Sadie. Billie’s voice emerged in my mind. Her presence eased my trembling body. Love, what happened?
We’re on our way back, and we have a strange Wolf with us. The Mage is dead. He was Cassandra’s son. I choked out the last words.
Gods, Sadie. I’m sorry. She wanted to hold me, and I could almost feel her arms around me.
I sent Graham’s packmate back to you. He’s still collared, but he’s harmless now.
We’ll watch for him.
There’s more I have to tell you.
“What are you doing?” Graham interrupted my conversation, distrustful of the mindspeech.
“I’m talking to Billie,” I replied.
“Don’t,” he ordered.
Matthew warned him again, his voice reaching dangerous levels. “She doesn’t take orders from you.”
Graham still doesn’t trust me, I told Billie, ignoring the Montana Alpha’s commands.
Is he threatening you? I heard her protective side surface.
Not exactly. Matthew’s handling it.
“What kind of Wolf takes orders from a Mage?” Graham replied snidely.
“My orders come from my Alpha and Beta,” he countered. “So do hers.”
“Even if she’s telling the truth, she doesn’t belong in Pack. You may think what she did back there is well and good, but it’s not. She’s a Mage.”
Matthew had had enough and growled low, the entire Jeep rumbling. “This Mage just helped you kill her cousin to free two Wolves. So either say thank you or shut your fucking mouth.”
They didn’t respond, wisely. Matthew’s growing on me. I sensed Billie smile.
Chapter 15
Billie provided clothes so they could move about freely. Wolves from both packs littered the backyard. Still a little wary of each other, they nevertheless waited politely for Sadie, Graham, and Matthew to return. Sierra woke and vehemently scolded her packmates for hitting her over the head. Kathryn helped her calm down, and Amy diagnosed only a minor concussion. Minor for a Wolf, at any rate, with no lasting harm done.
Billie leaned against the hot tub gazebo, deliberately maintaining her most intimidating Beta expression. Tensions ran just below the surface and could erupt again at any time. No one would dare break the stalemate under her watch. Jason and the other Beta talked inside, too low for them to hear.
Discovering the collared Wolf had shocked everyone. It turned the imminent Pack War into a temporary but reluctant allegiance to get him back, and she hoped it would last. She hoped Graham wouldn’t do something stupid to force Sadie to defend herself. She bristled at the arguments she could sense between her mate and the Alpha. If she used any kind of mental ability against Graham, even in self-defense, the Pack War would renew with a vengeance.
When Sadie gathered magepower, she felt it, but then the connection dimmed. Sadie still did that sometimes. She withdrew into herself and Billie could sense little of her mate’s thoughts and emotions. She waited, confident that Matthew and Sadie could handle the Mage and Graham. She trusted that Matthew would take care of Sadie, even if her mate did not.
“Who are you?” Owen’s challenge brought Billie’s attention sharply to the side of the house. A young woman strutted into view, a Human with mischief in her eyes. Billie hadn’t heard her approach and started towards her, wondering which nosy neighbor thought she could enter her backyard uninvited.
One of the Montana Wolves answered her question. “Linda! Why did you come back?” Upon hearing her name, every Boise Wolf turned to study the Human that had caused so much fuss. Billie returned to her perch and scrutinized the woman silently.
“I never left,” she announced jovially and crossed to sit beside him on the grass. “I got tired of watching you, so I decided to join you.”
“I told you to stay away,” the Wolf rebuked her harshly.
“You also said you were grabbing Sierra and leaving. In and out, one minute tops. It’s been a lot longer than a minute. Hi, Sierra.” She greeted her packmate.
Her packmate continued scolding her. “You should have waited for our call.”
“How were you planning on calling me?” She cocked her head at him, completely unaffected by his reprimand. “You didn’t bring your cell phone. You really should find some way of carrying your cell when you’re all furry.” He grumbled, the argument going nowhere. “Speaking of.” Linda pulled a small purse out of her handbag and tossed it to Amy.
The Medic scowled and caught it mid-air. “Thanks, I think.” She rummaged through her purse and checked for anything missing.
