by G. K. DeRosa
Trust me. Ransom’s voice bounced around my mind. I wanted to, but after everything, worry burrowed into my core. Please, Violet.
I nodded and tugged on Hunter’s hand.
“What is he doing?” he hissed as we weaved our way to the front.
“I don’t know.”
Hunter slowed, dragging me with him. “Then why are we going?”
“Because I trust Ransom.”
My mate grunted but continued forward regardless. Once we reached Ransom and Destiny, I slanted my friend my best WTF look.
Without answering, he turned to the roomful of curious gazes. “Our fine supreme beta has been quite busy winning the Alpha Trials so perhaps some of you haven’t heard that he’s found his fated mate.” He motioned to me, and I compelled my mouth into a smile. “Another thing you might not know, Sierra Wildstone is an alpha and a fine one at that. She’s been giving all of us a run for our money in the trials.” He chuckled and the rest of the room tittered awkwardly. “I know it’s my mating ceremony and all, and I’d hoped to share my gift to the happy couple on their happy day, but to be honest, they’re simply taking too long.” Another burst of chuckles.
What the hell is he doing?
Lucien rose and moved beside his son. His gaze locked on Tyrien, and a smug smile curled his lips.
“You know what they say about an alpha without a pack, right?” Ransom continued. Murmurs of assent rustled through the attendees. “Well, my gift to my dear friend, Sierra, is a pack.” He ticked his head to Braxton and beckoned him forward. “You see, my wonderful friends and family, I’ve found another Mystic wolf.”
As Braxton crept forward, a gasp exploded across the room. My heart leapt up my chest, its frantic pounding echoing across my eardrums.
Just play along, Violet. I know what I’m doing. Ransom’s confident voice quelled the rising panic.
I sure as hell hope you do. I wanted to look up, to see Tyrien’s expression, but I could already feel the burn of his glare on the side of my face. Braxton stepped beside me, and I gave him a reassuring smile.
“This was not the plan,” he muttered in my ear.
“No shit,” I hissed back.
Relax, both of you. Hunter’s command zipped through the pack link. This is actually a good thing for all of us.
Heat radiated across my cheeks as Tyrien’s unrelenting glare bounced from me to Braxton and back. This was it. The battle lines had been drawn and there was no going back now. I lifted my gaze to meet the supreme alpha’s, and daggers shot in my direction. Fury resonated across the greater pack link, Tyrien’s anger so palpable it surged through my veins.
Lucien patted his son on the shoulder and addressed the stunned crowd. “As Royal Pack alpha, I am thrilled to welcome the Mystics back to Moon Valley. They have long been allies to the Royals, and I ask that you all remember that.” He lifted a glass from the table and offered one to each of us. “Now, let’s all toast to Alpha Sierra and the Mystic Pack.” His dark eyes focused on Tyrien, and the supreme alpha’s lips twisted into a sneer. But he lifted his glass all the same.
Verros, the Demon Pack alpha stood and clinked his glass against his mate’s. “Long live the Mystic Pack,” he called out. “To a new future for us all.”
I gulped down the fizzy champagne, the bubbles intensifying the brewing storm in my gut. Holy shift. This was really happening. I only hoped this wasn’t the start of Wolf World War III.
Chapter Seven
Pulling my hair into a high ponytail, I heaved out a breath. The small Mystic changing room in the Lunar Lounge suddenly felt too cramped, the air too thick. It was the first day of the final round of the trials. Just seven days, and I’d be free. Assuming, I stayed alive that long of course.
After the mating ceremony, I couldn’t shake the pit of dread that had taken root in my gut. I hadn’t even been able to enjoy the dancing later in the evening because I’d been watching Braxton like a crazy, overprotective mama bear. He’d had a blast, oblivious to my constant fear. It was his first time out in public since his arrival in Moon Valley, and the females were not being shy. A twinge of unexpected emotion had reared its head when he’d danced with a few of the Royal she-wolves. I told myself it wasn’t jealousy but rather protectiveness over my sole pack member. That and I still had hopes we’d find more Mystics. All we needed was one more female, and we’d have hope for a future. But was it fair to pin that all on Braxton?
