Gray's Dilemma: A Witches Circle Novella (The Witches Circle)

by C. Larsen

  Locking my emotions away tight, I answer without breaking eye contact. “Then he will be executed, same as Mikhail. A traitor’s death.”

  Nikolay nods in approval. Even Ivan seems impressed.

  “I’ll round everyone up. Derek’s punishment will commence in two hours.”

  Leaving the office to prepare, I refuse to acknowledge the pit of guilt in my stomach. Instead of going up to my room, I head out the patio doors and inhale the fresh air. The musky scent of the forest nearby calms me, clearing my head. The woods beckon and I answer the call, needing their comforting presence right now. Once concealed by the dying autumn leaves, I take out my phone and stride purposefully through the undergrowth, heading for the outskirts of town. There are still a few things to do before tonight.

  Chapter 10

  MY nose wrinkles at the musty air, the stench of sweat, blood and fear that has seeped deep into the concrete. A smell that will never wash clean no matter how many times the floor is scrubbed.

  Somber faces that refuse to look directly at me fill the basement. Only one person in the room has the balls to make eye contact. Isabel’s glare could flay skin from flesh. She must have known, or at least suspected, what Derek was going to do. And she also knows I’m the one who turned him in.

  Turning away from her, I swallow the guilt threatening to choke me. But then the crowd parts, and I catch my first glimpse of Derek, arms stretched up over his head as high up as they’ll go. Thick manacles already dig into the flesh around his wrists as he struggles to keep his weight off them. Difficult to do, considering he’s strung up so tight his toes scarcely graze the floor. Blood drips from his crooked nose, a shadow of a bruise forming beneath one eye. He must have put up a fight when they came for him.

  A sour taste builds in the back of my throat, but I swallow it and set my jaw. I’m saving his life, I remind myself. This is the only way.

  Nikolay stands behind Derek, eyes like slate. Cold, emotionless. “For disobeying direct orders, Derek is found guilty of insubordination.”

  That’s all that needs to be said. We all know the punishment for insubordination. He nods at me. My signal. Squaring my shoulders, I step forward.

  Derek stares up at me, betrayal in his eyes.

  “This is for your own good.”

  My fist connects squarely with his jaw, snapping his head back. He doesn’t meet my eyes again.

  This beating is harder to carry out than Mikhail’s was. At least with him, I could take comfort in the fact that it wasn’t my choice. I was just following orders. Doing what I had to.

  I’m under no such illusion this time. Derek is here because of me. He confided in me, and I betrayed him. Not only that, but I asked to punish him. Me. I have to prove to Nikolay that my loyalty belongs to him, to the pack. Derek and I are pack brothers, close friends, but I don’t let that soften my blows. If anything, I hit him harder because of it. I don’t want Nikolay to think I’m going easy on him because of our friendship.

  The beating I give him is worse than Mikhail’s. How he’s still conscious at the end is a mystery. With both eyes swollen shut and a gash above his left brow, I doubt he can see anything but red. He coughs, spitting out a tooth. I hope it isn’t a front one.

  Mottled bruises bloom up and down his sides. I know I cracked a few ribs. He’s not coughing blood, so at least his lungs aren’t punctured, but he’s having trouble breathing all the same. Snot and strings of crimson hang down from his mangled face. Bloods paints the concrete beneath him, scarlet fingers spreading across the floor like spilt wine.

  Derek lifts his head, mumbling incoherently. Clenching my teeth, I pull back my fist and strike him square on the jaw. He collapses, hanging limply in the chains.

  That should keep him down for a little while.

  AS I carry Derek’s limp body back to his house, I think again about my conversation with Alexis. God, I hope she listened to me. If she stays in town, she’s as good as dead. I gave her enough money to get far away. I just hope she listened.

  Derek’s family beats me to his house, not surprising considering I have an extra two-hundred pounds of dead weight to carry. His father’s face is ashen as he gets his first close look at Derek’s condition. Leah opens her mouth, eyes snapping, but I don’t want to hear her recriminations. I know what I did to her son. I know what kind of monster I am.

