by Alisa Woods
Marco growled in response. “We’re leaving.” He turned toward the elevators.
Jak rushed out, “Marco, wait.”
But he kept going, and Kalis was on his heels. The older one punched the elevator button then whirled on Jak as he approached. Both Marco and Kalis had their claws out and were snarling.
Jak put up his hands. He had maybe ten seconds before the elevator arrived. “Look, I would be suspicious, too. If I had a sister like Arianna, I’d tear apart anyone who looked sideways at her. But you have to believe me, I’m on your side with this.”
The snarling eased up, but only slightly. And their claws were still out.
Jak rushed the rest out. “I watched for six months as Mace kept her caged like an animal in that house of his. It tore me apart every single day. And then, one day, I actually got to spend time with her, and I realized… someone like Arianna was worth risking everything for. I couldn’t live with myself if I stood by while she slowly died—while everything good and beautiful about her withered away—all from being a dark alpha’s mate.”
Kalis was still giving him glares, but Marco’s claws had retracted into his hands.
His blue eyes, so like Arianna’s, were still squinted with suspicion. “What’s in it for you?”
Jak blinked, nonplussed for the moment. What was in it for him? Redemption for not saving his mother? A chance to be an alpha, a true protector? It was simpler even than that. “I’m in love with her.”
Marco’s gaze still drilled into him. “Is that so?”
He could understand the skepticism. In the same position, with a sister like Arianna, he’d more likely go fang to fang than trust any wolf claiming to love her. Jak stood straighter. “I left my pack, betrayed my alpha, and risked my life all to get Arianna free.”
Marco lifted one eyebrow. “So that was you? She said someone helped her.”
Jak choked as he realized: Arianna had already spoken to Marco. She must have called them after he took off. “Yes, that would be me. I fought four wolves and betrayed my alpha to break her free of the estate. And now I’m prepared to do whatever I have to in order to break her free of the mating bond.”
Marco’s face opened with surprise before he shut it down again with suspicion. He threw a glare at Circe. “Did you tell him?”
The witch, for her part, looked amused. “No.”
Marco leaned back, appraising Jak. He looked to his brother, the fresh-faced Kalis, and they exchanged a wordless conversation of pointed looks and head shakes. Jak didn’t understand what it was all about, but the tension was ramping down. And when the elevator dinged and opened, neither of them made a move to board it.
After the door closed again, Jak asked, “Tell me what?”
Marco’s lips were pressed tight, and Jak could tell he was debating whether to come clean about something. It was then that he saw how young these wolves really were. Arianna was twenty, but Marco was nearly the same age—maybe a year older or younger. Would he really be able to care for her after Jak was gone? But Marco’s and Kalis’s fierce loyalty to their sister, the risks they had already taken, contracting with Circe and the bounty hunters to get her back… Jak had to trust that once they were reunited, they wouldn’t ever risk losing her again.
Finally, Marco looked to Circe, who nodded her encouragement. To Jak, he said, “We contracted with the witches to get Arianna back, but I’m not an idiot. I knew that wouldn’t be enough. We’re just two wolves, hardly even a pack. Against the Reds, we’d have no chance of keeping her free. The bond had to be broken or her mate would keep hunting for her… until eventually, he would find her. And then things would be worse than before. Much worse.”
Jak nodded, relief washing through him. Marco may be young, but he understood what was at stake. “Arianna would never truly be free. Even if you went on the run, you’d always be looking over your shoulder. All of you. Because Mace isn’t just any mate—he’s a bastard dark alpha. He’ll tear through anything and anyone who stands between him and what he wants, and he really doesn’t care who he has to kill to do it. And Arianna deserves better than to have the specter of him haunting her. She shouldn’t have to go on the run for the rest of her life. And knowing Arianna, she’d never be able to live with that. She wouldn’t want to bring that risk to you.”
Marco looked surprised. “That sounds like something Ari would say.”
