“But I didn’t call them,” he added.
“All shifters answer to an alpha’s call,” Lola said. “It doesn’t matter if they have a clan or not. We’re going to need them come the full moon.”
After making sure the newcomers had places to make camp and hearing dozens of oaths of loyalty, Ronan felt weary and retreated to Magda’s hut. The old witch lay snoozing in front of the fire in her rocking chair.
“Magda?” He hesitated as he walked in. He didn’t want to wake her. Maybe I should leave and just come back later.
Her eyes fluttered open as her lips curved into a smile. “You did it, my boy, you drew the others here. Like a true alpha.”
Ronan shook his head. “I’m not the alpha, Christy is. I just share the power. She should be here.”
“You both are. Two alphas ruled together before the clan wars, before female shifters became nothing more than broodmares,” she said. “Told you that you had it in you.”
Ronan slumped into the seat opposite her. “God, I miss Christy. Talking to her in thought isn’t the same as being with her. This bond is irritating.”
“She’ll come back. She’s taking care of your people too.” She patted his knee.
He shook his head. “Mags, a few dozen outsiders being here doesn’t make them our people.”
“They’re following you, aren’t they?” she wheezed.
Yes, they had followed him there. Just as the Imperious wolves had backed off too, but that didn’t make him a real alpha yet.
Ronan pulled the crystal out of his backpack, placed the photos on the makeshift table. “I found these in Oren’s chamber. We think Oren loved Christy’s great-grandmother. What do you know?”
Magda’s hand shook as she picked up the photo. “She was my sister, not by blood but in every way that mattered.” A tear dripped down her cheek. “She fell in love with Adrian, the alpha at the time and died in childbirth. Soon after the curse followed. Adrian blamed us for her death, and was eventually killed himself. My mother made the curse to weaken the shifters. We prevented them from using magic against us, but shifters can still hurt us.”
“Any idea what this is?” He held up the strange opaque crystal.
Her already pale face drained of colour. “Where did you get that?”
“From Oren’s chambers. What is it?” He frowned, staring at the strange object. He didn’t sense anything about it.
“It…” Magda doubled over in a coughing fit.
Ronan caught the coppery scent of blood. “Mags, what can I do?” He dropped the crystal onto the table and leaned forward. “I still don’t have magic, not full magic. Something is still restricting it.” He clutched her hand. “I think I know a way of getting you off the island we can…”
“No,” she rasped. “I was born on this island, I’ll die here too.”
“Mags, a hospital could do something to help you,” Ronan pleaded. “Please…”
“They can’t do anything. I’m old, I’ve been protecting this place for almost two hundred years. Now it’s time to pass that responsibility on to you and Christy.”
“We still need you. Christy and I–” He squeezed her hand.
“Have each other. You proved today that you can bring the clans together.” She closed her eyes again.
Ronan kissed her forehead. “I love you, Magda. Get some rest.”
He went outside find Josh and Lola waiting for him.
“What’s next, alpha?” asked Josh.
Ronan winced. Doubted he’d ever get used to the term. “Magda isn’t doing well. We can’t rely on her help, not now.”
“We need a witch to take down Oren,” Josh said, running a hand through his hair.
“Christy is a witch,” Lola pointed out.
“Yeah, too bad the princess ran off and left us!” grumbled Caleb.
“She’s not a princess and we need her on the inside,” insisted Ronan. He held up the crystal. “We need to figure out what this thing is.”
A howl rang out through the cool night air.
Ronan glanced down the crystal clasped in his hand, saw vibrating. Damn it, Oren was more determined to get it back than he’d realised.
He ran back inside Magda’s hut, placed it underneath the sleeping witch. “Mags, I hope you still have some power left in you.” He squeezed her shoulder before hurrying back out. “Lola, keep her safe.”
He watched as a large grey wolf strode into camp. “I was right, Oren does send you to do his dirty work.” Ronan smirked.
Give me the crystal, Alec demanded. Nothing you say or do will change what happens at the full moon. Christy will be mine.
He laughed. “You can’t take my mate from me.”
Attack! Alec yelled.
A swarm of grey wolves surged into the encampment, leaping onto the unsuspecting outsiders.
Ronan shifted to and launched himself at Alec, the pair tumbled to the ground, a mass of fur, teeth and claws. They bit and clawed each other as one tried to overpower the other. Ronan knocked Alec away, Josh and Caleb leapt at Alec, ripping into him.
Alec fought back, rolled away as two Imperious wolves charged Ronan’s friends.
A flash of light made Ronan turn as Christy appeared beside him. “Lupus incartus!” She raised her hand, shooting the ball of brilliant gold light at Alec.
Alec screeched as his body shifted back into human form. He clutched his stomach. “Bitch! What did you do to me?”
Her eyes glowed hot amber as she let the alpha’s power roam free. “Back off!” she snarled. “Get out of here or you won’t be taking on one alpha, but two.”
Ronan shifted, eyes glowing as he joined Christy.
She fired another energy ball.
“My wolf is gone!” one of the Imperious shifters screamed.
“The same thing will happen to all of you if you don’t get the hell out of here!” Ronan snapped.
