by Lyra Winters
“That’s what you-” My oxygen depleted, and I couldn’t breathe. My hands wrapped around my throat as red and black splotches began to dance in front of me.
Another dark loop witch emerged from behind with a striking glower. Her hair was brown, and she was younger. I didn’t recognize her at all, but how had I not sensed her?
“The Oaks daughter?” She snickered. “Now, why haven’t you killed her yet?”
“Her powers are strong. She could be a tool for us.” Evanora snapped her fingers to break the spell the other had over me as she healed her own wounds.
I gasped for air and sunk to my knees as I breathed in deep. Suffocation was painful, and I didn’t want to experience it again.
I threw my hand up and shot a wind spear at the new witch. She hadn’t had time to react, and it pierced straight through her skull. Her body dropped, and Evanora looked shocked for a split second as the woman’s brain leaked onto the ground.
Laughter tore out of her throat, and ice ran through my veins. How could anyone laugh at something like that?
“I’ve underestimated you. You’re capable of more than I thought.”
I cringed as the wind skimmed across my face. “I’m capable of protecting myself.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Oak,” another chilling voice jolted me to my core.
The only other person as evil as Evanora was her twin sister, Lucinda. And that was the witch who had the power to steal someone’s life essence and power as she did to my grandma.
“It’s been a while.” Lucinda stood by her sister and fluttered her fingers my way.
I choked, and she laughed.
No, no, no, no. She was going to kill me, and take my magic for herself. I collapsed the rest of the way to the ground.
“She could be useful, Lucinda.” Evanora clicked her tongue.
“I suppose. But letting her live gives her the chance to betray us. It’s better to take her powers for ourselves.” She shrugged.
I couldn’t speak or move, and there was so much I still needed to do—I had to get to Xavier. I was never scared of death until I met him, and I couldn’t leave him yet.
My eyes closed as the world around me blackened. My magical essence was draining along with my soul, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. It wasn’t painful, but peaceful. I almost let myself succumb without fighting it, but they couldn’t win. I couldn’t fathom what they’d try to do if they had my power, but it couldn’t be good. I had to hold on.
“She’s resisting.” Lucinda huffed. “I’ve never had a witch resist before.”
“She’s special.” Evanora tapped her foot. “I still think we should use her.”
The evil witch sisters continued to bicker as I fought against the life-draining spell.
Minutes after what felt like a futile struggle, the air around me turned static once the wind picked up. The wind seemed to spin a circle around me, and the spell Lucinda cast on me vanished.
My eyes popped open in time to see the Lunar coven appear in a protective circle around me.
Ingrid, Sybil, Deb, and the other two elder witches had saved my life.
I gasped and climbed to my feet. “Thank you all, so much.”
Ingrid smiled. “I’m sorry it took so long, child.”
They broke the circle, and we stood in a line side-by-side with our hands interlocked. Magic flowed between us, warm and comforting—powerful. No words were needed to know what we needed to do. Our magic was united by our stance, and the elements around us went wild.
A wall of fire surrounded the two shocked hags as wind swirled like a tornado around them. The earth spiked upward at their feet, causing them to fall into the violent wind.
Their screams would haunt me forever as the wind tore their limbs from their bodies and fell into the firewall, burning their flesh and bones into nothing.
We dropped each other’s hands, and Deb and I sank to the ground. The other witches stood tall like they were used to exerting that much magical power. Ingrid stepped forward and helped me up as Sybil helped Deb up.
“Harlow, are you alright?” Ingrid asked in a soft voice.
My heart pounded as blood roared in my ears. Xavier. “I have to go to my mate. He’s in pain. I feel it.” Tears flooded down my cheeks. “Thank you all so much. If the offer is still standing, I would love to be a part of your coven.”
The women smiled, and Deb bobbed her head feverishly.
“You are always welcome with us.” Ingrid touched my face and the warmth of healing spread through me. She healed my entire body with one simple touch. “I gave you the energy of our coven so you are now able to call upon us whenever you need. Now, go. Find your mate.”
