Rowan
The map on the table was riddled with red x’s. Rowan could feel they were close. He was drawn to that portion of the map. Were it not for the fact that he was immune to magic rowan would have thought a spell or something was forcing him to look in that section of the woods.
“Stare any harder and the map will catch fire.” Lucas laughed as he walked into the room. Rowan growled at his beta. He was in no mood for jokes.
“If the next words out of your mouth aren’t ‘the scout has returned’ you’ll be the only thing catching fire.” Lucas sighed as he walked over to Rowan and clapped his hands on his shoulders.
“Come on Rowan. You’re my best friend. My alpha. It’s killing me to see you this way.” Rowan’s wolf lurched towards the surface at his words. He grits his teeth at the force of his sudden outburst. Lucas didn’t deserve Eris’ wrath. He was only trying to help. Despite his intentions, he hit a sore spot for the two of them.
“What exactly am I the alpha of?” He asked.
“Come on Row don’t do this.” Lucas dropped into a chair beside Rowan. His forehead creased with concern. Rowan’s eyes never left the map. He sent ten scouts out and all but one had reported back. It had to be the right place. He’d bet his life on it.
“Don’t do what? Speak the truth? An alpha bows to no one. Thanks to my father, these witches can bring me to my knees with just a few simple words.” Thinking about his father left him hurt and confused making Eris rage further. His form shivered as he almost lost control.
“And you’re sure what you’re sensing is the answer to our problems?” Lucas leaned in closer to the map. It was clear he didn’t feel whatever pull Rowan felt. It made him feel better that Lucas didn’t treat him like he was losing his mind.
“No. Not exactly.” He rubbed his hands across his face.
“What if you’re feeling something else.” Rowan cut his eyes at him.
“Like what?” Lucas shrugged his shoulders.
“Like the mate bond.” Rowan groaned. Not this again.
“You know that’s impossible. The mate bond is magic.” The number of times the mate bond got brought up to him was driving him crazy. “Besides. You know what would happen if I did somehow have a mate.” They both stared down not wanting to say it out loud. Rowan had been mourning the mate he’d never have ever since his mother told him the truth of what happened to their pack. Thinking about it made Eris howl inside his head. It couldn’t be helped at the moment. All he could do was focus on helping his pack.
“No, this has to do with the witches. I’m sure of it. My gut tells me this is what they’re looking for. It can’t be a coincidence they start getting worked up over this full moon.” He reached down and pulled out another map. It had a bunch of scribbles that glowed softly. Being immune to magic had its advantages. He could see things that the witches tried to hide.
“What am I looking at here, Row?” A smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth as Lucas turned the new map every which way, unable to understand what he was looking at. Rowan took it from him and laid it out the correct way.
“Star chart. I stole it from the witches. It’s for this weekend.” Lucas rubbed his chin.
“This weekend? Full moon, isn’t it?” Rowan nodded, he was finally catching on.
“This one is different. Eris is going crazy over it.” For that matter, everyone seemed restless. There were a lot more fights breaking out. Everyone was on edge for no particular reason. Rowan froze when he felt Lucas’ eyes on him. He sighed, afraid to ask.
“What is it, Luke?” Meeting his eyes Rowan knew immediately he was right to be afraid. A wide smile stretched across Lucas’ tanned face.
“What if there were a way for you to find out what’s going on?” Rowan narrowed his eyes at his best friend. It sounded too good to be true.
“I’m listening.” He crossed his muscular arms over his chest. Lucas nodded toward a window and Rowan followed his gaze. In the park just across the street, they had a perfect view of a group of witches meditating. Looking close Rowan saw what Lucas meant. Lena was leading the group. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
“No. No. Absolutely not.” He shook his head. Lena had been throwing herself at him for years. Rowan was pretty sure she even tried dosing him with a love potion a few times. All she managed to do was give him an upset stomach. He couldn’t tell if she genuinely had feelings for him or if she was being put up to it by her high priestess. Him being immune to magic was a source of tension for them. The witches were desperate to find a better way to control him. That was the problem with witches. You couldn’t trust any of them. They always seemed to have an ulterior motive. On some level, he hoped he did have a witch as a mate. He wouldn’t mind if a witch died to fulfill the curse. Eris growled at the thought.
