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Willow POV The sound of arguing wakes me from my sleep. I don’t remember falling asleep or even where I am. The ground is hard beneath me, and a large quilt covers my body. “You should have contacted me as soon as she showed up,” Osiris growls. “There was no time,” Petra retorts. “She showed up right before the seance.” “What does a seance have to do with my mate?” Osiris grumbles. “The truth will be revealed when the time is right,” Petra says cryptically, and I hear Osiris groan in frustration. “How did she even get here?” Osiris demands to know. “I thought the only ones that could find this place had to be shown the way by you or Celeste.” “Or by my other sister, Cordelia,” Petra whispers. “I didn’t know you had another sister,” Osiris says curiously. “It wasn’t worth mentioning,” Petra says dismissively. “What else are you hiding from me?” Osiris’s growl rumbles through the cottage. “Now isn’t the time for this argument,” Petra slams something hard on a ta
Willow POV The rest of the drive back to rogue territory is silent. I am still angry Osiris didn't let me teach Celeste a lesson. I can only assume Osiris is still upset that I have been using my magic. Laying my head against the cool window of the car, I try to remember my life before I found Osiris. Things were less complicated. I did my jobs and came home to my little cottage. I practiced harmless witchcraft in my downtime and thought about getting a cat. There was no fear of the dark magic taking over my soul. I only had myself to worry about. It has become clear to me that my connection to Osiris is what is leading me into the darkness. 'Are you sure that he is the one leading you into the darkness?' The voice speaks loudly in my mind. Being trapped in the car with Osiris, I refuse to answer her. I just roll my eyes and keep my eyes glued to the passing trees. 'Osiris didn't force you to make any of those decisions that led you into the dark. You have made all
Willow POV The world comes back into view, and I stare into my mother's eyes. I want to scream at her for keeping this message from me all this time. I deserved to know my birth mother loved me. But when I see Mother's eyes swimming with tears, I don't have the heart to yell. I know she didn't withhold this memory from me to hurt me. She was just trying to protect me. "I am sorry I kept this memory from you for so long," my Mother says. "I was waiting for the right time to show you. I just didn't know when that time would be." Even though I know my mother had the best intentions, it doesn't make it hurt any less. "Thank you for finally showing me," I manage to say. "But I think I need some time to myself." The slight smile my mother was struggling to keep on her face falls. "I understand," she says. Placing a kiss on the top of my head, my mother silently walks back to the farmhouse. I watch her walk away and see Osiris waiting for us both on the porch. My mother wh
Faris POV The mound of paperwork on my desk seems to be never-ending now that I am doing the work of both the Alpha and the Beta. I knew I shouldn't have let Chad go on the mission to kill Willow, but he was so intent on being the one who ended her life that there was no stopping him. She had embarrassed him one too many times on the training field. Now, questions about his whereabouts are being raised. But it isn't just his death I am having to cover up. The idiot took Lauren with him. Even though she wasn't well-liked, people are still wondering where she has been. Eventually, I will have to come up with some excuse as to why they are gone. I know Chad's mate had to feel his death through the mate bond, but if she cares he is gone, she hasn't let me know. I pull the top paper off of the stack and look at it. It is another Lycan City company asking for a bailout. Ever since my father died, companies have been going under left and right. I can't produce Chow fast enou
Willow POV "Again," my mother shouts from across the room, and I have a flashback to when I was fifteen and my father started training me to fight. He was relentless, and my mother is proving to be the same. "Why are we doing this again?" I ask breathlessly. "We have been at it for hours." "What is the point of having powers if you don't know how to use them correctly?" My mother says. "I do know how to use them," I huff. "You know how to use them in a time of anger and destruction," my mother corrects me. "That is what is leading you into the dark. You need to learn to use them in the light." "There is no need for me to create fire unless there is anger and destruction," I moan in return. "Until we find the witch that placed these runes on your back, you need to learn how to control your magic so you don't slip farther into darkness," my mother informs me. "I believe that we can do this together." "I think we both know who put these runes on my back," I frown, thinking
Willow POV My anger bubbles to the surface again as Osiris shakes his head 'no.' "Celeste wouldn't do that," he says in disbelief. "She has been a loyal friend." I push Osiris away from me and try not to lose my temper again. "I have told you what I have seen," I snap at him. "She has been giving Faris readings as well. She has been letting him run Chow through her business. She is playing both sides." "I trust her," Osiris yells at me. "She must have her reasons for helping Faris." My fingers flicker with flames as Osiris talks. It feels like he is choosing her over me. Jealousy courses through my veins, making my anger even worse. 'You don't want to hurt your mate,' the voice inside my head tells me. 'You need to calm your emotions.' "Shut up!" I scream aloud at the voice in my mind. I place my hands over my ears and drop to the ground in a panic. Osiris is talking to me, the voice inside my mind is talking, and there is no reprieve from the noise. Osiris plac
Willow POV In an instant, I am standing outside of the little cottage in the middle of the forest. Petra is on the front porch sweeping; she must have seen me coming. I wait until the world stops shaking under my feet before I stomp toward the cottage. Petra doesn't raise her head to look at me as I climb the few stairs onto her front porch. "I know why you are here," she says as she continues to sweep the porch. I stand in her way, refusing to let her sweep around me to the left or the right. "If you know why I am here, then why don't we get started?" I ask, not knowing what the process of removing runes is. "I cannot help you," Petra says, still not looking at me. "I know who you are?" I say, hoping to sway her decision. "I know everything about my past." "Then you know the reason why I cannot remove the runes from your back," Petra says as she sets the broom against the doorway and tries to disappear into the cottage. I grab her by the hand and pull her back. I
Osiris POV It has been a long afternoon. Hunting down all of the parents of the children who saw Willow's meltdown was a chore. Many of the children were still crying as I spoke with their parents, and they are claiming to be scared of their Luna. There is one family left to visit, and that is of the little girl who has looked up to Willow from the moment she stepped into this pack. I knock on their door, and a frail older woman opens it. I had forgotten that Liz was adopted. Her parents were killed in one of the raids by the Lycan King. They had fought and died bravely by my side, leaving Liz on her own at just two years old. An older couple who had not been able to have children of their own took Liz in immediately and treated her as their own. But now, as I look at the woman standing in front of me, I worry that Liz will be left to fend for herself again. "Alpha," the older woman says. "What do I owe the pleasure?" "Hello, Gretchen," I say softly. "I need to discus