Winston POV
Macy falls forward onto my chest. She is gasping for air. My cock is still throbbing inside her, but I know she needs a minute before we can continue. The wait to keep fucking her is excruciating, and I am struggling. I raise my hips slightly, testing the waters, but instead of hearing her moan, a scream rips through the air. Her back arches at an unnatural angle, and her arms spread wide.
The iron bracelets melt from her skin like they have been placed against a flame. Edward scoots out from behind her and watches the scene with wide eyes. The sickening sound of skin ripping fills the silent room, and blood runs down her sides. I watch in horror as wicked, black, feathered wings sprout from her back.
Her wings spread wildly behind her, a stark contrast to her milky white skin. She looks both beautiful and terrifying. Her eyes are vacant, and I am not sure she is aware of the transformation that is taking place. Her wings flap once against the air before crumbling to ash behind her. As the wings disappear, her body goes limp, and Edward catches her before she falls headfirst into me.
Gently, he lifts her from my body and lays her next to me. We both study her body, unsure of what to do next.
Every scar and imperfection has been wiped from her body. Her dark hair drapes perfectly around her and gives off a bluish hue. Carefully, I brush her hair from her face and glimpse the pointed ears hiding behind it.
My eyes dart to Edward's. Neither one of us knows what to do or say. When we marked her, we must have unleashed something sinister and terrifying.
'She will awaken,' a voice rings out in my mind.
Edward jumps, and I know he must have heard it as well. He spins around, looking for the source, and his eyes are glued to the corner of the room.
"What the fuck," he whispers.
I tear my eyes away from Macy and follow his gaze. A large silver wolf is sitting in the corner of the room. She is unlike any wolf I have seen before, and her eyes watch us from across the room.
Edward grabs a pillow off the bed and attempts to cover himself. Laughter fills our minds, and I cup my hands over my ears in an attempt to make it stop.
'Thank you,' the voice says.
"For what?" I ask the wolf.
'For setting me free,' the voice replies, as the wolf's tail thumps against the ground. 'Though, I would have preferred my other form.'
Edward flops down onto the bed and covers his face with his hands. " Nyx?"
'Bingo,' she replies playfully.
"I don't understand," I admit.
Nyx makes her way to the bed and lays her head next to Macy. The urge to protect her is overwhelming, and I growl through gritted teeth.
'I don't mean her any harm,' Nyx assures me. 'I was born to protect the royal family. That includes Macy.'
"Why aren't you in her mind?" Edward asks.
'I don't know,' Nyx replies. 'But I am not complaining. There is so much space out here.'
She stretches her paws out in front of her like she has been captive in a confined space. Her hind leg scratches an inch behind her ear, and she shakes out her fur.
I study her carefully, waiting for Graydon to claim her as his mate, but he doesn't. He is decidedly quiet inside my mind.
"You are not our mate," I state the obvious.
She scoffs loudly. 'Of course not. Fae mate for life. Macy is your mate. It was never me.'
Somehow, that soothes the unease in my mind, but the questions are piling up quickly. My eyebrows knit together as I try to sift through them. I don't even know where to begin.
'The portal between the realms used to be open,' Nyx fills the silence. 'Creatures could come and go between them and search for their mates. It wasn't until Cassian's father, King Roland, found his mate among the werewolves that the problems between us and the Moon Goddess started.
'King Roland couldn't bear the thought of having a mortal mate. He would live forever, and she would grow old and die, leaving him alone. So, he changed her with the help of a witch. The first lycan was made, not born.
'Selene was angered by his actions. She saw the new lycan as an abomination to her race. A war was waged, and more lycans were made. The war spanned many years and the Human Realm was burning to the ground, so King Roland stopped the fighting. He did not want to see more innocents die. He agreed to retreat to the Immortal Realm with all the Fae and Lycans. The portal was sealed, but not well enough.
'Every year the power of the portal wains and the veil thins. Fae still managed to cross over in search of their mates, only to be caught by Selene and imprisoned in the minds of others. That is how I got here.'
"You were searching for your mate?" I ask curiously.
'My mate is of no concern.' Her voice is tight, and I know it is not something she is ready to talk about.
"Everything we have been told about Fae and Lycans is a lie," Edward groans.
'History has a way of burying the truth,' Nyx signs. 'Old mistakes become new again, and they repeat for centuries. Only those of us who have lived through the past remember the truth.'
"Do you think the Moon Goddess is acting through Mom?" I pose the question. "She is not herself. She has never been so cruel."
'You are smart boys,' Nyx replies, but there is sadness in her voice.
"How do we save her?" Edward asks.
'Your mother or Macy?' Nyx cocks her head to the side.
"Both?" I respond, but I sound unsure.
'Your mother is Selene's daughter. She may never snap out of it and be herself again. It all depends on how much of her mind has been left untainted. As for Macy, I will protect her until Cassian returns,' Nyx sounds proud.
"Cassian will return with an army," I groan.
'I know,' Nyx sighs. 'But the wheels of time have already been set in motion. They cannot be stopped now. I tried but failed.'
Macy stirs beside me, and she groans uncomfortably. Nyx whimpers loudly and nuzzles her hand. Still in her twilight, Macy runs her fingers through Nyx's fur.
'It is time to wake up, Princess,' Nyx coaxes her.
Macy's eyes flutter open, and her blue eyes glow with the newfound power within. She presses her fingers to her temples and tries to sit up, but she flops back down on the bed.
"I had the weirdest dream," she groans. "Nyx was free of my mind, and I had wings."
Nyx jumps on the bed and lays her head in Macy's lap. We all wait for reality to hit her. Macy strokes the soft fur between Nyx's eyes as she wakes up.
"Why are you so heavy?" She asks Nyx.
'Because I am free,' Nyx replies.