myself, Tricia and I decided to go for a walk while we talked.At this point, stretching my limbs was a love-hate situation, but after being in bed for four days, I knew that I needed to do it."So, let's start with the lake," Tricia said, breaking the silence.I explained to her the dream-walking state I had been in when I had put my feet in the water, and she gasped, putting her hand to her mouth."What?" I snapped, not meaning to speak so sharply at her."I'm not sure how you connected to the lake in the dream walking state. That's so cool, Lucy!" she exclaimed, skipping her feet along the path, making me laugh."Yeah, but it put me in a trance-like state where I was forced to answer Leon truthfully. I told him I was his mate!" I say, shaking my head.I explained that I hadn't told Leon about the dream walking, so he had no idea that it was me.She nodded in understanding before responding."We found you by the lake that night. I had a vision of
LEON'S POV:Seth answers the door and looks at me, a bit surprised."Oh hey," he says, moving out of the doorway.Liam and I accept the invitation and step inside. We walk into his living room and sit down on opposite sides of the couch.I'm watching Seth's body language and I can tell he is uneasy."Your dad said you could go see Lucy after she feels better," Seth says, breaking the awkward silence.He is sitting down on the recliner across from the couch."Why was she sick? Werewolves don't really get sick," I say skeptically."Yeah, I know," he says without giving any explanation."Anyway, Zev said she is feeling a little better, so you should be able to see her soon. Tricia is going to be here today if she isn't already here. I know that your Dad can be secretive, but keep pushing his boundaries, he will open up more if you do. You need to talk to Tricia too. You will be taking over soon, and I need you both to be on the same page as I am." He sounds irritated but gives us a curt s
LUCY'S POV:Trish and I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning talking.She showed me how to connect to my Fae magic, but I still had a lot of work left to do.Masking my scent was actually really easy. She explained a lot of our power is connected to our emotions, so the more we want or need something, the easier it is to control the action.It's crazy to me that this power has always been inside of me, and I never knew it. Apparently, I was not affected by silver because I was a Fae. Trish explained to me that the Silver Throne Faes were connected to silver in more ways than one, which made me, being a hybrid werewolf, all the more curious.I chose not to overthink it too much.My acceptance of who or what I was had made a massive difference for Nia.She was now fully present with me, making my heart feel so much better.Trish was right about one thing: I needed to gain more confidence.I had slept in pretty late after not going to bed until the early morning.By the time I wok
LEON'S POV:Liam was right about a few things.One, Savina definitely had some experience. There was no way that was her first time.She didn't have to tell me for me to know that much but she admitted afterwards that she was embarrassed to tell me.Secondly, Bandit was feeling stronger within me, which made me happy.It definitely wasn't how I expected my first time to go, but at this point, I had accepted that nothing would go as I had planned.What was important now was making sure Bandit was okay.I turned my head, shifting to my side on the bed. Savina was still sleeping.I wanted nothing more than for her to leave after it was over, and even though she told me she lied, I didn't have the heart to kick her out.So here she is, sleeping peacefully in my bed.I crawl out of the bed, trying hard not to wake her up. I locked the bathroom door behind me before turning on the shower as hot as I could handle. I felt like I needed to scrub my own skin off.After quickly and quietly getti
TRICIA'S POV:I was fuming but trying my best to keep it cool.I knew that Leon didn't have any idea that Lucy was his mate or that he would never have slept with that leech, but nonetheless, I know that what he did would have harmed their bond and connection.Most importantly, it would have been extremely painful for Lucy.Hopefully, he didn't last long, I thought to myself, cringing a bit at my own thought."Wait, Tricia, I wanted to apologize, actually. I was a bit... cranky with you before. I'm sorry for how I acted. I have nothing against you or you being Fae; I was just trying to get through some weird phase, I guess," Leon says, trying to stop me from leaving.I know that some part of him was acting the way he was because his body had recognized his mate.However, the possessive, crazy side he had previously shown stems from his wolf's connection to his mate, which he couldn't have without scenting her, so it didn't make sense.I'd give him a free pass either way since he was my
TRICIA'S POV:Leander doesn't hide his confusion at all at this point."No. Are you sure Leon? It isn't Liam? I honestly wasn't sure if she was either of theirs. It could have been another relative, really. Neither of them spoke up about it after the mating gala," he says, surprising me with his unknown knowledge.He catches on to my confusion quickly."My family has had this sense about us for every generation ever known. We get an overwhelming protective feeling over our familials and their mates even if they haven't mated yet," he explained.Interesting. I had never heard of that before. Leander always had a way of surprising me and teaching me something new each time we spoke.He senses my intrigue and it makes him smile."Yes, it's not something we share with others often. Every Alpha line has its own "quirks," if you will. If you ask me it's the Moon Goddesses way of ensuring that we stay on the right path. That we fulfill our destiny so to speak. You know the Alpha blood lines a