A sharp rap on the door pulled my attention back to the present. And no, it wasn’t fair for him to bear that burden, not when I’d been the one to dismiss the future of our pack for my own happiness. “Who is it?” I called out as I zipped up the deep purple skintight uniform. I hadn’t missed this bad boy—not one bit.
“Your favorite Royal.”
I whipped the door open so quickly Ransom nearly stumbled on top of me. Last night, I hadn’t had a moment alone with him after the big announcement, and I was dying for an explanation.
“I’m thrilled you’re so happy to see me, but sadly, I am now a mated man.” He flashed me his tattooed ring finger and shot me that trademark smirk. I tossed him a dramatic eyeroll in return. As part of the official mating ceremony, a band of interlocking crescent moons was magically etched into each mated pair. I tried not to think about how badly I wanted one.
I also wondered what the difference was with a fated mate and a chosen mate. Once the bond was completed, was the pull the same? I stashed it in the back of my mind to ask him about another day. “So… are you going to tell me why you pulled that crazy stunt yesterday?”
He leaned against the door and motioned at the bench along the wall. “Sit and I will.”
Begrudgingly, I folded onto the hard wood and pressed my arms against my chest. “Spill.”
“Father told me about the other Mystics in vampire territory.”
My jaw nearly unhinged.
“Relax, I’m not going to tell anyone. Besides, he didn’t give me any specifics, only that there are two more in addition to Braxton.” He waved a dismissive hand. “I’d already figured out the truth about Brax after the incident in the meadow. I know Aristaeus, and there was no other reason he would’ve allowed you to frolic in the woods with another male.”
“Allow?” I screeched. “I may be mated to him, but I’m still a free woman able to make my own decisions.”
“Potato, potahto.”
“If you knew, why didn’t you say something?”
He shrugged. “It wasn’t my place.”
“Then why yesterday?”
“I’d been toying with the idea—a way to make amends for my past behavior—and then when you confronted me in the closet, I told my father. He agreed and that was that.”
“You made a decision that big in a matter of minutes?”
The corners of his lips twisted down. “Lucien has always been fickle and impulsive. Guess the wolf pup doesn’t fall far from the sire tree.”
I shook my head at his cheesy line. “But I don’t understand. Lucien had always seemed against me, against the Mystics.”
“Not necessarily. He wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t know about Mother’s plotting with Tyrien.” He paused, darkness carving into his features. With a long breath, he continued, “Father’s requirements for allies are simple really—those with power. I can’t deny I’ve been reporting on your growing abilities, and he’s witnessed Hunter’s increase in power and his wolf’s dominance. The tides are about to change, and Lucien wants to be on the winning side.”
I fixed my eyes on his, lacing my voice with power. “And you?”
A grin split his lips, and he ran his tongue over a pointy incisor. “I agree with my father, but I also have an added incentive: you. I care about you, and I believe in you. I couldn’t care less if Aristaeus succeeds to his father’s throne, but you,” he paused again, “you deserve it all.”
My heart clenched, a lump of emotion clogging my throat.
He dipped his head into a slight bow. �
��So I’m here to pledge myself to you, Alpha Sierra. Whatever you need during this final round, it’s yours. I vow to help you win to the best of my abilities.”
I swallowed down the knot impeding my airway. “Why would you do that?”
“Because it’s the only thing I can do for you now.”
I opened our connection to judge the sincerity in his words, and the depth of emotion raging through his pitch irises shook me to the core. “Thank you,” I finally managed.
“No need to speak of it. Ever.” He took my hand and yanked me up. “Especially not to Destiny, she’d have my head.”
I laughed and pulled him into a hug. Ransom might have been a devious and conniving Royal, but he was my devious and conniving Royal. And he’d become one of my best friends. He squeezed me tight against him before finally releasing me.
“I better not push my luck,” he said. “Where is your broody mate, anyway?”
