-Damn animal.- Rick's voice sounded like thunder.
Beside him, more wolves closed the perimeter. The Cross of Hecate's paths... Philip imagined achieving what?
-You know it shouldn't be used...
-And who said I care? The pack... would be mine... is looking to the future king. Bow down!
Nobody. No one moved. Time itself seemed to have stopped. Nature was dead and lifeless around...And the sky...
Thunder and lightning rang out in a deafening roar...
"He must not…" Christina screamed in panic.
The Cross of the Paths... One never interfered with the destiny traced by the Goddesses of destiny. Not even Hecate who had the powers and authorization to do so...
-And why not? I will be the alpha of the pack. May all bow before my power...
It was the image of an insane.
The ground shook and then split in half in an earthquake. What everyone feared... The Cross in the traitor's hands glowed...
"Love can't be bought, Phil," Mike yelled in disorientation.
Did he intend to destroy everyone in his damn ambition?
-And what do I care? Let it not come for love, come for pain. but it will be mine. The leader and the sorceress who walks among the wolves.
Richard fought the steel claws that immobilized him. Animal fury surged through him. Carol and Chris were right. Evil was nipped in the bud. Dry Phil's veins... A betrayal by Thalagar brought the wretch to life.
-Only over my dead body...- He thundered.
And the light... Came blinding. The air was charged with the distorting reality of their world...
-Is that what you're satisfied with? With so little? With someone thank you by your side? By wretched magic?
Time itself roared in fury around them...And Time should never be challenged. Even Hecate knew that... There were deliverances...
-May it be by magic then! - Philip Morgan sentenced and stuck the base of the key in the earth at his feet, wounding and tearing nature.
"It was going to be a snowstorm. The night brought low temperatures.
Philip Morgan could curse with an excellent and enviable bad temper. Who was the unhappy girl? Damn it!
His ears could from afar catch the sound of festive music and its guests. It was to be hoped at least that he was in the castle. He was the chosen one!
He was the second eldest son and heir of the Duke of Winter, the lord of those lands and the ruler of Scarlet Castle. His family for years ruled those lands. Just that night, against all tradition, it was not Richard, who was the dead Duke's firstborn, who would be chosen. The Council of Elder and Experienced Men of the Clan had nominated him for Leader of the Wolves. He would be the new alpha of the pack. An exhausting and tedious ceremony awaited him. Richard Morgan was finally dead!
It was certainly absurd! Will would have every reason to complain. William Morgan, after the unexpected death of the clan's leaders, had assumed control of the clan until the majority of the heirs. And what difference did one more death make?
Only he was there in the forest. The compulsion that had brought him here was almost as irresistible as the need to quench his thirst. He was hunting when something caught his eye. Complaining mentally as he assumed human form once more, he turned to the figure lying in the damp vegetation with displeasure.
-Did they hurt you? I said aimé.
Cassie stared at him in a trance, not in the mood to respond. If someone that same day had said the end of the night, she would have doubted it. It was him. It was just him, there in the forest. She was accompanied by the future alpha of the pack. William would kill her once. Thousand times over, who knows... Maybe with luck, she would one day be able to explain everything to her father.
She couldn't believe it. She just wanted to die.
Please, her thought blasted her.
She blinked her incredibly green eyes, drawing attention for the first time with the man's greater care. Without her expecting the object of her dreams was there in front of her?
Oh, he wasn't that tall. Even if he was standing and not lying down, she would have to lift her head to see her face. That was a little intimidating. She had never been this close to him before. And yet... it felt like something was wrong... The black strands of her hair were held at the back of her neck by a leather strap. Black as the colour of the wolf that had saved her. She didn't like wolves. They were unpredictable animals. And dangerous and wild... And it hadn't been a dark brown wolf...
-Are you okay? - Philip repeated the question, softening the initial irritation. - Est-ce que ça va?
Maybe she was dead. That might explain the dangerous delusions.
