by LC Taylor
“After Tessa confirmed with her friend in Flint Lake that their alpha was after you, I sought help from some special people. I wasn’t expecting to learn what I did,” she turned and looked at Tessa.
“Dylan, I found out your grandmother wasn’t a wolfen shifter. She was human and married your grandfather. We can take human a mate if they are our destined mate. In your grandfather’s case, Margaret was his, he could have changed her if she wanted - we can do that with for our mates, but she stayed human. She was welcomed into the pack by everyone, and no one seemed to care that she didn’t want to take a wolf form. She and your grandfather bonded right away. Shortly after they got pregnant, everyone was overjoyed. It’s is very difficult for humans to have children with shifters unless they go through the transformation, but they did. And not with just one baby, they were blessed with twins. They wouldn’t know if they would take wolf form until their eighteenth birthday, that’s when all wolfen experience their first shift. It didn’t matter if they ever shifted, they knew the babies would have magic either way. They loved them both immensely. But that’s not the important part of what I am trying to explain,” Cassandra paused letting me soak in what she shared.
“Wait, my mom was a twin? Why didn’t I know about this? I have an aunt?”
“I’m getting to that,” Cassandra paced and took a deep breath, “your grandmother wasn’t a shifter…. but she had her own magic. She was a witch.”
“Wait, What? A Witch?” I asked mystified, “like witchcraft and magic? My mom never indicated she was a witch or a wolf. And what about her sister??” I paced again; this was so much to wrap my brain around. Hell, a week ago I was a seventeen-year-old girl. I was coming to terms with being able to turn into a wolf.
“Your mom didn’t have a sister,” Cassandra paused and looked me, “her twin was a boy.”
“When your grandmother’s coven learned she had a son, they came and took him from your grandparents. The pack tried to stop them, but the witches were too powerful. They threatened to annihilate everyone and the only way to spare them or your mother; they were forced into letting them take him. It devastated your grandparents, but they did the best they could, they couldn’t lose both babies. They raised her without the knowledge she had a brother or magic.”
“She knew nothing about him or her magic, I am sure of it. I’m not even sure she knew about her mother being a witch,” Tessa continues, “if she did, she hid it well.”
“I think Margaret kept that part hidden from Maggie. Afraid if she learned of her heritage, she would find about her brother and try to locate him. They were too worried about what could happen if she sought him out. When your grandparents died, I suspect they died with the secret,” Cassandra frowned.
“Ok, then what is the big deal. My grandmother died long before I was even born. And I’ve never met or even heard about this brother my mom had – or about her being a witch or a wolf.”
“Dylan, you’re a shifter……and a witch,” Tessa said matter of fact, “that’s why your wolf has silver colored paws. Haven’t you ever wondered why your eyes were almost silver? It is the magic in your blood that comes from being a witch. And when you wield your magic, your eyes will almost glow.”
“How can you possibly believe all this, besides what does it matter? WE gotta go get Jensen. He needs me. I need him,” my anger was hedging on nuclear levels. Jensen was still being held against his will and needed help. I didn’t know how much time he had left or how severe his injuries were.
“I know you’re a witch because I talked to someone who knew about your mother. He told me about your lineage,” Cassandra studied me as Tessa reached out for my hand. I snatched my hand away, “SO YOU BELIEVED HIM? UGGG,” turning to face Tessa, “Tessa, wouldn’t you have heard about this before? You and my mom had been friends since you were kids. You were like her sister for Christ sake! This makes no sense, and I don’t feel any magic in me.” I screamed throwing my hands into the air. I was pissed and ready to blow. As if on cue, a man walked through the front door in a grand entrance.
“My dear, it’s true,” he smiled and stepped in the living room. “How would you know and who the HELL are you anyway?” I demanded, stomping my foot in anger. I already knew. Looking at him, he was the perfect likeness to my mother, but a man. He had short curly black hair, the same silver eyes my mom and I shared.
“Cassandra sought out my coven seeking help. When she told me who was endangered, I knew it had to be my sister’s pack. I might have been a secret kept from you dear, but I was raised knowing I had a wolfen sister. My grandfather kept me from our mother, believing she had disgraced our family mingling with a wolf.”
