by Leia Stone
These wolves were large, larger than our city wolves, and all black, with bits of rust fur at the tips.
“Paladin wolves,” Sage whispered.
Oh.
“What if someone attacks us while you’re gone? You’re taking our best warriors!” Rab shouted, and I turned my attention back to the front of the church.
“They want to show the new alpha that they will fight for her cause,” Arrow stated passionately. “They have faith that she will heal our lands and people and not leave us.”
Guilt shot through me. These people that I didn’t even know were willing to fight for me so that I would help them. It just reaffirmed that I couldn’t go back to Sawyer until I had given my all here and helped them.
“I don’t trust her. She’ll leave when it gets hard,” Rab growled. As if sensing me, he glared behind him and met my cold gaze.
I shouldn’t have stayed and eavesdropped, but dammit that comment made me mad, and they were talking loud enough for the whole damn group to hear.
“The hell I will!” I shouted, and bounded over to them in long, angry strides, earning the gaze of over a hundred warriors who stood the closest. “You don’t know anything about me. You have no idea what I’m capable of.” I felt my wolf come to the surface then, and Rab spun fully, looking me straight in the eyes.
“Well, little wolf,” he sneered. “Half of our warriors are leaving, and if we get attacked by the Ithaki while they are gone, I will personally hold you responsible for every death.”
Moving warriors from one place to another and leaving the Paladins vulnerable was not ideal, but I had to choose the lesser of two evils. Right now, the city wolves were stuck in a bomb shelter. Clearly that situation was more dire.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less. Now, how can I help here?”
“Demi,” Sage called from behind me, voice thick with concern. “Aren’t you going to even help me lead the warriors back to Wolf City?”
Fuck. I should have told her this morning.
I turned and faced her, tears welling in my eyes. “I … I need to stay here for the time being,” I told my redheaded bestie.
Her eyes widened as she looked behind me at the warriors. “Demi, Wolf City … Sawyer. We need you right now.”
Being torn like this, it was awful. I gestured to the blackened grass at my feet, the dying cornfields off in the distance that I could see even from here were tipped with black char. “No. You want me. But they need me.” I lowered my voice. “I’m going to stay for a few days, talk about next steps with them. I want to earn their trust, do what I can to heal them,” I told her sincerely. She didn’t get it; she didn’t understand these were my people too.
She frowned. “Fine. I’ll stay with you.” She crossed her arms in defiance.
Tears pricked at my eyes as I shook my head. “I need you to lead the warriors to Sawyer. I told him you’re coming.” I tapped my head.
It was early as all hell, we were both exhausted, but war didn’t wait for you to get a good night’s sleep.
“Fine. I’ll drop them off and come right back,” she growled.
“Sage—”
“Stop arguing with me, you stubborn ass. I’m not leaving you here with hotty alphahole over there.” She narrowed her eyes at Rab and I grinned.
Any and all hotness Rab possessed was eaten away by his asshole personality. Besides, I was only interested in Sawyer.
That didn’t mean I couldn’t admire the chiseled bodies every now and then though.
“Alright. See you tonight, then?” I asked.
Her frown grew deeper. “You told Sawyer you’re staying and that I’m going?”
My heart pinched. “It was the worst thing I’d ever had to tell him… But yes. Last night.”
She nodded. “I’ll be back tonight, then, maybe tomorrow.”
We hugged and my throat tightened with emotion. Why did I feel like I wouldn’t see her for a long time? War was ugly, and everything felt so dire on both sides of the border. I hoped I was making the right choice by staying behind with the Paladins. The thing was, the city wolves had Sawyer and these people had no one.
“Be safe,” I told her.
She wiped at her eyes and then walked over to Arrow. “Come on, I’ll show you the way.”
A female warrior stepped up to Arrow, her body nearly as chiseled as his, her breasts covered by a tiny triangle strip of suede that hung from a string that was covered in pretty red beads. She had a deadly grip on her weapon, and I knew instantly that this was Arrow’s mate. He seemed like the type who would go for a warrior woman.
The men started to disperse, and I thought I should say something, give them confidence in my abilities, although I had no idea what would be required of me.
“I won’t let you down,” I said in a strong voice that surprisingly didn’t shake.
The men looked from Astra, back to me, and then nodded, heading off to fight a war they’d never started or believed in.
I stood there, watching every single man and wolf pass by me, and gave them a tight smile. When the last warrior finally turned around the corner, Rab stepped over to me, arms crossed as he pinned me with a glare.
“Three thousand, one hundred and seventy-eight.”
I swallowed hard. “What?”
“That’s how many warriors just left. That’s how many Paladins you have decided to put at risk on your first day as trial alpha.” His eyes flashed yellow.
“Trial alpha?” I crossed my arms and glowered at him. Clearly Arrow was the nice brother. “Last time I checked, I’m the only alpha you got.”
He chuckled, looking over at Astra. “You haven’t told her anything, have you?”
Astra squirmed, adjusting her cream linen top with nervous fingers. “I told her what was important at the time.”
