The Alpha's Mage

by Claire Cullen

  The Alpha’s Mage

  Wild Magic: Book One

  Claire Cullen

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Author’s Note

  Copyright © 2020 by Claire Cullen

  All Rights Reserved

  1

  A solitary howl carried through the air, sending a shiver through Lorcan. So much for slipping away unnoticed. He’d been walking for ages. He had to be nearing the edge of the wolves’ territory. Once he crossed the threshold, left the pack behind, their power should be less. The amulet around his neck made him harder to track, but at least one wolf had taken up the pursuit.

  Energy crackled around him. The boundary—he was close. His heart pounded in his chest, his feet throbbing with each careful step. Just a little further…

  A growl echoed around him. He took off running, but it was too late. Something crashed into him from behind, knocking him flat. The amulet’s spell cracked and splintered like glass, fading away. The wolf had him pinned to the forest floor, the weight heavy against his back. He dug his hands and feet into the earth, tried to draw on its power and push himself up, but it was useless. Like trying to lift a boulder. He wasn’t going anywhere, not until the wolf let him up.

  His captor let out another warning growl, breath hot against Lorcan’s neck. Lorcan didn’t dare move. Hell, he didn’t even breathe. One snap of the beast’s jaws and he’d be a dead mage. But they wanted him alive, right? Why go to the trouble of stealing him from Maken Pack if he wasn’t important? Important people got to live, even if they did try to run when given the chance.

  In the distance, he heard more wolves moving in their direction, drawn by his pursuer’s calls. The weight of the wolf shifted suddenly. The sharp claws digging into his shoulders became hands, and then he was being straddled by a man.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

  The weight on his back lifted, but before he could try to push to his feet, hands clamped onto his upper arms and dragged him up.

  Others arrived, wolves and men alike, until the clearing was alive with people. The sea of bodies parted as a tall, broad-shouldered man swept through the trees. The pack’s alpha, Gage. The fury on his face sent a shiver through Lorcan.

  “Knox. What happened?”

  The wolf holding Lorcan answered. “Caught him running for the boundary.”

  The alpha’s eyes swept over him, and Lorcan had to fight the urge to drop his gaze.

  “Ronan.”

  Another wolf approached, his arms crossed. He dipped his head toward Gage. “Alpha.”

  “He was under guard.” It wasn’t a question. The steely tone in Gage’s voice would have made a lesser man flinch. Lorcan was impressed that Ronan barely reacted.

  “A wolf outside his room, two guarding the building. They noticed nothing.”

  “Anyone else witness our mage’s flight?”

  A heavy silence filled the clearing, broken only by the fluttering of leaves in the breeze.

  “No one?” Gage’s eyes lit on Lorcan again, and then looked past him to the wolf holding him. “Except Knox. Curious.”

  Knox spoke again, terse and matter-of-fact.

  “There was some kind of magic. A spell. It broke when I grabbed him.”

  Lorcan tensed, wishing the spell had held for a few minutes longer. Not that it would have done him much good, since Knox had seen right through it.

  “You saw him when no one else did. When no one else could,” Gage said.

  “I’m the watcher. Nothing happens on the boundary that I don’t see.”

  “Almost nothing,” someone muttered.

  Knox’s grip tightened hard enough to bruise. Lorcan swallowed a murmur of pain, wondering what the watcher had missed.

  If Gage heard the barb aimed at Knox, he ignored it.

  “Magic strong enough to deceive me, Ronan, and Declan… but not you, Knox. Your senses weren’t fooled. You saw through it.” He crossed his arms and regarded the gathered wolves. “I believe that answers the question of who our new mage belongs to.”

  Oh. That was bad. Very bad.

  “I don’t belong—” Lorcan started to argue.

  “No.” Knox’s voice cut over his, echoing through the woods. “I didn’t bring him here for me. I stole him for you, Gage. Or Ro. Or Declan.”

  “How selfless of you,” Gage said dryly. Next to him, Ronan tried to hide a smirk.

  This might have been an interesting insight into pack dynamics for Lorcan if it wasn’t him they were fighting over. Or not fighting over, which was curious in and of itself.

  “We’re falling apart here, Gage. Orion won’t live forever. He might not even see the next full moon. We need—”

  “Don’t tell me what our pack needs.” Gage didn’t even raise his voice, but something in his tone had the wolves cowering. All except the other alphas, yet even they looked pained.

  “Then here, take him.”

  Knox shoved Lorcan toward the alpha leader. His foot caught on a root and he went down, landing hard on his knees.

  The alpha stepped forward, catching Lorcan’s chin in his hand and wrenching his gaze upward.

  “I can feel the magic spilling across his skin, but my wolf doesn’t much like the taste of it. If he did, I suspect our little mage here wouldn’t have been able to take a step outside his room without me knowing.”

  He let go and stepped away. Lorcan breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I gather you don’t have the same problem,” Gage said to Knox.

