Chapter 1
The hum of the washing machine was the only sound left in the apartment, punctuated by Felix’s occasional sip of his bitter, disgusting black coffee. He swore he couldn’t live without the stuff. To my heightened senses, it tasted like straight dirt, an insult to my tastebuds with every swallow. The only reason I was drinking the revolting brew was because Felix had finished the milk. What grown man ate Coco Pops anyway? Not that he was much of a grown man. At twenty-four, he was only three years my senior, yet he insisted on simultaneously acting like an old timer and a child.
From the corner of my eye, I saw him run a hand through his chestnut-brown hair. Next, he opened his mouth as if he was about to say something and then... nothing. He just clamped it shut and went back to playing with his cereal. I didn’t doubt it was soggy, more milk than actual cereal now.
What a waste.
I pretended not to notice his internal struggle, but after seven long minutes of him opening and closing his mouth like a gasping trout, my patience frayed.
“Spit it out, Felix,” I said, not looking up from my bacon. “Before you suffocate.”
As if reading my mind, he blurted, “I have to go home this weekend.”
He dropped the spoon in the bowl with a soggy plop. I chewed my bacon slower, digesting the announcement. I was surprised he still referred to Lennstown as his home. We’d been living in the city together since I was fifteen. *This* was our home now. I couldn’t, however, take away the fact that all of his friends and our family were there.
“No,” I finally said.
“Come on, Lia, you promised that you would—”
“Make an effort?” I cut him off. “I know. Trust me, I have made plenty of effort trying not to wring that bitc—”
“LIA!” he growled, a low rumble that was pure Beta.
I threw him a withering glare. I would be damned if I had to spend an entire weekend with that witch he occasionally played tonsil hockey with. Just a couple of days ago I’d walked in on the two of them getting it on on the couch. Let’s just say I hadn’t touched it since, preferring to sit on the cold hardwood floor. Lord knows what type of diseases Morgana carried.
“Fine. That woman whose guts I wouldn’t mind ripping out,” I added a sarcastic smile. It wasn’t the first time I was fantasizing about spilling Morgana’s guts, nor would it be the last.
As if reading my mind, Felix rolled his eyes. He looked exhausted, shadows bruising the skin beneath his eyes. He hadn’t been getting much sleep lately, and he’d been home even less these past few months. When he was, I was met with whispered conversations with Morgana that promptly ended when I walked into the room, along with the secret phone calls he took in the other room. He walked around as if I’d wired the place, which was ridiculous. I didn’t care about pack business. I actively avoided it.
“You two need to start getting along,” he said, dragging a hand down his face.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and failed. “We’ll start getting along when she stops trying to control my life.”
I knew I probably sounded like a spoiled brat, but the woman wouldn’t get off my back. She was constantly breathing down my neck about ‘getting a proper job’ and how I was a ‘childish slob’. Sometimes I could actually smell the sharp, coppery scent of her hatred wafting across the room. A perk—or curse—of my particular genetics.
“It’s only because she cares,” he offered weakly.
I threw a piece of bacon at him. He caught it in his mouth without missing a beat.
“Have you looked at those brochures she got for you?”
The college brochures were now at the bottom of the bin, nestled between coffee grounds and eggshells.
“No,” I said.
“If you’re not going to college, you might as well find something useful to do with your spare time. It’s been three years since you graduated.”
“I have a job,” I grumbled.
“Helping Mrs. Banner out at the shop doesn’t count. You can’t support yourself with the pennies she pays you.”
I wrinkled my nose at the jab. Sure, Mrs. Banner had offered me a decent salary for helping out in her nursery. It just hadn’t felt right taking money from such a sweet old lady, especially when the pack’s trust fund meant Felix and I already had so much of it. We’d worked it out and finally agreed on minimum wage. But I wasn’t about to tell Felix I’d refused a decent salary because I genuinely liked taking care of plants.
“Can we just drop it?”
“Okay, but we’re picking this up as soon as I get back.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled.
Of course I wanted to go to college. I just needed to figure out exactly what I wanted to do. It wasn’t like I aspired to get away from overbearing parents. In fact, Felix allowed me so much freedom I would kill for him to be hard on me sometimes.
“I can’t leave you here unsupervised, though.” Here we went again.
“I’ll be fine, bro. What’s a couple of nights?” I asked, dropping the serviette next to my plate. “Besides, I’m responsible and you know it.”
“You trashed my apartment when I went to Sudan,” he said.
“I was sixteen! What did you expect?” I shrugged, pushing away from the table.
“You stole a car when Morgana and I went to Venice.”
I placed the dishes in the sink and leaned against it. “Complete misunderstanding.”
I’d understood exactly what was going on, and unfortunately, so had the old man I’d ‘borrowed’ the car from. I’d promised I’d give it back. Luckily, the officer who took me in owed Felix a favor and didn’t shoot my little brown self, letting me off with a warning. The tongue-lashing from Felix, however, had been worse than jail.
