by Emilia Rose
“The Wolf’s Flower has been prophesied by many to bring an end to the darkness.”
So many questions buzzed around my mind. Which darkness? What would it look like? Why were we the only ones who could stop it?
But me being me, I asked, “So, that’s why I’m attracted to him? Because we’re going to save the world?”
Placing her hands on each of our shoulders, she shook her head. “Not entirely. I have nothing to do with that desire of yours to let Kylo have you. Though mates are the most sacred connections that I can forge, your connection”—she gazed between us—“far surpasses that.”
Kylo brushed his fingers against mine again, sending sparks up my arms. What she was saying didn’t make sense to me. I wanted my mate to be my only connection, not someone else.
We want Kylo and Roman, my greedy little wolf said.
“I will not step between you because true love is out of my hands.”
I stared at the Moon Goddess, just blinking and trying to understand what she had just said. “Are you saying that even if I reject Kylo and vow to never see him again, I’ll still have feelings for him?”
“Correct.”
“Aren’t you the Moon Goddess? Can’t you—”
Kylo placed a hand on my waist, rubbing small, circles on my skin to calm me.
“Sorry,” I said.
“It’s okay, my child. I know you’re confused. Let me explain.” She smiled. “The only time I have seen a connection like yours is between the divine wolves—my first creations and the strongest creatures to ever live. They died millennia ago, but their souls have—what you would call—free will. They have reincarnated into the strongest werewolf bodies over and over for the past seven thousand years and appear only when they sense danger is arising. Together, they defend the world against it, and then they die.” She brushed her fingers against both of our cheeks, staring between us. “And they have chosen you two, my children, to defeat the darkness that lies before us.”
“That means that …”
She nodded her head. “That you are the divine wolves.”
The divine wolves? The divine fucking wolves?
I stepped back and shook my head, tears filling my eyes. Everything that Roman and I had been through … had it all been for nothing? Had we fought and nearly broken up and gotten back together just to lose our connection? Or were we always fated to fall apart? What was going to happen to us?
Kylo had the same shocked expression written all over his face.
I wrapped my arms around myself. “Did you know who we were meant to be when choosing us to have different mates?” I asked, anger boiling inside of me because Roman was at the pack house, waiting for me to come home, alone. But after tonight, I would be coming home with Kylo, the man Roman hated the most, the man whose father had raped his mother.
He would hate me for this.
He would lose it.
He would hurt so fucking bad.
The Moon Goddess shook her head. “If I had known that the divine wolves would choose your bodies, I would have chosen you as mates.” She reached out to grab my hand. “They are powerful creatures—almost as powerful as I am—and have their own liberty to so as they please. After defeating the last danger, they disappeared for hundreds of years. I never thought they’d return. After the last time, I thought they were gone for good.”
After pushing away a stray tear, she cupped our faces and smiled so softly. “I never thought that I would see either of you again,” she said.
My wolf howled inside of me and curled into her embrace, acknowledging her as our creator, as our first mother, as our one true goddess.
More tears fell from her eyes, and I had the urge to comfort her. But she stepped away from us and gazed between Kylo and me. Kylo smiled at me, as if he felt the connection, too, but I didn’t smile back.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, brows knitting.
All my wolf wanted was to run into his arms and to tell him that nothing was wrong now that we had found each other. But something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong.
“Roman,” I whispered. I brushed my fingers against my mate’s necklace and clutched it in my hand like it was my most valuable possession—because it was. Roman meant more to me than all of this, than being a Lycan, than seeing the Moon Goddess, than finding out the truth.
But there was no denying the fact that there was something between Kylo and me.
“What’s going to happen with Roman? Do I have to stop loving him? Do I have to … reject him?” I asked, barely able to get the word out. The thought of hurting Roman was pure torture. I loved him more than I loved myself even though it might not seem like it sometimes.
Kylo frowned.
How could I choose between my fated mate and my other half?
The Moon Goddess stepped forward. “Not unless you want to reject hi—”
“No, I don’t ever want to reject him.”
“You can still be with him,” she confirmed. “In fact, each of you can still be with your mate—”
She stopped herself and glanced at Kylo with a grievous expression.
Kylo stared down at his feet, his pain so strong that my wolf physically hurt from it. It was pain that lingered from his mate’s heartbreak, from watching his mate with Roman, from treating her poorly all these years.
After swallowing hard, the Moon Goddess looked directly at me. “You can still have Roman as your mate, Isabella. And Kylo may choose what he would like me to do for him since he now knows about the connection between you two.”
Kylo parted his lips and then pressed them back together. “I can … choose?”
“If you’d like a second-chance mate, if you’d like to be mateless, if you’d like to continue your life with your other half, you may choose,” she said.
For a moment, he glanced between us, and then he turned away. I didn’t know what I wanted him to say. Maybe I wanted him to choose me. Maybe I wanted him to choose Scarlett to get her out of Roman’s hair. Maybe I wanted him to be happy, and if that meant choosing someone else, then he would get another mate.
“I want Isabella to be happy,” Kylo said finally.