Jak smiled. Ari. It was a beautiful name, just like her. At the same time, it made his heart ache. He wasn’t going to get the chance to dream up his own nickname for her. “The things she’s been through with Mace… honestly, Marco, I’m not just in love with her. I’m kind of in awe of her. People like her—surviving the worst that life has to dole out, yet coming out as sweet and kind as she is, untouched by the darkness all around her—well, let’s just say, those are the kind of people worth fighting for. Worth dying for.”
Marco exchanged a glance with Kalis. “She needs someone like that looking after her.”
“She does.” Jak held Marco’s steady gaze, and he could see that internal debate raging again as they both studied each other.
After a moment, Marco gave a short nod. “The witch has a spell. It will draw out the essence of her mate from her blood.”
Jak glanced at the witch, who was keeping quiet. “I’m familiar with it.”
Marco tipped his head to Circe. “I contracted with the witch to break Arianna free, not just because she could find the bounty hunters to do the job… but because she could help me break the bond.”
Jak’s eyebrows hiked up on his forehead. “Wait… you were planning on doing the spell yourself?”
Marco held him with a steely gaze. “Yes.”
Jak hiked up one eyebrow and gave Circe a pointed look. “You know that spell will kill you, right?” This kid was either brave or stupid. Possibly both.
“Yes.” Marco swallowed. “The question is, who’s going to take care of her afterward? She would only have Kalis and our mother. But if you’re in love with her the way you say you are…” Marco tipped his head up to give Jak another skeptical look. “The question is, can I trust you to take care of my sister after I’m gone?”
Jak smiled, and the last of the tension drained out of him. This kid was definitely brave. And not at all stupid. Just like his sister. And clearly, he would do everything in his power to keep Arianna safe. He would protect her with his life. It was all Jak could ask for.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Jak said to him. “Because you’re not going to do the spell… I am.”
A sea of emotions warred across Marco’s face. Finally, he settled on a frown. “You said that before, that she was worth dying for. You really mean that, don’t you?”
“I do. I’m just really glad she has a brother who understands what it will take to protect her afterward.” Jak glanced to Circe. “That’s why I asked the witch to bring you here.”
Marco nodded, and Jak could see the uncertainty sweep away. “You had to be sure. About us.”
“I had to be sure.” Jak took a breath. “If you weren’t up to the task, I’d have taken her on the run rather than do the spell. I couldn’t risk stranding her, all alone, with no one to protect her. She could have fallen into even worse hands than Mace. But now that I know… well, that you’re here… I can do what needs to be done.”
Marco’s frown carved deeper. “You really do love her.”
“I do.” Jak gave him a tight smile. “You can’t tell her about any of this, Marco. Not until afterward. She’ll never go through with it.”
Marco’s eyes widened slightly, and he nodded. “No, she wouldn’t. I wasn’t going to tell her myself until… well, until it was too late to back out.”
Jak breathed a sigh of relief. “So you understand.”
Marco shook his head. “No, I don’t understand. Why are you doing this? I mean, she’s my sister. I’d do anything for her. But you… you’ve just met her. You can’t have known her for very long. Even if
you’re in love with her… it’s not that I don’t believe you. I’m just saying—I’m surprised.”
Jak dipped his head, then looked up. “My mother was a captive mate. Let’s just say I’ve been wanting a long time to right this particular kind of wrong.” He hesitated—it was clear that Marco was an alpha if there ever was one. The good kind. He could rise to this… already was, in fact. Jak shuffled forward and put a hand on Marco’s shoulder. He was talking to him brother-wolf to brother-wolf now. “I need your help in this, Marco. I need to know you’ll be smart about this. Even with the mating bond broken, you’ll need to move your whole family far away. So Mace won’t be tempted. You don’t know him like I do—he’s one vindictive asshole. You need to find Arianna a good, strong alpha for a mate. Someone worthy of her. Who can protect her. It shouldn’t be hard. She’s everything any alpha would want.” He paused, his heart breaking a little that he wouldn’t be that alpha. “All I need is to know that she’ll finally be safe. Can you promise me that?”
