The Chosen One Universe Volume Two: An MM Paranormal Fantasy Shifters Series

by Macy Blake

  “But I know something isn’t right,” Drew said. “I can’t explain it.”

  “You don’t have to. We trust your instincts,” Shaq said. “I need to talk to the goddess.”

  “I’m going with you,” Drew said.

  “Drew—”

  “No, Shaq. Don’t try to tell me it’s not safe. You said you trust my instincts. They’re telling me to go with you. We need to find out what’s going on. Why was Izzy a target? This magic stuff…I don’t understand it, but I saw what it did to the alpha who was after me. I was lucky. The Mother helped me get to you. But what if there are others like me out there who aren’t so lucky? We need to understand so we can do what we’ve been tasked with doing as a pack. Our job is to protect the secrets and keep both humans and the supernatural world safe. We can’t do that without information.”

  Our job.

  Sol couldn’t help but reach out and touch his alpha’s mate at the words. Shaq had his arm around Drew and looked at Sol with pride on his face.

  “Then we’ll go together and see what we can find out,” Shaq said.

  “I’ll get everyone to the cabin,” Sol added. “We should call Mason and see if he can cover the bar for us for a few days. They owe us a favor or twelve.”

  “Make it happen,” Shaq said. “We’re going to go now and see if our goddess will help us. I don’t like this, Sol.”

  “I don’t either. I’ll keep them safe.”

  “I know you will,” Shaq said. “You have everything you need at the cabin?”

  Sol nodded. “For a few days, anyway. I’ll raid your fridge before we go so we don’t have to stop.”

  Drew grabbed Sol’s wrist and squeezed. “Take anything you need. The freezer is stocked, too.”

  “We need answers,” Shaq growled.

  “And the goddess is where you’ll find them.”

  Shaq grabbed Sol’s neck and tugged him close. His eyes flared red and Sol’s did the same. “Bring them into our world if you need to. Don’t hold back. Be careful, but they are pack. If they need our secret, you have my permission to tell it.” Shaq growled low once more and squeezed Sol’s neck.

  “Thank you, Alpha. I’ll use my best judgment.”

  “I know you will.”

  “I won’t fail you, Shaq. I’ll take care of them.”

  His alpha growled and gave his neck a squeeze. “I know you won’t fail me, but I don’t like leaving you. Not with this unknown.”

  “You need to go to the goddess. There’s too much at stake. We need to know how to combat this kind of magic and put a stop to it before someone gets hurt. She’s the only one who can help us.”

  “I know.”

  They both knew, but Sol could only imagine how torn Shaq was. An alpha didn’t leave their pack unprotected, especially when their most vulnerable members were at risk. But if Zaire didn’t have answers, there was only one other option: they needed their goddess to help them.

  “Take Drew and go, Alpha,” Sol said quietly. “I swear to you I’ll do what it takes to keep them safe.”

  Shaq pulled away and nodded before turning to his mate. “Let’s go.”

  Drew gave Sol’s wrist one last squeeze before he clasped Shaq’s hand, and they walked outside together. Shaq opened a portal, and they were gone.

  Sol gave himself a moment to breathe and gather his thoughts before going into the garage and pulling down the big coolers Shaq stored there. He’d just opened the freezer door when the door from the house opened again and Walt walked into the garage. He frowned at the coolers and at Sol.

  “What are you doing?”

  “We’re moving locations.”

  Walt snarled. “Why?”

  Sol didn’t care for the tone at all. He flashed his eyes, and Walt grumbled before sucking in a breath and letting it out again.

  “I’m sorry. My control is shaky.”

  “I know. Help me get this cooler loaded. Shaq and Drew have gone to speak with the goddess. I have no idea how long they’re going to be, but I don’t think they’ll be back anytime soon.”

  “This is some scary shit, Sol.”

  “I know. I’ll keep us safe, Walt. All of us.”

  Walt pulled in another shaky breath. “I know.”

  “We’re going to the cabin. All of us. For at least a few days.”

  Walt scowled once more, but this time it was at the contents of the cooler. “I’m going to need to make a shopping trip. I can’t feed us on that.”

