by Salem Cross
Confused about the sudden tension in the room and unwilling to feed into it, I grinned at the three shifters.
“Good morning! I hope you’re hungry. I made breakfast,” I said.
Two shifters lifted their upper lips to show their teeth, but their Alpha pushed passed them, her eyes trained on my face. They swept over me suspiciously.
“Breakfast sounds wonderful after the long night we have had, thank you,” the Alpha said. She studied me a moment longer before the tension in her body deflated. She turned her attention to Rylan and bowed her head respectfully. “Hello, Rylan Wellington, thank you for granting us a meeting, and congratulations on finding your mate. Your mating bond smells new. May I assume you are on your honeymoon?”
My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. How could someone smell a bond? I tried to discreetly turn my head to sniff my shirt. Next to me, Rylan bowed his head in return.
“Patricia Night, welcome and thank you. This is Mae White. We are simply here to enjoy the area for a little while. My mate seems to be opposed to a true wedding ceremony, so I will hold out on giving her a honeymoon until she says yes.”
I could actually feel Rylan’s amusement and hurt in my gut. The hurt confused me. Why would he need a wedding when we were Joined? I was already his. He had brought up getting married before, but I just didn’t see the point. Before me, Rylan had hundreds, maybe even thousands of wives. Why would I want to be another name on that list?
Patricia chuckled, making her look ten years younger.
“Good for you, Mae. Hold out on saying yes until he gives you the biggest rock he can find.” Patricia turned to Jasmine as Rylan chuckled next to me. Patricia bowed her head to the last Guardian in the room. “Hello, Jasmine Sing, I appreciate your hospitality.”
Jasmine seemed the least inclined to relax. Her sharp gaze did not leave Patricia’s face, and her nod was stiff.
“This is my mate, Johnathan Night,” Patricia continued as she introduced the men with her. The man with shaggy hair nodded at his name. “And this here is my beta Marcus Shepherd.” The shorter man did not make a move to bow, but his body did visibly relax. She turned to look at both men and said, “Get something to eat while I discuss our problem.”
Without a word, both of them moved towards me, eyeing me curiously. Before I could move, Rylan was there, handing them plates and silverware. Then, he positioned himself so he was always between me and the shifters as they grabbed breakfast. In the other room, Patricia stood between Arthur and Jasmine, utterly at ease.
“There is much I wish to share with you, but I know how it will come off,” Patricia said slowly, making eye contact with all three Guardians before glancing at me. She turned her attention back to Arthur and said, “It will sound like I have lost my mind, but my men are here to assure you that I have not.”
“We have no reason not to trust your word,” Arthur assured her.
Patricia traded glances with her men who had walked over with their plates full. They sat down on the couch behind their Alpha and began eating quietly. I made a plate as Rylan moved towards the other two Guardians, apparently no longer worried about the shifters.
Chapter Six
Rylan
“I took over as pack Alpha about six years ago when our previous Alpha, William Stone, could no longer run our pack,” Patricia started. “That was when I realized that our Alpha had been keeping many secrets from us. One day, not long before I took over, William had moved our pack further north without warning. We had to leave almost everything behind and start over without any explanation. According to William’s notes that he left behind after he passed away, he believed the land had become cursed.
“William thought he was going mad. He thought he had seen impossible things, like mermaids in the lake and werewolves working together like a pack. In his notes, William went on to talk about how our pack would go ballistic once a day. I hadn’t noticed this, not really, but when I took over, I noticed strange occurrences within the pack.”
“What do you mean?” I asked her.
“Something happens during the day… My pack becomes unsettled. Fights between two friends start. Mothers attack their children. I have had a few members of the pack try to set fire to their own homes. It’s irrational behavior. It doesn’t seem to affect me, and I don’t know why. Even my beta and mate are affected by whatever is happening.”
“That sounds like chaos,” Jasmine said grimly.
Patricia let out a frustrated laugh. “It was… It still is. At first, I thought they just needed discipline, so I cracked down on the rules. But then I began to sense this… this wave of depravity that washes over the land. It’s like a strange pulse in the air. It took a while to sense it, but when I did that’s when I realized that whenever I felt it, my pack could too, and that’s when they would act out. When I realized some outside force was attacking my pack, I started really digging into the notes that were left behind.
“I also started realizing there was strange behavior happening within these woods. The wildlife is all but nonexistent. What lingers behind are sickly or too old to migrate with the rest of the herd or pack. Deer attack humans without provocation. Plants that are usually harmless have become poisonous. The list goes on.”
A knot began to form in my stomach. Shifters were one with nature. They would know if something was off.
“Have you spoken to Cain about these issues?” I asked her. “This is his territory.”
“I have tried many times over the past few years to reach out to Cain, but I have not been able to get into contact with him. I even tried visiting his estate several times throughout the year, but he is never home. He does not have anyone working under him, so I cannot pass on my grievances. William had tried to contact Cain and even Ekon, but neither responded to his calls,” Patricia explained. She looked each Guardian in the eye.
