[Hyacinth]We do not have any time to waste. The leaders of the West Coast packs are set to arrive early tomorrow morning. Which means we need to get everything else in place tonight. "Do we have anyone on the ground in Gold River who can help," Mariana queried as we began making a list of who and what we needed. "Drew and Blake," I list off quickly. "But I don't know what their status is. When I last saw Drew he was able to resist their mind control and...""Another advantage of being a Gibbons Moon Wolf," she interrupts. "Superior strength, but also mental toughness. He is almost impossible to brainwash." "Unfortunately," Stella chimes in, "Blake wasn't a strong enough Crescent Moon wolf for her to have any protection from her abilities. If anything, because of the Crescent nature, she was more susceptible. Crescent Moon Wolves were always intended to be diplomats. They are good at empathy and charisma. They are also known for not quite mind-reading but something pretty close to
[Hyacinth]“Hi,” I step out of the car with my hands above my head. “Cameron, you remember me, right? Dr. Hyacinth James, Delta Henry James’ daughter…”“I know exactly who you are, traitor,” he pulls out a gun which he then points at my head. He is flanked by two other wolves that I do not recognize which I assume must be members of the River City Pack. “Do not step any closer. I would rather not kill you, but I also can’t trust you,” he pants, his eyes wide and red. “I know you are a witch.”“A witch!” I gasped both startled and upset. He can’t be serious. I look up into his unflinching eyes and realize he believes what he is saying. He really thinks I am a witch!“Cameron, Gamma McCoy, listen,” I stay very still, afraid he’ll misunderstand my intentions. “I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but I can assure you that…”“I know you bewitched the pack!” He shouts. “Della and the kids did not recognize me when I tried to go home. The Luna sent me here looking for you. She convinced
[Hyacinth] My hackles raise, as I take a step forward, not flinching as their guns raised and aimed at my chest. “I am not a witch,” I insist. “But I do need your help dealing with witches who have infiltrated my pack, bespelled my alpha, and plan to do something during the summit tomorrow.” “I can vouch for her,” Mariana speaks up. “She has been nothing but truthful since we have been introduced. We came here hoping you might ally with us to help reclaim her pack.” “Funny,” his smile is small as he points to Gamma McCoy, “You are the second pack to approach me today for an alliance. Unfortunately for you, the Gold River Pack has a much more convincing story.” He looks over at the Gamma, who stands there without moving, barely even blinking as he listens. “Your Luna says that you were kicked out of your pack 6 years ago because you were using powerful spells to seduce the young wolves in the pack. You then wandered the countryside packless until you were able to seduce the new
[Hyacinth]I came here seeking help, hoping to find allies.But Ashlynd got here first. With all of her power and influence as Luna, I shouldn’t be surprised. I should have known something like this would happen. That it was inevitable. With my back to the cold stone wall, I think about my son, my mate, and everything that has happened since that day we returned home to start the rest of our lives together, only to have it all fall apart. But mostly I think about Alpha Davis and what he said about when Slate and Ashlynd met. He said it looked like the meeting of two fated mates, but I know that cannot be true. Slate and I are fated mates. You only get one of those in a lifetime if you are very very lucky. Most wolves never find their true mate. So there is no way that he saw what he thought he saw. I had no idea that Ashlynd and Slate had become engaged on the same day I had been kicked out of the pack. It seems like too much of a coincidence. What are the chances that both Ashlyn
[Hyacinth]Gamma McCoy fought against the bars, but I held on tight. Now that I can see what is wrong with him and how I can help him, there is no way I am letting go. Thankfully, the process of clearing the curse from his body was a simple one. Just as I pulled the spell from those poor humans who had been infected and turned into a type of wolf--they just needed to be free of what was wrong. Setting a body to what it should be is far easier than trying to change it.Which makes me wonder: Why are the witches working so hard to change the true nature of wolves? What is their end goal?And dear Goddess above, what does it have to do with Moon Wolves?Now that I know how to fight back I need to know if there are any other wolves like me, wolves with the power to help me win this battle. Because there is no way to deny that this is indeed a battle, not just for the heart and soul of my pack, but possibly something bigger than all of us. As soon as I am done cleansing McCoy of his infe
[Hyacinth] Both Gamma McCoy and I hold our breath, waiting to see who might descend. I felt my power crackling within me, waiting to defend us if I must. I'd rather not use my abilities to harm, they were designed to heal, but I will do whatever it takes to get out of this dungeon and back to my mate. But the first person to greet us was the last person I'd expect to find here. "Sebastian Alexander James," I scold my 5-year-old cub as he squeezes me tightly around the waist. "You should NOT be here. Where's Jeffrey?" "With Rodrick," he looks back at the stairs. "And Miss Stella and Aunty Mariana." "Auntie Mariana?" "She said I could call her that," he looks up at me with his big eyes and I ruffle his hair. I am glad to see him, even if it is in such a dreary place. "Why are you here?" I scrunch my face just enough for him to know I am serious. "I left you somewhere safe so that I could go and get your papa." "You need me!" he insists. "I knew you were in trouble. I found the
[Hyacinth]I have never bought into the idea that rogues are somehow worse than us just because they are packless. There are so many reasons a wolf may find themselves without a pack, including several that are beyond their control. Wolves like me. The only reason I was sent out in the cold was to preserve my family's honor after I “broke” a law that made no sense to begin with. A law that victimized the victim in many cases, because it didn’t get any kind of consideration for who it affected. Because they didn’t have the name of the wolf who had taken my honor, they had no way to bring us both to justice. So instead they punished me, shamed me even, rather than listen to me. Hearing Gamma McCoy apologize did little to heal my deep emotional wound. I am still so angry at all of it. But right now, I need to focus. Because the circumstances of how we met don’t matter as much as my necessity to save him. I love Slate. And even though they didn’t treat me well, I still love my pack. “
[Hyacinth]“Stop!” Bash’s little voice cuts through the din of fighting all around us. “Mama, what about the baby?”I pause. “He’s right,” I remember, removing my hands from the Alpha. “I can’t cure anyone else without endangering my cub. She barely survived me freeing you, Gamma McCoy.”“Well then,” he smiles, taking on a can do attitude. “Let’s find some rope. We’ll just have to keep him under control the old-fashioned way.”“What about the rest of the pack,” I yell over the sounds of battle. “We don’t need to battle all of them,” Gamma McCoy assesses. “Our crew has already taken out half of them. And the rest just need to be told to stand down.”“Or we can scare them,” Bash suggests. “Mama, maybe we should ask a dragon to help.”“Bash dear, don’t be silly,” I shake my head. “Dragons aren’t real.”“Actually they are,” Roderick speaks up for the first time, his voice gravelly. “I met one when I was vacationing in Wales with my parents. They’re even more elusive than Moon Wolves.” He