Lily
The wolf stared at her. A long, ropey tongue slithered out of its jaws and licked its lips. Lily held her breath.It was bigger than any wolf she’d ever seen – bigger even than Elijah, an Alpha. Auburn fur shone like blood in the moonlight. Slowly, with oozing arrogance, its lips pulled back from its teeth into a sadistic, canine grin.
Lily took a tiny step backwards. She kept her eyes on the werewolf, her heart thundering in her chest. Blood raced past her ears, and every sound, every crunch of the undergrowth beneath her shifting weight, was magnified.
An owl flapped its wings. Lily took another timid step away from the wolf. Still it did not move; it remained where it stood, though its glossy black eyes were locked on hers. Tremors shuddered across her skin, raising the hair on the back of Lily’s neck.
Another s
Elijah“I came as fast as I could.” Nirmana spoke between ragged breaths. “I came to find you in the pack house, Alpha, but you weren’t in your office, or the meeting rooms, or anywhere–“Face flushing bright red, she cut herself off. “My apologies, Alpha.” She bowed.“Thank you for finding me so promptly.” Elijah squeezed her arm and stood. Waves of fear crashed over his head. “Please, Nirmana, would you gather my Beta, Gamma, and…” he thought quickly, chewing on his cheek as he considered which members of his pack would be most useful. “I’ll need six Warrior Wolves: Haile, Conall, Valens, Jared, Nethia, and Lafey.” He selected a mixture of older, more experienced warriors, and younger, brawny wolves.“Of course, Alpha.” Nirmana bowed again. “I
LilyLily’s hands shook in Morvand’s too-hot grasp. “I’ll come with you,” she said again, eyeing her father.He screamed behind the hand that covered his mouth. Hot tears left streaks down his cheeks in the wake of the dirt that plastered his skin. The moonlight made him pale, waxy, and made his familiar brown eyes gleam where the light caught his as yet unshed tears.Lily’s heart broke at the sight of him. This was the only way. She tried to communicate that to him, shouting the words in her mind and staring desperately into his eyes. Whether or not he understood she did not know.The wolf – Affande – circled her, jaws dripping with saliva. Lily repressed the urge to shudder as his Morvand’s warm breath caressed her exposed neck.“As you wish,” purred the handsome one. He
AtticusNo matter how many times Atticus told himself that his move on the Sea Pine pack was tactical, and for the benefit of Blood Moon, there was a kernel of truth nestled somewhere deep within him that would not remain quiet.That kernel was the reason he had distanced himself from his parents, Ralphin, and Trove. He felt their judgement in waves whenever he was near to him, and Atticus could have sworn that their eyes followed him around their encampment whenever they stopped to rest.They needed food. They needed a show of strength. But, above all, Atticus needed Lily.He spent his nights curled up atop his bedroll, hardly noticing the way he shivered as his thoughts swirled within his skull. He imagined what his life would have been like had he not rejected her, and the pain of that imagined reality only served to send him spiralling further.&n
ElijahElijah closed his fist around Lily’s garnet ring. It gave him strength; his own had depleted, seeping away with every passing hour that she was gone. He had not eaten or slept since Ieun had entered the room, his fate, his downfall, held like a bomb in the palm of his hand.With one day until the full moon, Elijah had a plan.“There have been no further reports of Red Ripper near our borders or territory,” said Caslein, sliding one of his rings up and down his finger. “As impossible as it sounds, they seem to have just disappeared.”“Taking Lily with them,” said Elijah, staring desolately out of the window.“You need to snap out if it.” Ithia took his hand, closing her fingers around his white-knuckled fist. “Self-loathing and regret won’t bring her back.”
Atticus“Two?”“Two of our wolves?”The chorus rose quickly, spreading through his pack like wildfire. Everywhere Atticus looked people were turning to their friends and family, their neighbours, ensuring that everyone they’d seen moments before was still beside them.But it was Alvaro’s words that cut through the crowd noise. “Calling off the attack?” he asked, stepping to the front of the amassed wolves. “After all we have been through the get to this point?”How dare his father make him look a fool in front of his pack?Atticus held up a single hand. In an instant, silence swelled.“Alpha? Which two?” asked Siras.Everyone nodded; some whispered, “Who’s missing?” to
LilyWithout her mother’s garnet ring adorning her finger, Lily’s hands felt oddly empty. The urge to twist the ring surged through her, and she found herself picking at her cuticles as she stared unblinkingly at her father.“I–“ she began, only to cut herself off. Lily shook her head.“No, Lily.” Her father took an uncertain step towards her.She closed the last of the distance between them and pulled him into a hug. “Dad,” she murmured, pressing her face into his neck. “I’m so sorry.”“I’m sorry, too.” He patted her back awkwardly. “I failed you.”“I failed you,” she said, words morphing and twisting around a sob. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “I had to leave, but I should never have left wi
Lily Lily was jerked awake by the groan of the cell door opening. Still exhausted, she moved on fear alone as she pulled herself upright and combed her fingers through her knotted hair. Morvand stood in the doorway, glistening in the ethereal purple light of the veil that hung there. His long, bony nose looked particularly crow-like with the way the unusual light hit it. Lily recoiled at the sight of him. For his part, Efaffion – who had taken the form of her father again before falling asleep – just grumbled something unintelligible and shifted in his sleep. Lily envied his poise, his utter disregard for the Red Ripper pack. Now she knew him better, she supposed she understood. He had got himself into this situation, after all. He had trailed them, had picked out their weaknesses. To her, they were still very much unknown. “Get up, Princess,” growled Morvand, his eyes sparkling as though h
ElijahHalfway through the shifting purple light, a hand gripped Elijah’s bicep.“Alpha,” hissed Conall. “Stop. Listen.”Elijah turned, his frustration evident in his sharp gaze, but then he heard it, too: harsh voices, forced low, winding through the trees. Reluctantly, Elijah pulled free of the magic and stepped back, eyeing it warily.His wolves kept quiet. Even their hushed breaths sounded too loud as they strained to hear. It was two men – Elijah was sure of it. Their voices growled and grumbled through the pine trees, ricocheting back and forth but never quite loud enough to hear.And then a shout broke through the silence, sending slumbering birds soaring into the night sky.“You continue to lack faith in me!”Devyn took a step back. A twig snapped underfoot. Her eyes widened, so large and so white that they shone through the darkness. Her youth an ine