How many times had he heard that she shouldn't venture out into the woods after dark? His voice was low and husky and deep. Almost a caress. Undoubtedly, too inviting. He was also supposed to always get everything he wanted. He was certainly a man used to dominating. It was hard to concentrate on what he was asking. God! The cold began to freeze. She was shivering so hard in her clothes wet from the snowflakes that her teeth were chattering. Suddenly... ah, she doesn't feel at all safe with him there...
-Pious goddess, protect me.- she muttered low trying to back away...
Philip sighed. Dammit! He looked like a cornered animal ready to flee at any moment. The dress... The girl wasn't a peasant in those fine clothes. Though torn, the thin, delicate fabric outlined a perfect, youthful body. She wasn't tall. Her hair escapes her hair, in a few unruly strands of the hairstyle, almost torn up in wavy red curls in a face breathtaking with the hue of those green eyes. And she was resisting the charm of the Cross...
The pack leader position annoyed him. All he sought most was revenge. For the first time... The opportunity came unexpectedly. He was fed up with the Council's intransigence.
The Sorcerers Coven recruited new mercenaries. Nothing better than having an enemy by your side to know your weaknesses. He waited anxiously. James of Macgrover would pay with his life for the murders of Scarlet's leaders. It was enough to get rid of the gipsies... Vladimir was an obstacle with his magic. And your charming brothers...
-I won't hurt you. No need to run away! His voice was calm as he raised his hands in the air, flat. - N'aie pas peur. Do not be afraid.
She moaned lost.
They would never let her return to the castle again. The man approached slowly. And she retreated even further. The simple understanding quickened his heart. Her throat was dry. Cassie bit her lip in distress.
-P-please... Dieu.... - She thought about begging him to put her down. Her dress was torn and wet. -Oh no. Go away! -She moaned, disconcerted.
His smile was overwhelming at her sudden frustration. She looked like she was having fun. His face relaxed with relief as he shook his head.
"A gentleman never leaves a lady in such trouble, my dear. -He was laughing. -You look awful, chéri. You'll be lucky you don't get sick. I have a tent close by. Perhaps a little brandy could warm you up before you go back to the castle.
"You know, most girls I know would have fainted in front of a guardian. - He winked mischievously. - What were you doing here alone? The forest should be avoided especially after nightfall.
-Are you scolding me? - Cassie tried to pay attention to anything that wasn't the thumb on her heel. - Est-ce vrai ? True?
Morgan looked at her seriously. The girl had at least courage. Another would surely have fainted by now. His intention at first had just been to get her circulation back. It was common for fingers and extremities of the body to react to the cold, bringing complications. Only he had a problem.
hells! It wasn't the time. Philip knew that like him, other wolves revolted against the council's decisions. He was just stalling the situation. The Black Coral would leave. Traditions and customs would only drive their clan to extinction. He had bolder plans.
"I don't agree," Morgan replied to tease her. - It was a reckless and risky attitude.
-Not as reckless as yours!!!
Another brighter, more blinding flash came against the light coming from the Cross. There was a dagger in her silver hands...studded with rough stones...
"Quod datum est, nunc aufertur. pro temporis proditione. Tempus non mutat si non est amor. Sola avaritia te movet. Est cor inane et hebes anima..."
-no!!!- Philip Morgan's roar sounded above the sound of thunder and lightning.
It was no longer the image of the helpless girl. She was the goddess herself in heathen rage.
Before he even fell and crashed his body to the ground... Philip Morgan was smitten. lightning struck him with a brutal electrical discharge.
Beside him... Cassie was down. The dagger in his hand...
Rick tried to see past the blinding glow. Beyond the clearing with the dead...
- Cassie...
-The baby... will be born...- she moaned with the first contractions...
-There is still... - Rick was convinced that he had also been struck down. rigid body. Needles penetrated his muscles .- Babies are born within nine months of pregnancy...
-Because these pulled your stubbornness and mine...