My stomach dropped, and my face must have shown it too, because Rab grinned. “You have no idea what you’re in for, city girl.”
He blasted past me, nearly knocking into me, and I was left staring at Astra with what I hoped she interpreted as a stunned expression.
“Come on. Let’s go in and talk.” She nodded to the large double doors of the giant redbrick church.
I squirmed. Not exactly what I wanted to do right now. But I needed some answers. Following her up the steps, I looked back over my shoulder as the sun began to rise, casting orange, buttery light over the Paladin village. It was so … stunning … and yet … clearly dying. Hundreds of the small redbrick cottages dotted the landscape, all built in straight little rows. In the distance were the open fields. Black sludgy stuff marred the tips of the corn and other crops. The trees looked … ashy … like they had been burned. The plant death covered everything. As Astra led me inside, I did a quick check in with Sawyer.
‘Sage and over three thousand warriors are on their way to you now. I’m going to do my best to help out here today and see if I can get back over to you tomorrow for a visit.’
His reply was immediate. ‘No. It’s too dangerous, just stay there. I’m sending Eugene to protect you. He should reach you in a couple hours.’
I wanted to argue that I didn’t need protecting here, but I knew it would make him feel better to send someone to look after me. It made me sick that neither of us knew when we would see each other again. ‘Alright. Everything okay there?’
It was a stupid thing to ask. What could be okay about a war?
‘My mom, your parents, and Raven’s family are safe. So that’s good.’
That sounded an awful lot like good news-bad news talk.
‘And the bad news?’
I could hear him internally sigh, and desperation bled through our imprint. ‘It’s bad, Demi. I’m glad you’re not here to see the fall of everything my father helped build.’
Oh God. I sagged in the doorway as Astra waited patiently for me to join her inside.
‘Sawyer. Tell me. I can come back. I can help.’
‘No. Stay there. The three thousand men will
be a big help. I gotta go.’
He pulled away from me and I was left with my mind spinning. What the hell was I supposed to do now? My fiancé was in crisis and I was helpless to do anything.
“Everything okay, Alpha?” Astra wrung her hands nervously and I felt her trepidation through our bond.
I sighed. The entirety of Magic City was at war and I was pretty sure that war started because of me, and my fiancé was left dealing with it all, but bitching about it wasn’t going to help anyone. “Let’s just talk about how I can help here.”
Astra nodded, her brown hair bobbing. “Come on in.”
She stepped deeper into the space and behind a row of pews. I stepped inside and allowed myself to examine the space further.
Rows and rows of thickly lacquered dark wood pews lined the giant room from the front to the back. Astra wove in and out of the aisles, making her way to a stage up at the front. It had church vibes in the way it was laid out, but I could see no religious insignia or idols. We arrived at the stage and I peered at the glowing light coming from it. I expected to see a cross or something of that nature, but instead there were hundreds of flickering candles.
“One protection prayer for each soldier who left,” she informed me.
My eyes widened.
Over three thousand tealights? That must have taken all night.
She walked across the hardwood floors and toward the flickering stage as I let my eyes go to the windows at the top of the building. There was more of that homemade looking glass. It was no Roman catholic cathedral but there was a good vibe to the place, peaceful.
Astra stepped up onto the stage and I followed her. Now that we were close to the candles I could feel their collective heat, admiring the lights as they flickered and swayed. They were stacked on little risers in ascending order.
Astra reached into a little box on the side of the stage and set one more tealight down on a space she found on the floor. Then she clasped her hands and muttered under her breath. I stood there watching her, thinking about when she’d healed Walsh and how that magical blue glitter stuff had fallen from the sky and onto her body. She’d literally saved his life with her power. I also thought about how they’d called her priestess. That was a word the witches used but she was clearly a wolf … a spiritual or religious one.
She baffled me. But in a good way.
Looking up from her clasped hands, she waved her fingers over the small candle and a flame burst from the wick. I sucked in a breath at the display of magic.
“That was for Sage,” she told me, acting like she didn’t just do something super cool and amazing like light a freaking candle with her mind!
“Are you … part witch?” I was trying to figure this all out. Figure her out.
She scowled. “The witches are evil. They’ve turned away from the Father and use their magic to power the darkness.”
Okay… I didn’t know what that meant. “The Father … being…?”
She frowned. “The father of all creation. God. Prime Creator.”
I nodded. “Right. That’s what I thought.”
“Can all Paladins light candles with a wave of their hands?” I looked at my own fingers, wondering if it were possible. She barked out in laughter and it made her look much younger. Now I questioned my guestimate at her age.
“Obviously not!” She laughed some more, the lightness causing my own lips to curl.
I shifted on the balls of my feet nervously as the candles flickered shadows across her face. “I don’t really know anything about Paladins, Astra. I was raised among humans.”
She frowned, grasping at her chest as if I’d just told her my grandmother died. “Shells of their former selves. May that never happen to us. You have to help us,” she pleaded.
What the what?
I frowned, opening my arms. “I’m here. I have no idea what you need from me, but I’m here. Just help me understand everything.”
She nodded. “This way. I’ll explain everything.”
