by Juniper Hart
Potentially.
“Am I hearing this right?” Raven, the demon, asked skeptically. “You want permission to turn your mate back into a mortal?”
“Well… no,” Hudson said, his forehead crinkling. “I wouldn’t even know how to do something like that.”
“Obviously, not you,” Raven barked, casting Landon a look which clearly depicted her disdain for the Lycan standing before her.
“What makes you think anyone can do something like that?” Lane asked quietly, leaning forward. Hudson turned his full attention toward her. If there was anyone capable of doing such a thing, it was certainly Lane, a witch and vampire hybrid with Aldwin blood.
Alaric Aldwin had been a demon and wizard who had created the Enchanted beings over five millennia ago. Lane was a direct descendant of him. Her powers knew no bounds. Then again, it wasn’t a matter of whether she could do it, but if she would.
She was illegally turned, too, or else she would have been as mortal as Audrey. She’s my only hope.
“I don’t know if you can do something like that,” Hudson agreed, keeping his eyes fixed on Lane. “But for Audrey’s sake, I hope you can.”
There was a murmur of disapproval through the Council.
“Why?” Henry, Lane’s mate and the resident vampire, demanded. “That would deplete her of her immortality.”
Hudson chewed on the insides of his cheeks to keep from screaming. I know! Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you realize I wouldn’t be here if I had any other option?
“I am sure you’re all aware of the damage that Gabriel caused,” he said instead. “Audrey has been affected worse than anyone simply because of her public persona. She’s endlessly in the eye of the camera, and for someone like her, it will be impossible to hide her immortality. She’s bound to create questions among the mortals.”
“That is hardly a reason to do something like this,” Laurel, the Fairy Queen, snapped. She was remarkably sullen for such a dainty soul.
“It is not only because of her celebrity status,” Hudson rushed on. If they refused, he didn’t want his poor delivery of the facts to be the reason for it. I promised her I’d try, and here I am.
“Well?” Landon snapped. “We’re waiting.”
“We’re chained to each other, Landon. If she’s on set, I need to travel with her, and she’s not willing to give up her career—”
“Nor should she!” Laurel shouted while Raven nodded.
“The problem is, she’s on the move a lot, Council. I have a business of my own to run, but I also have a very powerful pack to control. It doesn’t sit well with them that I’m rushing off when there are matters to be dealt with at home.”
Slowly and silently, the members looked at one another.
“Landon,” Alec, the dragon, said. “Where is this Gabriel? It seems to me that this would be a non-issue if he were caught.” Landon snorted.
“Ya think?” he demanded sarcastically. “I would like nothing more than to round up the entire lot of them and dump them in a pit somewhere with a Cerberus, but Gabriel seems to disappear every time we are close. He knows all the tricks.”
“And in the meantime, we’re living a meek existence.”
“I’m worried that she might do something to get herself harmed if we continue this way,” Hudson confessed. “She’s impulsive. I can see her running off just to get some alone time and Gabriel somehow getting his claws into her.”
“That would be on you!” Landon growled.
“I know that!” Hudson retorted. “I’m trying to find a solution that will put everyone at ease, Landon.”
“We can’t have a mortal running around with the knowledge of the Enchanted. You know that,” Raven quipped.
“For reasons I don’t understand—but I am very grateful for—you have collectively permitted the turned women to remain alive,” Hudson reminded them. “By Council laws, they should have been executed on sight, and yet…”
“We showed them mercy because they were Gabriel’s victims. We don’t punish the unwitting.”
Unless they stumble across our secrets, he thought, but he shut his mind down before anyone could read his thoughts.
“I am hoping you might make an exception in this case as well,” Hudson continued. “She isn’t going anywhere. She is still my mate.”
“Is she, though?” All eyes turned to Laurel, who pursed her lips together. “Is she really your mate?”
“Of course she is!” Hudson yelled. “She was my mate before she was turned, too—we just hadn’t met yet.”
“It just seems odd to me that she would want to give up eternity with you if she really felt the same way about you.” Hudson dropped his gaze, knowing his anger was easily read.
“I have no doubt that Audrey loves me. This entire situation has been exhausting for both of us. She’s been a target too many times, and as such a public figure, she’ll continue to be one. I just want to eliminate the stress the best way I can.”
He turned his eyes toward Landon. “You sent me to protect her.”
He looked at Lane. “You cast a spell so that I would find my mate.”
He fixed on the rest of the Council. “You all agreed to let her live, but what kind of life will she have if she’s a prisoner? Turn her back, or else all of this would have been for nothing. There would have been no point at all.”
Again, the council exchanged long looks.
“Wait outside while we discuss this, Hudson,” Theo instructed.
“Yes, Theo.” Hudson turned to leave them alone. He hadn’t realized his heart was pounding so loudly in his chest until he stepped into the hallway of the abandoned courthouse and sank against the wall. He didn’t even try to eavesdrop, less because he was worried about being caught and more because he didn’t know what he wanted the outcome to be.
He glanced at his phone. Audrey had left three texts already, wondering what was going on. Even as she sat in the care of his entire pack, Hudson was anxious being apart from her.