“Ok. Let me get this straight; you’re my mom’s brother…. So – my uncle?” I scratched my head, “this seems so Jerry Springer.”
“Yes, that means I’m your uncle – Haven... Haven Bledsoe. And magic is in your blood,” he took my hand, “I can feel the magic beneath the surface, and it’s powerful.”
“Look, H-A-V-E-N,” I gritted out his name through clenched teeth, “I appreciate you’re here to help us, but how in the hell is this going to help me get my mate back.” I snatched my hand back from him seeing red. “Well darling, by using your magic,” he walked towards the kitchen, leaving us standing there staring at one another.
Chapter 25
“Hey…. wait a damn minute, you can’t just say something like that and walk off. We need answers. MY MATE is in trouble,” I ran in after him, “and I don’t have any magic, what on earth do you mean you feel it in my blood?”
“Yes. You. Do. It’s there – coursing through your body... waiting to be unleashed,” he turned to face me, “You’re only afraid to let it out.”
“What does that even mean?” Kai walked in behind me. “Just what it sounds like it means,” he sighed, “maybe your mother didn’t know, but you, my dear, are the strongest of our line. You can wield magic like no witch ever in our history has and…. I suspect you can do it in your wolf form. That would make you the most powerful shifter alive.”
“Fine. Whatever. I want to get Jensen. What do we do about that? He doesn’t have much time, and we have to save him.”
“Haven, why didn’t anyone know about Dylan’s grandmother or that Maggie had a twin? I mean, I am sure Maggie would have mentioned it to me, or Dylan at some point. And she never did. Nor did she ever hint to having magic,” Tessa asked.
“Well, I know when our mother left the coven for her wolf, she was banished. And when we were born, my grandfather took me. The coven told her they would kill her mate and the pack if they tried to retake me. He believed I could be cleansed of her impurities if raised by the coven. He felt that Maggie – my twin, was an abomination because of her mixed blood. I attempted to reach out to my mom and Maggie when I got older…. but our grandfather was, how do you say – a monster,” his eyes darkened, and the silver swirled as he spoke.
“A monster? What does that mean?” Kai seemed worried, “do we need to worry about him finding out you’re here helping us? Will he try to hurt us?”
“No, my dear, he won’t be a problem, he won’t oppose me helping you,” his lip quirked up in a half-smile.
“Why not now? He cut my grandmother off for mating a wolf and stole you from her. Why would he let you help us now – what’s different?” I pointed my finger at him hitting him in the chest. “Oh, he’s not letting me help you…” I cut him off before he could finish. “WHAT?? What do you mean he’s not letting you help us? Why the hell are you here then?”
“Dylan, he’s not letting me help you because he’s dead. It doesn’t matter what he thinks; he can’t interfere with this,” Haven motioned his hands towards us.
“Wait, dead? Are you sure he is dead?” Tessa raised an eyebrow at Haven, “what kind of game are you playing? Everyone knows witches live for hundreds of years.”
“No, it’s no game. I am here to help. And I can be sure he’s dead my dear,” Haven looked at Tessa, “b
ecause I am the one that killed him.” Great, my long-lost uncle might me a lunatic. “You what??!!” Cassandra’s voice thundered through the room. Just what I said. I killed him.
I never agreed with his archaic ways. He believed we could not fall in love outside our kind and should have arranged marriages. I never loved my wife, don’t get me wrong – I cared about her, but we were forced together. I regret it took all these years to realize how wrong I was. I never knew my sister or parents because of him – and now they are both dead. So, when he killed my wife for refusing to arrange our daughter’s marriage…. well I didn’t need any further encouragement to rid the world of him.”
Haven looked at Tessa as he spoke, “I refused to lose anyone else to his crazy beliefs. So, I did what I should’ve done when I learned he had ripped me away from my family; I killed him,” he stood, “which reminds me,” he turned to a young woman standing in the corner. “How the hell did you get in here?” Tessa demanded, “I didn’t sense you, that shouldn’t be possible.”