I nodded and took off in a sprint, thankful all witches weren’t as evil as Hollows coven. My heels struck the Forest ground, sending dull pain ricocheting up my legs from the force. It didn’t take me long to find the concrete box of a structure we had been in. I rushed to the door and flung it open.
“Xavier!” I bolted inside and lifted Lockhart away from him with my magic, blasting him into the wall with force. A deafening pop came from his body from the impact, and I knew he’d be down for at least a minute or two.
As I rushed to Xavier’s side I hissed. His skin ruptured above growing purple blooms all over his still body. Blood dripped from the different wounds onto the dirty concrete floor. I waved my hand over his restraints and released him. He’d been tortured with no mercy, and it made my heart twist in my chest.
“Harlow?” He blinked a few times.
I cupped his face and kissed his lips once, pouring healing energy into it. When I backed away, he looked good as new.
Ingrid had taught me something new already, and my healing powers had strengthened. “Kill him.”
A deep, guttural growl erupted from his throat as he shifted into his wolf, stalking toward Lockhart who had just started getting up from my blow.
“Shit.” Lockhart had pure hatred in his eyes as he watched Xavier close in. “You’re not capable of taking me down, mutt.”
Xavier pounced with no hesitation, tearing into Lockhart. Blood sprayed onto the concrete, and Lockhart’s regret and anger burst out of him like a supernova before he could stop the attack. Almost immediately, his life force was pushed from his body.
Flesh was torn, muscle and blood flew from his body as Xavier ripped him into literal shreds. His organs spewed around him, and he was no longer recognizable as human or wolf.
Xavier shifted back and wore Lockhart’s blood like a Medal of Honor.
I scrunched up my nose. The air was pungent with blood, but I wasn’t the least bit afraid. “Werewolves are monsters.”
“You’re in love with one.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I threw myself at him, not caring about the blood that coated his skin or the complete animalistic kill I’d witnessed seconds ago. I wrapped him in my arms and sobbed. I didn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if I hadn’t made it in time. “I love you so much it hurts.”
His arms went around my waist as he tugged me close, kissing his mark on my neck. Calmness washed over me from the matebond as an emotional let down reared its head. The monster that had my parents killed and caused the world so much trouble was dead.
Howls erupted from outside, and Xavier tensed up. “Riley just mindlinked me. The war has begun.”
TWENTY EIGHT
Xavier
The massive paws of my wolf slung me into the bloodshed. The Maxwell and Huntington warriors fought against the Lockhart pack. The ground was stained, soaked with the blood of wolves from both sides. I shifted into my human form in the middle of it all.
“Stop fighting, and shift back, now!” I commanded the three packs, standing with my chest puffed the fuck out and Alpha aura exuding from me.
All at once, they froze—unable to ignore an Alpha’s command and shifted back. Thanks to Harlow, my Alpha command worked for the two packs I was not considered Alpha of.
“What’s happening?”
“Why can’t I move?”
“He’s not even an Alpha.”
“Clearly, he is. But he’s not my Alpha.”
The wolves of all the packs were confused as fuck, not that I blamed them. I would be too, but when I killed that sonofabitch Lockhart, I took his Alpha rank and his pack.
“What’s happening, Xavier?” Riley stepped forward with Gabe.
“Did you kill him?” Blaine asked.
“I’ve killed Alpha Lockhart. In turn, I’m assuming the position of Alpha of his pack. The pack is now the Kingston Pack.” My Alpha voice boomed around us, and wolves from Lockhart had mixed reactions. Some growled, baring their fucking teeth in human form, while some bowed down with relief.
“Wolves loyal to your previous Alpha, line the fuck up. Wolves who want to stay under my rule, stay put.” My Alpha command weeded out the ones loyal to Lockhart, the ones that couldn’t be trusted to be in my new pack.
At least half of the pack lined up before me, low growls erupting from all of them.