“Pre-trial meeting with Tyrien.”
He screwed his lips into a pout. “How is your future father-in-law after the big reveal?”
“He stormed out of the party a few minutes after the announcement, thank the gods. I suppose I’ll get an update when Hunter gets back.”
“Be careful, Sierra. The supreme alpha is cornered, and there’s nothing a wolf hates more. His enemies are amassing, and it won’t be long until he strikes.”
I nodded quickly as ice surged through my veins. He was right. And it would explain the growing pit of unease in my stomach. I’d have to watch my back today and every day from now on.
I stared down into the crater, and icy fingers crawled over my spine. A trap door appeared at the bottom and dark figures spilled out, like liquid night filling the trench. I shuddered.
Hunter moved closer, the warmth of his body thawing the ice rushing through my veins.
“What the hell are those things?” I hissed.
“Wraiths,” Ransom replied. The Royal stood on the other side of me, and he too inched closer. “Nasty little life-sucking buggers.”
“How do you fight something that’s not corporeal?” The trial attendant had just finished explaining the event when the terrifying creatures appeared. We were about to be dropped into that pit of hell and fight our way out.
“They do have bones,” Hunter answered. “Their skeletal remains are hidden beneath their dark cloaks. But they’re fast and slippery, for lack of a better word.”
“Because they’re like ghosts!” I squealed.
Viceroy stepped closer, his eyes glinting with mischief. “They’re not ghosts, little wolf. They appear that way to make them more difficult to catch, but as your mate said, they are made of bone. In order to kill one, you must detach the skull from the body and scatter the bones before they can reattach.”
Oh, vomit.
Zuriel sauntered over, his wings outstretched behind his broad back. “He should know, the wraiths are one of his Underworld brethren after all.”
Viceroy grunted. “We can’t all be blessed with the gifts of the Sons of Heaven, now can we? Otherwise, what a boring world we’d live in.”
“Boring but beautiful,” the angel/wolf hybrid shot back.
The attendant shushed us, drawing our attention back to the wooden stand he stood atop. “Does everyone understand the rules?”
A grumble of muttered yeses rolled through the twelve of us. After hundreds of competitors, only the Lunar Pack contestants had made it to the end. Just like Ransom had predicted would happen.
“The timer will begin when you’ve all set foot below. Remember, those of you with wings, you may not use them to escape the pit unless every single wraith has been killed. Besides that, you’re all free to use your special powers as necessary.” The man in white ticked his head toward the mass of swirling darkness below. “Good luck to you all.”
Zuriel nudged me in the ribs and extended his arms. “May I offer you a ride down?”
“No,” Hunter snarled, cracking his knuckles. “That won’t be necessary.”
“Always so violent, Aristaeus. I was only offering a hand to your mate. Today, I am not your enemy; it is the wraiths we need to vanquish.” A gleaming sword appeared in his palm, angelfire dancing along the long blade.
I stepped between the two males as Hunter’s dragon wings snapped out, the golden scales shimmering in the sunlight. Zuriel took a step back as my mate’s reptilian appendages dwarfed the angel’s. Damn, they’d grown even bigger since last I’d seen them. At least someone was getting some perks out of this new mate bond.
“I can take care of my own mate, thank you.” Before I could open my mouth, Hunter’s arm snuck under my knees and shoulders, and he lifted me into his arms. “See you down there, Zuriel.”
He leisurely flapped his wings as we made the descent. I, for one, was in no hurry. “So do we have a plan for today?” I asked.
“Yeah, don’t get killed.” A hint of amusement lit up his golden irises.
“I’m glad you think this is funny. I personally am not looking forward to getting my life force sucked out by those walking skeletons.”
Snarls and howls rent the air as the earthen walls closed in around us.
His brilliant eyes skewered me, holding me prisoner in his gaze. “I promise I’d never let that happen. You know that, right?”
I nodded, my eyes still locked on his. “So what are you going to do just blast them all with your dragonfire?”