  “I’m not taking him,” Knox growled. “I have enough to watch over without adding that onto my plate.” He turned and stomped away.

  “Fine,” Gage said loudly, his voice carrying. “Desertion from the pack carries a heavy penalty, Lorcan. But pack law is pack law. Twenty lashes.”

  The silence was louder this time, like the whole pack was holding its breath. A long moment passed before Lorcan realized what Gage meant. They were going to hurt him. Make him pay for his escape with blood. The fear tasted coppery on his tongue.

  Knox stopped walking. “That’s old law.”

  “A deterrent is necessary, since neither I nor the other alphas can ensure he doesn’t escape again.”

  “Gage…” Knox sounded pained.

  “Ronan, escort Lorcan back to the courtyard. Gather the others to witness. I’ll be there presently to—”

  Hell. They were really doing this. They were going to beat him bloody. He must have made some sound, some noise of fear escaping in a rush of air.

  A hand clamped down on his shoulder, Knox’s voice a tight growl.

  “No. No one touches him. If there are consequences, I’ll…”

  Gage’s smooth voice interrupted.

  “If you’re willing to take responsibility for him, we’ll waive the penalty on this occasion. See that it doesn’t happen again.”

  Fear faded to relief, and then right back t
o fear again when the hand on Lorcan’s shoulder all but yanked him to his feet.

  “If it happens again, I’ll hobble him myself.”

  A hand clamped onto the back of his neck, and Knox dragged him away.

  Gage’s voice followed after them. “Back to work, everyone.”

  Lorcan didn’t have time to worry about what the rest of the pack was doing. He had more than enough to contend with, what with the alpha who’d just claimed him forcing him along a winding path through the trees. Knox’s grip on his neck didn’t let up as they put distance between themselves and the other wolves. Once or twice, the alpha glanced back, and Lorcan caught a glimpse of dark brown eyes.

  He wasn’t under any illusion that his skin was safe now. Wolves were brutal, cruel creatures. The only reason he was so certain they wouldn’t kill him was that he was a wolf mage, and mages were rare. This pack needed him. That didn’t mean they had to be nice to him; it didn’t mean they had to treat him kindly—Maken Pack, for all that his ‘family’ had promised they were a good training pack, had treated him like a slave. He wasn’t looking forward to finding out how much worse this pack would be.

  2

  Knox dragged the unresisting mage to his hut, imagining the many ways he might kill his alpha. Gage was obviously still pissed at him for stealing the sorcerer mage from Maken Pack. It wasn’t like Knox had had much choice. Their pack was collapsing from the inside out. And after Joel—even thinking the name hurt—he couldn’t just stand by and watch it happen.

  He pushed Lorcan ahead of him through the door. “Sit down and don’t move.”

  There wasn’t much by way of furniture, just an old bed. The mage settled on the floor near one corner. Wary eyes tracked Knox as he paced back and forth across his sparse hut, his thoughts racing. He finally lit on a question, turning to the mage.

  “How’d you do that?”

  Lorcan’s gaze narrowed. “Do what?”

  Knox rolled his eyes and grabbed a bottle of water, twisting off the cap and downing half of it in one go. Thirst quenched, he turned his attention back to the mage. He hadn’t had the chance to get a good look at him since stealing him from Maken Pack. His green eyes were framed by curly dark hair and a smattering of freckles across his cheeks. But as appealing as his looks were, Knox was far more interested in his magic.

  “How’d you walk right past Ro’s guards, Gage, and the rest? We put the magical version of a cat collar complete with bells on you.” He nodded to the amulet still around Lorcan’s neck. Orion had spelled it especially for their guest. He knew the old mage’s abilities were stretched to the limit, but this was more than just the charm failing. It was as if it had done the exact opposite of what they’d intended it to do.

  “Can’t blame a guy for trying to escape his captors. Or I guess you can. Twenty lashes and all.”

  Knox winced at that, avoiding the accusing gaze being leveled his way.

  “Gage was trying to… motivate me. He wouldn’t have— At least, I don’t think he would have…” His attempt at reassurance fell flat. “I’m Knox.”

  He wasn’t sure how much Lorcan had picked up since joining them. He’d been in the pack less than a day, and it had been a rough arrival, to put it mildly.

  “I know.”

  “You were in training, right? In Maken Pack? That’s a waning bite on your neck, not a stable one.”

  It was already showing signs of healing. That was why he’d chosen Lorcan. A permanent bond was much harder to break, what with the fight to the death and all. On the other hand, it meant they were landed with a fledgling mage, and one that might not be all that willing to learn, since they’d stolen him.

  Lorcan’s hand reached self-consciously for the back of his neck even as he stayed stubbornly silent. Knox huffed and offered him the half-empty bottle of water. The mage shot him a look and made no move to take it.

  “Fine. Have it your way.” He tossed the bottle onto the table. It landed upright.

  He glanced back at Lorcan, his eyes catching on the amulet still hanging from the mage’s neck.

  “Hand it over.”