LUCY'S POV:The pain was excruciating.Seth brought me inside, and Jason followed closely.The pain in my chest started to pierce through my entire existence. I was holding back tears.I didn't want to seem weak, but I had never felt anything more terrible in my entire life, and that was saying something considering everything I had been through."Lucy, we need to get you in a hot bath," Seth said not finishing his thought. I knew this was him asking permission to take my clothes off.I should feel petrified at this thought, but it was Seth and Jason, and the pain was clouding my entire sanity."It's okay, p-p-please," I couldn't finish my plea for help because another searing pain shot through my body, making me scream and curl up into a ball in his arms."I'll get the herbs," Jason says firmly. My vision feels cloudy, but I can see Seth looking over at him with a surprised expression."Yeah, uh, hurry, please," he says, setting me on the bathroom sink countertop."No!" I whine reac
LUCY'S POV:I woke up to Seth's arms wrapped snuggly around my waist.It's bright outside so I knew we slept in pretty late. It should have been alarming, but I instantly thought of everything he did to make me feel okay last night, and I suddenly relaxed in his grip.I lay there for a while as he slept. His hand was warm against my side.My towel had slipped halfway off during the night, and although I knew our position was not purposely strewed, I still felt comfort in it somehow.Seth was my rock, and I basked in his comfort.Seth was very handsome and sweet. I couldn't deny the attraction even though I had held back and ensured he never felt anything but the friend zone.Maybe it was that I knew Leon had slept with Savina but I felt emptier inside after waking up."Fuck! Luna... oh my god," Seth scrambled on the bed, trying to reposition himself as if he wasn't just cuddling me.I laughed. Hard. He wasn't squirmish, but this entire thing had him in shambles.He looked over at me
Lucy:Leander said yes, of course. I knew that he would.Rosie was over the moon with excitement, and while I think we were all still shaken up about the crazy driver situation, this was a silver lining."Of course, Tallie and Maddel will have to agree. After all, they did adopt Rosie, and she is not an adult yet," Leander states.I couldn't tell what it was, but I didn't care too much for Rosie's adoptive mother, and I hadn't met her adoptive father yet."You're like a magnet for danger!" That's Trish.About time she shows up.Oh no. She doesn't have Saul.It's getting late. We've been here for longer, or the entire crash and chaos took more time than I had thought."Trishy, where is your mate?" I ask, staring at the cottage in hopes that Saul will come around the corner, but he doesn't.He went with Seth.Of course, he did. It makes sense, but I still can't help but feel bad. I keep feeling like everything is my fault. Anyone around me is put in danger left and right."Stop," Seth
Lucy:A gentle hum vibrated from my connection with Rosie before everything went black.Am I the only one who can hear her this way?"Hello?" I ask into the darkness.A blue light illuminates the darkness. I shield my eyes with my arm momentarily until the light dims, and I'm left sitting on a garden bench."You're okay," I hear Liam's voice.I jump, startled by his presence in my space.My space? Where am I?"What? How?" I ask, turning my body to face him fully now.Liam just smiles at me and pulls me onto his lap to straddle him."This doesn't-" I'm cut off by Liam's lips softly pressing against mine.He gently wraps his arms around me, pulling my body closer to his in the process. For a brief moment, I let myself go, bringing myself into this moment with Liam."Wait!" I pull away."This isn't real. You aren't real!" I say, tearing up again.I had a horrible feeling about Liam going on that mission.How do I get out of here? I need to find Liam. Real Liam.Dammit, Rosie, what did
Seth:'What do we do?' Leon links me.Lucy has been crying in his lap for at least five minutes now as we drive to Rosie's.Goddess, why did she have to live so far out of the way? A large spot on his shirt was soaked with her tears. He's been doing a great job soothing her, the best anyone could, but she's not being receptive like she normally is.I can tell even Leander is getting nervous. Lucy's mood seemed to sway anyone within 20 feet of her.'Maybe it's a good thing we're going to Rosies,' I link back.Honestly, I have no idea. I had never seen Lucy act this way.Liam's leaving broke her into pieces. At least a million of them."Lucy!" Leander speaks up before clearing his throat.I watch as she hiccups and clears her throat, wiping her tears as they continue to flow steadily down her cheeks."Liam has been on a lot of scouting missions. This is his specialty. He managed to make it to Kragen's facility, find you, and come home in one piece. He will be okay," Leander states, s
