Bonus Chapter 22

*Two Months Later*
***Azrael***

Poppy pulls a sharp dagger from the sheath at her hip that I gifted her. Then, she looks down at the circle line in front of her foot.
With the help of the warriors patrolling the pack’s border, we did what my little witch asked. It was hard to draw a circle around the pack’s border since our pack is not that small, but thank the Goddess, the day is sunny.
“We can do it, Pumpkin,” Mom tells her, placing one hand on Poppy’s shoulder while her other hand holds her own blade. 
The two of them have been practicing this spell—or ward, I really don’t understand this witch woo woo thing very well—for the past week to ensure that everything will work out. My mom was so excited that Pops begrudgingly accepted it.
I’m in my wolf form, and my wolf is uneasy with this situation, as is Pops’ wolf. Our wolves stand behind them, ready for any threat that may arise. It’s our job to protect our mates, not theirs.
Lily says from outside the circle. “You can do it, Angel!” She encourages her.
In my wolf form I can hear much better, my already heightened senses become even sharper. My heart warms with pride when I see Poppy nod to Lily and then grab my mother’s hand.
Together, they both crouch down at the same time and stab the earth with their blades.
As Alphas, both Pops’ wolf and mine can perceive the shift in the circle.
A subtle circle of golden magic draws up from the ground like a shield. 
Wow! 
The witches in front of us look up, as though they can see it, too. 
“I think it’s done! Yeah, I think it worked,” Mom says, studying their work.
“I can’t see anything,” Lily complains from the other side. “Let me know when you’re ready. Because I *am* ready.” Lily rubs her hands together, already planning her next moves.
‘You’re going to be careful. Don’t test it with your body, Lily!’ Pops mindlinks to a connection with the three of us.
‘You better not get hurt, Hurricane!’
Lily snaps her eyes in our wolves’ direction, placing her hands on her hips. “Good Goddess, Uncle Ethan! I told you I’d be careful!” She rolls her eyes.
“I think it’s ready,” Poppy says to Mom. “Let’s take our blades out so we can test it.”
“Okay,” Mom says and bends down. Together, they both pull their blades out at the same time. They pull so hard that they both fall backward on their asses. 
In the blink of an eye, Pops’ wolf and mine are at their sides. My wolf nudges Poppy’s, worried. And he relaxes just when they both start to giggle.
“I’m fine, don’t worry, Azzy,” my sunshine assures me, petting my wolf.
He sits down next to her and looks at Lily. ‘She’s okay!’
I look at Mom sitting next to me. Pops’ wolf is sitting on the other side of her, with one paw possessively on her leg.
My wolf licks Mom’s face, and she pets between my wolf’s ears with a smile. “I’m okay, buddy. Don’t worry, yeah?”
My wolf nods, then he settles by both their sides.
Goddess...
I wish my little sister were here to see this. The sweet kid who once cried to our mom for hours after I kicked over a beetle she liked. Of all my siblings, Ava is the only one who takes after our mother in terms of aura, and her wolf has always been huge in a way that it’s almost the size of Pops’ and mine when we were her age.
Before I went after Lily, Ava left to finish high school in London, staying with our grandparents—Pops’ folks. They’re crazy about her. Gave up traveling the world just to settle down in London so she wouldn’t be without family.
She fought hard to leave the pack. 
I mean, *hard*. 
Broke herself trying to convince Pops and me that she could handle it. We didn’t budge—well, not until Mom stepped in and said it was her *fate*. She’d seen it in a dream. And when Mom says something like that, you don’t argue.
Still…
I miss Ava.
Out of all my siblings, I’m the most attached to her. Ava’s got this light about her that makes the world feel less heavy. I’d never tell her this, but not having her around leaves a hole I can’t fill.
It’s sad that sometimes life takes you down paths far from those you want to have around you.
Thank the Moon Goddess, Pops and Mom are traveling there next month and will bring her with them to visit us.
“Now, you can try, Li. Give your worst!” Poppy says the same words Lily said to her on our mate bond night.
Lily catches the reference and smirks before biting her bottom lip.
‘Show us why you are my hurricane, Lil,’ I mindlink just to her.
She gives me a subtle nod without looking in my direction, with a huge smile as if to say challenge accepted.
Lily picks up a rock from the ground, stands up, closes her eyes as if she were concentrating on the rock in her hand close to her forehead, and then, with a sneer, she brutally throws the rock on the other side of the pack’s border where there is no one.
We all snap to where the rock went, and we watch the rock break and split into several pieces as if it were a firework.
“Holy shit!” Lily says in disbelief. “Did you see that?”
But Mom and Poppy are staring at each other, looking like neither of them believes they managed to perform such a powerful spell. Their hands flutter up like they might clap, but they don’t dare because it could break the magic.
But when the stupor passes, the two start to celebrate, hugging each other. Poppy’s face lights up even more, if that’s possible. She bobs her head enthusiastically, hair bouncing.
My sunshine is no longer afraid of being around my father; if anything, she is increasingly being herself around him, which makes me extremely happy.
Almost two weeks ago, before we went to bed, Poppy told Lily and me that she had a spell in mind that she wanted to cast in the pack. Up until then, I didn’t think it was anything special, but when she told me her reason. It only made me love her even more.
This ward they’re doing is so that any being with bad intentions won’t be able to enter or attack our pack. When I asked her why, she said it was because she didn’t want anyone to get attacked like Lily was by her Aunt Kelly when she was a kid. My little mate said she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt like Cedar was, trying to save a pack member.
This messed with my other mate so much that Poppy made Lily cry—which is a rare thing to happen.
Looking at my sunshine, I notice that ever since the Black Moon festival, her eyes have become less and less haunted. And I hope they will get better every day even more.
“I’ll try again,” Lily says with more enthusiasm than necessary. 
My hurricane does like violence.
In anger and hatred, Lily throws rocks, of all sizes. This task is perfect for her, my hurricane can feel hatred with an ease that I’ve never seen before. She gives it her all. But nothing passes through and enters into our pack. Well, not before it breaks.
Much to my dismay, with a sneer, Lily saunters forward and puts a single finger to their ward. Her finger sizzles, and it’s enough to make me see red. 
My wolf lunges forward and starts growling loudly. ‘Lily King, stop right now! Fucking hell! You’re going to pay for that stunt of yours!’
I startle her with my growl, making her jump—which makes my wolf and I happy. “Okay, okay! I’ll stop!”
Then, with a calming expression now, she steps through the barrier and runs straight to my wolf, hugging him and nuzzling her face into my wolf’s fur.
‘I love it when you get all worked up,’ Lily mindlinks me.
My wolf growls louder, he bites her arm playfully, and won’t let her go when she tries to pull away.
“Give me back my arm!” Lil says with a joyous smile.
‘Mine!’ I mindlink as my wolf shakes his head with her arm firmly in his mouth.
She rolls her eyes and starts to rub her face in my wolf’s neck as he looks around with her arms still in his mouth.
I can’t believe Mom and Poppy did this! Neither of them is aware of how powerful they are. They did this wonderful ward like it wasn’t a big deal. 
These witches can bend the magic to their will, that’s for sure. 
And I’m proud to call one my mate and the other my mom.