Blue eyes like ice. Hair like snow. A demeanor as hard and serious as the Guide herself. Iphigenia watches me as I sit up.We're in the Plane of the Dead, the meadow. But there is no sight of Hekate or Ariella. It's only me and my alter-ego."I...How can we look alike?" My head spins as I watch my mirror image step towards me. Her mouth is set, and she is far sterner than I am. Her silent presence is intimidating, whereas mine is easily passed over."I don't need to answer that for you-but you are me. Just like the Death Prophets before you." Her eyelashes are crisp white, and her lips are pale blue. She is Death. "I've waited a long time for this day, Alora.""To meet?""To be free."She is dressed in a silk robe that trail behind her in wisps. Just like Hekate, she seems to glide along the ground, though her bare feet crunch against the grass unlike the Moon Goddess. Her arms are clasped in front of her, shoulders rolled back, and chin up like she can perfectly balance an egg on the

Her words stay with me, even as I sit down with Hendrick's family later that evening. Jayden and Hendrick argue over the last piece of steak, and Aiden eats it when they aren't watching. I can't concentrate though-can't be present in the moment like I should have been, considering that these moments would be gone within the next few years.Avianna had said there is no point, and she is right. My fate is sealed. Still, I'm surprised by how easily she accepts it. She and the healers are very much like that-callous to the trouble and pain of life. Is that what I'm going to become like-muted to the small things, because there are far greater problems and situations to deal with?The thought of sacrificing my life for the next few years to train is a lot. I know that it is needed, especially if I'm going to avenge Ariella. But just how much is I having to give up?"What did Alpha say?" Aiden's voice cuts through my troubled mind. I look up at him and he gestures at me and Hendrick, "The fi

What he said is partially true. Ever since I had shifted, I feel very different. Like I'm the same person but also...changed. More whole. Iphigenia has filled a hole in my personality and being that I had been lacking before.He seems to know what is going through my head, but his words are irritatingly blunt, "I hope your boy toy can handle your Wolf.""There's nothing to handle, Kennedy. I'm not "I've been turning around from checking all the life vests are stowed but stop as I come face-to face with him. He is leaning against the doorframe. His nose brushes against mine."Don't finish that sentence," His voice is deep, like he's speaking from deep within his chest. I watch his Adam's apple slide up and down, and slowly meet his dark, green gaze. His lips slide up into a crooked grin again, "Aye. He's going to have his hands full with you."His hands. Hendrick's. Hendrick is the one I should be focusing on.I draw away from him before the dangerous proximity of his lips closes, "So,

The drive home is quick, but the silence is loud. Now that I'm not consumed by the volume of the music, my thoughts come to me in a rush. Thoughts of Orion-the maniac who has been strongly implicated in the death of my sister and responsible for countless others. Thoughts of the Goddesses and the fact that I am one of their messengers-a High Prophet of The Order of The Huntress. The fact that I have two mates...one being Orion, the man who wants nothing more than to destroy the world that has become my own.The other mate being Hendrick, who is waiting on the edge of the forest that borders my house. He isn't happy, but that doesn't come as a surprise to me. Since we had met, I've barely met up to specs. But after dating one another for several months now, I can confirm that I am flat out failing at this point."Hey," I hop out of the car and shut the door with my hip, "How-""You reek of alcohol," He marches up to me. His nostrils flare as he steps up to me, "Alora, did you drive dru

Kennedy's words echo in my head every time I see her now. Do you know why there isn't a successor to Abrego? Mira and Ilya got rid of her-their own daughter-they shipped her off to Prometheus. All because her Wolf was stronger than Mira's..."Alpha," Claude nods as I look down at my feet. With her shoulders drawn back and her eyes set on me so intensely, Mira always manages to intimidate me with her presence. She's the queen of these packlands-there is no dispute.Kennedy stirred doubt in my mind about my own allies. Is it possible to trust someone who had betrayed their own child, in order to stay in power? If what he said is true then what is to say Mira won't throw me under the bus-how can I confidently believe that she isn't manipulating me either?There's no question that my problems not only lie with Orion and The Order, but with the hidden agendas of all the pack leadership. They all have secret motives that can potentially be catastrophic.I look up at her and smile as she spo