TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO Candice stood by the counter table chopping up onions and tomatoes in preparation for dinner. The aroma stung but her eyes did not water. She cut with precision. Each swift snip of the knife in her hand implied that she was mad at something. Anger tightened her stomach once the entire bulb had been chopped. Candice proceeded to pour the minced pieces into the boiling broth. As she poured the vegetables into the hot broth, a knock resonated from where she stood. A smile made its way to her straight face like she had been expecting someone. A lover perhaps.   “You are late,” Candice said in a soft voice as she brushed away moist hair sticking to her skin. “David went out. If you ask me, he was mad. I think he believed you stood him up.”   The visitor was appalled by her statement. “What? Of course not, I love David. I would never do anything to hurt him.”   Candice took a long

  DAVID Pulling off a chill demeanor was near impossible but I did my best to conceal any cracks in my act. I certainly could not let them know. Telling Elder Quentin would mean Satake would get to know, then all things were sure to go to hell then. The Alphas of the Crow pack did not know I existed and that was a good thing because who knew what would have become of me. I needed to keep things that way. If the Primrose elder knew, Jason would hear of it. The man was frightened of Jason and the reason beat me because Elder Quentin was an old one. He knew tremendous spells. They could not be as great as the ones my family had gathered over the years but he had experience and powers beyond my imagination. I believed if the elder wanted to, he, along with the other court elders could wage a war against the high and mighty werewolves. There would be casualties but the witch kind would have victory. I was certain of it. 

    He inhaled. Exhaled. And repeat. Satake stepped out of the doors of the De'crescent hotel and stalked his way down to his motorcycle. The cool evening breeze seemed to soothe his catastrophic mind. He had always been a man attuned to all his senses but as he saddled on his helmet, Satake's mind was attuned to all but one. He couldn't get his mind to forget what that warlock has said. All he could see was that disappointed expression on that charmingly handsome face.   "Witchphobic..." Isaac had accused but he truly knew nothing of what Satake had endured in the hands of a particular witch. He had managed to conceal it while they had worked their little spells but something sinister within him cursed Satake for letting him go. That little voice at the back of his head wanted to gut them and watched them struggle and wither away just like his parents had that unfortunate night. And the strange thing was Satake almost succumbed. His wo

  Satake woke up screaming. The grim atmosphere seemed to join him in his anguish as lightning forked carelessly through the sky and heavy rumblings followed. Satake sank to the ground, pulling his legs against his chest with his arms, remembering that awful night. As much he despised witches, Satake had almost forgotten how horrifying that night was. He remembered the flames that had engulfed the forest the minute he stumbled on the Crow brothers. They and a few were the only survivors of that night's massacre. Satake curled further as crystal droplets began to fall from the sky. Familiar fear of ending up like hai parents began to assault him. More importantly, it broke Satake that he was nothing like the Crows. The thought crashed in his mind but he could barely let it slip. Growing up, Satake has seen shifters psychologist after psychologist trying to figure out why he couldn't shift. He had been diagnosed with OCD in his preteen years at the orphanage and later his inner w

OLAMIDE A rustle by the skylight and the penetrative lights that hit my closed lids the next second was enough to wake me up. I turned on the direction of the frantic movement, immediately noticing that Jason was not in bed. "Are you going somewhere?" I asked noticing he was all dressed up in a suit. He kept his gaze on the mirror but I didn't miss that sunken look on his face. "Yes. I have an alliance meeting." "So...what happens to me?" Jason took a calming breath. He clearly did not want to have this conversation. In fact, if his movements weren't so lacking in grace, we might not even be having this conversation. The minute I roused, I'll probably be babysat by Satake or Axel. Jason stopped fondling with his tie and turned to meet my gaze. His eyes were a penetrating grey, soulless yet intriguing, a forbidden fruit you clearly knew was bad for you yet couldn't stop plucking.