“Look, Felix,” I sank into the chair next to him, my voice softening. “I know that the last couple of years haven’t been exactly easy. I’ve been... struggling. But that doesn’t mean you have to constantly worry about when I’m going to mess up. At some point, I’m going to need to start taking responsibility for my own actions. Go home. See your friends. Give Abuela a kiss for me. Plus, if it makes you feel any better, you can call me every hour or so.”
We both knew there was a fat chance of that happening. Felix and I hardly ever communicated over the phone. He only called to check in once in a while to make sure I wasn’t dead in a ditch somewhere, and that was only if Morgana didn’t answer her phone. The snitch probably gave him hourly reports.
Felix stared at me, his dark eyes searching mine. He hesitated, the worry lines around his eyes deepening, before he finally conceded.
“Fine. But if there’s any trouble at all—”
“I’ll call a lawyer.” He didn’t look impressed. “Just kidding. You’ll be the first to know, but there won’t be any trouble. Scout’s honor.”
“You were never a scout,” he pointed out.
I gave him a winning grin that I didn’t doubt resembled the Cheshire Cat’s.
“So when are you leaving?” I grabbed his bowl and discarded the cereal before dumping it into the sink. “And why are you even going?”
“There are a few matters I need to attend to. Plus, it’s Namakai soon, but they’ve decided to do it a little differently this year.” He paused, and I raised an eyebrow in question. “They’ve invited a couple of the neighboring packs.”
I frowned. “That’s... new.” And it was. The pack hated outsiders. I myself was a perfect example of how much they despised them.
“Yeah,” he mumbled, not meeting my eyes. He didn’t seem pleased, but I didn’t push. Pack business wasn’t my concern. As long as they didn’t bother me, I wouldn’t bother them. I really couldn’t care less about what happened in Lennstown. They could all go to hell except for Abuela. She was the only decent person in that entire pack apart from Felix. His only flaw was his unwavering loyalty to his Alpha and the fact that he was the Beta. I’d thought the peace treaty would make it easier on him after he moved out here to take care of me, but it had been business as usual.
“Love you, Lia,” he said, his voice rough.
“You getting soft on me?” I teased.
He ruffled my hair, and I swatted his hand away. The mane that occasionally liked to act like hair was hard enough to maintain as it was. I didn’t need his sticky fingers messing it up.
“Morgana is gonna check in every now and again. Please, for the love of the goddess, try to be cordial.”
I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my own brain.
“Do you think you’ll find her this year?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Who?”
“Your mate.”
“I don’t know,” he said honestly.
Despite what the movies and cheesy romance books tried to sell, it was rare to find your true mate. Nowadays, people just settled for mating with people they were romantically involved with. Since the wolves separated, the mating balls had stopped. Abuela used to tell me stories about them; that’s where she met Apa. The balls stopped after the third war broke out amongst the werewolves and vampires. Since they ended, Namakai became a small replacement. If your mate was in the pack, you usually found them during the festival, when all wolf senses were heightened. Most wolves didn’t find their mate and ended up settling for someone in the pack. Like Felix had with Morgana.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Felix asked.
I shrugged. “Just wondering if Elias-Kai is still as big of a douche as his father.”
Felix chuckled. “Definitely.”
I rubbed my hands over my face. “Has he found a mate yet?”
“He hasn’t, but I’ll definitely let him know you’re interested,” he winked.
I scrunched my nose up in disgust, which earned a low chuckle from Felix.
“I hope she’s a half-blood,” I said darkly.
“What, why?”
“Because he and his dad are fixed on that weird Aryan pure-bloodline junk. I hope he ends up with little half-bloods running around. That should teach them a lesson.”
“You really shouldn’t speak about him like that. He is the future Alpha, you know? Elias is announcing his retirement at Namakai. I’ll officially be Beta, and Kai will be my Alpha.”
I tried to ignore the thread of pride in his voice at his elevated status. Maybe if I didn’t acknowledge it, I wouldn’t have to face the fact that he’d be needed in Lennstown a lot more now.
“Yeah. Keyword being *your* Alpha. I have slandering leeway.”
We chuckled and talked about trivial things before it was time for him to get ready to go.
“You need a ride to the airport?”
“I got it covered,” he said.
“Suit yourself. Later, alligator.” I threw a peace sign at him, and he saluted as he walked off to the bathroom.
—
If anyone had told me that wanting to get away from Morgana’s constant nagging would result in a physical altercation, I would probably still have picked the bar brawl. It had been a necessary release. This whole week, something had been slightly... off. A restless energy buzzed under my skin, a feeling I was supposed to be doing something important but couldn’t quite place. It was the pre-Namakai agitation, I was sure, a distant echo of the pack’s heightened energy reaching me even here.
I shook my hand and picked the last piece of glass out of my knuckles. After years of skirmishes, I knew to come prepared. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t actively seek out fights. Especially not tonight. I’d even dressed up, though the chiffon dress was already ruined. I’d ripped it on the side when I kicked the guy, and he had ripped off a strap when he tried to grab me.