  “Get out,” I bark. Marissa, Derek’s little sister, jumps, her tear-stained face white with fear. Leah draws herself up, as if she intends to refuse, but one look from me has her flinching back. I don’t need a mirror to know my wolf is out in full force, daring her to disobey.

  With a last defiant glare, Leah gathers up Marissa and leaves. Arthur meets my gaze with grief-stricken eyes, but follows his wife out.

  I breathe a sigh of relief. “Won’t be long now, brother. Just hang on.” I smooth Derek’s matted hair back from his forehead, trying not to cringe at the mess I made of his face.

  Margie pulls up out front and I allow myself to relax just a fraction. I’m taking a risk, a dangerous gamble, but it’s the only thing I could think to do. I just hope that if it all falls to pieces, Margie won’t be blamed because of me.

  She enters without knocking and walks straight up to Derek. Her gaze traces the wounds, analyzing where to begin.

  “Just heal the most severe,” I tell her. “The larger broken bones, any serious internal injuries. He’s strong. He’ll heal the rest in time. I just need him stable enough to travel.”

  Margie closes her eyes and begins. It takes less time than I anticipated. Good, I have a long drive ahead of me.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind about the car? I don’t want to implicate you in any of this.”

  “I’m old. What are they going to do to me? Take the car.” Her eyes are clear, reassuring. “It will all work out.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I say darkly, contemplating the night ahead, everything that could go wrong.

  “Of course I am,” she says, patting my shoulder. “You have a long road ahead of you. It will be painful, but as long as you follow your heart, you will survive.”

  Before we leave, she takes out a plastic baggie with some sort of powder inside. Dipping her hand in, she sprinkles it liberally over my body, mumbling some indecipherable words under her breath.

  “This will cover your scent until dawn. Once you get far enough out of town, sprinkle the rest over Derek. The pack will think he left by himself.”

  I stare at her, hesitating. I know what Nikolay will do to me if I’m caught. I’m prepared to face that. But what about Margie? What will they do to her? Will Madelyn be able to stop them? Will she want to? Regret swamps me. I shouldn’t have gotten her involved in this. But there isn’t any other way.

  “Get him away from here.” Her voice is stern, brows drawn over her eyes. “You’re doing the right thing,” she says. “Love is never a mistake.”

  After making sure the coast is clear, I motion for Margie to get into the passenger seat while I wrestle Derek up into the back. Keeping my head down, I turn onto the road leading back toward her house. If anyone sees us, they’ll just think Margie is on her way back home.

  I drop her off at her cottage before continuing on down the road. Since Margie lives on the outskirts of town, the chances of anyone seeing me leave are slim. Hopping onto Rt. 4, I head for New York.

  There are very few cars on the road this late at night, so I make good time. It takes a little over an hour to get to the meeting place just on the other side of the border, even with having to stop to administer Margie’s cloaking powder to Derek.

  Malcolm’s bright blond head is easy to spot as I pull into the deserted parking lot outside of a dilapidated factory. Casually leaning against his truck, arms crossed over his chest, his face breaks into a huge grin as I park next to him.

  “Got yourself into a bit of a trouble, did ya?” he says, beaming. Malcolm’s second in command, Vincent, doesn’t look nearly as amused as his Alpha.

/>   “There’s a first time for everything.”

  Malcolm chuckles good-naturedly and thumps me on the shoulder. He’s Alpha of the Eastern Adirondack Pack. As my father’s heir, I’ve attended quite a few meets with packs in the surrounding areas. Though I must have met dozens of Alphas over the years, Malcolm has always stood out because he’s the only werewolf I’ve ever met who has a human mate. And according to what he’s told me, quite a few weres’ in his pack are mated to humans as well.

  Malcolm’s unconventional choice leads many of the other Alphas to believe he’s inferior, that choosing a human mate makes him weaker; but those who challenge Malcolm quickly learn not to underestimate him.

