Unbroken

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“The world is always changing. We can either evolve with it or become obsolete. I fear that there will be some of us who have aged past the point of being able to accept the changes.” ~ Boain

The shadows of the alley seemed to stretch and twist around Lorna and Boain, as if they sought to choke out the light. Lorna’s sharp eyes scanned the dim scene before her, the faint glow of a single streetlight illuminating the beings. Her mate, Boain, stood at her side, his broad shoulders tense, his wolf just beneath the surface. She could feel his emotions swirling through their bond: anger, frustration, and a bone-deep weariness that mirrored her own.

“How are there so many?” Lorna whispered as she glanced at the crumbling apartment complex ahead. The hybrids inside, the grotesque offspring of vampire and werewolf DNA, moved like shadows themselves, their movements too quick, too calculated.

Boain’s jaw tightened as he leaned against the brick wall beside her, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark. “Cain must have figured out a way for them to transition faster.” His voice was low, a rumble she felt in her chest. “Or maybe the wolf DNA accelerates the process when mixed with the vampire. Either way, it’s a problem that’s multiplying faster than we can keep up with.”

Lorna nodded. “Months of hunting these things feels like years. Fighting them, tracking them, trying to save the dormants who haven’t lost themselves to the darkness yet. It’s like trying to put out a forest fire with a garden hose.”

Boain opened his mouth to respond, but a soft vibration cut through the tension. His phone. Even with their supernatural senses, the sound was enough to make them flinch. Boain pulled the device from his pocket, his movements sharp and precise.

“Hello?” His voice was clipped, carrying that edge of authority that came so naturally to him. Lorna watched him carefully, her wolf hearing straining to catch the voice on the other end. But whoever it was had lowered their tone, keeping the conversation private—smart, considering the hybrids lurking just a stone’s throw away.

She didn’t need to hear the words to know something was wrong. She felt it through their bond: the sudden spike of tension, the way his free hand moved to her waist, gripping her like she was his anchor in a storm. His jaw clenched, and his eyes began to glow brighter, his wolf rising to the surface as his emotions churned.

“How long ago?” Boain’s voice was sharper now, more urgent. He shifted on his feet, like a predator barely holding himself back from lunging. Lorna placed her hand on his chest, her touch soothing but firm, grounding him as much as he was grounding her.

“What do you mean you’re trapped in the sprite realm?” he demanded, his brow furrowing deeply. “All the veils are closed?”

His words sent a chill racing down Lorna’s spine. Closed veils were never a good sign. They weren’t just barriers. They were locks. And locked veils only ever meant one thing: chaos.

Her stomach twisted as Boain’s emotions bled through their bond; anger, fear, and disbelief, all swirling together in a storm that threatened to pull her under. She tightened her hold on him, silently reminding him that she was there, and that they were in this together. Always.

“Who’s with you?” Boain barked into the phone, his grip tightening until Lorna thought the device might shatter in his hand. “So, Tyler, and Jeff are all still in the US?” He paused, listening intently. “Have you contacted them? Good. Just one question. How the hell are you calling me on a cell phone from the sprite realm if the veils are sealed?”

Lorna blinked, her brows lifting in surprise. That was … a good question.

Boain’s lips twitched into a humorless smirk. “I suppose we forget that Peri isn’t the only powerful high fae. Only because she flaunts it in our faces every chance she gets.”

He listened for another moment, nodding once before ending the call. He lowered the phone, his grip still iron-tight, and stared at the ground. His jaw worked as he processed whatever bombshell had just been dropped. Lorna waited, giving him the space he needed. She knew better than to push. He’d tell her everything once he’d processed it.

Finally, he looked up, his golden eyes locking onto hers. “That was Gwen.” His voice was low but steady. “One of the high fae. She, Maxim, Alice, Finn, Lizzy, and Cindy Morgan are trapped in the sprite realm. Fane and a group of the pack went after Celise, but they never returned.”

Lorna’s heart skipped a beat. “The unhinged sprite,” she whispered.

Boain nodded grimly. “The same. Gwen barely made it into the sprite realm before it was sealed. She tried getting into the fae and djinn realms first, but those were locked, too.”

Lorna’s mind raced, piecing together the fragments of information. “And the other US alphas you mentioned? They’re still in the human realm?”

Boain’s expression darkened. “Yes. I don’t know how much they know. I imagine that they certainly aren’t aware that a gypsy healer that was in bed with Celise caused all of this.”

