Their coven always surprised me. A lot of covens had moved more towards the modern, city approach. Much like the packs now a-days. However, this particular coven still stuck with the grass roofed huts of the old days. They didn’t have dirt floors but they did have treated natural wood from the surrounding area. It was a sight to see and really made you feel like you were in a far more magical place than normal.I followed Gale into one of the larger huts I knew to be hers. She kept many of the spell books and other larger items used in rituals and casting. They would either be borrowed or they would be done under her supervision within her hut. Alpha Evan had gone off with some of the children as they were planning on giving some of the celebration decorations as well as sharing truffles once they were cleaned. It left me with Gale alone.We walked into her hut and it smelled of earth and forest. It was as close to feeling like home, smelling like Auri as I had gotten in a long time.

My hand froze on the wooden gate that had shut behind Morgan as he struggled to walk towards the house. Swallowing hard, I looked up to see Auri, standing in the doorway. Rydere howled loudly and I felt my knees go weak. Goddess, she was beautiful. In her arms looked like a tiny fey child who was clutched to her. She was wearing jeans, a white shirt, and a deep green apron that covered most of her front. Her bright blue hair was short, shorter than the years after Micah had cut her hair off, barely reaching her shoulders. It reminded me of when she was Astra all those years ago. Hell, she looked as young as she had been back then as well.Her eyes went from Morgan to me, standing frozen at her gate. I braced myself for anger but the only thing I received was a smile. The grip I had on the wood tightened as I started to sway.'Mate!' Rydere purred like a kitten.“Sorry, Princess. We have a wayward werewolf vampire who is worried about his future.” Morgan turned to me, now grinning like

We didn’t say anything else for a while. My eyes closed and I rested my cheek on her head, reveling in the dance that were the sparks between us. Goddess, comparing me to Logan was a knife that continued to dig further into my heart. Rydere had been right and deep down I knew it. I just couldn’t stop hating myself. For what I did. For how weak I was. Everything I did to her.“Hector, I never hated you. Not once. Even when you left. I felt you struggling because you never brought your walls up when you were with me.” Auri nuzzled further into my chest. “But can you stop hating yourself? Can you forgive yourself? Can you move on?”I lifted my cheek from her head and pressed my lips back down. “I don’t know, Auri. I hate…”She shook her head against me, cutting me off. “No. Stop hating. I don’t regret it. If I had to do it over again, Hector…if the Moon Goddess sent me back in time right before I swapped places with Ezekiel, knowing the outcome, I would do it all again.”Auri stepped bac

I jolted awake with a start. It sounded like a herd of elephants were rampaging through the house. Auri was gone and I pulled my phone up. It wasn’t even six-thirty. I also had six missed calls. Four from Bryan, two from Vale. Groaning, I rolled out of bed and rubbed my eyes. More thundering and I finally opened the door.What I wasn’t expecting was the chaos that was ensuing. All the kids, in a various state of dress, running around. Some getting their backpacks together, others were sitting at the table having breakfast. Auri and Morgan were in the kitchen with nine different lunch boxes open, putting together food. I was floored.“Ah! Hector! Coffee is here.” Morgan reached over and poured a cup of coffee.Reaching out, I took the mug and took a drink. Sighing, I closed my eyes. Hands tugged my pants and I looked down. Herr was smiling up at me.“Can you help me up?”I set my coffee down and picked her up. She smiled at me and I turned her around. “What would you like?”“There is a

*** Ezekiel’s POV *** “You sure you’re okay?” Vale asked me for at least the fourth time today.“I’m fine, Vale. What did you want me to do with these reports?” I snipped back without meaning to. It didn’t help make my point that I was okay.His eyes narrowed at me. “Look…if you need…”“I said, I’m fine.” I look a breath before answering calmly. “The reports, Vale.”Vale let the silence hang in the air for a couple seconds before sighing himself and shaking his head. “Just put them on the to-do pile. I’m getting too many conflicting reports to just file them away at this point.”My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”“You know the conditions that were signed by the Fey King, Vampire King, and Mother Witch?”I closed one eye and rubbed my chin, trying to think back to anything specific that jumped out as an issue. It had been at least 12 weeks, maybe more, since the meeting between all the supernatural leaders had happened. Somehow, they all had agreed with a little coaxing. It took t