  When I came to the realization that I had to get Derek and Alexis out of town, Malcolm was the first person I thought of. I had no idea if he would help, if he’d want to take the risk, but I called him anyway. To my surprise, he immediately offered to help. Apparently I’m not the first person to request such a thing from him. It seems he’s been running a safe-house of sorts for were’/human couplings for decades.

  “Did Alexis show up?” I ask him. When I talked to her earlier today I handed her a wad of cash and directions to Malcolm’s place. I only told her she and Derek were in danger and that she needed to leave; I left the whole werewolf explanation to Malcolm and Derek. I promised her I’d bring Derek to her, but I couldn’t be sure she’d actually listen to me.

  Derek stirs at Alexis’ name, mumbling and moving his head from side to side.

  “Yup, we have her all settled in. It’s going to take some adjustment, but we’re used to it. There are other humans who can help her. Most of them have been in her situation.”

  “Thanks again for doing this, Malcolm. I owe you one.”

  “You owe me more than one.” He grins again, relishing the idea of having me in his debt.

  Though I’m praying he doesn’t change his mind, I have to make sure he understands the risks. “You know what Nikolay will do if he finds out about this, right?”

  “I’m sure you’ll take care of him,” he says, putting more faith in me than I deserve. “Besides, if he comes sniffing around, there’s plenty of wilderness for them to disappear into. They’ll be safe. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

  I still can’t believe he’s willing to accept Derek and Alexis into his pack when it means going against Nikolay and the entire Silver Ridge Pack. If they ever find out, there will be war. But Malcolm is one of those rare Alphas that cares more about his moral beliefs and the happiness of his pack than he does politics.

  I shift Derek into an upright position, helping him to stand. He looks up at me, eyes sharpening with awareness. “Why are you doing this? Why are you putting your ass on the line to save mine?”

  “You’d do the same for me, brother.”

  “But I broke the rules. Like Mikhail. You have every right to turn me in.”

  “The rules need to change,” I say, holding his eyes. Derek loves Alexis, is willing to risk his life to protect hers. And I won’t let the pack kill them for that, the way we did Mikhail and Megan.

  Sure, I understand the logic behind why were’/human matings are forbidden. I’ve grown up hearing all the reasons for us to stick with our own kind, but that doesn’t make it right. It doesn’t justify the murder of our own pack members.

  There are a lot of things in the pack that aren’t right, that I don’t agree with, but I’ve ignored them, put blinders on and followed orders. And what has my blind obedience gotten me? One dead pack brother and another on the way. If I don’t start making moves to change things now, there will only be more death to come. It has to stop.

  Oblivious to the thoughts churning in my head, Derek says, “You know you’ll be punished if you’re caught. Maybe killed.”

  “Then I’d better make sure I don’t get caught.” I force a smirk.

  “I’m serious, Gray. I can’t let you take that risk.”

  “It’s already done, brother. All you can do now is get your ass out of here and take care of Lexi and your baby.” I shake my head, a small smile pulling at my lips. “Can’t believe you’re gonna be a father, man.”

  “Yeah, you and me both,” he answers, bemusement crossing his face. With one last clap on his shoulder, he, Malcolm and Vincent drive away.

  Heaving a weary sigh, I climb back behind the wheel of my borrowed car. I still have to find a place to ditch Margie’s car and return home. Nikolay will assume Derek stole it and took off, and I can’t have them finding it so close to New York. Malcolm would be a suspect for sure. Instead, I’ll drive it up closer to the Canadian border. Thank God for Margie’s scent blocking spell. It wouldn’t do for the pack to find this car with both mine and Derek’s scents in it. It’d be a dead giveaway.

  Once I ditch this, I’ll have to find another set of wheels to haul ass back home with, then ditch that, double check my trail’s been covered, and then come up with a believable alibi for where I’ve been all night. And I only have—I glance down at the clock on the dash—a little over six hours to do it in. It’s going to be a long night.

  Chapter 11

  THE sky is a pale blue as I cross the border into Ashwood Creek. After abandoning Margie’s car up near Sheldon, I stole a motorcycle to get back faster. Once I got close enough that I could run the rest of the way in my wolf form, I threw the motorcycle off the side of a bluff and continued on four feet through the forest. Margie’s scent blocker faded just as the sun rose, and I spent the last half hour setting up a network of fresh scent trails throughout the backwoods. That way, when Nikolay realizes Derek’s missing, I can say I’ve been running patrols all night.

