Wolf Mate (Wolves of New York #4)

by Bella Jacobs

  Willow

  We eat our two-hundred-dollar steak and lobster dinners on the floor in front of the windows, soaking in the view and each other, playfully fighting over the contents of the breadbasket, though I can tell Maxim doesn’t find the pretzel bread nearly as fascinating as I do.

  Just before we transition to dessert—dark chocolate mousse with some promising looking whipped cream that has me rethinking my steak juice plans—there’s a knock on the door.

  “I’ll get it,” I say, but Maxim motions for me to stay where I am.

  “No, let me. Just in case.” He stands and strides across the room, fetching the deceptively playful-looking yellow plastic gun on his way to the door.

  But I felt the heft of the thing and saw the bullets Maxim loaded into the chamber. It’s a real weapon and seeing him tuck it discreetly into the pocket of his robe is a reminder that this isn’t a romantic getaway.

  This is a brief respite from the real world, a protective bubble that could pop at any moment.

  “Thank you,” I hear Maxim murmur in his normal, relaxed “talking to customer service people” voice.

  Some of the tension eases from my shoulders.

  He walks back into the room carrying two massive bags from a luxury department store known for their six-figure evening gowns, and I arch a brow. “You decided on obscenely expensive jeans and sweaters, I see.”

  “I did,” he says, setting the bags on the couch and beginning to unpack them. “I need to see your ass in some quality denim.”

  “And your spoiled skin is traumatized after a day spent in ill-fitting hand me downs?” I stretch my legs out, pointing my toes. “You know some of us look just fine in fashion from Target.”

  He casts a narrow-eyed glance over his shoulder. “Do you want me to send your clothes back, then?” He pulls a cream-colored, cowl-necked sweater that looks soft enough to swaddle angel babies in it from the bag. “I can do that. No problem at all.”

  I bounce to my feet. “Nah, that’s okay.”

  “Really, I don’t mind.” He holds the sweater up, out of my reach. “I wouldn’t want to pressure you into fashion choices that don’t—”

  “Just give me the pretty softie and no one gets hurt,” I cut in, moaning as the sweater drops into my hands. “Oh my god, it’s even softer than it looks.” I press it to my cheek. “I want to sleep with it. Like my blankie when I was a kid.”

  Maxim grins as he reaches down to squeeze my ass. “Wear it a few times first. The color is perfect with your hair.” He kisses my forehead before motioning toward the still mostly-full bag. “Everything in there is for you. I’ll get dressed in the bedroom and you can have the bathroom. There’s make-up and perfume in the bag, as well, but no pressure to use it. You look and smell delicious, just as you are.”

  I tilt my head back with a sigh. “You certainly have changed your tune. When we met, you thought I was a disaster.”

  “I thought you looked like a half-drowned rat. I was very stupid.”

  “Agreed,” I say, accepting the kiss he drops on my lips. “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.”

  “Me, too,” he murmurs against my mouth, kissing me again. “Now go get dressed, woman.”

  “But I have steak juice plans,” I say, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Shouldn’t we take care of that before we get dressed? Wouldn’t want all that lovely juice to go to waste.”

  Before he can answer, the burner phone he bought at the pharmacy in Grand Central rings on the table beside the couch. We both sober and Maxim hurries to retrieve the phone.

  Only a handful of people have the number and all of them are allies who shouldn’t be kept waiting.

  Maxim glances at the screen, his jaw clenching as he says, “It’s Dara.”

  I bite my lip and lift crossed fingers. This call should tell us whether or not it’s relatively safe for us to return to our people. If it is, our future just got a whole lot brighter.

  If it’s not…

  I cross my fingers even harder, not wanting to imagine that dark version of the world just yet.

  “Hello,” Maxim says, the tension in his features easing almost instantly as excited chatter sounds from the other end of the line. I can’t hear what Dara’s saying, but she’s obviously thrilled to be back in touch with her Alpha.

  Maxim briefly explains where we’ve both been and what’s happened to Diana before treading into a few careful questions about his father. And the advisory council. And finally, Cam.

