“And see, that’s your problem.” He turned his radiant smile on his own pack and winked at them. “An Alpha who is appointed is unlikely to be up to the job unless they fight for it. If nothing else, a real challenge will prove they are.”
He nodded at his pack mates and then walked down the aisle of the meeting room, pausing at the door.
“See you in a few weeks.”
And with that, he left, and his pack mates filed out after him.
For a moment, no one dared to move or speak. And then chaos exploded again, with everyone shouting and yelling. But the people they wanted to argue with were gone, and we heard their SUVs drive away.
Back home, several hours and a bag of fast food later, Raff sat on the sofa, looking despondent. The television was on, and it played an infomercial for some kind of all-in-one food cooker. On the screen, a man feigned amazement as the device browned a whole chicken. Raff’s eyes were glazed over.
“If you’re still hungry, I can cook that pizza,” I said.
“Nah,” Raff said, shaking himself and reaching for the remote to turn the TV off.
“Hey, I wanted to see if they could really bake a cake in that thing,” I said.
Raff glared.
“What did the insurance company say?” I asked, to change the subject.
Honestly, I wanted to talk about anything and everything besides our pack falling apart. I mean, I’d been a member for less than six weeks, and it was imploding. That was why I didn’t join things.
“Which one? The car insurance or the house insurance, who by the way wants to know how the fire started. What do I even tell them? At the least the car accident was… you know… an accident. At least as far as they’re concerned.”
He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. I made a face.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out.”
I nodded. I had no doubt that he would. I also knew he was relieved the fire damage was pretty minimal and mostly on the exterior. It could have been a heck of a lot worse, if my last house was anything to go by.
“They really wanted us dead,” I said, flopping down on the sofa beside him.
“Yeah,” Raff said, but he sounded distracted.
I studied his face. He had a tiny dusting of stubble and small, almost unnoticeable circles under his eyes.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
I knew he wasn’t. I sure as heck wasn’t.
Raff looked me dead in the eyes. “I’m going to challenge Sasha to be the new pack Alpha.”
I blinked. I hadn’t expected that.
“You are?”
He nodded. “I’m a little young, but I’m a good leader, and I have what it takes to fight Levi. I won’t have to fight Sasha, but someone’s got to fight him, and I’m the best candidate.”
“You are,” I said and meant it wholeheartedly.
Miles and Zara were both physically strong, but Raff loved being a werewolf more than anyone I’d ever met. He’d become one on purpose. He was smart, resourceful, and willing to do whatever it took to protect our pack.
“You’ll make a great Alpha.”
Raff grinned, the first real expression he’d had in hours. “Thanks, Charlie. That means a lot coming from you.”
“It’s true.”
And it was. Fighting Levi would be hard—the guy was strong and clearly unafraid to fight anyone—but Raff wouldn’t go down easy.
“If anyone can beat Levi, it’s you.”
“Darn right,” he said with a wink. “I should up my workout routine, though, make sure I’m in top shape. Which means I should hit the hay and start early tomorrow.” He stood. “Good night.”
“Night,” I said.
He headed upstairs to bed. Exhausted, I did the same.
But I couldn’t sleep. I kept staring at the book on top of my dresser. It was time to face up to what I’d done and return it. I got dressed and slipped out of the house as quietly as possible.
Chapter 25
I stood outside Ellianne’s building, my jacket zipped to my throat and a black glittery scarf around my neck to keep out the cold. Unfortunately, it did nothing to ward off the cold sick feeling inside me as I stared up at the faerie’s penthouse.
I told myself I was just there to return a book. How bad it could be? But then, Ellianne was some form of winter faerie. She had powerful magic at her disposal and a penchant for making sure things were “even.” Taking a book outside the terms of our bargain had violated that agreement and meant she could insist on any payment she wanted in order to even the score. If she didn’t just turn me into an ice sculpture or something.
I swallowed, my mouth dry, and headed for the building’s door.
The first time I’d approached Ellianne’s place, I’d felt trepidation, mostly that she would deny me access to her library and turn me away. I’d always been cautious around her, because the fae are known for striking cleverly worded bargains with loopholes as big as the moon.
But I had never been afraid of her.
Not until tonight.
I shivered when I arrived on her floor. The chill from her apartment spilled out into the hall. My hair stood on end. I forced myself to knock. I’d come too far to chicken out now.
A moment later, Ellianne appeared. Her silver hair was up in messy buns and her cold eyes hardened when she realized who I was. She was inhumanly beautiful with glitter in her long lashes that might have been tiny ice particles. Her lips were blue.
