by Mary Lindsey
“Stop,” Charles ordered. “As leader of the Weaver family in charge of lupine primogeniture, I cannot let you leave.”
Freddie spun so quickly, even the chief’s eyes widened in surprise. “As Alpha of this pack, I cannot allow you to stay.”
Charles’s pale face flushed red all the way up to his hairline. “You dare tell me what to do, you pathetic little dog? You’re just like your father. He spouted this independence and liberation crap, too. Even with no tongue, he wouldn’t stay quiet.”
A hush came over the pack, and all color drained out of Charles’s face as he realized his blunder. “I acted in the best interest of the pack,” he said, scanning the room. “Those of you loyal to Klaus understand.”
Merrick crossed the room, stepping over Klaus’s body to stand with Freddie. Then Kurt, Ulrich, Thomas, Grant, and Petra followed, flanking her on either side. Rain’s heart soared as one by one, the pack moved to stand with Freddie, who remained stock-still, hands balled into fists at her sides, until none remained, leaving Charles Ericksen and his old-school philosophy totally alone on the other side.
“You killed my dad,” Freddie growled under her breath.
“The rules on this are crystal clear, Charles,” Chief Richter said from behind them. “A Weaver or Watcher may not take another life without authorization, under the penalty of death, unless in self-defense or in defense of the magic.”
“You’ve always been a staunch supporter of keeping the Watchers in their place, Wanda. You’ve been very vocal since Hans’s death.”
“I was waiting for you to misstep,” she said calmly. “To give me the evidence I needed to solve the murder. I knew you did it. I just couldn’t prove it.”
He shook his head. “I was defending the magic from being destroyed. From being taken from us. Liberating the Watchers would be disastrous. They cannot manage power of any kind. Especially her.” He pointed at Freddie.
With his wolf ears, Rain could hear Freddie’s rapid heartbeats and quick breaths.
She took several steps forward, stopping just short of Klaus’s body. Behind him, he smelled the aggression of the pack as they readied to defend her. “I don’t need to manage power, I am power. I’m the Alpha, asshole, and I’m your worst nightmare.”
Crouching to place her fingertips on the ground, she closed her eyes, and with his acute hearing, Rain made out the crackling of her bones stretching and contracting, right before she launched over Klaus’s body, turning full wolf by the time she reached Charles Ericksen.
For a moment, Rain was too stunned to move. She’d shifted despite the wards. She was also tearing into Charles’s face and would kill him if not stopped. He leaped, hitting her full body, knocking her off the screaming man. Once they were clear, he shifted to his human skin so he could reason with her.
Knowing she might be frenzied enough to attack him, Rain wrapped his arms and legs around the silver and white wolf, praying she’d listen. “Don’t do it,” he said in her ear. “You’ll get the death penalty for killing him.”
She growled and fought but didn’t bite him, which he found encouraging. Charles screamed in the background as Rain spoke in her ear. “Let the coven handle him. Your dad would want you to carry on his legacy. Your pack needs you.” He tightened his fingers in her hair. “I need you.” She relaxed in his grip, and he placed his mouth close to her ear. “Let’s make this a beginning, not an ending.”
Her form changed beneath his body, going from wolf to familiar hard muscles and curves, and it was clear that Rain’s wolf had worked miracles on his injuries because he felt no pain at all except an acute ache in the middle of his chest and an overpowering need to kiss her.
They were alive. The pack was safe.
“This isn’t over,” Charles slurred as Wanda Richter and Ulrich Burkhart pulled him to his feet. He looked like something out of a monster movie. Freddie had done a real number on his face—or what was left of it. “I’m only the tip of the iceberg. The revolution goes deep.”
Freddie rose to her feet. “Yeah, well, so does pack loyalty. And so does our commitment to protect and defend not only the Weavers in our community but our loved ones.” She slid her hand in Rain’s. “So bring that shit.” She made her way through her pack to the back door. They lowered their eyes in submission and offered promises of loyalty as she passed.
The moonlight on Freddie’s skin had an almost magical effect, causing Rain’s entire body to buzz. They were safe and alive. So were Freddie’s family and Ruby and Moth. His heart expanded to the point he thought it would bust out of his rib cage—with relief, with love, with pride. “You shifted in the warded room.”
Her grin was beautiful.
He grinned back. “You must have one kickass beast inside.”
“The Watchers have come to rely too much on the magic when sometimes it’s really mind over matter. You taught me that.” Freddie stopped outside her cabin door and picked a grape husk out of his hair, then ran her hand over his cheek. “You didn’t know the rules the first time you shifted. You hadn’t been frightened or brainwashed into believing you were limited, so you didn’t let it hold you back. Once you knew about the wards, you let it get to you.”
“But I also knew about the wine, and it didn’t work.”
“Because that was a Merlot we make for humans. Nothing magical about it, Sprinkles, except the shade of pink it stained your skin.” She laughed. “Uncle Ulrich is gonna be so pissed the batch is contaminated and will have to be trashed.”
