F O U R T Y - S E V E N

NOVA

"Little Moon..." A unfamiliar voice whispered in my ear "Nova Nyx...Come to me my Mate..."

I tossed and turned in bed, flipping from one side to the other as I gripped my pillow tightly to my body.

My dreams shifting from shadowy darkness to the bright sky in an instant.

"Nyxie!" My head snapped around as I heard the familiar squeals of my two best friends, Samara and Lili sounded from behind me.

I turned and found them running towards me, their arms entangling with my own as they squeezed the life out of me.

"What are you guys doing here?" I gasped "How are you guys here?"

They stared at me in confusion "It's the Summer Nyxie, why wouldn't we be here?"

I frowned as I pulled away from them.

They shifted away slightly and for the first time since our encounter, I finally took in my surroundings.

Which made me frown even more.

Because instead of being at the Lupine Manor, surrounded by the boys, I was home.

In the Human Realm.

My home...with my brothers laughing in our tiny backyard and our mom waltzing around the kitchen cooking and muttering something under her breath about buying a new stove.

"How am I home?" I mumbled quietly to myself "Where are the others?"

Well...I thought I quietly mumbled to myself but apparently I didn't because Sam and Lili shot each other a look.

"Nyxie, you feeling alright?" Sam asked, slapping her palm onto my forehead so hard I flinched back "Oh, don't be a baby."

Her words were something Samara would say that my brain was having a hard time separating fact from fiction.

A muscular arm wrapped around my waist as an unfamiliar, yet familiar, voice purred into my ear.

"Is everything alright Little Moon?"

I looked up, expecting it to be one of the guys since they were always so touchy nowadays, but was met with a disturbing surprise.

You know that uncomfortable burning and watery eye feeling you get when you chop an onion?

That's exactly what I felt every time I looked at the mysterious stranger wrapped around me.

I could see his body clearly, right down to the finest detail on his dark cloak...yes cloak...but for some reason I couldn't make out a single detail out of this man's face.

"It's not time for us to meet yet little moon" His smooth, rumbling voice said causing shivers to run through my body "But when it is, you best know that I will come to collect what's mine."

Sam and Lili didn't even bat an eyelash at our exchange, or his voidness face, grinning at us like we were the most interesting thing since sliced bread.

"Who are you?"

I felt hot breath span across my neck, making my nerves stand on end.

"You know who I am to you," He whispered, soft feather like movements trailing across my neck in what felt like small kisses "Your wolf knows who I am to you, just like she knows who the others are to you too."

"That's where you're wrong" I said, looking away "I don't have a wolf."

He was so close to me that his deep rumbled of laughter coursed through my own body "The fact that you believe that is quite enchanting little moon."

My head snapped up so fast that I was afraid I almost gave myself whiplash "What is that supposed to mean?"

A single finger caressed my cheek "How do you think you managed to survive in the Academy so long?"

"What?"

"While their human counterparts are incline to listen to their Alpha Heirs, their inner wolves have no such inclination for rules" The man stated "If their animals deemed you weak or unworthy, you'd have been dead within the first hour at the Academy."

I raised a brow "And you know this how?"

Although I could not see his face, I could tell he was smiling by the tone of his voice "I've been around for quite awhile waiting for you little moon. I've might have learned a thing or two about Wolves in my time."

"I don't think that came across the way you wanted it too" I just stared at the stranger's blank face "It sounded a little...pervey."

"So quick witted" A chuckled left the stranger "Just like your mother."

"What?" I choked out, my eyes widening at those four little words "You...you knew my mother?"

Fingers tangled in my hair "The whole world knows who your mother was little moon."

I reared my head back in shock "Why are you talking in riddles?"

"I'm not little moon" he whispered, gripping my hair tightly in his large hands "You just don't have all the pieces yet"

I could feel his smile "But when you do Little moon, I can't wait for the world to tremble at your feet."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Soon Little Moon" He whispered in my ear "But until we meet again, seek comfort in the others. They're waiting on you."

I woke on a gasp, the sun streaming in from the large window panel momentarily blinding me.

I blinked rapidly, barely aware of what was going on around me in this room, let alone what was going on the outside.

And something was going on considering the unreasonable amount of shouting going on at the moment.

"What in the world" I grumbled, sliding out of bed and heading towards the window "HOLY CRAP!"

I raced out of my room, forgetting that I was just in one of my dad's old ratty t-shirt and nothing else, and dashed down the stairs.

"What in the hell is going on?" I growled at the twins as I bypassed them and headed outside "WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS DOING!"

Three humongous wolves stood in front of where the twins stated the boundary lines began, gazing at the dark horizon in varying in degrees of color and height.

The brown wolf, the one I remember so clearly from the night I was taken from home, snapped his head around at the sound of his voice.

His amber eyes shining furiously as he growled at who I assumed were the twins behind me.

The blonde wolf and the midnight black wolf turned until they were facing me.

The black wolf, which I'm guessing is Phoenix by the intense blue eyes the wolf sported, growled something that had the twins wincing.

A hand gently wrapped around my wrist but quickly let go when all three wolves snarled at us.

"Phoenix wants us to go inside Nova" Teo said in a rush "Why don't I show you the observatory? Uncle Wolfe was quite fond of the constellations."

I ignored him and narrowed my eyes at the stubborn Heirs in front of me.

"What are you three doing out here?"

Silence.

And then I saw it...something pacing back and forth just beyond the barrier of the Lupine Property.

My eyes widened in shock "It found us already?"

More Silence.

"I swear to God if one of you doesn't explain to me what's going on, I'll kill you before that creature can even set his sights on you."

Phoenix shifted first and I had to admit...I had a moment of weakness.

I just couldn't not look when he was practically in my eyesight, his art begging for some type of appreciation.

My eyes dipped down just the tiniest of bit and when they saw the intricate designs of hundreds of tattoos spanning across his entire upper body, and even more designs further south that my eyes didn't dare venture, my heart stopped beating.

Holy...cannoli...

I'm fucked...royally and totally fucked.

Because who knew that the prim and proper Fenrir Heir would look like this underneath all that stuffy clothing he wore.

"Ahem" A throat cleared from behind me as pants were handed to Phoenix and the other two "Do you still want us to take Nova to the Observatory Phoenix?"

"There's no point now" Atlas, who finally shifted back into his human form, stated as he stopped in front of me "Although, you really should going see the observatory. I heard it was world renown in its day."

I glared up at him "Don't try to change the subject Lobo."

"We don't know how it found us so fast, but it did" Phoenix came up behind me and I turned in a way that had me staring up at him "It tried to break in but fortunately the twins were right about this place being impenetrable."

"Now it's looking for weak spots around the entire property" Kassian joined us, boxing me in from the other side "So far, it tried to attack the barn, the small training arena, and an old, unused servant's house."

"And it hasn't broken in yet?"

"No," Phoenix said "But not for the lack of trying. According to the twins, we have about another few weeks before the spell must be recast. And the only way to do that would be to bring the witch here and have her strengthen the markers scattered across the property."

"And how much time is a few weeks?"

"Maybe two, possible three weeks" Nico answered and then hesitated "But..."

"But what?"

"The spell was meant to keep the usual unwanted supernaturals off of the Lupine Land" he said "But since this creature is...whatever the hell it is...I can't say for certain how long the spell can last."

"We'd be sitting ducks here" Atlas said "We have to leave and find another safe house."

"With how quickly this creature found us, I'm not sure another safe house is in our best interest" Kassian said "And since no one can come in and out of the manor, we better figure out a solution and fast."