“Well,” the Moon Goddess said, “I will leave you to be happy together. You have one more day here by yourselves. Enjoy it.”
Chapter 16
Kylo
When the Moon Goddess left the garden, it was past three a.m. Flames from the bonfire nearly licked the bottoms of branches, other wolves were returning to their cabins for the night, and Isabella walked with me through the hundreds of flowers with the same shocked expression that I must be wearing.
My mother had only ever told myths of the first two divine wolves, their strength comparable to the gods and the somber stories of their departure from this world. Two wolves who had been destined to be together, forced apart by evil and death.
I’d never thought it was real.
Before we reached Isabella’s cabin, I grabbed her hand and tugged her in the direction of the waterfall. Tonight was the first night we could truly spend together. And after what the Moon Goddess had told us, I wasn’t going to waste it.
“Kylo,” she said, pulling on my arm. If she really wanted to pull out of my grip, she could. But she didn’t. “Kylo, I can’t.”
“Let me spend some time with you before we leave tomorrow.” I squeezed her hand harder, my wolf loving the feeling of her skin on mine, and continued toward the lake. “I don’t know when or if Roman will ever let me.”
When we reached the waterfall, I tugged my shirt and pants off. My lips curled into a smile as she glanced down my body for a moment. I dived into the lake, the cold water waking up my senses.
This is our only chance to see our love, our first, my wolf said to me. Don’t mess this up.
When I came up for air, I swam back toward the edge. “Come join me.”
Isabella crossed her arms over her chest and gnawed on the inside of her lip. Guilt plagued her heart—my wolf
could feel it surging through her, her loyalty to Roman holding her back from us.
Reassure her, my wolf said, desperate to have her in his arms.
“Please,” I whispered, holding out my hand. “I won’t do anything to you.”
She stared, her eyes flickering to her wolf’s gold color. After unfolding her arms, she peeled off her clothes and jumped into the water with me. White bubbles drifted to the top of the water a few feet away, frothing under some lily pads.
Although she swam closer to me, she kept her distance.
Those eyes and her scent and my wolf were a wicked mix.
I snatched her wrist and pulled her to my chest, the water rippling between us. As I swam next to her, I took it all in for the first time. Every single strand of gold in her eyes. How her hair glimmered under the moon. The intensity surged through my body when she touched me.
All I wanted to do was pull her closer and closer, but she would stop me.
Instead, I rested my forehead against hers and listened to her uneven breaths and the quick pace of her heart until she finally said, “What are you going to do?”
I furrowed my brows. “What do you mean?”
She stared at me for a bit and chewed on her bottom lip. “What are you going to do about … your mate?”
My breath caught in the back of my throat, and I didn’t know what she wanted me to say. My wolf wanted to love her. All this time, he had been keeping it to himself because he didn’t want things to go even further south with Roman and Isabella. But now … I couldn’t stop thinking about what a life could look like with her.
Grasping her chin, I brought her closer to me and let my nose brush against hers. “I told the Moon Goddess that I wanted to make you happy,” I said honestly.
But Roman was too controlling, too alpha to even share her with me. It broke my heart.
I would never truly get Isabella to myself.
She closed her big blue eyes and inhaled deeply. When she reopened her eyes, they were a mess of gold and blue, the strands tangled together, her and her wolf one. “Don’t you want a mate? Don’t you wish that you can love someone again? Don’t you think that—”
Without thinking, I pressed my lips to hers. My wolf took control of me as my fingers curled into her waist to bring her closer to me. I was hungry and desperate to touch her again. It felt like it had been centuries since I had last tasted her.
She placed her hands on my chest and softly kissed me back. Tingles ran up and down my spine. I hadn’t experienced something so intense for such a long time, maybe never in this lifetime.
After a few moments, I pulled away and asked, “What did you feel?”
A look of pure confusion washed over her face. “I love Roman. I love Roman so much.”
Ache. Heartbreak. Uncertainty. Did she not feel what I felt?
“That’s not what I asked,” I said. I lifted her chin, so her eyes met mine. “How did that kiss make you feel?”
“I’m not supposed to feel this,” she said, fingers digging into my chest. “I’m not.”
“Be honest with yourself, princess.”
She hesitantly wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “I liked it,” she whispered.
“Okay,” I said, my mind made up.
“Okay?” she asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means that I’m not going to ask for another mate. I don’t need one.”
“Kylo, we can’t be—”
“I know that you have Roman and that we have other things going on right now. I don’t need another woman.” I straightened out my shoulders. I hadn’t needed another mate for years now. “And besides, I can control myself around you.”
She arched a brow. “Is that so?”
I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her toward the waterfall. “Sometimes.”
Chapter 17
Roman
My mate mark sizzled, fucking hissing in my ear like a venomous serpent warning me that my mate was with another man. It was three thirty a.m., and the pain hadn’t stopped for at least half an hour. I paced around my dark room with my hand against my skin, hoping to cool it off.
Isabella must’ve been with Kylo, doing goddess knew what with him.