“Calm down,” Haven walked towards the girl, “ladies, this is my daughter - Roxanne. She’s going to help us end this feud, once and for all. And help you... retrieve your mate.” She was freaking gorgeous. Her hair was the color of cotton candy, and she had the same startling silver eyes as I did, though they were lined in heavy black eyeliner. “Dylan, it’s a pleasure,” she moved around Tessa and embraced me, “It’s nice to meet the family, please call me Roxy.”
“Umm, Hi Roxy,” I shrugged to free myself, “so what’s your plan to help us - um me?” She brought her hand up, palm side facing the ceiling, as bright glow erupted in her grasp. She rolled the glowing orb around before waving it gone. “Wha….t the hell is that?” I leaned on the table for support, confused about what I witnessed. “That my dear cousin was magic. And it’s how we will get your mate back if necessary,” she said with a wink. “But first, we need to help you embrace your destiny, and unleash the magic I know is deep within you.”
Chapter 26
Pain radiated down my arm; the sensation snapped me from my unconsciousness. I was bleeding from a huge gash on my head and several smaller ones on my face. I couldn’t risk shifting like this, as it would probably cause more damage.
I glanced around, taking in the familiar surroundings. This trail backed up to Dylan’s property, which is how they must have caught me off guard. I’d been walking through the trails trying to find the perfect spot to take her. I longed to be alone with her, to make the first shift special. I never heard them coming, and someone hit me hard from behind, knocking me unconscious. I was uncertain how long I’d been chained up.
“Aw, look he’s awake now,” the one who hit me said. He was a wolf shifter; I could smell it on him, guessing he must be from Flint Lake. “What the fuck do you want? And why am I tied up like this?” I gritted through the pain from the chains biting into my skin.
“You’ll see soon enough,” the guy turned to another idiot standing behind him, another wolf shifter, “you sure he’s the alpha, Mike? He's terribly weak if he is.”
“Yeah, he’s the Alpha. But there’s hardly a pack to call him Alpha, he is nothing more than a mere wolf with alpha blood. But his mate... now she’s the real prize according to Dante,” Mike sniffed the air around him, “Yeah, I can smell her all over him. Smells sweet, the alpha will enjoy fucking her.”
“You leave her the fuck alone!” I bucked against my chains, trying to break free. “Nah, that’s not up to you. You’re not in charge anymore,” Mike kicked dirt in my face. “Yeah,” Joe chuckled, “He ain’t going to mind sloppy seconds, especially if they taste as sweet as she smells on him.”
“Look, why am I here. I don’t understand this... Who are you people, what’s this all about?”
“Well, that guy there is Mike…and I’m Joe. We’re pack enforcers from Flint Lake,” Joe spit at me, “and soon you’ll get to meet a real Alpha. So, if I were you, I’d shut that mouth of yours.”
I growled at them and shifted my weight. I wasn’t healing as fast as I needed to, and not being able to shift, I wouldn’t be able to. I could feel Dylan’s anxiety and fear through the bond. She had to be beside herself, as she could likely feel everything I felt, even my pain. I’d failed her, we were just newly mated, and I didn’t have time to explain everything to her about the bond.
I snapped from the thought when someone hollered at me. “Snap out of it,” Mike kicked me in my ribs, “the Alpha is here, and he wants to talk to you.”
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Jensen Wright, The prodigal son of Jack Wright, the pack Alpha from Mystic Valley. It’s a shame your daddy isn’t here to see you now,” he paused grabbing me by the hair forcing me to look him in the eyes, “I’m Dante Prince, pack Alpha from Flint Lake. Shame we have to meet this way, but desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“Desperate times? Are you delusional? We’ve done nothing to you or your pack. Hell, we don’t even consider ourselves a pack anymore…. since your pack slaughtered ours almost 20 years ago. What could be the justification for this now?” I yanked my head out of his grasp, grimacing as hair ripped out in his fingers.
“Well you see Jensen…. we wanted an unstoppable pack, and Mystic Valley held the key back then. But that was all fucked up when your pack scattered across the country taking what we needed the most. We lost some of our strongest pack members for nothing. That war was supposed to kill your Alpha, beta, and all the pack elders. We were unsuccessful and screwed up, royally. I was six when your dad destroyed everything for my family, and then he killed my father!!” Dante seethed anger as he spoke, the rage pouring off him as he fought to stay in control of his wolf.