  Sol smothered a grin. This was his cranky friend, not the shaky young hellhound who’d dared to question his pack’s second in command. “I want to keep us together.”

  Walt made a snarling hissing sound that was completely human. He bent down and picked up an oversized bag of frozen french fries. “I can’t work with this.”

  Sol looked at his packmate and made a snap decision. He needed Walt to be calm and in control at the cabin, and that would mean letting him work in the kitchen. If he kept busy, he’d be able to keep his control.

  “You have one hour. Meet us at the cabin. If you are even thirty seconds late, not only will I be pissed, but I’ll put Calli on cooking duty.”

  Walt sucked in a breath. “Seriously?”

  “Your time started thirty seconds ago. Take Vice. Go.”

  Walt ran out of the garage like his ass was on fire. Sol laughed and continued loading supplies into the coolers. Shaq had started a ridiculous stockpile when he found out Drew was his mate, and it consisted of the strangest things. Like french fries. And tea. What had made Sol laugh at the time, made him thankful now. He couldn’t tease his alpha for wanting to make sure he provided for Drew when the result was allowing them to provide for the entire pack.

  The front door opened again and a moment later Calli appeared in the doorway of the garage. “I didn’t know Walt could move that fast,” she said.

  “He can when he has the right motivation.” Not that Sol was foolish enough to tell her he’d used the threat of her in the kitchen to terrify Walt into moving his ass.

  “What’s the plan?”

  “We’re going to the cabin. Drew and Shaq have gone to see the goddess. Neither of them feel like we’re safe here.”

  Calli’s eyes flared for a moment. “They targeted Izzy.”

  “I know.”

  “Sophie was in the house.”

  “I know. It made the lines in the sand very clear. They’re going to break the rules, so we have to be ready.”

  “We should tell them.”

  Sol closed the cooler lid and pushed to his feet. “We can’t. Not until we have to. That is the code.”

  “Bullshit, Sol. You know we do what we think is right. That’s the code.”

  “And you think it’s right to terrify Izzy after what happened tonight? You think Cody wants to find out he’s working with hellhounds and not whatever crazy scheme he’s cooked up? Shelly handled it like a champ, Cal, but you know that’s not always the case.”

  Calli huffed and looked away. “I know. They find out when the time is right. I know that.”

  “Blurting it out isn’t the way. It’s never been the way. But if we get to a point where you think it’s time, we’ll do it.”

  She sucked in a breath and let it out again. “Magic sucks.”

  Sol laughed and lifted a cooler. He shoved it into her arms. “Take it to the cabin, and take Jed with you. Sniff around and make sure it’s safe. Have him stay there to keep an eye out, and we’ll drive out when you get back.”

  She nodded and disappeared a moment later.

  The problem was, she wasn’t wrong. Magic sucked. It had Shaq and Drew spooked. Sol was spooked. They could handle out of control creatures. They kept the supernatural world in check on a daily basis. The task their goddess had given them wasn’t easy, by any means, but it had never been like this. Out of control. Unknown. Changing. Magic users had always laid low. Zaire and her coven had never advertised their abilities. Shaq kept their location hidden from everyone.
It was always the way. They kept the covens safe, and in return, the coven provided magical resources for them. Just like they kept their pack safe. It may not be the directive the goddess handed them, but it was ingrained deep into their makeup, their instincts. Protect the pack might as well be the first lesson they’d learned.

  But none of them had seen magic like this before. It should take an entire coven to do what had been done to Izzy’s ex and the alpha who’d come after Drew. Zaire didn’t think a coven was responsible, though. They’d been hunting for whoever had been messing around with magic for over a decade, ever since they’d first seen the signs of someone tampering with magic. Sol would never forget the night they found the Jerrick cubs. Hurt, scared, abused, and trapped by magic in a house of horrors. He and Shaq had turned over every rock, used every resource they knew of, and then hunted down some they hadn’t. But they’d never found anything to lead them to the magic users responsible.

  And now, a decade later, the same magic was rearing its ugly head again.