Flirting? Kissing? Fucking for all I knew.
I slammed my fist against the wall in our bedroom, causing the moonflowers on our windowsill to tremble slightly. The light emitting off them was dimmer compared to the nights Isabella stayed here with me.
How could Isabella believe all of Kylo’s blatant lies? How could she think there was something between them when I was her mate? How could I let him slowly drag her away from me?
When I had been growing up, Mom had always told me that I needed to protect my mate from all the evils of the world. But how could I protect someone who was not only stronger than me, but defiant too? It seemed like everyone I ever loved was being taken away from me.
Mom had been killed by rogues. Dad had died minutes later. Then, Jane had mated with Raj.
Now, my own mate had a connection with my ex–best friend, who conveniently had the Wolf’s Flower that could kill Isabella and eliminate the Lycans for good. It must’ve been his fucking plan all along.
My phone buzzed, and I hurried over to it, hoping that it was Isabella.
Unknown Number: I have information about the Wolf’s Flower.
Furrowing my brows, I stared down at the phone.
Me: Who’s this?
Unknown Number: Romie, there are only a few people who know about the Wolf’s Flower and your mate. ;)
I rolled my eyes and collapsed onto the bed with my head in my hands. Of course it was fucking Scarlett. She had an almost-humorous way of weaseling into any drama that she could find. And if the rumors of her pack being in havoc were true, she was desperate for safety. She might have solid information for me.
Suddenly, Vanessa barged into the room without knocking. “Don’t answer it, Roman.”
I stared at her with wide eyes. “What’re you doing here?”
She snatched my phone and pushed it into her back jeans pocket. “I overheard Scarlett talking about contacting you to get back together at The Night Raider’s Café. Don’t fall into her trap and hurt Isabella,” she said, voice soft and full of worry.
Vanessa had never cared so much about Isabella before she became a Lycan. It didn’t add up that Vanessa wanted to be close friends with her now and neither did Scarlett wanting to get back together. I had told her no once, and my answer wouldn’t ever change.
“Give me my phone back,” I said through clenched teeth.
Scarlett could have information about when Kylo would use the flower to kill Isabe—
I stopped mid-thought because I sounded so stupid. Scarlett was selfish. She didn’t care who lived and who died, who thrived and who hurt. She had betrayed her own mate and wouldn’t think twice about betraying me for any reason.
This message was a trap. It had to be.
Vanessa crossed her arms over her chest. “No, I’ll deal with Scarlett myself.” She stepped toward me in a threatening manner and pointed a sharp, manicured finger at me. “I know you were listening to our conversation the other night. You know how much Isabella loves you. Don’t make her not trust you by texting Scarlett.”
“Why’re you so obsessed with her?” I asked, blowing out a breath and sitting back down on the bed.
As much as I hated to admit it, Vanessa was right. Whatever was between Isabella and Kylo would hopefully be sorted out this weekend. And Isabella would tell me everything.
My mark burned hotter, and I clutched it in my hand.
She had better.
Vanessa crossed her arms over her chest. “Because she’s my friend.”
“You hated her in high school.”
For the first time ever, Vanessa growled at me. “Because I fucking like her, Roman, okay? Goddess, why do you ask so many questions?” Almost as soon as the words left her lips, her eyes widened. She slapped a hand ove
r her mouth.
Vanessa liked Isabella? Was that why she had made fun of her every day, why she had flirted endlessly with any guy Isabella showed attention to in high school—to get her attention?
“You know what? I don’t care that you know. I just want Isabella to be happy.” Vanessa dropped her hand. “Make sure you appreciate her and her strength, or someone else will,” she threatened and walked out.
Chapter 18
Isabella
Soft orange sunlight flooded around tree branches, bounced off of the small lake near the rushing waterfall, and reflected right onto my closed eyes. I grumbled to myself and turned onto my side, curling into Roman’s muscular chest to hide from the sun.
With his strong arms around me and his fingers gently caressing my back, he pulled me closer and breathed against my neck. I tugged myself even closer to his naked chest and inhaled his pine scent. So good. He smelled so damn good.
Like I did every morning, I reached to grasp his mate’s necklace, but it wasn’t there.
His neck was bare. Completely bare. Without a mate’s necklace and without a mark.
I snapped my eyes open and stared at Kylo, who shifted in the sand to lie on his stomach and let his toes dip into the rippling lake. Within an instant, I scrambled away from him and clutched the closest piece of damp clothing I could find, pulling it onto my body to hide myself.
Oh Moon Goddess. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
The last thing I remembered was staring up at the stars with him and wondering how we were the two most sacred and admired divine wolves. We must’ve just fallen asleep. No sex. Thankfully, no sex. That kiss last night was enough for this entire weekend.
More, my wolf purred. We need another kiss.
“Kylo!” I whisper-yelled, shoving his muscular shoulder. “Wake up!”
After mumbling to himself, he slowly opened his tired eyes to gaze up at me. Turning onto his back, he lay there naked in all of his glory, not caring for a single moment that all his junk was out for everyone to see.