HECTOR BAYESI let my wolf energy swirl around my hind legs as I bound over to the front of the castle before barreling to a stop when I saw that the double bronze doors to the banquet hall were hanging open, swaying softly in the air that had grown to become almost, stifling.Memories of what happened all those years ago flashed through my yellowed eyes like lightning as I tethered in the foyer, jolting when the slick body of a low-level hybrid settled heavily on the broad triangle of my back only seconds before I felt the pitchfork of its jagged teeth as they sank into my shoulder.“Saints!” I bellowed, throwing my head back in pain and slamming it into the hybrid’s skinhead with enough force that I felt the slippery skin break away and the bones of its skull poke into my heavily furred neck.“Fucking pigs!” I roared, pinpricks of rage dotting my vision as I wound one large fist around the creature’s slack neck, the slick goo of its fluids matting my fur as I snapped it up before sl

HECTOR BAYESI’d been following the maiden’s scent for a while, Kalden’s frantic hoof falls trailing behind me on the forested path with the wicked hag of the mountains tottering ahead of us.Ma Jules had been acting weird ever since we arrived at the mountain city, but I hadn't given it much thought until now, in the dark shadows of the trees, where I was looking for my mate.Dammit if it didn't kill me to accept the fact, but there was something about the green-eyed imp that brought my temperature to boil.“Dammit! We're never going to find her!” I roared, throwing my fists into the closest tree I could find so that it cracked dramatically under my assault.There was silence for a moment as I tried to control the rise and fall of my chest, pushing back the anger that dotted the edges of my vision.“And what a blessing that would be,” The hag drawled airily, turning back to sigh at the path after I’d calmed down somewhat.“We'll find her Hector, best believe. We know she came down th

NOLA REYNOLDS”Your Highness!” I screamed mindlessly as the Lycan King fell on his knees, keeling over to reveal the wicked hags smirking face.“Should have left it alone as I told you to, now look what you made me do,” Ma Jules tutted, slamming the blunt end of the spear into the man’s silver-coated head as he turned sharply to growl at her before slumping back down.I gasped, scrambling back until I ran into what must have been Kalden’s unmoving chest as he stood behind me. I jolted away, before realizing that he had been shocked out of his mind too. It was unheard of for a witch mage to stab her king.I stepped forward to meet the wounded king before I felt the heat of his best friend’s hands grab me almost painfully.Was he a part of them too? I struggled against him, snapping my jaws at the space where his hand met my skin before his frantic whisper stilled me.“Don’t make a sound!” Kalden murmured, but it was already too late, I looked up to see that the two women were watching

HECTOR BAYESI narrowed my eyes at the witch that had stabbed me in the back, the garb-clothed coffee-brown of her form blurring slightly in the fog that had begun to cloud my vision.“You will pay for this betrayal Jules, in your blood,” I hissed to myself, seeing the faint shape of her full lips opening and closing, her eyes popping open animatedly before I dug my feet into the soil and pushed forward, trying to ignore the stab of pain in my upper chest as I flew towards the woman.Ma Jules had not expected my attack, because the midnight black of her eyes widened dramatically as a bolt of lightning blazed through the sky, throwing the drawn lines of the Witch’s face in a white overcast seconds before my balled-up fist connected with her jaw, sending her staggering backward.“I have to give it to you Jules,” I laughed darkly, the sound more like a gurgle as the woman sputtered a gasp, looking up at me and holding the slack belly of her jaw with one arm before her eyes moved behind m

NOLA REYNOLDSThe Lycan’s earth-shattering howl still rang freshly in between my ears as I watched the man heave underneath me.“No Kalden, not you too!” I whispered in a hushed tone, putting my paws on his chest and attempting to shove the fallen werewolf to his feet before snatching my paws away when he spasmed erratically, inhaling a sharp, pained breath.Shit, shit, shit!It was worse than I wanted to believe it was, the once ruddy plains of his face were now ashen, cast in a deathly-white pallor with his lips now a sickly blue tint, the color of the dead witch’s poisoned spear.The warrior twitched once before letting out a spasmodic exhale, his beefcake of a chest only rising and falling with slow, drawn-out, hollow breaths.”I’m so sorry! I'm so fucking sorry Kalden, this was all my fault,” I managed to choke out, wishing I could have just stayed inside the damn throne room. I might have died, but at least the Lycan would have been alive still, and his best friend wouldn't have