This isn’t healthy, he thought. We should be able to come and go without issue, not riddled with apprehension.
The Council is deciding, he texted her. I’ll message you when I’m leaving New York.
The door opened again, and Hudson looked at Landon in surprise.
“They’re ready for you,” the Lycan said.
“Already?”
“Did you want to wait longer?” Hudson wasn’t sure how to answer that. He’d been sure that the decision would be split. Laurel and Raven had seemed so against the idea. Alec and Theo never seemed to care about what was happening. Lane and Henry were probably on his side, and Landon was likely torn. Yet they seemed to have reached a consensus in under five minutes.
Hudson walked back into the room to face the Council.
“We’ve given your proposal some thought,” Raven said, her face twisted into a frown. “Some of us are very leery about this.”
“I understand,” Hudson started to say, but Raven held up a perfectly manicured hand and scowled at him.
“Did it sound like I was done talking?”
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Your record is stellar, Hudson. You served us well in the rebellion, as I recall,” Henry offered. “Landon says you’ve never had an uprising.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“That’s saying a lot,” Henry mused. “I’ve had to deal with some of my own rebels over the years.”
Hudson wondered where all this was going.
“If we agree to this,” Laurel said, “nothing will have changed. You will still be responsible for Audrey Cane and her safety.”
“Of course,” Hudson replied quickly. “That was never in question.”
“But…” Raven interjected. “If she steps out of line, you will also be held personally responsible and punished accordingly.”
He blinked. “What does that mean?”
“It means that when she is turned back into her mortal state, she better be on
her best behavior. If she endangers the Enchanted in any way or spills our secrets, she will not be shown any mercy, and neither will you.”
Hudson eyed them. “I’m not worried about Audrey stepping out of line. She just wants to live her life the way she deserves.” And, honestly, so did he.
“Then the matter is settled,” Raven said. “Lane will arrange to have her reversed, and we will send word out through the proper channels that Audrey Crane is no longer a Lycan.”
Hudson tensed. “You’ll tell everyone?” he asked worriedly. “Won’t that cause chaos among the Enchanted?”
“How else do you expect to get Gabriel off her trail if you don’t get the word out that she’s no longer worth hunting?”
It was something Hudson had not considered. What a mess. What will the pack do if they hear about this reversal?
“Who knows,” Laurel chuckled, nodding at Landon. “If this works, maybe we’ll just turn all four of them back and be done with this.”
“What do you mean, ‘if this works’?” Laurel looked at him and laughed.
“Do you think this is done? Immortals treasure their immortality. Those of us in love get to live out eras together. Your mate is a fool for choosing this.”
That didn’t answer Hudson’s question.
“What do you mean, ‘if this works’?” he repeated. “There’s a chance it can’t be undone?” He directed his eyes to Lane, who met his gaze, unblinking.
“There is always a chance that it couldn’t work,” she agreed. “There are many things that can go wrong in a procedure that is unnatural to our ways.”
Dread filled Hudson, and he looked from one unsmiling face to the next. “Are you advising against this?”
“How could we?” Raven chortled mockingly. “You made such an impassioned speech.”
I need to warn Audrey of the dangers, Hudson thought.
“Council is dismissed,” Alec said, slamming the gavel down, but as everyone rose, Hudson remained in place.
“You can go, Hudson,” Landon told him. “The matter is closed.”
What have I just agreed to? he wondered. In his heart, he knew that warning Audrey would do little to dissuade her from what she thought needed to be done.
“If you change your mind, Hudson, that’s fine, too,” Lane said softly from his side. He hadn’t even seen her approach.
“It’s not really up to me,” he sighed. “It’s Audrey’s choice.” Lane looked at him sympathetically.
“You’re a good mate, Hudson. Many wouldn’t entertain this idea.”
He looked at her with dull eyes. “Am I? I feel like I’m letting her go.”
Lane shook her head and patted his arm with cool, pale fingers. “It’s just the opposite. Forcing her to stay chained to your side would only send her running. She will respect you more in the long run for this.”
“Assuming it works,” he muttered. Lane winked at him.
“It will work,” she assured him. “The others were just trying to scare you.”
Hudson cast her a sidelong look, wondering if she was only trying to keep him from stressing more.
“Thanks,” he said. “I guess you’ll be in touch.”
“No,” Lane replied, shaking her head. “I’m coming back to the west coast with you now.”
He gaped at her. “Now?” he echoed. Lane shrugged nonchalantly.
“Why not? If she wants this done, let’s do it.”
Hudson gulped back the stone forming in his throat and nodded curtly.
“Okay,” he mumbled. “Let’s do it then.” He reached for his cell to text Audrey, but Lane pressed her hand against his.
“No,” she said. “Let’s surprise her.”
With a mounting sense of dread, Hudson returned his phone to the breast pocket of his burgundy button down. He was hardly in a position to argue. Or to flee.
This is really happening, he thought miserably. There’s no time to convince Audrey to change her mind, no time to find Gabriel. There’s no stopping this now.
15
Audrey was beside herself, glancing at the time on her cell every two minutes.
“You need to stop pacing!” Sandoval growled. “You’re making me dizzy.”