“Good evening,” I said as cheerfully as I could manage.
“Hello,” she said.
Despite her cool expression, she didn’t seem mad. That was good.
The book burned a hole in my purse. Did she know I had it? She must have noticed it was missing. But if she hadn’t, maybe I could return it without her ever knowing, slip into her library and put it back where I’d found it.
“Come to use my library?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said immediately, as hope flared that a confrontation might be avoided.
“I see. What do you have to offer?”
I froze. I had nothing. That was the problem.
“What do you want?” I asked.
She folded her arms across her chest. She wore a silver gown that could have been a nightgown but wouldn’t have looked out of place at a charity gala, either.
“For starters, I’d like you to return the book that you stole.”
My blood went cold. Darn. She had noticed.
“I didn’t steal anything,” I said quickly. Her eyes narrowed. “I merely borrowed this tome.”
I pulled it out and extended it out to her. She snatched it up as if it were too precious to be soiled by human fingers for a second longer.
“That was not part of our arrangement. You had the use of my library until dawn the next day.”
I was ready for that. “And I left your library before dawn. You never said I couldn’t borrow anything to use outside the library.”
Ellianne opened her mouth and then closed it. This was a cheap—and not entirely fair—interpretation of the bargain she and I had struck, and she knew it. But she hadn’t explicitly specified that. She considered for a long moment before finally opening her mouth again.
“You are wily, mortal.”
“I’ve been called worse,” I said.
She smiled tightly. “I will forgive the borrowing of this book in exchange for a higher payment.”
My stomach twisted. That had been exactly what I expected, and yet I feared what she’d consider worthy compensation.
“What kind of payment?”
“I have your blood and bone.” (She had one of my baby teeth.) “So I shall require a favor of my choosing at the time I deem necessary to call it in.”
Ice slid down my spine, and it wasn’t just from the frozen air wafting out of her apartment. I didn’t know what to say. I’d been ready to go on a quest for elf blood or shifter hair or something, but an unspecified favor was a huge ask.
Her smile widened. She knew she had me. She’d never asked for a favor before because she knew it was a massive price to pay, too open-ended and dangerous to offer in exchange for the use of her books. Under any other circumstance, I’d never have agreed.
But now she was asking for payment owed, and I didn’t really have a choice.
I steeled myself, heart racing. This could be very bad. I had to cover my bases when I agreed, or she could make me march into faerie and spend the rest of my life picking berries or who even knew what else.
“What kind of favor?” I hedged.
“It will depend on what I need from you at the time that I need it.” She met my eyes. Hers were icy and hard. “This is what I require in order to repay your thievery.”
I bristled. “It’s not thievery. I returned the book.”
Ellianne merely stared at me. I was just stalling, and she knew it.
“I won’t kill anyone,” I said, blood thrumming in my ears.
She nodded. “But you agree to do a favor at my request as long as it’s not murder?”
I knew that was still too open-ended. She could ask me to do almost anything. But I’d taken the book, and now I had to pay for that choice. Whatever the cost.
“Okay,” I said, my mouth dry.
There was a wicked gleam in her eye. “Say you agree, and our bargain will be struck.”
I swallowed. My tongue felt thick. My heart pounded. I didn’t want to say the words. I had to say the words.
“I agree.”
A tingling sensation prickled over my whole body, starting at my chest and radiating out down my arms and legs. In its wake, a cold seeped into my bones and settled there. The icy feeling hit my lungs, and I exhaled a cold puff of air. Then the cold evaporated, leaving only a strange sensation in my veins, like something had been taken out of me and I didn’t know what.
“What was that?” I asked, terrified.
“You entered into a faerie bargain,” Ellianne said plainly, waving her hand as if to dismiss the question.
I blinked. My eyes still felt frozen and dry. “What? We’ve entered into lots of bargains, and that’s never happened before.”
Ellianne’s smile was tight and cold. “No, Charlotte the Wolf, we have entered into agreements. Arrangements. This is the first bargain. You have promised to do me a favor, and now you are bound to do so when I request it of you. Have a good night.”
She shut the door in my face. And I was left to stand there in the frigid hallway and wonder what the heck I’d just gotten myself into.
*
Thank you for reading! Charlie’s adventures as a werewolf will continue in Moon Bound. Pre-order coming soon!
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About the Author
Tori Centanni is a nerd girl and recovering goth who lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest. When she’s not writing or reading through her never-ending book pile, she spends her time watching competition reality shows and wrangling cats.
toricentanni.com
Also by Tori Centanni
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Wicked Moon (The Reluctant Werewolf Chronicles Book 2) Page 17