MATT POV Frigid water splashes against my skin, pouring over my face and shocking me back to consciousness. Liquid splutters out of my mouth, and my eyes pop open, blinking against the bright lantern light. “Get the fuck up, gamma.” Damon growls, standing above me, with Andrew next to him holding an empty bucket. If looks could kill, my alpha’s glare qualifies. I’ve done a lot of things to piss the man off, but this one might take the cake. Fog clouds my brain, unable to remember how I got here. In the bathtub, with these two towering above me. A splintering headache radiates down my spine as I struggle to sit up. The acidic, putrid smell of vomit wafts up my nostrils, bits of the dried chunks stuck to my clothes. “I swear to the mother fucking Goddess, if you don’t get your ass downstairs and start explaining shit, gamma.” The rawness of Damon’s alpha rage knocks into me at full force, and it’s like a cinder block is sitting on my chest. Oxygen is hard to find, as his aura makes t
FLETCHER POV The rocking chair creaks, my eyes closed as the smoke escapes, leaking into the chilly morning air. Placing the joint against my lips, inhaling more of the smoke and try to relax, which seems impossible. With Charity gone, and Matt avoiding me like I have a disease, my nerves have been more frazzled than usual. Matt hasn’t answered my calls, texts, and is never home when I stop by the alpha house he refuses to see me. Andrew has taken over the training responsibilities, and he’s not as fun to teach with. He won’t even bet on the warriors with me. All the New Moon Beta does is glare and grumble at me. His dislike of me is blatant, he wears it openly. Fuck. I really messed this all up. My eyes pop open in alarm when I hear the soft murmur of voices heading toward the porch. They notice me and pause, finding my gaze on them. I smile at Luna Nora, all bundled up against the cold. One of our rogue warriors walking behind her a few paces, alert and prepared to protect her at
CHARITY POV Summer’s been unusually anxious the last few days, her constant pacing leaving me with a massive headache and a knot in my gut. Unable to take handle more, I hop down from my bed, and grab for the phone sitting across the room. Dialing Elle’s number, I pop in my airpods, counting the rings until she answers. “Charity?” The stress in her voice has Summer perking up, her anxiety going through the roof. “Hey, Alpha.” I remain calm and collected, keeping the worry to myself. “Just calling to check in. Everything okay back home?” “Of course.” Her answer doesn’t ease my worry, her tone and pitch is all wrong. “Busy with the usual.” “Are you sure?” My heart hammers in my chest, as I ask the next question, unsure if I want the answers. I’ve done an excellent job of not prodding into their lives, but it’s unstoppable. The words coming out as an embarrassed “What about the boys? How are they doing?” She sighs, contemplating her response, and my heart plummets to the floor. I br
MATT POV“What in the actual fuck?” My tongue is dry, the world spinning out from under my feet as I try to make sense of what I’m witnessing.My mind races to process what Fletcher has said. His fathers. Plural. He has two fathers. Two. And they’re both mated to his mother? I blink, my gaze whipping between the two males. No matter how long I stare my brain cannot compute what the hell I’m seeing, none of it registering.They wear matching smirks, one leaning over to the other, “I think we broke him, so pay up.” His hand is outstretched, waiting for the money to be passed over.Aurora rolls her eyes, not impressed with their childish antics. “Must you turn everything into a bet, Atlas? No wonder Fletcher is so bad.” She scolds the blonde-haired man, who softens kissing her head.“Sorry, my love.” Atlas, or Roman, says? My brain is failing to catch up, coherent sentences forming and yet nothing intelligent comes up. Instead, the only thing I can think to say is a bunch of expletives,
CHARITY POV My eyes flutter open, a groan escaping my lips, my neck stiff and achy from laying in an awkward position for too long. Light peaks through the muslin cloth over my head, my hands tied behind my back, my wrists rubbed raw from the rope tying them together. Muffled voices are heard in the distance, but I cannot make out specifics, like the owners, but there is a familiarity to them. I adjust myself against the stone floor, shivering from the cold. Water drips in the distance, letting me know we are in some cave or cavern. Fire light lights dance beyond the fabric covering my face. My tongue darts over my lips, my mouth dry, begging for water. Anything to quench this thirst. I wiggle my wrists, trying to loosen the knot, keeping them together. The friction is uncomfortable, but I continue moving slightly, hoping no one notices. The rope loosens, but not enough to slip my hands through. Whoever tied this wanted to make sure I couldn’t escape, and yet the panic still hasn’t
CHARITY POV Is Lachlan blind? What woman? Did he not see the beautiful blonde speaking in tongues? Was she a figment of my imagination? What the hell is it about this place. “Are you talking about Chrys?” Alfie asks, shifting my attention to him. “Yeah, Chrys.” I relax with the knowledge I wasn’t hallucinating her presence. “What’s her deal?” “She’s a powerful witch.” Brodie answers, as we walk through the decapitated house, until we reach the field outside. “Her family has held the position for centuries.” “She preforms all the magical ceremonies for the school, including The Society.” Lachlan answers, leading us through the field to their SUVs, while I climb in the back squished between the gamma brothers. “How’s your tattoo feel by the way?” Confusion licks at me, the ceremony itself a blur of pain and images. Finlay holds out his wrist, pulling up the sleeve of his robes to reveal the triple moon on his wrist, a key sitting in the full moon. “Uh, fine.” I pull up my sleeve,
FLETCHER POV “He is precious, isn’t he?” My mom coos, looking over my shoulder as I feed Enzo his bottle. Matt is still outside, talking with my dad, Roman. “He is.” Burden makes my chest heavy, as I stare at the bundle in my arms. “Mom, I need to talk to you about something.” She pauses, glancing up at me with concern. “What’s wrong, honey?” “It’s about Enzo.” I whisper, knowing there are too many ears in this house, with their damn wolf hearing. “Where are the twins?” “Brynn and Briar are napping.” She answers, sitting on the couch across from me. “Chase and Cooper are in their shed, building some wacky invention or another. I swear, those two will unintentionally blow something up one day with their science projects.” “Should we worry about the human feds busting down our door?” “Oh, please don’t put that energy into the hair.” My father, Atlas, answers, his chuckle dry with little energy. “What about the older twins?” I fret, not needing them to overhear what I am about to
MATT POV“They’ll come for him.” The pervasive thought invading my mind like a cannonball. “The council, other alphas, witches. They will all come for him and won’t stop.”“Have you told your parents yet?” Aurora responds, not afraid to hit with the hard questions.“No.” Guilt riddles me, keeping this secret from them, not running to them when Enzo entered my life. “I’m not sure it’s safe to tell them anything until things calm down.”“Until you have a handle on the power surges?” Roman asks, cutting into the conversation. Goddess. This family is one massive think tank, bouncing off each other without hesitation. Do they share everything? Like Andrew’s family?“And how the hell do I do that?” I word vomit, pushing the empty beer bottle between my knees, my arms waving around like a maniac. They must think real highly of me. “It’s not like I’m able to call a witch up and ask for help.”Aurora throws Fletcher a look, a private conversation happening between them in a matter of seconds.