Lorna’s breath caught. “Which healer would work with her?”

Boain’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Jewel Black, according to Gwen. But the details are scarce. If we can figure out where all of this went down, we might come across some witnesses. There are eyes everywhere. Peri’s favorites happen to be pixies.”

Lorna shook her head as disbelief washed over her. Jewel, a healer, siding with a sprite who’d embraced darkness? It seemed impossible. And yet…

“What are we going to do?” Lorna’s voice trembled slightly. She glanced over her shoulder toward the hybrids, their movements barely visible through the broken windows of the building. The task she and Boain had been given—to hunt and destroy these abominations—suddenly felt secondary to the storm brewing on the horizon.

Boain reached out, cupping her cheek with surprising gentleness. The contrast between his touch and the barely contained rage in his eyes was startling. “We’re going to do what we always do.” His determination bled through their bond. “Whatever it takes to protect our pack.”

He laced his fingers through hers, pulling her close as they turned to leave the alley. “I didn’t smell any fae near that group of hybrids,” he explained, his tone all business now. “So, let’s find another nest. If there’s a fae warrior anywhere nearby, we’ll find them. And then we’ll figure out how to fix this mess.”

Lorna nodded, her resolve hardening. The hybrids might be a problem, but the bigger threat was clear now. They had to get their pack and allies back. And she and Boain would face it together, no matter what it took.

* * *

Tyler paced from one end of the living room to the other, a steady growl building in his chest. The last thing on earth he’d expected to get was a phone call from a high fae telling him that Fane and his people were missing. In his long life he’d seen so much pain. He’d thought the worst of it was Vasile and Alina’s deaths, but if Fane died that might very well be the end of the Canis lupus. There would be no leader to keep the dominant males in check. Chaos would reign, and a war between supernaturals would take over the human realm.

Tyler’s phone rang, dragging him from his morbid thoughts. He snarled at the device he’d carelessly tossed onto the couch, as if it was the cause of all his worry. He snatched it up and tapped the screen. “What?”

“Nice to hear your voice, too, Tyler.” Jeff Stone’s deep, southern drawl came through the speaker, calm and measured as always. But Tyler didn’t miss the tension beneath it. The Texas alpha wasn’t one to mince words or make small talk, especially when something serious was afoot.

“Jeff.” Tyler scrubbed a hand down his face. He forced himself to take a breath, to loosen the tight coil of anger and worry in his chest. “What’s going on?” He glanced at the clock on the mantel and noted that it was midnight. “This isn’t exactly a social hour.”

“No, it’s not. I just got off the phone with one of my trackers. They’ve been poking around some of the supernatural hangouts in Houston, and I’m hearing things that aren’t sitting right with me.”

Tyler’s pacing stopped, and he turned to face the crackling fire in the hearth. The flames danced, casting shadows across the room, but the warmth did little to ease the chill creeping up his spine. Was there more going on than what he’d already learned? Could there possibly be something worse than the alpha of all alphas and his mate going missing? “What kind of things?” he demanded.

“Things like Fane’s pack being gone.” Jeff’s bluntness hit Tyler like a physical blow all over again. Why was hearing it spoken out loud so much worse than just knowing it in his mind? “Not just gone, Tyler. Disappeared. Vanished without a trace.”

Tyler’s grip on the phone tightened until the plastic casing creaked in protest. “I already know about Fane,” he ground out. “A high fae contacted me this morning. Said he and his group are missing. What else have you heard?”

There was a pause on Jeff’s end, the kind that made Tyler’s wolf bristle with impatience. “There’s talk of a sprite named Celise.” Jeff’s tone was grim. “She’s claiming to have something called the Book of the Dead. You ever heard of it?”

Tyler’s blood ran cold. He’d heard whispers of the book—ancient, f*******n, and dangerous beyond comprehension. It was the kind of thing that should’ve been locked away in the deepest, most unreachable part of the supernatural realms, never to see the light of day. The fact that anyone, let alone a sprite—who were known to still possess significant amounts of magic despite the waning power of the supernaturals—was claiming to possess it was a nightmare come to life.

“I’ve heard of it.” Tyler’s voice was low as a memory surfaced. “But it was supposed to have been destroyed after the witch, Desdemona, attempted to use it to open the gates of Hell.” Somewhere along the way in the past few years that information had been tucked away in Tyler’s mind, but now he remembered what Vasile had shared about the Warlock King, how he’d met Lilly, and what all had gone down with them.