I smirked, shifting into my wolf, and proceeded down the line of wolves, tearing their throats out. Warm, metallic liquid coated my mouth. I fucking reveled in it.
Revenge felt damn good.
I trotted back to my spot and shifted back into human form. “That is what happens to pack members who are not for me. I am your Alpha now, and we are not going to be mindless killing machines like Lockhart made you be.”
The members cheered, smiles, and tears of joy painted their faces.
“We will also be in alliance with both Maxwell and Huntington pack. No member is permitted violence against either of these packs or your own.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Harlow walk toward me and interlock her fingers with mine. “This is your Luna. You will respect the hell out of her.”
Nods from my members were synchronized. They seemed to be happy to have a pack that wasn’t full of killers, and that enough proved I could lead them.
“You were all under a chaos spell. It’s why the air was so hostile here. That is now lifted. You should feel more like yourselves now,” Harlow informed the members.
I smiled at her and addressed the pack. “Go and clean up. This war is over.”
Cheers erupted from all three packs, and everyone started moving again. I knew I had taken on a shit ton of responsibility, but with Harlow by my side, I could do anything.
Blaine, Riley, and Gabe sent their packs back to the Maxwell pack house before coming over to us.
“I knew you were going to kill the piece of shit, but damn,” Blaine said. “I didn’t know you were going to take his position as Alpha.”
“I felt bad about leaving the pack without an Alpha. By our law, whoever kills an Alpha takes ownership of the pack. I couldn’t leave them to fend for themselves.” Besides, being Alpha seemed like a sweet gig.
I glanced over and saw Sophia jogging over to us. “I’m so proud of you, Xavier.” She grinned, and the rest agreed. “You did it. You avenged Olivia.”
Olivia. Anger surged through me, and I fought my wolf from taking over.
Sophia’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong?”
Harlow placed a hand on my shoulder, and my whole body relaxed. “Olivia wasn’t his mate.”
“What do you mean?” Riley’s brows bumped together.
“The bitch tricked us all,” I growled. My heart was healed by Harlow, but fuck if it didn’t feel like my heart was crushed by the betrayal.
Harlow’s slim arms wrapped around my waist, and the negative feelings melted away. I wasn’t sure if it was the matebond or her magic, but she always calmed my ass down.
“Lockhart was working with my old, evil coven. They cast a spell to mimic a matebond between Olivia and your Beta,” Harlow explained. “It was all fake.”
“I fucking knew it,” Sophia said, grinding her teeth together.
“I’d like to bring that bitch back to life just to kill her myself,” Riley growled.
“You know what?” I chuckled. “She isn’t even worth it. I have my true mate, and that’s all that matters now.”
Harlow kissed my cheek and smiled. “I love you, Xav. We have a lot ahead of us.”
I rubbed my chin. “That’s for damn sure.”
But with Harlow as my Luna, and my two childhood friends as allied Alphas, everything was finally starting to make some fucking sense.
EPILOGUE
Harlow
4 years later
I used to thrive on isolation and being alone, but ever since Xavier broke into my cottage, I couldn’t find solace in it anymore. My life before him seemed like a distant memory at best.
After we took Lockhart and the three Hollows coven elders down, Xavier became Alpha and changed the pack from the inside out. The Kingston pack was a strict but caring pack, and the members were happy.
Xav gave the Maxwell pack their territory and relocated the pack into the unclaimed territory in the forest I dwelled in for so long. I’d been worried about what a bunch of wolves would do to the area, but I made sure the members knew about Nadia and her cubs and they vowed to leave her be.
Being Luna took some getting used to, but the pack members had enjoyed having one and receiving empathy from me. They were a little hesitant at first when they found out I was a witch, but I won them over.
Lunar coven had become my family, and Deb was like a sister to me. I’d progressed in my magic so much with Ingrid’s help.
“Mommy, why do we need lavender?” Juniper, our three-year-old daughter, held the purple sachet as she put the ingredients inside.
