Down in the cellar, the children were quiet. Some trembled while others bristled, eager to get out amidst the fray and earn their place as pack warriors. When the ground above started trembling, and the hatch heaved as though the earth itself was trying to break in, that's when hysteria hit. Onyx struggled to hold back the retired warriors and mothers whose children were valiantly fighting to keep them safe. The tension grew higher as Onyx barked for them all to calm down. Reason was rapidly going out the window, and Lucifer awakened, shining wrathfully through Onyx's eyes as his leadership was challenged. Then, out of the darkness, a clear voice rose, weaving its way through the pack bunched up in close quarters, and Onyx looked gratefully over at his nephew.
Tarakona sang of times gone by, the history of the Howling warriors, and his parents' courtship. He spread calm throughout the cellar as they were all transported back to the time of Shadow and Isabella, the magic of th
Shadow felt his breathing begin to slow as he looked up at his mate. He tried to manage a smile, but the pain was too real, and all he could do was grimace as it arced through his torn-up body. Bella was telling him to hold on, that Valenar was reasoning with the threat, but he knew that there wasn't enough time for him, so using the last of his strength, he lifted his hand and gently placed it against her lips. "I waited a lifetime for you, my Bella," he struggled to get out the words, knowing that this was the last time he would feel her touch, "I will search through a thousand lifetimes to find you mate. You have my heart, you have my soul and no matter where you go after I'm gone, know that in your heart I'll always be here." Bella's lips trembled, and her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head at him, "You promised me forever, Shadow, please don't leave me!" As Shadow closed his eyes against the pain, he was vaguely aware of Bella's screams,
"Can I keepyou?” She whispered, her lips trembling slightly, and her bright violet eyes filled with the fire of the young.“Only if I can keep you, Izzy." He grinned, his gangly arms wrapped tightly around his best friend.“Do you think we’ll be best friends forever, Shadow?”
Seven years later...Left jab,right hook, roundhouse, spin kick ground andrepeat,jab, hook, kick, spin, kick sweeprepeat.The only sounds that permeated the stale air of the gym were the grunts of suffering coming from the bag in the corner as Isabella punished it.Hours passed, but the 17-year-old didn't care. It was the mating run for her pack tomorrow night, and the other single pack wolves wer
"Come back to bed, baby."Long red nails trailed down his muscular back as 17-year-old Mikhail Romano sat on the porch finishing his cigarette. Today was The Howling, although he wouldn't be able to participate until next year, not that there was much point in that, he thought bitterly.The Moon Goddess must have been out of
"Hey! What the hell are you doing!"Elena Michael's had arrived for the annual howling a few hours ago, and immediately began tracking the delicious scent wafting on the breeze, her mate was here, she couldfeel it.
Cade was a simple man. He had a lovely Omega mate waiting at home for him, with two young pups and a small patch of land where he had built their home still on pack territory.Hisneedswerestraightforward enough, the same as his job was..usually.Exceptnow he wastrudgingthrough the underbrush with the hosting packs' Betas son Mikhail, grumbling about having to rescue a wolf that couldn't hold his own in a fight.
Her smile beckoned him, and as always, he followed, enraptured by her beauty.This strange yet oddly familiar woman danced in his dreams every night. With her fiery red hair and mysterious violet eyes, she moved for him daring Shadow to take her hand.The woman's laugh sounded like heaven, and he felt himself getting aroused by her undulating hips. Without any warning, he found himself naked, his taut muscles rippling as Shadow walked towards his dream maiden.
Fifteen-year-old Raeann Romano loved her job; working alongside Dr. Williams in the Pack clinic was challenging and rewarding at the same time.Most girls her age lived for school, and teenage crushes, but not Raeann, after school always filled her with excitement, especially today when the Shadow Moon pack hosted the Annual Howling; she wasn't yet old enough to shift and was a few years off finding her mate, but Raeann didn't mind.She had promised herself from a very early age that she would never rely on a mate to make her life feel worthy, Isabella, Raeann's older sister was all the proof she needed to convince her that forming a strong attachment to another being made you vulnerable, and that was something R