Chapter 23

OLIVE

“OH. MY. GOD!” Amber’s voice rings out. “Check out that mark! It’s the sexiest mark I’ve ever seen,” she exclaims, brushing my hair aside to get a better look.

I’d just settled down in the pack house gardens when Amber practically pounced on me. Alice was clapping and cheering about my marking.

I’d planned a picnic with Dinah, Daisy, Amber, and Alice. Now we’re lounging on a couple of picnic blankets with an array of finger foods spread out before us.

There are glasses for wine and bottles chilling in a cooler. Judging by Amber’s reaction, she’s already had a few.

I chuckle at Amber’s comment. “What makes this mark sexier than any other?”

She shrugs. “Because it was made by a king, ~obviously~.”

I roll my eyes in a playful manner.

Dinah joins in, “I’m just relieved you two have ~finally~ made it official. The pack will be thrilled to have their queen to balance out all that male energy in their king.”

My tone turns serious, “Do you think they’ll accept a hybrid queen?”

Dinah scoffs.

“Will they accept a hybrid queen!? Sweetie, our pack is the hybrid capital! No, the hybrid sanctuary of the world! They’ll be ~ecstatic~ to have a hybrid queen representing them!”

I smile at the thought of continuing Zeke’s mission to ensure all hybrids have a safe place where they feel welcomed and accepted. Regardless of what they are.

“Olive…your mark…did it hurt?” Daisy asks in a small voice, her fingers nervously playing with each other.

“Are you worried about Max marking you, Daisy?” I ask.

“…Yes? I suppose I am. Can you tell me more about it?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Absolutely!” I respond. “Marking is a traditional way for a wolf to claim their mate.

“It not only infuses their scent into their mate to signal to other wolves that they’re taken, but it also allows mates to form a mental connection.

“With this connection, they can sense each other’s emotions and communicate without speaking out loud.

“It hurts for a moment, but the pain quickly gives way to pleasure,” I conclude, winking at Daisy who blushes in response.

I pause for a moment before continuing, “However, I’m not sure how a wolf’s mark would affect a nymph and whether you’ll form a mental link. That, we’ll have to wait and see!”

Daisy’s face hardens with determination as she nods. “If this is a tradition of my Max’s, then I’ll do it,” she declares.

Amber snickers and rolls her eyes. “Drama queen much!”

Alice nudges Amber. “Hey! She’s been through a lot. She doesn’t know our ways. She didn’t grow up here. It’s a lot to take in!”

Amber rolls her eyes again before we all dig into our sandwiches and snacks.

“So!” Amber begins. “Have you set a date for your return to the palace yet?”

“We’ll be heading there in a couple of weeks. I’m really excited to see Zeke’s home, but also nervous about my Queen Luna duties,” I admit.

Dinah places a comforting hand on my leg.

“Don’t stress about your Queen Luna duties. Ezekiel wouldn’t want you to feel pressured.

“He’ll have his top advisors on hand to guide you and only when you’re ready to fully step into your role will he let you fly solo.”

I laugh at her comment. “Thanks, Dinah. Oh! Speaking of going to the palace, I kind of had something I wanted to ask you all.” All eyes are on me, filled with curiosity and a hint of excitement.

“Would you all come with me and help me prepare for my mating ceremony?” I ask, grinning from ear to ear.

“ABSOLUTELY!!” they all squeal in unison.

As the afternoon rolls on, the drinks keep flowing and the conversation is lively. Over the chatter, I hear a flock of birds squawking in the distance.

The conversation abruptly stops. We all exchange puzzled looks, wondering what’s happening before scanning for the flock.

When I spot them, I see they’ve formed a murmuration.

The birds are swooping and diving, performing a beautifully choreographed dance, morphing into one shape before dispersing into another. It’s captivating to watch…

~But don’t they usually do that when they’re avoiding a predator?~

I start to rise, watching the flock, when I notice larger shapes appearing above the treetops.

~Oh my goddess.~

~“Zeke, we need backup immediately. Pack house gardens,”~ I send urgently through the mind-link.

~“Olive? What’s going on!?”~ Zeke responds quickly, panic evident in his voice.

~“Demons. Maybe thirty of them. Hurry!”~

~“We’re on our way. There was a potential breach on the other side of town. I’ll be there as fast as I can!”~

~“I think this was a setup, Zeke.”~

~“I think you might be right, Little Wolf.”~

Closing the mind-link, I turn to my friends.

“Ladies, we’re going to have to hold them off until reinforcements arrive,” I say calmly.

Dinah cracks her knuckles. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” she says, a menacing smile on her face.

Daisy lets out a long breath, her face set with grim determination.

Alice grabs Amber, retreating behind the three of us, her eyes wide with fear.

Amber is psyching herself up for what’s to come, repeating, “You can do this, Amber. You’ve got this!”

The demons are now just forty feet away. I leap, shifting mid-air, and charge towards the demons. I pounce on two, swiftly tearing out their throats.

I glance up to see a swarm of demons swooping in for an attack from the sky. I quickly morph back into my human form, reaching deep within myself to summon my wings.

They explode from my shoulder blades, propelling me high into the air. As I ascend, I snatch a demon, swiftly snapping its neck and letting it plummet to the ground below.

A quick look down reveals Dinah, blasting demons with potent purple energy. Most of them take a couple of hits before they’re immobilized.

Daisy’s palm is pressed to the ground, sending powerful ripples through the earth that slow the demons, buying Dinah more time to blast them.

With her other hand, Daisy’s formed a whip, trying to keep the airborne demons away from herself, Dinah, Amber, and Alice.

