The memory of her was ages ago and yet it felt like only yesterday that he last saw her face. Still vivid and engraved in his mind. Small girl, perhaps younger than the child before him now. Short brown hair that was knotted with each of his visits. Dirt caked on her frail fingers and pale cheeks. Her dress never changing. The poverty and filth she lived in. It saddened and angered him each day that passed. What truly angered him the most was that devil of a father of hers. A drunkard, violent of a man. Each coin made was spent on his ale, which only grew the violent tendencies. If he got bored with laying hands on her mother, he dealt with her. Hells, he enjoyed tormenting her, and yet when Nol would visit her, she would smile through the tears and the pain as if it was completely ordinary. Nothing about her situation was ordinary in his eyes. "Will I find happiness someday?" She once asked him one night. It was a painful question to answer for her. He couldn't predict the future,
The moon reflected off the calm waters of the lake. The cool night breeze barely rippled the water's surface. Lily peered out, hoping the calmness of the night would settle the storm in her mind. But this storm was hard to tame.Ever since their fight, Jayce had avoided her. Perhaps avoidance wasn't the proper term, but it definitely felt that way. He wasn't the only one avoiding the situation, either. You know he didn't mean it.Azura's reassurance didn't go unnoticed, but it didn't change the weight in her heart. "He may not have meant it, but he still said it," Lily whispered. She peered down at the back of her hands. The faint glow of the angelic text hummed softly on her skin. "Anger brings the truth out just as much as liquor can." He... He is a complicated Human."Complicated is putting it nicely." Lily grumbled. Her eyes shifted slightly to her wedding ring. "The last time we had a serious fight was the situation before our wedding." Do you think this is something that can
Dark mist huffed from the Undead Elk's flared nostrils, or what was left of it. Jayce instinctively tucked Lily behind him, but the rustle of the underbrush and the continuous splash and large ripples of the water went on. Squirrels, rabbits, skunks and every known forest creature that had once inhabited the area came crawling out of the lake or soil around them. "Dammit." He growled. This was the last thing he wanted right now. The Undead Elk rose on its hind hooves before it charged forward at Jayce, with its antlers lowered towards him. His hands shifted into claws as he met the Elk head on and grabbed its antlers. The speed of the charge pushed Jayce back a few inches, but he held his ground. The Elk turns its head and tried to bite at whatever it could reach. His forearm, thigh, and chest, but Jayce had kept out of its range. "Go. To. Hell." Jayce snarled as he used the power in his arms to toss the Elk into a nearby tree. There was a loud snap as the Elk's back collided with
The surrounding air stirred with electricity. The dread of the Undead reached even him in the make-shift prison cell. Faint cracks and squeaks of Undead rodents scurried about aimlessly. Their gnarled furs and splinted bones that peeked from their decayed flesh did not phase him. "Xander!"Her voice reached him. So clear and direct. His palm simmered with heat, mimicking Myra's palm that burned with his mark. His eyes gleamed with an eerie red glow as his wings wrapped around him in a feather embrace. The runes that coated the bars and partial circle in front of his cell simmered with white smoke. The spell was powerful. He gave them credit for that.But not powerful enough. Black mist swarmed him, enveloping him in darkness. The scent of brimstone fueled his longs. His eyes closed only briefly before they opened once more. His hand came up and clasped the claws of the monster. Black wings curled around the small children as his arm wrapped around Myra protectively. Her wide eyes w
Dim light flickered in the small shack. The full moon hung high above, displayed as a witness. A man paced in front of the building. His sandy blonde hair ruffled countless times from the impatience he felt and the growing knot in his stomach. He was nervous, yet overwhelmed with excitement. The common feelings of child birth. A yell paused his next step and turned him to the window. The curtain had been closed for privacy, but he could see the silhouettes of two midwives shifting in and out of sight. He caught the scent of the two women that were assisting, and his Mate. He sensed her pain and wished he could relieve her of it. Then it came. A baby's cry. He stared as the door opened after what felt like ages. When it finally opened, one midwife stepped out, cradling a bundle of blankets in her arms. She met his gaze and smiled warmly at him as she nodded. "Come, Beta. Meet your daughter." The woman said as she raised her arms slightly in gesture to the infant in them. His heart
Lily pinched the bridge of her nose and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm sorry, what?" She repeated her question to the strangers at her vacation home. "A descendant? Of whom?" "Oh, well..." Willow brushed her fingers through her short black hair. "It's rather complex to explain." She lifted her gaze to Lily. She could see the regret flicker in them for a moment. "This wasn't how I hoped to share this with you." "What she is trying to say..." Dante rested a hand on Willow's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "She's sorry, along with the rest of us, to have dropped in unannounced and dropped this bombshell on you." He glanced over at Jayce. "You know I do not have any ill intentions towards you or your family. None of us do." "I hate to disagree with you." Jayce growled softly while he maintained eye contact with Aiden. Aiden returned the glare in kind. "This will not be some Alpha versus Alpha fight off, is it?" Amira asked as she looked at them. When the two Werewo
His hand ran over the space beside him. He grudgingly opened his eyes to find his Mate missing from his bedside. He sat up and glanced around the open room. The gentle crash of the waves came in through the open balcony. Salt. Seaweed. Lilies. Tangled in with the mix of scents that drifted into their room, Jayce pushed himself out of bed to search for her. Ever since these strangers arrived, she had been quiet. Distant. He couldn't blame her. How could one fully comprehend the bombshell they dropped on her so suddenly? Without even knowing who she was? He stepped out onto the balcony after tossing on sweats to find Lily standing out on the beach. He sighed to himself as he silently admired her for a moment. The full moon shined brighter than usual this night. The scatter of stars that blanket the sky and no cloud in sight to block the view. Moonlight enveloped her in radiance. Her golden locks shined nearly a blinding white. Angelic. Jayce froze as he thought of that. After what t
"Mom, do we have to go back now?" Myra whined. "We didn't even swim with the sharks yet." The Wolf pup pouted with disappointment. Lily smiled sadly at her daughter as she zipped up her luggage. "I know, sweetie, but something came up and your father and I need to handle it right away." Myra hopped up on the bed she finished making. "Is it about this Karmina lady?" "And how do you know about her?" Lily asked as she rested her hands on her hips. "You weren't eavesdropping, were you?" "No." Myra avoided Lily's gaze. Lily inclined her head and continued to stare at her silently. Myra finally looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Okay, I did. It's not like you all were quiet, anyway." "Myra." Lily said disappointedly. She looked at her daughter for a moment. She reached out and ran her fingers through her blonde hair with black streaks. Unnatural to many, but Lily adored it. She loved how different the children were compared to other pups. Was that another reason for her identity cris