SWNOVELS Chapter Introductions
She couldn't even look her friend in the eyes after what Camille had said, and after it became painfully obvious that Isabella didn't want him there, Shadow had excused himself, explaining that he was working on a project on the outskirts of town and should probably get back to it.
'You shouldn't treat mate like that,' Mazlyn warned, huffing in annoyance at her human skin's silliness, but Isabella just couldn't seem to get past what Camille had revealed. It was slowly eating her up inside, and she was miserable.
'Maybe he should have chosen one of the beauties from his huge selection then,' Isabella waspishly told her wolf.
Mazlyn responded with a frustrated growl and disappeared back to her den, leaving Isabella alone.
Mama said that Raeann was asleep when she checked in, so she decided that she would wait until she went back to the packhouse with her parents to see her younger sister. She hoped that being around a bunch of familiar faces would trigger something in her memory.
It was finally finished.
Harris proudly handed his Alpha the finishing touch, something all of the Omegas had worked on, and as Shadow took it from him, the emotion was evident as he gazed upon the sign that would hang above the Alpha couple's front door.
Bella's Hideaway
Where promises made as children
Bonded the souls within them.
There were no words, just a profound sense of unity between Alpha and pack.
Observing in the realm between past, future, and present, hidden in the safety of his invisibility spell, the young wizard smiled.
Raeann
She gasped, sitting up in her bed, looking around wildly for Valenar, but her room was empty. Wait a minute!
The last thing she remembered was the strange boy telling her that he had been waiting for her...Was it a dream?
As if in answer, a cloud of mist appeared before her eyes, and then as she looked down at her lap, Raeann saw the golden envelope hovering in mid-air.
A floating envelope, well, that fits right in with the weird things that happened last night.
Grabbing it from the invisible hand, Raeann turned the shimmery envelope over and saw the wax stamp, sealing the contents closed. The anagram was of a raven..perching on the star of David.
The raven claw coven, she surmised, and, ever the practical one, Raeann slid her fingers along the fold and broke the seal.
There was a bright puff of purple smoke, and then Raeann found herself staring at a hologram, staring back at her.
"Is this thing on?" Valenar could be seen tapping at something, and after he was satisfied, the young wizard's eyes found Raeann's confused look.
"I thought this might be a bit easier for you to accept than me actually being there," The purple haired boy said by way of explanation. All Raeann could do was nod to acknowledge that she was listening, a small 'o' forming on her budded lips.
"Yes, uh, well anyway, as I was trying to tell you before you fainted, you're welcome for getting you back to your room. By the way, I am Valenar, and I have been searching for you for quite some time now. The witches of Raven claw have long held a beneficial treaty with the Howling warriors, and as such, the High priestess feels it prudent to warn the Alpha that there are traitors in his midst. The person who is among his inner circle works with another to take this pack out from underneath him, and with this act of betrayal, a cry to war will be heard. The witches of Raven claw will stand with Howling warriors and fight against their enemies when the time comes, and the High priestess pledges her allegiance to the Alpha, as she did his father, and the father before him."
A sense of dread overcame Raeann, and she shivered despite the warmth of her blankets at the ominous forewarning the wizard bought. She had a unique ability, a sidekick to her healer's hands, Raeann guessed, of knowing when living beings were telling lies, and Valenar's voice was unwavering in its truth.
Instinctively knowing she wasn't going to like the answer. Nevertheless, the next question still dumped itself out of her mouth.
"Why tell me? I'm not even part of this pack anymore?"
Valenar's golden eyes burnt brightly before he revealed the awful truth.
"Because the traitor in the pack has Romano blood running through their veins, and only a Romano with a pure heart can turn the tide and keep the true Alpha on his throne."
Raeann found herself alone in the room once more, shocked with her new knowledge, realizing that she was on her own now; Mama, Papa, Mikhail, or Isabella were planning something truly evil, and the witches expected her, a 15-year-old wolf girl, to find the traitor and prevent a war!
Camille
Today promised to be a great one, Camille thought as she signed the last of the documents on her desk, issued the week's patrol roster, and arranged for Papa to move back into the family home.
At first, she was angry, learning that she would no longer be Luna when Isabella was out of the way, but Santos had explained everything.
Shadow opposed Papa's request to take Isabella back to Shadow moon, threatening to get the Royal family involved since he was challenging Shadow's rights with the mate bond. So Papa had no choice but to take Shadow's power away. When his plan was fully in place, he would challenge Shadow for Alpha, promising Camille that he wouldn't kill the young male. He was just going to fight until Malik, Shadow's wolf, submitted.
Then Camille would be free to use the vial stashed away safely to break the bonds, and in return, she could choose Shadow as her mate, and they would still hold the Beta positions.
Isabella would have no title, and that pleased Camille greatly.
In seven days, she would get everything she ever wanted, and to top it off, her annoying little sister had requested a light workout at the training grounds today, conducted by Camille herself, Isabella's best friend.
"El despiadado" had no recollection of any of the rigorous training she had undertaken at the Academy she worked for, and Camille knew sparring with Isabella would be child's play. The knowledge of being able to hit the nuisance a few times under the guise of "training" and not be held to task for it was an opportunity the Beta female couldn't refuse, and the thought of it put an extra pep in Camille's step as she left her office behind and went in search of her victim.
Shadow watched his men and women training in earnest, the letter in the front of his mind as he watched each wolf's skills, looking for weaknesses or points to improve on, but his trainers were teaching them well.
Each movement was sharp and precise, with the pack splitting into five groups.
The group closest to the indoor gym were the Elite, the packs top ten warriors. They trained as a close unit, often leaving pack grounds, training in different locations and situations, honing their skills for every possibility.
The second group, practicing in wolf form were trained by Jake, the pack Gamma, as Michael, Jake's father had done before him. Shadow heard the older man bellowing out pointers from the sideline, watching as the packs experienced warriors were put through their paces. Jake Cameron was a grizzled man, with deep scars running along his face and down his torso; although terrifying to look at, he was an excellent pack trainer, and as he sent his wolves into the forest on a run between sparring, Shadow knew that they were in great hands.
Giselle Saxon, his top female warrior had her group of females in the ring that stood in the middle of the training ground, and was patiently going over choke and submission holds, designed for use against the bigger males; Giselle had joined the pack a few years ago, taking over Camille's training obligations so that she could help more with the inner workings of the pack. She was good at her role, and the females responded well to her gentle style, so it was a good fit.
The rest of his pack were divided into the other two groups, an equal mix of different ranks and genders. Even the Omegas were battle-trained and had taken to it like a duck to water, where they were training with weapons in both human and wolf form, matched against each other as his six group leaders milled amongst them, yelling encouragement or correcting form.
His warriors were impressive, Shadow had to admit.
He spent some time walking around each group, saying hello to the warriors, asking about their families if they had them, reinforcing each wolf's name into his brain the way his father taught him to.
He stopped mid-sentence, as the atmosphere suddenly changed, and Shadow spotted a small commotion at the entrance to the training grounds. His unmated male wolves were puffing out their chests, trying to appear bigger, stronger as they vied for the newcomer's attention, and then it hit him, the sweet smell of wild grass and rain...Isabella was here.