He shook his head. “Fire doesn’t kill them—neither yours nor mine. Only Zuriel and Araton’s angel swords will defeat them without severing their head as Viceroy explained.”
“Maybe I should’ve played nice with Zuriel.” I shot him a playful wink I didn’t quite feel. And he didn’t quite appreciate. When he remained quiet, I finally asked, “So what is the plan?”
“We’ll fight in wolf form. We’re faster that way, and it’ll be more difficult for the wraiths to latch onto our life force. They must make a direct connection to feed—eyes, mouth and touch. Never let them trap you, got it?”
I nodded quickly. The yips and snarls grew stronger, closer. I hazarded a peek and immediately regretted it. Araton and Zuriel had already landed and were swarmed by a sea of black. Their brilliant blades arced through the air and metal cut through bone with a disturbing crunch.
“Are you ready?” Hunter’s hold tightened around me.
“Are you?”
He brushed his lips against my forehead as his wings slanted toward the ground. “Never ready to let you go,” he muttered against my skin.
Threading my fingers around the back of his neck, I pulled his mouth to mine. Crushing my lips against his, I squeezed him tight against me. His wolf growled, the deep rumble vibrating his chest. “For good luck,” I murmured as I drew away.
“Now you’re sending me all hot and bothered to a legion of wraiths.” He chuckled. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one.”
“Hopefully, it’ll give you incentive to win, so we can continue this when it’s all over.”
A wry grin split his lips a second before his boots hit the ground. “Shift!” he shouted as the chaos enclosed around us.
The change came on instantly. When I landed, I was on four paws, the violet mist shimmering over me. Hunter’s wolf appeared a few seconds later, his monstrous black form towering over the murky fog of wraiths.
Stay next to me. His voice boomed over the commotion, centering my mind.
The wraiths surrounded us, their dark cloaks billowing on a ghostly breeze. With their hoods up, I could barely make out their skeletal faces. An occasional flash of white was the only hint at the boney forms hidden beneath.
Wolf-Hunter lunged at the closest creature, his enormous jaw wide open, fangs glistening. He snapped his teeth around the back of the wraith’s cloak and ripped the fabric right off. The alabaster skull appeared, eye orbitals wide and jaw agape.
The crunch of bones echoed across the melee as his wolf went straight for the vertebral column, separating
the demon’s head from its body. The skull rolled to my feet and the rest of the bones clattered into a mound. Hunter scattered the remains across the dirt with his long snout so they couldn’t reassemble.
The vacant eye holes looked up at me, and I barely restrained the shudder as my hackles rose.
That’s all there is to it. Hunter’s wolf spoke through our link. You think you can do it?
Sure.
You don’t sound so sure, Sierra.
I’ll be fine. I barely got the thought out before something pummeled into my side, knocking me off my feet.
Chapter Eight
Nope not something, three screeching wraiths. The boney bastards held me down as I yipped and snarled, snapping at their trailing black cloaks. One was on either side of me, pinning me down, while the third hovered over me, its empty eye sockets searing into me.
Are you okay? Hunter’s panicked voice ricocheted through my mind, but I didn’t have time to answer.
Magic swirled in my core, the tornado of power swelling, as the wraith opened its skeletal jaw. Oh, hells no! This thing was not snacking on my wolfy life force today. I reached into my depths, and a well of power surged. I leapt up and threw the creatures across the pit with such force, they smacked into the earthen wall and shattered. Shards of bone and black fabric sprayed across the battlefield.
Yeah, I’m fine.
Hunter’s wolf appeared beside me, a bloody gash just above his golden eye. Sorry, I was a little preoccupied.
No, worries. I got it.
Yeah, you did, Violet. Ransom’s unexpected voice made me jump. I swung my head around to see the big gray wolf sauntering toward me. I was going to come assist, but I see you had things well under control.
I’m kind of a badass now, buddy.
His wolf laughed, the rumble echoing through my mind. I never doubted that for a second, Violet.
Hunter-Wolf nudged me with his big head, his annoyance rippling through the bond.
Sorry, it’s hard to have a three-way conversation in my head.