“Everything’s there,” Linda assured her. “Your bank account’s a little lighter than before, but that’s it.”
“Linda!” Her packmate raised his voice warningly.
“What? I bought you a gift. I thought you’d be happy. Oh, put your hackles down, Dad. I’m just kidding.”
Glenn burst out laughing, drawing a warning scowl from Linda’s father. “Don’t encourage her. She gets worse with an audience.”
Billie, unimpressed with the young woman, decided to introduce herself. “I’m Billie, Beta of the Boise Pack.”
“Yes, I know. I’ve been watching you.”
Sierra saw Billie’s expression darken ominously and thought it best to intervene. “Linda, you’re a guest in Billie’s home right now. Please show her some courtesy.”
“Is she a friend of yours?” Billie asked Sierra, her irritated gaze remaining on the Human.
“I used to babysit her,” Sierra replied neutrally.
“Then you know how to manage her,” Billie replied. “Keep her on a leash, or I’ll do it myself.”
Sierra and her father gave Linda identical warning looks. Sierra cautioned the young woman. “You heard the Beta. Don’t push your luck.”
“Oh, fine. I’ll be good.” She flopped onto her back in the grass and Billie went back to scowling at everyone.
Her phone chimed. When she read Matthew’s text, it broke her heart. “We’re on our way back. Your mate is upset. Contact her.”
She reached out to Sadie immediately and felt her mate’s distress. As always, using magepower consumed her with guilt. Billie wanted to hold her mate in her arms and sent a deliberate image of doing so. The Wolves noticed the mindspeech, the Montana Wolves readying to fight if it turned out to be a Mage trick. Her own packmates knew better and asked her to share the news.
“The Mage is dead, and they’re headed home with a strange Wolf. Your collared packmate is on his way back too. Sadie will free him when she returns.” Many of the Wolves cheered, some of her own packmates among them. Once she would have celebrated the news of a dead Mage with the others, but no longer. Her mate’s friends looked at her with concern for Sadie’s welfare. “The Mage was Cassandra’s son. She’s pretty upset.”
They watched the horizon and listened for Billie’s Jeep, waiting anxiously for the returnees. “I see him,” Nathan announced and pointed into the foothills, excited and nervous for the collared Wolf’s return. A brown and black wolf trotted towards them at a quick pace. Billie hoped no one would notice a wolf so close to Boise in broad daylight. She couldn’t do anything to prevent it if they did.
He stopped at the edge of the yard and stood awkwardly, confused. “Hey, Bran, what are you doing?” one of his packmates called out, the only woman among the Montana Wolves.
Bran shifted into human form and replied. “I’m waiting.”
“What are you waiting for?” She prompted, and Billie could see the Wolf’s odd behavior unnerved everyone.
Nathan went to the collared Wolf and moved him into the shade, offering an explanation to the others. “When Cassandra died, it was like a rubber band snappin’ my brain. I couldn’ figure out what was what. Sadie’ll fix it.”
The Montana Wolves looked at Nathan in a new light, wary and hopeful all at once. They’d heard Kato claim that Sadie freed a Wolf but they hadn’t believed it. “Can she really uncollar him?” Linda’s father asked skeptically.
They didn’t have to wait much longer. Billie sensed Sadie’s approach and left Glenn in charge of keeping order. Amy and Nathan jumped up and followed their Beta.
Billie updated Jason and Stephen as she strode past. “They’re almost here, and they brought home a strange Wolf.” At the front door she paused and informed the other Beta with a scowl. “Linda decided to join us.”
“I heard her. She’s hard to miss,” he responded blandly.
“She’s lucky she’s Human. I really want to hit her.” Billie told the woman’s Beta with unhindered bluntness.
“I’ve been there.” By the look on his face, he’d felt the same way many times.
They heard the Jeep, and Billie sped through the door to reach her mate. Halfway down the driveway, she got her first look at the strange Wolf. She froze in place, unable to tear her eyes off of him. Jason followed her gaze and didn’t need an explanation. “Billie.” His gruff voice brought her back to the present.