  Sol packed up a few more things from Shaq’s house before going to the couch and kneeling next to Cody. He’d been so amused by Cody’s earlier confusion. Vampires and mob enforcers and super soldiers. They weren’t bad guesses. His mind was amazing. The time was getting closer when Cody would learn the truth. Humans didn’t always react well. In fact, most of them didn’t, and Zaire had to work her magic to make sure they didn’t remember. It was often for the best. Sol had seen it happen many times over his years in service to the goddess.

  The thought of losing Cody, though, was more than Sol could imagine. And he didn’t know when or how or why he’d suddenly become completely infatuated with the pain in the ass human who’d driven him insane for years, but something had definitely changed. It was as if they’d been magnets, each pointing the wrong way and pushing each other away. But then something changed and now they were drawn to each other.

  Sol ran his hand softly over Cody’s hair and his eyes fluttered open.

  “Sol?”

  “We need to move.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Shaq doesn’t think it’s safe for us here. We’re taking everyone to the cabin.”

  Cody sat up and ran his hands over his face. “Okay. I’m up. What can I do?”

  Sol held Cody’s neck gently in his hand as he continued to wake up. “You’re doing it. We’ll be leaving soon, okay?”

  “Fuck, I’m tired.”

  “I know. You can sleep when we get to the cabin, okay?”

  Cody stretched and the blanket fell off his lap. “I know I’m going to take a shower in that gorgeous bathroom of yours. Don’t deny me that luxury, Sol. Don’t do it.”

  “I would never.”

  Cody grinned and stretched his arms over his head. His shirt rode up, baring a strip of pale skin. Sol couldn’t look away, not even when Cody lowered his arms again. Cody grabbed his shoulder, much like Shaq always did, and Sol forced his eyes up.

  “We’re going to be okay. I trust you.”

  Sol stared into his eyes and saw nothing but truth. It was what he needed to hear. “Okay, we need to get the girls up. Can you help?”

  “I’m on it.”

  Sol left Cody to the task and went outside where Teague and Achim were still keeping watch. “We’re moving soon, to the cabin,” Sol said.

  They both nodded.

  “We heard,” Teague said. “I can drive Shaq’s truck. If we have trouble, we can handle it while you keep going.”

  “Excellent. Achim, you stick with him. When Calli gets here, we’ll go.”

  Achim nodded. “We haven’t seen anything, but there’s definitely something in the air. It’s unsettling.”

  Sol raised his head and let his senses take over. He could feel it as well, an itch at the back of his neck. A slight hint of something not-right in the air. Barely noticeable, but present if you focused. It unnerved Sol more than he cared to admit.

  “We need to move.”

  They moved as a unit into the house. Cody had Izzy and Sophie up, and the little girl was less than happy to be woken up once more. “Cody, grab their bags. Shelly, I need you with Teague and Achim.”

  He hated to separate them, but there wasn’t enough room in his Jeep for everyone, and he didn’t want to be the only hellhound with the pack’s unaware humans. Calli would need to stay with him for backup.

  “No problem,” Shelly said. “I’ve got mine and Walt’s stuff. Where do you need me?”

  “Shaq’s truck.”

  She nodded and walked toward him. He scented her neck and leaned in close. “If something happens, you stay low and call me. I’ll be there.”

  “I know you will. Walt’s okay?”

  “Yeah. I sent him on a grocery run.”

  Shelly snickered. “That ought to keep him calm. Okay, see you there.”

  Sol heard the swoosh of a portal opening behind the house, and then Calli came inside. “Clear.”

  “Let’s go. You’re with me.”

  She nodded and they went out to the Jeep. Cody piled into the backseat with Izzy and Sophie, while Calli took the front. Sol followed Teague and Achim as they flew down the back roads which led to his cabin. He could feel the change in the air, the tickle of wrong fading into nothing, and let out a sigh of relief.

  “I felt it, too,” Calli murmured.

  “We need to make sure we aren’t being followed.”

  “I’m not sure we can. You think we could get Henry to set some wards for us?”

  The young mage was one of the Jerrick pack that they’d rescued, and he’d become much more powerful now that he’d found his mates. “He’s still in the fae realm.”

