King FenrisArriving at the training fields, my most trusted knight, Sir Hugo, and I hop down from our thoroughbreds and tie them to posts with rope. Thousands of soldiers are in training. There is a cacophony of sounds: swords clashing, axes and maces thrown at wooden targets, tree stumps, and men grunting with exertion.A few hundred archers shoot at targets from varying distances and nod at me as I pass behind them. There is lots of yelling as men practice their war cries or call out to one another. A few training casualties hobble around with injuries to their ankles, knees, and feet.My Commander in Chief, James Boroughshaw, is stationed outside a makeshift tent and is observing the jousting closest to us.‘My King,’ James says as he kneels before me.‘Commander James,’ I nod, and he stands back up.‘I require an update of our progress,’ I say, sitting down in a wooden folding chair and accepting the glass of brandy Squire Thomas hands to
Maia‘Maia,’ Grace says.‘Yes, Grace?’ I smile at the young girl in front of me.‘Can we come to your forest and meet Ember one day?’‘Sure. I’d love to show you my home. And I'm sure Ember would love to meet you,’ I say excitedly and smile.‘Perhaps when this war is over,’ Vivian says, exhaling and folding her hands in her lap. The girls nod and run off again.‘Vivian?’ I say. ‘Where’s your mate?’ I ask.‘Only werewolves have mates. Humans have husbands. I had a husband: it was love at first sight. His name was Derrick. We were married a few weeks after meeting and had our girls not long after. When they were two, he died in a mining accident. The mine collapsed and killed him and twenty other men,’ Vivian says, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.‘Oh. I'm so sorry,’ I say, watching her dab her eyes.‘I don't know if I could love another man. I know Derrick would want me to. He’d want the girls to have a father, but I just haven't be
Beta TroyIn Shadowguard, a slave auction is about to commence. Twenty-five children between the ages of five and fourteen stand side by side in a row, with their hands tied with rope. They’re bruised, dirty and malnourished. A man walks toward a small cage, and a growl emits from within it.Excited and shocked, the crowd is divided between those who view the wolf pup as a commodity and those who view him as an animal to be feared.The auctioneer drags the young boy out of the cage and demands he stands. The boy is so exhausted and weary that he falls over into the dirt. I’m disgusted but must know the fate of this poor boy.After lunging at the crowd of spectators, the auctioneer punches him hard in his stomach, winding him, and knocking him over. I make eye contact with this young soul—defeat and grief blaze in his eyes.‘A real genuine wolf pup! Not just an ordinary wolf pup! This one has Alpha blood. He’ll be the strongest farmhand you’ve eve
Alpha King DamonWe don’t stand a chance at winning this war with fifteen thousand warriors, so we stop at Mist Falls and Wolfwell, recruiting everyone able to fight and increasing our number to eighteen thousand.After a few days, we reach Thornwell, a town halfway between our packhouse and the forest border. We decide to train the recruits for a few days there. Thornwell is a decently-sized village with a river running through the forest border and into human lands.For the past few nights, I’ve had the same dream of my mate. I see only the back of her long dark hair, and every time I try to get closer, she vanishes.I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. The war should have my full, undivided attention, and yet, here I am, pining after a girl I don’t even know. I yearn for her: to touch her, to kiss her, to smell her violet and honey scent, to hold her in my arms.My wolf has been uncontrollable because our unspoken mate bond is driv
Alpha King DamonMaia wilts like flower petals under my touch when I put my hand on her face but stiffens when I mention the word mate.‘My kingdom has been waiting a very long time for their Luna and their Queen,’ I say. Her breathing is heavy, and she is starting to panic.She is my mate. She should be just as excited as I am. I’m struggling to restrain my wolf, and here she is, reacting unexpectedly to our connection.I tilt her head up with my hand under her chin, forcing her to look at me. Her mesmerising violet eyes stare into my wolf eyes, and I register her fear. She screams, then runs. Forest detritus, dirt, leaves, and twigs swirl around her as she runs, and I’m knocked backward by a strong gust of wind.I am in disbelief and awe, wondering how she could do that with the wind.I pull my clothes off and discard them in a trail, continuing the chase in wolf form.Even in wolf form, I can only just keep up with her as she follows the river,
Alpha King DamonIn Thornwell, while sitting in a communal tent and holding a pint, I give my pack the good news about meeting my mate. I tell them a little about her, how I don’t think she is a wolf, and how she became scared by my claims of our mateship before running off. A few ask me how I will find her. I tell them I don’t know but that I will.They roar and cheer and chink their pints against mine in congratulatory gestures. They’re relieved and happy they’ll finally have a Luna.I yearn to have her beside me. If I could just hold her in my arms like I did when I found her by the river, it would make me the happiest man and wolf in all of Mysteria.We head to Mystic Pride, passing through Moonstone River, east of the forest. We smell the stench of death before we see the bodies. Alpha Ezra's head has been placed on a spike, and a crow pecks the flesh. I shoo the crow away, pull the spike out of the ground, and add it to the growing pile of hea
Alpha King DamonFollowing Maia’s scent, I come across a beautiful plum tree with many fresh, ripe plums on the ground deep in the forest.I pick one up and bite into it. Its wine-coloured juice runs down my chin messily. I suddenly hear a scream and know it’s Maia. I quickly undress, shift into my wolf, and run towards Maia, which leads me to a spot with a cave. A soldier I do not know hovers over my mate. I pierce the flesh of his neck with my fangs and rip a large chunk out, killing him instantly.Maia sits up and looks at me in fear. I shift back into human form and cover myself with my hands. I slowly approach her. ‘Your safe now.’ I say gently. ‘I won’t hurt you.’ I assure her. Her shaking subsides. I gently pick her up sparks form from where our skin touches. I walk over to the waterfall and step in until I am chest-deep in the water.She stares at my chest, and my body hardens. Thank goodness she can’t see her effect on me under the wate
MaiaDamon tucks my long black hair behind my ear.‘We should go to my cave,’ I say, and he lifts me and tells me he will carry me home. I have butterflies in my stomach, and Vivian mentioned butterflies. I put my arms around his neck and rest my head against him as he walks.We sit beside the waterfall to watch the stars and admire the moon. Ember curls up on Damon's legs and soon falls asleep. With our fingers, we draw pictures in the air by forming lines between one star and the next. Damon asks me to guess what he is drawing.‘A fish?’ I guess.‘No. How you got a fish out of that, Maia, I don’t know. It was a fox,’ he says, and we laughed.The night is warm, so we undress and leave our clothes near the cave while slipping into the pool beside it. Ember sits on a rock, watching us. I flick a heap of water at Damon.‘You're in trouble now, Princess,’ he says, laughing.‘Really?’ I ask him playfully.He splashes me repeatedly before d