I rinsed my hand under the tap in the grimy bathroom. It wasn’t as bad as it looked; the blood had made it seem worse. The cuts were shallow. I’d made the mistake of not letting go of the bottle when I smashed it on his head.
Looking back in the stained mirror, I saw that my red lipstick had completely come off. Other than that, my makeup was still somewhat intact. Luckily, he hadn’t landed any solid punches on my face. My thigh, however, had taken the worst of it when he’d shoved me into the bar.
But he still looked worse than I did. I doubted he’d even remember how he ended up in the hospital. All I’m saying is, if humans can’t hold their liquor, they shouldn’t be drinking. Save yourself the embarrassment of getting your ass handed to you by a 5′5" girl because you were overzealous in your approach.
I shuddered at the memory of his gross hands in my hair and his sour breath on my neck. Luckily for me, I’d smelled the date rape drug long before I took another sip of my drink. I couldn’t help but think of what would have happened if I was human. I pushed the thought far from my mind before pushing the door open.
I made my way into the 24-hour supermarket. The cashier looked up, his eyes widening at my disheveled state, but his attention quickly went back to his phone.
I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I spotted a box of my favorite cookies. The fight had burned through a lot of energy. I took my time picking my favorite snacks and food, the mundane task calming my still-jangling nerves. After I paid, I made my way to my car. It wasn’t much to look at. I guess the stolen car incident had told Felix I needed one of my own. I dumped the groceries in the back and started the drive home.
Felix hadn’t been in contact since he left, and I couldn’t help the nagging worry that curled in my gut. I knew he could take care of himself, but something in the back of my mind, that same primal instinct that had been on edge all week, kept telling me to check. I reached for my phone only to find it dead. Great. I probably should’ve charged it before I left. Not that tonight had been planned.
I pulled up at the apartment building, not bothering to use the underground parking. No one was going to be stealing this piece of junk anytime soon anyway.
With groceries in one hand and my key in the other, I began the journey to the top floor. The elevator had been out of service for months. I highly doubted the landlord would be fixing it anytime soon.
I stopped short before I reached the last stair.
The door to our apartment was slightly ajar.
Morgana *never* left the door open. Too many variables. The neighborhood wasn’t the safest, witch or not.
A cold dread trickled down my spine. I shut my eyes and focused on the apartment in front of me, letting my senses stretch.
The smell of blood attacked me long before I saw it. Copper, thick and cloying, mixed with the faint, fading scent of ozone and violets—Morgana’s magic.
I blinked, trying to make sense of the scene before me as I pushed the door open slowly.
“Morgana?”
No response.
I took slow, careful steps into the kitchen. And then I saw her.
Morgana was sitting at the counter, a bowl of cold soup in front of her. Bile rose in my throat as my brain struggled to process the horror. It was Morgana, but it wasn’t all of her. Splattered blood stained the kitchen cabinets. Her body sat limply in the chair, and her decapitated head was placed neatly on the island countertop, facing the door.
Her once-bright blue eyes had been ripped from their sockets. Her mouth was wide open, frozen in a silent, mid-scream.
Shock rolled through my body, and I felt lightheaded. The smell of blood was overwhelming, despite the fact it was already drying.
I stumbled back, rushing out of the kitchen on pure instinct, my hands fumbling for Morgana’s cell phone on the entryway table. I pressed Felix’s contact, my fingers trembling.
“Hello?” Felix’s groggy voice answered.
“F-Felix,” I choked out, my voice a strangled whisper. “He found me. He’s here.”
“Lia?” He was instantly alert, the sleep gone from his voice. “Lia, what’s going on? Who’s there?”
“Caiphus was here,” I whispered, the name tasting like ash. “Morgana... Morgana is dead.”
There was a sharp, pained intake of breath on the other end, a moment of utter silence that was more terrible than any scream. Then, his voice came back, hard and flat, the Beta taking over.
“You need to get out of there.”
“I can’t just, oh my god, I can’t just l-leave her here—” Sobs wracked my body, salt tears streaming down my face.
“Listen to me,” Felix said, his voice like steel. “Get out of there now, Othelia. Do not worry about Morgana.” I could hear frantic shuffling in the background. “Don’t touch anything. Leave your car where it is. Get a cab and get the hell out of that city. Now.”
I nodded profusely, even though he couldn’t see me. As he listed off a final set of instructions, I grabbed my bag of groceries—instinct screaming at me not to leave a trace—and backed out of the apartment.
With one last, horrifying look at Morgana’s decapitated head, I left the door slightly ajar, as I had found it, and fled downstairs.
I called a cab, and it didn’t take long to arrive. The driver said nothing as I requested to be dropped at the nearest bus station. I wiped Morgana’s phone clean and threw it into a bush nearby.
A sense of cold finality filled me as I looked back at the apartment building, the grocery bag heavy in my hand.
He had found me.