Lucy:'Lucy! Wait for us!' Liam links me, but Nia isn't listening.Neither am I.I gave Nia complete control; she needed this. We should have gone for a run first thing this morning.We're gaining on him. I can feel the strength running through our blood, supplying us with more energy.The sound of his heartbeat sounds like rocks beating relentlessly against a drum.He's scared.Good.'There he is!' I say, even though I know she can see him too.The sound of paws is now beating heavily against the dirt ground, echoing off the solid oak and maple tree trunks. Of course, he had headed straight towards the forest. Anyone trying to get away would run in this direction but an unanswered question pops into my head.Where is he running to?'Wait! Nia! Let him get away!' I shout as loud as I can.I feel her growl vibrate through our entire presence as she leaps over a fallen oak log, our paws nearly brushing against the bark.I force myself forward, shifting mid-air against her will. My body
Lucy:"We'll have to take a car to Rosie's," Seth says as we head out the front doors of the pack house.For the most part, everyone understood what I had explained to them earlier about the connections, but if there was one thing I was holding very close to me, it was Hecate telling me to trust my gut.I had a third sense for things. It wasn't my core gift, but it acted very close to it.At some point, I needed to get Seth alone to help me plan for my other mate's birthday.While the ceremony would be on their actual birthday, I had a small idea of what I wanted to do for them as my gift, and it wouldn't be able to be on their actual birthday.The typical black SUV pulled around with a driver I hadn't seen before. It wasn't their usual guy."Can I take the passenger seat?" I ask, feeling oddly uncomfortable with this new driver for some reason unknown to me at this moment.While it may seem odd to take the passenger seat with how I'm feeling, it's really not. The closer I am to this d
Savina:"What took you so long?" I hiss.They left me for dead; I just know it.My throat feels like sandpaper as I sit up in the cot I had been in for the last several days."Be thankful we came back for you at all," Kash says.I have no clue where we are. The room is dark, and they haven't let me leave since I got here.They lied to me. Lucy wasn't supposed to have her magic. It was supposed to be an easy task.Although my plan was never to take her out in a challenge, I was improvising.The goal was to separate her from her mate's bond so that if her magic ever came to fruition, she would not gain her full strength.Kash never told me why we were doing it. Some might think I was a fool for following his orders blindly, but I trusted him.I loved him.I never wanted Leon the way that I had made it seem. It was a means to an end."How could you say that, Kash?! I did what you asked of me!" I defend.His comment nearly shattered my heart into a million pieces."You are a fool, Savina!
Lucy:We had lunch and revisited the plan we had made with Zeak after getting blood samples. There were still many things to do at this point, and I wasn't sure which direction to take next.We decided to have lunch at the pack house cafeteria. I told my mates we needed to start being more present in the pack."This doesn't mean that Savina is a demi, does it?" Liam asks."No, there weren't enough markers. She was given a gift somehow. That means we're working against magic that we hardly know anything about," Theo explains.Nadia looks worried, even though she is trying to pretend otherwise."Are you not going to explain to me why you want my blood tested?" I ask Nadia for what has felt like the millionth time.I know she isn't being completely honest, but what I had said to Seth was true.I want to build her trust and guidance, but I don't want to push for answers because I know sometimes we just don't know what the answer really is.I gave Theo another sample of blood—a fresh one.
Lucy:"How did you think of that?" Seth asks as we walk to the city building.The air was cool, fresh, and crisp. The combined scent of pine and lilac lingered about the pack as it always had, but today, it was different.The rain the prior night had wafted the earthy scents further into civilization. I couldn't breathe in enough of it, and it relaxed my soul."Think of what, mate?" I asked. His question was random, as we had been walking for a few minutes now in silence."Doing a reverse Luna ceremony," he explains as if I should already know.I stop in my spot and look over at him, trying to gauge his emotions fully and independently.I hadn't considered that there was typically a Beta female, too, and being mated with Seth made it all the more complicated.He never mentioned me being a Luna or a Beta female, and I hadn't thought to ask either."It just made sense to ensure the pack is connected to me and has their full strength. This way, I'm not a Luna or a Beta female. I'm just m
Lucy:"Her position is next to us!" Seth speaks up.He's protective in a way that's different from my other mates. He knows I'm insecure about my place amongst others.Or... at least I was. I'm not anymore.My mom knew I was going to have power that was bordering on unimaginable and most certainly unreasonable.No one needed the kind of power I had, yet here I am.She knew I would gain strength one day, so that I wouldn't be able to be so easily cracked. I was starting to understand how the Fae functioned and understood themselves with their magic.It was different. I wasn't the same, and I would never be the same again.I didn't want to be."Calm down, that wasn't what I was saying," Leander starts.The longer he takes to explain whatever's on his mind, the more the room feels like it's losing oxygen. I'm having a hard time controlling my feelings, sitting here waiting."I need you all to start considering what the pack's impression will be when Lucy has marked both the Alpha's of thi