Her father lifted his chin considering her for many labored heartbeats. His fingers twitched at his sides. Elsie recognized that look of possibility. Right now, it captured her breath in her lungs. If he had a way to save Zackary she would breathe again, but not until he reassured her.
“There might be a way to recover your mate.”
“Anything,” Elsie exclaimed, gripping her hands.
Lazarus sighed. “You should listen to what it entails before you get too eager.”
“As long as I get my mate back with his full mental capabilities, then I don’t care how you do it.”
Lazarus smiled sardonically. “Are you certain? A moment ago you didn’t sound keen on me using spells on wolf shifters.”
Elsie growled. “This is different.”
Lazarus raised his eyebrows and shot Elsie a pointed stare before revealing his idea for rescuing Zackary from madness.
“We can force a shift,” he stated. When Elsie gaped at him, he continued. “His human form wasn’t bitten and will be safe from rabies.”
Elsie’s eyes expanded. Why hadn’t she thought of that? It was brilliant! It felt unnatural to smile when she had felt minutes before that she would never do so again. Hope lifted her chest.
“Yes,” she said, happy to move away from all her previous no’s. “Of course, yes.” She’d done something similar for Emerson when the shifter had become violently ill and begun to waste away in human form. Emerson had been too weak to change into her wolf form, which would cure her from her malady and allow her to fully recover before switching back.
Lazarus held up a hand. “It’s not as simple as it sounds.”
“Sure it is. I can make him shift right now.” Elsie turned to face Zackary. She’d get him back in human form and convince him of her love . . . with words, not spells.
“Elsie, wait.” She glared over her shoulder. She was done waiting. She wanted her mate back.
Lazarus clasped his hands together. “Once he’s switched, he can never change back into wolf form.”
That statement hit her like a thunderclap.
“What?” Elsie rasped.
Nodding solemnly, Lazarus cast a pitying look at the unconscious wolf on the ground.
“Once bitten, he’s infected. In the olden days there were vaccines for this kind of thing. Now . . .” Lazarus heaved a sigh. “His wolf is infected, so if he were to shift back into animal form he’d become what he was before: rabid.”
“But he wasn’t rabid when I knocked him out.” Elsie waved a slender arm feebly in Zackary’s direction.
“Not yet,” Lazarus said. “But the virus is in his wolf’s blood. It’s only a matter of time”
Lying so still and quiet, Zackary’s wolf looked harmless. He could have been taking a snooze before getting to all fours to stretch and wag his tail at her.
She understood what her father was saying, but it still didn’t compute. Once they forced Zackary to shift into human form, there was no going back to four legs.
Her head fuzzed over. Never able to change back. What kind of shifter would that make him? Without his wolf, he would simply be human.
What kind of life would he live, unable to shift, to run, to hunt, to howl?
But if she didn’t force the shift, he would be lost forever.
“This is my only option,” she said absently.
“I’ll do it.” Lazarus took a step forward. “You can blame it on me.”
Their eyes met. Her father had always been her ally. He’d never once uttered a harsh word to her. Love was all she’d ever known from Lazarus. Love and support. He’d never held her back. Age had not diminished his powers or stature. He stood tall and unapologetic. Patient green eyes set above a proud, lean nose watched her, waiting for her decision. Was this really the face of a monster?
“He’s my mate; I will take care of him,” Elsie said.
She stood over Zackary and pressed her palms over her heart.
“Please forgive me,” Elsie thought before voicing the spell.
“Du lupus a du mansklig magnus. Ra le lanna formella.”
Zackary’s wolf quivered at her toes. A faint whine seeped through his lips. This was followed by a sharp snarl. It was as though he was fighting the shift. With Emerson, Elsie only had to say the spell once, and it had worked instantly.
She repeated her words firmly, pulling her hands off her chest and opening her palms, inviting the natural world to use her body as a conductor to intensify the magic.
The wolf below her jerked, and Elsie was about to say the spell a third time when she noticed the fur finally receding into his body and his shape reverting to human. Zackary hovered over the earth on his hands and knees, belly to the ground in the same position his wolf had last laid.