“Shut up, Sandoval,” McAvoy chimed before Audrey could snap. “Can’t you see she’s worried about Hudson?”
“We’re all worried about Hudson since she showed up,” the snarky wolf retorted. “You don’t see me climbing the walls.”
“He promised to text me hours ago,” Audrey told McAvoy. He was the closest thing to a friendly face among the pack that she could find.
“That’s Hudson for you,” the tech snickered. “Off doing his own thing.”
But that wasn’t the Hudson she knew, and anxiousness filled her gut as she again looked at the time. The Hudson she’d come to know was desperate to keep her safe, to keep her mind sound and her heart at peace. Her Hudson was calm and clear and stable. He didn’t just disappear without a word. What if Gabriel had gotten to him?
The throbbing was back at her gums again, and as she brushed her tongue against them, she realized that her body was trying to shift.
So let it. The thought came unbidden, but Audrey let it in, a prickle of excitement touching her as she moved toward the bathroom.
“Where are you going?” Sandoval demanded. She didn’t answer and instead stared at herself in the mirror, lifting her lips. Under the gums, she saw the bulge of teeth threatening to spring forward, and a combination of awe and terror enveloped her.
“Audrey?” Tyler, another wolf, called from beyond the door. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah,” she managed to stutter. “I’m fine.” A part of her wanted to let the inner beast out, but she had no idea what she would be unleashing. I don’t want to do this alone. I need Hudson here with me.
“Audrey, you need to stay with us,” Tyler called again, trying to keep the exasperation from his voice.
“Can’t I pee in peace, or do I need a chaperone for that, too?” she bit back. Tyler muttered something incoherent, leaving Audrey to continue the investigation of her newfound abilities. Her eyes seemed sharper, her nose more pointed. It’s really true! I am a wolf!
Until that moment, it had been hard to believe, and while she didn’t think Hudson had been lying to her, it was difficult to reconcile such a thing. But she was watching her own face struggle to make the shift, a film of fur forming around her hairline. Fear and excitement balled together in her stomach, like she was taking drugs for the first time and didn’t know what to expect. All she knew was that this was one door she wasn’t going to go through alone.
“Audrey!” Sandoval shouted.
“I said I’m coming!” she screamed back, watching with some disappointment as her face flowed back into its original features.
“No need to yell,” Sandoval grumbled. “I just wanted you to know that your boyfriend is back.”
Audrey whirled and raced out into the common area where Hudson had entered, a slight redhead at his side.
“Where have you been?” she howled, throwing herself into his arms. Relief threatened to drown her as his arms encircled her.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I wanted to call, but—”
“I thought we should surprise you,” the woman interrupted. She sauntered forward, extending an elegant hand. “I’m Lane. A pleasure to meet you, Audrey. I love your work.” Warily, Audrey looked from Lane to Hudson and accepted her outstretched hand.
“Thank you,” she said meekly.
“Hudson, can we have the room?” Lane asked, looking meaningfully at the pack.
“Is Landon here, too?” Sandoval asked nervously.
“Just me,” Lane replied. “I’m the only one who matters.” She grinned to take the arrogance from her words, but she kept her gaze fixed on Hudson. “Can we clear this place?” she asked again, more firmly. “I can’t work with this much of a distraction.”
“Work?” Sandoval asked nosily. “Wha
t work?”
“Did you not hear the lady?” Hudson growled. “Get out.”
“You’re welcome for babysitting, guys,” Sandoval grumbled sarcastically, mimicking Hudson’s voice. “I know you had better things to do with your day.”
Hudson’s eyes could almost shoot daggers, and Sandoval wisely shut his mouth before scampering out of the cabin where the rest of the pack had already gone.
“You can see how quickly things are going south here,” Hudson muttered to Lane. Audrey still wasn’t sure what was going on.
“I understand why you want to do this,” Lane said, focussing her attention back on Audrey. “But before we go through with this, I just want to make sure you know why you’re doing it, right?”
Suddenly, Audrey understood, and she paled slightly.
“Y-you’re here to do… the procedure?” she asked, her voice squeaking slightly. Lane beamed broadly.
“It’s not an operation, Audrey,” she assured the actress. “It’s a spell, and it can be quite time-consuming. You can still refuse if you want.”
Audrey peered at Hudson with sad eyes.
“I wish I could,” she muttered. “But we’ve been through this—many times. There’s no other option.” She looked hopefully at Lane. “Unless you have another idea?”
Lane flopped onto the couch, studying Audrey closely.
“If Gabriel wasn’t chasing you, would you still want your immortality?” the witch wanted to know. Audrey could see that the answer was very important to her.
“Of course!” she gasped. “Why would anyone ever give up the chance to live forever, especially…?” She choked back a sob, knowing how much she was sacrificing. “Especially if it means that Hudson and I can’t be together forever.”
A veil fell over Hudson’s face, and he turned away so that they wouldn’t see his distress. Audrey, however, didn’t need to see it to feel it.
Maybe we never were meant to be together, she thought mournfully. Maybe we were always supposed to be apart, which is why it’s been so hard for us.
But it was impossible to believe that something that felt so right could not be in their destinies, no matter how difficult it was to attain.