I giggled. She hated the smell of lavender just like Xavier. “Lavender is calming, but I suppose we could replace it with camomile.”
Her little nose scrunched up. “Nevermind. Lavender is fine.”
Juniper was beautiful. She had black curly hair and my lavender eyes. The problem was that she knew how special she was, and she sought trouble out at every chance.
She’d been having nightmares as of late, so we decided to make a sleep sachet to put under her pillow.
“You know...” I poked her nose. “I made your daddy one of these when we were getting to know each other.”
“Really? Daddy had bad dreams too?” Her hands squeezed the sachet before it caught ablaze.
I snapped my fingers, extinguishing the flame, and laughed as she pouted. “We all have bad dreams, June.”
“The sleep sachet does better when you don’t catch it on fire, baby.” Xavier walked in and ruffled her hair.
“But daddy, I didn’t mean to.”
“Why don’t we shift and go for a run?” he asked.
She squealed and nodded her head. “Yes, please!”
“No shifting in the house.” I pointed toward the door.
They snickered and went outside as I tended to the sleep sachet to make sure she had one to put to use. Juniper had a beautiful black coat in wolf form. She was the only one of her kind we’d known of.
Wolf-witch hybrids weren’t something I’d thought existed, so we kept a close eye on her. I wished my parents and grandma were able to meet her and Xav, but I knew they would’ve loved them.
Thank the Fates for mating me to an arrogant werewolf.
Authors Note
Thanks so much for picking up Redamancy to get lost in. Are you curious about Sophia and how Xavier’s story started? Check out Monachopsis to satisfy your curiosity. I added the prologue of Monachopsis for you to this book.
Keep reading to sample!
Monachopsis
PROLOGUE
"Do you think you'll meet him tonight?" My sister, Riley, nudged my arm as Ivy and Xavier gathered around us in the pack's ballroom.
The ballroom was a work of art; with chandeliers, white marble floors, and crown molding carving out the intricately designed ceiling. The walls were a timeless grey with large windows that allowed natural light to pour through.
I shrugged w
ith a smile. "I hope so."
"Too bad I'm not your mate, huh Sophia?" Xavier wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before Riley smacked his shoulder.
Xavier and I had been best friends since diapers. He had long suspected we were soulmates, so he arrived at the party an hour early to test his suspicion; however, his theory proved wrong as soon as he saw me. There were no sparks, no butterflies, and certainly no matebond.
I covered my mouth and laughed. "Yeah, that is too bad!"
"Why did that sound insincere?"
I patted his cheek, his scruff rubbing against the palm of my hand. "I love you to death, but you are such a playboy!"
He grabbed my hand and kissed my palm with a roughish smile. "Damn. Still no sparks."
"She's not your mate, silly wolf." Riley snickered, shaking her head at him.
Rolling his eyes at her, he released my hand and tousled his hair.
"Mates are nothing but shit." Ivy, my youngest sister, clicked her tongue.
"Don't do this." Riley sighed.
"Do what?" Ivy ran a hand through her short black hair. "I'm just telling her the truth."
"No one needs your negativity," Xavier said.
"Well, I'm just saying. Mates suck. They draw you in with the matebond and then crush your soul when you least expect it." She scowled, making eye contact with me. "You'll be disappointed."
I hadn't once doubted anything when it came to my mate. We weren't taught to. We were taught to expect the fairy tale love story all werewolves were promised. Ivy's past with her mate was traumatic but also exceedingly rare. And yet, her words spurred anxiety in the pit of my stomach that sweltered like a wildfire.
"Not tonight, Ivy. Please," I whispered.
"Yeah. Besides, aren't you too busy with Nolan to worry about Sophia?" Xavier chuckled.
She waved him off. "Nolan is nothing but a distraction to me and a perk within the pack."
"He has a mate out there, you know," Riley stated, taking a sip from her glass.
"Not my problem." Ivy smirked. "Besides, he already told me he'd reject her if he found her."