Relief, guilt, and sorrow slammed Elsie back a step. Stumbling, she nearly collapsed to the ground. She took a quick look over her shoulder only to find that sometime during the spell, her father had disappeared.
She’d wanted to be alone with her mate. Now that he crouched over the ground, heaving in raspy breaths, her throat tightened and her heart bled. What could she possibly say to make him feel better? He would hate her for what she’d done.
chapter twenty-one
The small fire in front of Jager’s hut gave off little heat. Zackary avoided its light, sticking to the shadows. He stood among the trees, as still and solid as oak.
The council sat on stumps in a circle that included Tabor. The wizard shifter rubbed his elbow, all his earlier anger drained from his face. Now he looked into the fire with dull eyes. Elsie sat on a stump outside the circle, head bent, and hands folded in her lap. She wore her long white dress, the one she’d first appeared in, but instead of the sweet angel Zackary had first seen, he knew her for what she really was—a scheming temptress looking out for her own interests.
He was less than a mutt now. He could only ever be human—that or completely mad. Maybe the council would vote to banish him from Wolf Hollow before the night was out. What place did he have among shapeshifters?
Jager smacked his hands together, calling attention for the meeting to begin. “The good news is: Vallen is dead and burned. Jolene’s and Patrick’s lives have been avenged, as have Toby’s, Roger’s, and Rebecca’s—may they run forever free. Vallen will never take another pack member from us again.”
Zackary held back a bitter huff. His father already had. He’d given him that final, fateful bite. Vallen was the one he despised, but the old bastard wasn’t around to direct his anger at. However unfair, Elsie was more convenient. That, and she’d betrayed his trust, his heart, his soul. She’d destroyed all of him. A shadow had fallen over him that no amount of daylight could ever chase away. If Zackary wasn’t so broken, he might have felt vulnerable, stuck on two legs. Right now, he didn’t care what happened to him. The pack could allow him to remain or send him away. It didn’t matter. He had no place there. No place anywhere else. No more purpose.
Being unable to shift meant he couldn’t be put on duty—right when he was beginning to be accepted back into the fold.
Life could be a real bitch.
Jager cleared his throat. “Now onto a more serious matter.” The old man took a long pause to look at each face in the circle. Beyond that, Zackary and Elsie might as well be absent. This was a trial of sorts, one they weren’t to interrupt.
Recently, it had been announced that Sasha was head of council, but she’d turned tonight’s proceedings over to the pack’s elder.
“I feel it is only fair that I step down as head given my relationship with Elsie,” she’d explained.
“Today magic was used against seven pack members.” Creases formed around Jager’s mouth when he frowned. The council members shifted uncomfortably on their stumps.
In addition to knocking out Zackary, Tabor, and Sasha, Elsie had gone and done the same thing to Hudson, Chase, Emerson, and Alec when they’d run over to see what was going on.
He avoided looking at the
female in question. It was hard to feel sympathy for her, even seeing her under scrutiny. She still had her powers, her ability to shift, and she’d succeeded in breaking her curse.
“Tabor was going to kill you; I had to stop him,” she’d told him. “I couldn’t lose you to madness.” Her tears had fallen on deaf ears.
Zackary was stuck in this big, blundering, dimwitted human form for the remainder of his life. The only time he’d ever felt at peace with himself had been in fur and . . . with her. He clenched his jaw, turning his anger inward at his own weakness—still wanting her despite her betrayal. If he wasn’t worthy of her before, he definitely wasn’t now. That, and how could he trust her ever again?
“Elsie used her powers without permission or regard to pack rules. She struck down seven of our packmates, and she forced a shift.” Jager’s voice turned stern. A cold, determined gaze entered his eyes—one that even his proximity to the fire could not thaw. “I recommend immediate banishment.”
Zackary forced his expression to remain firm and to hold still, even though it felt like someone had punched him in the chest. Moisture stirred behind his absent gaze, but his eyes remained dry.