Another shifter made a run at Christy. Ronan grabbed the other wolf by its snout and broke its jaw with one loud crack. “Chris, do you want to kill this one, or should I?” The wolf whimpered, backed away with his tail between its legs.
“Retreat!” Alec yelled, glaring at them. “This isn’t over, Walker. Come tomorrow night you will no longer be breathing.”
Alec and the Imperious wolves retreated into the night.
Ronan stared at her. “How did you get here?”
“Projection spell I found in one of Magda’s books. I’m only here in spirit since I can’t leave without Mal.”
“I wish you were really here.”
Christy gave him a smile. See you soon, love. She vanished again in a flash of light.
Chapter 8
Christy found herself lying on her bed, sunlight beaming in through the bay window and awoke to find Ronan staring at her. How did I get here? The last thing she remembered was being in the Magda’s room. How much time had passed? All worries faded as she smiled when she saw his brilliant blue eyes staring at her. “I missed you,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck, glad for the warmth of his embrace.
His hand roamed down her back, cupping her backside. She reached up to kiss him. Ronan’s eyes turned green, his smile cold and leering.
“Alec!” she snarled, leaping out of bed to cross the room. “Get out!”
Alec grinned. “I only wanted a little fun. Come the full moon–”
“I’ll be ripping your throat out,” she snapped. “Get out!”
“You never told Ronan no, did you?”
She smiled. “No, I let him touch me. He’s better than you at everything. Hell, I bet you never had a woman who craved your touch,” she said. “You’re just a pawn too. Oren is only using you to get what he wants.”
Alec chuckled, rising from the bed. “Oren sees me as the true alpha I am. Now know one have to follow your father’s rule. Everyone will live in peace.”
“Ha, I doubt there will be anyone left once Oren tries to take power. You’ll be the first one he kills.”
Alec came over, tried to touch her cheek. “You’ll be begging me to fuck you come the full moon.”
Christy laughed, her claws came out she slashed him across the face again. She felt sense of satisfaction at his yelp.
“You little –”
“This is my room, get out!” She shoved him, sent him stumbling out the door. She bolted it shut.
After dressing and eating the food the guard had left for her, Christy opened the door, peered down the hall to see it deserted. She scanned for any sign of heart beats, heard nothing.
She blurred down the hall, down the staircase until she reached the cellar door. Two shifters good on guard.
“You’re not allowed beyond this point, princess.”
“Princess?” she snorted. “If you haven’t heard I’m not the alpha’s daughter, I’m the alpha now. So I’d move if I were you.”
“Alec is our alpha,” the second one replied.
Christy’s eyes flashed bright gold. “Back off and let me see my brother.”
To her amazement, both guards stepped aside.
She hurried through the doorway before either change their minds.
She bounded down the steps, raced to reach Malic.
He lay, hunkered down corner of the tiny passageway. Her heart ached just to look at him. He still had her jacket over his torso.
“Malic?” Christy said, touching his shoulder. “Mal, how you feeling?”
She waited.
No response.
“Mal, wake up,” she said louder. “Mal?” Christy tapped his shoulder but he didn’t respond. Panicking, she grabbed his wrist to check for a pulse. It felt faint but still there. Yet Malic didn’t respond.
Maybe he just needs to rest, she decided.
“I’m going to get us both out of here,” she promised.
She grabbed hold of his chain, felt power crackle against her skin. That power had to come from somewhere. She yanked at it, careful not to hurt her sleeping brother in the process. The chain was hooked up to the cell wall. There had to be something important down here. It seemed a strange place to hold her brother otherwise.
She knelt, running her hands along the dirt covered floor. She reached out with both her wolf and her inner senses, scanning for a trace of power.
Nothing. Not that she was a magical expert now.
If only she could have brought Magda with her. Magda always knew what to do, Christy knew she wouldn’t have Magda’s guidance forever.
An alpha led; they didn’t rely on others to do for them.
“Mal?”
No response.
Christy sighed. Now I am alone. She took hold of the chain again, trying to sniff out the magic. Her wolf recoiled at the stench coming from Mal but Christy ignored it. She rose, raised her hand and threw an energy ball at the chains. Her magic fizzled out.
She gritted her teeth. Ronan? Reaching out for his mind, she waited until his familiar presence came to her.
Are you alright? he asked.
Alec got a bit grabby but yeah, I am.
He growled, sending fury through the bond.
Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that, she thought.
Yes, you should have.
Ronan, I’m in the cellar. I think this is where the power source is but I’m having trouble locating it, she told him. Does Magda have any idea how we can access it?
Magda is still resting. She’s not well, Chris.
Christy felt a tear dripped down her cheek. Listen, I found something...
“What are you doing down here?” said a familiar voice.
Oren moved out of the shadows.
Damn, how did he do that? She hadn’t even smelt his presence.
“I’m checking on my brother,” she snapped. “I told the guards to move him up to his room. Can’t you even show any mercy to a dying man?”
“Why?” He arched an eyebrow. “He’s already a corpse.”
Her fists clenched. Her wolf demanded to be let out, to rip him apart for hurting her kin.
Christy, don’t go up against him, Ronan warned.
I’ll be careful, she promised and ended the connection between them.