  If Dara thinks any of the questions are strange, she doesn’t let on. Her tone remains helpful, upbeat, and concerned, until Maxim asks about Hermione. Dara hesitates and her volume drops until I have to strain to hear the faint drone of her words. Instantly, I know she’s delivering bad news and that it has something to do with me.

  Maxim’s eyes jerk to mine, widening slightly before he regains control and looks away.

  But it’s too late.

  I already know something has gone terribly wrong.

  I can barely force myself to wait until he ends the call with Dara before I blurt out, “What happened? Is Hermione hurt? Did my sister do it? Just tell me, fast. Like ripping off a Bandaid.”

  “Hermione is fine,” Maxim assures me before amending, “She isn’t hurt. But Dara says she’s been acting strangely. More distant than usual. And that she said something last night at the pack meeting about considering other options if I don’t return and hard choices have to be made.”

  “Other options like Bane and Kelley?” I ask, my stomach cramping, making me wish I’d stopped with one piece of pretzel bread.

  Maxim shakes his head. “No. Kelley. Just Kelley. As queen.”

  My eyes widen and my breath rushes out, but I’m not really surprised. Maybe this was always her plan or maybe she shifted course after I ran away. Either way, deep down I always knew my sister would rather be on the throne than working behind the scenes.

  “But as far as I could tell,” Maxim continues, “no one there seems to realize that Bane is dead. They’re still thinking they’ll have to fight him to put Kelley in charge. And Dara said most people seemed pretty shocked by Hermione’s suggestion, even if it was couched in worst case scenario thinking.”

  I curse. “Which means Cam could be responsible. He might have been loyal to Kelley, all along. Unless you think Hermione would turn on you of her own free will.”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t think so. Not to support a stranger. But if Cam made her forget all the good things I’ve done and remember only the bad…” He sighs. “Then, yes, I could see her supporting someone like who Kelley appears to be well-intentioned on the surface.”

  “Which means all the bad stuff is still in motion.” I pace away from the couch, dragging fingers through my still damp hair. “I have to talk to Kelley. At least try to make peace before this goes any further.”

  “I agree, but…” He trails off, the wariness in his eyes making it clear whatever he’s thinking isn’t something I want to hear.

  “Just tell me,” I say. “We’re a team now, right? That means we’re honest with each other, even when it’s hard.”

  Maxim pulls in a breath, holding it for a beat before he nods. “All right. What about your mother and father? Are we sure Kelley hasn’t already gotten to them, too? She seems to have quite a network and is way ahead of us when it comes to strategy.”

  I shake my head, earning a challenging look from Maxim. “No. No way,” I insist. “She hasn’t spoken to them in years and has no idea where they went when they ran. When we were talking at the camp, she hinted that she’d like to reach out to them, but I didn’t tell her anything. My gut kept insisting something was off with her, even before I found you.”

  I pace faster, back and forth across the thick carpet as my mental wheels turn. “And Mom and Dad wouldn’t side with her. They know better. Kelley talks a great game, but we’re her family. We see through her in ways other people don’t. My parents would be able to tell tha
t she’s gone off the deep end.”

  I press my lips together, brow furrowing as I add, “Though honestly, I can hardly blame her, Maxim. Bane was so awful to her. Just relentlessly, psychotically abusive. She’s probably so traumatized she’s not thinking straight. If I can just get her on the phone or even better a video call, where she can see my face, I might be able to get through to her. Especially if I explain our plans to check your power as Alpha and that it was all your idea. She’ll see that you’re not like your brother and that there’s no reason for me to become a dark queen who feeds on your life force.”

  “All right,” Maxim says. “First order of business after we shut down Cam and restore lost memories, we get you on the phone with Kelley.”

  “You don’t sound hopeful,” I say.

  “I’m not, but it’s worth trying. If there’s any path out of this that doesn’t involve all-out war and bloodshed, I want to find it.”

  I nod. “Me, too. I don’t want our people to die. Or their people. They’re not all bad. A lot of them have just been manipulated and deceived by a very talented liar.”

  “Two very talented liars,” he corrects.