“She didn’t mean to,” Tabor said. “Zackary had been bitten, and I was about to take care of him before he had a chance to turn on us. Elsie wanted to stop me. She never meant to use her powers on anyone else.”
“That’s not what I heard from the other wolves,” Jager said stiffly.
Tabor’s eyes darted from the elder to his sister. He was the only shifter who had spoken up on Elsie’s behalf. Even now, Zackary was incapable of protecting his mate.
Mate. Bitter laughter filled his head. Her neck bore the marks of his teeth from their claiming earlier. The happiest day of his life had turned into the most wretched.
“I have tried to be open and understanding,” Jager announced. “When Tabor used his powers against the vulhena, it was to protect his pack. Elsie used her unnatural gift against the shifters of Wolf Hollow. We also know now that she tricked one of our packmates into claiming her to avoid her commitment to a bear shifter.”
Tabor sprang off his stump. “That was our father’s doing, not hers,” he blasted.
“It matters not who made the arrangement,” Jager said impatiently. “A bargain was struck between the two clans decades ago. Lazarus cheated the bears yet again, and his daughter was his accomplice.”
Elsie made a choking sound.
“Tabor, I know you feel responsible for your half-sister, but you have your own young to think about. Community is built on trust. We sent Sidney away when she acted out against the pack—Sidney, who was born and raised among us—who was one of us.” Palmer’s head bobbed in agreement. He was the only other elder left, and he’d allowed the council to send his youngest daughter away. Elsie didn’t stand a chance. Confirming this, Jager continued, “Elsie is new to our pack, and already she has betrayed our trust on a colossal scale.”
Scowling at Jager, Tabor turned to his mate.
“Sasha, say something,” he demanded desperately.
The pureblooded female sat up straight and offered Tabor a sad smile. “It is for the council to decide.”
“You are the council.”
“Part of it. Yes.”
“And what is your opinion on the matter?” Tabor asked impatiently.
“I don’t think it is wise for me to speak until everyone else has had a chance. My relationship with Elsie and the affection I feel for her shouldn’t affect the outcome.”
“Screw that!” Tabor bellowed. “This is my sister we’re talking about. It doesn’t matter that she used magic. She would never hurt a member of this pack. She didn’t hurt anyone. If she hadn’t stepped in, at least one more life would have been lost today.” Tabor’s piercing green eyes found Zackary in the shadows. The wizard’s lips curled. “Well, aren’t you going to speak up on behalf of your mate?” he asked bitterly.
Zackary clamped his mouth shut and folded his arms over his chest.
“Once a coward, always a coward,” Tabor huffed. For once, the slur had no impact on Zackary. He was too numb to care.
“Tabor!” Sasha admonished.
“What?” he demanded, whirling on her. “He had no problem biting her, claiming her, mating her,” he made a hissing noise, “but now that her future in the pack is up for debate, he stands there like a useless stump while Jager tries to throw my little sister out on her ass.”
“We are still discussing the matter,” Jager spoke up.
Tabor sneered at him. “You’ve already made your verdict, old man. The rest of the council will follow your lead unless someone speaks up.”
“I know Elsie meant no harm,” Heidi from the den said. “Give us time to talk it over, Tay.”
“Maybe she should be stripped of her powers, so to speak,” Wolfrik suggested, looking Elsie over with consideration. “Give Elsie the chance to choose whether she wants to be a witch or a wolf.”
Tabor scoffed. “That’s not something we can choose.”
Wolfrik kept his eyes locked on Elsie. “You screwed up, Little Wolf.”
Elsie gave a slight nod. Her lips remained pressed together. Zackary kept expecting her to justify her actions, explain herself to the council as she’d tried with him. But it was as though she didn’t care what the council decided. Like she’d given up. They both had.
Emerson sucked in a breath and lifted her chest. “Elsie, I know I owe my life to you,” Palmer’s head jerked up. Zackary’s eyebrows drew together, wondering what Emerson was talking about. The blonde shifter swallowed. “But I don’t appreciate being knocked unconscious. I’m not saying that I’m voting you out; I’m just speaking my truth. Whatever you did took away my ability to defend myself or even retreat. I didn’t like it one bit.” For such a beautiful female, Emerson’s frown was fierce.