Marco’s eyes were wide, but he didn’t move away from Jak’s brotherly hold on his shoulder. “I promise.”
The kid was young, but Jak could tell this was a promise he would do everything in his power to keep. “And I need you to lie to her, just this once. Help me keep the secret of what the spell does until it’s too late to do anything about it. And then… afterward… she’s going to have a rough go of it for a while. But she’ll get over it.” He gave Marco a tight smile. “Like you said, she’s only known me for a little while.”
Marco nodded, still wide-eyed. “I won’t say a thing. You have my word.” Then, slowly, Marco lifted his hand and offered it to him. Jak took it, clasping him strongly, like a brother would.
“Good man,” Jak said, with a nod. “Now, I need to call Arianna. She’s not far away, and she’s probably going out of her mind, wondering what the hell happened to me and why I haven’t called.”
Marco gave a tiny smile. “Well, one thing you might not know about Ari is she’s not exactly the patient type. In fact, she’s on her way over.”
Jak arched up an eyebrow and laughed a little. “That’s right, she called you, didn’t she? I told her not to. Obviously that didn’t stop her.”
“Yeah, she doesn’t listen to me, either.” Marco smiled and released him from the handshake. “She did say she wanted me to meet the person who broke her free.” Marco dropped his gaze for a moment then met Jak’s stare. “I’m not sure I have the right words to thank you for this thing you’re doing for my sister.”
Jak smiled. “Hold up your end of the bargain, kid. That’s all I need.”
Marco gave a sharp nod. “You have my word.”
Jak glanced at the younger one, Kalis—he was all wide eyes, keeping quiet while listening in. It stabbed Jak a little that he wasn’t going to have the chance to get to know Arianna’s kid brother. But he looked like the kind who would be a comfort to her.
Circe, meanwhile, was downright misty-eyed. “Well, if this female wolf you all are so eager to die for is on her way, we might as well head out. No sense in bringing a mated female into the coven unnecessarily.” She tapped the elevator button to call it again.
Jak had no idea where she was planning on taking them. But wherever it was, he hoped it was a decent place to die.
Arianna’s nerves were stretched tight the entire short ride to the witches’ coven.
Sarra’s battered Jeep looked like it had been stolen from an army surplus depot—after a tour overseas—but it was rugged and roomy. She said she was out of the healer business now, but Arianna could easily picture the Jeep transporting more than one pack of broad-shouldered shifters. The shocks were shot, making the ride pretty bumpy, but it served to take them from Sarra’s down-and-out neighborhood to the sparkling towers of downtown Seattle. The address was for a place called Morgan Media, which sounded vaguely familiar. Mace didn’t talk much about work, but she knew that Red Wolf worked with lots of businesses in the area, both as clients and as partners. That was probably where she had heard it.
But if it was really a coven of witches… it suddenly clicked in Arianna’s head that Mace might have worked with the Morgan Media witches. He had a witch brought in when he was trying to mate with the Sparks pack female. And the Red pack had been involved with witches before—she seldom knew the details, but Mace often bragged about how the witches feared Red pack and not the other way around. Which she doubted was actually true.
But she suddenly worried about meeting her brothers there. If they were involved with the same witches as Mace and the Red pack… it just seemed a lot more risky for all of them to be there at the same time.
Arianna bit her lip as Sarra pulled into the parking garage. The Jeep lumbered into a spot barely large enough for it, and Sarra turned it off.
Arianna hesitated to leave the car.
Sarra frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m thinking that meeting at a witches’ coven might not be the most brilliant idea I’ve ever had.”
“Definitely not the safest move.” Sarra smirked. “It is kind of genius though.”
“I don’t know about that.” Arianna grimaced. “My mate might not be as hesitant to come here as I thought.”
Sarra heaved a sigh. “Okay. Then we get in, get your brothers, and get out. Yes?”
Arianna nodded her agreement.
They climbed out of the Jeep and crossed the parking garage’s concrete floor quickly. Before, her excitement about seeing her family again had overwhelmed everything. Now, an awful anxiety itched up her back. She wanted to get them as far away as possible from anything that might be related to Mace.
