I watch as his skin becomes sallow and his eyes turn soft blue. He speaks again but his voice is less confident than it was before, “Okay. Stop. Please stop. I will give you what you want. You can have your baby.” I let go of his chin roughly, letting him fall forward. My arms cross in front of me and I watch him grab his chest, panting and looking up at me. I meant it when I said I would suck his energy dry. Besides, now I have what I need from him; I have no use for his egotistical ass. “Oh, an energy empath, well played, Iokaste,” Hera smirks with her chin against her hand as she watches me jump down from Zeus’s throne to stand back with Amari and Jasen, “Selene, with her gifts, your daughter would make a good Olympian. Are you sure you want to let her continue as part of the Manae?” “She has her place, Hera. We are here to discuss Iokaste and the future landscape of the Manae. Not her place in the hierarchy of the Gods,” Mother says in a damning tone. “Iokaste,” a man’s voice

Bronx’s POV Diane offers to keep Kas company in the apartment while we work out a plan on how to keep her and Tessa safe from the rest of the Manae. I feel better knowing she is a nurse and Kas trusts her. When I get back in the afternoons, she reports that Kas mostly sleeps and spends a lot of time in the shower. Almost every day, after I dismiss Diane, Kas lets me hold her while she continues to cry from the lingering pain. I don’t know how else to help her and it’s killing me. She doesn’t leave the apartment except to come downstairs for dinner. She insists being with the pack will lift her spirits up. Delilah comes to the apartment every evening after dinner with her bag of potion ingredients. She and Kas spend an hour with the bedroom door closed meditating and trying different remedies to help ease Kas’s pain and help her sleep. Some nights it seems to help. Other nights, I have to hold my sweet little mate while she whimpers and cries to her mother for mercy. I feel completely

“Kas, this is where you live when you’re not with us?” Julia asks, looking around my apartment in the packhouse in awe. “Yep. This is it,” I smile as I take a couple of boxes out of her hands, “What’s your home like when you aren’t at Mavri Magea apartment?” “Well, it’s basically a bunker,” she frowns, “I can’t have a whole lot of flammable items. Just the necessities.” I give her a compassionate look, “Maybe soon, I can help you hone your ability. Get a better control over it?” “I would love that, Kas,” she smiles before she steps back through the portal to get more containers of baked goods they have prepared using my recipes. I look at the clock on the wall, four thirty p.m. “Alright, ladies, time to wrap it up. I’ll take it from here and I’ll see you all soon,” I clap my hands, giving everyone a hug before they climb back through the portal in my bedroom. When the last of the Mavri Magea disappears into the white circular light, I wave my hand and recite the incantation to cl

After congratulating the happy couple, we make our way around the hospital wing, handing out boxes to the grateful staff and the patients who are happy to get a visit from their Alpha and Luna. When all the boxes run out, we make our way back up to the apartment. I give Tessa a deep hug, letting her energy surround me without pulling it from her. It feels very structured and controlled to hug her, but full of gratitude and love at the same time. “Everything’s going to work out for the Manae, Tessa. I’m going to make sure of it,” I pat my hand against her face reassuringly. “Little Sister, I don’t know how you think you could make a difference on your own, but I commend your tenacity,” she gives me a kiss on the cheek and makes her way down the hall. I get back to my normal routine and make dinner for Bronx. He comes into the kitchen and helps make the side dishes, listening to my instructions carefully. Just like the guards and warriors I have given lessons to in the past, using t

“Incoming,” I link my sisters in the apartment. “We’re hidden,” I hear Thea reply. Marco, Ellen, and I make our way into the apartment. Bronx is already standing in front of the sofa, where Estelle and Simone are sitting. Marco directs Ellen to sit as well and stands behind the sofa with his gun still raised behind them. I don’t see any of my other sisters who I know are hiding somewhere inside. “You. Keep your mouth shut,” Bronx points to Estelle, then points to Ellen, “How many of you are here?” “Just the three of us,” Ellen says sullenly. “Bullshit,” Tessa growls with her nose in the air, “I smell more of you.” Bronx puts his nose in the air as well. His eyes turn black as Saint comes to the surface. A deep growl comes from his chest. Saint’s gravelly voice comes out of Bronx’s mouth, “Lie to me again and I will end this lifetime for all of you.” I watch my sisters shrink back as their Guardian threatens their lives. I have a powerful instinct to scold him for their mistreat