[Leah’s POV]A gasp escaped me as I watched Ashton, now in his wolf form, rush towards the lycans that were making their way towards us. Was he out of his mind? Even from where I stood, I could smell the rancid stench of rot and decay coming from them."Is he crazy?" I hissed, looking at Asher. "Can’t he smell that something is off about them?""I don’t think he cares." Asher responded, beginning to make his way off the porch. "We need to stop him!""Wait!" I yelled, beginning to rush after him. "What are you planning to do?""Stopping that crazy asshole!" Asher huffed. "Didn’t I say that?"Biting back my angry response, I continued following until we reached where Thia, Antoine, and Haidan were still standing, taking in the scene ahead."DON’T GO NEAR THEM!" Antoine roared, attempting to stop us. "They’re infected!""What about Ashton?" I demanded as Asher continued to move. "Are you just going to let him risk it?""My dumb ass brother does what he wants." Antoine growled, beginning
[Leah’s POV]I looked around the boisterous pub as Asher broods on one side of me and Ian takes everything in on the other. Two days had passed since the attack by the infected lycans, and despite much insistence that I note join Asher in collecting information, here we were, back in the inbetween and the place that Thia and Ashton had once visited for information about the dark mages.In the beginning, Thia and the others didn’t want me to come along, but since they insisted Asher do this, I wasn’t about to let him go in alone. After much debate, Ian and I agreed to join him, just in case."Man, it feels like an eternity since I’ve been here." Ian murmured, letting a smile of excitement spread across his lips. "I really do need to stop spending so much time in the human world.""Then why don’t you stop hanging around with Leah so much and come back here?" Asher asked, not bothering to hide his annoyance.Despite knowing that I shouldn’t have been happy about Asher’s clear show of jea
[Asher’s POV]I stared down into Leah’s expectant eyes and expression of amusement. Did she really think pushing me like this was funny? If so, it looked like I would have to show her that I wasn’t one to be trifled with."Do you think this is some kind of joke?" I growled, lowering my face closer to hers. "Should I show you the possessive side of me?""Do it." Leah's challenge fueled my rage even more.Not responding, I placed my mouth against her mark spot and let my canines extend. If she wanted me to show her, then fuck it. I would."Wait..." Leah gasped, realizing that she had pushed too far. "What are you doing?""Taking what is mine." I growled, letting my teeth slowly begin to pierce her skin. "That way, any man that dares to come close to you will know that you already belong to someone.""Asher!" Leah growled, beginning to struggle. "I’m not a thing to be possessed!"Despite her strengthening her attempts to break free, I continued on as the darkness began to take over. It a
[Thia’s POV]I paced the entirety of the living room, checking the clock every few minutes. Since Leah and the others went to the inbetween to speak with Q, I was a nervous wreck. I couldn’t stop the memories from coming of when my years were taken and the pain I felt in that moment. What if Q decided to take Leah’s? Would that bastard Asher allow it?"If you keep doing that, you’re going to create a hole in the floor." Ashton pointed out, coming up behind me and touching my shoulders. "They’re going to be okay, you shouldn’t be stressing yourself out.""I know." I sighed, leaning into his touch. "But what if something did happen? It seems the world has gone crazy these days. ""If something does happen," Ashton responded. "They can handle themselves. Don’t forget that Ian is a kitsune god that has hundreds of years to grow his strength and collect his tails. Not to mention, Asher is capable of strong magic. ""And Leah?" I tried, biting my lip as my worry for my sister flared. "What
[Leah’s POV]"Asher!"It was beginning to become dark and I was running out of time to find Asher. How could he just leave like that? Didn’t he know that wasn’t the way to solve issues? Avoiding them didn’t make them go away!Letting out a huff, I attempted to try to push aside my anger that was beginning to grow again. I needed to be able to speak with Asher calmly. Once I was done settling this, I would deal with Ashton for what he did."Asher!" I repeated, looking around the dark street. "Where the hell did you go?"Wrapping my arms around myself, I began to move, making my way towards town where I could only hope Asher was currently located trying to calm down. Around me, the sounds of the night were beginning to erupt, painfully reminding me that I didn’t have much longer in this form."Stubborn man." I growled, quickening my pace as a chilling wind began to blow."Poor little lycan," a tinkling voice giggled, causing me to stop mid step and go on alert. "All alone because her lo
[Leah’s POV]"No pressure." I sighed, beginning to attempt to get to my feet."Here, let me." Asher insisted, scooping me into his arms so that I could snuggle against his chest. "Any idea how much longer you have in your human form?""About an hour or so." I sighed, attempting to ignore the waves of pain I felt from being jostled with each step Asher took. "Could you be a bit more careful.""Am I hurting you?" Asher asked, tensing. "I’m sorry, I’m just trying to get you back home as quickly as possible.""You’re actually willing to go there?" I asked, immediately remembering the confrontation between him and Ashton.I waited as Asher took a deep breath and then gave me an apologetic look. At that moment, he looked so lost and confused that it broke my heart."I should apologize." He murmured so quietly I wasn’t sure I had heard him right. "I shouldn’t have stormed off like that. It’s just…" Trailing off, he seemed to be trying to find the right words to express what he was feeling."
[Ashton’s POV] I stood out on the porch smoking as I waited for Antoine and Haidan to arrive with Serenity. My mind was a mess as Ian’s revelation continued to dance around it. This was all so fucking insane, but then again, it made sense. Taking another draw of my cigarette, I felt my anger flare as memories of everything Brailyn had done in the past appeared. Not only had she tricked Haidan into trusting her to get closer to me, but she also attempted to take control of my pack by tricking me into thinking I slept with her after drinking too much and even into believing she was pregnant by me. "Fucking bitch." I growled, clutching the banister in front of me so hard it began to crack. Add how badly she had hurt Haidan and her mother, and I almost wished she was alive so that I could kill her all over again. Stubbing out my cigarette, I prepared to grab another as my emotions began to get the best of me. However, I stopped as headlights appeared and made their way towards the hou
[Asher’s POV]Everyone gathered on the outskirts of Magica Valley, staring at the ocean of poppies that made our path look like a bloody ocean. In a way, it kind of fit the mood of all that surrounded everyone present. It hadn’t been easy for anyone to accept that we would have to leave our homes and pack grounds, but for now, this was a necessary move to try to keep our numbers high."Ready?" Ashton called, looking back at his pack mates who were silent. "I know that most of you don’t agree with this move, as we were all raised to fight to the bitter end, but we need to be able to stay alive until the final battle reaches us."I looked around as the group of wolves silently exchanged glances. Of course, they were skeptical, especially since Lycans were present.To this day, they still hadn’t fully gotten over how King Nigel had terrorized their pack and killed their omegas."Are you sure this is a good idea?" A man who looked to be in his early thirties with dark soulful eyes and much