  When I reach one of the clothing stashes hidden around town, I shift back to human form and throw on a pair of basketball shorts from the pile. I reach for a shirt but freeze at the sound of approaching footsteps.

  My heart kicks into overdrive. I didn’t expect anyone to be up this early.

  “There you are! Thank God!” Isabel throws her arms around me, relief flooding her body. “Come on, we need to get to my house. Now!” She snaps when I don’t move quickly enough.

  She drags me through the forest, carefully scanning the area around her house before rushing me through the back door.

  As soon as we’re in her room, she wraps herself around me, nuzzling my bare chest.

  “What are you doing?” I try to push her away, but she just continues rubbing herself against my chest and neck. “Iz, what’s going on with you?”

  “I saw you last night. Leaving Derek’s house. In Margie’s car…” She pulls back to look me in the eyes. I open my mouth to deny it, but she cuts me off. “I won’t ask you for any details. I don’t want to know. But if anyone asks, you were here last night. All night. Got it?” Her steely blue eyes bore into mine, her face as serious as I’ve ever seen it. “You were with me all night, Gray. Okay?”

  I nod mutely, unable to speak. She must know what I did. She must have seen me carrying Derek into Margie’s car. And she’s not only going to keep my secret, but she’s willing to lie to Nikolay, to her Alpha, in order to protect me.

  She pushes me backward onto her bed, falling down on top of me, her face nuzzling my neck once more. I remain stiff, unsure. It's not like we've never slept together before. I’ve tried to make a relationship work with her in the past, but the feelings just weren’t there—not on my end at least. When it became apparent she was looking for something more, I told her I wasn't and things ended. No hard feelings. But now I’m back in her bed, her familiar body wrapped around mine, her scent surrounding me, conjuring memories of hot summer days, and even hotter nights.

  Her legs straddle my hips as she runs her hands along my chest, up to my shoulders, her breath warm against my ear.

  I hesitate, unsure. Nothing has changed on my end, and I certainly don't want to give her the impression that they have. But then her tongue traces my outer ear and all thoughts fly from my head. My hands reach for her of their own accord, grazing along
the sensitive skin at her nape. She shivers. I pull her closer, pressing harder against her, the silky material of the basketball shorts teasing me.

  Just as I reach for the waistband on her pants, she freezes. Then she sniffs my neck, as if testing whether her scent is strong enough on my skin. Nodding to herself, she slips off of me and out of bed. I lay there a few moments longer, trying to get my bearings.

  That was… intense. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken anyone to bed, not since Isabel and I called it off. Not that there haven’t been opportunities, but before I sleep with someone I make sure they understand that it isn’t going to lead to anything. That it’s just a bit of fun, a release of pent up energies. If the girl wants more than that, I walk. I’ve had to walk away from quite a few tempting offers these past few months, which is probably why it takes me longer than it should to get my body back under control.

  “You’d better get home,” she says, schooling her expression. “I’m sure Nikolay is looking for you.”

  I roll out of the bed, suppressing a groan at protesting muscles, and run a hand through my hair. Isabel stares fixedly at the floor. The thin basketball shorts do little to conceal my raging hormones, but I don't bother trying to hide it. She can sense my arousal as easily as I can hers.

  Once the lust clears from my head, I realize she's right. We don’t have time for this. And even if we did, I know she’s looking for more than a quick hookup, and that’s all I can give her. At eighteen, it's time for her to start thinking about a mate, and she knows I’m not interested in that with her. Better she finds someone else, someone who can care about her the way she deserves.

  Pushing these thoughts out of my head, I thank her again and take off for my house. It’s time for damage control.

  Sure enough, when I return to the manor, the place is in an uproar. The moment I walk through the door, Ivan pins me against the wall, his hand wrapped around my throat. “Where have you been?” he growls, fingers digging into my skin.