Jeff let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, well, someone forgot to tell Celise that it was destroyed and what she has must be a shoddy imposter. Oh, except for the fact that the shoddy imposter is actually working. My trackers are hearing rumors that she’s wielding power over supernaturals. There’s a growing darkness, Tyler. Something’s stirring, and it’s got everyone, including me, on edge.”

Tyler’s wolf growled, the sound rumbling low in his chest. Darkness. The word echoed in his mind like a death knell. He thought of Fane and his comrades, of the high fae’s warning, and of the fragile Balance that kept the supernatural world from descending into chaos. If Celise truly had the Book of the Dead, otherwise known as the Nushtonia, and was using it to amass power, then the Balance wasn’t just tipping; it was shattering.

“Have you seen this sprite?”

“Not yet,” Jeff admitted. “But my wolves are tracking her movements. She’s staying out of sight, but the news is spreading fast. If she’s got the book, Tyler, and it seems like she does, we’re all in trouble. You know what that kind of power can do.”

“I know.” Tyler’s jaw clenched. “And if she’s tied to this … whatever’s happening with Fane, then we’re already in deep. Too deep.”

There was silence on the line for a moment, the kind of silence that spoke louder than words. Both alphas knew what was at stake. Fane was more than just the alpha of the Romania pack. He was a symbol of unity—a leader who kept the dominant Canis lupus in check—placed there by the Great Luna. Without him, the wolves would be leaderless, fractured, and vulnerable to whatever darkness was coming.

“Have you reached out to the other packs, Tyler?”

“Not yet. I wanted to get my head on straight before I started calling alphas and flipping their worlds upside down. They’re already dealing with the hybrids that Cain let loose on all of us. That evil alone could be enough to push some male wolves who may already be close to the edge of going feral right over the cliff. But if what you’re saying is true, then we need to act fast. If this sprite has the book, and if she’s using it to spread darkness⁠—”

“She’s not just spreading it.” Jeff’s voice was hard. “She’s feeding it. My wolves are reporting strange behavior in the supernaturals they’ve come across—warlocks, fae, pixies, and even some of the lesser species like the trolls. They’re more aggressive, more volatile. It’s like something’s twisting them from the inside out.”

Tyler’s heart sank. This wasn’t just about Fane or the book. This was bigger than any of them, and it was growing by the second. “What do you need from me, Jeff?” He kept his voice steady despite the chaos swirling in his mind.

“Keep your pack on high alert. And, not to tell you how to do your job, but if you’ve got anyone who can move quietly, send them out. We need eyes and ears everywhere. If Celise is out there, we need to find her before she can cause any more damage. And Tyler…”

“Yeah?”

“Be ready for a fight,” Jeff said grimly. “Something tells me this isn’t going to end without bloodshed.”

The line went dead, and Tyler lowered the phone, his mind racing. He turned to the room, his eyes blazing with determination. He might not have all the answers, but one thing was certain: whatever was coming, they couldn’t face it alone.

“You never have to face anything alone,” his mate, Sadra, said through their bond. “I’ve always got your back, alpha-mine.”

Peace, a feeling that only she could ever give him, flowed into him. His other half. He thanked the Great Luna that he had his true mate. Sadra would keep him grounded as the growing darkness filled their world. But the unmated males? Tyler’s heart went out to them. The blood that Jeff spoke of might not only flow because of war. Tyler might just have to spill the blood of one of his own in order to keep others safe. A feral wolf was a dead wolf walking.

“Thank you, mate.” He hoped Sadra felt even a sliver of the love that he experienced from her. Sadra had always had a warm heart and an almost unnatural kindness toward others. She was able to see past the worst in people to their core. And she’d done that with him—seen past the darkness that had nearly consumed him before they met—and she’d pulled him back to sanity with her light. “I love you.”

“And I you.”

Feeling a little more centered, Tyler brought his attention back to his surroundings. “Eric,” he called, his beta appearing in the doorway almost instantly. He’d no doubt felt Tyler’s anger and worry through the pack bonds and had come to find out what the hell was going on. “Gather the pack. We’ve got a problem, and it’s bigger than anything we’ve dealt with before.”

Eric nodded, his expression grim. “What’s the plan?”

Tyler’s jaw tightened. “We find Fane. We find this sprite. And we put an end to this darkness before it destroys us all.”