Why did that give me a sinking feeling in my stomach?
I followed her past the candles to the back of the stage where there was a door. She opened it and descended down a row of creaky stairs. Stepping after her and down into the basement, we passed flame sconces that lit up the walls and I wondered if it was normal fire or that magic fire she’d made with her hands. Could she snap her fingers and make them blow out?
Probably…
When we reached the bottom steps, I took in the large space. To the right was a bedroom with the door ajar and a simple four-poster bed. On the back wall was a fireplace with crackling logs inside. There was a little kitchen off to the left and a sitting area in front of the fire. In the farthest corner of the room was a small floor pillow facing a low table or altar. One single thick blue candle burned on the alter with a vibrant purple flame.
She pointed to the purple flickering glow. “That’s a blessing candle. For you. I’ve prayed for you every night since you saved me from the dark fey and brought me home.”
I swallowed hard, feeling slightly uncomfortable at her kind gesture. Why? I had no idea. This girl had so much faith in me. I didn’t want to let her down.
I was about to respond, when she spoke again.
“When Running Spirit was killed…” She shook her head. “No, I need to go back further. Let me start over.” She rubbed her hands together nervously. “My mother, Faye, was a priestess too. Blessed with healing like me.”
She gestured for me to sit down on the couch and I did, facing her as she snuggled in across from me. Being with Astra felt so … easy. Which was weird considering I literally knew nothing about her.
‘Pack,’ my wolf told me, and I nodded. Astra was pack, that’s why we felt like sisters. It was similar to my imprint with Sawyer, the closeness, the reading of her energy but in a familial way. She was nervous now but also excited.
“Was?” I asked, wondering if her mother was…
“Dead.” She nodded, and then pointed to the ceiling. “With the Father now.”
Right…
“I’m sorry.”
She swallowed hard. “She died shortly after Red Moon, your grandfather, passed.”
I frowned. “That was recent. How did she die, if you don’t mind my asking?”
She looked around the home as if still expecting to see her mother walk out of the kitchen. When she met my gaze, I wasn’t prepared for the fear I saw in her eyes.
“Don’t run off or anything, okay? Just hear me out first.” She inched closer to me as if she were preparing to jump out and grab me when I inevitably tried to bolt.
My heart picked up speed then, thumping wildly against my chest. “Why would I run?” I swallowed hard.
“My mom died shortly after Red Moon because … we as priestesses cannot live long without being tethered to an alpha.” She raised her wrist to show the marks I’d made there when I’d claimed her and now it all made sense.
My heart rate slowed a little. I’d been expecting so much worse. Like, I don’t know … for her to tell me she needed my skin or kidney or something for a spell.
“Okay, well, are we tethered now? I mean, you’re okay, right?” It dawned on me that she might be about to drop a bomb and tell me that she was about to die.
She nodded. “I’m good now that you’ve claimed me and we are tethered.”
Whew. “Cool.”
She chewed her lip. “But the rest of the pack will lose their magic if you don’t claim them as well. Their wolves will slowly die until they become weak humans. Our land has already started dying.”
I squirmed. This was nothing she hadn’t basically told me before, and I’d accepted when I said I would stay and help that I’d have to become alpha of these people. Claiming them all? It was a bit insane, but if it would save their magic…
“I’ll do it,” I said, waiting for the relief to show on her face.
The look never came. Instead her mouth twisted into a grimace.
“What’s wrong?”
She reached out and grasped my hands. “In order to become our alpha, you have to prove yourself to the land, the magic, the people, the Father.”
I could actually feel the frown pulling my face into a scowl. Is that why Rab called me a trial alpha? He didn’t think I could pass the test or whatever.
Oh fuck that. The best way to make sure I did something was to tell me I wasn’t capable.
“Bring it,” I told her. “I’ll prove myself.”
She squeezed my hands, giving me a small smile. “You are so brave, Alpha. I knew the second I met you that you and your lineage would be the one to lead us for generations. I believe in you.”
Nervousness crawled through me and I wondered if it was me or her. “So what do I need to do to prove this? A fight?”
I didn’t want to kill Rab. He was Arrow’s brother, and although he was a bit of a douchebag I knew he was just protecting his people.
She sighed. “You will have to journey through the Dark Woods alone, to the Cave of Magic.”
I gulped. Alone? Dark Woods? Cave of Magic? Okay, shit just got a little scarier than I was expecting. “What’s in the cave?”
Astra shrugged. “I don’t know. The only people to make it back alive are dead now.”
My eyes widened. “Red Moon?”
She nodded. “And Run, your father. Only alphas can enter the Dark Woods and go searching for the cave.”
“Biological father,” I corrected her, not wanting to discount the man who raised me, the man I considered to be my dad.
She bobbed her head up and down. “It’s supposed to be a three-day journey in and out … if you don’t get lost.” She paused and I raised an eyebrow.
“Get lost? Has anyone ever … gotten lost?” Her hands clamped down on mine as if willing me to stay on this couch with her. Then her eyes seared into my soul with an astonishing flaming gold as her wolf came to the surface.