“Only a waning bite. They didn’t bond you. That’s a relief.”
He urged Lorcan back around to face him, smoothing his expression back to concern. “Don’t worry about a thing, Lorcan. You’re among family now. You’re safe.”
Lorcan swallowed the words he wanted to say and focused on what he needed to do first.
“The wolf you took…”
“Ah, yes. Of course. Best to get that out of the way before we have Samhain Pack beating down our doors.”
He pulled a talisman from his pocket, almost identical to the one Declan had handed Lorcan earlier. The metal seemed to glow in Alastair’s hand.
“Lorcan’s been returned. Let the wolf go.” He tucked the talisman back in his pocket. “There, done. Why don’t you go get cleaned up, and then you can tell me everything about what you’ve been through?”
Knowing he needed to buy time for Hettie to get back to the safety of pack territory, Lorcan played along.
“Yes, Uncle. Thank you.”
“We’re so relieved to have you back,” his uncle repeated, returning to sit at his desk and waving Lorcan toward the door. Just like that, he was forgotten. Another item ticked off his uncle’s to-do list. So much for family.
It was almost four hours later before he saw his uncle again. In that time, he’d showered, changed his clothes, and eaten a meal. All in his ‘room,’ which was little more than a comfortable cell. One of Henry’s minions stood guard outside his door the whole time, ensuring there was no easy escape until his uncle called for him.
This time, Alastair didn’t even rise from his desk when Lorcan stepped into his office.
“That’s much better, Lorcan.” His critical gaze lingered on Lorcan’s head. “Though your hair is a little long—nothing that can’t be easily fixed. Henry, ask the barber to stop by tomorrow. And the tailor. A new suit will help my nephew feel like a new man.”
He gestured Lorcan into a chair as Henry slipped from the room.
“You must be relieved to be home.”
Lorcan bit back the retort that this wasn’t his home, struggling to keep his tone civil.
“Not particularly. I only came back to make my position clear.”
His uncle’s expression turned cold.
“Excuse me? Is this any way to speak to me after I painstakingly arranged your rescue from the brutes who abducted you?”
“I’m sorry, Uncle. I didn’t mean any offense. It’s just that you don’t understand the situation.”
“Then explain it to me,” his uncle demanded between gritted teeth.
“His name is Knox. He’s Samhain Pack’s watcher. It’s… it’s a true bond, Uncle. We’re meant to be together.”
His uncle’s eyes flicked from his face to his neck, his expression calculating.
“That isn’t a permanent bond bite.”
“No. He was giving me time; waiting until I was ready. His pack needs me, Uncle. And I want to be with them, be part of them. I could make a difference there.”
“You’ve only just begun your training…”
“To be a sorcerer. But I’m not a sorcerer, I’m a druid—born and raised. That’s my true destiny.”
His uncle scoffed.
“Kitchen sink magic. That is not a destiny, Lorcan. Sorcery is a majestic art, a craft perfected by our family over generations. You would never turn your back on it, surely.”
“In a heartbeat,” Lorcan vowed.
He pushed to his feet slowly, watching the emotions flicker across his uncle’s face before he smoothed them away with righteous anger.
“Do you really think that I’ll let you leave here to return to those wolves? Because of some little infatuation? What kind of an uncle would I be to let you make such a foolish, dangerous decision?”
Lorcan had known it was stupid to hope that his uncle would somehow see things his way. He wouldn’t get free of his sorcerer family without a fight. But he had a lot to fight for.
“I know exactly what kind of uncle you are. The kind who looks at me and sees profit, not family.”
“I only want what’s best for you, and our family.”
“Power, wealth, influence—that’s all you care about. Don’t pretend otherwise. You never cared about your brother’s bastard son until you learned I was a wolf mage. You were happy to ignore my existence until you realized there was something in it for you. Well, you can send me back to Maken Pack for training for as long as you like. I’ll never do another ounce of sorcerer magic as long as I live.”
“Training?” His uncle tutted and shook his head. “No, the time for training is over. The only way to break this infatuation of yours is to find you a suitable wolf to bond with. And I have the perfect one in mind. We’ll get you trained up after you’re settled.”
Lorcan took a step back, shaking his head. “No. I won’t bond to anyone except Knox.”
A cruel smile crossed his uncle’s face. “My dear nephew. You say that like you have a choice.”
22
Hours of fruitless searching through the woods, and Knox had to face facts—Lorcan was really gone. Hettie was still missing too, which didn’t bode well. All Orion could tell them about the talisman was that it was sorcerer in origin, used to communicate a message. A message probably meant for Lorcan. Declan was still out with his hunters, searching the woods around the pack. The rest of the alphas were gathered with Gage and Orion.
“Let me go to the Warrens’ place,” Knox insisted once more, torn between yelling at Gage and pleading with him.
“We don’t know that they’re the ones who took Hettie,” Ronan said again.
“They’re the most powerful sorcerers in a hundred miles. Who else would dare?”
“If we assume that they took Hettie as collateral to get Lorcan back, then our best option right now is to wait and see if both Hettie and Lorcan return safely.”
“Why would they let Lorcan go?” Knox demanded. “They took Hettie to force our hand and make us give him back.”