“Do not wish death on our mate.” Growled Eris.
“We don’t have one.” Rowan snapped back making Eris growl louder, his claws slipping out before rowan could regain control. “You’re right. My bad. I shouldn’t have thought that.” His apology seemed to placate his wolf enough for the moment. Rowan sighed.
“Come on man. Take one for the team.” Lucas laughed and punched.
“One for the team. Right.” Rowan growled and headed for the door. That witch would be lucky if he didn’t kill her. He stalked out of the packhorse eying his prey. Lucas’ laughter Cleary audible from the open window behind him. He was going to get it when Rowan got back. The meditation was wrapping up by the time he got over there. Lena made eye contact with him, her eyes going wide at his approach. She shooed the last few people away and fixed a big smile on her face. Rowan walked straight up to her. She stepped back slowly until her back hit a tree. Rowan leaned against the tree resting his arm next to her head.
“Hey, Lena.”
Elly The two of them looked like deer in headlights. Elly turned her head away from them. It wasn’t the mud covering her, or the bright red mark on her face from Darren slapping her. The Hughes instilled in her the need to stay away from strangers. If the wrong one found her it would be the death of her. It would especially mean her parents died for no reason. She couldn’t have that. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare ya. Our coven has land not far from here. We were hoping we could get some supplies from ya.” The man stepped forward making Darren take a few steps in front of Elly blocking her from view. “Head back and get my parents.” He said over his shoulder. The words barely made it out of his mouth before Elly was jogging away, her book clutched tight to her chest. They were witches too. What if they recognized her? Elly’s mind was frantic. Rebekah was right, she wasn’t safe after all these years. As much as she hated the glamour it kept her she needed it. “Shit…they’re never going
Rowan The smell of fear and the sound of a racing heart were two of Rowan’s favorite things. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent. The little witch stared up at him. They all regarded him as a wild card because they couldn’t control him. But she looked at him with more than just fear. It could almost be mistaken for hope. Just the thought made him angry. He was a wild card because of the witches. Forever missing his other half because of them. His pack forever missing their Luna. To think any of them had the audacity to believe Rowan would take one of them as a mate was the biggest insult he could imagine. He let a claw slip out of his finger as he scratched it along the bark of the tree just above Lena’s head. “Alpha Rowan…is there something I can help you with?” Redness colored her cheeks. For a moment Rowan thought he saw her sniff him. Eris recoiled inside him, disgusted by the witch’s blatant attraction to him. “Hope so.” Rowan forced the words out. Despite the forcefulnes
Elly Heavy footsteps hammered down the hall toward Elly’s door. She barely had time to shove the bag of powder under her pillow before her bedroom door went flying open. Elly turned just in time to see Darren’s hands wrap around her throat and slam her against a wall. The pinching burning sensation rolled across her skin. The same sensation she got whenever someone other than Rebekah tried to tamper with her glamour. By now Darren was good at it. He’d done it so many times he knew exactly how to manipulate the spell. Yet every time he did it the pain was so intense it brought black spots into Elly’s field of vision. By the time he was done, she was slumped against his hands unable to hold herself up. Darren pulled his hands away letting her fall to the ground. “Get up. You just need to show your face, tell them you’re fine and get your ass back in the room.” Elly’s hands went to her throat then lightly touched her face. She did her best not to scowl at what an absolute ass he was. Wi