  “But now there’s only one of them left and Kelley isn’t crazy or a monster. There’s a chance we can reach her, Maxim. I believe that.”

  And I do.

  But an hour later, as Maxim and I leave the hotel dressed in our fancy clothes and order a car service to take us to a pre-arranged location to pick up my parents, who have just touched down at a private airfield outside the city, I can’t help feeling like I’ve missed something.

  My gut insists I’m overlooking a vital piece of information, a piece of the puzzle that could doom our efforts before we even get started.

  But no matter how I rack my brain, I can’t put my finger on it.

  It isn’t until my parents emerge from the back of a limo behind a Bubba’s BBQ not far from the highway and rush to embrace me, happy tears in their eyes, that the light dawns.

  My mother has kept her pack gift a secret from almost everyone—including my father.

  My sweet dad has no idea his wife of forty years has been lying to him for nearly half a century. I’m either on the verge of dealing a serious blow to my parents’ marriage or watching my mother deny that she has the power to help save the world.

  Either way, this reunion just got a hell of a lot more complicated.

  Chapter Nine

  Diana

  I dream of water cool on my lips and lunge forward on instinct, pressing my mouth against the edge of the glass. It tips forward and I guzzle thirstily at the sweet, mineral-tasting liquid.

  But I’ve barely begun to slake the thirst turning my throat into a barren wasteland when the glass is suddenly pulled away.

  Lids flying open, I try to reach for the water and realize two things simultaneously—one, this isn’t a dream. And two, my hands are bound and the man looming over me with a now empty glass of water is probably the one who bound them.

  Narrowing my eyes, I jerk at the ropes looped around my wrists. “Let me go. Now.”

  “I will,” he says in a deep, rumbly voice. “But we need to talk, and I didn’t want to waste time fighting you. Or chasing you down if you tried to run again.”

  “Fuck talking. I’m not talking until I’m not a prisoner.” I’m tied to a bed in the corner of a dimly lit cabin, propped up in a seated position against two very soft pillows. I appear to be unharmed, but I don’t trust this guy, even if he does look weirdly familiar.

  Familiar…

  The man’s words before I passed out echo in my head and I ask, “How do you know Jacob?”

  “He’s my brother,” the guy says, making me snort.

  “Jacob doesn’t have a brother. He’s an only child.”

  Something that looks like pain flashes behind the man’s eyes, but it’s gone by the time he says, “That may be what he was told, but it isn’t the truth. Our pride has an arrangement with a local coven. They provide our compound with spells that protect and conceal it from our enemies. In exchange, once a generation, our Alpha sends them a child to raise as a familiar.”

  “I don’t buy it,” I say. “I’ve met Jacob’s dad. He would never have agreed to that.”

  “He didn’t have a choice,” the man says. “Without magical protection our pride would have been destroyed decades ago. We’re outgunned, outnumbered, and other shifters have always felt entitled to take what’s ours.” His full lips press into a judgmental line. “Especially wolves.”

  I bite back the retort on the tip of my tongue. I’m not a fan of being tied up, but I’m not a fan of the way most wolf packs currently operate, either. “If that’s the truth, then I’m sorry. A lot of wolf packs suck, but that doesn’t justify holding me prisoner. I have to go. I have to get back to my pack before my brother destroys the world.”

  “I’m not holding you prisoner,” he says. “I’m protecting you, and I’m prepared to untie you as soon as you agree to my terms.”

  I scowl up at him, hating how much his eyes remind me of Jacob’s. I can’t think about Jacob—or what has probably happened to him since I left the camp—or I’ll fall to pieces and be of no use to anyone.

  “That’s not how being friends works, friend,” I seethe. “I’m assuming you want to be friends, right? Since you gave me water and are sharing your life story with me and stuff? And you apparently know Jacob and I were—are dating.”

  The slip of the tongue makes the back of my eyes sting, but I shove the wave of emotion away, and concentrate on glaring holes into my captor’s skull.

  But he’s no dummy and my quick word swap clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed. His gaze softens even as worry tightens his features. “They won’t kill him. Beat him, maybe, but he’s too valuable to kill. At least not yet.”

