“Dawn.” Mitchell’s deep voice slid over her skin, and her wolf stood up, wanting more. Her nipples hardened, and she had to press her legs together just from one word. This man was dangerous for her, and they both knew it.
“Mitchell,” she said roughly and then cleared her throat. “Hi, Walker.”
Walker looked between the two of them for a moment before giving her a nod. “Dawn,” he drawled. The man drawled really well considering he was from up north like the rest of them.
She cleared her throat when her friends stared at her, waiting for introductions. Crap. Mitchell was not good for her brain. “This is Cheyenne, Dhani, and Aimee. They’re my friends that were with me yesterday. I’m going to show them around the den.”
“Nice to meet you,” Mitchell said, though she didn’t hear much emotion in it. She rarely heard or felt emotion from the man though, unless he’d just pulled his lips away from hers.
Walker didn’t answer except to nod, but he had his eyes on Aimee, his gaze unblinking. He studied her friend enough that Dawn shifted from foot to foot, trying to get his attention. He must have realized he was staring because he shook his head and rolled his shoulders back.
The odd thing was, however, that Aimee stared, as well.
Okay, then.
“Have you been through wards before?” Mitchell asked the others.
When they shook their heads, Dawn cut in. “That’s why I’m out here. I figured I’d help them through just in case.”
“It won’t hurt, will it?” Dhani asked, eyeing the space in front of her dubiously. Humans couldn’t see the wards, but unlike before the Unveiling, they could see inside to the trees and homes that made up her den.
Situated between two cliff faces, the Central den wasn’t all that big. They only had a small area of land that they’d claimed for themselves once they left the Centrals. It bumped up against a large swatch of land that used to be the first Central den. Gone were the homes and buildings that had housed the original wolves that used to live there. When the war ended, and the demon that came to Earth was sent back to Hell, everything had been razed in a fit of magic. At least, that’s what others told her.
Now, the small den they lived in sat between the Redwood and Talon dens at the top corner of their territories. Her people didn’t have much, but they had each other, and the beauty that was their den. Her favorite part was the tall waterfall that poured water into their river that circled part of the den. It was gorgeous with its powerful pull and tall, red, rocky edges showcased between the trees far older than she and her family. It spoke of true magic and the power of the earth.
“It shouldn’t,” Mitchell answered finally, and Dawn pulled herself out of her thoughts. She hadn’t meant to go off on a tangent in her head, but she was proud of what her Pack had now, and she wanted to show her friends where she came from.
“Shouldn’t?” Dhani asked dryly. “That doesn’t sound very reassuring.”
“It’s magic,” Walker answered. “We can’t predict how it will affect everyone since we don’t know exactly what ties each person has to magic itself. All of you should be fine since you’re human, but for all we know, there was a witch in your family generations ago, and you could end up feeling a slight tug or a push as you walk through.”
“All I feel when I go through these particular wards is a pull and tug at my wolf,” Dawn put in. “It’s almost as if it’s telling me that I’m home but at a base level. And our wards aren’t as strong as the Talons, so these are probably pretty good wards to start with.”
“I have so many questions,” Cheyenne muttered. “But I’ll wait until later before I go through the bullet points.”
Dawn shook her head and laughed. “Okay, then. Let’s do this. Ready?”
Her friends eyed the space in front of them and nodded one by one. Mitchell went to one side of them while Dawn stood on the other. Walker, a Healer in truth and nature, stood behind them as if ready to catch anyone if they fell.
“It’s really not that scary,” Dawn said after a moment of silence. “I promise.”
“Well, come on in girls, let’s see what kind of magic we have,” Dhani said with a laugh, and the three of them took a step forward.
The wards weren’t all that thick, so it should have only taken a step. Dawn was through in an instant and turned to see Dhani clutching her head and Cheyenne staring at her friend in confusion. Aimee, however, lay against Walker’s chest, her face pale and sweaty. Mitchell cursed under his breath and went to help, but then stopped suddenly and looked over his shoulder.
“What?” she asked, then the ground moved beneath her feet. People screamed, and she reached out to hold Dhani’s arm to steady the other woman. Dawn’s wolf rammed at her, scared and yet wanting to help others at the same time.
Large fissures split the ground, and a tree that stood a few stories high cracked at the base. The sound echoed through the area before the tree, older than her history, toppled to the ground in a deafening roar like thunder. The forest floor rolled and shook, and she fell to her knees, unable to keep her balance. The others did much the same, and soon, she found herself kneeling beside Cheyenne and Dhani with Mitchell on her other side, holding her by the hips as if to steady her. Walker and Aimee sat a few feet away, the Healer’s strong arms around her fragile friend as the earth quaked.
Had this been what her father saw? Was this what had been coming for them?
And just as quickly as it had arrived, the earthquake ended, and the world stood still again, silent, waiting.
Chapter Nine
Mitchell squeezed Dawn’s hips before letting her go, knowing he needed to keep his distance even though his wolf had to make sure she was okay.
An earthquake.
A fucking earthquake.