  Lorcan reluctantly pulled it off and tossed it to him. Knox pocketed it, knowing Orion would want to get a look at it.

  “Are you going to stay put until I get back, or do I need to tie you down?” He was sure he had rope around here somewhere.

  “I’m done running,” the mage said slowly. The ‘for now’ was left unsaid, but they both heard it.

  “Then stay here.”

  He stalked out, shifting effortlessly and making for the center of the pack at a run. It was the second half of the night, which was always a busier time for the older people of the pack.

  Orion was standing outside the guest house, staring at a patch of dying flowers. The mage didn’t so much as glance Knox’s way as the wolf padded over to stand next to him.

  “You’ve got your hands full with that one.”

  Knox focused and shifted back, aware he was running down his energy faster than he replaced it. He’d need to eat soon.

  “How quickly will his bite heal?”

  Orion did turn toward him then, his expression unreadable. “Eager to claim him, hmm?”

  “This isn’t what I wanted, but Gage…”

  “Gage sees the truth that you close your eyes to.”

  “I didn’t steal that mage for myself. You know I didn’t.”

  “It’s only natural that your wolf was drawn to him. But bonding under these circumstances… it won’t be easy.”

  “I won’t bond him by force.”

  “You may not have a choice.” Orion groaned softly and sank to sit cross-legged on the ground. “I don’t have much time left.”

  Knox took two steps toward the pack house, ready to yell for Asher, but Orion laughed. “I’m not on death’s door just yet, Knox. But the months no longer stretch ahead of me like they once did. Now, you didn’t seek me out to talk about my failing health, did you? You want to know how long until our newest recruit can be of any use.”

  “His bite is starting to heal, but I was hoping…”

  Orion reached into his pocket and drew out a small jar.

  “A thin coating of this twice a day until the skin closes. It’ll halve the healing time.”

  Knox took the offered jar, pocketing it. “Thanks.”

  “He’s an enigma, our runaway.”

  Knox didn’t see it that way.

  “He’s a sorcerer. They’re underhanded by nature, aren’t they? Look at how he escaped tonight. He didn’t just undo your magic, he inverted it.”

  Orion huffed. “Spotted that, did you? It seems to have escaped Gage’s notice.”

  “It might mean he has more training under his belt than we expected. That has to be a good thing, right? A trained sorcerer rather than a novice.”

  The mage hummed thoughtfully and climbed slowly to his feet.

  “Or maybe he isn’t quite what he seems.”

  He made his slow way toward the house as Knox stared after him. Asher met Orion at the door, looping an arm around him and helping him inside.

  Having gotten what he came for, it was time for Knox to head back. He considered shifting again, but he was tired, and the sun was almost up. He walked on two feet back to his hut, pleased to find the mage sitting where he’d left him, the empty water bottle at his feet the only sign he’d moved.

  Knox pulled the jar Orion had given him from his pocket and unscrewed the lid. He sniffed the contents, making a face at the scent. Truthfully, it wasn’t half as bad as some of Orion’s other concoctions. He strode across the room, grabbed Lorcan’s shoulder, and dragged him onto his knees in the middle of the room.

  He was suddenly faced with a twisting, squirming mage doing his best to escape Knox’s ironclad grip.

  “Stop fighting me. I’m trying to help.”

  “Then don’t manhandle me,” Lorcan snarled, batting at his hands. “I’m not a puppet who needs its strings pulled.”

  Kn
ox let go abruptly, and the mage fell in a heap on the floor. A muffled curse escaped his lips.

  “Fine, then,” Knox told him. “I want you on your knees.”

  Lorcan did a pretty good job of masking his fear with anger as he stood. He stared hard at Knox, unblinking, unmoving. Knox was too tired for this, so he reached for Lorcan again. That got the mage moving, though the thump of his knees on the floor made Knox wince.

  “Drop your chin to your chest.”

  All he really wanted to do was run his fingers through Lorcan’s hair, grab a tight hold, and bend the mage to his will. But hey, they’d do it Lorcan’s way for now.

  The look the mage aimed his way was full of uncertainty.

  “Why?”

  “Because I said so.”

  “Not good enough. I’m still not a puppet, so stop yanking on my strings and expecting me to move.”

  Huh. There was more fight in him than Knox had expected. He kind of liked that.

  Knox held up the jar. “It’s for the bite.”

  Lorcan reached for it, but Knox made no move to hand it over. “Chin to your chest.”

  “What’s in it? What’s it made of?”

  Knox glanced at it, making a face as he sniffed it again. “Aloe? Frankincense, maybe?”

  “May I?” Lorcan was still holding out his hand.

  Knox stepped closer but didn’t relinquish his hold on the jar. “Be my guest.”

  The mage all but stuck his nose in the jar, inhaling deeply, and then he stuck a finger in, rubbing the mixture between finger and thumb. After a close inspection, he finally conceded, “It probably won’t poison me.”

  “Kinda pointless to steal you, only to poison you on the second day.”