As soon as I feel Saffrons' absence, I trail behind Luna and follow her into the kitchen. She stands on her tiptoes and reaches up to open the top cupboard. Her fingers fumble around until they find the smooth surface of a tall glass. Carefully, she pulls it down, cradling it in her hands as she turns to the sink. The cool water rushes out of the faucet and into the glass, filling it halfway.She bustles around the kitchen and I can't help but watch her every move. Leaning against the fridge, I fold my arms across my bare chest and take in the sight of her. Her movements are graceful, yet purposeful.Abruptly, she spins on her heel with a sudden jolt of fear shooting through her body when her gaze lands on me. The glass of water in her hand slips from her grasp, descending toward the floor. Without hesitation, I jump forward and reach her just in time, lifting her into my arms before the glass hits the ground.When the glass collides with the ground, it shatters, and water with
As Blaze relinquishes his grip on my wrist, I hasten towards my mother, bending over her delicate frame to place a tender kiss on her forehead.A rebel tear slides down my cheek and splashes across her porcelain skin.“I’m sorry, ma, but I have to go with them. If I don’t, I’m afraid they will do something crazy, like kill you, and then me. I love you, and I wish you had been honest with me from the start because I have no idea what’s real and what’s not.” I whisper, wiping her hair out of her face as I look down at her and take a mental snap of her sleeping form. “I love you…” I sob, as I turn away from her.“Don’t allow them into your heart, my child. The second you do, it will all be over.”I look down at my hand as my mother holds on to it in a death grip that surprises the hell out of me, preventing me from walking away from her.“Wh…what?” I breathe out, lifting my gaze to search her face.“Lock your heart up and throw the key away, child. You are the descendant of a powerful Mo
As we drive through the woods, entering the clearing to our pack land, the sun is beginning to descend, casting bright hues to stain the horizon. We have been driving for hours, only making a pit stop here and there to get food or take a toilet break. Glimpsing in the rearview mirror, I cast a quick peek at Luna before I return my gaze to the front. She looks so peaceful, and angelic looking as she continues to sleep. The gentle cadence of her breath, punctuated by the occasional murmur, spurs me on to remain vigilant - to get her as far away from her mother as quickly as I can. She may not see it; I know Saffron sure as hell doesn’t, but she is our future. She is going to save our pack, and together we will break the curse bestowed upon us all. Just by Luna coming here of her own will, shows me that she is nothing like her evil mother. She has sacrificed everything to save our pack line, knowing that she will forever belong to us and that the life she once had, no longer
I jump out of the Ute, the door slamming shut behind me with a resounding thud. My fingers drum irritably against the bottom of my packet of cigarettes, a familiar ritual that always calms my nerves. And right now, my nerves feel like they are shot with restlessness.I whack the bottom of my packet against the palm of my hand while I look out into the crowd that continues to form around Blaze. He's taken it upon himself to courageously explain everything that has taken place in our absence.Like, the death of our Alpha.The finding of our mate, with the shocking discovery that she is our enemy and somehow, destined to be our saving grace. All rolled up into one curvacious being with a sharp tongue that stings like a silver whip, laced with spikes and wolfsbane. Not to mention that our mate's mother was the witch that damned us all to hell. How we fought spellbound wolves and still have one gagged and tied up in the cargo of the Ute for Lily to punish herself. Oh, and not forg
“Careful, darling,” Saffron hisses, gripping the roof of the Ute above my head. “I just might let you.”Licking my lips, I reel in my escaping breath as every fibre in my body hums.What the fuck was that?I have never felt pleasure that intensely before.As much as my mind wishes to royally screw Saffron over, my body craves to jump him and allow him to do whatever he pleases with me. Sexually.This is insane. I’ve known him for less than twenty-four hours, and I feel this magnetic pull towards him that has my heart racing fiercely in my ear canals.This pull toward him is a desperate need I can’t seem to control. It’s overwhelming, making me crave his touch.Straightening my spine, I press my forehead against his. “What was that?” I ask breathlessly, hating how close he is to me—reminding me of the pleasure that was currently surging through me.One corner of his mouth curls upward. “You like pain, darling, and I have a feeling that you and I are going to get along very well. I now
I do my best to keep my feet rooted in the ground. The expression on Lunas’ face is making my wolf inflamed. He is clawing at my chest, and I have to grit my teeth to hold him back. Because the moment I set him free. There is no telling what he may do to Lily. “Lily…” I snarl with a homicidal expression. “You have less than thirty seconds to remove yourself from our mate before we release our wolf onto you,” I warn her in a strained tone, feeling my veins pulse beneath the layers of skin on my body. “One more second, Blaze. I promise.” She whimpers. I know she can see everything that transpired at the hospital through Lunas' eyes, and part of me hopes she finds some solace through Lunas’ vision. “Please…” Luna sobs in a hushed tone that is filled with agony. “It hurts…” “Lily! Release her. Now!” I use my alpha voice, as I can feel the last ounce of control I have slipping through my fingers. A loud howl disperses across the clearing as it travels with the wind. Saffron has s
ONE WEEK EARLIER:As the dead leaves billow around my paws, they caress me with affection while I stand tall at the edge of the cliff with my head tipped back. Mist blankets the horizon like smoke contaminating the climate. This place right here, on the edge of the cliff that looks down at the river is my safe haven. A secret place I come to when I need to escape the pack; when things become too unbearable to face head-on.For some unknown reason, I feel a connection to the Earth. But as I continue to gaze up at the moon, I cannot ignore the surge of heat that thrums through my veins and weaves through the dark fur across my spine.But that sensation quickly vanishes, just as promptly as it appeared when the sound of Lily screaming tears through the still night. It threatens to burst every blood vessel in the branches of my pounding heart.I wish I could take your pain away, my dear strong sister…Her torment and agony are undeniable as it travels with the wind, and it takes everyt
Present Day:It’s no secret that working during the blood moon sucks for us that are stuck working the graveyard shift at the hospital tonight. I have seen everything from shifters coming in with fierce wounds that are unexplainable, to psychotic outbursts, then within hours, they are walking out of here as if nothing has happened.But… this time two years ago, a male in his early thirties was rushed through the emergency doors riddled with bullets, and he’s been back every year since.He’s currently lying on my operating table as we speak, but this time something is different because he’s not conscious, which is highly unusual. If this were a hospital for non-shifters, it would be expected, but I don’t work in a regular hospital for humans. I work in one out of six shifter hospitals within the country, and my patient lying on my operating table unconscious has me feeling a little nervous.It’s just after midnight, the moon is shining stunningly brightly outside and for some unknown