They weren’t uncommon in their area with the dormant volcanoes and fault lines near, but it had been a long while since he’d felt one of this magnitude. And he’d never been out of his den and away from his Pack when it had happened. The bonds that connected him to the others pulsated in fear and worry, but he didn’t feel any loss or grief. That was something at least, but his head couldn’t quite keep up since he was still holding Dawn in his arms and had no idea of the real damage within any of the dens or the area.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice almost a full growl. He’d have pushed back his wolf, but he knew it would only be a lost cause at this point. He’d been fighting his wolf for weeks now, and with the adrenaline currently coursing through his system, there was no way he’d be able to do that again.
She turned in his arms and sat up straight, nodding. “I think so.” Her gaze traveled over her arms and legs before turning to him. “You?”
He gave her a tight nod before leaping up to his feet. When he held out his hand, she took it readily and stood up next to him, ever the watchful wolf. She went to check on her friends while he went to Walker’s side. His cousin held Aimee in his arms, a frown on his face. Aimee, on the other hand, was trying to pull away from him, but Walker wouldn’t let go—very unlike his cousin.
“What’s wrong?” Mitchell asked, kneeling down beside them.
“I’m fine,” Aimee said, her voice stronger than he’d thought it would be considering she’d almost passed out going through the wards before the earthquake. “Go take care of the others. I just got a little lightheaded.”
“You couldn’t even stand before the earth moved beneath our feet,” Walker countered.
Aimee narrowed her eyes at Walker and pushed. The other man immediately let her go and sighed.
“You need to at least rest. Don’t overdo it.”
“I’m fine,” she repeated, and Mitchell just stared at them, confused. He didn’t stop to figure out what was going on between the pair, however; he didn’t have time to deal with it right then.
“Everyone good enough? Any injuries?” The others shook their heads, and each was standing on his or her own two feet, though they were all a little paler than
they had been before.
“I need to head to the Talons,” Walker said quickly, rubbing his hand over his chest. “There are a few injuries.” Mitchell’s heart sped, but before he could say anything, Walker continued. “Nothing too major, but I still need to go. Can you get back to the den on your own?” Mitchell nodded at the question. While he could go back with his cousin, they both knew that he might be needed here. Walker turned to Dawn. “I know you don’t have a Healer yet but—”
Dawn cut in and raised her hand. “Your people come first. And you know there are injuries while we don’t know anything at the moment.”
Walker gave her a tight nod, then looked at Aimee for one long moment before jogging back to his vehicle. Aimee stared after him a bit before turning back to the others as if suddenly realizing they were all staring. Again, though, Mitchell had more important things to worry about.
“That tree might not have been the only one to fall,” he began. “I’ll check out the rest of the area to see what kind of damage you have.”
“I’ll go with you,” Dawn put in.
“Me, too,” Cheyenne added. “I have a med bag in my SUV. Yes, before you ask, I am a vet, not a human doctor, but I still have a large first-aid kit for humans, as well. I like being prepared, and I can help with a lot more than anyone who’s not in any medical field.”
Mitchell nodded at Cheyenne’s brisk tone. “Good. We might need you.” She ran off to her SUV that was still in sight and got her bag, returning quickly. He turned to Dhani and Aimee. “What about you two?”
“We’ll go wherever you need us and stay out of the way if you don’t,” Dhani answered for them both. “But we have strong hands and are still standing. Just tell us where to go.”
Aimee nodded in agreement, and Mitchell blew out a breath. “Let’s go, then.” He started toward the den center, then veered off at the first shoulder, the four women by his side, ready to face whatever came at them.
The earthquake had taken down a few trees and split the earth in a few places. Gas lines had to be turned off while one of the water mains had to be fixed before it flooded a nearby home. Fractures had appeared in the outer walls of a few newer houses that the Pack was building, but Mitchell figured those wouldn’t be too hard to fix since some of them were still in the building stages anyway and had a team around to work on them.
Though not a human doctor, Cheyenne was a blessing to the Pack and helped them with cuts and bruises and even set one bone. Sure, she might have had an easier time if they’d been shifted into their wolf forms, but there were some lines of respect they didn’t cross—and treating a shifter like an animal was only one of them. Aimee and Dhani had helped clean things up, fed people, and comforted those who looked a bit shaken. The two of them didn’t have the medical skills their friend had or the physical strength of Dawn, but they hadn’t backed down or strayed for one moment. Dawn’s friend Sam had helped where he could, though he wasn’t as strong as some of the other wolves. Mitchell understood the man’s relationship with Dawn as one any pack member would have with someone of their Pack and liked that she had someone to lean on.
After a few hours, Cheyenne had finally taken the other women home, and that left Mitchell and Dawn alone while the rest of her family continued to clean up the mess from the earthquake.
Mitchell sighed and looked down at his phone, reading the texts his family had been sending him throughout the day. There had only been a few minor injuries with the Talons, but Walker needed to be there since one of the ones hurt had been a pregnant submissive wolf whose mate was out of the state on business.
“Everything okay at home?” Dawn asked.
“It will be,” he growled.