She pulled herself together and went to Sadie’s side. Her mate, weak with exhaustion and spent magepower, tried to stand and wobbled on her feet. Billie gathered her into her arms, ignoring Sadie’s repeated protests. Briefly she locked eyes with the strange Wolf, and she saw recognition in them.
Billie carried her mate into the house, passing Nathan on the way. He looked like she felt, his attention focused on the newcomer. She glanced at his fisted hands and ordered him inside. Intentionally, she eavesdropped as Jason introduced himself to the strange Wolf.
“I’m Jason, Alpha of the Boise Pack. That redhead is Billie, my Beta. How long were you collared?”
“I don’t really know. A long time,” he grumbled.
“Come inside.” Jason offered an invitation that sounded more like an order.
He refused. “No. This is her home. Her and that Mage.”
“That Mage is Pack and the one responsible for your freedom. Don’t fuck with her,” Jason warned low, and Billie’s face softened at the sound of Jason defending her mate.
Small world, Sadie told her, unable to hear the conversation but sensing it through their connection. He was collared when he bit you. Forty years.
Billie looked at her, horrified and responded aloud for Nathan’s benefit. “Looks like I’m not the only one he bit.”
Nathan’s hands still hung in fists at his side. “You too, huh?”
“Whoa, what?” Amy stood on her tiptoes to try to see the newcomer. “That’s him? He got both of you?”
Sadie clung to Billie’s neck and reminded all three Wolves. “He was collared. It wasn’t his fault.”
“She’s right. Go outside until you calm down. You too, Amy,” Billie ordered the Pup and took her own advice.
Careful, Sadie warned Billie about the strange Wolf. He’s not sane anymore.
What do you mean?
He was collared too long, and he’s ready to snap. He’s dangerous. Her voice sounded sad. I couldn’t undo it.
You can’t fix everything, love. Billie told her. Bran is out back. But you should rest first.
No. I promised Graham. Billie insisted on carrying her until they reached the backyard. Others followed, leaving the Alphas alone with the newcomer. On her feet once again, Sadie looked at the Wolf waiting for her in the grass. She glanced around at all the strange Wolves and felt like a stranger in her own home. She recognized the Montana Beta that Kathryn spoke so highly of. “You’re Stephen, right?” He nodded, intelligent eyes appraising her shrewdly. “He’s going to wake up pissed and confused. Will you take care of him?”
“Of course.” Stephen crossed to his collared packmate while others moved further away, giving them room. Sadie didn’t need to move closer. She gathered magepower, and Billie sensed her mind become something different under its influence. Sadie always came back to her, but she didn’t like the effect magepower had on her.
Wolves gasped and jumped all around her. The Montana Wolves prepared to attack the threat in front of them, instinctively threatened by the power. They hesitated and Matthew and Nathan moved quickly to stand in front of their vulnerable packmate. After their initial surprise, the rest of his team joined them, forming a wall to deter the foreign Wolves from trying anything. Richard watched through hooded eyes, and Billie met her friend’s gaze.
Sadie ignored all of them, concentrating on the collared Wolf. Almost immediately Bran started fighting. Stephen held him down, but Bran didn’t hear his Beta’s voice. The commotion distracted his packmates, and they watched as Sadie freed his mind. A few minutes later, Billie sensed her release the power and become herself again.
“Now, it’s over.” Sadie commented, smiling contentedly at the angry Wolf on the other side of the yard. He no longer fought his Beta, but he looked ready to kill someone, a distinct improvement from the placid puppet. The unfamiliar Human in the yard drew Sadie’s attention despite her exhaustion. “Linda.”
“Yep.” The young woman smiled sweetly.
Sadie returned the sickeningly sweet smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Linda. Now that I have, you’ll never slip by me again.”
“Oh, I will. If I want to,” she challenged the Mage. Sadie saw something she didn’t like in the Human and frowned.
“No, you won’t. You screwed up. You’ll never get anywhere near us again without me knowing.”
“Don’t get your panties in a ruffle. I’m just having a little fun.” Linda defended herself, one arm tucked under her head as she smiled condescendingly.