  I try to swallow, but the lump forming in my throat is too big. “You don’t understand. I ran away from the camp. When my brother finds out, he’ll want to punish me and Jacob’s the best way to do that. Bane’s crazy, he won’t care that he needs soldiers to fight his war or—”

  “Bane’s dead,” the man cuts in, making my jaw drop.

  “Wh-what?” I finally stammer.

  “He’s dead. They brought his body back to the camp early this morning.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I have my ways. And my spies,” he says vaguely. “And a little magic of my own. You don’t grow up around witches without learning a thing or two.”

  I exhale, relief making my arms tremble at my sides. “So, Jacob’s okay? He’s still alive?”

  “For now,” he says, not looking nearly as hopeful about Jacob’s future. “But the spell they’re planning to work with that sword tonight is pitch black magic. Even if they manage to pull it off, it’s a tripod, an unbalanced spell. It will need to be shored up with additional sacrifices.”

  I shake my head. “No, they can’t do the spell. Willow and Maxim escaped. I heard Bane talking before I ran. That’s why he was beating Kelley. I…I thought he was going to kill her.”

  “He didn’t,” the man says bluntly. “She’s planning to bind herself to the Orphan’s sword tonight. Tomorrow, they’ll start picking off virgins from their ranks to keep the baby in her belly alive.”

  The water in my empty stomach churns and acid rises in my throat. “What?”

  “Virgin sacrifice. It’s a thing, a big thing, and the witches down there on Kelley’s side know it. They’ve paid close attention during recruiting, working binding spells on the virgins to keep them close.” He heaves a tired sigh as he sets the empty glass on a small wooden dining table behind him. “I kept hoping you and Jacob would go ahead and act like normal teenagers and take care of the problem, at least for my brother, but…” He motions toward me. “You’re still a virgin, so I’m assuming he is, too.”

  “How the hell would you know?” I demand, the acid in my throat climbing higher. “Did you do something to me while I was passed out? Did you—”


  “I didn’t do anything,” he cuts in. “I’m not a bad guy, Diana. I’m on your side in case that isn’t clear by now.”

  “Nothing is clear. All I know is that I’m tied up and you’re telling me you know I’m a virgin and—”

  “Your energy signature. That’s all. I would never…” His gaze lifts uncomfortably to the ceiling. “I wouldn’t do that to anyone. Ever. But especially not my brother’s girlfriend. I’m just trying to keep you safe. I’ll untie you right now as long as you promise to stay here and stay hidden, at least until tomorrow morning. I’m going to the camp tonight to try to stop the spell before it’s too late, but it isn’t safe for you to come with me.”

  “I can’t stay here,” I insist. “I have to go home and get help. Just point me toward the nearest town where I can find a phone and maybe a bus station.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t let you do that,” he says. “It’s too dangerous. I sent my birds to scan the woods. Kelley has three teams out searching for you. It’s a miracle you weren’t captured before. But I’ve destroyed the trail you left leading up to the cabin and I have shielding wards in place. You’ll be safe here as long as—”

  “I’m not staying here,” I say, raising my voice. “That’s not fucking happening. I’m either going to get help or I’m coming with you to free Jacob. Those are the two choices.”

  His gaze narrows, making the golden flecks in his eyes seem to sparkle even brighter. “I realize you’re accustomed to getting your way, but you aren’t in charge here. And you’re in no shape to help Jacob. You could barely walk a few hours ago. If you came with me, you’d be a liability, not an asset.”

  “All I need is some food and the chance to shift, and I’ll be ready to go,” I say. “I’m stronger than I look, I swear. And I’m not trying to ‘get my way,’ I’m trying to save my boyfriend’s life.”

  “Jacob wouldn’t want you to put yourself at risk,” he says, “especially if he knew what’s about to happen to every virgin in that camp.” I start to protest, but he cuts me off in a sharp voice, “They won’t just kill you, Diana. They’ll do it slowly. They’ll cut off pieces of you while you’re still alive and let you smell them cooking. The queen will need to eat almost constantly at first to keep the baby inside her viable and she won’t be eating pigs or chickens.”