  “Dammit,” Sol said.

  “Henry’s not the only person we know who can set wards.”

  “I know.”

  “At the very least, we could get some advance warning so we can get them out.”

  Sol nodded. They kept their conversation quiet, but Sol wanted to focus on the road, and not on the possibility of putting the coven at risk. He glanced into the rearview mirror and found Cody staring at him. “Not much longer,” Sol said quietly.

  “We’re good.”

  Sol nodded and returned his attention to the drive. Teague had disregarded all speed limits and was flying at a rate that would be dangerous for anyone without their instincts. It was early enough that no one was on the road, and the closer they came to the cabin, the less chance they had of running into anyone.

  When Teague finally slowed as they approached the turn off to the cabin’s drive, Sol let out a sigh of relief. They pulled both vehicles close to the house, and Sol hopped out of the Jeep quickly. He inhaled, letting his senses roll through the familiar scents. Nothing jumped out at him, and the scent of not-right wasn’t present.

  Cody climbed out behind him and Sol took a moment to grab him by the shoulder. It was only then that he noticed Cody had slipped his leather jacket on. It hung on him and the sleeves covered his hands. Sol tried to ignore how deeply affected he was by the sight. “Will you show everyone around for me? I want us to take a look around here and make sure it’s safe.”

  “Sure. See you in a minute.”

  Sol nodded as Cody guided Shelly, Izzy, and Sophie into the house after snagging the spare key from the hiding spot under the swing. Once the door closed, Sol turned to his pack. “Anything?”

  “Nothing,” Achim said. “It’s better here.”

  “Good. Let me know if that changes.”

  “I’ll do a quick run,” Calli said. “Make sure I don’t pick up anything following behind us.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Jedrek said.

  “Do it,” Sol said.

  They turned and ran, disappearing into the trees a second later.

  A portal opened nearby and Walt came through it pushing an overloaded grocery cart. Vice followed and the look he gave Sol had him biting back a laugh. Of course, that was the moment the door opened and Cody came out onto the porch.


  “Sol, do you care if… Walt, did you steal a cart from the grocery store?”

  Walt gave him a look. “And what if I did?”

  Cody blinked at him, clearly at a loss.

  “I’ll take it back. I borrowed it,” Walt griped.

  “Uh, I guess that’s okay then. How did you even get it here? You know what, don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.”

  Sol couldn’t hide his smirk. “Cody, did you need something?”

  “You mind if I start the fire?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Cody smiled at him and went back inside.

  “Whoa,” Walt said softly. “When did that happen?”

  “What?” Sol asked.

  “He’s oblivious,” Teague added.

  “Clueless,” Achim said.

  “I am not. It’s new. And you’re all assholes.”

  “Hey,” Walt protested. “I brought food.”

  “That only makes you slightly less of an asshole,” Sol grumbled.

  “It’s about time,” Achim said.

  Sol sucked in a breath and blew it out again. “Focus. We need to stay on our toes. Rotate patrols. If anything, and I mean anything, feels abnormal, you let me know. We will protect our pack.”

  He got approving rumbles in reply. Tensions were running high, but he needed them to be ready to do their job.

  “We won’t let you down,” Walt said.

  “No, we won’t,” Achim and Teague added.

  Teague grabbed his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Tell us what you need and we’ll make it happen.”

  It settled something deep inside Sol knowing he had their support. He glanced around the clearing and breathed in the fresh, clean air. He would do whatever it took to keep his pack safe. And if that meant going up against magic users, he would do it without hesitation. His eyes flared red and his pack responded by letting their eyes turn red as well. They were the most powerful creatures in this realm and whoever had come after one of theirs was about to discover what happened when you pissed off a pack of hellhounds.

  Cody

  Cody had always held the women he worked with in the highest regard. Izzy and Shelly were both rock stars. They worked hard and took care of each other. When Cody came to work at Hair of the Dog, it hadn’t taken them long to take him under their wing. He’d been a mess of frazzled nerves and heartbreak. Scared and alone. Someone had told him to go to the bar because the owner wasn’t an ass, so Cody had taken the chance.