Amber and Alice finally transform into stunning caramel-colored wolves and leap into the fray, tearing through demons in every direction. Anything they can get their claws on, they rip apart.

My focus snaps back to the demons just in time to dodge one lunging at me with a silver dagger.

I veer to the left, but not quickly enough. The dagger grazes my arm, severing my connection to Raven for a moment.

It’s only a brief interruption while my body purges the silver from my bloodstream. For a small cut like this, I figure it’ll take five to ten minutes.

The silver sizzles and burns my skin, making me hiss in pain. The bright sunshine from earlier quickly fades as dark clouds roll in, the rumble of thunder echoing from beyond.

Flames flicker to life over my skin as I hurl myself at the demon.

He screams as my skin makes contact with his. The smell of burning flesh fills my nostrils, but I don’t let the gruesome scent deter me.

I grab his head and squeeze as hard as I can, pushing for more fire to surge through my hands. A small inferno forms, engulfing the demon’s face in flames.

I don’t stop squeezing until I feel his skull crush beneath my hands.

I look down at my friends. Amber is limping, completely surrounded. Alice is doing her best to keep the demons away from her injured sister.

Daisy is lashing her vine whips fiercely, desperately trying to keep the demons at bay, and Dinah has been completely overrun by the demons.

She’s still fighting fiercely, doing what she can to stop them.

The sight of my friends in danger stirs something within me, the thundering of the clouds growing more and more intense with each passing second.

I can feel a war raging within me. All the feelings I try my best to keep buried deep down are threatening to break free, like a dam has cracked.

In the distance, I see Zeke, Max, Beta James, Eddie, and the rest of the warriors have already shifted, charging into the garden to help us.

I turn to fly down to aid my friends, propelling myself like a bullet.

Everything starts to go in slow motion. A demon approaches Dinah from behind, a sickening sneer on his face.

The dagger in his hand glints menacingly at me. Dinah’s still fighting for her life.

“NO!!” I scream.

But I’m too late.

The demon plunges the blade into Dinah’s back. Her eyes roll back as she falls to the ground, convulsing. Black froth immediately spills from her mouth.

The demon stands over her, laughing wickedly.

The dam within me shatters. The crackle of flames on my skin now a wild inferno. I release a guttural scream, filled with pain and rage as the clouds fire lightning bolts at the demons below.

The air around me is thick with static electricity as I continue to unleash my pain on the demons. The demons have either been fried or are trying to flee, but there’s one who won’t escape.

The demon who stabbed Dinah, I see him trying to retreat—but he won’t live to see another day.

I land silently on the ground and thrust my arms forward. Flames erupt from my palms. I manipulate the flames to shoot past the demon and form a fiery wall, blocking his escape.

Max’s wolf and Blade arrive at the scene first, faster than the rest.

Blade catches up to me, nudging my side and giving me a sorrowful look.

“Kill him,” I say flatly, “…but make it slow.”

Blade charges at the demon, toying with his prey. I watch as he slowly takes chunk after chunk out of the demon, teasing him with death.

I can’t help but feel a sick sense of satisfaction from seeing this demon in pain after what he’s just done. He deserves every bit of it.

Something shiny on the ground catches my eye. I walk over and pick it up. The dagger’s blade is coated in some sort of black liquid.

~Dinah!~

Snapping back to reality, I rush to where Dinah is lying, no longer convulsing. Her skin is a deathly gray compared to her usual bronzed color.

Daisy is cradling Dinah’s head in her lap, stroking her hair soothingly and shushing her.

Amber is standing, looking away from the scene as Alice comforts her. Max looks on, running his hands through his blond hair.

“Is she—is she dead?” I ask, tears now streaking my cheeks.

Daisy shakes her head. “No, Olive. But you must understand she’s not in a good condition. We don’t know what did this to her.”

“Oh, thank goddess,” I say, releasing a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. She’s still alive.

“Then surely there is something we can still do! I found the dagger that did this. That could help us…right?” I say, showing everyone the dagger.

Max takes it from my hand and sniffs it.

“Olive, I-I’m sorry. I have never come across this type of poison before,” he says in anguish.

~“Zeke, please come. It’s Dinah. She needs you,”~ I mind-link Zeke.

Zeke rushes to her side, completely naked from his shift. We all step back from Dinah and Daisy.

“Dinah! What happened to her!?” His voice is full of pain.

My heart is breaking from not only seeing his pain, but ~feeling~ his pain too. Dinah is like a sister to him, the only family he has left.

Dinah’s eyes flutter open. She cups Zeke’s face as she speaks. “It’s…okay, Ezekiel… It’s my…time,” she manages to rasp out.

~No, no, no, this can’t be real!~

Tears pour down my face as the truth sinks in, a truth that doesn’t include Dinah anymore.

From the moment I met Dinah, she put me at ease. She was a beacon of light during what I thought was the darkest period of my life.

She’s become my best friend, my confidante, my rock.

“NO!” Amber’s voice shatters the silence. “GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!”

I spin around to see Eddie, his face etched with heartbreak, watching Amber retreat.

Amber’s eyes are filled with fury as she storms off. Alice throws a regretful look over her shoulder.

But I can’t afford to get caught up in their drama. I need to find a way to save Dinah. There has to be a solution. But with every option I consider, I’m hit with the harsh reality—it’s hopeless.

How did such a beautiful day turn into ~this~!? How am I supposed to go on without her? That’s not a future I want; that’s not a future I can bear.

But here I am, helplessly watching as she slips away…and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.