ElijahThe journey back to Sea Pine passed Elijah by in a daze. Fogged with heartache and physical pain, he dragged himself along behind Caslein in silence. He watched, unable to even help, as he fought off slews of mossmen – more often than not grabbing Elijah and slinging him over his shoulder, running away with his Alpha bouncing against his back like a sack of potatoes. Elijah felt about as useful as one.Everywhere they went, the leaves were wrong. Spring buds dotted the same branches that held crisp orange leaves. Snowdrops and daffodils littered the moss and mulch. Elijah couldn’t bring himself to point them out to Caslein, not after he’d dismissed him the first time. Besides, he told himself, Cas was busy keeping them both alive. Flower spotting wasn’t high on his list of priorities.Their world was breaking. Unnatural magic was splitting into their realm. At night, they saw terrible, distorted creatures – half man, half wolf, stalking through the woods with wet noses, wolven

LilyHis mouth was firm, and his seeping breath smelt strongly of mint, but his lips parted in surprise – a gesture that Lily found strange. Apollo was not one to be surprised by anything, and yet she’d caught him off guard.“Kiss me,” she murmured against his mouth, her heart fracturing more and more with every second they were touching. Half frozen in fear and half in self-hatred, she tried to imagine it was Elijah’s lips she could taste. That only made her betrayal all the more potent, turning her heart black within the hollow cavern of her chest. “Gladly,” he replied, his voice thick and throaty. His arms wound around her like a cage, his fingers digging into the thin curve of her waist. The smell of mint overwhelmed her. Teeth scraped against her tongue, dominating even that small space. Memories of being closed in the cell overwhelmed her, made worse by the lingering smell of decaying flowers sitting heavy in the air. Lily thought she might throw up. There was nowhere to hide

LilyLily’s days blurred into a haze of monotonous pain. It was better than before; she tried to convince herself of that, at least. She was no longer living in a dingy cell with an eleve, but she was in Red Ripper’s pack house, sharing Apollo’s room with him – where he and his minions could keep an eye on her day and night.She tried to keep up the pretence that she was there for him. Every morning, she woke locked in his embrace. He was muscular and warm and, with her back turned to him, his strong arm slung over her waist, she could almost – almost – pretend that it was Elijah holding her close. Even Atticus would’ve been preferable to Apollo, but she knew she was dead the second she let that truth slip.“Good morning, sweetheart,” he purred, his breath, which smelt of stale mint, wafting hotly over her neck and cheek. “I know you’re awake.”Steeling herself, Lily rolled over. He eyed her closely, his gaze alert enough that she knew he’d been awake for a while. She bit back a sigh.

LilyThe full moon was coming, and Lily had run out of ideas.She’d tried everything she could over the last three days. She’d tried to sabotage Peverton’s supply hunts, distracting him when she’d spotted a Nether Toad he’d said he’d needed or crushing nettles beneath her heel, rendering them useless for the spell.She’d done everything she could without drawing suspicion her way. With her father’s life on the line, she’d risked herself but never him. There was no chance to escape, not with the strange creatures Eryne had created guarding her at all times. She’d tried to stall the spell, tried to get Peverton to put it off until the following month, lying through her teeth to convince him, but it hadn’t been enough.It hadn’t been enough. And now she was held outside, hands wrapped loosely around her wrists, Apollo bearing down upon her with a sadistic smile. The sky was burning, the blood-red sun hanging heavy above the tree line. Dusk would surely follow, and with it death.“Well,

AtticusThe plan was made. His wolves were ready. It was time.The moon rose steadily over the forest, casting silver light through the gnarled, inky branches. Atticus grinned wickedly, beaming up at it as he bathed in its light. He was going to get his girl back tonight. He was going to remind Red Ripper who ruled this land. He was going to win.The war council, which had really been a battle council, had been fairly straightforward. Alpha Idiot had been acting all shifty, barely revealing anything about what he planned to do, even though he obviously hadn’t come all this way without any idea of how to get Lily back. Then again, Atticus thought, he was an idiot – the clue was in his name. So he’d thrust out his chest and taken the lead, as was his right as the smartest, bravest warrior there, and he’d concocted a plan that would surely succeed.It was beautiful in its simplicity. Alpha Stupid would break through the magical wards holding the cells, setting all of the prisoners free