“You’re a son of a bitch,” she snarled.
He laughed. “And you’re a little girl trying to act like an alpha,” he retorted. “But only one more day then–”
“Then you and Alec will pay for everything you’ve done to us and the clans.”
His smile widened. “Now sound just like your mother. She thought she could defeat me too.”
“Whatever you’re planning it won’t work.” She knelt, wrapping her arms around Malic. “Now get out. I want to be alone with my brother.”
Oren shook his head. “I will find your mongrel.” He raised his hand.
Christy gasped; feeling like someone grasped her throat in a chokehold. Her wolf growled, fought to get out. She tried to shift but nothing happened. Her wolf howled, fought against the bars of her mind to break free.
She reached the magic; none came as she fell to her knees, gasping for breath.
“Ronan won’t come to your rescue, princess. Tomorrow night you will meet your fate.”
Chapter 9
Ronan went out to find the other outsiders. Only a dozen of them were left including him, Josh and Lola. Hardly a clan of warriors.
All of them stood to attention when they saw him.
“Where is Magda?” he asked.
“In her hut resting and the crystal is safe,” Lola answered. “I don’t think she’s gonna last much longer.”
He frowned. Magda was the only one who knew how to handle any of this, but he didn’t want to stress her any further.
“Let’s move. We’ve got a ward and a clan to bring down,” he told them. “I want all of you to scan the perimeter of the Stargaza mansion. Find any weakness in the ward they can.”
“How?” asked Josh. “We’re not witches.”
“No, we’re shifters and we have our own kind of magic. Use your senses and find how far it expands, where the guards are posted. Don’t engage with the guards or Oren if you see him. Recon only. Lola, stay with Magda and keep her safe. Make her comfortable.” He turned to leave.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To face my past.”
Staring up and down the scorched ruin of his parents’ house made him wince. This had been home for the first five years of his life. He’d had a real family, people who loved him. All of that ended the day Alec had murdered his parents and Christy’s mother, leaving a new-born Christy for dead.
He let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. Christy had found answers here maybe he’d find some too. He had to know more about what had happened that day. Why had his parents been killed? Was it just because of the spell Olivia and Una had tried to do to break the alpha’s curse?
Ronan glanced around, had no idea what to look for. Christy had always been better at magic than him. He knelt, rummaging through the dirt and debris which littered the living room floor. Moving the rubbish aside, he spotted something. Picking it up, he saw a small black book. He frowned as he stared at it. How had it managed to survive the inferno?
He remembered the searing heat of flames as he’d carried Christy out, seeing his parents lying on the floor, unmoving. The vision had haunted him for decades.
Ronan flipped the book open, glanced through the yellowed pages, looking for a spell to break the alpha’s curse. He sat, reading it page by page, some of the pages had black scorch marks, breaking up the massive text and illustrations.
But this could be what every shifter had been praying for. A way to free them from the curse which controlled them every full moon. Give them complete control over their bodies and powers again.
“Thanks, Mum,” he murmured and rushed back towards the village.
Ronan paced as Magda flicked through the book he’d found up at his parents’ ruined house. “Well?” he asked. “Can we break the alpha’s curse?”
Magda wheezed in a breath. “This spell is good, but you can’t cast it from here. You’ll need Christy, and you’ll need to be together.”
He swore under his breath. Yes, he did need Christy, not just for the spell or the upcoming battle. He needed to be near her, feel her, touch her. He ached not being near her.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Ronan muttered. “Magda, what happens when I face Alec and Oren? Even with Christy–” He shook his head. “Oren is strong.”
“You’re stronger.”
“Yeah, but we still have no way of defeating him.”
Lola took the book from Magda, glanced through and pulled a page out. “This look at the map of the island.”
“It is. It’s an old drawing of where the shifter clans and the witches used to live,” Ronan replied. “I remember my mum having a drawing of it on our mantelpiece.”
“Then why have it in a spell book?” Lola mused. “Maybe it’s more than just a drawing.”
“What is it then?” he demanded, still pacing.
“You get bitchy when Christy isn’t around.”
He growled. “I’m worried about her. She’s surrounded by a clan of rogue shifters and power-hungry warlock.”
“She can take care of herself,” Lola pointed out, tearing the page from the book.
“Hey, that was my mum’s!”
She stared at the map, laid it down on the makeshift table. “Look at these spots.” She pointed to red dots marked out around the island. “Do we have any pens around here?”
Ronan grabbed Christy’s backpack that she bought with her the night she’d fled to the Outland. He rummaged through the books and other items until he produced a pen.
He tossed it to Lola. Hell, she’d already spoiled the book, writing on the map wouldn’t make much difference. “What are you doing?” he asked.
Lola bit her lip as she drew red lines, connecting each dot. “Just wait,” she muttered, then held it up.
A five-pointed star now appeared on the page.
“What’s that?” Ronan frowned.
“A pentacle. It’s a witch symbol,” Magda rasped. “A symbol…for power.”
“What does it mean?”
“It means they’re power points and the source of power lives within the centre.” Magda coughed and wheezed.
The Alpha's Curse: Shifter Clans Series Book 3 Page 4