“Fun?” Sadie replied, ignoring Billie for a moment. She pointed at the Montana Wolves “They came to save their packmate. Sierra wasn’t in danger, but they didn’t know that. I hold nothing against them. But you? You’re having fun. It doesn’t matter who’s getting hurt, who’s dead, or who’s collared because you’re having fun.” Linda glared, offended by Sadie’s remarks.
Stephen listened and pretended not to enjoy the accusations. He’d defend the Human if Sadie took it too far. None of Linda’s packmates rose to her defense, and Sadie’s packmates listened to her rant in obvious astonishment. They’d never heard her go off like that, and she hadn’t finished yet. “You’re a selfish brat who gets her kicks creating chaos. This cute wild child act may keep others from seeing the kind of person you really are, but you’re not fooling me.” The world began to spin and Sadie lost her balance. Billie caught her and steadied her.
You’ve made your point, love.
She has no conscience. She doesn’t care about any of them, Sadie insisted.
I know. But if you keep going you’ll offend her dad and packmates. “You’re exhausted. I’ll take you to bed.” Billie didn’t know how much longer her mate could stay awake.
“I want to sleep out here. Pack, remember?” Sadie insisted. Even her mindspeech began to slur with exhaustion. She’s as bad as any of the Mages I’ve gone up against, only without the power to coerce. She’d love to be able to do what I can do. But I’ll back off.
Billie didn’t reply. The young Human had hit a very tender nerve in her mate. She didn’t like Linda either, but the selfish brat was someone else’s problem. Kathryn gently touched Sadie’s arm, distracting the Beta from the mental conversation. “I believe your mate will be comfortable over here.”
They found a spot in the shade far away from Linda and the confused but uncollared Wolf. Billie lay with her mate, holding her protectively. Sadie’s head rested on Billie’s shoulder, and she pulled her knees close to her chest. Her hands trembled with spent magepower and another death on her conscience. I’m sorry you had to go through this again. I should have gone with you.
I didn’t worry about Sierra with you here, Sadie countered sleepily. Billie kissed her mate’s cheek and met Matthew’s eyes appreciatively from across the yard.
Kathryn joined them, curling in wolf form beside her friend. Her small black head rested on Sadie’s hip as she used the Sending gift. Amy, Nathan, Phil, and Sierra quickly shifted into wolf form and surroun
ded her with fur, the brace abandoned in the grass nearby. Sadie drifted off to sleep quickly and slept deeply.
Only a few of the Boise Wolves remained in human form. The doggie pile around Sadie didn’t surprise them. Wolves sometimes comforted a distressed or injured packmate this way. It astonished the visitors to see the intimate gesture offered to a Mage, their own packmate adding to the pile of fur.
Matthew and Stephen ensured the temporary allegiance held while the Alphas met with the strange Wolf. No one challenged the truce, and light conversation littered the yard. One of the Montana Wolves requested food for Bran. Richard, remembering the nearly empty refrigerator, called Isabel. It had been a long morning without a meal.
Billie’s packmates automatically took over her duties so she could care for her mate. The break also gave her a chance to consider the strange Wolf’s arrival. She’d wondered many times if the Wolf who bit her was collared. As she came to know other Wolves, she realized how strange he’d behaved, but she never found him.
The Wolf who bit her was collared to Sadie’s family. It had never crossed her mind that her mate’s family had a hand in her becoming Wolf. She could accept some coincidences in life, but not this many.
Jason opened the back door and called to his Beta quietly. “Is she asleep?” Billie nodded. “Come inside. Amy, Kathryn, and Matthew too.” He drew the other Beta’s attention, giving a similar but less commanding order. Nathan whined in complaint, and Amy licked his face reassuringly. She showed her confidence that the Alpha and Beta would protect her from the dangerous Wolf inside. Nathan let her go, and she trotted into the house a few steps behind Kathryn.
Billie disentangled herself from Sadie, careful not to wake the sleeping woman. She grabbed Nathan’s nose playfully as she stood. “I’ll take care of your mate; you take care of mine.” He agreed, settling his chin on Sadie’s shoulder. Leaving her mate in her packmates’ care, she crossed the yard with long strides. By the time she reached the back door, she felt prepared to meet the Wolf who’d haunted her dreams.
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