“That’s it; I’ve heard enough,” Palmer said, getting to his feet. “The witch shifter is out. She’s a danger to our pack.”
“We haven’t voted yet,” Sasha said.
“Sit your ass down, Palmer,” Wolfrik said gruffly.
Palmer glowered at the pureblooded male.
“You don’t run this council, son.”
“Son? I don’t think so.” Wolfrik chuckled darkly then ran a finger along his bottom teeth like he was considering biting into the elder den member.
Brows lifted, Palmer turned to Jager. “She knocked out seven shifters at once. Seven! She tricked Zackary and forced him to shift. It might have saved him, but she still used her unnatural abilities to take control. Who knows what else she’s done?” He cast a questioning stare at Emerson before jerking his attention back to Jager. “And who knows when she’ll use her power next?”
“This is outrageous!” Tabor cried. “As though Zackary needed tricking.” Tabor huffed in disgust. “He took advantage of the situation. He didn’t even bother waiting to get the council’s permission to claim a mate, which he clearly knew he wasn’t allowed to do. Stop making him the victim.” Tabor whipped around and took two shaky steps toward him. “Moon above you’re pathetic letting my sister take all the blame.”
Zackary narrowed his eyes. His fingers twitched with the old urge to punch Tabor’s lights out. Past feelings of disdain prickled over his skin like thorny branches being dragged against his bare arms.
Elsie stood up slowly. “I will go back to Balmar Heights,” she said softly to the council in their circle around the fire.
The anger drained right out of Zackary at the sound of her sad voice. It drove another fissure through his heart.
Tabor’s mouth hung open as he whirled around. “Elsie, no. You don’t have to. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were just trying to protect us. No one got hurt.”
Elsie’s eyes shone when she looked at Tabor. It was the same teary gaze that had bore into Zackary’s after she’d forced his shift.
“I betrayed the pack’s trust,” she said with soft, sad resolution.
Zackar
y’s stomach threatened to bottom out. No, he told himself. Don’t be an idiot. Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time? Don’t you dare pity her. She used you. Never forget that.
How could he? The only female he’d ever truly loved had ripped out his heart. It felt worse than all the beatings his father had ever given him.
“You are justified in voting me out of Wolf Hollow,” Elsie said. “I am not sorry for what I did, and I would do it again.” He wasn’t ready to look at her, but the tragic pull of her emotions drew him in. “I could not live in a world without you. Even if we aren’t together, you will always be in my heart. I will always love you.” Elsie took in a shuddering breath and looked away, addressing the council. “I never wanted to hurt anyone. I waited so many years to finally meet my brother. At least I got that much.” Her voice broke. Elsie quickly cleared it. “I am so sorry for the hurt I’ve caused.” Her gaze went to Zackary then shifted down to her feet. “You welcomed me into your community. I wish I had been worthy of a place here.”
“Elsie . . .” Tabor’s voice cracked, and tears glistened in his eyes. He turned away from the group, giving them his back while he tried to collect himself.
When Zackary’s eyes misted, he clenched his jaw. He’d already cried today, he wouldn’t do it in front of a damn audience.
An awkward silence followed in which the council members took sudden interest in the soil around their toes. Heidi wiped at the skin beneath her eyes. Sasha looked at her mate with a trembling lip. Zackary had never seen the pureblooded female this close to crying. This day was getting shittier by the second. It was all too much. He wanted to get away from them all and be left the fuck alone for a while.
The pained silence was broken by Emerson.
“Um, guys, where did Elsie go?”
Heads shot up and mouths fell open as they stared at the spot where Elsie had once stood. She had simply vanished. Seeing her gone turned the hurt in Zackary’s heart to panic.
Everything that had happened to him that day still felt too fresh, too raw. He’d lost too much, and now he’d lost the one person who mattered more to him than life itself.
Moon Cursed (Wolf Hollow Shifters Book 4) Page 22