As she and Sarra took the elevator up to the lobby, Arianna tried to settle her breathing, which was starting to hitch into panic mode. This was how her life was going to be from now on: running away from Mace, trying to keep her family safe. Always.
She might as well get used to it.
When they reached the glass-and-chrome lobby, it was beautifully appointed with plants, a mahogany receptionist desk, and sparkling granite floors. But the thing that stole her breath was the sight of three shifters waiting in the middle of the open-floored space: Jak, Marco, and Kalis.
Arianna broke away from Sarra, practically sprinting across the floor to the three men she loved most in this world… then she stalled out when she arrived in front of them, breathless. Words had forsaken her, tears were threatening, and she had no idea who to embrace first. She wanted to hug them all simultaneously, but instead, she stood frozen in front of them.
Kalis crashed through the awkwardness first, lunging forward to scoop her into a giant hug. He swept her off the floor and spun her around. She hugged him back, even as he was squeezing all the breath out of her. A smile nearly broke her face.
When he set her down, smiles had jumped to everyone’s faces.
“Oh man, it’s good to see you, Ari,” Kalis said, his voice low and growly, so much deeper than when she saw him last. She had to reach up to ruffle his hair—he must have grown six inches, his shifter genes finally kicking in to turn her baby brother into a man.
It speared right through her heart.
She scowled at him and took both his cheeks in her hands, pinching them like their aunt Josie did before she passed. “Oh my god, it’s my little Kalis!” she said in her best Aunt Josie impression.
He laughed and twisted his face out of her grip.
Then she dropped the fake voice and said, “Jesus, Kal, seriously—when did you turn into the Incredible Hulk?”
He blushed and ducked his head, but she could tell he took it as a compliment. And that made her heart pound with happiness. Marco stepped up next, nudging their now-big baby brother aside to hug her. He held her for a long moment, and her tears nearly escaped her valiant attempts to hold them back.
When Marco finally loosened his grip, he still held her close and peered into her eyes. “Ari.” His voice was thick. She knew him well enough—from running as
a pack a hundred times, sharing thoughts—to know what was going through his mind. And she finally would be able to say all the things she’d imagined saying ever since Mace captured her… but never had the chance.
“It’s not your fault, Marco.” Her throat was closing up. “None of it was. Mace took what he wanted because he could. It’s how he is. There’s nothing you could have done except die trying to stop him. And I’d have never forgiven you for that.”
She could tell he was tearing up, and she didn’t want him to be embarrassed, so she grabbed him in another fierce hug. He held her tightly for another long moment before finally releasing her.
Only then did she turn to Jak—with a heart-twinge, because he was the only reason she was able to hug her brothers at all. If he was feeling neglected, he didn’t show it: he was grinning ear-to-ear. She gave Marco’s hand a squeeze before leaving his side.
“So this is your errand?” she said to Jak, teasing him and smiling just as hard. “Saving my life again?”
His smile faltered for just a split second, and she was afraid he somehow took her words the wrong way. So she flowed into his arms and hugged him tight.
As he buried his face in her hair, she said, quietly, just for him, “Oh my god, Jak, you brought my family back to me. Thank you.”
His hands were on her back, holding her so tight, she didn’t think he would ever let her go. For a long stretch of seconds, she just basked in the safety of his arms. Then thoughts of Mace wormed their way back into her mind: her family couldn’t stay here, out in the open, exposed and vulnerable.
She eased back from Jak. He seemed reluctant to release her. There was such a mix of joy and pain on his face that it confused her. She was momentarily at a loss for words.
But then a voice spoke up, saying what she was thinking anyway. “We need to leave.”
She turned to find the source—it was a strikingly beautiful woman in a red dress, tall and imposing, that she had somehow not noticed before in all the excitement. She had never met a witch before, but this woman was the perfect picture of one: an air of haughtiness, a magical beauty, and a powerful, glittering look in her eyes.