Read Online The Corollaria by Courtney Lyn Batten - Free Book Online

Hidden City. They were jealous of the immortality and magic the Faeries have. That the witches had shown them favor.  There was a woman, a witch, who protected the flower, but was frightened that the vampires would get it,” Jenny continued the tale. 
    To Luke, it all seemed like it was out of some fairytale book.
    “The witch who protected it didn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands , so she had her daughter, Cate, eat it, and ordered her daughter away. But Cate refused to leave behind her werewolf lover, Conall. The witch bound the two together, a spell that has been passed down for generations so that the wolf’s line will always protect the daughter’s. For hundreds of years the wolves have protected the descendants of Cate.”
    Luke sl owly absorbed the information. His wolf was meant to protect Emily? She must be a descendent of the daughter.
    “So the magic of the flower is ...what, in the blood?” Luke asked.
    Jenny nodded, “Yes, it’s passed down from mother to daughter. Just as your werewolf gene is passed down from father to son.”
    “So Emily, she is...” Luke trailed off as his mind raced to piece it all together.
    “ The Corollaria. She is the last one left since her mom and grandmother have both died,” Jenny filled in. Her voice was a strange mixture of awe and sadness.
    Luke went quiet. He dropped his eyes to the ground in front of him, and shoved his fingers roughly through his brown hair. He felt the heaviness in his eyes and muscles. 
    So was that it? The longing, the emptiness, the need to feel her in his arms? Is it just duty that calls him to her?
    “This is all part of who we are Luke,” Carson spoke quietly, but his voice was sure and strong. “This is your destiny. She is your destiny.”
    “But, why me?  Why not you?”
    “I’m destined to be Alpha, Luke. I have to lead. Your first priority will always be to protect Emily,” Carson answered.
    He breathed a heavy sigh. T he ache in his chest was festering.  He could feel his failure to keep her safe. But it was more than that, wasn’t it? He thought of her softness against his chest, the feel of her skin beneath his lips. He imagined what it would be like to kiss her.
    Slowly, he raised his eyes back up and found Carson’s serious slate eyes on him, a slight frown curved his mouth down.
    Carson’s eyes were different than his brother’s. Where Luke’s were a soft pale gray, like wisps of dyed cotton, his were more like the sky at twilight, caught somewhere between the blue of the day as it faded to the black of night.
    “What do we do now?” Luke asked. H is voice shook.
    Carson shared a look with Jenny. Her golden eyes looked like fresh butter in the soft morning light.  Something Carson said suddenly clicked in Luke’s mind.
    “Wait, you said Dad was the Alpha.”
    Carson’s frown deepened, and a deep groove creased his forehead. He looked down and swallowed hard. He hadn’t wanted to admit it, but it was unavoidable. 
    “Vanessa called me the Alpha when she came to ask for my help,” he paused, his eyes softened and Jenny gripped his hand with long firm fingers.  “He’s either been captured, or...”
    Luke didn’t need him to finish the sentence. Tears pricked his eyes, but he angrily swatted them away. Rage bubbled up in his chest as heat shot down his spine and his body trembled violently. Suddenly he felt even more profoundly helpless. 
    Carson placed a firm grip on Luke’s shoulder. “I’m going to call a meeting with the pack. Then we’ll have to figure out where she is.”
    Luke’s hands curled into fists, his knuckles turned white. Carson disappeared. His voice was low and serious as he spoke on the phone in the other room. Luke tuned him out. It wasn’t hard with the blood rushing in his ears, and his heart burning with grief.  His parents were gone.  Emily was gone.  He felt like at any moment he might explode.  The wolf clawed at him. Guilt and dread and panic churned violently