She stood by his side and wiped her hair from her forehead, spreading dirt along the way since both of them were covered in the stuff. Dawn had been right by his side throughout the day, cleaning up what she could and helping lift debris. He’d seen a strength in her that he hadn’t known she possessed, but from the way she reacted, he had a feeling this was the true Dawn. Of course, the one that rambled and acted awkward around him might also be the true Dawn. She was most likely an interesting mix of the two, and that made her all the more intriguing to his wolf.
He was beyond the point of fighting the idea of his attraction to her. When he’d seen her fall as the earth shook, his wolf had taken over, and he knew he couldn’t lose anyone else around him. He’d already lost his mate and had almost lost his brother and best friend just a few short months ago.
He wasn’t sure he could lose Dawn, as well.
And the fact that he felt like that worried him.
There was only one reason he would be feeling like this for someone he wasn’t bonded to, and that was something he didn’t want to think about.
Something he wasn’t sure he could ever say aloud.
Because while the idea of a wolf only having one mate in the world for them might be true in some cases, it wasn’t always that way. For each shifter, there were a few potential mates that they could meet in their lifetime. Yes, those potentials were fated mates, but that didn’t mean the human half was ready to fall in love and continue that journey. The couple—or triad—could walk away and not mate with one another if they so chose. He’d seen it happen a few times in his lifetime when the couple wasn’t suited in some sense, like when it came to their dominance and place in the Pack or the personalities of their human halves just didn’t fit. Other times, it was because one of the pair was in love with another, even though they weren’t mates. In those cases, a mating bond might form years later once the couple proved to their wolves that they were made for each other, but Mitchell had only heard of that happening once.
His wolf paced, and he tried not to let any of his thoughts show on his face. He hadn’t been in either of those situations, and his wolf hated him all the more for it.
He’d found his mate, the first potential he met, and bonded with her. They’d clinched their bond with his wolf when he marked her shoulder after they sealed their human halves by making love where he spilled his seed within her.
Heather was the only potential mate he’d ever met because once the mating bond took hold, his wolf didn’t recognize anyone else. That was how fate worked even if it took free will to enact it.
But Mitchell had a feeling he’d met his second potential mate because he didn’t have a bond anymore to Heather. That had broken when she took her last breath, tearing through him and fracturing his soul in the process. He wasn’t fully sure, however, because ever since the paranormal world had changed with the addition of human interaction and manmade magic, sensing one’s mate wasn’t as easy as it used to be for some people.
But Mitchell knew.
Dawn could be his mate.
He also knew he couldn’t do anything about it.
He was a fucking asshole, just like he’d made others believe.
“Mitchell?”
He shook himself out of his thoughts and looked down at Dawn. “Yes?”
“Are you okay? You looked lost in thought.”
If she only knew.
“I’m fine. You?” He turned and looked at her fully. She’d been solid and a symbol of strength throughout the day, but he could see the toll it had taken on her. The fact that she’d been afraid for her friends and people during the quake and then witnessing the aftereffects of destruction had pushed her to her limit. Her wolf had been in survival mode, driving her to care for everyone, and she’d neglected to take care of herself. And though Mitchell knew he couldn’t give in, he also couldn’t stand to see her shaking when she had no idea she was even doing it.
“I’m fine.” He’d have believed her if her teeth weren’t chattering as she said it.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he said after a moment, hoping he wasn’t making a monumental mistake.
“A walk?”
He took her hand and pulled her toward a grouping of trees that was still in the den but away from people. The others didn’t
need to see Dawn let go and show weakness. She might not be the future Alpha, but she was of his family, and someone that the others looked to. Yes, she was the youngest, but that didn’t mean much to wolves who led such long lives. She had an air about her that spoke of strength and that maternal dominance that drove her to care for people.
“Where are we going?” she asked. “And don’t you need to get back to the Talons? I’m sure they need you.”
“My family’s taking care of them.” He waved his phone with one hand as he still held her with his other. “If they need me, they’ll let me know, and I’ll be there. But right now, you need me.”
He wanted to bite off his tongue at that remark, and from the way she raised her brow at him, he knew he’d probably overstepped. Thankfully, they reached an area that had a small meadow of lush grass, which was concealed by large trees that strained against one another to reach for the sky. He’d spotted the area a few weeks ago when he and Cole went on a run, and he knew that it was secluded enough that Dawn could lose the shell she wore for others and break down if she needed.
“We’re alone now,” he whispered softly, bringing her to his chest. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this since it wasn’t fair to her, but his wolf needed to know she was close, and hell, she needed comfort, too. “You can let go.”
She shuddered in his hold, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I was so scared. We’re not that big of a Pack, and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost any of them. Everything could have been so much worse.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head. “But it wasn’t. And you and Cole did great today with them. You helped where needed and were a symbol of what your Pack could be.”
She blew out a breath, wiping her face while still in his arms. “I hate feeling weak.”
“You aren’t weak.”
“You say that, but you’re holding me because I need it.”
“You do. All wolves need touch. Comfort.”
“You never need to be held.”
He did, but he didn’t say that. Instead, he held her closer, letting the sounds of the forest wash over them as both of their wolves calmed down. At least, he hoped his wolf would calm down, but with her intoxicating scent wrapped around him like a tight glove, his wolf was on a new kind of edge—one where he wasn’t sure what he would do about it.
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