He must have looked horrifying, covered in blood and wine and grape pulp, but she didn’t seem to mind as she pulled him in for a kiss that made him growl deep in his chest. She growled right back, and for the first time in his life, Rain felt complete. Nothing was missing. No regrets. Without his painful, lonely past, he wouldn’t have gotten to this point, held in the arms of someone who saw him for exactly who and what he was, and loved him anyway. With Freddie, anything was possible, he realized as he pulled her even closer, wishing he could somehow find the right words to tell her what she meant to him.
“You’re…” She ran her hands over his shoulders, clearly searching for words. “I…” Taking several deep breaths, she studied his face as if memorizing it, and his chest ratcheted tight around his heart. And then, as if she’d read his thoughts through his face somehow, she grinned and pulled him back for another kiss and he lost himself in her touch. Words weren’t necessary. She knew.
Epilogue
“So, how was school today?” Aunt Ruby asked, passing the plate of cookies to Rain and Freddie on the porch swing before settling back into her rocker.
“Great,” Freddie answered, grabbing a cookie.
Rain nudged Freddie’s thigh with his, recalling the hot moments in the janitor closet that got both of them a detention for being late to calculus…again. “Same as usual.”
Ruby took a bite of her cookie. “I got a text from Jeremiah’s…I mean Moth’s mom. He’s settling into school nicely, and she says he loves having his own room.”
He could still see the fear turn to joy on Moth’s face when his parents drove up to take him home. It had evidently been a while since they’d seen him, because his mom had remarked on how tall he was a billion times.
The swing creaked on its chains as it swayed, and Rain put his arm behind Freddie, wrapping her hair around his fingers. “Work at the station going okay?”
Ruby’s sunshine smile made him feel warmer. “Yes. Thomas Weigl is fantastic with car motors, and he fixed the door and replaced the burned-out lights. The chief says he’ll make a great cop after he graduates at the end of the month. Merrick is a master at filing. He does better one-handed than I do with two. Poor kid. I’m glad he’s not working dangerous machines at the winery anymore.” She leaned closer conspiratorially. “He’s been spending a lot of time after work at the library with your friend Petra.” She winked. “Might be something there.”
Merrick had been acting unusually goofy the last couple of weeks. Kurt had not
iced it, too. Maybe Ruby was right. Watchers and Weavers mixing it up was a huge taboo, so this should be interesting.
Kurt was learning the financial aspect of Haven Winery from Ulrich while his brother and cousin were at the police station. Rain leaned back and stretched, causing the swing to wobble. There hadn’t been a missing cow or chicken or cat since the boys had been put to work. Wanda Richter was one smart witch.
“Are you two going to stay for book club tonight? Grant and his mother will be here. He’s been such a help to her since his father was called away on business.” Aunt Ruby’s brow furrowed. “So odd, if you ask me.”
Grant had also been working hard with Freddie and Rain to iron things out between the Weavers and the Watchers. They liked Rain’s “outsider” viewpoint in the mix. The pack had rallied behind the collaboration so far. Freddie was an amazing leader. Alpha with a capital A, and Rain loved it.
He closed his eyes and listened to the crickets cranking up in the fields surrounding the neighborhood. “We’re going to skip book club tonight, if that’s okay. We’d like to go hang out at Enchanted Rock.”
“Good night for a hike,” she said, picking up the cookie plate to take it inside. “Gonna be a full moon, you know.”
I sure do. The screen door closed, and he stared up at the moon and his wolf stirred. “So, did you eat Mrs. Goff’s cookie?” he whispered in Freddie’s ear, intentionally brushing her with his lips, which caused her to shiver.
She placed her sneakers flat on the porch and stopped the swing. “You bet I did.” The look she gave heated him all the way through.
He pulled her to her feet, and she leaned into him in that way he loved. The way that made him feel whole and solid and complete.
“I’ll be back late, Aunt Ruby,” he called through the screen door. “Don’t wait up. See you in the morning. Love you.”
“Love you, too, Aaron. Y’all have fun.”
If Goff’s cookie was correct, she could count on it. “Wanna take the bike?” he asked.
Freddie tipped her face to the moon. “Nah. I need to run.”
The moonlight danced across her skin, making his breath catch and his chest ache. “I need more than that.”
“Down, boy.” Laughing, Freddie jumped off the porch and sprinted toward the garage. He followed, catching up with her before she made it to the back fence where they left their clothes piled under a bush. This time the shift didn’t hurt, not even a little bit, and as they ran through the night toward Enchanted Rock, one word tumbled over and over in Rain’s head: home.
About the Author
Mary Lindsey is an award-winning RITA nominated author of romance for adults and teens. She lives on an island in the middle of a river. Seriously, she does. When not writing, she wrangles her rowdy pack of three teens, two Cairn Terries, and one Husband.
Marylindsey.com
@MaryL_MarissaC
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, thank you to Liz Pelletier, who convinced me to write a story about teen shifters in the Texas Hill Country and made the process a blast.
Love and thanks to my agent, Kevan Lyon, and to Stacy Abrams, Melanie Smith, and the entire team at Entangled.
Leah Clifford, your input on those first fragile pages made them fierce. Thank you.
Chris Smith you’re always a rock when I need one—which is more often than I like to admit.
To my amazing family, Laine, Hannah, Emily, and Robert: you are champs. Not a day goes by that I’m not humbled and overwhelmed by your love.
And to my readers, from those new to me to those who have been with me since my first book, thank you.
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