Elly “I’m so screwed,” Elly said to herself. Looking down at Darren with his face pressed against the floor and his ass in the air, she felt a strange mix of relief and dread. She pulled the bag out from under her pillow and frowned. In her panic, she used half the bag on him. whatever doubts she still had she had to push aside. If she were still there once Darren woke up she would be dead meat. She pulled a bag out from under her bed and shoved a handful of clothes along with her grimoire in it. She went to her bedroom door and pressed her ear against it. She wasn’t sure how long she was asleep or if anyone else was still awake. Elly held her breath as she strained to hear beyond the thin wooden door. After a few moments, she finally took a deep breath. Nausea rolled over her making it hard to move. With one last glance at the idiot on the floor, she forced herself to crack the door open and peak out. Everything was completely dark. Faint traces of moonlight filtered in from the w
Rowan Once the lust-fueled fog cleared from his mind Rowan was disgusted. His wolf receded in his mind leaving Rowan to get them out of the hole they just dug themselves into. Lena wiped her mouth and climbed to her feet. Standing on her toes she wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to kiss his lips. Rowan turned his head. “What’s wrong?” Her eyes grew wide. “Did I do something wrong?” Rowan clamped his jaw shut. Being a witch was her only crime but it was one he couldn’t look past. “I told you my wolf is out of control right now. Being with me is a death wish.” Eris snarled at him. It was technically true. “Is it the mate thing? What if I can help?” Rowan stiffened at her words? It had to be a lie. Either way, he had to focus. His pack came first. Taking a deep breath he wrapped his hands around her waist. “How can I worry about a mate when my pack is tearing itself apart. If it’s a special moon your coven can do something to help right?” She stiffened in his arms. The sm
Lillie The packhouse was full of kids from the pack that had not gotten their wolves yet. Realizing things were getting out of control once the sun started to set their parents brought them to the one place they knew they would be safe. Lillie had to call in warriors to help out despite all of them being spread thin already. A fact that Rowan would know if he had bothered to answer his phone or even respond to the mind links. His father never would have been so- Lillie cuts off the thought. That wasn’t fair. Her son didn’t need to be compared to a ghost. Least of all a ghost that made his fair share of mistakes during his lifetime. She took a deep breath and looked at the guilty look on her son’s face. “Rowan. You’ve got to do better than this.” Before she could get going Rowan held up his hands. “I don’t need a lecture right now, mom.” he shook his head but his mother’s growl silenced him. “I think you do. I know Eris is getting restless without a mate. I know it’s difficult to co
Elly “I’m not sure how you were raised but running around the woods bleeding is not a good idea.” Elly froze when she recognized the voice. Cecily stepped out of the shadows eyeing the injured hand Elly held to her body. Her other hand went toward the bag of powder only to remember she used the last of it on Rebekah. Noticing the movement Cecily raised her hands in surrender and stopped moving. “Hey. Sorry, didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I think we have you to thank for our freedom.” Panic rose in Elly’s chest and she started looking for an escape route. Everywhere she looked she could see the glimmer of wards. How did they have the time or power to do all of this? More importantly, did Cecily know that power came from her? “No, no! It wasn’t me. I couldn’t get you out I don’t have power.” She tried to back away from her but Cecily lunged forward and grabbed her arm stopping her from taking another step. “Careful,” she pointed to the ground. Elly nearly stepped on a ward. “
Elly Waking up, Elly went into full panic. She did know where she was but one thing was certain, she was in a bed that wasn’t hers. It was an actual full-sized bed that didn’t require her to curl into a little ball to fit into. Her hands patted down her body. A sigh of relief escaped her as she confirmed her clothes were still securely in place. She looked around the dim room and could only make out the rough wooden walls. They reminded her of when the Hughes were squatting at an abandoned summer camp. Elly moved to get off the bed when a series of knocks sounded on the door. She flew backward on the bed pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. The pain in her hand brought back the memories of her escape. She frowned realizing that she was still bleeding. The door swung open not giving her enough time to properly worry about it. “Hey you. It’s me.” Cecily poked her head in and waited a second. Elly stared at her not sure why she didn’t just walk into the room