“Destroyed your dad? What the fuck are you talking about? My father was gunned down in cold blood. He didn’t kill your dad. You’re crazy!” I spat at him. “No, that’s where you are wrong Jensen. That robbery was a setup. My dad knew your dad would be there and wanted him dead. He planned to have him killed, making it look like he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. But your bastard father got the gun and shot my dad in the back. He had to crawl out of that store, leaving him paralyzed. My dad was never the same again, and the bullet stayed lodged in his spine. He could never shift again; I watched him drink himself into the grave.”
“But why now Dante? I don’t get it… what do me and Dylan have to do with your delusions? We weren’t even born when this all went down.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I planned to kill off everyone that took part in the war between our packs. And killing the Beta and his wife in that car accident, well that was perfect. It wasn’t until the funeral I realized they had a daughter,” shocked that Dante admitted to killing Dylan’s parents, she would be devastated finding out it wasn’t an accident. “Why kill anyone? We haven’t bothered your pack in years?” I questioned, not sure what his motive would be now.
“Well, at first it was to avenge my parents – pure unadulterated revenge. My mom couldn’t live without her mate; she held on until I was older, but she died of a broken heart a year ago. But I learned a secret…. a secret that could ensure our pack would be the most powerful one ever seen. And that, Jensen, is why you find yourself in this predicament now,” Dante kicked dirt into my face as he backed away. “What secret? What the FUCK are you talking about?”
“Your mate Jensen. She’s the key to creating a powerful pack. She can give me pups that will become the strongest wolves anyone has ever seen. I don’t care she mated to you. I’ll make her submit to my demands, bending her to my will,” he turned away, “and when she watches me kill you, she will be so broken and hollow again, that she won’t care what I do to her. I need her power, not her soul.”
Walking away from me, he nodded to Mike and Joe, “Let’s prepare. She will be here soon. If she still doesn’t know who or what she is, she won’t know what hit her.” Dante barked orders to his enforcers. He was setting a trap, and there was nothing I could do.
“Lights out pretty
boy,” Joe kicked me in the head, “we wouldn’t want you to try anything stupid before the witch gets here.” I saw spots in my vision as everything went black; I couldn’t reach out to anyone through the pack link. I’d become so wrapped up in Dante’s madness; I didn’t think to try earlier.
Chapter 27
It seemed like we’d spent hours in the yard trying to awaken my magic. “Dylan. You gotta open yourself and feel the magic within,” Roxy sighed, “it’s like that feeling you get when you’re with your mate. Close your eyes and think about the love deep down in you, except envision the love as a force you can touch.”
All I could think about was Jensen, focusing on that would be easy. Closing my eyes, I envisioned the love we had for each other, thinking about the tender kisses and warm embraces we’d shared earlier. Morphing that love into a bright ball illuminating my soul, I reached out and grasped it, holding it in the palm of my hand. The anger that swirled in my body over someone hurting him seemed to fuel it into a sphere larger than a basketball. Visualizing the sphere, thinking about hurting those that took him from me, I threw my hands out, thrusting the orb towards the imaginary target.
“Holy shit Dylan!” I heard Roxy scream; I opened my eyes as she was launching herself to the ground for cover. The orb flew over her, crashing into the tree behind her, setting it on fire. “OH MY GOD!!” I screamed running towards Roxy, falling to my knees beside her, “What happened?”
“You happened,” she took my hands as we helped each other stand. She dusted herself off, “you threw a giant ball of magic at me, and it came close to hitting me. The poor tree was collateral damage. Come let’s go put out the fire.” Roxy still holding my hands, walked me over to the tree. “Well, that was unexpected. But now, put it out,” she smiled waving towards the tree.
“And how do you expect me to do that?” I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Same way you tried to light me on fire, envision the power. Dylan, you control the magic and what it does for you. Call to the water around you this time,” Roxy cocked her head to the side watching me, “hurry before it burns down.”