Phoebe POV
Jason is groveling at my feet. I can barely understand what he is saying through his tears. Little does he know; I know exactly what he has been up to.
After he betrayed me and let that bitch go, he tried to return home to the East Pack. He has been doing a fair amount of begging lately. He was turned away from his family, and now he is back at my feet.
He desperately grabs at the hem of my dress, and I rip it away from him. His brown eyes look up from the floor, and tears are streaking down his cheeks. I scowl at how pathetic he looks.
"Are you done?" I roll my eyes at him.
"Please," he begs. "I have missed you. I am no one if I am not your mate."
"Ha," I fake laugh. "Is that why you let her go?"
"Let who go?" He plays stupid.
"That stupid bitch who stole my life," I shout at him.
A hint of anger flashes in his eyes. Just as it always has when I mention the twins. I can't hide my pleasure at his annoyance.
"Tish was unimportant to the cause," he reminds me. "Even your father agreed."
"So, you decided to let her go?" I snap at him. "It was not your choice to make."
"When will it be my choice?" He growls back at me. "I am your mate!"
"Only by fate," I laugh in his face.
"The Moon Goddess paired us together for a reason," he says, but he cannot keep the hurt from his voice.
I stomp my foot against the ground in anger. "I am so sick of hearing that! What About what I want?"
"You do not want me here?" He replies.
"No," I say loudly. "I wish you would leave."
"Fine," he grumbles. "You will never see me again."
I watch with a smile on my face as he turns for the door. Before he can reach it, it swings open, and my father walks in. His face is flushed, but I don't know if it is because of anger or excitement.
Dad looks Jason up and down and claps him on the shoulder. "Thank Goddess, you are back," he exclaims. "We need all the warriors we can get."
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"The South Pack is weak," Dad says with Excitement. "Now is our moment."
"Your daughter has dismissed me," Jason says stiffly. "I will not be joining your battle."
Dad looks at me and narrows his eyes. "Phoebe does not have the authority to dismiss someone from my pack."
"He does not wish to be my mate," I lie. "There is no need for him to stay."
"Nonsense," my father shouts at me. "He will stay and fight."
"We have attacked the South Pack before, and it went well," I remind my father. "Jason will not aid us in this battle."
"I will not leave the twins alive," Dad blurts out. "That whole family must be decimated, along with the Luna Queen and her mates."
"They were meant to be mine," I whine.
"Oh no," Dad grins. "Your path is much more important."
"Can I leave?" Jason grumbles.
"No," Dad growls. "You are needed in this plan as well. Once the Luna Queen is dead, someone will need to raise her sons."
"I am not raising someone else's pups," I scoff.
"You will raise these as your own," Dad snaps at me. "And then we will rule the werewolf world."
"Why do we need the babies?" I cringe. I don't even like children. I am not sure I want some of my own.
"If the Moon Goddess chose the Luna Queen, she most certainly chose the babies. It is likely they will bear her mark. Not many know of the birth of the royal twins. We can pass them off as yours. You share a resemblance with the Luna Queen," Dad explains.
Jason snorts, and I glare in his direction. "Fine, I will do it."
Narah POV
The shadow of my wolf, Nyx, is sitting in the corner of the room. Humor fills her eyes, and she chuckles loudly. I know she isn't really there. She is simply a figment of my imagination, but as hard as I try, I cannot will her presence back into my mind.
"There were two," Nyx chuckles. "How many more times can you be wrong?"
"Two more," I whisper. "Two more to be born."
"You have seen them," Nyx teases me. "You have seen them all. Two dark children were born. Not one."
"Wrong," I spit at her. "Wrong."
"Mae's child will be a great leader. Full of light and kindness. He will be much like his mother," Nyx laughs. "We don't have to worry for her. She can easily be left behind. She will not miss us."
"The girl... the girl is the key," I stutter.
"Then we must go to the South Park," Nyx tells me. "She may not keep the child."
"She keeps," I mumble. "I have seen. The girl tames the dark."
Nyx lets out a huff of frustration. "I am tired of being cooped up in this cabin. I want to see the babies. I want to see the dark marks upon their shoulders."
"We must not go," I respond. "War is on the horizon."
"All the more reason to go," Nyx whines. "It has been so long since we have seen battle, and you are aging. My life depends on what you do next."
I am at battle with myself as I listen to Nyx. She makes very good points, but I have promised not to leave the North pack.
"Promises are meant to be broken," Nyx hisses from the corner. "What happened to the Oracle who thrust herself into adventure? I deserve this."
"Narah," I reply. "My name is Narah."
"A moment of clarity," Nyx teases me. "How rare."
My fists ball up at my sides, and I bare my teeth at the shadow of my wolf. My teeth grind together, and I snarl at her.
"This is why we no longer share my mind," I snap at her.
"So, we are going to the South Pack?" Nyx wags her tail.
"Yes," I groan. "I guess I will die."