“Once he explains…”
Knox laughed. “Explains what? We stole him, Gage. Held him here against his will.”
Orion’s quiet voice interjected. “He doesn’t see it like that, not anymore. Once they understand that…”
“The Warrens took Lorcan away from his druid family by force, used threats to keep him in line. When he tells them about us, they’ll do whatever they can to keep us apart.”
Gage and Orion exchanged a look. They hadn’t been aware of the lengths the Warrens had gone to.
“Then we focus on getting Hettie back. Once we’re sure she’s safe, we’ll do what we can to negotiate with the Warrens for Lorcan,” Gage said.
They all knew that was pointless. Their pack had nothing of value they could bargain with. The Warrens would laugh in their faces.
Gage glanced west, canting his head to the side. Knox followed his gaze, but it was his ears that caught on first. Someone was running their way, one of the betas from the yard. Barrett stepped forward to meet the wolf, dropping to a crouch next to him, his brow furrowed in concentration.
“The Warrens called the scrapyard. They’ve let Hettie go about ten miles north of here.”
“Find Declan,” Gage said to Barrett. “Tell him to take the cars and bring her home.”
Knox was prepared to accompany them, but Gage stopped him.
“No, Knox. Barrett will go with them. We need you here. Freeing her that far away might be an attempt to lure as many of our fighters from the pack as possible. Our boundary can’t be left vulnerable right now.”
He opened his mouth to argue with Gage, but the alpha was quicker.
“As soon as they’ve returned with her, you can go to the Warrens. I give you my word, Knox. But the pack has to come first.”
Knox reluctantly subsided, forcing back his instinct to say to hell with it and go after his mate. He couldn’t put the pack at risk. Lorcan wouldn’t want him to.
“I’m going to watch the boundar
y. The second Declan and the others cross back…”
“You have my full blessing to leave. You may want to consider bringing Orion with you. The Warrens won’t even see you if he isn’t present.” Being their only mage, Orion was their sole ambassador to the magic world.
Knox turned toward Orion. The mage was sitting nearby with Asher, a blanket over his shoulders. Knox didn’t think he’d ever seen him look so frail. He crouched down in front of them.
“Are you strong enough to come with me to the Warrens?”
If anything, Orion looked wearier. “I would never let you go alone.”
“That’s not an answer. If you’re not up for this… You’re all we have, Orion. The pack needs you.”
Orion leaned forward and cupped his cheek.
“And the pack needs its watcher’s mage. Asher will come with me. We’ll manage.”
“It’s a fool’s errand,” Asher said with a grunt. “But love makes fools of us all.”
Knox stalked the boundary as the hours passed. Dusk came, the sun sinking below the horizon, the moon slowly rising. And still, the others didn’t return. He checked in with Gage and the rest periodically, watching as they grew more and more concerned. When he stopped by just after two a.m., he found them preparing to send a second group after the first.
“They’ve been gone too long,” Gage insisted, worry in his eyes.
Knox was set to volunteer to go with them when he felt the boundary come alive to the east. “They’re back.” He sensed each one of them, the magic welcoming them home. “They have Hettie.”
There was a collective sigh of relief as the pack stepped down from its war footing. He reveled in that feeling for one brief moment, in the solace of knowing their young beta was safe. And then he turned to search out Orion. The old mage wasn’t there, but Asher was, leaning against the wall of the pack house.
“He’s sleeping. We’ll go in the morning.”
“No, we need to go now—”
Asher shook his head. “There’s a way to do these things. In the morning, we’ll call ahead and make an appointment. If they won’t make time for us, then we’ll just let them know we’re coming.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“They’ll respect that far more than they will us banging down their door in the middle of the night.”
“I don’t care—”
“You should care, Knox. Brute force isn’t going to get you anywhere while Lorcan is with the sorcerers. They’re not a pack, and they won’t respect a show of strength. To them, everything is a business deal. You storm in there angry and making threats, they’ll just shut you out.”
Knox’s hands clenched into fists, his body shaking with barely suppressed rage. He needed to get to Lorcan, and he didn’t care who he had to go through to do that.
“Knox.”
Gage’s voice washed over him like ice water, cooling the heat of his anger. He turned to the alpha, forced to his knees by the weight of Gage’s dominance.
“Go get some sleep. Nothing more will happen tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll work on bringing Lorcan home.”
He tugged awkwardly at his borrowed tie for the dozenth time. Orion had insisted he wear it, along with a shirt and pants so stiff, Knox suspected they could stand upright all by themselves.
“Don’t fidget,” Orion said in an undertone.
“It’s trying to choke me,” he muttered.
“Deal with it.”
They were standing outside the Warrens’ imposing mansion, waiting for someone to answer the door. It wasn’t an accident that they’d been left to wait on the doorstep. The sorcerers enjoyed showing them their place in the pecking order.
Knox was fast losing patience. The Warrens had been stringing them along for days, agreeing to meet and then canceling at the last minute. This was their third time arriving at the Warrens’ house, but they’d yet to set foot through the door. He suspected this time would be no exception.
“How terrible would it really be if I broke the door down?” he murmured to Orion.
