[Hyacinth] My eyes take a moment to adjust to my new knowledge, as she lifts a hand to touch my cheek. How can this old woman living in the woods of a secret island be my mother? My mother, who has been dead for 12 years? It takes me a moment, it has been so long since I have seen my mother that I had forgotten what she looks like. But once I get past the white in her hair and the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, I can start to see the once-beautiful beta in her smile. It is clear by her appearance that her life has been rough, but there is still enough of her old self there to shine through. Unfortunately knowing that she is my mother doesn’t make this moment any easier. It just leaves me with more questions than answers. Questions like, why didn’t she ever try to come home? When I think of the things that happened over all this time-- Dad marrying Tabitha; my ejection from the pack; my years as a rogue and now all this mess with the witches--I’d be lying if I said that I am
[Charlotte] “Or at least I think he is,” her voice goes from confident to uncertain. She places a hand on her head. “Things have been confusing since I woke up.” “How long have you been awake,” I ask. She seems lost, both in mind and spirit. “Something isn’t quite right about her,” my wolf sounds both hesitant and confused. “She doesn’t feel like our mother, not quite. Something has been taken from her.” “I don’t know,” she admits sadly. “Until I saw you running through the woods, I was not sure if I had been here for days or decades. I have no memory of anything other than the accident and waking up on the table. I wish I knew more. I wish I had some kind of clue.” She looks so close to crying she is so overwhelmed with emotions. “And things haven’t been quite right since I woke up,” she admits. “Like my abilities. They are completely different. I seem to have lost the ability to heal, but instead, I can do this,” she raises her hands to the sky. “Create illusions. This has nev
[Hyacinth] There is a flash of light along the treeline. I see the silhouette of the woman who claims to be my mother, although from a distance it is hard to tell who she is. The further away she becomes, the harder it is to make out her details. “The Witch!” One of the men near the docks screams pointing towards the lights. “She’s back!” All of the searchers rush off to hunt her, to find the mysterious woman of the woods. They seem far more concerned with her than they are with finding Bash and me. Only one man stands near the boats, waiting. Gregory. Drew’s mentor. “I was wondering when you two would show up,” he shrugs as he unties the boat. “You better hurry before they become suspicious.” “Why are you letting us go? I demand, wanting to know the truth of all of this. “Drew asked me to watch after you, to keep you safe,” he looks over our shoulders nervously, as he gestures for us to enter the boat. “I thought this would be the best place to hide you but I was wrong.
[Hyacinth]Again I find myself standing in front of the little yellow house where everything began to change for me and Slate. Nervously I look around. I am sure this place is no longer safe, with both witches and watchers hunting us, but I cannot think of another place to go. I need allies if I am going to go back to Gold River. Allies and a way in that won’t draw too much suspicion. I am hoping that our friend in the yellow house can help us. Jeffrey is shocked when he opens his door to find both of us standing on his front stoop. His shoulders slumped, he sighs as he allows us to pass him into the warmth of his home. “You shouldn’t be here,” he hisses as he pushes us inside. “It isn’t safe for you to be seen this close to Gold River. the network has been compromised. Where’s Gregory?” he looks behind us, expecting to see the large, gruff wolf glowering from the street.“I didn't know where else to go," I confess as I hold onto Bash tightly. "Gregory is still on the island. He fou
[Hyacinth]I decided to take Jeffrey’s advice and headed back towards the coast, to the Blue Moon Pack. We haven’t been back this way since we adopted Drew into our little pack, and I find myself remembering Linda, my mentor. I miss her and her wisdom. She’d know what to do in this situation. “Well, Bash,” I sigh. “Are you ready for another road trip?”“Is it to see Papa,” he bounces up and down in the car. We are borrowing Jeffrey’s old sedan, hoping not to draw too much attention as we travel. “I miss him.”“I miss him too,” I place a hand on his head and another on my belly as I say, “But we are going to need all the help we can get if we are going to free Uncle Drew, Auntie Blake, and,” I pause, not sure what to call my mate when speaking to my son. He calls him Papa, but he isn’t his father, and…“Papa,” Bash finishes for me. The glow of love in his eyes is so bright it makes my heart ache. I wish so much that I could give this little wonder the family he deserves. “...and Papa,
“I’m sorry, what?” I cough. “I mean, Drew and I are friends and…”Mariana laughs even harder. “Don’t worry,” she takes a breath. “I was only messing around. I know that my brother is happily mated and married. They came by on their Honeymoon. Blake is way better than you for him,” she smiles, holding out her hand to shake, “No offense.”“None taken,” I assure her, and Stella, who happens to be her Luna I soon learn. They’ve been married for 10 years and have two pups of their own. They invite us over to their house just across the street from the pack house. Bash hits it off with their two sons, Jade and Fletcher, and the three of them play in their tree fort until late in the afternoon while the three of us talk. I explain my situation and the craziness at Gold River. I don’t go into detail about the Guardians or the island, but I do let them know we need to be very careful who we trust. “So my brother, and his mate, are stuck in that hell hole,” Mariana is pacing back and forth, “A
[Ashlynd]My mother insisted I be here instead of with my new mate. Even though we've only been mated for one day, I can feel the pull so strongly through the mark on my neck. When he plunged his teeth inside of me, I felt pleasure beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I want to feel him inside me so badly right now. I know that if I have a bit more time with him, I can get Sage to mate with me as well. Slate fought me at first, but now he's all mine. Instead of being by his side, I am stuck here, supervising the creation of our new “hall.” She insists that my presence is needed since I am the one technically holding them all in thrall. I don't see why that even matters since there isn't a single wolf out there that is strong enough to break the magical chains binding their souls to me. Not even my step-father, the mighty Delta, can break his bonds. Mother would only need to hold the chains for a little bit longer. She is a much more powerful witch than I am. I don’t see why i
[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