“What I need is help. Something is not right here, and I am afraid for my pack. Recently on a run, I discovered the four member werewolf pack William had talked about. Instead of engaging with us, they ran. I took a group with me to hunt them on two different occasions. We were able to corner one, but it was smart and cunning. It got away from us after nearly killing me and my pack members.”
Have you heard from Cain yet? I asked Arthur but made sure Jasmine was included in the conversation.
No, Arthur responded grimly. I cannot remember the last time I spoke to either of them before this, and the lack of response to my calls is definitely a concern.
Are we dealing with two missing Guardians now? Jasmine asked. Her brows rose in surprise.
That is what it appears to be happening, I answered grimly. Which is worrisome since Montana is Zein’s territory, and it butts up to this one.
You think Zein’s murder and Cain’s and Ekon’s disappearances could be related? Arthur asked with alarm.
There is no evidence of a correlation between them. It just seems like a strange coincidence, I said thoughtfully.
Patricia spoke again: “I have decided that I will be moving the pack from this region altogether by the end of the month. With the constant wave of depravity that tears my pack to pieces, the lack of wildlife in the area, and the werewolves that roam these woods, it is what is best for my people.”
“Tell us more about this wave you sense that sends your pack members into chaos,” I pressed. This seemed like the most important take-away from this conversation.
“It is one single force of energy that radiates in every direction throughout the park. I’m sure you will feel it while you’re here. It happens every day at random times. I tried tracking it, but there were no noticeable patterns. The effects of it only last about five minutes, but that’s five minutes of hell. I did learn that whatever this is does not reach outside the park… yet.”
My teeth clenched as I thought about the implications of that depravity should it touch the four of us. If the three of us lost our minds for a short period of time, we would all be in trouble. If Mae
were affected, the destruction she could cause in that amount of time could be cataclysmic.
What I felt yesterday may have been this wave of depravity that Patricia is talking about, Jasmine said to me and Arthur.
Did you lose a sense of time or feel unstable? Arthur asked.
No, but as I said, it was so brief and hardly noticeable, I may not have been in range for the full effect. Both times, we were not actually in the park but rather arriving or leaving it.
A sense of dread settled over me as I thought about the danger Mae could be in now.
“Your concerns have been heard, Patricia Night,” Jasmine said slowly. Since the arrival of our guests, she had been tense, but now she appeared the epitome of serenity. “While we are in the area, we will investigate what is going on, and we will rid the woods of the werewolves for you.”
The Alpha turned her attention to Jasmine and bowed her head.
“Thank you, Jasmine, and to the rest of you for believing me. I know how strange all of this sounds. I have been trying to keep my pack together, but it is hard when so many things seem out of whack lately.”
“Understandable,” Jasmine said with a nod. “Please, enjoy the breakfast Mae has slaved over. While you eat do you mind if I take your men to our office? I have a map where they can point out where your pack was originally located and where you are now. I would like to know where you have spotted these werewolves as well, so we have a place to start hunting.”
Patricia waved her hands to her two pack mates and both stood immediately.
“They are at your disposal,” she said with a smile. “Boys, behave.”
Patricia’s mate grinned and winked at her. I could not help but smile at the loving look they shared. I looked over at Mae, who I found staring at the two shifters with a small smile tugging up the corners of her mouth. She was leaning on her elbows at the counter, absorbed in our conversation. I could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. Knowing how large her heart was, I was sure that she was thinking of ways to help them in their struggles.
A wave of depravity that creates chaos, creatures that are not behaving normally, the lack of wildlife…This all sounds like the effects of dark magic, Jasmine said to both me and Arthur.
The knot in my stomach tightened harder. If Patricia’s claims were true, this would be the first proof that something wrong was happening in these parts. I clenched my jaw. If the three of us found any proof of dark magic, Mae and I would leave immediately. Bringing her to the location where Autumn and Zyroe wanted her had never felt right. After what she had gone through, I had conceded to her plea to come, but I had warned her that at the first sign of trouble, she would be removed from the situation.
Patricia walked over to Mae while Jasmine and Arthur disappeared with the other two shifters. I hesitated. Instead of following them right away, I turned and watched the Alpha approach my mate, suspicion coating her features. Patricia may not know what Mae was, but Patricia’s abilities as a shifter would alert her to Mae’s unique aura. I watched as Mae happily handed Patricia a plate and walked her through the items on the counter. Patricia paid more attention to my mate than the food, but she graciously took what Mae offered.
Before our Joining, I would have stayed with Mae. Jealousy and possessiveness would have prevented me from leaving the room. But now I felt whole. There was no chance that someone could steal Mae away from me. Smiling to myself, I left Mae with Patricia and followed my companions.
***
By the time I had walked the three shifters out of the house, Patricia and Mae were talking like close friends. The suspicion in Patricia’s face had vanished, and in its place was a warmth not usually found in an Alpha around new people. I promised Patricia that we would follow up with her once we had some information to share. I walked back into the kitchen to find Mae cleaning up.
She looked up as I entered. She reached over and turned off the faucet. As she turned to lean her hip against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest, Arthur and Jasmine walked into the room.
“So? What’s the verdict? Is this just typical stuff Guardians deal with or should we be concerned?”