“It wouldn’t make a good impression, assuming you could even make a dent in the thing. They’re sorcerers, not carpenters, Knox. There’s more than just wood protecting this house. We’ll do this my way.”
“We’ve been doing this your way for three days. Not only have we not seen Lorcan, we haven’t even gotten past the doorstep.”
“I know this is hard, but it’s the only way—” Orion stopped abruptly as the door began to open.
Knox’s heartbeat ramped up. Even though it was stupid, he couldn’t help hoping to see Lorcan on the other side of the door.
A stranger stood there, an older man with a look of displeasure on his face. His tone was one of forced politeness when he spoke.
“Welcome to Warren Manor, mage of Samhain Pack. Please, follow me.”
It wasn’t lost on Knox that the man hadn’t introduced himself, spoken their names, or even acknowledged the fact that he was there. A glance at Orion’s face confirmed his suspicions—this was the magic world’s equivalent of a snub.
Nevertheless, the door was open, and they were inside. Progress, at last. He opened his mouth to speak, but a sharp jab from Orion’s elbow shut him up. Fine, they’d do this the mage’s way.
They were led through the first floor of the manor, up an ornate staircase, and into an empty office.
“Someone will be with you shortly.”
The man shut the door behind him, leaving them alone.
“Guard your tongue,” Orion said sharply. “The walls have ears.”
Knox wouldn’t exactly have been surprised if he meant it literally. Magic could be weird like that. He kept his mouth closed, crossed his arms, and tried to hold still when all he wanted to do was shift and search the house for Lorcan. So far, he hadn’t caught even a hint of his scent.
A quarter of an hour ticked by in painful slowness before the door swung open and a man stepped inside. Knox didn’t recognize him, though there was enough of a family resemblance to know that he was one of the Warrens. Lorcan’s uncle, maybe?
“What an honor for the Warren family to host Samhain Pack’s mage. I am Alastair Warren. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?”
Knox hated him immediately. The fake, smarmy words grated at his ears. He clenched his hands tighter and held his tongue.
“Alastair, it’s been a long time. You were a young boy the last time we met.”
“The years have been good to you.”
Orion was unperturbed by the sorcerer’s put-on manners.
“You’re too kind. Thank you for seeing us. I am Orion, and this is Knox, our pack’s watcher. You can’t be unaware of the reason for our visit.”
Alastair’s eyes flashed with anger. “I can’t account for the privilege. Unless you’re here to offer a full and unreserved apology for the abduction of my nephew and compensation for the loss of his training contract.”
Orion’s posture stiffened, and Knox guessed they’d left the world of mage diplomacy behind.
“It’s not like he was with Maken Pack by choice,” Knox threw in. “And you took him from his own family against his will.”
Alastair faked surprise at the accusations.
“We are his family.”
“Not according to him.”
“We have his best interests at heart.”
Knox scoffed but shut up when Orion threw a sharp look his way.
“That’s what we’re here to talk to you about,” Orion said smoothly. “Lorcan’s best interests.”
“We have it all in hand, I can assure you.”
“That would be difficult, since he and our watcher have formed a bond.”
Alastair’s eyes slid to Knox, holding his gaze there for a long moment before flicking back to Orion. “Impossible. There was no bond when he returned to us, only a faded waning bite.”
“Knox and Lorcan were ready to bond. They were simply waiting for the most auspicious time—the full moon.”
It was still three nights away, but it was a good enough story, a plausible excuse, that the sorcerers might buy it. Wolves were known to be superstitious about anything lunar, a side effect of their magic being tied to the phases of the moon.
“I sympathize with your… hopes, ambitious though they may have been. But my nephew is a Warren. He’s meant for much more than some scrapyard pack.”
“Then get him in here and let him make that decision,” Knox demanded.
“Decision? The decision has already been made. You’re too late. By now, Lorcan is already happily bonded to his true mate.”
Knox’s anger whipped up into a fury. He was ready to rip the smug smile off the sorcerer’s face…
“Control your wolf, or we will,” Alastair snapped as the muscles rippled under Knox’s skin. The sorcerer backed hurriedly toward the door. “Henry will see you out.”
Knox saw red. The only thing holding him back was Orion’s hand on his arm.
“Which pack?” the mage asked coolly.
“That’s none of your concern.”
“Which. Pack.”
Knox felt magic in the air. Alastair felt it too, his eyes widening when the door refused to budge under his hand.
“Drogon Pack. But the deal is done. Go home and forget about him.”
The door finally opened, and Alastair rushed out. Orion turned to Knox, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Knox. You need to hold it together until we leave here. Can you do that?”
Knox gritted his teeth through the pain as his body fought to change.
“I’ve got it under control.”
Orion said nothing, just led the way out, Henry guiding them hurriedly back the way they’d come.
Asher met them just outside, reaching for Orion when he stumbled. Knox moved forward to help him guide Orion to the car, glad for the distraction.
“Well?” Asher asked.
Orion’s voice was full of sorrow. “We were too late. He’s already been bonded to an alpha in Drogon Pack.”
Asher winced, turning a sympathetic gaze Knox’s way.
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