“We must investigate and see for ourselves what is happening before we can determine the severity of the situation here,” Jasmine answered as she walked over to Mae.
“Okay, where do we start?” Mae asked.
“While there is plenty of daylight, we should explore where the pack was previously settled. We can look for any abnormalities surrounding their old den, and we will be able to sense if magic has been used recently,” Arthur suggested.
“Great. When do you want to leave? Do I have a chance to change into something more hiking appropriate?” Mae asked.
Her excitement felt like bubbles of champagne in my chest. Despite enjoying the sensation, every instinct in my body rebelled at the thought of Mae being in a place where there could be potential danger. My jaw clenched as my stomach twisted.
“While I appreciate the enthusiasm and the eagerness to help, you need to stay here. This is our line of work. The three of us will be exploring the abandoned den,” I told her gently.
“What? No way, I’m coming with you guys!” Mae objected.
“It could be dangerous,” I told her with a frown. “We do not know what we are going to find or what will be waiting for us once we get there. If we get to the den and nothing is amiss, then if we need to go back for any reason I will bring you.”
“Would it not be beneficial for Mae to learn about the world of shifters? If we are going with the expectation of just studying the area, Mae should be safe to look around,” Jasmine suggested thoughtfully.
I turned my attention to the female Guardian and said, “We are here looking for evidence of dark magic and evil. If what Patricia says is true, then something is awry. I will not take Mae to a place where we suspect dark magic has affected the area.”
Jasmine nodded in understanding.
“What the hell am I supposed to do while you’re all off gallivanting through the park?” Mae demanded as she pushed away from the counter. Her hands dropped from her chest and perched themselves on her hips. Her glare was trained on me. “I should be with you guys. Let me be the fourth pair of eyes for you.”
“Not this time,” I said more firmly. I hated telling her no. I hated even the thought of leaving my mate for one moment. I wanted to spend every waking hour with her. But her safety was my utmost concern. Staying behind would keep her relatively safe. “If we cross paths with werewolves or if we all experience this outside force that causes an entire pack of shifters to become unhinged you will be in too much danger. Can you imagine what would happen if all four of us turned on each other? It would be a bloodbath. No, Mae, please just wait here.”
Her scowl deepened.
She took a deep breath and said, “Look we’re a team, the four of us. Let me come with you. I would probably be safer with you guys than left here at the house by myself, right?”
“There is no team Mae. This is not a game. This is a job for Guardians. You will stay here until we get back,” I growled at her. I softened my voice and tried to relax my stance. “Mae, I just found you. I will not risk losing you because I was too anxious to have you with me all the time. My first priority is your safety and you will be safer here in this house than with us. I will not budge on this matter.”
The echo of her anger flared hot in my gut. The surprise on her face at my declaration shifted to indifference. She, too, relaxed her stance.
“Fine.”
Her sudden acceptance sent red flags up in my head. I took a step towards her. She was up to something.
“Mae…” I growled in warning.
“I said fine. Leave me here to twiddle my thumbs,” she responded contemptuously.
Jasmine moved away from Mae. The smile she was trying to hide slipped out despite her best efforts to conceal it. Arthur coughed and stepped further away from us but not before I heard his chuckle. Before I could r
espond, Mae turned on her heels and disappeared into the house. Her anger burned even hotter now.
“I can stay behind, Rylan,” Jasmine offered. “I will make sure she stays out of trouble.”
“And here I was sure that Mae would become much more obedient once you two Joined,” Arthur said from the front door.
The sarcasm in his tone grated my nerves. I was not enjoying his amusement at my expense.
“No, Jasmine. We will all go. Mae understands how important she is to me and will do as I asked,” I said loudly, knowing my mate would hear me. Worry twisted in my gut. She would be alright here… right?
As if he was able to read my thoughts Arthur said, “If the pulse that was affecting Patricia’s pack occurred while we are gone, the barrier spells on the house should keep her safe as long as she was inside.”
I nodded my head in appreciation. I glanced in the direction that Mae had taken off in and sighed. We would not be gone long. When I got back I would make her dinner and we could spend some quality time together.
Chapter Seven
Mae
I waited an hour to leave the house once the Guardians had left. I was so angry and upset with Rylan that all I wanted to do was storm out after them. But knowing Rylan, he would have stayed close until he was sure I was staying put. So I decided to bide my time. I was shocked, and if I was being honest, hurt, at his declaration. If he doesn’t want to be a team, fine. I’ll go solo.
While I waited, I headed up to the bathroom Rylan and I shared. I attempted to summon the spellbook that was hidden within the mirror to find a spell that would help protect the pack. I tried three times before I realized that I could no longer summon the book I hated so much. Jasmine had told me back in Salisbury that she couldn’t sense any traces of witch in me… Was that why the pentagram on my hand hadn’t shown up when I used my power? Could that be the reason I couldn’t summon my book anymore? Frowning, I gave up trying to retrieve it. Even if there had been a spell in it, it didn’t mean I could cast it. The only spell that had ever worked for me was when I had cursed bracelets to bind my power.